Windows 10: 7 Quick Tweaks for a Better, More Secure Experience

Windows 10: How to Fix Those Annoying Default Settings

Windows 10, despite being packed with neat new features like the revamped Start menu, the digital assistant Cortana, and the Action Center, has its fair share of annoying defaults that users may want to disable. These settings often operate without your explicit consent, making you feel like you’re constantly battling your own operating system. From automatic updates and restarts to bandwidth-hogging features and privacy concerns, this article will guide you through the steps to reclaim control over your Windows 10 experience and make it work for you, not against you.

Taking Control of Updates & Restarts

1. Stopping Automatic Updates

One of the most common grievances with Windows 10 is its aggressive update schedule. While regular updates are necessary to keep your system secure, the constant nagging notifications and forced restarts can be disruptive. For Windows 10 Home users, initially, Microsoft did not offer any option to pause or skip updates. Thankfully, they later backtracked and gave Home users the ability to stop automatic app updates, but you still can’t pause or stop Windows updates outright.

To disable Windows 10 automatic updates, follow this guide:

1. Open the Start menu and search for "advanced update".
2. Select "Advanced Windows Update options".
3. Under "Advanced options", change the settings to "Notify to schedule restart".

2. Preventing Automatic Restarts

Even if you’re ok with automatic updates, many users find it irritating to have their system reboot immediately after an update is installed. To reschedule automatic reboots, you can adjust the settings as follows:

1. Open the Start menu and search for "advanced update".
2. Select "Advanced Windows Update options".
3. Under "Advanced options", change the settings to "Notify to schedule restart". This will prompt you to schedule a restart at your convenience, giving you more control over your workflow.

Protecting Your Privacy and Bandwidth

3. Disabling the Windows 10 Keylogger

By default, Windows 10 tracks your typing and speech patterns to improve its services, which can raise privacy concerns for many users. You can disable this "keylogging" feature, essentially preventing Microsoft from collecting your typing data:

1. Open Start menu and open "Settings".
2. Click on "Privacy settings" and choose the "General" option.
3. Disable the option that says "Send Microsoft info about how I write to help use improve typing and writing in the future".
4. Find "Speech, Inking and Typing" and select the option that says "Stop getting to know me" and toggle its setting to off.

4. Stopping Bandwidth Sharing for Updates

Windows 10, by default, uses your internet connection to deliver updates to other users in a peer-to-peer (P2P) fashion. This can impact your download speeds and data usage. You can stop this bandwidth sharing:

1. Open "Settings" and click "Update & Security".
2. Open the "Windows Update" section on the left and select "Advanced options" from the right.
3. Click "Choose how updates are delivered" and toggle the switch under it to the off position.

You can still choose to share updates with devices on your local network by toggling the switch to "On" and selecting the "PCs on my local network" option.

5. Deactivating Wi-Fi Sense

Wi-Fi Sense is a feature that automatically shares your Wi-Fi password with your Facebook and Skype friends as well as Outlook email contacts. If you’re not comfortable with this, you can easily switch it off:

1. Open the Start menu and search for "Wi-Fi settings".
2. Select "Change Wi-Fi settings".
3. Inside, click on "Manage Wi-Fi settings".
4. Untick the options listed under "For networks I select, share them with my" (e.g., Skype contacts, etc.).

Taking Control of Notifications

6. Customizing and Stopping Notifications

Windows 10 uses the Action Center (also known as the notifications hub) to provide important updates from apps and the system. But for many users, the barrage of notifications can be overwhelming.

1. Open the Start menu and search for "Notifications and actions settings".
2. You can toggle off "Show app notifications" to disable all app notifications.
3. To disable notifications from specific apps, scroll down the settings page to "Show notifications from these apps". Toggle the switch to off for apps that you don’t want to receive notifications from.

Reclaiming Storage Space

7. Deleting Old Windows Files

If you upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you might find that the new operating system consumes a significant amount of space on your hard drive. This is because Windows retains the files from your previous operating system for 30 days, in case you decide to switch back. To reclaim this space, you can delete the Windows.old folder from your C drive.

1. Open the Start menu and search for "Disk cleanup".
2. Choose the drive where Windows is installed (usually C drive).
3. Click "Clean up system files" on the following page.
4. This will trigger another scan. Once complete, deselect all options except "Previous Windows installation(s)" (unless you intend to leave them on).
5. Click "OK".

This process will free up around 20 GB of space.

Conclusion

Windows 10 is a powerful operating system with a lot to offer, but its default settings can be intrusive and frustrating. By taking the time to customize these settings, you can gain back control over your experience, enhance privacy, and streamline your workflow. If you encounter any other irritating defaults, don’t hesitate to explore the Windows settings and make adjustments to suit your preferences. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover how much smoother and more enjoyable your Windows 10 experience can be when you’re in charge.

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