New operating systems always comes with their ups and downs with windows 10 not an exception, below we'll talk about some of the problems that makes people reluctant about upgrading to the new windows os;
1. AUTOMATIC WINDOWS UPDATE
This, obviously tops the list of "Reasons why you should not upgrade to Windows 10 yet" found on many websites. Here is the way around to turn it off. (Only problem is this does not work on the Home edition but every other edition works fine). I'll edit to add trick for Home edition users later
To turn off automatic updates; press Windows Key + R, type "gpedit.msc" and press enter, Navigate to
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update.
Locate the "Configure Automatic Updates" setting in the right pane and double click it. Set it to "Enabled" and select your preferred setting. Save the change.
P.S: Windows update seems to notice the change after you click "Check for Updates"
2. SEARCH RESULTS ONLY FROM C DRIVE (FIXED)
In this new version of Windows, Microsoft introduced Cortana personal assistant which also serves as a local/Web search for your PC. The problem is that cortana searches for contents only on the drive you installed Windows which is usually C: drive. People with a single partition will not notice this problem but it's a sure nightmare for guys with double or multiple partitions like myself knowing that I can't see a file am looking for in drive D:
How to solve this; Goto Control panel (right click on windows Icon) -- Indexing Options -- modify -- [select drive(s) you want cortana to search] -- OK
If the drive has already been index before then select it from the lower pane, click OK-- Advanced -- Rebuild
Then wait for it to index the files in the drive. When it's finished, Cortana can now see them
3. DEFAULT SEARCH ENGINE IN EDGE BROWSER
With the new Windows, Microsoft debuted their all new browser named Edge. I used to be a fan of Firefox but after this upgrade I couldn't get enough of Microsoft Edge. There are a lot of new features you'll really enjoy in this browser but the only con is the default search engine which is Bing (since a lot of us are happier with Google). Here's how to change it to Google.
First visit Google.com from the address bar then click the three dots at the extreme top right (just under the close icon) then click settings then "view advanced settings". Scroll down to "search in the address bar with" and click the box. If you had visit Google website, it'll appear there, then select it
4. GOING BACK TO YOUR PREVIOUS WINDOWS
This option is only available to those who upgraded from windows 7 or Windows 8.1. If you performed a clean install then skip this number.
For one reason or the other you might want to go back to your former windows. Microsoft prepared a downgrading tool for you. Just click on Windows Icon and in the start screen, click on settings then update and security and click on recovery on the left pane. Depending on your former windows version, you'll see "Go back to Windows 8.1 (or 7)"
Note that this feature is only available for a month because Microsoft deletes your "windows.old" folder after a month so apparently you have a month to decide if you're gonna stick with windows 10 or not.
5. CORTANA SEARCH BAR ON THE TASKBAR
This is one of the first things you notice immediately after upgrading to Windows 10. The cortana search bar being in the Taskbar may be cool for some but to others, unnecessary. Here's a short way to hide it or turn it to Cortana icon. Right click on the bar and select "search" (if you've activated cortana, you'll see cortana instead of search) then from the sub menu click "Show search as icon" or "hidden".
6. DISPLAY DRIVER PROBLEM (SCREEN BRIGHTNESS NOT WORKING OR SLEEP MODE MISSING)
This problem occurs because during the update, Microsoft uninstalls your display driver and installs the basic display adapter for you.
The solution is to install your display driver back. You can do this by either
1. checking for Windows update and updating your system
2. Go to device manager and right click on display driver and update using internet
3. Download driverpack solution or any driver installation software
7. BATTERY DISCHARGING VERY FAST(FIXED. ONLY FIRST GEN PROCESSORS ARE AFFECTED)
Sadly this has not fully been resolved but Microsoft and Intel are continuously working on it. It has been restored on some processors so keep updating your windows, yours might be next.
8. DATA DEPLETION
Windows 10 is known to be a data vampire, check out solutions below
A). SVCHOST.EXE
This is the major data gulper in windows 10 zapping about 1gb in 30 mins. It is a Windows process responsible for all updates including Windows, Windows defender and other Microsoft products.
To turn it off, Go to Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Services - search for BITS and Stop the service by right clicking on it then click on stop.
Or alternatively you can use command prompt which is easier. Right-click on windows icon and select "command prompt (admin)" then copy and paste this command
net stop BITS then press enter.
Whenever you want to update windows again, you will need to enable it again with
net start BITS
B). SET YOUR CONNECTION AS METERED
This will let Windows 10 know you don’t want large updates and apps automatically download.
Go to Start > Settings >Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Advanced Options.
Then Toggle on Set as metered connection
P.S: Locating this setting might differ on your PC depending on your windows 10 Build version
C). TURN LIVE TILES OFF
Those live tiles on your Start menu use a bit of data too–although not much. You won’t save much data by disabling live tiles, but you can do it if you want to save every little bit.
To prevent a tile from automatically downloading and displaying new data, right-click on the tile in the
Start menu , point to “ More ,” and select “ Turn Live Tile Off .”
D). TURN OFF BACKGROUND APPS
By default, Windows 10 keeps some apps running in the background and they eat up a lot of data. If you are not using any of these apps, you should consider turning them off.
To Turn off background apps, Go to Settings > Privacy > Background apps. You can turn off the unneeded ones.
E). PREVENT AUTOMATIC APP UPDATES AND LIVE TILE UPDATES
To prevent Windows 10 from updating Windows Store apps on its own, open the Store app. Click or tap your profile picture near the search box and select “ Settings .” Disable the “ Update Apps Automatically” checkbox. You can still update your Store apps manually from the Windows Store app, but Windows won’t automatically download app updates on its own
F). DISABLE PC SYNCING
This is one of the hallmark feature of Windows 10 and quite useful as well. But honestly, you don’t need to have it running around the clock. You can turn it off and when you do need to keep things synced, you can easily turn it on.
To do that, Go to Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings and turn Sync settings off.
G). DEFER WINDOWS UPDATES
If you are running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, there is an option in Windows Update settings that lets you defer the download of new features for several months. This can be significant since new feature improvements can be quite large. This does not affect the download and installation of security updates.
To Defer Upgrades, Go to Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update > Advanced Options scroll down a bit and check Defer feature updates
H). SET “OneDrive” OFF
OneDrive is one of the other background apps in the Windows 10 that depletes your data in no time. Yes, the One Drive does help you sync your files which makes life simpler, but not all of us need that function.
To deactivate the OneDrive, right click on the “Task Bar” and open “Task Manager” from the list or alternatively use your keyboard shortcuts, such as, CTRL + SHIFT + ESC all at once to open it. Click "more details" if it's not already expanded then click the “Startup” tab. Scroll down and select “Microsoft OneDrive” and disable it.
I). TURN OFF AUTO UPDATE OF OFFLINE MAPS IN WINDOWS 10
Just go to Settings -> System -> Offline Maps . Turn off the option Automatically Update Maps.
J). SAVE DATA ON WEB BROWSING
There’s a good chance that a lot of your data usage comes from your web browser–you can see just how much by looking at the Data Usage screen.
To save data on this web browsing, use a web browser that includes a built-in compressing proxy feature. The web browser will route the data through other servers where it’s compressed before being sent to you.
Google offers an official "Data Saver extension" for
Google Chrome, and it functions the same as the Data Saver feature built into the Chrome browser on Android and iPhone. The Opera browser also has a “ Turbo mode “, which works similarly. You can use ad blockers as well and avoid streaming videos online.
K). CHECK NETWORK USAGE In WINDOWS 10 VIA NETWORK SETTING SECTION
If after doing all the above and you're still experiencing data zapping, then go through this steps to know the particular app suckling your data
Navigate to Settings -> Network & Internet. Select “Data usage” then click on "Usage details".
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