CHAPTER2

INTRODUCTION
TO WINDOWS
10
What Is Windows 10?

• Almost every new computer and laptop sold today

comes with Windows preinstalled, ready to toss
colorful boxes onto the screen
• This chapter helps you understand why Windows
lives inside your computer, and I introduce
Microsoft’s latest Windows version, Windows
• I explain how Windows 10 differs from previous
Windows versions and help you determine whether
you should upgrade your computer to Windows
What Is Created and sold by a company called
Microsoft, Windows isn’t like your usual
Windows, and software that lets you calculate income taxes
or send angry emails to politicians
Why Are You
Using It? It’s been around since 1985, and the latest
incarnation is called Windows 10, shown in
Figure 1

The name Windows comes from all the little

windows it places on your computer screen
What’s New in Windows 10?

• »»Start button and menu: Removed from Windows 8 and half-heartedly

tacked back onto Windows 8.1, the Start button and Start menu
triumphantly return to the desktop in Windows

• »»Apps on the desktop: Apps, which are small programs from the world
of phones and tablets, consumed the full screen in Windows 8 and 8

• »»Cortana: The digital assistant in Windows 10, Cortana, helps you

manage your computing by fetching lost files, stocking your calendar
with appointments, grabbing up-to-date traffic information about your
commute, and extracting informational tidbits from the Internet

• »»OneDrive: Microsoft’s online file storage service comes built into the
Windows 10 desktop

• »»More Apps: The Microsoft Store offers more than 700,000 apps
What’s New in Windows 10?

• »»Multiple desktops: Windows 10 lets you create extra desktops, and you
can switch between them with a click or tap

• »»Windows Hello: This welcome security update allows you to sign into
your computer without typing in a password

• »»Windows Ink: This big update lets you write on your tablet’s screen
with a special pen, letting you add handwritten notes and drawings to
apps like Maps, the Microsoft Edge browser, and Office

• »»Windows Timeline: This new feature lets you see what apps,
programs, and websites you accessed on previous days, letting you
quickly revisit past work

• »»Windows 10 is now a service: Perhaps most important, Microsoft

treats Windows 10 as a constantly evolving service rather than a
finished product
What’s So Different About
Windows 10?
• »»Tablet mode: For on-the-go information
grabbers with touchscreen tablets, the Windows
10 Start menu fills the entire screen with large,
colorful tiles that constantly update to show the
latest stock prices, weather, email, Facebook
• »»Desktop mode: When it’s time for work, the
traditional Windows desktop brings all its power
— as well as its more powerful and detailed
menus
Why Does Microsoft calls Windows 10 a service rather than
an operating system
Windows 10
Keep Some of Microsoft’s changes occur more quickly:
Changing? Your apps, for example, can update weekly

Microsoft sends these updates automatically to

your computer through Windows Update; you don’t
need to jump through hoops to find and install them

Microsoft constantly changes Windows 10, and

Windows will keep changing for years to come
Can My Current If you want to upgrade to Windows 10,
PC Still Run your computer probably won’t complain
Windows 10?
Windows 10 should run without
problem on any PC currently running
Windows 7, 8, or 8

If your PC runs Windows Vista or

Windows XP, it may still run Windows
10, but not very well
Starting with the Start Menu

• The Windows 10 Start menu doesn’t look much like

the Start menu in your earlier version of Windows
• The latest update added a few buttons and features,
but the basic mechanics remain the same
• On a desktop computer, however, the Start menu
retreats to a corner of the screen, where you can
click its tiny buttons and menus with your mouse
pointer
Being Welcomed to the World
of Windows
• »»Mouse: On a desktop PC or laptop, click any mouse button

• »»Keyboard: Press any key, and the lock screen slides away

• »»Touch: Touch the screen with your finger and then slide
your finger up the glass
• »»No account?

• »»The little wheelchair-shaped button, customizes Windows

for people with physical challenges in hearing, sight
• »»The little round button, lets you shut down or restart your
PC, as well as put it to sleep — a power-saving state that
quickly awakes
Understanding Windows allows several people to work on the same computer,
yet it keeps everybody’s work separate
user accounts
To do that, it needs to know who’s currently sitting in front of the
keyboard

When you sign in — introduce yourself — by clicking your

username and typing your password, as shown in Figure 2-2, the
Windows Start menu and desktop appear as you just left them,
ready for you to make your own personalized mess

To add a photo to your user account, open the Start menu and
click your username
Keeping your »»Windows also allows you to create a picture
password in Step 4, where you drag a finger or
account mouse over a photo in a certain sequence

private with a »»Another option that you may see in Step 4 is to

password create a PIN

»»Tired of constantly entering your password?

»»Forgotten your password already?

Signing up for »»Local account: This account works fine for people
using traditional Windows programs on the
a Microsoft Windows desktop

account »»Microsoft account: Required to access many of

Microsoft’s services, this consists of simply an
email address and a password

»»Use an existing Microsoft account

»»Sign up for a new Microsoft account

Figuring Out »»Expand: A click on this icon in the Start menu’s upper-left corner
reveals the labels of the mysterious icons I’m describing now

the Windows »»User Account: This icon looks like your user account picture

10 Start Menu »»Documents: A quick click on this icon jumps you to the desktop,
opens File

»»Pictures: Click here, and File Explorer opens your Pictures folder,
the repository for photos snapped by your computer

»»Settings: Clicking this little gear icon takes you quickly to the
Settings app for changing how your PC behaves

»»Power: When you’re through working, click this to put your computer
to sleep, shut it down, or restart it

»»Expand: Just as when in desktop mode, a click on this icon reveals

labels for other icons along the screen’s left edge
Figuring Out the Windows 10
Start Menu
• »»Pinned Tiles: The default option, this displays the
Start menu’s tiles across the entire screen
• »»All Apps: Can’t find a favorite app?
Viewing, closing, or returning
to apps
• »»Currently running apps and programs also
appear as icons on the taskbar, the narrow strip
along the bottom of the screen
• »»To close an unwanted app shown in thumbnail
view, click or tap the X in its upper-right corner
• »»After you close an app, the miniature views of
the other running apps remain onscreen, letting
you either switch to them or close them
Getting to know your free apps

• »»Alarms & Clock: This offers a world clock, timer, and stopwatch, but
you’ll probably visit for the alarm clock

• »»Calculator: With a toggle between standard, scientific, and a variety of

converter modes, this app will please grade schoolers, math majors,
chefs, and physicists

• »»Calendar: This app lets you add your appointments or grab them
automatically from calendars you’ve already created through your online
accounts

• »»Camera: Covered in Chapter 17, the Camera app lets you snap photos
with your computer’s built-in camera or webcam

• »»Connect: This lets some computers, tablets, and laptops connect

wirelessly to displays and projectors
Getting to »»Cortana: This fetches Cortana, your personal search assistant, who
responds to your commands, both verbal and typed into the Search box

know your »»Get Help: Click here to begin your journey through Microsoft’s official

free apps technical support channels

»»Groove Music: Covered in Chapter 16, this app plays music stored on
your PC and on OneDrive, Windows 10’s built-in online storage service

»»Mail: Covered in Chapter 10, the Mail app lets you send and receive email

»»Maps: Handy for trip planning, the Maps app brings up a version of
Microsoft Bing Maps

»»Messaging: Don’t get excited: This only shows SMS messages from your
cellular provider about your device’s data plan
Getting to know »»Microsoft Edge: Microsoft’s new browser, Microsoft Edge, arrives in
Windows 10, ready to replace Internet Explorer

your free apps »»Microsoft Solitaire Collection: This app replaces the card games
found in previous Windows versions

»»Mixed Reality: These two apps, the Portal and the Viewer, let people
wear funny-looking headsets and pretend they’re living in a 3D movie

»»Money: This live tile opens with business headlines

»»Movies & TV: Microsoft’s video storefront lets you rent or buy movies
and TV shows, as covered in Chapter

»»News: Visit here to read the news of the day, compiled from news
services around the world

»»OneDrive: This term describes the Microsoft Internet cubbyhole

where you can store your files
Getting to know your free apps

• »»OneNote: This popular note-taking app receives an entry on the Start menu
in Windows

• »»Paint 3D: This overly complicated app replaces the simple Paint program,
which now hides in the Start menu’s Windows Accessories section

• »»People: Windows 10’s People app simply collects your friends’ names and
contact info

• »»Phone Companion: This app helps you link your Android or Apple phone
with Windows so they can share information

• »»Photos: Covered in Chapter 17, the Photos app displays photos stored in
your computer, as well as on OneDrive, your Internet storage space

• »»Settings: This takes you to the Windows 10 Settings app, which contains
almost all of the settings found in the Control Panel from earlier Windows
versions
Getting to »»Sports: You can find sports news and scores here, as well as a way to add
listings for your favorite sports teams

know your »»Store: Covered in Chapter 6, the Microsoft Store is the only way to add more

free apps
apps on your Start menu

»»Tips: Drop by here to see flashcards listing steps for performing simple tasks
in Windows

»»Voice Recorder: The name says it all

»»Weather: This weather station forecasts a week’s worth of weather in your

area, but only if you grant it permission to access your location information

»»Windows Defender Security Center: Click this to access the built-in antivirus
program
Getting to know your free apps

• »»Xbox: Coveted mostly by owners of Microsoft’s

Xbox One video game console, this lets you track
high scores , chat with other gamers, view your
achievements, and visit the Microsoft Store app to
buy more games
Exiting from Click the Start button and then click the
Power icon near the Start menu’s
Windows lower-left corner

Choose Shut Down from the drop-

down menu

If the computer protests, saying you’ll

lose unsaved work, choose Sleep
Temporarily leaving your computer

Click your user

Click the Start
account picture
button to fetch
from the Start
the Start menu
menu’s left edge
Temporarily leaving your
computer
• • Change account settings: This option whisks you
straight to the Settings app, where you can tweak
your account’s settings
• • Another account: Below your name, Windows
lists names of any other accounts on the computer
Leaving your Click the Start button and click the Power icon
computer for
the day »»Sleep: The most popular choice, this saves your
work in your PC’s memory and on its hard drive and
then lets your PC slumber in a low-power state

»»Shut Down: This option turns off your computer

completely

»»Restart: Choose this option as a first cure when

something weird happens