I think I'll be right if I assume that he wants to get from the newly installed operating system smooth operation, optimal performance and ease of use. Of course, all these parameters are very individual, and what will be convenient for one user may seem unacceptable to another. However, I would venture to suggest that there are some Windows 10 settings, which will be well received and will benefit most computer users who reinstall their operating system. It is for such people, and above all on my own experience, that I am writing this article.

So, you and I not so long ago became the owners of a completely new and very, by the way, promising operating system called " Windows 10". As stated in the official messages of Microsoft Corporation, this release of "Windows" will be the last. In the sense that the software giant will no longer release new versions of Windows under any numbers (11, 12...) or names (like XP, Vista or Millennium were). From now on, Windows 10 is a service. The operating system will constantly receive critical and minor cumulative updates, and from time to time (every six months) - major updates functionality that will essentially reinstall the system, of course, with the preservation of all files and programs existing on the user's computer. Why am I leading all this? Yes, to wait out Windows 10 and start learning already next version operating system makes no sense. You still have to master the "ten"(unless, of course, you plan to migrate to another system). And the sooner we do this, the better and easier it will be for us in the future. Agree, it’s better to study everything thoroughly and bring it to mind immediately after installation, and then enjoy uninterrupted work than endlessly postponing.

Personally, I work at a computer quite a lot and from time to time I like to start, so to speak, “with clean slate". By these words I mean clean OS install. So now, before starting the setup, I reinstalled myself and I advise you to install Windows 10 clean. How to do this, I described step by step in the article " Clean install of Windows 10 ».

1. Install updates

So, we have the system installed. Before us is an absolutely clean desktop and equally sterile contents. hard drive. Now what? The first thing I personally try to do is to make sure that all necessary updates are installed as soon as possible. Among them there will definitely be critical ones - for example, drivers for various equipment. To do this, go to the tab " Options» menu « Start"(gear image) and go to the section" Update and Security". There we check for updates and wait for them to be installed.

I advise you to pay attention to the tab " Extra options» in the Update Center. Personally, I immediately put two checkmarks there: on the points “ Provide updates for other Microsoft products when updating Windows". Here, if necessary, it will be possible to postpone all updates for a certain time. This may be necessary, for example, if you have an emergency at work and a delay in starting the computer due to the installation of updates, even for a few minutes, is critical. This setting does not affect the installation of security updates.

Also in the update center, you can change the device activity period - specify the time interval (up to 18 hours) when the computer is used most actively. During this time, it will not reboot to install updates. I have an interval set from 8 am to 2 am. I always install updates on my laptop manually, and the hospital works with them at night - I have it turned on almost around the clock.

2. Don't touch the drivers...

While the updates are being installed, I will express my humble opinion about installing and configuring drivers in Windows 10. I believe (and I have my own good reasons for this) that the "ten" itself very well selects the firewood necessary specifically for my computer. For the sake of experiment, I tried using popular third-party programs for automatic installation drivers. They invariably found me a bunch of new driver versions and even installed them. But this often ended badly: either the equipment began to work more slowly, or it generally lost 90% of its functionality (video card). Possible reason, in my opinion, is banal: the latest driver may be perfectly compatible with the 7th or 8th, but for the "ten" it is simply not sharpened yet. In general, in the end, you always had to roll back to the previous version of the driver.

The last attempt to update the drivers with a third-party program (purely out of curiosity, by the way - to see how it all ends and describe the result on the site) ended in the death of the laptop's video chip :-( I cannot prove a direct relationship, but I am convinced that everything is so. I think you will draw your own conclusions. Personally, I'm more of a driver on Windows 10 by hand and with the help of third party programs I don't put. I trust what the system automatically chooses. The most important principle of optimization works here: do not overoptimize. Why reinvent the wheel (read: look for a way to install latest drivers), if the “ten” copes with this task, if not by 5 points, then by 4. Setting up drivers in Windows 10 implemented perfectly, so the chance that you have to meddle there is minimal.

3. Install antivirus

While updates continue to be installed, I set myself the first and most important task - to install an antivirus. Yes, I know many people think that such a program is not needed on the "top ten" - they say there is a built-in "Windows Defender" there. I am not one of them, and I expressed my opinion on this issue in detail in the article “ Do I need to install antivirus on Windows 10 ».

What antivirus program choose a personal matter. Even the weakest is better than nothing. Personally, I choose completely free 360 Total Security. At least half a billion Chinese users speak in his favor. Can you imagine how you can work out protection technologies on 500 million computers? The development is monetized exclusively on advertising in the program itself. Western companies never dreamed of such a thing. I also respect the products of the Kaspersky Lab, but I regret the money for them. Recently released free antivirus kaspersky I haven't tried it yet, although I should (I confess).

Avast, Avira and others paid antiviruses having limited free versions, once used and even praised. Then, over time, he concluded that they were missing too many suspicious things and finally abandoned them. In general, while holding on to the Chinese (this is now generally in trend :-). If I choose something else, I will definitely add information about it here.

4. Remove the password to enter Windows

A very important moment for me in setting up Windows 10 on home computer. It is very annoying when, for example, in the morning you press the "Start" button on the system unit, you go to the shower and get coffee, you come back - and instead of the already running desktop, the login screen is stuck on the monitor. Therefore, I prefer to remove this idiotic password so that the entrance occurs automatically. How to do this is discussed in detail in the article " Disable or enable password entry at login in Windows 10 ».

5. Install the minimum required software package

It's very strange, but even in the latest Windows 10 there are not some programs that are simply vital when using a computer. For example, an archiver. It would seem how many of them are even free. Microsoft would have agreed a long time ago with their manufacturers and would have implemented it in their "OS". But... let's think that they don't want to limit competition in the market in this way. In general, of the necessary programs for all right after Windows installation 10 I advise you to install an archiver. Personally, I love open source programs. source code and use it completely free product entitled " 7zip ».

Next in line for installation is my browsers. I use Google Chrome and Opera, although the built-in Edge is very personal. Read about free browsers for Windows 10 you can click here. Then I put free office suite , as well as free image editors for windows 10 .

6. Set up a keyboard shortcut to switch layouts

I don’t know about you, but I’m used to having the language switch with the combination “ Ctrl + Shift". The default "Alt + Shift", I'm sure, was invented not without the participation of evil spirits - in order to break more fingers of users :-) How to set up a keyboard shortcut to change language in Windows 10 described . And there is also an excellent program from Yandex, which, if necessary, changes the layout automatically. It is called Punto Switcher . Highly recommend. Even despite the fact that Yandex does not pay me for this ;-)

7. Cleaning and optimization

After all the updates and programs are installed, I carry out the initial cleaning of the computer and its optimization. If you immediately thought of special programs, used for this, I want to categorically object and say that Windows 10 itself has excellent built-in tools that allow you to do all this much better and more reliably (if only because all these methods and tools were invented by the company that developed Windows itself). Details can be found in the article How to speed up the loading and operation of Windows 10 ". Primary cleaning of the computer is necessary first of all to delete files installed updates and organize the information on the hard drive.

Instead of total

That's basically it. Setting up a freshly installed Windows 10 this ends for me. It would be possible to talk endlessly about a bunch of all sorts of useless little things, baubles and other rubbish - there are quite a few people who enjoy configuring the system more than working on it- however, over the years I realized that minimalism and the ability to stop in setting up "Windows" - The best way provide you with a smooth, reliable, efficient and enjoyable experience in the operating room environment Windows systems- especially, such an improved one as the “ten”.

If for some reason you are not satisfied Windows performance 10 even after installing it cleanly, I advise you to read the material "

The first thing a user encounters after reinstalling the system is setting up Windows 10. Personalization, drivers, updates, applications and other subtleties that an inexperienced user can get confused about. We will try to describe all the difficulties in simple words so that you don't have any problems in the future.

Windows 10: System setup after installation

Windows 10 network setup

The first thing a user may encounter, and now it is especially important, is setting up a network and the Internet. On the initial system setup screen, even before the desktop appears, where you enter the name of the system profile, you can configure the network connection. This stage is called OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) or deployment, initial setup systems before use.

This is what the network selection looks like at the OOBE stage of Windows 10

If wired (Ethernet) or wireless (Wi-fi) networks are available, they will automatically connect or require a password to connect.

If you skipped this step, it's okay, you can repeat this by entering the desktop. Open Windows Settings(Win+I) and go to Network and Internet.

For settings wireless connection select the Wi-Fi tab. Here you only need a password from the network.

To set up a wired connection, select the Ethernet tab. If the connection goes directly (not through a router) or there are specialized connection parameters, it is advisable to check with the provider. They can be different, depending on the type of connection and provider.

Setup via USB tethering is done using the firmware and is usually set up automatically the first time you connect.

In case something did not work out, you can use the tips from the article:

How to set up a microphone on Windows 10?

For users who use a computer to communicate with family and friends via Skype, it is very important that the microphone and speakers work in the first place. If it is quite simple to check and configure the operation of the speakers, then the microphone can be difficult.

To get started, open your Sound settings. The easiest way to do this is in two ways:

• Click right click click on the speaker icon and select Sounds or Recording Devices;

• Open the control panel (enter Control Panel in the search) or in the Run window (Win + R), enter control and then select the Sound item.

In the Recording tab, all recording devices - microphones will be displayed. They can be either built-in (laptop, tablet) or external (microphone, headset, webcam). If a green bar “runs” opposite the active device, then the microphone is active.

To adjust the microphone pickup level, select desired device, click Properties and go to the Levels tab. The Microphone slider is responsible for the sensitivity of microphone reception, and the Microphone Gain slider, respectively, for program amplification volume.

To check the operation of the microphone, the built-in Voice Recording application will help. Run it, speak into the microphone, and if you hear your voice during the test, then the microphone is configured correctly.

How to set up the touchpad on a Windows 10 laptop?

When installing the system, the touchpad on the laptop will work with standard settings. Gestures and scrolling may or may not be active. There is a special menu for setting them up.

Go to Settings - Devices - Touchpad.

If the driver is compatible with latest versions Windows 10, in this menu there will be options for all gestures, scrolling, sensitivity and other options. If the driver is not compatible, you will see only the basic options available, as in the picture. To access advanced settings, click on this menu Extra options.

The mouse properties will open, where there will additionally be a tab with touch panel.

In the case of the picture, the ELAN driver settings open, where by clicking on Options, gesture and scroll control will be available. In general, the touchpad driver settings are the same everywhere.

It is worth noting that the touchpad driver does not ship with Windows 10, it will run on the base Microsoft driver. To enable gesture support, you need to download drivers. But in 95% of cases, if your device is not very outdated, the driver will be downloaded automatically through Windows Update.

Set up mail - regular mail client in Windows 10

For those who are used to using mail clients the built-in Mail app is great. Not as rich functionality as Outlook, but the functionality copes with all tasks.

Search for Mail and open the corresponding application.

First you need to enter the address Email. The application works with Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and other popular mail services with POP, IMAP and Exchange protocols. Both with Outlook.com mail and with Gmail there is a full synchronization of the Calendar, Contacts and the mail itself. This is very convenient when you use one service for everything.

After adding the email address, no specific manipulations are required (unlike Outlook, where Gmail mail with dual verification must be configured separately by adding an application password).

Popular services use Web verification, with additional account protection tools, which simplifies adding mail.

By adding an account, you can customize the application for yourself, because the settings are very flexible and allow you to customize the application, starting from the color and background of the application, uploading a signature to the letter and auto-reply.

Setting up Windows 10 for yourself

To customize your computer for yourself, you can arrange the display of icons and the theme.

Windows 10 Action Center: Icon customization

Someone likes minimalism in the taskbar, so that only the necessary icons are displayed. Another user, for example, wants to display all the icons in the taskbar. To customize the Notification Center for yourself, personalization options will help us.

Go through Settings - Personalization - Taskbar.

Standard Settings displays will be specified in this tab, but if you need to configure the display of system icons and application icons, then there are special options for this in the item notification area.

Paragraph "Choose the icons displayed in the taskbar" allows you to enable / disable the display of third-party icons and some system applications.

A paragraph "Turn system icons on and off" allows you to configure the remaining system elements.

Customize Theme in Windows 10

Themes for Windows appeared in the 7th version and still millions of users choose themes to taste and color, personalizing their computer. There are 2 ways to install a theme on Windows 10:

• Download from the Store. In the personalization options, namely in the theme tab, you can click on "More themes from the Store", where you will see a wide variety of themes on any subject.

• Download from site. You can go to the Microsoft Themes for Windows site, from where you can also download any theme, even without entering account Microsoft. Download the theme, run it and it is already activated. You can view themes in the personalization options.

Some users may experience problems installing themes from the Windows Store. They load but don't show up in the theme list. This is due to the name of the system profile. If the profile name is entered in a non-Latin alphabet (Cyrillic, hieroglyphs, etc.), then topics will not be displayed. Changing the profile name or downloading themes from the 2nd option will help here.

Have a great day!

Ability to switch to dark theme was one of the most anticipated Windows features. After all, with a lack of light, such a color scheme is less tiring for the eyes. Previously, it was possible to set the black background of the interface to the tenth version of the OS. But the developers listened to users in the Windows 10 update. Anniversary update finally added a simple official way.

After opening the section "Settings" → "Personalization" → "Colors", you will see the item "Select a default application mode" at the bottom. If you activate the dark mode here, then the background Windows interface will partially switch to black. The same applies to some standard and third-party programs from the Windows Store.

Separately, you can enable a dark theme in the Edge browser. To do this, click on the three dots on the right upper corner program window, then click "Options" and under "Select Theme" select "Dark".

By the way, if you prefer Google Chrome, you can download the dark theme from the Google store and even install .

Sitting at the computer in the dark, you might notice how quickly your eyes get tired. This is because at night the display becomes too bright for a room without sunlight.

Microsoft took care of this problem and in the Windows 10 Creators Update added a special color mode monitor " ". It can be configured in Settings → System → Display.

When this mode is active, the system changes the temperature of the colors so that they do not tire the eyes in a dark room.

As Windows usage it accumulates residual files and other garbage that clogs the hard drive and slows down the OS. There are many third party utilities that solve these problems. But until recently there was no standard solution.

After upgrading to Windows 10 Creators Update, the system appears, which clears the device's memory. You can activate and configure it in the section "Settings" → "System" → "Storage" under the item "Storage control".

Windows 10 has a set standard applications, with which you can work with music, videos, web pages and other files without third-party software. For each file type, the system defaults to one of these pre-installed programs (or warns that it is not supported). This is why, for example, when you click on a downloaded music track, Windows immediately plays it in the Groove player.

But if you want to replace the standard player, browser and other programs with third-party ones, it is most convenient to do this in a special settings section. Open Settings → Applications → Default Applications and select here the programs you have installed that Windows should use by default for various tasks.

The password assigned to the account Windows entry, protects personal data and user settings. This feature will be relevant for you if unauthorized persons have physical access to the computer. Of course, if you try hard, such protection can be bypassed. But in most life situations it will be enough.

You can put it, remove it or reset it if you suddenly forget it, in the section "Settings" → "Accounts" → "Login options".

By default, when you launch File Explorer in Windows 10, a window opens quick access to frequently visited folders and recently viewed files. Perhaps this option suits you completely. But in previous versions File Explorer OS immediately opened the This PC section, and there are users who are used to it.

If you are one of them or you just find it more convenient to immediately see in the "Explorer" local drives, you can return the old view. To do this, open "Explorer", click "View" → "Options" and in the "Open File Explorer For" item, select "This PC".

Windows has long allowed you to hide files and folders, making them invisible. Thus, it is convenient to hide directories with important content so that you do not accidentally delete anything you need. You can make an object visible or hidden using context menu: just right-click on the folder or file, click "Properties" and check or uncheck the box next to the "Hidden" item.

In addition, for convenience, the system can display its extension at the end of the name of each file: .exe, .png, .docx, or a letter designation of any other format.

By Windows default 10 does not show items that have been hidden by developers or the user, as well as file extensions. But you may need to display them. For example, to get into hidden folder or see the format of the photo.

To enable showing hidden objects or file extensions, open File Explorer, click View, and check the boxes you need: Hidden Items' or 'File name extensions'.

Windows 10 displays notifications like a typical mobile OS. So that nothing distracts you, you can configure them in Settings → System → Notifications and actions. Here you can choose what type of messages will appear on the screen, and set notification options separately for each application.

In this section, you can also select buttons for quick actions that will be displayed on the notification panel. They allow, for example, to instantly activate night mode display, adjust its brightness, or add notes to OneNote.

Errors in the system or third-party software, as well as incorrect user actions can cause Windows to crash.

Fortunately, there is a mechanism that returns the OS to its normal state. It's about the recovery service. It creates a copy of important system components every time you update windows, driver or install new program, and saves it to your hard drive. In most cases, you will be able to restore your system to normal from these backups (restore points).

To access the service settings, type in Windows search"Recovery", click on the result and click in the window that opens "System Restore Settings".

Once on the "System Protection" tab, highlight your system disk(usually this is drive C), then click on the "Configure" button and enable system protection. After that, specify the amount of disk space that will be allocated for storing backups. The more space, the more restore points you will have at your disposal. When it ends, new points will replace the old ones. After everything click OK.

Now, if the need arises, you can by returning to the "System Protection" tab. To do this, there is a button "Restore".

But keep in mind that backups contain incomplete Windows image, but only important system files.

10. Screen calibration

Windows has a built-in display calibrator that you can use to improve color quality. The program will display simple step by step instructions. Having done everything as she tells you, you are in the best way. No special knowledge is required for this.

To launch the calibrator, type the word “calibration” in the system search and click on the found element. After that, follow the prompts of the system.

11. Activity log settings

The Windows 10 April 2018 Update added the Activity Log feature to the system. With its help, you can at any time see which documents and web pages you have interacted with in recent days, and return to working on them. Moreover, the log can display actions not only from the current computer, but also from all other devices connected to your account. Microsoft records.

To set up Activity History, go to Start → Settings → Privacy → Activity Log. Check the "Allow Windows to collect activities from this computer" checkbox if it was not enabled by default. Then check the "Let Windows sync my activities from this PC to the cloud" checkbox if you want data about the current computer to appear on other devices associated with it.

When you're done, click on the icon next to the Start icon on the taskbar. A timeline will appear where you can see previously opened documents.

12. System update options

Windows can be annoying with offers to upgrade at the most inopportune moment. And sometimes it restarts the computer when you do not expect it at all. To insure yourself against such cases, set up the so-called "Activity Period". This is the time of day during which you usually work on your computer. Windows will not update during the specified hours.

To set the Activity Period, go to Start → Settings → Center windows updates” and click “Change activity period”. Specify the schedule for working at the computer and save the changes.

You can view the characteristics of a computer on Windows 10 by holding a few keys. Most of the information is presented in the Task Manager. You just need to know where to look. The rest of the data can be retrieved from the Options snap-in.

Today is not the best day to look into the System Properties for the specified purpose, but we will do that too. To ensure that readers have a full range of knowledge on a given topic. You will see that you can find out almost everything about your PC without resorting to the services of specialized utilities.

Command line

The command line is becoming more and more like a run tool. The only difference is the call method:

1. Command line via Win + X.
2. Run - Win + R.

Both tools can be called crosswise. Command line from Run via cmd, and Run from command prompt via C:\\Windows\\system32\\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,#61. You must understand that both instruments are very similar to each other. Let's find out the characteristics of the OS:

What do we learn from this screen? A lot of things:

• The professional version of ten is used.
• Anniversary update 1607 installed.
• Assembly - 14393.693.

But these data are still scarce. Why Billy Gates did not indicate the bit depth remains a mystery. Generally speaking, Microsoft has taken a course to get rid of 32-bit hardware, so that in 5 years no one will have such questions as we do.

Via System Properties

Press Win + Break to see a little more information.

Some data about iron is already presented here. In addition, we see that the system bit depth is 64 bits. Here's what you can understand from the screen:

1. CPU Intel generation i5 with a frequency of 3.2 GHz.
2. The RAM size is 16 GB, of which so much is available.
3. The name of the PC and its working group have become known.

Actually, that's all. In our opinion, it is bad that the number of cores, the type of graphics, the placement and occupancy of DIMM slots, and the speed of memory access are not indicated. On some laptops, this combination does not work (given the fact that sometimes you have to press Fn). In this case, go through the Control Panel:

Via Options

In fact, we see the same thing as in the Properties ...

Task Manager

It remains for us to learn something about the graphic part of the PC.

Other information via DirectX dialog

• win+r.
• We type dxdiag.
• Enter.

Motherboard

Already in the first window we see the missing information.

After the language, the data comes in order:

1. Motherboard manufacturer.
2. Motherboard name.
3. BIOS firmware version.
4. Swap file size.
5. DirectX version.

Graphic arts

The following screenshot demonstrates the graphics capabilities.

In order, here are:

1. Graphics type. In this case, it is the HD Graphics 530 built into the processor.
2. Memory.
3. The current screen resolution.

You can also look at other bookmarks, but the information taken from there will tell a lot only to professionals.

What else?

What more could you wish for than what we already have? Well, I would like to have an idea about the following parameters:

1. The name of the processor socket.
2. The number of slots for graphics accelerators.
3. hard drive interface.

In fact, many will be limited to this. That is, we have already received all the information from the system utilities, and now we are thinking where to get the rest. Usually resort to the help of AIDA. Here is an example of CPU data.

The socket type is now known - LGA 1151. With this data, you can look after new processor. Could this information have been dispensed with? Oh sure. Third-party utilities are needed by professionals whose time is money. Billy Gates will help mere mortals get system settings in Windows 10.

The button and function options that are available through the Start menu or through the notification panel in Windows 10 are an important part of the system. Thanks to this, you have a neat interface, similar to a more modern version of the control panel with a bunch of settings. Unfortunately, many users cannot use this feature due to an error when you try to click on the button and enter the settings, but it does not work or redirects you to the windows store (microsoft store). In this guide, we will analyze the maneuvers to solve the error when the settings do not work in Windows 10.

Reinstalling and re-registering Windows applications

Function options is the official built-in application on windows, so reinstalling it (along with any other W10 app) should fix any issues you might have.

• Run PowerShell as an administrator by clicking start and typing powershell in the search box. Then right click and run as admin.

• Enter the following command in the powerShell window to re-register and re-install windows applications 10. I hope that the parameters will work for you, if not, then we move lower.

Get-AppXPackage | Foreach (Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml")

Running an SFC Scan

Perform the procedure for scanning and automatic recovery system files. You can refer to complete guide, .

• Open command CMD line as administrator and enter the command sfc /scannow.

Important: If the scan did not help, then download special utility from microsoft on the site. Expand Fixing bugs in Windows Update download and run.

Create a new Windows user

If you have not yet earned the parameters, then it's time for a more radical solution. Let's create a new administrator account and transfer files to it. If you are unable to create a new user due to the inability to open the settings, then we will use the Common Console Document if you have Windows 10 Pro.

• Open start and type in search lusrmgr.msc or click Win+R and enter the command.
• In the window that opens, right-click on users and create " New user".

If you have Windows 10 Home Edition then you will need to create a new user in command line.

• In the start menu (search) write Command line and right click on it, run on behalf of the administrator.
• At the command prompt, enter the following command, but with username and password which you want to create for the new admin account:

net user name password /add

In this case oleg is the account name, and 1111 this is the password.

Now let's make a newly created account, Administrator record. In the same command line, or restart it if you accidentally closed it, with admin rights and enter the following code. If you can't create with CMD, then see below.

You can also assign an administrator to a newly created account through the settings Control Panel > User Accounts > User Accounts > Manage another account. Next, select the newly created account, click on it and in the list click on Change account type.

In the new window, select Administrator and click change account type to apply the changes. Next, log out of the old account and log into the new one, and check if the settings work. The next step is to transfer files from one account to another.

Go to system HDD where Windows is installed, click View in the tab at the top, then check the Hidden Items box.

Navigate to your old user account folder in File Explorer (default: C:/Users) and double click on it. You will see a message, click proceed.

Then copy and paste all the files from this old account into your new one, by default it is (C:/Users/mywebpc) - the new one is located at (C:/Users/oleg). A message will appear asking if you want to merge the folders from the old account into the new one. Click Yes.