Wayne Williams

As you’ll know, Microsoft has made updates mandatory in Windows 10. When updates are pushed out, the new operating system installs them automatically. Whether you want it to or not. This should be a benefit, as it means no more unpatched PCs at risk from serious vulnerabilities, but if the software giant rolls out an update that causes problems for users -- as has already been the case in several instances -- there’s no easy way to avoid it.

Windows 10 Pro users can defer updates, but Home users don’t have that luxury. Thankfully if you need to delay or block software updates in Windows 10, there are several ways to do so, regardless of which version of the OS you're running.

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Windows 10's new modern browser certainly has potential, but Edge is far from a finished product. It lacks major features, including support for add-ons, and anyone using it is going to find it difficult to change certain browser settings. While you can change the default search engine, the process for doing so is far from intuitive. We explained the steps you need to take here.

But what if you want to change the default download location? Surely this is something that can be done easily in Settings, right? Nope. You can change the download folder, just not in Edge itself.

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Microsoft’s operating systems have always been easy to customize, and Windows 10 is no exception. We’ve already shown you how to make changes to the Start menu, modify Windows 10's title bar color, automate login and bypass the lock screen, and more. But what if you want to go way beyond the basics? Well there are already third-party tools available that will let you make much bigger design changes to Windows 10 than Microsoft usually allows.

With the right apps you can customize the look of the tiles in the Start menu (not simply resize them and toggle the Live Tile feature on or off) and even redesign the icons of built-in apps and use your own artwork (or someone else's).

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Forcing updates on all users must have seemed like a good idea in the Windows 10 planning meetings -- no more PCs at risk from unpatched vulnerabilities -- but already the mandatory updates are causing major headaches for many users.

Even before Windows 10 officially launched, there was an update (KB3074681) that caused crashes in File Explorer, and NVidia driver updates that were breaking some people’s computers. Last week’s servicing rollup fixed various bugs and issues, but for some users it actually caused their PCs to go into a reboot loop.

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Microsoft's cloud storage service OneDrive is baked into Windows 10 and forms a key part of the new operating system. However, if you prefer to use a different service, like Google Drive, or Dropbox, you may not appreciate the OneDrive entry being forced on you in File Explorer.

The OneDrive icon sits just below Quick Access (we’ve already looked at how to remove Quick Access from File Explorer here) and removing it is easily done, you just need to make a quick registry tweak.

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There haven’t been many updates for Windows 10 since Microsoft launched its new operating system last week, but today the software giant is rolling out a cumulative update designed to "enhance the functionality of Windows 10 through new features and improvements".

If you’ve been experiencing problems with the new OS, as I have, then this update may go some way to overcoming them.

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One of the core elements that Microsoft dropped from the latest version of its operating system was Windows Media Center. The software giant softened the blow at the time by stating that it would be releasing a DVD Player as an add-on. Hardly a like-for-like swap, but better than nothing.

True to its word, Microsoft has now made the Windows DVD Player available for all, but while some Windows 10 upgraders will get it for free, others will have to pay $14.99 for the same piece of software. Which camp do you fall into?

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Windows 10 itself has moderate hard drive requirements -- around 16 GB for the 32-bit OS, and 20 GB for 64-bit version -- but the upgrade process can leave behind loads of temporary files that can really impact on your free space.

Browse the root of your system drive, and you’ll probably find two sizable directories -- $Windows.~BT, and $Windows.~WS, as well as a Windows.old directory created during the upgrade. Wondering if you can, or should remove these? It’s a question of lot of people are currently wondering.

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If you’ve been thinking of buying either Surface 3, or Surface Pro 3, but have been waiting for Windows 10 to arrive, now is the time to get your wallet out.

Microsoft has started shipping both of its slates with Windows 10 preinstalled. Surface 3 comes with Windows 10, while Surface Pro 3 has Windows 10 Pro onboard.

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It could be said, with Windows now a service, Windows 10 will never truly be finished, but the truth is the version of the new operating system that’s out now is a long way from being polished enough for prime time. It’s like an Insider Preview build that’s been released entirely in error.

In an effort to wash away the stench of Windows 8, Microsoft has chosen to rush release Windows 10, and the result is an operating system that is clearly still very much a work in progress. The new OS isn’t anywhere near as half-baked as Windows 8 was when that launched, but there are still far too many issues to be ignored. Put bluntly, it's a bit of a mess in places.

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Windows 10, like previous versions of Microsoft’s operating system, comes with a selection of bundled programs -- or apps these days -- which you probably have no need for.

Uninstalling apps is a pretty straightforward process, you can do this through the Start menu, but removing core applications isn’t as easy. The uninstall option is not available, meaning you’re stuck with a bunch of apps you don’t want. You can however, remove these using PowerShell.

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NetMarketShare has released its monthly desktop operating system usage share figures, showing the fluctuations of the various iterations of Windows. All versions of Microsoft’s operating system registered drops in July, except of course Windows 10 which was launched at the tail end of the month.

Only being available for a few days meant the new OS was never going to shift the needle significantly, but there were enough upgraders (Microsoft says 14 million in the first 24 hours) to double the operating system’s share.

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Here on BetaNews we’ve posted a wealth of how-to guides designed to help you master Windows 10. While the new OS isn’t difficult to get to grips with, certain elements are far from intuitive.

With all the news that’s been happening, you may have missed some of these guides -- especially ones from before Windows 10 launched -- so we've put together this one-stop shop for all the helpful information posted so far. Below you'll find out how to download Windows 10, get the ISO, create installation media, install Windows 10 on Mac or in a virtual environment, change the default browser or the default search engine, block automatic updates, and much, much more. As new guides are added, so this article will be expanded to include the latest content.

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Most of the laptops you can buy come with Windows pre-installed. Obviously the latest batch have Windows 10 on them, with more being announced daily. If you prefer Linux you can either replace Microsoft's operating system with your distro of choice, or set up a dual boot configuration.

Online retailer Ebuyer, however, offers Linux-minded consumers a third option with its range of HP ProBook notebooks that come with Ubuntu pre-installed. There are three models on offer: HP 255, HP 355, and HP 455.

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When you go into File Explorer in Windows 10 you’ll see a selection of your most frequently accessed folders, and 20 of the most recently opened files.

This is useful if you want quick access to content you’ve been using recently, but if you don’t want all of these links cluttering up File Explorer you can hide the view, or disable it entirely.

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