33 ways to improve your Windows 10 experience
Now that Windows 10 has overtaken Windows 7 as the most popular operating system, it’s bigger than ever. The sequel to Windows 8.1 has been out for more than three years now, and has given users plenty of time to figure it out.
Luckily, most Windows 10 problems have been patched out by Microsoft over the last few years. There are still some security exploits and other bugbears that have either lingered or have been caused by recent Windows updates. This is in part because Windows 10 updates are still kind of a mess, the most recent of which, the May 2018 Update, caused all kinds of issues, including Blue Screen errors on Microsoft’s own Surface devices.
That could be why the adoption of that update is only now starting to take off, just in time for the next one.
But for all of the problems that have been fixed – and we’ve shown you a few on the preceding pages – there are also many personal niggles that while not a bug per se, may still be just as infuriating. So if you’re looking for a way to tackle Windows and make it work better for you, you’ve come to the right place…
1 REMOVING THE ANNOYING LOCK SCREEN
The lock screen on Windows 10 can be annoying, especially on a computer that doesn’t have a touchscreen to easily ‘swipe’ it away. Windows Hello makes things somewhat easier, but only if you have a compatible computer with the necessary hardware to run the authentication system.
Luckily, Microsoft has provided a solution to the problem of the lock screen, albeit a complicated one that shouldn’t be tried if you’re not confident in tinkering with the Registry. Note that a misstep here can cause serious problems, so if you’re a computing novice, it’s probably best to steer clear of this one.
Okay, warning aside, to do this you need to first head to the search/Cortana box (next to the Start menu) and type in a search for ‘regedit’.
This will run the Registry Editor. From here, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\ Windows, select the Personalisation key and select New before choosing DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Select New Value #1 in the right-hand pane, and use F2 to rename it to the following:
NoLockScreen
Now double-click it, and change the value data to 1 and click OK.
It’s a slightly complex process, but after a reboot you should be able to automatically bypass the lock screen.
02 SET AUTO LOGIN TO AVOID TYPING IN PASSWORDS ENDLESSLY
Want to dodge the lock screen login? There is one easy way
