The New Edge Browser

If you want to connect to the Internet via your PC, then you must have an internet connection and a special piece of app called web browser. The good news is that your Windows 10 operating system comes with a brand new web browser – Microsoft Edge. After serving the world for 20 years, Internet Explorer left its place for Microsoft Edge, which is a Universal app and delivers the same look and features on all devices, including Windows 10 PC, phone, tablet, or even on an Xbox game console. Microsoft Edge is also a lot faster than previous versions at rendering web pages, and with features such as a Reading List for accessing web content later on, and a Reading View for stripping away distracting ads. It also has a SmartScreen Filter (turned on by default) that protects your PC from malicious sites and downloads. This feature is available under Settings > Advanced settings. These are just some of the benefits of the browser. You can launch Microsoft Edge from the taskbar (A).  Initially you will see a launch screen that shows the top news, weather, and links to popular sites. It also carries a search box, which is there to receive a search term (such as CNN) or a web address (www.cnn.com). Type something in the search box (for example, cnn) and press Enter. The browser contacts the default Bing search engine and fetches the result for the searched term, as illustrated above.

B - Navigation

Use these two navigation buttons to move back and forth in the browser. If you are on the illustrated page, click the Back button to switch back to the launch screen page. Then, click the Forward button to see the illustrated page again.

C - Refresh

The Refresh icon is used to reload the currently viewed page to grab the latest information.

D - Tabs

Tabs are used in a browser to open and surf multiple websites. Each tab shows the name of the site opened under it. You can open a new tab by clicking the + icon (1). Alternatively, right-click any link on the web page and select Open in a new tab from the pop-up menu. Click the little cross icon (x) on top of the tab to close the website you don’t want to see further.

E - Address Bar

The address bar shows the address of the site you are browsing. If you want to visit another website, type its address here (e.g. www.yahoo.com). Type in a few words (e.g. Yahoo) in the address bar, and you will get the result along with other matches.

F - Reading View

For a clean and simple layout (like a book page), select Reading View to bring whatever you're reading front and center. To change the reading view style and font size to suit your mood, select More (K) > Settings.

G - Add to Favorites or Reading List

Use this icon to add your frequently visited sites to your Favorites list. Later on you can visit these sites by accessing them from Hub > Favorites.

H - Hub

It is the place where Microsoft Edge keeps the things you collect on the web. Select Hub to view your favorites, reading list, browsing history, and current downloads. And when you sign in with a Microsoft account, your favorites and reading list are available across all your Windows 10 devices. You can also manage the bookmarks and the folders you have created. This can include deleting and renaming them.

I - Make a Web Note

Microsoft Edge is the only browser that lets you take notes, write, doodle, and highlight directly on web pages. Then you can save and share your handiwork in all the usual ways. Make notes on recipes, send your partner "subtle hints" about birthday gifts, or just draw mustaches on celebrities—the web is your canvas. Use the Pen (1) to write with your touchscreen or mouse, highlight contents (2), erase your work (3), or type a note (4) and then Share (J) it.

You can also show or hide the favorites bar. The favorites bar offers an even quicker way of accessing your saved Bookmarks. You just have to enable the option via the Settings menu.

J - Share

Do you want to email an interesting article to a friend or post a cool infographic to your Facebook page? Using Microsoft Edge’s integrated sharing feature, you can share through a variety of mediums without leaving the page you are viewing. Many websites already have buttons to share their content on popular social media sites, but the built-in Edge sharing option gives you control over your sharing options. This functionality can be achieved in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari by installing a series of browser extensions, but Edge’s approach is simpler and cleaner. Pressing the Share icon launches the Windows 10 system Share Panel on the right of the screen. Under the word “Share” is the name of the webpage (1) you are currently viewing. If you click the down arrow next to the webpage name, you will have the option to take a screenshot of the page (2) instead of sharing the page in its entirety. A list of the sharing apps (3) you have downloaded appears next. If you wish to add more share options, such as Facebook or Twitter, click the link Look for an app in the Store (4) to download the corresponding app from the Windows Store. Once you click on the app you want to use to share in the Share Panel, the panel will expand and walk you through how to share using that app.

K - More

Click the More icon to see a menu having some more useful options. Using this menu you can find text on the page (1), print (2) or open an InPrivate window (3) (web pages you visit will not be tracked). You can also launch the current web page in Internet Explorer (4) or head to Settings (5). The Settings section of the browser lets you tweak browser settings to meet your particular needs. You can also explore the Settings > Advanced Settings to turn on pop-up blockers and add a Homescreen icon. The Developer Tools (6) are more useful for those who like to create or maintain web pages, as it helps identify problems.

L - Finding Text

The Find option appears just below the address bar, to allow you to quickly find items on a page. You can invoke the Find option from the More menu (1), or simply press Ctrl + F.

Managing History

Microsoft Edge keeps track of every website you visit in a History list. Surely, it’s a very handy list for you to redisplay the sites you visited in the past few days or weeks, but for evil eyes it's more lucrative to spy on your web activities. If you do your banking or other sensitive activities online, then you must clean your History list immediately. To access the History list, click the Hub icon (1) and then click the History icon (2) or press Ctrl+H in the Edge browser. All the websites you visited in the past will appear, sorted by date. From this list you can easily jump back to a site you found interesting yesterday or last week. To delete a single website entry from this list, move the mouse over that entry and then click the small (x) icon (3). If you want to delete all visits to the same site, right-click its entry in the History list and select Delete all visits option from the pop-up menu. This will save you from having to find and delete entries individually. To delete the entire History list, click the link Clear All History (4), or press Ctrl+Shift+Del.

Set Your Startup Page

The first web page you encounter when Edge connects to the Internet is a Microsoft Web site. “Where to next?” it says, and there’s an address bar so you can type a URL. However, you can configure Microsoft Edge to open a specific web page or a collection of tabs as the startup page. Click on More icon and select the Settings options from the menu. Choose the last option: A specific page or pages (1). Select Custom from the drop-down menu (2). Type the web page address (3) and click the Add icon (4). Microsoft Edge adds the web page to the list (5). If you want to add more web pages, repeat the above steps. Drag and drop the page entries to arrange them in the desired order. These pages will appear the next time you start Microsoft Edge. If you want to load Microsoft Edge without displaying a startup page in a new tab, click the Open new tabs with drop-down list (6), and select A blank page option. Similarly, if you want to open the browser with pages you used when you last closed it, select the Previous pages option (7).

The Built-in Camera App in Windows 10

With the built-in Camera app in Windows 10 you can take pictures, record videos or stream video while video chatting. If your computer has a built-in camera or a connected webcam, you can use the Camera app to take photos and videos. It is available for Windows 10 PCs, tablets, and phones. One of the fastest methods to launch the Camera app is to use the search feature offered by Cortana. Click or tap on Cortana’s search box from the taskbar and type in the word “camera”. Then, click or tap on the Camera app. If this is the first time you have launched the Camera app, the app may ask you to allow it to use your camera and your microphone, as well as your location. Once you have allowed the Camera app to use your devices, you should see an image of what’s in front of the camera.

Settings

The Camera app has some advanced settings available for you to change. To access them, click or tap on the “three dots” button (A) from the top right corner of the app. Then, on the app’s menu, click or tap the Settings entry. The Camera app displays a series of settings which you can change as you see fit. Note that some of these settings might differ for you, depending on what camera you own and what options its driver offers.

Take Pictures

On the right side of the Camera app you will find two buttons: one for taking photos (B) and one for recording videos (C). You’ll notice that one of these buttons is bigger than the other. The bigger button shows you the mode that’s currently on. All you have to do in order to take a picture with your camera is to click or tap the Photo button. Note that, if the Camera app was in Video mode, you will have to click twice on the Photo button: initially to switch to the Photo mode and then to take the photo.

Record Videos

In order to record videos with the Camera app from Windows 10, you first have to switch to Video mode. Click or tap the Video button (C) from the right side of the app’s window. Then, to start recording a video with the Camera app, click or tap the Video button again. Once you start recording a video, the Camera app displays a stopwatch (D) on the bottom of the video, which tells you the time that has passed since you started recording. To stop a video recording, click or tap the same Video button from the right side of the app.

Adjust Brightness

The Camera app in Windows 10 allows you to manually set the brightness, or exposure, of the photos and videos you take with it. To do that, click or tap on the arrow button on the top center of the Camera app, in order to enter the Pro mode. Once you are in Pro mode, on the top center of the Camera app, you will get a new button for controlling the brightness. Click or tap on it. Once you click or tap the Brightness button, the Camera app displays a manual slider on the right side of the window. With the mouse or with your finger, move the slider upwards to brighten your photos and videos or move it downwards to darken them.

Set Timer

The Camera app also allows you to set up a Photo timer for taking pictures automatically, a couple of seconds after you hit the Photo button (B). To access the Photo timer, open the app’s configuration menu. Click or tap on the “three dots” button (A) from the top right corner of the app. If you don’t see them, move the mouse cursor to the top right corner of the app and they will show up. The Camera app displays a menu on its right side. Click or tap the Photo timer entry. The Photo timer lets you take photos with a Delay of 2, 5 or 10 seconds and it also lets you set the Camera app to continuously take photos using the time frame you selected. After selecting the settings you want, click or tap the OK button (represented by a small tick) from the bottom of the menu to apply them. Or, press the Cancel button (a small cross) if you have changed your mind. If you chose to enable the “Continue taking photos every [2, 5 or 10] seconds [...]” setting, you have to press the Photo button in order to stop the Camera app from taking photos automatically, after you start the photo taking process by pressing the same Photo button. If you enabled the Photo timer, each time you take a photo, the Camera app displays a timer that shows you when the photo is actually captured.

Slow-motion Video Capture

Microsoft has issued an update to the Windows 10 Mobile Camera app which adds the slow-motion video capture on some smartphones (Lumia Icon, 930, 1520 and Lumia 950 and 950XL). In the camera app, in video mode, you will see a turtle icon (E) that will enable slow-motion capture of video shooting at 120fps at 720p. There is also a “super slow” option that allows highlighting a part of the video to be super slow.

View Pictures and Videos

The fastest way to see the photos and videos you took with the Camera is to click or tap the small button (F) from the top left corner of the app. This button shows a small preview of the last photo or video you took with the Camera app. Once you click or tap this button, Windows 10 starts the Photos app and loads the last photo you took or the last video you recorded with the Camera app. Then, you can use the controls offered by the Photos app in order to navigate backwards and forwards. If you prefer not to use the Photos app in order to view your photos, then you can use any other app and accessing the Camera roll folder from your Pictures library under File Explorer.

Keep Track of your Schedules with the Calendar App in Windows 10

Keep track of your schedules with the help of Windows 10 calendar app. It displays events you add manually or from your online calendars.  If you want to see your events on Android and iPhone and are using your Microsoft account, then download and install the Outlook app which syncs the Windows 10 Calendar app's events with your phone. To launch the app, click the Calendar tile in the Start menu or click the Calendar icon (located at bottom-left) in the Mail app. At first launch, you need to add your accounts. This can be a Microsoft account or you can use your iCloud account. If you've already setup your accounts, they will appear here as well. The Day, Work Week, Week, Month, or Year icons (A) at the top provide a quick way to switch among different event views. Click the two arrows (B) to move back and forth in time. The interface shows your monthly snapshot (C) on the far left and a list of calendars (D) fetched from your account(s) under it. The Calendar app displays each account events in a different color so you know which account it belongs to. The right pane displays the events. Hover your mouse over an event to get a snapshot (E) of what it has inside. Click the More details button (F) in the snapshot for an enlarged view of the event. It can also be used to modify or delete an event. Click the Settings icon (G) to add/remove accounts, set your preferred work week days/time, and adjust the event color brightness. Click on New Event (H) to add a new event to your calendar app – as illustrated on the next page.

Create a New Event

You can create and access events for different account types. For example, you can add events to iCloud or Google and view them on any device you have, including tablets and smartphones (as long as you are logged in with the same account). One more significant feature of the Calendar app is the ability to give your reminders after you setup events. These reminders pop up before the event for which they were set. Additionally the app allows you to invite other people through their contacts setup in your People app to access your events. In the new event form, you first enter its name (I) and location (J). Next, you set the start & end date for the event by clicking on the calendar icon (K) in the date fields. After that, you set the event's time. If the event will last for the whole day, place a check on the All Day box (L), otherwise use the drop-down lists (M) to select event timings. Use the drop-down list (N) to choose an account where you want to store the event in. Use the description box (O) to add some more details about the event. In the box under the People header (P), type in an email address or pick one from the list for the person you want to share the event with. Contacts will appear from your list of contacts in the People app. Pick a value from the Reminder drop-down list (Q) to set an event reminder. Once you have finished recording your event, click the Save and close button (R) to save it or click the Delete button (S) to discard an event or appointment. If you have invited someone, then click Send. The Calendar app has the provision to deal with recurring events. If you have an event that recurs at a regular interval, you can configure it to automatically repeat in the Calendar app. Click on the Repeat icon (T) to show its section (U). Using the End calendar control at the bottom you can set the last occurrence of the recurring event.

Explore the Maps App in Windows 10

Handy for trip planning, the Maps app uses Microsoft Bing mapping service, rather than Google Maps or another competitor. It displays digital maps that you can use to view just about any location by searching for an address or place name. It provides you with spoken turn-by-turn driving directions, just like a dashboard GPS unit. If you are connected to the Internet, then it also gives you real-time traffic-jam alerts. You have a choice of a street-map diagram or actual aerial photos, taken by satellite. Type maps in the taskbar's search box (A) and select Maps from the searched result to launch the app. Alternatively, click on Start > All apps and select Maps from the “M” apps category. When you first start the Maps app, Windows asks if it can turn on location services, which helps determine your current location and offer this information to apps such as Maps. For the best results with Maps, you should allow Windows to turn on location services. Click the Search icon (B) and type anything you are looking for in the search box (C). You can type an address, city, zip code, an interesting place, and so on in the search box. The location will appear on the map in the right pane (D). The left pane displays information about the location. You can also rotate the map using the needle button (E). Click and hold down the button and drag it either left or right to rotate the map. Using the tilt button (F) you can angle the map up or down in a 3D style. If you've scrolled away from your current location on the map, click on Show my location button (G). This will make the map scroll and zoom until you see your current location. The plus button (H) in the toolbar allows you to zoom in and the minus button (I) is used to zoom out.

The Map view button (J) provides you with Aerial and Road views of your map. The Aerial view displays the satellite images of the world, while the Road view is represented as lines. The Map view palette also provides color-coded real-time traffic report. Green represents good traffic flow, yellow for slower traffic, and red for traffic jams. It also has a toggle for Streetside, which is street level imagery (collected using a 360 degree camera mounted on an automobile) to experience Bing Maps from street level. With Streetside turned on, you can travel along streets, view storefronts and parks, and navigate to the desired destinations by clicking the Streetside picture (K).  In the Streetside view (shown above), your mouse cursor is transformed into a white circle. Move this circle in the direction you want to head towards and click the left mouse button. The street view will change. Use the map provided at the bottom of the Streetside view to assess your location.

Directions

In addition to displaying locations, you can use the Maps app to get specific directions to move from one place to another. You specify your current location (starting point) and the destination, and the app delivers the destination route along with specific details to reach the target place. When you click Directions (L), the app will serve up driving, public transportation and walking directions (M). You also see two text boxes, labeled A and B (N). Where A is the starting point and B is the destination. Using the keyboard, type in the two addresses, and press Enter. The Options section (not displayed in the above screenshot) offers some checkboxes to customize your route. If you want to avoid toll roads, put a check in the box representing this route. After making your selections, a proposed route appears on the map (O) with distance and estimated time (P) to reach the destination along with various path directions (Q). Click the Map icon (R) to hide the menu and see the map full screen.

Favorites

The Favorites section allows you to designate any place or set of directions as a favorite. You access this section by clicking the star icon (S). But to add a favorite, first search for it in the search section and then click the star icon (T). You can nickname each favorite and set it as your home or your workplace. Once you’ve accumulated a few, it’s easy enough to call them up again from the Favorites section. Click or tap the star icon (S) in the left-side menu and choose a favorite place to see it on the map again.

3D Cities

If you want to virtually travel the world to explore your favorite cities and famous landmarks from the comfort of your living room, then you can do so with the help of 3D Cities. Hit the 3D Cities icon (U) and select the city (V) you want to check out. Click the Map view button (J) and switch to Aerial view, and then click the tilt button (F) to see the city in three dimensions. You can navigate a 3D city with your mouse by right-clicking to rotate your view and left-clicking to drag yourself around.

Where's my car?

When you reach the destination, save your car’s location so you can find it later. If you’re using guided directions, you’ll see a car icon at the bottom of the screen as you near your destination. If not, select Menu > Favorites and select Add location or New location under Car. If you need to, select Adjust on map, move the map until the car is in the right location, and then select Done. You can also add a photo or note if you like. When you’re finished, select Save. To get back to your car again later, go back to it in Favorites, or select Car on the map, then select Directions.

Settings

As you are working in the Maps app, there is an option for Settings (W) at the bottom of the menu. You can use it to change the unit of measure that you use for your directions. You can also tell the app whether to remember your search history.

Offline Maps: If you know you’re going to be using your PC in a location without an Internet connection, and you need access to maps, you can download maps for specific areas in the Maps app and use them offline. You can download the map from the Settings interface. Select Download or update maps (X) under Offline maps. You will be taken to the Windows Settings page. On this page, click on Download maps. Choose the map you want, and it will start downloading immediately. 

Secure Your System and Data Using Windows 10 Backup Features

In computing, the process of backup means to copy and archive computer data to a second medium so it may be used to restore the original in case the first medium fails. One of the cardinal rules in using computers is back up your files regularly. Even the most reliable computer is apt to break down eventually. It is recommended that you make two, or even three, backups of all your data. To further protect your data, you should keep backups in different locations. The retrieval of files you backed up is called restoring them. The primary purpose is to recover data after its loss, be it by data deletion or corruption. The secondary purpose of backups is to recover data from an earlier time. You have the options to backup your data either locally or over the Internet. In local backup, you can use DVDs and USB hard drives to protect your data and recover them immediately from these storage mediums in case of a mishap. Consider the Internet option if your want to keep off-site backup. In this scenario, you send your data to another site for safekeeping. In case of the data loss, you can retrieve them from the safekeeping site. The following sections outline different ways to backup your data in Windows 10.

File History

To automatically back up your data files and to retrieve earlier versions of them, you are provided with a new type of backup program called Windows File History. To use File History, you'll need a second storage device, such as a USB hard drive or SD card, or you could use a network location, such as a shared folder on another PC on your network for the backup location. Any time your personal files change, there will be a copy stored on a dedicated, external storage device of your choice. File History continuously protects your personal files stored in libraries (Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos), as well as Desktop, Contacts, Favorites, and your OneDrive folders. File History doesn’t make a backup of your programs, settings, or operating system files. If you want to do full backup of your system, use the System Image backup utility.

System Image

The File History feature in Windows 10 is provided to automatically back up your files and folders. It allows you to rewind individual file or folder to earlier drafts or recover all of them if they are accidently deleted or damaged. But, when your hard disk crashes, not only you are deprived of your personal files, you also lose your operating system, all the programs you have installed, all updates and patches, and all your settings and options. To cope with this disastrous situation, Windows 10 provides you with a very useful utility – the System Image. 

Backup Data on Windows 10 Mobile Phones

When you sign in with your Microsoft account on your Windows 10 Mobile phone, you can turn on a service that lets you automatically save your phone data. Connect your phone to Wi-Fi, open the Settings menu, and tap on Update & security option. Next, tap on Backup. Turn on Backup my app data to OneDrive and Back up my Start layout, passwords, favorites, and other system settings to OneDrive options. Then, tap on Change OneDrive backup settings link. Tap the button labeled Back up now. The backup options you selected above will be saved to OneDrive. To delete backups of your phone from OneDrive, access OneDrive Backup Settings page (Settings > Update & security > Backup > Change OneDrive backup settings). Tap the link Manage my OneDrive backups online. In the online OneDrive interface, select Device backups from the Options list appearing on your left side and tap the Delete button appearing next to your phone.

System Restore

While working on your PC, suddenly something bad happens and your PC starts to behave differently. This thing usually happens when you install new software or change the configuration of an existing one. To cope with this situation windows offers System Restore. It is a tool through which you take your PC in the past in time when it was working fine. Although it rewinds your Windows back to the condition it was in before the mishap, your documents, email, pictures, and other files are not touched. System Restore starts to create restore points by taking snapshots of your Windows every day, when you install a new software, get Windows Update, or manually when you invoke it before configuring something on your PC. Note that this tool is turned off by default. To turn it on, open File Explorer from the taskbar, right-click This PC and select Properties from the pop-up menu. In the resulting dialog box, click the link labeled System protection on the left-side.  On the System Protection tab, click Configure (B). You get a dialog box with the options to either turn the system restore on or off. Another way to get to the System Restore interface is: Right-click the Start button and select System from the pop-up menu. In the next dialog box, click System protection. If you want to manually create a restore point right now, click the Create button (A). To delete previous restore points, click the Configure button (B). To rewind your operating system to a previous healthy state, click the System Restore button (C). In the Restore system files and settings window you can see that the most recent restore point was made when you installed a new piece of software, a device driver, for example. If you want to go further back, select Choose a different restore point to get a list of all memorized restore points. If you select this option, then you must click the Scan for affected programs button to have a list of apps and drivers that will be affected if you go through with the selected restore point. If everything is fine, choose Close, and then Next. Finally click Finish and then Yes in the confirmation box. The computer restarts automatically after the restore process completes. When you log in again, you will see the same desktop that you set on that day. You are back to the past with all your recent documents and emails. If it didn't work, repeat the restore process. First, undo the restore you just ran by selecting the option Undo System Restore appearing at the top of the System Restore welcome screen, and then select Choose a different restore point to repeat the process with a different restore point.

Password Reset Disk

If you’ve forgotten your local account password, you can use a Password Reset Disk. It’s a USB flash drive that you can use like a physical key to unlock your account in the event of a forgotten password. 

Windows 10 File History

File History

To automatically back up your data files and to retrieve earlier versions of them, you are provided with a new type of backup program called Windows File History. To use File History, you'll need a second storage device, such as a USB hard drive or SD card, or you could use a network location, such as a shared folder on another PC on your network for the backup location. Any time your personal files change, there will be a copy stored on a dedicated, external storage device of your choice. File History continuously protects your personal files stored in libraries (Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos), as well as Desktop, Contacts, Favorites, and your OneDrive folders. File History doesn’t make a backup of your programs, settings, or operating system files. If you want to do full backup of your system, use the System Image backup utility. File History periodically (every hour by default) scans the file system for changes and copies changed files to another location. Over time, File History builds a complete history of the changes made to any personal file. When a specific point in time (PiT) version of a file or even an entire folder is needed, you can quickly find it and restore it. File History operates transparently and doesn’t affect the reliability or performance of Windows in any way. PC users are more mobile than ever. To address that, File History is optimized to better support laptops that constantly transition through power states, and are being connected and disconnected from networks and devices. There are two ways to configure File History, one using the classic Control Panel and another way is to use the modern File History option in the Settings app. If using the File History Settings app, click Start, type File History in the taskbar’s search box, and select File History Settings from the searched results. To access it from the old Control Panel, right-click Start, click on Control Panel in the menu, and select File History.

Setting Up File History

Before you start using File History to back up your files, you’ll need to set up a drive to which you will save files. Microsoft recommends you use an external drive or network location to help protect your files against a crash or other PC problem. File History only saves copies of files in your libraries, contacts, favorites and on your desktop. If you have folders elsewhere you want backed up, you can add them to one of your existing libraries or create a new library. Connect the external hard drive to your computer. It can be any kind of storage with enough space, e.g., Hard Drive, Flash Drive, or Secure Digital Card (SD) card. Use the Windows Key + I to open the Settings app, and select Update & security > Backup (A). Under Back up using File History (B), click the + sign (C) beside Add a drive button. Windows 10 will search and fetch available drives (D). From the list, select the drive you want to use as the backup drive.

Turn On File History

Once you select a drive for your backup, a toggle appears in the Back up using File History section to automatically backup your files.  Turn it off to stop the File History feature. Click the More options link to get access to a number of options available in File History.

Backup & Frequency

If you prefer to create an immediate backup, you can click the Back up now button. The two options underneath will give you the ability to configure frequency and the time you want to keep the backups. Under Back up my files, you can leave the Every hour (default) option, or you can click the drop-down list to select the frequency. Under Keep my backups, you can choose to keep File History backups Forever, Until space is needed, or a number of different time in months and years.

Add & Remove Folders

You can add or remove folders that Windows 10 includes in your File History setup. To add a new folder, click the Add a folder (E) under Back up these folders section. To remove an existing folder from the backup routine, select it under Back up these folders section and click the Remove button (F). If you want to only backup a parent folder carrying child folders (that you don’t want to backup), specify those folders under Exclude these folders. Simply click the Add a folder (G) under this section, browse and select the location to exclude. Finally, if you want to stop using the drive to make backups or you’re planning to use a different drive, you can properly do so by clicking the Stop using drive button (H).

Using a Network Location for File History Backup

Microsoft is improving the feature with Windows 10 for users to have more control using the Settings app. However, not every setting can be configured through the Settings app. For example, if you’re looking to set up a network location to make a File History automatic backup, you will need to use the classic Control Panel settings. To launch File History from the Control Panel, right-click the Start button and select Control Panel from the menu.  Navigate through System and Security, and then go to File History. In the left pane, click Select drive (I). Click the Add network location link (J). Browse the network to locate the shared folder and click OK to add the location to the list. Click OK in control panel to confirm your configuration.

NOTE: After backing up everything, Windows backs up only the changed files every hour. It keeps the original files, as well, giving you plenty of backups to choose from should you need them. Windows saves your backup in a folder named FileHistory on your chosen drive. Don’t move or delete that folder, or else Windows may not be able to find it again when you choose to restore it.

Restoring files from File History

Restoring files is also an easy task. In Windows 10, you have a different number of ways to access your files using File History. You can go through Settings > Update & security > Backup > More options and use the Restore files from a current backup link located at the bottom of the screen, you can go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History and use the Restore personal files option, or you can open the Start menu, do a search for Restore your files with File History and press Enter. All of these options will open the same dashboard where you can use  the  main  controllers (K) to navigate back and forth between different backups; the above figure displays the latest backup out of five (L). Once you find the file or folder you want, simply click the green button (M) to restore the content to its original location.

Recover Individual Object

If you want to restore a previous version of a file from File History backup, right-click the specific file (on your hard drive) and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. Click the Previous Versions tab (N). This tab lists all available backup versions of the file. Select the desired history file and click Restore (O). The Restore button offers two options to reinstate your file: Restore and Restore To. The Restore option puts the file back from where it was backed up, while using the Restore To option you can place it in a new location. In the former case, you will be prompted about the replacement.

Windows 10 Hello

What is Windows Hello?

Windows Hello is a more personal way to sign in to your Windows 10 devices with just a look or a touch. You’ll get enterprise-grade security without having to type in a password. Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and most PCs with fingerprint readers are ready to use Windows Hello now, and more devices that can recognize your face and iris are coming soon. Select the Start button , and then click on Settings (A). In the Settings window, select the Accounts option (B). Select the Sign-in options in the Accounts window to set up Windows Hello. Under Windows Hello, you’ll see options for face, fingerprint, or iris if your PC has a fingerprint reader or a camera that supports it. Once you’re set up, you’ll be able to sign in with a quick swipe or glance. You might be asked to add a PIN before you can set up Windows Hello.

Fingerprint Sign-In

In the Sign-in Options screen, scroll down to the Fingerprint option (under Windows Hello), and click the Set up button. If the Set Up button is disabled, you must assign a PIN to your Microsoft account. In the Sign-in Options screen, click Add under the PIN heading and following the prompts assign a PIN to your account. Next, click on Get started button in the Welcome screen. Swipe your finger across your PC’s fingerprint reader. In order to set up windows Hello, you are required to repeat the swipe a few times.

Facial Sign-In

In order to use the facial recognition sign-in feature of Windows Hello, you must have hooked up a camera. Once you are in the Sign-in options screen, you will see the Face section under Windows Hello with a Set up button underneath.  Click this button followed by the Get started button in the Welcome screen.  You will be asked to enter your PIN. Then, the set up will ask you to look directly at your screen. That's it! Use your face the next time you want to unlock your device. If you wear glasses, select Improve recognition to go through the setup again with and without them. This will help make sure you are recognized either way. Click Finish to complete the setup. If you want to remove facial recognition, just click the Remove button under Sign-in options > Face. Now that you have set up facial recognition or fingerprint, you can try to sign in without any password. Tap to wake up your locked Windows and the system will bring up your camera or fingerprint sensor to recognize you. After recognition match, your PC is unlocked.