5 New Windows 10 features you may like
Windows 10 ships with several big changes and features, for instance Cortana, the digital voice controlled assistant or Microsoft Edge, a new web browser that replaces Internet Explorer as the default browser on systems running Windows 10, or that applications run in windows on the desktop now and not anymore fullscreen.
I talked about things I like in Windows 10 before but this article looks at some of the smaller changes and adjustments that Microsoft made in recent time.
These don't get talked a lot about and may please some users who plan to upgrade to Windows 10 or buy a device that runs the operating system.
Please note that some features may still change as Windows 10 has not been released yet. This could not only mean that a feature gets removed before release of the operating system, but also that it is moved around or modified in one way or another.
1. Start Menu and Taskbar personalization
The personalization menu for Start holds several interesting options. For one, it allows you to hide or show most used and recently added applications.
More interesting than that are options to select which folders appear in the start menu. A click on "Choose which folders appear on Start" displays a selection of system folders, e.g. the personal folder, download folder or pictures, that you can pin to start using the menu.
2. Windows Store reveals (some) in-app purchases
In-app purchases are often used by free to play applications and games to generate revenue. They may unlock items or features in the game, provide extra cash for purchases, or other bonuses.
Most stores inform you about these purchase options but they don't list how much you'd pay for items.
The new Windows Store does that by listing five sample items that are available for purchase in the selected application.
What it does not do is reveal what they do and while it is sometimes easy to tell -- money boost -- it is not possible to find out if the price is acceptable or not.
3. Pin Websites to Start for fast access
I'm not a fan of the new start menu even though I think that it is an improvement over the Start Screen of Windows 8.
The two elements that I don't like the most are the placement of the power button and that you cannot switch to list view in the right pane.
You can pin lots of things (modern settings for instance) to the Start Menu including websites. To do that start Microsoft Edge and visit the website that you want to pin to it.
Click on the three dots in the interface once you are there and select "pin to start" to add a shortcut to the site to the start menu.
4. Set Save locations for apps and personal data
Microsoft added preferences to Windows 10 that allow you to specify new default save locations for applications, documents, music, pictures and videos.
The default partition is set to c: but if you are running low on space on the drive, you may now switch to another one easily using the settings menu.
- Tap on the Windows-key, type Settings and hit enter.
- Navigate to System > Storage.
- Change Save Locations as you see fit on the page.
5. Control Privacy settings in one central location
Privacy is a group in the settings that you can use to modify (mostly) app-related privacy settings. You may for instance disable the advertising ID, turn off SmartScreen Filter, or disable sending information on how you write to Microsoft.
The same page lists controls for location, camera and microphone, the account, and several core applications such as calendar, contacts and messaging.
Now You: Have you discovered new features in Windows 10?
All of them are useless. right? None of them are intresting for me.
Well, at least it’s good news for us, power users.
And I thought power user use windows 7….
I wish Microsoft would have retained the Win 7 GUI and spent the years since overhauling the kernel, especially with regard to security.
I agree. The way everything’s been flattened out without any definition between UI elements since Win8 is just confusing. Win10 could be the best OS in history, but it’ll still be frustrating to use because of it.
Will there be a companion listicle “X new Windows 10 features you may find utterly boneheaded”?
On form, I suspect it’ll be a longer one.
Remember ‘Active Desktop’ in Windows 98?
You could add ‘web content’ to the desktop, like weather or stock market info.
Hey!, that means we were all ‘App Developers’ back then.
But nobody used this feature much.
windows 10 appears to be oriented at user who isn’t going to do any work with computer whatsoever. it looks like microsoft has been taken over by useless designers who just apply their rainbow ideas based on some private runway performance where laundry machine energy efficiency is the main factor that is taken in consideration.
Do all of the Windows 10 menus look like web pages???
Yes… Welcome to the Moders Apps era… :-/
P.S. Some of these are actually made using HTML/CSS and JavaScript.
no, under 2) you see the windows store and in 3) is the edge browser from where you pin your sites to the start menu.
(offtopic): Here’s what’s new in the newest versions of Firefox, as its release will be delayed:
Stable 39.0: https://www-dev.allizom.org/en-US/firefox/39.0/releasenotes/
Beta 40.0: https://www-dev.allizom.org/en-US/firefox/40.0beta/releasenotes/
Developer Edition 41 (Aurora): https://www-dev.allizom.org/en-US/firefox/41.0a2/auroranotes/
Considering the people who are watching this website, I kind of feel like those are pretty boring “new” Windows 10 features. The new Command Line improvements are the only thing that have me “excited” right now.
To be fair, it kind of feels like Microsoft hit a plateau with Win 7. It has everything, the users are happy with it, and power users know where everything is and are used to the system. I’m not a big fan of the new Win10 settings menu, it feels bloated. It’s sad because Microsoft doesn’t have to try and make things new. They made things awesome with the Start menu, but instead of building upon it, they killed it, then brought back a Frankenstein version with the big square apps and so many “Apps” before the useful folders.
Thanks for the post,You have to at least put a bright side on it, as it’s happening no matter what people might say.
You could already pin websites as far back as Windows 7, by dragging the IE tab to the taskbar. Works great for Netflix and Plex on my desktop. It’s like running a web app.
None of these interest me.
Tru
A privacy settings center sounds good but wouldn’t really be needed if there was no advertising ID and other spyware mechanisms in the first place.
I have just learnt that W10 will come with wifi sense enabled by default, which means that all the wifi passwords will be sent to MS servers and shared with skype, outlook and facebook ‘friends’ (contacts). Security agencies and corporate espionage service providers must be really happy right now.
That sounds horrible.. source?
Just assumed that people who visit ghacks can use google or a brain. Should have thought twice – the fact that there are so many defending the dumbing down of firefox already suggests otherwise.
@nonqu and you could have spent an extra 3 seconds to add the source to your original comment to back it up, that’s how ‘reporting’ should work, especially on any ‘new’ news. Heaven forbid you have to wait a little longer for your comment to appear.
https://www.google.com/search?q=windows+10+wifi+sense
Yes, it is. Also, Candy Crush, the free game app in Win 10 have backdoor to NSA. Earlier, NSA publicly accepted that they have backdoor in Candy Crush, Angry Birds and many other top apps.
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/30/windows_10_wi_fi_sense/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/30/windows_10_wi_fi_sense/
Title: UH OH: Windows 10 will share your Wi-Fi key with your friends’ friends
Didn’t post it as it makes the comment have to go through moderation. Just the first result for “wifi sense windows 10” so instead of being ‘pretty sure’ you could have spend 3 sec using your browser Andrew…
Another at https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2015/07/01/windows-10-wi-fi-sense-feature-shares-your-wi-fi-network-with-your-friends/
By tomorrow there should be many more articles on this subject.
I’m pretty sure it’s FUD
I am really hoping we can start deleting downloaded but not installed apps from the ‘my apps’ section… mine is cluttered with apps i tried once and hated.
I totally agree. My computer came with a ton of preinstalled bloatware apps (including McAfee) that I immediately uninstalled. Microsoft’s rationale for keeping these in the My Apps list is that in case the developer starts charging for it later, owners can reinstall it for free. However, I think that if someone really wants to remove it from the list, he should be able to. Just show a prominent warning that this action may cause one to pay for an app later.