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How to Reset Group Policy Settings in Windows 10 (Reset GPO)

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Windows 10 enables you to reset Group Policy Settings via the Editor or in the Command Prompt. Here’re the steps to reset Group Policy in Windows 10.

In Windows, you are able to customize just about anything you would like. Most changes can be configured via the Settings app. For advanced settings, you need to edit the registry or even the group policy settings. Although the group policy editor is not readily available for Home users, if you’re running Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, the audience Policy Editor provides an simple to use interface to quickly configure a variety of advanced settings. All you need to do is locate the insurance policy you want to change and either enable or disable it. What’s more, you may also backup group insurance policy for safekeeping in order to apply them on other machines too.

As good as the group policy editor is, there can be instances when you need to reset group policy to the original condition. This is especially true whenever a policy is disturbing normal system operations or when coverage is in conflict. Thankfully, though not in a straightforward way, Windows 10 enables you to restore group policy gpo either at the individual policy level or in general (bulk reset).

In this quick guide, let me show the steps to reset Group Policy gpo in Windows 10.

Reset a Single Group Policy GPO Setting

If you wish to reset a single or individual group policy, just place it to “not configured” and save the alterations. This process is particularly useful if you know what policies to restore and where to find them. Here’re the exact steps how you can do it.

Open the Run dialog box. You do that by pressing the “Start key + R”. Alternatively, you can also look for “Run” within the Start menu.
Type “gpedit.msc” and click the “Ok” button to spread out the Group Policy Editor.
In the group policy editor, discover the policy you want to reset.
Double-click around the policy to spread out its properties.
Select the “Not Configured” option.
Click the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons to save changes.
Close the group policy editor.
Restart Windows 10 to apply the insurance policy changes.

That’s all. After restarting, the modified policy setting will be applied. If you’re wondering, the “Not Configured” option defaults the insurance policy to the original setting. Not Configured doesn’t mean the insurance policy is enabled or disabled but it’s directly managed by Windows itself.

Bulk Reset All Group Policy Settings

When you have multiple group policies to reset, you should use the majority reset method. This is especially useful for those who have a lot of group policy objects to reset. Here’re the steps to bulk reset group policy settings in Windows 10.

Open the Start menu.
Search for “Command Prompt”.
Right-click on the Command Prompt result and select the “Run as administrator” option.
After opening the improved Command Prompt window, execute the command given below.
RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy”
After that, execute this command.
RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers”
Once done, close the Command Prompt window.
Restart Windows 10 use the policy updates.

That is all. It’s that easy to reset group policy settings in Windows.

Important Note:

As with anything, you will find limitations to both methods shown above. Assuming the body is maintained with a system or network administrator, some policies may not reset because of them being managed through the said administrator. In those cases, you need to contact the machine administrator and tell them the policies you need to reset. Whether to reset the policies are not is up to the machine administrator or the organization. There is nothing much that you can do for the reason that situation.

How to Reset Group Policy Settings in Windows 10 (Reset GPO)

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Windows 10 enables you to reset Group Policy Settings via the Editor or from the Command Prompt. Here’re the steps to reset Group Policy in Windows 10.

In Windows, you are able to customize almost anything you would like. Most changes can be configured through the Settings app. For advanced settings, you have to edit the registry or even the group policy settings. Though the group policy editor isn’t available for Home users, if you are running Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, the audience Policy Editor offers an easy to use interface to quickly configure a variety of advanced settings. All you need to do is locate the policy you want to change and either enable or disable it. What’s more, you can even backup group insurance policy for safekeeping in order to apply them on other machines too.

Just like the group policy editor is, there can be instances when you have to reset group policy to the original condition. This is especially true whenever a policy is disturbing normal system operations or when coverage is in conflict. Thankfully, though not in a straightforward way, Windows 10 enables you to restore group policy gpo either at the individual policy level or in general (bulk reset).

Within this quick guide, allow me to show the steps to reset Group Policy gpo in Windows 10.

Reset a Single Group Policy GPO Setting

If you wish to reset a single or individual group policy, just place it to “not configured” and save the alterations. This method is especially useful if you know what policies to revive where to find them. Here’re the precise steps on how it can be done.

Open the Run dialog box. You accomplish that by pressing the “Start key + R”. Alternatively, you may also search for “Run” in the Start menu.
Type “gpedit.msc” and click on the “Ok” button to open the Group Policy Editor.
In the group policy editor, find the policy you want to reset.
Double-click around the policy to spread out its properties.
Choose the “Not Configured” option.
Click on the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons to save changes.
Close the audience policy editor.
Restart Windows 10 to use the policy changes.

That is all. After restarting, the modified policy setting is going to be applied. In case you are wondering, the “Not Configured” option defaults the policy to its original setting. Not Configured does not mean the insurance policy is enabled or disabled but it is directly managed by Windows itself.

Bulk Reset All Group Policy Settings

When you have multiple group policies to reset, you can use the bulk reset method. This is particularly useful for those who have a lot of group policy objects to reset. Here’re the steps to bulk reset group policy settings in Windows 10.

Open the beginning menu.
Search for “Command Prompt”.
Right-click on the Command Prompt result and choose the “Run as administrator” option.
After opening the improved Command Prompt window, execute the command given below.
RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy”
Next, execute this command.
RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers”
Once done, close the Command Prompt window.
Restart Windows 10 use the policy updates.

That is all. It’s that simple to reset group policy settings in Windows.

Important Note:

Like with anything, you will find limitations to both the methods shown above. That is if your system is maintained by a system or network administrator, some policies might not reset because of them being managed through the said administrator. In those cases, you have to contact the system administrator and tell them the policies you need to reset. Whether or not to reset the policies are not is up to the system administrator or even the organization. There is nothing much you can do for the reason that situation.

How to Rename or Change Network Name in Windows 10

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Every connection in Windows 10 features its own network name. Generally, Windows 10 assigns generic names like Network 1, Network 2, etc., to all your network connections. For those who have a router, then Windows might use the name you assigned within the router. When utilizing multiple networks, the default names can be a bit hard to remember or recognize one network in the other. In those situations, changing the network name is quite helpful.

However, you won’t find any option whatsoever in the Settings app or User interface to change the network name. Make use of the neighborhood Security Policy or Registry to alter the network name in Windows 10. It is extremely easy to do. Let me demonstrate how you can rename a network in Windows 10.

Know Your present Network Name

Before proceeding, it is better to understand your current network name. This can help in finding the target network when you want to change its name.

To locate your current network name, click the network icon in the taskbar. You will see the network name within the network connections flyout menu. In my case, the network name is “Network 2”.

Alternatively, you can also find the network name in the user interface. To do that, look for “Control Panel” within the start menu and open it up. Now, go to “Networking and Sharing Center.” You will notice the network name in bold letters underneath the “View your active networks” section.

Knowing your present network name, proceed to rename the network name.

1]. Change Windows 10 Network Name via Local Security Policies

Note: Local Security Policies is only readily available for Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise users. If you work with Windows 10 Home version, follow the second method. i.e, registry method.

Local Security Policies is a built-in management console that allows you to change many advanced security settings in Windows 10. Among those settings permit you to change the network name.

1. To open the Local Security Policy, we will use the Run command. So, press Win + R, type secpol.msc in the blank field and press Enter to spread out Local Security Policy.

2. From our Security Policy window, select “Network List Manager Policies” around the left panel. On the right panel, find the network you what change the name for and double-click onto it.

3. The above mentioned action will open the network properties window. Here, select the radio option “Name” and kind your new network name within the blank field. Click the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons in order to save changes.

That’s it. Once you save the alterations, the network name will be changed instantly. You don’t have to reboot Windows. You are able to verify the network name change by clicking on the network icon within the taskbar.

You may also see the changed network name in the control panel’s networking and sharing center.

2]. Change Network Name in Windows 10 via Registry Editor

Warning: prior to making any changes to the registry, please create a quick registry backup so that you can restore the registry whenever needed.

If you are using Windows 10 Home version, you should utilize the Windows Registry to change the network name in Windows 10. Thankfully, it is quite simple to change the network name using Windows Registry.

1. To open the Registry, press Win + R, type regedit within the blank field and press Enter on your keyboard.

2. In the registry editor, go to the following location. Windows 10 users can simply copy and paste the below path in the registry editor’s address bar after which press Enter to go to the target key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles

3. Under the Profiles folder, you will see a few more folders with random alphanumerics. Each folder represents a network connection in your system. When you select a folder under the Profiles folder, you will see the network name on the right panel alongside “ProfileName”. In my case, the network name I’m looking for is “Network 2” and that’s represented within the second folder under the Profiles folder.

4. Now, double-click around the “ProfileName” value on the right panel.

5. Enter the new name in the Value Data field and click on the “Ok” button.

6. Once that is done, close the registry editor by hitting the “X” icon appearing around the top-right corner.

Generally, the changes are instant. Otherwise, reboot Windows 10. After restarting, you will see the new network name when you click on the network icon within the taskbar and in the control panel too.

As you can tell it’s not that hard to rename a network in Windows 10.

Windows 10 May 2019 Update gets fixes for some long-standing bugs

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Update: It’s emerged that some people are having issues with the new Windows 10 KB4512941 update, with reports that the update causes high CPU usages in certain PCs.

Original story follows…

Windows 10 May 2019 Update has been having a pretty smooth – and speedy – rollout so far, with simply relatively minor niggles, although there have been more persistent issues remaining unsolved. However the good news is Microsoft has finally cured some of these with a new cumulative update.

The primary thorny problems that have been hanging around include an error that has been preventing Windows Sandbox from running in some cases (Microsoft’s solution that lets Windows 10 Pro users run suspicious apps inside a sandbox away from the rest of the system). It has been fixed with cumulative update KB4512941.

And another sigh of relief can be breathed by those who were affected by compatibility issues caused by certain Intel Rapid Storage Technology drivers and the May 2019 Update. This problem appeared over a month ago now, but Microsoft says it’s resolved with KB4512941 (although the safeguarding block won’t be removed until early September – so presumably in a few days).

The cumulative update also handles an issue whereby a black screen is displayed when utilizing Remote Desktop to connect to some machine running Windows 10 May 2019 Update.

Mixed Reality improvements

Microsoft further promises the latest cumulative update improves the “user experience and app compatibility to ensure that more Win32 apps will work with Windows Mixed Reality”, that is great news when you have committed to among those headsets.

There are a raft of other fixes which Microsoft has detailed inside a long list here, but they also include resolving an issue preventing certain games from using Spatial Audio capabilities, and a problem where no cursor appears when choosing text input on the touchscreen.

Once we mentioned at the start, the May 2019 Update rollout appears to have accelerated to a very speedy pace, using the upgrade now on 33% of Windows 10 machines based on one set of stats – that figure having tripled because the previous month, showing Microsoft has definitely opened up the floodgates.

The majority of the folks upgrading do so from the April 2018 Update, with prodding from Microsoft because the end-of-service date for your particular update isn’t that remote now (November 12).

How you can Disable Cortana in Windows 10

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Lots of people find Cortana to be genuinely helpful for searching the net, showing notifications and setting calendar reminders, among its other specialties. But security-conscious users may be wary of exactly what the AI assistant is learning about you, your schedule and placement and sharing those tidbits with Microsoft and it is other services. Prior to Windows 10‘s recent Anniversary Update, you can disable Cortana by toggling a single switch, consider then, Microsoft has made it extremely difficult to complete.

Our friends at PCWorld figured out how to disable Cortana in Windows 10, after the Anniversary Update. Below, we’ll specify a fix that puts down Cortana in both Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Home. If you turned off Cortana just before installing the Anniversary Update, you will need to follow these steps to disable it again. Observe that this fix requires editing the registry, so be sure to backup first and proceed with great caution when attempting this fix.

Here’s how to turn off Cortana in Windows 10:

1. Open regedit the registry editor, in the search engine on the taskbar.

If asked, allow the program to make changes for your computer.

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search
But wait! Windows Search may not be there. It had not been for all of us, therefore we needed to create it.

2a. Right-click the Windows folder and choose New>Key. Refer to it as “Windows Search.”

3. Right click “Windows Search” and select New > DWORD (32-bit Value).

4. Name the DWORD “AllowCortana.” Click it and ensure the worth is “0.”

5. Restart the computer (or log out and log in). Cortana will be replaced with a regular search bar.

While Cortana is finished, it’s still hiding. You may find this program running in the background, however, you may as well leave it there. Whenever we tried killing this program, Cortana kept popping back up like a weed. When PCWorld managed to get rid of the process, they couldn’t look for anything on their PC.

It’s possible that the next Windows update will restore Cortana to its devote Windows 10, so make sure to keep these instructions handy, just in case.

Windows 10 April 2018 Update: The very best hidden features

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Microsoft’s next Windows 10 upgrade, referred to as April 2018 Update, improves Windows in numerous ways. But Microsoft has also added innumerable under-the-hood adjustments. That’s why this roundup exists: to underscore smaller additions you may miss, or explain subtle alterations in how Windows 10 works.

(Update: We’ve updated this story now that Microsoft has confirmed the following feature update of Windows as the April 2018 Update.)

Unlike previous lists we’ve compiled, some of these hidden features seem tentative, with more work clearly needed. Fortunately, Microsoft seems inclined to keep developing Windows 10, with no major replacement on the radar. (We’ll highlight the very best features included in our review.)

One-click data deletion

One of the continued complaints about using Windows 10 is Microsoft’s use of telemetry, i.e. collecting all sorts of information about you as you use Windows. Well, in addition to the privacy controls already built into Windows, there’s now an actual Delete button (Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & Feedback) which removes all of the diagnostic data that Microsoft has collected on your device.

Because the disclaimer notes, you may have information associated with your Microsoft account stored inside the cloud. You’ll need to visit Microsoft’s privacy dashboard to purge this information.

App-by-app GPU management

If you own a desktop PC with a graphics card, you probably realize that both AMD and Nvidia supply utilities whose functions include selecting which GPU apps you should use: either the economical integrated graphics chip within your CPU, or even the power-hungry discrete GPU. Now Windows takes treatments for that call automatically. (Go to Settings > Display, then click the Graphics settings link in the very bottom from the page.)

Don’t worry, this isn’t another case of Windows intruding into your life. With many apps, letting Windows make the decision is perfectly reasonable (apps have the ultimate say). However in the rare case where you’d prefer your integrated GPU to operate a simpler game like Asphalt 8 to preserve your laptop’s battery life, this new control enables you to do this.

A better Game Bar

Microsoft wants you to stream Computer games via Mixer, and to help you do this, it’s revamped the sport Bar. Now you’ll find a clock (hurray!) in addition to toggles to show your mic and camera off and on. You are able to edit your Mixer stream title. Game Bar’s still a little obtrusive sometimes, and could be so, the more toggles and switches Microsoft is tempted to add here. However the new additions are helpful.

Fonts within the Microsoft Store

A lot of us possess a few favored fonts, and that’s it. But for those who should you prefer a more varied typeface, Microsoft now allows you to download new fonts in the Microsoft Store. There’s only nine approximately as of this writing, but Microsoft seems to be likely to increase the, just as the company has added dozens of Themes to personalize your PC.

These fonts could be managed out of your Settings menu, specifically Settings > Personalization > Fonts. As the settings permit you to preview a font in its various derivatives (regular, black, bold, italic and bold italic for the Arial font, for instance) it also enables you to adjust new, variable fonts like Bahnschrift. Clicking Variable font properties down at the bottom from the page allows you to adjust its weight and width.

Swift Pair: On-demand Bluetooth pairing

Normally, Bluetooth pairing on a PC goes something like this: via Settings > Devices > Bluetooth, you click the + icon to start the pairing process, then initiate pairing on the device as well.

The Spring Creators Update partially eliminates Windows in the equation. Whenever you trigger a pairing request from a device, Windows pops up a notification asking you whether you’d like to undergo with the request. Microsoft calls this Swift Pair.

In your own home, Swift Pair sounds great. However in a crowded airport lounge or perhaps a community workspace, Swift Pair seems rife for mischievous or outright malevolent exploitation. Regardless, you won’t be seeing much of it, as it’s enabled just for the Microsoft Surface Precision Mouse, for now at least.

Go password-less within Windows 10 S

If you are using a Windows 10 S machine, you’ll are in possession of a choice of completely eliminating passwords in support of the Authenticator app for Android or iOS. Essentially, Microsoft’s sneaking a more secure two-factor authentication method to your PC.

I haven’t tested this personally, as I previously migrated PCWorld’s in-house Surface Laptop onto Windows 10 Pro. But I’ve used the Authenticator app frequently. The app either provides you with a choice of entering a time-limited code into your PC, or, more conveniently, allows you to approve an authentication request with a single click. Given that Windows 10 S looks like it’s becoming the public face of Windows 10, you might see this option increasingly more.

Somewhat better Settings for your PC’s audio

Placing granular audio controls inside your taskbar would be a nice feature from the Fall Creators Update. But Microsoft’s perpetual problem is this too many controls are scattered about, divvied up between the taskbar, Settings, and User interface. Microsoft’s designed a go of trying to phase the Control Panel’s audio settings by putting more granular controls within the Settings menu. (It’s still a piece happening.)

As the new Settings menu adds individual UWP app controls within the Audio settings, it conveniently leaves them in place around the taskbar, too. What’s new are handy audio and mic level indicators that offer real-time feedback.

It’s extremely frustrating, though, that Windows still doesn’t provide a basic graphics equalizer-even though Microsoft added one to its Groove Music app, then wiped out the Groove service that powered it, then routed users to Spotify. Will the Spotify app possess a graphics equalizer yet? Absolutely not.

Autocorrect/autosuggest for hardware keyboard

In this particular release, Windows 10’s Spring Creators Update tries to provide the same smartphone-like autocorrect and autosuggest functions for that hardware keyboard that it does for that software keyboard that appears on Windows tablets. Neither, unfortunately, really delivers.

Within Settings > Devices > Typing, you have the choice to toggle on auto-correct capabilities as well as auto-suggested words-but, oddly, auto-suggested words were enabled only when you toggle on auto-correction. As you type in apps like WordPad or Word, Windows appears a summary of three suggested words. Unfortunately, Windows’ guesses are consistently poor; typing “dipt” yielded guesses like “football.” And exactly how in which you actually select your word choice-clicking the up-arrow, then clicking the left- and right-arrow to navigate for your choice-quickly makes auto-suggestions a chore.

Every smartphone’s keyboard already knows how to properly suggest words. When will Windows learn?

Improved eye tracking controls with Eye Control

For many people, eye tracker peripherals such as those produced by Tobii remain their primary way of getting together with Windows. (Windows won’t track your eyes together with your laptop’s built-in webcam.) For those who routinely use them, Microsoft has fine-tuned the shortcut menu by which users can interact with Eye Control, together with a way to pause Eye Control to passively watch a video.

Better support for HDR displays

Chances are that you don’t own a very beautiful, expensive, state-of-the-art HDR display. But Microsoft looks forward to each day when both professional artists and everyday users enjoy a panel with higher graphic fidelity. Inside the Fall Creators Update, Settings > Apps > Video Playback allowed you to toggle HDR support and apply processing capacity to enhance the visual quality.

Inside the Spring Creators Update, you will get a few new options, including calibrating your display (click Change calibration settings for HDR video…) that permits you to tweak the brightness from the display. (The “video” you’re asked to adjust looks a lot like the static image below.)

You also have more options when selecting to experience back video. Inside the FCU, you’d the option to emphasize better life of the battery or better video when playing back video, including applying processing power. The latter option reduced life of the battery as it brightened the screen. Now, you have the option of leaving the screen brightness dialed down, while still applying more processing power to clean up the recording.

Although I could see noticeable changes to the demonstration video on Microsoft’s page as I adjusted the settings, I wouldn’t say there is any measurable improvement. A part of that might happen to be because Windows mistakenly identified my test Surface Laptop as a device capable of rendering HDR video. The graphics properties of my adapter indicated that both Laptop’s display, plus an external HDR-capable monitor within our lab, were still being rendered in SDR mode. If HDR takes off, Windows will have to indicate more clearly to users what their visual choices are.

A bigger MyPeople posse

Microsoft debuted MyPeople within the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, enabling you to include icons as high as three of your closest friends within the taskbar, and giving them the opportunity to send pop-up notifications that included emoji. Microsoft originally limited the amount of MyPeople friends to 3; ten is now the limit. You can now drag and drop the icons to rearrange them, too. Previously, Microsoft hid any overflow within a separate, default icon. The friends who don’t rate being included on your taskbar hide underneath the MyPeople icon itself.

Cortana changes, and not for that better

The appointment of Javier Soltero (accountable for the superb Outlook mobile app) as Cortana’s new boss will hopefully fast-track Cortana’s development, that has stagnated. For the time being, the only real addition to Cortana is updated Lists, as well as better natural-language recognition, a la the Harman-Kardon Invoke.

Cortana was supposed to have added a kind of meta-List, called Collections, with recommendations for recipes, websites, and much more. However the only suggestions Cortana provided were on my to-do list, for example “homework” and “water plants.” C’mon.

Meanwhile, an important facet of Cortana, the “I’ve got more for you” box, has been actively demoted. This feature accustomed to pop up a summary of relevant news stories, stock values, sports scores, and much more within the Fall Creators Update. Microsoft supposedly planned to migrate it in to the Notifications Center in the lower right-hand corner. If that’s the case, it never made it to my Insider builds.

Microsoft announced a preview app called Cortana Show Me inside a late Insider build. Though it hasn’t yet downloaded to my machine, it sounds useful: like the “out from the box experience” that utilizes the friendly Cortana persona to help set up a new PC, Show Me walks you through a series of guides of common Windows tasks.

Windows for Workstations Ultimate Performance

This can be a true hidden feature, if only because few of you’ll run Windows for Workstations, the prerequisite with this feature. Microsoft describes this as going a measure past the current “high performance” setting, eliminating micro-latencies associated with fine grained power management techniques. (It consumes a little more power consequently.)

Most gamers would like to see this option migrate down to Windows 10 Pro-or a hypothetical Gaming Edition-but it hasn’t happened yet.

As with any Microsoft feature release, there are lots of more upgrades and changes than we’ve provided here. What are your favorites? Take a look at PCWorld’s Twitter feed or Facebook page and let us know.

If your Windows 10 PC says it’s having activation problems today, here’s why

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A glitch with Microsoft’s activation servers seems to be disrupting many users’s PCs, as Windows 10 erroneously reports their systems as either un-activated or downgraded from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Home.

Users are encouraged to ignore the Windows messages and wait for the problem to resolve itself, based on postings in Microsoft’s support forums. If those forum postings are accurate, however, the problem could take a few days to resolve.

Microsoft has acknowledged the problem. “We’re trying to restore product activations for the small group of affected Windows 10 Pro customers,” Jeff Jones, a senior director at Microsoft, said in a statement.

At approximately 4:49 PM, Microsoft issued an update: “A small group of consumers experienced an activation issue our engineers have now addressed. Affected customers might find resolution within the next Twenty four hours as the solution is applied automatically. Meanwhile, they are able to continue using Windows 10 Pro as always.”

Based on users, the Windows activation troubleshooter may report that user PCs may be licensed for Windows 10 Home, even if a legitimate Windows 10 Pro license is tied to the account around the Windows 10 PC. Windows could also are convinced that the PC’s Windows license isn’t valid at all, and requires to become activated within Windows. (The second scenario is within place on laptop computer I’m using right now.)

What’s going on?

“Sumit,” a Windows Insider MVP, wrote that Microsoft Chat support had reported an extensive issue, via another user:

“Microsoft has just released a growing issue announcement about current activation issue related to Pro edition recently,” according to the message. “This occur in Japan, Korea, American and many other countries. I’m very sorry to inform you that there is a temporary issue with Microsoft’s activation server at the moment and some customers might experience this issue where Windows is displayed as not activated. Our engineers are working tirelessly to solve this problem which is likely to be corrected within one or two business days.”

The problem has prevented some users from upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Pro, and worried others that they may have involuntarily obtained a fraudulent license key. Microsoft’s support forums are filled with complaints and concerns from users, with no official response from Microsoft.

Microsoft does appear to be focusing on the problem, though. If you visit Settings > Update & Security > Activation, you’ll see a blue Troubleshooter link at the end from the page. Click it, and Microsoft will endeavour to uncover the source of the problem. Fortunately, with my case, it worked?athough there is no guarantee you’ll have a similar luck, unfortunately.

Why this matters: Although this may end up being all for naught, Microsoft certainly doesn’t need any showstopping bugs at the moment. Microsoft’s Windows 10 October 2018 Update has yet to ship (it’s now early November, obviously) and the company has come under fire for shipping additional features without ensuring they’ll work correctly. Telling users that their PC is unlicensed, or they can’t get all the features of Windows 10 Pro they paid for? Simply no one needs that stress at this time.

How to Customize Windows Defender Notifications on Windows 10

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Windows Defender has become a fully-featured antivirus product, and in Windows 10 it has an advanced security tool arsenal that defends your computer not only against malware infections, but also other cyberattacks of various kinds.

Consider it’s becoming a more complicated product, Windows Defender must come with straightforward options making it possible for users to configure onpar gps and take full advantage of its capabilities.

One of them concerns notifications, as users and IT admins are provided with a wide array of options to always stay up-to-date with everything else that Windows Defender does without anyone’s knowledge.

For example, notifications are used to show you about the results of a scanning process, but at the same time, they also warn you whenever actions are needed. Microsoft has a description from the notifications from Windows Defender:

“Notifications appear on endpoints when manually triggered and scheduled scans are completed and threats are detected. These notifications also come in the Notification Center, and a review of scans and threat detections appear at regular periods of time.”

Basically, you are able to configure the notifications which are sent by Windows Defender from the own UI available at the following path:

Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Virus & threat protection settings > Manage settings > Notifications > Change notification settings

There are three different notification categories that you can customize from this screen:

Virus & threat protection notifications
Account protection notifications
Firewall & network protection notifications

You are able to thus enable or disable notifications for recent activity and scan results, threat founds, files or activities which were blocked, issues with Windows Hello, or firewall blocks.

On Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise, IT admins are supplied with additional options which are found at the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus > Client Interface

The policy it admins can use a customized text inside a notification sent to users when action is needed is known as:

Display additional text to clients when they have to perform an action

To launch the audience Policy Editor, you can easily click the Start menu or press Windows key + R and kind gpedit.msc. Webmaster account is required to make changes to system policies.

Basically, the purpose of this policy would be to allow it to admins create a custom warning that includes information like contact information, whenever they need employees whose computers are compromised to achieve out for assistance. The description of the policy also explains how everything works after enabling it on a Windows 10 device:

“This policy setting allows you to configure whether or not to display additional text to clients when they need to perform an action. The written text displayed is really a custom administrator-defined string. For example, the phone number to call the organization help desk. The customer interface is only going to display no more than 1024 characters. Longer strings is going to be truncated before display.”

Automatically, this insurance policy is placed to Not Configured, so you have to look into the option that reads Enabled. Afterwards, IT admins need to go into the text they want to be included in the notifications within the lower area of the screen within the box titled Display additional text to clients once they have to perform an action.

No reboot is required, and all changes are automatically applied after saving the new settings. If you wish to return to the previous configuration, it’s enough to open the Group Policy Editor once more and undo the modifications that previous made.

Windows 10 Updates: A Survival Guide

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With Windows 10 Microsoft took automatic updates one stage further. Just before this latest operating system, the organization encouraged users to allow automatic updates in Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8. It wasn’t mandatory, however. That changed in Windows 10. Now, if you are using Windows 10 Home you need to receive and install updates on Microsoft’s schedule–whether you like it or not. Ultimately, this is a good thing.

01
Windows 10 and Forced Updates

As we’ve discussed earlier, the largest problem with Windows security isn’t just the malware, but a lot of systems that don’t install timely updates. Without those security updates (what’s called an unpatched system) malware comes with an easier time spreading across thousands or even millions of machines.

Forced updates solve that problem; however, it isn’t always a great situation. Updates can occasionally cause problems. Maybe they will not install properly, or a bug may cause laptop computer to malfunction. Problematic updates are not the norm, but they do happen. It’s became of me, also it could affect you.

When disaster (or just plain annoyance) strikes here’s what that you can do.

02
Problem 1: The Update Repeatedly Fails

It’s the worst. Through no-fault of your own, an update refuses to install on your machine. Making matters worse, the update will repeatedly download following the failure and check out again. Which means any time you shut down your machine Windows 10 will to try to install an update. Every. Time. That’s horrible if this occurs. The very last thing you need to be tied to is a machine that repeatedly updates any time you hit the power button. Particularly when you realize the update will fail anyway.

At this time, your only recourse is to download ?Microsoft’s troubleshooter to cover the update. This way your PC won’t attempt to upload it. Then, hopefully, Microsoft will fix the problem within the next regular update that prevented cellular phone in the first place.

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Look at your Update History

The troubleshooter is pretty simple to use. What you would like to do first, however, is click the Start button after which choose the Settings app icon (the cog) in the left margin of the Start menu.

Once the Settings app opens visit Update & security > Windows Update. Then under the “Update status” section click Update history. Here Windows 10 lists every update it installed or tried to install.

What you want is something such as this:

Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems (KB3200970) Didn’t install on 11/10/2016

Make a note of the “KB” number for the next step. If it’s a driver update that’s failed, take note of it such as:

Synaptics – Point Drawing – Synaptics Pointing Device

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While using Troubleshooter

Next, open the troubleshooter by double-clicking its .diagcab file. Once it’s all set to go click Next and also the troubleshooter will look for problems.

On the next screen click Hide updates and so the troubleshooter will list all available updates for the machine. Find the one that is causing problems and click on the checkbox beside it. Now click Next and when the troubleshooter works properly you will see a green checkmark confirming the update is hidden. There you have it. Close the troubleshooter and the update will be gone. This really is temporary, however. If enough time passes without a solution, that problematic update will attempt to install itself again.

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Problem 2: An update freezes (hangs) your machine

Sometimes you will be updating your computer and also the Windows Update process will just stop. For hours your PC will sit there saying something similar to, “Getting Windows ready, Don’t switch off your computer.”

We have an in-depth guide on how to cope with frozen updates. If you need detailed information on which to do check out that post for more information.

Briefly, however, you need to follow this basic troubleshooting pattern:

Try the Ctrl+Alt+Del keyboard shortcut to restart your machine.
If the keyboard shortcut doesn’t work, hit the hard reset power button until your computer shuts, and then restart.
If that doesn’t work, perform a hard reset again, however this time boot into in Safe Mode. If things are fine in Safe Mode, restart your PC, and boot in to the “normal Windows” mode.

Those are the primary stuff you want to try. If none of these work (most of the time you shouldn’t will need to go past second step) then make reference to these tutorial on frozen PCs to get involved with more advanced subjects.

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Problem 3: How to Uninstall Minor Updates or Drivers

Sometimes following a recent update your system can begin behaving strangely. When that occurs you may need to uninstall a current update. Once again we’ll need to open the Settings app at Start > Settings > Windows Update > Update history just like we did with the failed updates process. Make a note of your recent updates to see what could be causing the problem. In general, you should not uninstall security updates. It’s much more likely that problems are being the result of a generic update to Windows or perhaps Adobe Flash Player.

Once you’ve found the potentially problematic update, select Uninstall updates at the top of the update history screen. This can open a User interface window listing your updates.

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Uninstall From the User interface

Once inside the User interface discover the update you need to uninstall and highlight it by clicking it once with your mouse. Once that’s done towards the top of your window you should see an ?Uninstall button near the Organize drop-down menu. (If you do not observe that button then the update can’t be uninstalled.)

Click Uninstall and stick to the prompts before the update is uninstalled. Remember that Windows 10 will just try to download and reinstall the problematic update again, Browse the earlier section on what to complete when an update repeatedly does not learn to hide an update therefore it won’t be downloaded again.

Now only use your machine as you would. When the instability issues persist then you’ve either uninstalled the wrong update or even the problems go deeper than this quick fix.

If a specific component on your computer is misbehaving such as your webcam, mouse, or Wi-Fi then you might possess a bad driver update. Take a look at our earlier tutorial on how to roll back a person in Windows 10 regarding how to do this.

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Problem 4: When You’d Rather Defer

If you’re running Windows 10 Pro then you have the opportunity to slow down the pace of feature updates from Microsoft. These are typically major updates that Microsoft delivers about twice yearly such as the Anniversary Update that arrived on the scene in August 2016.

Deferring an update won’t prevent security updates from installing in your machine, which is generally the best thing. If you would rather wait a few months to obtain the latest as well as from Microsoft this is what you need to do. Open the Settings app again by hitting the beginning button after which choosing the app’s cog icon in the left-hand margin.

Next, go to Update & security > Windows Update after which under “Update settings” select Advanced options. On the next screen, click the check box next to Defer feature updates and shut the app. Any new feature updates won’t upload to your PC for at least a couple of months after their release. Eventually, however, that update will come.

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Problem 5: When You Can’t Defer

Unfortunately, should you run Windows 10 Home the defer feature is not open to you. Nevertheless, there is a trick you can employ to slow down updates. Open the Settings app once again, and visit Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, then under “Wi-Fi” click Manage known networks.

This can show a summary of all of the Wi-Fi connections your computer remembers. Search for your home Wi-Fi network and select it. Once your selection expands click the Properties button.

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Set As Metered

Now set the slider labeled Set as metered link with On, and close the Settings app.

By default, Windows doesn’t download updates on the metered Wi-Fi connection. As long as you don’t switch Wi-Fi networks or connect your computer to the Internet via ethernet, Windows will not download any updates.

While knowing about metered connections is helpful using this trick is generally a bad idea. Unlike deferring updates, the metered connection setting prevents even security updates from downloading. The metered connection setting also stops lots of other processes you may enjoy on your PC. For instance, Live Tiles will not be updated and mail apps could search for new messages less frequently.

You should really only use the metered connection trick as a short-term solution when you are aware feature updates are coming. It’s not something wish to accomplish for over a couple of months, at most, and even doing it that long is really a security risk.

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Problems, Solved (Hopefully)

That covers the main problems users typically have with updates in Windows 10. Most of the time, however, your updates should be trouble-free. If they are not you can put this guide to get affordable use.

How to Disable Cortana in Windows 10

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rtana is Microsoft’s va that is integrated directly into every installation of Windows 10. Like other virtual assistants, the purpose of Cortana would be to make your life easier. When that does not happen, and Cortana becomes a nuisance, if you notice that Microsoft makes it tough to disable it.

Before the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, users could disable Cortana using the flip of a toggle switch. The toggle was removed for the reason that update, but you may still find a number of ways to disable Cortana. Disabling voice and keyboard shortcut activation is simple, and Microsoft also allows users to disable Cortana’s ability to record and store personal information.

Completely disabling Cortana is much more difficult, but that’s possible too. Users of Windows 10: Home Edition can disable Cortana using the Registry Editor tool, and users of Windows 10: Pro and Enterprise may use either the Registry Editor or even the Group Policy Manager.

Cortana is heavily built-into the Windows 10 search functionality, and fully disabling it may impact your consumer experience. Before while using Registry Editor or Group Policy Editor methods, consider setting up a system restore point just in case you change your mind.

How to Disable Cortana Temporarily

If Cortana sometimes activates whenever you don’t want it to, but you still want to be able to activate it manually, then your best way to disable it’s to merely change some settings. This leaves Cortana in position, and enables you to use it if you would like, while preventing it from being a nuisance.

The first step is to ensure that Cortana won’t respond to your voice:

Click on the search box on your taskbar, or use the keyboard shortcut Windows + S.
Type Cortana within the search engine.
Click Cortana & Search Settings.
Click Speak with Cortana.
Turn the Hey Cortana toggle off.
Turn the Keyboard shortcut toggle off.

For most users, disabling Cortana’s ability to automatically react to a voice command or a keyboard shortcut is sufficient. This can prevent Cortana from ever activating accidentally, but it won’t affect your search experience, and everything continues to function the way that it should.

How to Prevent Cortana From Recording and Storing Your Search Habits and History

In addition to the annoyance of Cortana activating accidentally, some users have privacy concerns about Cortana and Microsoft monitoring their search histories and habits. Completely disabling Cortana is one way to cope with this concern, or you can simply turn off each setting that enables Cortana to record and store details about you.

If you are concerned about Microsoft using Cortana to collect and store personal information in regards to you and your search history, here’s the best way to cut off Cortana’s data gathering and storage abilities:

Click on the search box on your taskbar, or make use of the keyboard shortcut Windows + S.
Type Cortana within the search box.
Click Cortana & Search Settings.
Click Permissions & History.
Turn all the toggles off.
Click Cortana across all my devices.
Turn all of the toggles off.
Scroll back to the top page, and click on Manage the information Cortana can access out of this device.
Turn all of the toggles off.
Click Speech, inking, & typing privacy settings.
Click Switch off speech services and typing suggestions.
Click the rear arrow at the very top left of the window two times to return to the Cortana settings page.
Click Change what Cortana is aware of me within the cloud.
Your Personal Information page will load in the Start panel. Scroll to the bottom of this page and click on Clear.

This can leave Cortana on your computer, but it won’t be able to collect info on you, report information to Microsoft, or communicate with you in any way.

If you ever choose that you do desire to use Cortana, then this process could be reversed very easily by flipping each toggle to the on position and reenabling speech services and typing suggestions.

How to Disable Cortana Permanently in Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise

Switching off Cortana’s capability to respond to voice commands and keyboard shortcuts is pretty easy, but permanently disabling the feature is a touch more complicated. If you want to prevent Cortana from running at all, and turn the Cortana box into a basic search box, then you will need to use among the following methods depending on the version of Windows you have.

Windows 10 Home edition: Can only disable Cortana through the Registry.
Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise: Can disable Cortana via the Registry or Group Policy Editor.

The Windows Registry Editor is an extremely powerful tool that may result in undesired effects should you change the wrong setting. The body can become unstable, or even fail to boot, if one makes a mistake. If you’re unfamiliar with Registry Editor, produce a System Restore Point before you decide to proceed.

How to Disable Cortana in the Registry

After you have created a system restore point, and you’re certain you need to permanently disable Cortana, then you’ll have to open the Registry Editor:

Right click on the Start Menu icon and click on Run, or press Windows + R on your keyboard.
Type regedit striking enter.
If a person Account Control (UAC) window appears, click Yes.
Navigate to HKEY_Local_Machine > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows.
Right click the Windows directory, and choose New > Key, and name it Windows Search.
Right click Windows Search, and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it AllowCortana.
Double click AllowCortana and hang the worth to 0.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Disabling Cortana through the Registry Editor is irreversible, in some instances, without performing a clean install of Windows 10. Keep this in mind before fully disabling Cortana via this process.

How you can Disable Cortana Permanently in Group Policy Editor

Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise users can disable Cortana through with the Registry Editor, but when you have among those versions of Windows you also have another option this is a little easier and safer.

The alternate approach to permanently switching off Cortana in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise take advantage of the Group Policy Editor. This is the way you do it:

Right click on the Start Menu icon and click on Run, or press Windows + R on your keyboard.
Type gpedit.msc striking enter.
If a person Account Control (UAC) window appears, click Yes.
Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search.
In the pane on the right side of the window, search for the Allow Cortana setting and double click it.
Select the Disabled radial, and click OK.
Close the Group Policy Editor and restart your computer.

Turning Cortana Back On if You Change Your Mind

Cortana can be handy, there is definitely an opportunity that you may change your mind once you have disabled it. If you convince you immediately, or if something goes wrong, then the easiest way to show Cortana back on is by using a method restore point.

If more time has transpired, then it’s usually still possible to turn Cortana back on whatever the method you accustomed to power it down. To accomplish this, you will have to essentially turn back procedure you used to turn it off to begin with.

To show Cortana Back on If You Disabled It via Settings

Click around the search engine on your taskbar, or use the keyboard shortcut Windows + S.
Type Cortana in the search engine.
Click Cortana & Search Settings.
Go through each settings page and switch every toggle back on.

You can leave off settings that pertain to information gathering and cloud storage of your settings and history, but doing this may prevent Cortana from working properly.

To Turn Cortana Back on Should you Disabled It via Regedit

Disabling Cortana via the Registry Editor may lead to an irreversible disabling of the feature. If the following instructions fail to work, you might not be able to get Cortana back without conducting a clean installation of Windows 10.

Right click the Start Menu icon and click Run, or press Windows + R in your keyboard.
Type regedit striking enter.
If a person Account Control (UAC) window appears, click Yes.
Navigate to HKEY_Local_Machine > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows.
Delete the AllowCortana key that you created.
Restart your pc.

To Turn Cortana Back on Should you Disabled It via Group Policy Editor

Right click on the Start Menu icon and click Run, or press Windows + R on your keyboard.
Type gpedit.msc striking enter.
If a person Account Control (UAC) window appears, click Yes.
Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search.
In the pane on the right side from the window, look for the Allow Cortana setting and double click it.
Select the Enabled radial, and click OK.
Close the audience Policy Editor and restart your pc.