Windows 10: The Personal Trainer

Your personalized 350-page guide to Windows 10 from one of the world's foremost Windows experts. Learn the new Microsoft operating system using this hands-on guide to mastering laptops, tablets, desktops and other computing devices running Windows 10.

Whether you are a casual user, an IT professional or just someone who wants to learn how to use the operating system, you can get everything you need to conquer the essentials by reading this book. Inside, you'll find practical advice and step by step procedures, documented examples and much, much more.

One of the goals is to keep the content so concise that this personalized handbook remains compact and easy to navigate while at the same time being packed with as much information as possible.

Want something for your laptop, tablet, desktop or smart phone? Look also for the ebook edition!

Table of Contents
Windows 10: The Personal Trainer 2 Contents at a Glance 5
Table of Contents 7
Introduction 10
What’s This Book About? 10
What Do I Need to Know? 11
How Is This Book Organized? 11
What Conventions Are Used in This Book? 12
Other Resources 12
Chapter 1. Getting to Know Windows 10 14
Using Touchscreens 15
Installation Notes 16
Getting Signed In 17
Local Accounts, Domain Accounts, Microsoft Accounts, Oh My! 19
Getting Around the New Desktops 22
Getting Around the New Start Menu 29
Entering and Exiting Tablet Mode 33
Customizing User Accounts 35
Chapter 2. Customizing the Windows 10 Interface 40
Boosting Your Desktop IQ 41
Making the Start Menu Work for You 56
Making the Taskbar Dance 64
Chapter 3. Personalizing the Appearance of Windows 10 74
Customizing Basic Interfaces 75
Optimizing Backgrounds, Themes and More 84
Chapter 4. Customizing Boot, Startup, and Power Options 120
Customizing Your Computer’s Firmware Interface 120
Getting Firmware and Power Management Information 133
Customizing Startup and Boot Configuration 135
Resolving Restart or Shutdown Issues 158
Chapter 5. Organizing, Searching, and Indexing 163
Exploring Your Computer in New Ways 163
Customizing File Explorer 176
Searching and Indexing Your Computer 187
Fine-Tuning Windows Search 191
Indexing Your Computer 210
Chapter 6. Managing Your Apps 218
Working with Desktop Apps 218
Installing Desktop Programs 226
Managing Desktop Programs and Features 238
Managing Currently Running Apps, Programs and Processes 250
Chapter 7. Tracking System Performance and Health 254
Getting to Know Your Computer’s Hardware 254
Checking Current Performance Levels 259
Event Logging and Viewing 270
Chapter 8. Analyzing and Logging Performance 275
Resolving Failures and Reliability Issues 275
Recording and Analyzing Performance Data 292
Chapter 9. Optimizing Performance Tips and Techniques 306
Optimizing Power Management Settings for Performance 306
Maintaining Performance with Updates 318
Optimizing Performance: Final Tune-up Suggestions 322
Automating Maintenance 335
About the Author 340

Windows 10: The Personal Trainer covers all editions of Windows 10. In this book, I teach you how features work, why they work the way they do, and how to customize them to meet your needs. I also offer specific examples of how certain features can meet your needs, and how you can use other features to troubleshoot and resolve issues you might have. In addition, this book provides tips, best practices, and examples of how to fine-tune all major aspects of Windows 10. This book won't just teach you how to configure Windows 10; it will teach you how to squeeze every last bit of power out of it and make the most of the features and options it includes.