Windows 10 · Step Up & Into

Your personalized 350-page guide to Windows 10 from one of the world's foremost Windows experts. Learn the new Microsoft operating system using this hands-on guide to mastering laptops, tablets, desktops and other computing devices running Windows 10.

Whether you are a casual user, an IT professional or just someone who wants to learn how to use the operating system, you can learn everything you need to conquer the essentials by reading this book. Inside, you'll find practical advice and step by step procedures, documented examples and much, much more.

One of the goals is to keep the content so concise that this personalized handbook remains compact and easy to navigate while at the same time being packed with as much information as possible.

Click Look Inside and discover this hands-on computer handbook.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 8

What’s This Book About? 8

What Do I Need to Know? 9

How Is This Book Organized? 9

What Conventions Are Used in This Book? 10

Other Resources 10

Chapter 1. Getting to Know Windows 10 12

Using Touchscreens 13

Installation Notes 14

Getting Signed In 15

Local Accounts, Domain Accounts, Microsoft Accounts, Oh My! 17

Getting Around the New Desktops 20

Getting Around the New Start Menu 27

Entering and Exiting Tablet Mode 31

Customizing User Accounts 33

Chapter 2. Customizing the Windows 10 Interface 38

Boosting Your Desktop IQ 39

Making the Start Menu Work for You 54

Making the Taskbar Dance 62

Chapter 3. Personalizing the Appearance of Windows 10 72

Customizing Basic Interfaces 73

Optimizing Backgrounds, Themes and More 82

Chapter 4. Customizing Boot, Startup, and Power Options 118

Customizing Your Computer’s Firmware Interface 118

Getting Firmware and Power Management Information 131

Customizing Startup and Boot Configuration 133

Resolving Restart or Shutdown Issues 156

Chapter 5. Organizing, Searching, and Indexing 161

Exploring Your Computer in New Ways 161

Customizing File Explorer 174

Searching and Indexing Your Computer 185

Fine-Tuning Windows Search 189

Indexing Your Computer 208

Chapter 6. Managing Your Apps 216

Working with Desktop Apps 216

Installing Desktop Programs 224

Managing Desktop Programs and Features 236

Managing Currently Running Apps, Programs and Processes 248

Chapter 7. Tracking System Performance and Health 252

Getting to Know Your Computer’s Hardware 252

Checking Current Performance Levels 257

Event Logging and Viewing 268

Chapter 8. Analyzing and Logging Performance 273

Resolving Failures and Reliability Issues 273

Recording and Analyzing Performance Data 290

Chapter 9. Optimizing Performance Tips and Techniques 304

Optimizing Power Management Settings for Performance 304

Maintaining Performance with Updates 316

Optimizing Performance: Final Tune-up Suggestions 320

Automating Maintenance 333

About the Author 338

What’s This Book About?

Windows 10: The Personal Trainer covers all editions of Windows 10. In this book, I teach you how features work, why they work the way they do, and how to customize them to meet your needs.