Windows 10 Build 10074 This new build comes on the heels of the last release, build 10061, and shows that Microsoft wasn’t kidding about releasing builds faster. Another subtle change is these builds are now labeled Insider Preview versus Technical Preview, which is a reflection on the pace of these releases, and the approaching final release date. This new build is available for Windows Insiders who are part of the Slow and Fast ring....

Windows 10 Insider Build 16251 With phone-to-pc linking Android owners will be able to test a new “Microsoft Apps” application that links a phone to a PC. The link will enable new cross-device features which include the ability to share a link from a phone directly to a Windows 10 PC. This is the start of many features that will align Android and iOS to Windows 10. In the future, you’ll be able to directly share content to and from PCs and copy and paste between devices via a cloud-based clipboard....

Automatically Run Apps During Boot To open the Startup folder, hit the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + R to bring up the Run dialog and type: shell:startup and click OK or hit Enter. Go back to the Run dialog, and this time type: shell:appsfolder and click OK. At this point, you should have both the Applications and Startup folders open. Now you need to drag and drop the shortcuts off the desktop or UWP apps you want to launch when Windows 10 starts....

Note: If you have a newer Windows Phone it’s worth noting that Microsoft also rolled out an April cumulative update for Windows 10 Mobile with the same build number. Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB3147458 Build 10586.218 According to Microsoft’s Windows 10 Update History page, this latest update includes the following: Improved reliability for Internet Explorer 11, .NET Framework, wireless LAN, Microsoft Edge, Windows Update, logon, Bluetooth, network connectivity, map apps, video playback, Cortana, USB, Windows Explorer, and Narrator....

Just for reference, here’s a comparison between the old Vista Calc look and the new Windows 7 Calc. Vista Calculator: Windows 7 Calculator: If you’ve never used the Calculator in Windows 7 before, then I recommend giving it a try! Just Open up the Start Menu and Type in Calc and Press Enter. The Calculator should instantly load! Most modern keyboards also have a calculator button. Take a look; you might be surprised to find a button that opens Microsoft Calculator automatically....

Xbox Music On the Web To check it out, head to music.xbox.com. To use it you’ll need to be a Music Pass subscriber, but new users can check it out free for 30 days. The caveat being that you will need to input your credit card information and unless you cancel, the service will automatically renew at $9.99/month. The interface looks a lot like the newly designed Xbox Music app on Windows 8....

Windows 10 For Windows 10, you need to be running the Pro or Enterprise edition. Why Microsoft does not make this a standard feature across all editions is still mind-boggling, considering that encrypting data is one of the most effective ways to help keep it secure. If you are running Windows 10 Home, you will need to perform an Easy Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro to get it. What is Encryption?...

Also, when you make an image transparent, the feature in Word includes several features to make it more attractive. Whatever the reason you need to make an image transparent in Word, we’ll show you how to do it. How to Make an Image Transparent in Word As we mentioned, the ability to make images transparent is done with Word tools that also provide features to color text and add shapes to pictures....

However, you might not be interested in seeing what friends are listening to. Maybe you’d prefer to remove that section for a cleaner Spotify experience. But, on the other hand, you might want to see what friends listen to but can’t see it. Either way, we’ll show you how to show or hide friend activity on Spotify. We’ll also look at entering a private listening session. How to Show or Hide Friend Activity on Spotify Note: This process only works with the desktop version of Spotify....

We looked at how this works in our previous article, which demonstrates the new Digital Licensing and Activation Troubleshooter in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Another feature benefit is the Find My Device Tracker, which helps you find lost or stolen devices. In this article, we show you how to find and manage all your devices. Find and Manage All Your Windows 10 Devices To begin, click Start > Settings > Accounts > Your Info, click the Manage my Microsoft account link....

You might not be aware that you can use Office to repair those documents and not use a third-party utility to do it. The feature was introduced back in Office 2003. Here’s how it works. Note: For this article, I am using Microsoft Word, but the process is similar in the rest of the programs in the suite, too. Repair Office Documents Launch Word (or any other Office program) and go to File > Open > Browse and then find the document you need to repair....

Use Power Throttling to Optimize Performance of Battery Life in Windows 10 Power Throttling will automatically be enabled when you install Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, as long as you have a supported CPU. As of now, that includes Intel 6th and 7th generation processors such as Skylake and Kaby Lake. Microsoft plans to expand support to other processors in the future. So, how can you tell if it’s working? The first place to look is your Taskbar Notification Area....

There are a few things to mention about this before we start. Both devices will need to be connected to the same network. And while the Connect app is included in Windows 10, your results will vary depending on your mobile device and version of Android it’s running. The Connect feature uses the Miracast standard. So, for this article, I’m using the HTC One M8 which comes with HTC Connect....

If you want to change the name of your Windows 7 or Vista account, that is easy. However, even when you change the name, the folder name of your user profile remains the same. If you try to rename the folder it will severely mess up your account. Consequently most people have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to change the name of your Windows profile folder without breaking everything....

While other operating systems usually have some graphical tool for this, Linux isn’t so simple. We’ll walk you through how to open ports in Linux below. What is a Port and Why Would I Need to Open It? A port is an end point on the network. Think of it like a door that leads to a particular room or the outside world, but on your computer. Everything you do on the internet uses a particular port or series of ports....

No matter what the reason, the problem with posting your address on the net is that there are thousands of people slimeballs out there who are actively harvesting email addresses for their own spammy gain. So in this article, I’m going to talk about how you can prevent your email address from falling into these peoples’ hands or at least TRY to make it more difficult for them. What’s up with Spammers anyway?...

When you’re trying to ‘photoshop’ an image, you can easily run into issues, especially if these images are vector images. That’s because some of Photoshop’s tools will only work with raster graphics—vector images (like SVG files) are harder to edit. The good news is that it’s quick and easy to rasterize a vector image in Photoshop. You can then apply any of the Photoshop tools or effects that you wish....

This article will examine what a QR code is, how to read them, and how to make them. What Is a QR Code? We all know what a regular barcode looks like, right? This is typically found on stuff you buy from the supermarket. Now here’s a QR code. Scanning that with your smartphone will take you to my website. So a QR code is essentially another form of barcode where you can put in various types of information....

However, things can become troublesome when trying to apply number formatting to an existing range of data. You can update the format of a cell, but sometimes it won’t automatically refresh with the new formatting. This stubbornness usually happens when choosing a custom number format. You can update it by double-clicking the cell, making no changes, and then press Enter, but this can be very tedious. This process is particularly troublesome when importing significant amounts of data....

Required Downloads for PC Kindle for PCCalibreAlf’s DRM removal tools The first thing you need to do is download and install Calibre and Kindle for PC. Then setup and download your books onto Kindle for PC. Once you have those two programs installed, you need to configure Alf’s DRM tools for Calibre. Unzip the tools_v#.#.zip folder that was downloaded from Alf’s, and then put the Calibre_Plugins folder somewhere you’ll be able to easily find it....