Windows 10 Version 1511 cumulative update (KB3118754) was recently released and is a step in the right direction. The update fixes a lot of problems with Windows 10. Microsoft is streamlining activation, restoring colored window title bars, integrating Skype, and improving the Edge browser.
New Activation Methodology
I personally did not have any trouble activating Windows 10, but if you are or did - that's been changed too. When it was originally released, Microsoft didn’t really explain how the upgrade process worked. Activation now works as it should have originally. When you install Windows 10, you can enter your PC’s Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 product key and it should activate properly if that PC was eligible for the upgrade. The “digital entitlement” process — where your PC activates automatically without entering a product key — is also better explained. Under Settings > Upgrade & security > Activation, you’ll now see “Windows 10 on this device is activated with a digital entitlement” if it activated without requiring a product key.Colored Title Bars! WOOO!
If you were part of the many who were put off by the standard white title bars, you can now go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and switch on “Show color on Start, taskbar, action center, and title bar”. The color you choose here will be used for your title bars.Ads on the Start Menu
You might notice the small and innocuous "Suggestions" section of the start menu, recommending apps you should install when you open it. If you don't much care for it, you can easily disable these ads, if you like. Visit Settings > Personalization > Start and disable the “Occasionally show suggestions in Start” option. I'm hoping that this is a continuing trend for Microsoft in response to the bad press Windows 10 has gotten with regards to privacy and a lack of options preventing troubling background activities.Track Your Lost PC
Windows 10 now includes a “Find My Device” option under Settings > Update & security. This means Windows 10 finally has built-in tracking, so you can track your laptop or tablet if you lose it via GPS and location services. Much like the Windows phone, you can also tell Windows 10 to periodically send your device’s location to Microsoft’s servers, allowing you to view its last known location if you ever lose it.Edge Gains Browser Sync and Tab Previews
The big two
user-facing features are tab previews — just mouse over a tab in the titlebar —
and syncing of your favorites and reading list across all your Windows 10
devices.
Microsoft
Edge won’t be receiving browser extensions yet, however — those have been
delayed. And, interestingly enough, Microsoft isn’t updating Edge via the Store
as originally promised. Edge updates seem to be held back for major new
versions of Windows 10, unlike Windows 10’s other included apps, which are
updated more regularly.
The Windows 10 Background on the Login Screen Is Now Optional
One thing in
particular that annoyed me when I first upgraded to Windows 10 was the
inability to change that new login background to just a solid color. I
personally used a few registry hacks to get what I wanted, but now you can just
go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and disable the “Show
Windows background picture on the sign-in screen” option. Weirdly enough, you
cant choose your own background. I foresee that in a soon to come update.
For more
tips and tricks, shoot me an email at Help@MooreITHelp.com
