As more and more folks upgrade to new PCs, I hear the same comment over and over:
“Where’s the Start button‽ How do I get to all my… Oh. Huh, there it is.”
Indenting the Start button by a few inches is rather alien to long-time Windows users. But we can move it back to the left, if you prefer:
People complain to me all the time about having to sign on to their computers. As people buy new Windows 11 computers, Microsoft makes it almost impossible to avoid creating login credentials. Win11 forces you to give your email, create a Microsoft account, choose a password and then a PIN. But let me give you some extra info about all of this. You do have some choices on how your computer treats you, when you turn it on.
As mentioned, most new Windows PCs frogmarch you into making a Microsoft Account. And there are pros and cons to this. When you do this, Microsoft collects info about you and may track how you use your computer. But the Microsoft account also may also help track your computer if it’s ever stolen, and it can help streamline your use of OneDrive or other Microsoft tools. The Edge browser can use your Microsoft account to backup and sync your Favorites and other settings.
The Microsoft Account also enables other sign-on features inside of Windows, so that you can pick the easiest method for you. Very few people want to type in their cumbersome Microsoft password everyday. So that’s why Microsoft pushes that PIN on you. If you have a PIN on your Windows computer, then that saves you from having to type something longer.
Depending on your computer, you may also be allowed to “sign-in” to your computer with your fingerprint, or your face, or a physical security key. You can check these out by going to Start -> Settings -> Accounts -> Sign-in Options.
But perhaps the best part of a Microsoft Account is that you are unlikely to get locked out of your computer, if you lose your password/PIN. When a person can’t sign in on their computer with their Microsoft credentials, it’s often a simple process to reset things. They would go to another computer and reset their Microsoft password.
But some people don’t want to have a sign-in on their PC. Or they don’t care for Microsoft to gather info on them. For these situations, you can switch to a Local Account. But you need to understand the full ramifications of this, because it is not a perfect solution!
First, to switch your PC to a local account, you would have to to go Start-> Settings -> Accounts -> Your Info. To the right, you will see an option for “Sign in with a local account instead. Using that will convert the logged in PC account to a local account. The Microsoft Account still exists, but will no longer govern this particular sign-on.
If you make use of this option, you will get the chance to declare a new name for the account. This is just a text label, and doesn’t matter to the computer, so choose anything you’re comfy with. It will also ask you to choose a password. You have two choices here:
There are many ways to remove a piece of software from your computer.
Many Windows apps can be uninstalled straight from the Start menu! Simply click Start, look through the Apps or Programs menu for the item you want to get rid of, and right-click on it. If you see Uninstall listed, click it and see if the program disappears.
Otherwise, click Start and go to Settings. Click Apps, then Apps & Features. You should see a list of the software installed on your system. Find the program you want to remove, and click the 3-dots button to the right of it. Click Uninstall and you’re on your way.
Or, you can go to the old-school Control Panel: Press Windows + R on your keyboard, and then type the word control into the Run window that appears. Open Programs & Features for another listing of your software, click a program and then use the Uninstall button at the top of the list.
On Apple computers, users simply launch the Finder and click Applications on the left-hand column. Find the program you want to ditch and click-and-drag it to the Trashcan on the dock.
On Android phones and tablets, long-press on an app, and drag it to the top of the screen. If it can be uninstalled, you should see an option for that appear. Drop the app onto the word Uninstall, and it should be removed.
On iPhones and iPads, long-press on an app, and all of your apps will start to wiggle! Tap the — or x-marker on an app to uninstall it. When done removing apps, make sure to exit jiggle-mode by pressing the Home button, or pressing the Done button in the upper-right corner.
Some programs, though, just don’t want to leave. If you’re seeing errors or nothing happen after a basic uninstall, you may need to resort to some advanced methods:
If a program won’t leave your Mac willingly, open the Apple menu and go to Force Quit. Look for the program there and kill it, then try again to uninstall.
Microsoft makes a special troubleshooting tool you can download, and it stands a chance of fixing something, so that you can try the basic method of uninstalling again.
If you’re trying to dislodge a stubborn antivirus program, there are special downloads for many of them that may help.
When all else fails, Revo Uninstaller is often the tool that will vanquish your foe. This is my go-to for anything that puts up too much of a fight, and it will rip out any recalcitrant software you point it at. Note: I only ever need the freeware edition, but they also offer paid versions, if you feel the need to show them some appreciation.
Speak to your computer and have it type what you’re saying! Windows and MacOS have voice-to-text typing tools built-in and you just have to launch them for your speech to flow into whatever document you’re creating.
Windows Users would press Win + H to open the dictation tool.
Apple users can press the Fn button twice to launch their dictation tool.
Once started, you can have this tool enter your spoken words anywhere you see the input cursor flashing. Feel free to dictate into a Word doc or email or status field on Facebook. After you’re done dictating, feel free to go back and edit for punctuation by hand.
And if you ever have any trouble with these built-in tools, there are websites that offer similar tools. This Voice Notepad website is handy, because you can switch between dictation and typing more gracefully. When you’re done, simply copy the text and paste it elsewhere.
On a Windows computer, there are certain things you can’t do when naming a file. Microsoft is pretty helpful in telling you that you can’t use any of the following characters, as you type a new file name:
< > : ” / | \ ? *
But Microsoft doesn’t tell you that there are a few reserved words, that are forbidden:
CON PRN AUX NUL COM1 COM2 COM3 COM4 COM5 COM6 COM7 COM8 COM9 LPT1 LPT2 LPT3 LPT4 LPT5 LPT6 LPT7 LPT8 LPT9
Try naming a new file (or folder) one of those and you’ll get an error that is decidedly unhelpful. But try again with something slightly different (“Auxiliary” instead of “Aux”), and everything will work as normal.
Most of these Windows-based forbidden naming conventions are not present under MacOS. You can name your file “Con.docx” on an Apple. Or make a folder called “Retain for Later?” on your iMac.
But Mac users should still try to respect these Windows-based restrictions. Why? Because if down the road, you email or transfer those files/folders to a Windows computer, bad things can happen. When a file is added to a PC, and Windows finds that the file name violates the rules of the OS, then:
Microsoft OneDrive is adding to your file-naming considerations. In recent years, people are noticing that file names with commas are being changed. Thanks to OneDrive, files named something like “Dear John, I’m leaving.docx” are morphing into “Dear John^J I’m leaving.docx”. Apparently, the comma is now semi-forbidden in any filename that gets swept up in OneDrive’s sync.
In Windows 10, it was very easy to change your default browser:
Start -> Settings -> Apps. Click Default Apps, then click under Web Browser.
But now, under Windows 11, things are rather different. If you want to declare something other than Edge as your default browser, you’ll want to do that through your browser now. In Firefox or Brave, go to the Options (Hamburger) button to the upper-right, then click Settings. In the General panel, look for a button labeled “Make Default”. If you use that, it should do the trick.
But not for all browsers. Microsoft seems to have it out for the Chrome and Vivaldi browsers. Here’s the Windows 11 process for setting either of those as default:
Start -> Settings -> Apps. Click Default Apps, then scroll down to click on your browser of choice. A long list of file types will appear; click each of the following, one at a time, and set them to use your preferred browser:
I’m not sure why this is now such a convoluted process, but I’m hoping it’ll simplify after future complaints/updates.
For any computer running Microsoft Windows, you’ll notice that the keyboard features a Windows (Logo) key. You’ll find it to the lower-left, between Ctrl and Alt.
That Windows key actually has many hidden uses, some of which you may love! Check out these various keyboard shortcuts that use it:
Please experiment with these to discover which ones are the most useful for you. Some of these shortcut combos may change your computing life!
When you buy a new computer, you probably expect it to be fast! Or at least, faster than the previous computer…. But that’s not always the case. Some new computers disappoint with sluggish performance as they are first turned on. “Why is my new computer so slow?” Here are some common answers to this:
Microsoft is always updating Windows with improvements and security patches. Some updates are small & light, while others are bulky and take a lot of time and bandwidth to download and install. In most cases, your new computer will begin work on these updates, silently & automatically, as soon as it detects an internet connection.
But how long was your computer sitting on the shelf at the store? A couple of months? Longer? This may mean that your new laptop is now working hard to catch up on dozens of updates, missed during its time in the stockroom. This can bog down even the best of computers, and the problem can be further exacerbated if your internet is slow.
The best solution here is patience. Click Start, go to Settings, and then go to Update & Security (for Windows 10) or Windows Update (Windows 11). Your PC may already be updating, and you can leave this screen open as you wait for them to finish. If Windows is not updating, use any buttons you see here to “Check For Updates” or “Download & Install Updates”.
These updates might take a long time to process, so feel free to leave the computer on and running overnight, and check back in the morning.
Always Restart after any updates appear to finish, and then return to this same Settings area, in case there are more Updates coming. Eventually you will visit this panel and find that there are No New Updates. Then, re-judge your computer’s speed, and you may find it’s ready to do a better job for you.
Every manufacturer shovels on a bunch of unnecessary software before they ship their computers off to the stores. Some of it is just there for marketing purposes. Other shovelware has good intentions (speed up your connection, clean up your hard drive) but it usually turns out to be more trouble than it’s worth. And of course, there’s always a trial antivirus software in there, asking for money and dragging things down even further.
The first solution here is to remove the 3rd party antivirus. Whatever it is, I do not recommend you use it! Home-use computers are protected just as well using the free Microsoft Defender Antivirus as they are with any commercial product. So I recommend you uninstall Norton or McAfee or whatever protection software is present, and then reboot your system. Afterwards, use the white or blue shield icon near the time & date to check that the Virus & Threat Protection is turned on and has a green checkmark.
The follow-up solution is to eliminate the burden of the other shovelware. That differs from one computer to the next, and would be hard to detail in a single blog post. But there is a handy tool that can disable most shovelware, no matter what brand of computer you’ve bought: ADWCleaner. This free download is meant to remove malware after a quick scan, but after that, it will also identify unnecessary apps and neutralize them. I recommend running this tool and disabling everything it targets as unnecessary.
I’ve written about ultra-cheap, underpowered laptops before, and how they are essentially traps that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. These “traptops” are deceptively marketed as fantastic deals, but are anything but. Hallmarks of these disappointing Windows computers may include:
Unfortunately, if you buy one of these types of computers, there may be no solution for its lack of speed. This class of computer is non-upgradeable with its RAM and its storage drive. And the processor is often deliberately throttled to a slower speed, so that it won’t overheat and harm the motherboard. This allows the manufacturer to design and build the computer with fewer (or no) cooling fans.
TL;DR: If you ask me for help with such a computer, we’ll start by determining if you can possibly return the computer ASAP.
All these years later, there are still many people who prefer a classic Start Menu a la the Windows 7 era. Open Shell does the trick nicely, and is still a free download for all.
But with Windows 11, the Open Shell Start button is not visible at first. You’ll just have the new-fangled Windows 11 Start button, positioned towards the middle of the Taskbar. Don’t panic. If you’ve installed Open Shell, the classic Start Button & Menu is there and will work. You just have to coax it out:
Now you’ll have both Start buttons, the classic one to the left and the modern one to the middle. Use either one, depending on your preference. Or, you can move the new start button to the left and it will hide underneath the Open Shell Start button.
If you’re eager to try out the new Windows 11, here are some useful links:
Not all computers can get Windows 11. Use this Microsoft tool to check if your computer is eligible to receive Windows 11.
To put Windows 11 onto your computer, you could check the Windows Update panel under Settings. But that might not immediately offer the upgrade. Microsoft may stagger this rollout over weeks and months, so to get Windows 11 immediately, visit this page. Click the first Download Now button on that page to get started.
If you want to create a Windows 11 Installation Flash Drive, plug in your flash drive (8GB or larger) to your computer and use the second Download Now button on that page. Having such a flash drive is really useful if you plan to carry the installer to another computer, to put Windows 11 on it. And I like having these flash drives handy for advanced Windows repairs…
One recommendation: Don’t use a flash drive to install Windows 11 on a computer that is not eligible for Windows 11, per the above software tool. You probably could succeed at it, but we don’t yet know all of the side effects or problems that might result.
Please don’t feel like you need to perform this upgrade. Windows 11 is optional. Windows 10 will still work and be supported through 2025. You may remain with the Windows that you have. But please know that new computers are going to start coming with Windows 11 installed, and Windows 10 computers are going to become scarce in the coming months.
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