Many have already written about the new features of Windows 10 1803 update. And most users already know about the ability to view diagnostic data and about the timeline, but some of the possibilities have remained behind the scenes in most publications. It is about them – further.
- Run as administrator in the Run window. By pressing the Win + R keys and entering any command or path to the program there, you run it as an ordinary user. However, now it is possible to run as administrator: just hold down the Ctrl + Shift keys while clicking “OK” in the “Run” window.
- Limiting Internet bandwidth for downloading updates. Go to Settings – Update & Security – Advanced Options – Delivery Optimization – Advanced Options. In this section, you can limit the bandwidth for downloading updates in the background, in the foreground, and for “distributing” updates to other computers.
- Limiting traffic for Internet connections. Go to Settings – Network & Internet – Data Usage. Select a connection and click the “Set limit” button.
- Shows data usage by the connection. If you right-click on “Data Usage” in the “Network & Internet” section and then select “Pin to Start”, a tile will appear in the Start menu, showing the traffic usage by various connections.
Next – about the various secrets of Windows 10 of previous versions (many of which work in the latest update) that you might not know about.
Protection against ransomware viruses (Windows 10 1709 Fall Creators Update and newer)
The latest Windows 10 Fall Creators Update introduced a new feature – Controlled Access to Folders, designed to protect against unauthorized changes to the contents of these folders by ransomware and other malware. In the April Update, the feature was renamed to Anti-Ransomware.
Hidden Explorer (Windows 10 1703 Creators Update)
In Windows 10, version 1703, an explorer with a new interface is present in the C: \ Windows \ SystemApps \ Microsoft.Windows.FileExplorer_cw5n1h2txyewy folder. However, if you run explorer.exe in that folder, nothing happens.
To launch a new explorer, you can press Win + R keys and enter the following command
explorer shell: AppsFolder \ c5e2524a-ea46-4f67-841f-6a9465d9d515_cw5n1h2txyewy! App
The second way to launch is to create a shortcut and specify
explorer.exe “shell: AppsFolder \ c5e2524a-ea46-4f67-841f-6a9465d9d515_cw5n1h2txyewy! App”
The new explorer window looks like very nice.
It is much less functional than the usual Windows 10 update Explorer, however, I admit that it may be convenient for tablet owners and in the future this function will no longer be “secret”.
Several partitions on a USB flash drive
Starting with Windows 10 update 1703, the system supports full (almost) work with removable USB drives that have several partitions (previously, for flash drives, defined as “removable storage” containing several partitions, only the first of them was visible).
Automatic clean install of Windows 10
Windows 8 and Windows 10 have offered options from the start to automatically reinstall the system (reset) from a recovery image. However, if you use this method on a computer or laptop with Windows 10 preinstalled by the manufacturer, then after the reset, all programs preinstalled by the manufacturer (often unnecessary) are returned.
Windows 10 version 1703 introduces a new automatic clean install feature that, in the same scenario (or, for example, if you use this option right after purchasing a laptop), will completely reinstall the OS, but the manufacturer’s utilities will disappear.
Windows 10 game mode
Another innovation in the Windows 10 Creators Update is Game Mode (or Game Mode, as specified in the options), designed to unload unused processes and thereby increase FPS and generally improve game performance.
To use Windows 10 Gaming Mode, follow these steps:
- Go to Options – Games and in the “Game Mode” section enable the “Use Game Mode” item.
- Then, start the game for which you want to enable game mode, then press the Win + G keys (Win is the key with the OS logo) and select the settings button on the game panel that opens.
- Check the box next to “Use Game Mode for this game.”
Reviews about the game mode are ambiguous – some tests suggest that it can really add a few FPS, in some the effect is not noticeable or even the opposite of what was expected. But it’s worth a try.
Update (August 2016) : Windows 10 update 1607 includes the following subtle features
Shortcuts on the left side of the Start menu
In the updated version of Windows 10 1607 Anniversary Update, you may have noticed shortcuts located on the left side of the Start menu, as in the screenshot.
If you wish, you can add additional shortcuts from those presented in the “Settings” section (keys Win + I) – “Personalization” – “Start” – “Select which folders will be displayed in the Start menu.”
There is one “secret” (works only in version 1607), which allows you to change the system shortcuts to your own (does not work in newer OS versions). To do this, go to the C: \ ProgramData \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Start Menu Places folder. In it, you will find the very shortcuts that are enabled and disabled in the above settings section.
Going into the properties of the shortcut, you can change the “Object” field so that it launches what you need. And by renaming the shortcut and restarting the explorer (or computer), you will see that the signature for the shortcut has also changed. Unfortunately, you cannot change the icons.
Console login
Another interesting thing is that logging into Windows 10 update is not through the graphical interface, but through the command line. The benefits are dubious, but for some it may be interesting.
To enable console login, start the registry editor (Win + R, enter regedit) and navigate to the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Authentication \ LogonUI \ TestHooks and create (by right-clicking on the right side of the registry editor) the parameter DWORD named ConsoleMode, then set it to 1.
On the next reboot, you will be logged into Windows 10 using a command prompt dialog.
Windows 10 secret dark theme
Update: Starting with Windows 10 version 1607, the dark theme is not hidden. Now it can be found in Settings – Personalization – Colors – Select the application mode (light and dark).
You won’t be able to notice this feature on your own, but Windows 10 has a hidden dark theme that is applied to apps from the store, settings windows and some other system elements.
You can activate the “secret” theme through the registry editor. To launch it, press the Win + R keys (where Win is the OS logo key) on your keyboard, and then type regedit in the Run box (or you can just type regedit in the Windows 10 search box).
In Registry Editor navigate to (Left Folders) HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Themes \ Personalize \
After that, right-click on the right side of the Registry Editor and select New – 32-bit DWORD Value and name it AppsUseLightTheme. By default, its value will be 0 (zero), and leave this value. Close Registry Editor and log out, then log back in (or restart your computer) – Windows 10 dark theme will be activated.
By the way, in the Microsoft Edge browser, you can also enable the dark theme through the options button in the upper right corner (the first item of settings).