Prevent the Focus Assist Notification from Appearing

So, my ‘notifications will remain quiet here in action centre while I am gaming’, which is good, but I DON’T need to be reminded about it whenever I play a game.
To prevent the notification from appearing:

• Press the Change button on the notification
• A Settings window will appear:
  • Untick Show a notification in the action centre when Focus assist is turned on automatically
  • Close the Settings window

Remove Cortana

• Press the Windows and R keys
• A Run dialog box will open:
  • Input the text regedit, and then press the OK button
• The User Account Control warning will now open:
  • Press the Yes button
• The Registry Editor will open:
  • Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows on the left
  • Right click on Windows, select New in the menu that appears, and click on Key
  • Input Windows Search as the name of the key (and press enter)
  • Right click on Windows Search, select New in the menu that appears, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value
  • Input AllowCortana as the name of the value (and press enter)
  • Double click on the AllowCortana value
  • An Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value window will appear:
    • Input 0 for the value (in the Value data input box
    • Press the OK button
  • Close Registry Editor
• Restart the computer

Once you have removed Cortana, you will now have a standard Windows search box in its place
If you now want to change this to a search icon:

• Right click the mouse in the windows taskbar. In the popup menu that appears, select Search and click on Show search icon (or click on Hidden if you want to hide the search box completely)

If you do want to remove the Search Bar in the Windows Taskbar (which is a part of Cortana), there are some instructions at https://trishtech.com/2016/01/how-to-permanently-stop-searchui-exe-from-running-in-windows-10.

HP Support Assistant keeps telling me to Update System BIOS

HP Support Assistant often indicates when there are system updates required on my computer (it puts a yellow mark on the HP Support Assistant taskbar icon).
Often though it will indicate that there are BIOS updates just after I have installed one!
It is quite easy though to see the version of BIOS that HP Support Assistant 'wants' you to update to, and what version of BIOS you have installed:

• To see the which version of System BIOS HP Support Assistant wants you to update to:
  • Open Windows start menu and click on HP Support Assistant (under HP Help and Support)
  • A HP Support Assistant window will open:
    • Select My Devices at the top
    • Click on Updates under your computer
    • Wait while a list of updates loads (this might take a few seconds)
    • Click on the question mark symbol to the right of the listed BIOS update
    • The Version of the update will appear under the update details
  
  
• To see the which version of System BIOS you currently have:
  • Open Windows start menu and click on System Information (under Windows Administrative Tools)
  • A System Information window will open:
    • Click on System Summary on the left
    • The BIOS Version/Date will be shown on the right
  
  

If you find that the update and installed versions are the same (which I have found is OFTEN the case) it is possible to delay the update:

• Click on Remind Me (to the right of the update), and then on One month in the menu that appears.

It is only possible to delay the update by up to a month at a time, but hopefully before the month is up the install will be superseded by an actual update!

Disable Task View

In the April 2018 update for Windows 10, Task View was added, which collects a history of activities that you have performed.
If you want to disable this:

• Click the Settings icon in the Start menu
• A Settings window will open:
  • Click on Privacy
  • Select Activity History on the left
  • Untick Let Windows collect my activities from this PC
  • Press the Clear button (under Clear activity history) to clear any existing activity
  • A warning message will appear:
    • Press the Ok button

If you now want to hide the task view button from the taskbar:

• Right click on the taskbar, and click on Show Task View button in the menu that appears

Disable fast startup

Windows 10 has a 'Fast Startup' feature that is enabled by default.

What this means is that when you shut down the computer, it doesn't actually turn off completely (see here for more information on this).

To disable the 'Fast Startup' feature:

• Click the Settings icon in the Start menu
• A Settings window will open:
  • Click on System
  • Select Power & sleep on the left
  • Click on Additional power settings under Related settings
  • A Power Options window will open:
    • Click on Choose what the power button does on the left
    • Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable
    • Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended)
    • Click Save Changes

Prevent 'other people using this PC' messages when logging off

When shutting down a Windows 10 computer, you might get messages to indicate that there are 'other people using this PC' (when you know that there aren't).

This is due to a recent Windows 10 update, that causes the computer to sign you in automatically when some updates are installed.

To prevent this from happening:

• For each user account on the system:
  • Click the Settings icon in the Start menu
  • A Settings window will open:
    • Click on Accounts
    • Select Sign-in options on the left
    • Set Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device after an update or restart (under Privacy) to Off

Prevent Steam from Running on Startup

If you have Steam installed on your computer, then it defaults to running whenever windows is started (usually it spends several seconds updating).
If you want to stop this from happening:

• Open the Steam menu and click on Settings
• A Settings window will appear:
  • Select Interface on the left
  • Untick Run Steam when my computer starts
  • Press the OK button

Note that after doing this you will still be able to run Steam from the start menu (and Steam will run automatically when a game is started)

Show File Explorer Icon in Start Menu

• Click the Settings icon in the Start menu
• A Settings window will open:
  • Click on Personalisation
  • Select Start on the left
  • Click on Choose which folders appear on Start
  • Set File Explorer to On

Prevent HP Jumpstart from running on Startup

• Open Windows start menu and click on Task Scheduler (under Windows Administrative Tools)
• A Task Scheduler window will open:
  • Click on Task Scheduler Library under Task Scheduler (Local) on the left
  • Right click on HPJumpStart on the right, and click on Disabled in the menu that appears

Disable Action Keys mode

The F keys at the top of the keyboard default to being in ‘Action Keys Mode’. This means that they default to performing the action assigned to them, rather than acting as an F key (the fn button needs to be pressed with the key for it to work as an F key).
To fix this (start with the computer switched off):

• Press the power button to turn on the computer
• Straight after switching on, press the F10 (just press the key momentarily, don't hold it down)
• The BIOS setup window will open (this might take a few seconds to appear):
  • Press the right-arrow or left-arrow keys to navigate to the System Configuration option
  • Press the up-arrow or down-arrow keys to navigate to the Action Keys Mode option, and then press the enter key to display the Enable / Disable menu
  • Press the up-arrow or down-arrow keys to select Disabled, and then press the enter key
  • Press the F10 key
  • An Exit Saving Changes? window will open:
    • Press the left-arrow or right-arrow keys to select [Yes], and then press the enter key

Always Show All Taskbar Notifications

Obviously this is down to personal preference, but I always like to see EVERYTHING that is running in the taskbar

To do this:

• Right click on an empty part of the taskbar, and click on Taskbar Settings in the menu that appears
  • A Settings window will appear:
  • Select Taskbar on the left
  • Click on Select which items appear on the taskbar under Notification area
  • Set Always show all icons in the notification area to On

Remove ‘Suggested’ Applications from Start Menu

• Click on the Settings icon in the windows start menu
• The Settings window will open:
  • Click on Personalisation
  • Select Start on the left
  • Set Show suggestions occasionally in Start to Off

Make Windows 10 File Explorer open This PC (rather than Quick Access) by Default

• Open Windows 10 File Explorer
• Select the View tab
• Click on Options (if a menu appears, click on Change folder and search options)
• The Folder Options window will open:
• Select the General tab
• Select This PC for Open File Explorer to
• Press the OK button

Mail

Enable New Mail Notification

System Settings:

• Click on the Settings icon in the windows start menu
• The Settings window will open:
  • Click on System
  • Select Notifications & actions on the left
  • Scroll down to Get notifications from these senders
  • Set Mail to On
  • Close the Settings window

Mail App settings:

• Start the Windows 10 Mail App
• Click on the Settings icon (bottom right of the left column)
• Click on Notifications
• Set Show notifications in the action centre to On
• Check the Show a notification banner and Play a sound items

Switch Off Focused Inbox

• Start the Windows 10 Mail App
• Click the Settings icon (bottom left)
• Click on Focused Inbox on the right
• Set Sort messages into Focused and Other to Off

Stop Windows 10 from Using Your Bandwidth to Distribute Updates

In order to allow more people to download Windows 10 updates, Microsoft has enabled it to be downloaded from other Windows 10 computers, rather than direct from them.

This will obviously use up the other Windows 10 computers' internet bandwidth, but it is possible to prevent your computer from doing this:

• Click on the Settings icon in the windows start menu
• A Settings window will appear:
  • Click on Update & Security
  • Select Windows Update on the left
  • Click on Advanced options
  • Click on Delivery Optimisation under Choose how updates are installed
  • Set the Allow downloads from other PCs toggle switch to Off