by Sara Johnson, MCP & Michael Servidio, MCSE
TECH TIPS
Windows 10 Features
Windows 10 was released over a year
ago to much fanfare. Many users have ad-
opted Windows 10 which now has two fea-
ture updates. Windows 10 runs with a start
menu that’s a cross between Windows 7
and 8.1. In place upgrades are possible,
but only after a full backup of a worksta-
tion.
Features of Windows 10 are listed below.
Cortana for search and daily organization
Cortana originated in the game Halo.
You can schedule your calendar with her,
search and she’ll even track your packages.
Apps
The Windows App store is growing.
Some of your favorite apps are there, Pan-
dora, Fitbit, Netflix and Hulu. APPs re-
place what you would normally do in a web
browser navigating to the sites of Hulu or
Netflix. Now these apps run in the back-
ground.
Virtual Desktops
Virtual Desktops make it easier to switch
between applications. These ‘desktops’
can be organized anyway you like.
Action Center
The action center on the lower right of
the Desktop, near the clock, alerts you of
Windows and other Events. You can see
News, Weather, and Business alerts. You
will also be notified of Windows needing
to reboot due to Windows Patching, and
many other actions.
Battery Saving
Windows 10 has advanced battery sav-
ing for laptop users. Simply click on the
battery icon and chose Battery Saver. This
will save battery by lowering the screen
brightness and slow down background ser-
vices.
Lock Screen Music Controls
If you are playing music with your PC and
you lock the computer, you can still see
what music is playing and control it. You
can pause, and advance music tracks.
Sticky Notes/Reminders
Use the Sticky Notes app to create re-
minders on your screen. If you use more
than one PC with the same account that
connects to Cortana, you can have Cortana
remind you with all of your devices.
OneNote
Windows 10 comes with the Microsoft
OneNote app for taking notes. You can
use Windows Ink with OneNote and oth-
er apps.
Windows Hello
Windows Hello is a new way to logon
to your PC. You can use fingerprints if you
have a fingerprint reader, logon with your
face, or use a pin.
Battle of Wits!
Last contest, Pat Killigrew outwitted us all with her “form before substance” pancake-waffle caption. Members are invited to bring
forth truly dizzying intellect and join the battle of wits! Montpelier cartoon artist (and lawyer) Kathy Fechter has once again graciously
provided us the above cartoon for our fierce competition. Submit your proposed caption to the above ‘campfire lawyers’ cartoon to
[email protected]. The deadline to submit your caption is September 1, 2017.
26
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • SUMMER 2017
www.vtbar.org