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.

Windows 10 - Get To Know What's New

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