Windows 10 personal preferences

[Geoff S]

Probably most people here who use Win 10 will have been subject to the latest long update (I managed to schedule mine overnight rather than in the middle of the live coverage of one of the key stages of the Gyro d'Italia!).

Since the update I now have an English (US) keyboard which, amongst other things, gives me a # rather than a £ sign with the shift/3 key. I can change it quite easily but it seems I need to do it every time I switch on, which is annoying. I also use a left-handed mouse with reversed primary and secondary buttons which I need to reset every time I switch on (also the I reduce the mouse sensitivity which is almost uncontrollable as standard).

I've had the mouse reset problem for a while but the keyboard situation is new. At one time everything sorted itself out as the machine booted up but that doesn't seem to be the case now.

I've searched Control Panel options to find a means of setting personal preferences permanently but have failed. Is there a way of stopping my PC thinking it's based on the other side of the Atlantic? I suppose those who use French key board layouts (ie non-QWERTY) may have a similar problem.

Geoff

[simon barr]

Can't help you with that one Geoff, as I can only just find my way around the computer!

However, I had the option of either US or UK English, so that was not a problem for me.

As for the mouse, I use a cordless one. Works well with no problems.

The update did muck up my printer though... The computer refused to recognise it this morning so I had to re-establish it. One thing that does annoy me generally with Windows 10, is that it doesn't recognise my printer as a scanner... Used to work fine on Windows 8.

[Jon H]

I have the same problem and have just done some faffing to try and fix it. I think I have it now but will have to try a few restarts before being 100% sure.

Anyway search for regional settings in cortana (sigh) then make sure you have English uk set to the first on the list. Use the little arrows (in red on the photo) to move them up/down.

I also went to the advanced settings (also in red) and set the override option to English uk as a sort of windows double whammy.

let me know if it helps

[John Stainforth]

I usually find a gobblygook error message after Microsoft have done one of their updates. As far as I am concerned, they might as well have left a message that reads something like this:

"Good morning! You will be glad to know that while you were sleeping we have surreptitiously updated your Microsoft operating system. This has created a problem on your computer that you did not have before. But, heh, we're not going to do anything about it, except leave this message that you won't be able to decipher. The good news is that you will probably find that this error is unimportant. We are only leaving it here to irritate you, the customer, because that is our tradition. If you are still not sure who is the boss, you will find that we have changed some of your settings and formats to further irritate you and waste more of your time."

[Robert Cracknell]

Mcrosoft, without....

• any regard for the users of their systems
• any form of contact
• any responsibility for their mistakes
• any realisation that their users live in the real world
• any support for their products

They should rename their company 'The Cuckoo Software Monopoly' because they show the same level of care for their offspring.

I have finally got Windows 8.1 stable since installing it so now I suppose Microsoft will withdraw support for it..!!

[Paul C.]

With some degree of trepidation I pressed the windows 10 update tab on my 4 year old Asus laptop. After about a hour of McAfee virus checking and several reboots all seems to be ok and even in english uk, must have been my lucky day .

Paul.

[Geoff S]

Thanks everyone.

Jon: I eventually 'found' Cortana again via an option in the 'Region' settings in the Control Panel and put English UK at the top. I also went into 360Amigo (a program I use regularly to get rid of superfluous rubbish and refresh my hard drive) which has a tool to add/remove items from the startup and deleted the US keyboard option. So, hopefully, I won't have to reset the keyboard every time I boot my PC.

Still haven't found a way of keeping my mouse settings as I left them although I did refresh my Logitech (whose keyboard/mouse combo I use) software so that may help.

I've been playing with computers since 1961 on and off and with IBM PC clones since they were introduced (and, incidentally, put desktop computing back 5 years from which it has never recovered! ) but I still get frustrated

Geoff

[kc]

Surely the latest Data Protection laws should have protected us from any alteration of our own computers WITHOUT our specific agreeing to any updates. But they didnt..........

[Bob Cotsford]

My moan about the recent update is that they've decided Homegroups are an outdated concept and nobody uses home networks. Or possibly they couldn't make Homegroups secure so it was easier to do away with them. Either way I suddenly found that I can no longer swap files between my laptop and desktop or use the printer attached to the desktop from my laptop. Thankyou Microsoft. And thankyou for your suggested workaround of emailing files and documents to myself or using cloud storage. Just the job for keeping applications synched between the two computers.

[Bob Cotsford]

Posted by kc on 29/05/2018 12:51:02:

Surely the latest Data Protection laws should have protected us from any alteration of our own computers WITHOUT our specific agreeing to any updates. But they didnt..........

You do have the option in settings of not accepting updates kc. I'm not sure how effective that setting is though.

[MaL]

Posted by Bob Cotsford on 29/05/2018 12:56:16:

Posted by kc on 29/05/2018 12:51:02:

Surely the latest Data Protection laws should have protected us from any alteration of our own computers WITHOUT our specific agreeing to any updates. But they didnt..........

You do have the option in settings of not accepting updates kc. I'm not sure how effective that setting is though.

Ummm I thought it was not possible to prevent the updates.. at least as a non-commercial (ie private individual) user once you have fallen for the 'upgrade' con elected to upgrade to Win10.

I believe as a domain admin you have the opportunities to filter at least some of the updates but that would have required you purchase the full business Win10 edition.....hands up those who splashed out on that!

I also can't see how data protection could save you as MS are not manipulating your data... only their software.. besides you agreed to allow them to do it when you agreed to the original win10 download.

Win 7 'pukka' install disks with a 'valid' licence key readily available from auction sites when you get sick of 10's idiosyncrasies

[Bob Cotsford]

You're right Mal - the option to limit upodates isn't there. I'm sure (at least in Pro) that you used to be able to select which updates you wanted to accept automatically and to block all updates. I guess it made it difficult for MS is people only accepted some updates as they could never predict which patches had been applied.

[Capt Kremen]

Well after a day or so of putting up with despair at the sloth, s-l-o-w response thanks to the latest Microshaft 10 'Improvements' update, not to mention previously smooth programs that then failed to work or respond, I 'restored' to an earlier version.

Ah .... a sigh of relief breathed as all now seems OK again.

I'm just hoping that MS will not try to force it back on to this PC at their next unwarranted upgrade attack. Is that a vain hope????

[PatMc]

Posted by simon barr on 29/05/2018 11:27:46:

One thing that does annoy me generally with Windows 10, is that it doesn't recognise my printer as a scanner... Used to work fine on Windows 8.

Simon, was that from a previous Win 10 update ?

I found I was unable to scan via either my Kodak printer/scanner "Home Centre" or Paint Shop Pro imaging programme. Then I discovered a new app named "Scan" had appeared on the Start list. "Scan" is fairly basic & saves anything scanned to a folder as a JPG. Where I used to aquire scanned images directly to PSP then work on them, now there's extra clunky steps involved in the proccess.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Tom Thomas]

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 29/05/2018 23:48:29:

My laptop on Windows 10 is constantly being updated in small bursts. No big updates for a while now, am I missing out?

Yes tom, the new update brings ( amongst other benefits) a coffee or tea warmer, a free valet for your car ( maximum 2 cars) .

also a great addition is the slipper compare! Just pop you're feet onto the keyboard and it will advise you on your next slipper purchase! .

A little known secret that only those in the know..... um.... know....? Is that windows has set up a customer service base on mars!

so that explains the poor customer service, once you report a problem...... you're future ancestors will be able to receive the fix email.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Alex Ferguson 2]

Posted by Bob Cotsford on 29/05/2018 12:54:43:

My moan about the recent update is that they've decided Homegroups are an outdated concept ........I can no longer swap files between my laptop and desktop

Fortunately there is a much easier way of file swapping. Dukto, a FREE small bit of software that works on everything, Windows, Linux, etc. Boot it up on both computers, click on the computer name of the go-to computer, on the sending computer, drag the file over the Dukto box and the file is in the other computer, instantly if not too big, a bit longer if it is GBs worth.

Where I have 2 computers and no internet, I use an old modem and plug both computers in (or use WiFi) for file swapping.

My partner is using Windows (an accounting programme needed for business) and for the second time in a month, both monitors show the same picture at the wrong aspect and resolution.

I NEVER have that problem with Linux Mint. If an update is done, things don't break.

Why does FREE software work and paid-for not work?

That accounting programme MYOB, took them 5 years to get their latest version to work properly. You pay for help and home visits by helpers. She never paid because it was always their "stuff-up".

[Jon Laughton]

These are exactly the reason I moved to a Mac seven years ago and I’m still delighted I did

[Jon Laughton]

These are exactly the reason I moved to a Mac seven years ago and I’m still delighted I did

[MaL]

So good you had to say it twice Jon?

[MaL]

Posted by Alex Ferguson 2 on 30/05/2018 23:43:15:

Posted by Bob Cotsford on 29/05/2018 12:54:43:

My moan about the recent update is that they've decided Homegroups are an outdated concept ........I can no longer swap files between my laptop and desktop

Fortunately there is a much easier way of file swapping. Dukto, a FREE small bit of software that works on everything, Windows, Linux, etc. Boot it up on both computers, click on the computer name of the go-to computer, on the sending computer, drag the file over the Dukto box and the file is in the other computer, instantly if not too big, a bit longer if it is GBs worth.

Where I have 2 computers and no internet, I use an old modem and plug both computers in (or use WiFi) for file swapping.

My partner is using Windows (an accounting programme needed for business) and for the second time in a month, both monitors show the same picture at the wrong aspect and resolution.

I NEVER have that problem with Linux Mint. If an update is done, things don't break.

Why does FREE software work and paid-for not work?

That accounting programme MYOB, took them 5 years to get their latest version to work properly. You pay for help and home visits by helpers. She never paid because it was always their "stuff-up".

Doesn't work on a chromebook.

[Alex Ferguson 2]

Posted by MaL on 31/05/2018 11:37:43:

Doesn't work on a chromebook.

1.) Load Linux on to the Chromebook and then Dukto

2.) Microsoft isn't upsetting your file transfer options (which was the original problem)

3.) There are a number of other options similar to Dukto

[MaL]

Thanks Alex but if I had wanted linux I would have bought a laptop. It is, at least in part, the reason for buying the chromebook - the inability to execute peer to peer file transfers with ease as it makes the platform more secure.

'a FREE small bit of software that works on everything, Windows, Linux, etc.'

I was just pointing out that this statement is not true.

[Alex Ferguson 2]

Posted by MaL on 31/05/2018 18:07:20:

Thanks Alex but if I had wanted linux I would have bought a laptop. It is, at least in part, the reason for buying the chromebook - the inability to execute peer to peer file transfers with ease as it makes the platform more secure.

'a FREE small bit of software that works on everything, Windows, Linux, etc.'

I was just pointing out that this statement is not true.

Part of the reason for me running Linux is the supposed security yet I can still talk to other computers. I can also run Windows programmes, one I usually install is IrfanView for picture viewing, partly because I've used it for decades.

As for not true, I'd suggest looking at -

https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-run-windows-apps-on-your-chromebook/

As this seems to indicate that you could use the Windows version of Dukto on a Chromebook.

Anyone looked into that?