Laptop repair company? One of the quickest ways to free up space is to sort through your Downloads folder and delete anything that you don’t need anymore. This could include old installers for programs, downloaded music and videos, and large documents. Deleting programs you don’t use anymore can also free up a lot of space. This is especially true with some video games, which can take 30 GB or more of your hard disk space. For information on deleting programs in Windows, click here. For Mac, click here. The Disk Cleanup tool in Windows will scan for files that you no longer use. It can free up a large amount of space. Click here for details on running it.

Backing up your data regularly is an overlooked step in personal online security. The top IT and security managers follow a simple rule called the 3-2-1 backup rule. Essentially, you will keep three copies of your data on two different types of media (local and external hard drive) and one copy in an off-site location (cloud storage). If you become a victim of ransomware or malware, the only way to restore your data is to erase your systems and restore with a recently performed backup. Don’t use a public Wi-Fi without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). By using a VPN, the traffic between your device and the VPN server is encrypted. This means it’s much more difficult for a cybercriminal to obtain access to your data on your device. Use your cell network if you don’t have a VPN when security is important.

Use Multiple Authentication Methods. Authentication is the act of confirming an identity (whether a user, machine, or device) by comparing provided credentials against an existing database of authorized identities before allowing access to a given system or application. For example, think of entering your username and password before gaining access to your email account. However, rather than relying on passwords alone, which have grown increasingly unreliable, we recommend using multiple factors for the authentication process. Authentication factors include something you know (e.g. username/password, answer to security question), something you have (e.g. Digital Certificate, smart card), and something you are (e.g. fingerprint, facial recognition).

Virtual desktops rename: If you use virtual desktops to group different tasks or project, you can now specify a custom name for each desktop. You can rename a virtual desktop by clicking the header of the desktop and changing the name. Or you can right-click the thumbnail of the desktop in Task View, and a context menu with a Rename option in it should appear. Cortana app: Starting with Windows 10 version 2004, Cortana is no longer part of the operating system. Instead, it’s now an app that updates through the Microsoft Store and provides a new chat-based interface with the ability to input text or voice to interact with the assistant. Find even more details at Laptop service.

Windows Sandbox makes a great security and testing tool, and its new configuration file makes it easier to manage startup. You can use this to set up access to shared folders, to a vGPU, networking, and supporting startup scripts. Shared folders can be marked as read only, allowing quick access to suspicious files, and scripts can force the Sandbox image to download and install specific applications, ready for use.

The problem with a lot of Windows speedup stories is that they tell you to turn off some of the operating system’s more fun features, such as visual animations. Most of our tips show you ways you can speed up your Windows 10 system without compromising its appearance and functionality. Most are also free, but some involve spending a little cash on software or hardware. For people with older, lower-power machines who want a speed boost but don’t care about extra goodies, a couple of the tips towards the end can boost system performance at the expense of some visual bling. See more details on Laptop repair specialists.