Windows Tips

Infopackets Reader Alice K. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just installed Windows 10 on my PC, and I was disappointed that I now have to sign on with a Microsoft account email address. I would much rather not have to login to Windows 10 with a Microsoft ... account. Is there any way I can login to Windows 10 normally without an email address? " My response: Windows 10 and its services are largely based on the user having an Internet connection and a Microsoft account. For example, OneDrive, which allows users to store files seamlessly on the Internet, requires a Microsoft account in order to ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam T. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your ongoing and excellent articles on Windows 10. I have a question; right now I'm running Windows 7 32-bit, but I want to upgrade to Windows 10 64-bit and still maintain my free license ... for Windows 10. How can I upgrade from Windows 7 32-bit to Windows 10 64-bit? " My response: You can only upgrade to Windows 10 using the same architecture -- for example, from Windows 7 32-bit to Windows 10 32-bit. In other words, you cannot do an in-place upgrade from 32-bit Windows to 64-bit Windows and maintain all your installed ... (view more)

While most of the response to Windows 10 has been positive, it might not be for everyone. The good news is that downgrading from Windows 10 to your previous operating system is a relatively simple task. Exactly how you can go about it depends on ... which of three categories you fall into: whether you upgraded using the "Get Windows 10" app (via Windows Update); whether you used a DVD or USB drive with Windows 10 media; or, whether you bought a computer with Windows 10 pre-installed. "Easy Downgrade" Method: Within 30 Days If you used Windows Update to upgrade to Windows 10 ( ... (view more)

With the launch of Windows 10 comes a brand new Start Menu, which now more closely resembles its predecessors - something that's good news for many users on desktop and notebooks PCs. However, the new Windows 10 Start Menu brings plenty of options ... for tweaking, along with the odd glitch. Windows 10 Start Menu Customizable When Windows 8 was released, the lack of a Start Menu angered and confused many PC enthusiasts. As such, many third-party Start Menu programs were developed to replace the 'metro' style interface with a more traditional look. The good news is that the majority these ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed it is using customers' Internet connections to distribute Windows 10 to other users. While it doesn't appear to pose a serious security risk, switching off the feature is a bit tricky. The feature is officially known as ... Windows Update Delivery Optimization , or "WUDO". It involves putting some downloaded Windows 10 files into a temporary directory area on a users computer; the files are then made available to other computers over the Internet. Microsoft insists no personal files or folders are shared in this way. The same system will also apply to ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Paul S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I tried to install Windows 10, but it failed with error code C1900208 (I did it through the 'get windows 10' app). I tried again a few times, and it still gives me error C1900208, 'Installation ... Status: failed'. I checked my Windows Update history for error C1900208, and see that it failed 3 times in a row. I have no idea why this is happening but I'd really like to upgrade to Windows 10. I have Norton 360 and I read that antivirus may be conflicting with the Windows 10 install. Any ideas? " My response: From what I've read online, the Windows ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have clicked on the 'Get Windows 10' app in my tray bar and it still says it's reserved. I read that I can force the upgrade by using entering 'wuauclt.exe /updatenow' in the command prompt -- ... however, I keep getting a message that Windows 10 Upgrade Failed, with error code 80240020. I searched for 'windows 10 upgrade failed 80240020' on Google and have read a number of posts, but I can't seem to figure out how to make this work. I keep getting an access denied error. Can you help? " My response: Many ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jessy R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I reserved my free copy of Windows 10 using the 'Get Windows 10' app in the tray bar, but now I'm not sure if I should go through with the upgrade. I think I might wait a bit to see what the ... response is from the general public before I upgrade to Windows 10. Question: if I cancel my reservation, can I reserve Windows 10 again later? I was about to cancel the reservation the other day but the message box said that I might miss out on the offer to get the free upgrade. What can I do? " My response: If you cancel the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Meagan S. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for your coverage on Windows 10. I plan to upgrade to Windows 10 but I prefer to do a clean install, rather than in-place upgrade. I say this because I would much rather start from a clean ... slate, rather than worry that bugs from my previous Windows install might port over onto my new Windows 10 upgrade. So my question is: can I do a clean install of Windows 10 using a Windows 7 or 8 license? If I download the Windows 10 ISO and format my hard drive, how will Microsoft know that I am in fact upgrading to Windows 10, and therefore ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam R. writes: " Dear Dennis, Is there an alternative to Adobe Flash? I just read John Lister's article ' Flash Blocked in Firefox over Security Risk ,' and I'm concerned that Flash might download a virus onto my system. I'm also ... concerned that Flash is a major CPU hog which slows down my system. If there is no alternative to Flash, and I block Flash entirely, how can I watch YouTube videos? " My response: Unfortunately there is currently no alternative to Flash on Windows systems that allows you to play Flash content (that I am aware of). There are, however a few ... (view more)