Microsoft is set to release major improvements for Windows 10 in 2021, along with new services designed to enhance performance, accessibility, and user experience. Let’s take a look at what these changes are and what they mean for Windows users.

What’s new on Windows 10?

Microsoft tends to release major updates followed by several smaller ones meant to implement minor feature changes and improvements. This likely won’t be the case in 2021.

Sources indicate that the first of two updates will be released sometime in the spring next year. It will be a servicing style update similar to those released in the latter halves of 2019 (19H2) and 2020 (20H2). To illustrate, the 19H2 update included improvements in battery usage efficiency, while the 20H2 update focused on enhancing general performance and quality. The spring update (21H1) will likely be in preparation for the bigger one (21H2) coming around the fall.

Next year’s major update will likely enable x86 64-bit Windows 10 to be emulated on computers that use ARM processors. This is good news if you use ARM-based computers, such as Microsoft’s very own Surface line of notebooks. With the update, you will be able to run legacy Windows programs on your device.

Windows 10X

Google’s Chrome OS might not be as feature-rich as Windows 10, but its lightweight nature and simple interface make it a hit among users who want a fast and straightforward operating system. That it is exclusively built into light, compact, and affordable notebooks — called Chromebooks — certainly adds to its appeal.

Microsoft’s Windows 10X is purportedly its answer to Chrome OS. It’s a lightweight version of Windows 10 designed to perform well even on low- to mid-range computers. Windows 10X also boasts an updated, modern-looking interface, formidable security, and excellent battery efficiency.

Like Chrome OS, Windows 10X will be exclusive to a specific line of computers which, according to reports, may include ARM-based and foldable devices. Windows 10X will likely become available in the earlier half of 2021.

Cloud PC

Windows 10 Cloud PC is a service that allows you to install applications to a version of Windows found on the cloud. Both the apps and the OS are streamed to your computer and use very little of the machine’s power. This makes it a great service for computers with low memory or ones that suffer from weak performance. Any apps installed via Cloud PC will appear on your Start menu as if it were installed locally on your machine.

Cloud PC will likely be an integrated service with both Windows 10 and Windows 10X. Windows 10X devices likely will not come with win32 local support, although the feature may be added in a future update. You can resolve this issue by installing your win32 programs on Cloud PC and streaming them via your Windows 10X device.

Microsoft has yet to confirm the exact nature and scope of their upcoming updates and services, but we can make educated guesses. In any case, it seems users can look forward to improved performance on Windows 10, as well as more opportunities to save money and get more out of their tech investments. If you need recommendations on how to take full advantage of these updates and new services, just give our experts a call.

Windows users have much to look forward to in 2021. Along with new services, updates for Windows 10 will be released not just to improve its performance but also its accessibility. Let’s take a look at what these changes could be and what they could mean for Windows users like you.

What’s new on Windows 10?

Microsoft tends to release major updates followed by several smaller ones meant to implement minor feature changes and improvements. This likely won’t be the case in 2021.

Sources indicate that the first of two updates will be released sometime in the spring next year. It will be a servicing style update similar to those released in the latter halves of 2019 (19H2) and 2020 (20H2). To illustrate, the 19H2 update included improvements in battery usage efficiency, while the 20H2 update focused on enhancing general performance and quality. The spring update (21H1) will likely be in preparation for the bigger one (21H2) coming around the fall.

Next year’s major update will likely enable x86 64-bit Windows 10 to be emulated on computers that use ARM processors. This is good news if you use ARM-based computers, such as Microsoft’s very own Surface line of notebooks. With the update, you will be able to run legacy Windows programs on your device.

Windows 10X

Google’s Chrome OS might not be as feature-rich as Windows 10, but its lightweight nature and simple interface make it a hit among users who want a fast and straightforward operating system. That it is exclusively built into light, compact, and affordable notebooks — called Chromebooks — certainly adds to its appeal.

Microsoft’s Windows 10X is purportedly its answer to Chrome OS. It’s a lightweight version of Windows 10 designed to perform well even on low- to mid-range computers. Windows 10X also boasts an updated, modern-looking interface, formidable security, and excellent battery efficiency.

Like Chrome OS, Windows 10X will be exclusive to a specific line of computers which, according to reports, may include ARM-based and foldable devices. Windows 10X will likely become available in the earlier half of 2021.

Cloud PC

Windows 10 Cloud PC is a service that allows you to install applications to a version of Windows found on the cloud. Both the apps and the OS are streamed to your computer and use very little of the machine’s power. This makes it a great service for computers with low memory or ones that suffer from weak performance. Any apps installed via Cloud PC will appear on your Start menu as if it were installed locally on your machine.

Cloud PC will likely be an integrated service with both Windows 10 and Windows 10X. Windows 10X devices likely will not come with win32 local support, although the feature may be added in a future update. You can resolve this issue by installing your win32 programs on Cloud PC and streaming them via your Windows 10X device.

Microsoft has yet to confirm the exact nature and scope of their upcoming updates and services, but we can make educated guesses. In any case, it seems users can look forward to improved performance on Windows 10, as well as more opportunities to save money and get more out of their tech investments. If you need recommendations on how to take full advantage of these updates and new services, just give our experts a call.

If you’ve been waiting for updates on Windows 10, here’s some good news and more! Microsoft will very likely release big updates to the OS in 2021. Additionally, the tech giant is expected to introduce new services designed to maximize user experience across a wide range of devices.

What’s new on Windows 10?

Microsoft tends to release major updates followed by several smaller ones meant to implement minor feature changes and improvements. This likely won’t be the case in 2021.

Sources indicate that the first of two updates will be released sometime in the spring next year. It will be a servicing style update similar to those released in the latter halves of 2019 (19H2) and 2020 (20H2). To illustrate, the 19H2 update included improvements in battery usage efficiency, while the 20H2 update focused on enhancing general performance and quality. The spring update (21H1) will likely be in preparation for the bigger one (21H2) coming around the fall.

Next year’s major update will likely enable x86 64-bit Windows 10 to be emulated on computers that use ARM processors. This is good news if you use ARM-based computers, such as Microsoft’s very own Surface line of notebooks. With the update, you will be able to run legacy Windows programs on your device.

Windows 10X

Google’s Chrome OS might not be as feature-rich as Windows 10, but its lightweight nature and simple interface make it a hit among users who want a fast and straightforward operating system. That it is exclusively built into light, compact, and affordable notebooks — called Chromebooks — certainly adds to its appeal.

Microsoft’s Windows 10X is purportedly its answer to Chrome OS. It’s a lightweight version of Windows 10 designed to perform well even on low- to mid-range computers. Windows 10X also boasts an updated, modern-looking interface, formidable security, and excellent battery efficiency.

Like Chrome OS, Windows 10X will be exclusive to a specific line of computers which, according to reports, may include ARM-based and foldable devices. Windows 10X will likely become available in the earlier half of 2021.

Cloud PC

Windows 10 Cloud PC is a service that allows you to install applications to a version of Windows found on the cloud. Both the apps and the OS are streamed to your computer and use very little of the machine’s power. This makes it a great service for computers with low memory or ones that suffer from weak performance. Any apps installed via Cloud PC will appear on your Start menu as if it were installed locally on your machine.

Cloud PC will likely be an integrated service with both Windows 10 and Windows 10X. Windows 10X devices likely will not come with win32 local support, although the feature may be added in a future update. You can resolve this issue by installing your win32 programs on Cloud PC and streaming them via your Windows 10X device.

Microsoft has yet to confirm the exact nature and scope of their upcoming updates and services, but we can make educated guesses. In any case, it seems users can look forward to improved performance on Windows 10, as well as more opportunities to save money and get more out of their tech investments. If you need recommendations on how to take full advantage of these updates and new services, just give our experts a call.

Microsoft started rolling out the Windows 10 October 2020 Update in recent weeks. While this update is relatively modest in terms of size and features, it boasts of several design and functionality upgrades that will enhance user experience. Here’s what you can expect from the update.

Start menu’s new look

The Start menu gets a makeover with “theme-aware” tiles, or tiles that take on the dominant color of your theme. Microsoft has removed the accent color behind tiles in the apps list, replacing it with a uniform translucent background in light mode and a solid black background in dark mode. Theme-aware tiles give the Start menu a more modern, streamlined look.

However, you still have the option to use accent colors for the Start menu, taskbar, and action center when you enable dark mode. Just go to Settings > Personalization > Colors. From the dropdown menu, choose Dark to enable dark mode, then pick an accent color from the swatches below. To apply your chosen color to the Start menu, taskbar, and action center, tick the box next to the “Start, menu, and action center” option at the bottom of the Colors menu.

Alt + Tab changes

You can now switch seamlessly between open tabs in your browser with the new and improved Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut. Pressing Alt + Tab opens the task switcher, which will now show you all open tabs in Microsoft Edge, not just the active one. This way, you can go to the browser tab you want straight from the task switcher interface without first opening the browser window.

If you’d rather not see all open tabs at once, you can configure the task switcher’s settings by going to Settings > System > Multitasking. Then, choose from the following options:

• Open windows and all tabs in Edge
• Open windows and 5 most recent tabs in Edge
• Open windows and 3 most recent tabs in Edge
• Open windows only

Taskbar tweaks

If you’re like a lot of Windows users, you probably have your most visited or favorite websites pinned to the taskbar for ease of access and convenience. Having sites pinned to your taskbar lets you open a website or switch to the most recent app quickly.

With the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, you can now see all open tabs in your pinned websites by simply hovering over the website icons on the taskbar. This eliminates the need to search through open tabs and browser windows just to find and switch to the specific tab you need.

The taskbar also has a new layout, but this is limited to first logins to a new PC or new account creations. The taskbar will be personalized depending on the user’s preferences. For instance, if the user has an Android device, the Your Phone app will be automatically pinned to the taskbar.

Less intrusive notifications

Microsoft also made minor tweaks to the notification panel. Now, all notifications have an X icon at the top right corner so you can quickly dismiss them with a click. All notifications will also show the app logo so you can easily tell which app has sent which notification.

Additionally, by default, Focus Assist will no longer show you a summary of any notifications you missed while the feature was enabled. To change this setting, go to Settings > System > Focus assist, then tick the box next to “Show me a summary of what I missed while focus assist was on.”

Enhanced Edge

If you haven’t gotten around to installing the new version of Microsoft Edge, you’ll be glad to know that the Windows 10 October 2020 Update comes with the browser preinstalled.

The new version of Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium, the same technology on which Google Chrome runs. As such, it offers a range of features designed to maximize performance and thus improve your browsing experience. What’s more, Edge affords users more control over their data, ensuring that their privacy online will always be protected.

Microsoft is constantly developing new features designed to keep Windows 10 devices running smoothly and securely. Drop us a line today to learn more about the latest Windows 10 features and how they can benefit your business.

The Windows 10 October 2020 Update, or Windows 10 version 20H2, is rolling out to billions of users worldwide, offering a number of small but important improvements to your PC. Here are some of the features you can expect from the latest Windows 10 update.

Start menu’s new look

The Start menu gets a makeover with “theme-aware” tiles, or tiles that take on the dominant color of your theme. Microsoft has removed the accent color behind tiles in the apps list, replacing it with a uniform translucent background in light mode and a solid black background in dark mode. The theme-aware tiles give the Start menu a more modern, streamlined look.

However, you still have the option to use accent colors for the Start menu, taskbar, and action center when you enable dark mode. Just go to Settings > Personalization > Colors. From the dropdown menu, choose Dark to enable dark mode, then pick an accent color from the swatches below. To apply your chosen color to the Start menu, taskbar, and action center, tick the box next to the “Start, menu, and action center” option at the bottom of the Colors menu.

Alt + Tab changes

You can now switch seamlessly between open tabs in your browser with the new and improved Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut. Pressing Alt + Tab opens the task switcher, which will now show you all open tabs in Microsoft Edge, not just the active one. This way, you can go to the browser tab you want straight from the task switcher interface without first opening the browser window.

If you’d rather not see all open tabs at once, you can configure the task switcher’s settings by going to Settings > System > Multitasking. Then, choose from the following options:

• Open windows and all tabs in Edge
• Open windows and 5 most recent tabs in Edge
• Open windows and 3 most recent tabs in Edge
• Open windows only

Taskbar tweaks

If you’re like a lot of Windows users, you probably have your most visited or favorite websites pinned to the taskbar for ease of access and convenience. Having sites pinned to your taskbar lets you open a website or switch to the most recent app quickly.

With the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, you can now see all open tabs in your pinned websites by simply hovering over the website icons on the taskbar. This eliminates the need to search through open tabs and browser windows just to find and switch to the specific tab you need.

The taskbar also has a new layout, but this is limited to first logins to a new PC or new account creations. The taskbar will be personalized depending on the user’s preferences. For instance, if the user has an Android device, the Your Phone app will be automatically pinned to the taskbar.

Less intrusive notifications

Microsoft also made minor tweaks to the notification panel. Now, all notifications have an X icon at the top right corner so you can quickly dismiss them with a click. All notifications will also show the app logo so you can easily tell which app has sent which notification.

Additionally, by default, Focus Assist will no longer show you a summary of any notifications you missed while the feature was enabled. To change this setting, go to Settings > System > Focus assist, then tick the box next to “Show me a summary of what I missed while focus assist was on.”

Enhanced Edge

If you haven’t gotten around to installing the new version of Microsoft Edge, you’ll be glad to know that the Windows 10 October 2020 Update comes with the browser preinstalled.

The new version of Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium, the same technology on which Google Chrome runs. As such, it offers a range of features designed to maximize performance and thus improve your browsing experience. What’s more, Edge affords users more control over their data, ensuring that their privacy online will always be protected.

Microsoft is constantly developing new features designed to keep Windows 10 devices running smoothly and securely. Drop us a line today to learn more about the latest Windows 10 features and how they can benefit your business.

In the past few weeks, Microsoft has rolled out the Windows 10 October 2020 Update. Also known as Windows 10 version 20H2, the latest update to the popular operating system brings a wealth of useful new features designed to improve your PC’s functionality and performance, as well as your overall experience. Read on to learn more about the new update.

Start menu’s new look

The Start menu gets a makeover with “theme-aware” tiles, or tiles that take on the dominant color of your theme. Microsoft has removed the accent color behind tiles in the apps list, replacing it with a uniform translucent background in light mode and a solid black background in dark mode. The theme-aware tiles give the Start menu a more modern, streamlined look.

However, you still have the option to use accent colors for the Start menu, taskbar, and action center when you enable dark mode. Just go to Settings > Personalization > Colors. From the dropdown menu, choose Dark to enable dark mode, then pick an accent color from the swatches below. To apply your chosen color to the Start menu, taskbar, and action center, tick the box next to the “Start, menu, and action center” option at the bottom of the Colors menu.

Alt + Tab changes

You can now switch seamlessly between open tabs in your browser with the new and improved Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut. Pressing Alt + Tab opens the task switcher, which will now show you all open tabs in Microsoft Edge, not just the active one. This way, you can go to the browser tab you want straight from the task switcher interface without first opening the browser window.

If you’d rather not see all open tabs at once, you can configure the task switcher’s settings by going to Settings > System > Multitasking. Then, choose from the following options:

• Open windows and all tabs in Edge
• Open windows and 5 most recent tabs in Edge
• Open windows and 3 most recent tabs in Edge
• Open windows only

Taskbar tweaks

If you’re like a lot of Windows users, you probably have your most visited or favorite websites pinned to the taskbar for ease of access and convenience. Having sites pinned to your taskbar lets you open a website or switch to the most recent app quickly.

With the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, you can now see all open tabs in your pinned websites by simply hovering over the website icons on the taskbar. This eliminates the need to search through open tabs and browser windows just to find and switch to the specific tab you need.

The taskbar also has a new layout, but this is limited to first logins to a new PC or new account creations. The taskbar will be personalized depending on the user’s preferences. For instance, if the user has an Android device, the Your Phone app will be automatically pinned to the taskbar.

Less intrusive notifications

Microsoft also made minor tweaks to the notification panel. Now, all notifications have an X icon at the top right corner so you can quickly dismiss them with a click. All notifications will also show the app logo so you can easily tell which app has sent which notification.

Additionally, by default, Focus Assist will no longer show you a summary of any notifications you missed while the feature was enabled. To change this setting, go to Settings > System > Focus assist, then tick the box next to “Show me a summary of what I missed while focus assist was on.”

Enhanced Edge

If you haven’t gotten around to installing the new version of Microsoft Edge, you’ll be glad to know that the Windows 10 October 2020 Update comes with the browser preinstalled.

The new version of Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium, the same technology on which Google Chrome runs. As such, it offers a range of features designed to maximize performance and thus improve your browsing experience. What’s more, Edge affords users more control over their data, ensuring that their privacy online will always be protected.

Microsoft is constantly developing new features designed to keep Windows 10 devices running smoothly and securely. Drop us a line today to learn more about the latest Windows 10 features and how they can benefit your business.

Seattle-based Pulumi, one of the newer startups in the ”infrastructure-as-code” space, today announced that it has raised a $37.5 million Series B funding round led by NEA. Previous investors Madrona Venture Group and Tola Capital also participated in this round, which brings the total investment in the company to $57.5 million.

The new investment follows the launch of Pulumi 2.0, which got the company closer to its vision of becoming what the team calls a ‘cloud engineering platform’ and impressive growth over the last, with a 10x growth in adoption in the last twelve months.

“We started with infrastructure as code, because we felt like that was a foundational piece that gave us the programming model, along with the cloud resource model,” Pulumi co-founder and CEO Joe Duffy told me. “That was an important place to start. With [Pulumi] 2.0,  we launched support for testing, for policy as code — so that you could actually apply governance and compliance as part of your infrastructure management — and really helping more of the team work together.”

Indeed, after starting with a focus on infrastructure teams, Pulumi is now looking to expand across teams.

“The infrastructure team is becoming the nucleus that pulls the whole team together. We’re actually calling this cloud engineering,” Duffy explained. “What we’re calling cloud engineering is developers using the cloud in a first-class way, infrastructure teams helping them do that and increasingly pulling in security engineers to make sure that governance is part of the story as well. The 2.0 release was our first time exploring those adjacencies and trying to paint a path to realizing the full Pulumi vision.”

Infrastructure as code isn’t necessarily new, of course. The promise of Pulumi is that it isn’t hobbled by any legacy products but that the team designed it as a cloud-native product from the ground up. That’s something NEA’s Aaron Jacobson, who will join the company’s board, also stressed.

“If you think about how fast the cloud has evolved just in 10 years, Pulumi is built in a place of multi-cloud, of Kubernetes, of serverless, Jacobson said. “And much of the original infrastructure-as-code constructs didn’t even have those in mind. Since Pulumi is newer to market and has come after all those constructs, it just has better integration, it’s just is a more delightful experience to developers.”

NEA’s Scott Sandell is actually taking this a bit further. “Venture capitalists are in the business of pattern recognition,” he said. “And the pattern that I recognized actually goes all the way back to when I was a product manager in the windows group. And I saw that developers don’t want to have to deal with complexity — they want to have the complexity managed for them.” That, he argues, is what Pulumi does for developers — and it surely helped the both Duffy and his co-founder and Pulumi executive chairman Eric Rudder left successful careers at Microsoft to build this company.

In addition to the new funding, Pulumi also today announced that it brought in a number of new executives, including industry veterans Jay Wampold as CMO, Lindsay Marolich as senior director of demand generation, Kevin Kotecki as VP of sales and Lee-Ming Zen as VP of engineering.

To any business, ransomware means trouble. From operational disruption and revenue loss to total shutdown, it spares no aspect of the company. That’s why it’s wise to regularly back up your business data in multiple locations, including the cloud. If your computer is running on Windows 10, you’re in luck because the operating system simplifies data backup and recovery.

File History in Windows 10

Serving as the main backup utility, File History enables users to regularly schedule backing up of files on their PC and store them on an external drive. That means you can connect your PC to a network or USB drive and make backups as needed.

However, be sure to regularly connect the external drive if you intend to use File History for backups. Otherwise, Windows will prompt you that your files have not been backed up every day. You can ignore this warning at your own risk. If you back up to a mapped network that is unavailable, File History will commence backup in the local disk until the network drive becomes available.

Setting up File History

Anyone can set up File History. After all, it was designed to make data backup and recovery easy for users. By default, File History backs up the main file folders, but you may also pick which folders you want to back up and bring in folders from other parts of the PC to do this.

From the Start menu, click on Settings > Update & Security > Backup.

Once in Backup, you can connect to an external drive. Click on Add a drive to see a list of external hard drives hooked up to your PC and choose one.

When you return to the Backup section, you will see that the Add a drive option has changed to Automatically back up my files (by default). This allows backups to be created at periodic intervals, which you can set to anywhere from every 10 minutes to once a day (the default option is once every hour). You may also set how long to keep the backups.

Restoring files that have already been backed up is just as easy as setting up backups. Simply type “File History” in the search bar. Then, you will see the “Restore your files with File History” folder. Selecting this opens a new window showing the folders backed up onto your external drives.

Setting up OneDrive backup option

If you have access to a network drive or the cloud, back up to it instead of locally. One such cloud option is OneDrive. You can prompt OneDrive to automatically back up your files. Just click on the cloud icon in the Windows notification area, then select More > Settings > Backup > Manage backup.

Not only will selected folders sync in OneDrive, but new and existing files will also be backed up to OneDrive, so they can be accessed using other devices in case something happens to your PC.

Making system image backups

A system image is an exact replica of your entire operating system, along with all the programs, settings, and files. If you created a system image backup using the Windows 7 Backup and Restore tool in Windows 7, it will still work in Windows 10.

To use this feature, access the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) option from the Control Panel. Click on Create a system image, choose where to store the backup (i.e., an external hard drive, network drive, or DVD), and which drives or files to back up. You will then be asked to make a system repair disc, which you can use to start a PC and restore the image backup.

Never worry about losing files in Windows 10. For more tips on how to successfully back up and restore data, contact us today.

Businesses rely on computers for their daily operations, so succumbing to a ransomware attack is devastating. Ransomware blocks access to all data, which can result in financial losses and the company closing down temporarily or permanently. Windows 10 offers built-in tools and cloud storage options so you can come out on the other side of a ransomware attack or data loss incident relatively unscathed.

File History in Windows 10

Serving as the main backup utility, File History enables users to regularly schedule backing up of files on their PC and store them on an external drive. That means you can connect your PC to a network or USB drive and make backups as needed.

However, be sure to regularly connect the external drive if you intend to use File History for backups. Otherwise, Windows will prompt you that your files have not been backed up every day. You can ignore this warning at your own risk. If you back up to a mapped network that is unavailable, File History will commence backup in the local disk until the network drive becomes available.

Setting up File History

Anyone can set up File History. After all, it was designed to make data backup and recovery easy for users. By default, File History backs up the main file folders, but you may also pick which folders you want to back up and bring in folders from other parts of the PC to do this.

From the Start menu, click on Settings > Update & Security > Backup.

Once in Backup, you can connect to an external drive. Click on Add a drive to see a list of external hard drives hooked up to your PC and choose one.

When you return to the Backup section, you will see that the Add a drive option has changed to Automatically back up my files (by default). This allows backups to be created at periodic intervals, which you can set to anywhere from every 10 minutes to once a day (the default option is once every hour). You may also set how long to keep the backups.

Restoring files that have already been backed up is just as easy as setting up backups. Simply type “File History” in the search bar. Then, you will see the “Restore your files with File History” folder. Selecting this opens a new window showing the folders backed up onto your external drives.

Setting up OneDrive backup option

If you have access to a network drive or the cloud, back up to it instead of locally. One such cloud option is OneDrive. You can prompt OneDrive to automatically back up your files. Just click on the cloud icon in the Windows notification area, then select More > Settings > Backup > Manage backup.

Not only will selected folders sync in OneDrive, but new and existing files will also be backed up to OneDrive, so they can be accessed using other devices in case something happens to your PC.

Making system image backups

A system image is an exact replica of your entire operating system, along with all the programs, settings, and files. If you created a system image backup using the Windows 7 Backup and Restore tool in Windows 7, it will still work in Windows 10.

To use this feature, access the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) option from the Control Panel. Click on Create a system image, choose where to store the backup (i.e., an external hard drive, network drive, or DVD), and which drives or files to back up. You will then be asked to make a system repair disc, which you can use to start a PC and restore the image backup.

Never worry about losing files in Windows 10. For more tips on how to successfully back up and restore data, contact us today.

Business owners are becoming more aware of the damaging effects of data loss. Companies now realize that without safe and reliable data backup, important business information can fall into the wrong hands or be lost forever. Fortunately, Windows 10 offers easy-to-use tools like File History and OneDrive.

File History in Windows 10

Serving as the main backup utility, File History enables users to regularly schedule backing up of files on their PC and store them on an external drive. That means you can connect your PC to a network or USB drive and make backups as needed.

However, be sure to regularly connect the external drive if you intend to use File History for backups. Otherwise, Windows will prompt you that your files have not been backed up every day. You can ignore this warning at your own risk. If you back up to a mapped network that is unavailable, File History will commence backup in the local disk until the network drive becomes available.

Setting up File History

Anyone can set up File History. After all, it was designed to make data backup and recovery easy for users. By default, File History backs up the main file folders, but you may also pick which folders you want to back up and bring in folders from other parts of the PC to do this.

From the Start menu, click on Settings > Update & Security > Backup.

Once in Backup, you can connect to an external drive. Click on Add a drive to see a list of external hard drives hooked up to your PC and choose one.

When you return to the Backup section, you will see that the Add a drive option has changed to Automatically back up my files (by default). This allows backups to be created at periodic intervals, which you can set to anywhere from every 10 minutes to once a day (the default option is once every hour). You may also set how long to keep the backups.

Restoring files that have already been backed up is just as easy as setting up backups. Simply type “File History” in the search bar. Then, you will see the “Restore your files with File History” folder. Selecting this opens a new window showing the folders backed up onto your external drives.

Setting up OneDrive backup option

If you have access to a network drive or the cloud, back up to it instead of locally. One such cloud option is OneDrive. You can prompt OneDrive to automatically back up your files. Just click on the cloud icon in the Windows notification area, then select More > Settings > Backup > Manage backup.

Not only will selected folders sync in OneDrive, but new and existing files will also be backed up to OneDrive, so they can be accessed using other devices in case something happens to your PC.

Making system image backups

A system image is an exact replica of your entire operating system, along with all the programs, settings, and files. If you created a system image backup using the Windows 7 Backup and Restore tool in Windows 7, it will still work in Windows 10.

To use this feature, access the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) option from the Control Panel. Click on Create a system image, choose where to store the backup (i.e., an external hard drive, network drive, or DVD), and which drives or files to back up. You will then be asked to make a system repair disc, which you can use to start a PC and restore the image backup.

Never worry about losing files in Windows 10. For more tips on how to successfully back up and restore data, contact us today.

With its fast performance, regular updates, and helpful digital assistant, Windows 10 is a must-have operating system (OS) for both individual users and businesses. But before you purchase it, you have to decide which among Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, and Windows 10 S you’ll be getting. Read on to know which option is best for your needs.

Windows 10 Home

As its name suggests, Windows 10 Home is designed for home and personal use. It comes bundled with key Windows 10 features, such as the Microsoft Edge browser and the voice-enabled virtual assistant Cortana. It also gives access to Microsoft’s cloud storage service OneDrive and provides 5 GB of cloud storage per individual user. However, Windows 10 Home doesn’t come with Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Instead, it gives you a 30-day free trial of Microsoft 365.

In terms of security, Home has fairly basic protections. It has Windows Defender Antivirus software, Windows Hello biometric logins that use face or fingerprint authentication, and rudimentary device encryption to keep data breaches at bay. Those with multiple Windows devices will also love the mobile device management app, which allows them to track and control app usage for connected smartphones and tablets.

To explore new apps, Home users can sign up for the Windows Insider program, but since this version is light on features, there is usually a limited selection of early release apps to play with.

Windows 10 Pro

If you plan to use your computer for work, the Pro version is the right OS for you. One of its most notable features is Hyper-V, which allows you to create virtual machines (VMs) on Windows 10. These VMs can be used to deliver computing resources from a powerful computer to other machines connected to the network, making resource provisioning a breeze.

Considering that businesses are usually targeted by cybercriminals, Windows 10 Pro offers more robust security than Home. In addition to Windows Defender, this version comes with whole disk encryption, Enterprise Data Protection, and Azure Active Directory — an identity management service used to set up and enforce access policies for apps and devices.

Rolling out updates for all computers is also incredibly easy with Pro’s Windows Update for Business service. From a central console, you can manage how and when Windows 10 devices are updated so that they don’t disrupt day-to-day operations.

Windows 10 S

Windows 10 S is focused on simplicity, security, and speed. More specifically, it greatly restricts security and other settings, resulting in faster performance. In fact, while S-powered computers have fewer features than Pro, they are reported to boot 15 seconds faster than Pro machines.

Windows 10 S’s relatively low hardware requirements make it perfect for startups and schools that tend to purchase low-cost PCs. And if you want more features, you can upgrade from 10 S at an affordable price.

What sets 10 S apart from the other Windows 10 versions is that it can only run applications available on the Windows Store. What’s more, it requires you to use Microsoft Edge for surfing the web. Although these restrictions mean you don’t get to enjoy third-party apps, it also protects users from downloading dangerous apps and helps Microsoft easily root out malware.

Still not sure about which Windows 10 version you should purchase? Contact our experts today to get deeper insight. We’ll even install and maintain Windows for you so you can focus on being productive!

When buying new hardware for your laptop, you have to choose which operating system (OS) to install. And if you go with Windows 10, Microsoft’s latest OS, you’ll also have to decide among its Home, Pro, and S versions. Although they contain many similar features, there are significant differences among them. Here’s a quick rundown of each OS version to help you pick the one that best fits your needs.

Windows 10 Home

As its name suggests, Windows 10 Home is designed for home and personal use. It comes bundled with key Windows 10 features, such as the Microsoft Edge browser and the voice-enabled virtual assistant Cortana. It also gives access to Microsoft’s cloud storage service OneDrive and provides 5 GB of cloud storage per individual user. However, Windows 10 Home doesn’t come with Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Instead, it gives you a 30-day free trial of Microsoft 365.

In terms of security, Home has fairly basic protections. It has Windows Defender Antivirus software, Windows Hello biometric logins that use face or fingerprint authentication, and rudimentary device encryption to keep data breaches at bay. Those with multiple Windows devices will also love the mobile device management app, which allows them to track and control app usage for connected smartphones and tablets.

To explore new apps, Home users can sign up for the Windows Insider program, but since this version is light on features, there is usually a limited selection of early release apps to play with.

Windows 10 Pro

If you plan to use your computer for work, the Pro version is the right OS for you. One of its most notable features is Hyper-V, which allows you to create virtual machines (VMs) on Windows 10. These VMs can be used to deliver computing resources from a powerful computer to other machines connected to the network, making resource provisioning a breeze.

Considering that businesses are usually targeted by cybercriminals, Windows 10 Pro offers more robust security than Home. In addition to Windows Defender, this version comes with whole disk encryption, Enterprise Data Protection, and Azure Active Directory — an identity management service used to set up and enforce access policies for apps and devices.

Rolling out updates for all computers is also incredibly easy with Pro’s Windows Update for Business service. From a central console, you can manage how and when Windows 10 devices are updated so that they don’t disrupt day-to-day operations.

Windows 10 S

Windows 10 S is focused on simplicity, security, and speed. More specifically, it greatly restricts security and other settings, resulting in faster performance. In fact, while S-powered computers have fewer features than Pro, they are reported to boot 15 seconds faster than Pro machines.

Windows 10 S’s relatively low hardware requirements make it perfect for startups and schools that tend to purchase low-cost PCs. And if you want more features, you can upgrade from 10 S at an affordable price.

What sets 10 S apart from the other Windows 10 versions is that it can only run applications available on the Windows Store. What’s more, it requires you to use Microsoft Edge for surfing the web. Although these restrictions mean you don’t get to enjoy third-party apps, it also protects users from downloading dangerous apps and helps Microsoft easily root out malware.

Still not sure about which Windows 10 version you should purchase? Contact our experts today to get deeper insight. We’ll even install and maintain Windows for you so you can focus on being productive!