The Mighty PC

07/30/2021

Flickering Screen Problems

Flickering screens aren't always caused by hardware, and some users have reported similar problems after upgrading to Windows 10.

The simplest solution is to update all relevant monitor drivers, as well as Norton Antivirus, iCloud, and IDT Audio, which are all suspected to be possible causes of these issues. It may also be beneficial to uninstall and then reinstall them.

Because Windows 10 updates drivers automatically, there's a chance it's installing an incompatible driver without your knowledge.

07/26/2021

Office seemingly vanish in windows 10

After upgrading to Windows 10, some users have reported Office ‘vanishing' from their computers, which is obviously concerning.

But don't worry: Microsoft hasn't accidentally removed the productivity suite from your computer. The solution is to search for Office apps in the Start menu and then right-click on them to pin them to the Start menu.

The issue arises because Windows 10 does not automatically pin them, making it appear as if they have vanished.

07/23/2021

Using an older Microsoft Office file

This irritation persists in Windows 10. (indeed, it affects all versions of Windows and Office). The solution, on the other hand, is relatively simple.

If you keep getting 'file is corrupt and cannot be opened' or 'unable to start correctly' warnings, open Command Prompt (again, by right-clicking the Start menu) and type:

icacls "%programfiles%\Microsoft Office 15" /grant *S-1-15-2-1:(OI)(CI)RX
If that doesn't work, try finding each corrupted file, right-clicking it, selecting Change, and then Online Repair.

07/21/2021

More Wi-Fi connectivity solutions

We've already talked about Wi-Fi network issues, but you've probably heard that Windows 10 is breaking people's Wi-Fi connections on their laptops and PCs. After that, Microsoft released a patch to fix the issue, though it didn't appear to work for everyone.

If your Wi-Fi goes out now (or in the future), Microsoft's latest advice is to restart your computer. It's important to note that this refers to restarting the computer rather than shutting it down and then turning it back on. By pressing the Start button, then the Power button, and then Restart, you can restart your computer.

If that doesn't work (and our previous suggestion didn't), Microsoft has a whole help page dedicated to resolving network connection issues in Windows 10, with a variety of possible solutions to try. So get yourself over there and cross your fingers.

07/19/2021

Disable lock screen advertisements to help your computer run faster

Microsoft began displaying lock screen advertisements on Windows 8.1 PCs a few years ago, and the practice has continued with Windows 10.

These can be interesting at times, but they're usually a pain to deal with, especially if they replace a favorite wallpaper. Fortunately, they are simple to remove. Getting rid of these ads may also help with performance, as it is one less thing for your device to worry about (not that the difference will be much, but every little bit helps).

Select Settings > Personalisation > Lock Screen after left-clicking on the Start menu. Select any option other than Windows Spotlight from the Background drop-down menu. Finally, scroll down and uncheck the box that displays "fun facts, tips, and more" on the lock screen. That'll be the end of any ads that irritate your eyes.

07/16/2021

Disable background apps to speed up your PC

While Windows 10 is a rapid operating system overall, it is not without its flaws. Background applications that keep running and eat up processing power are one of the major causes of any slowness. This is especially true of budget laptops.

In any case, it's simple to turn off any apps that are running in the background. Simply click the Start button on the left, then Settings, Privacy, and Background Apps. You can turn off any unwanted programs from here.

07/14/2021

Fix your computer's slow booting

The simplest way to fix a sluggish PC boot is to reduce the number of apps that launch on startup, as having too many programs running when the computer boots makes the entire process much slower, especially on older hardware.

To remove those apps, press Control+Alt+Delete, then select Task Manager, then click the More Details link. Select the Startup tab from this menu. This section contains a list of all the apps that run when your computer boots up. Examine the list of enabled apps and remove any that you don't need – you can disable an app by right-clicking on it and selecting Disable.

Mind you, don't turn off Microsoft services or critical apps like antivirus. If you're not sure whether it's a good idea to disable an app, look it up on Google

07/12/2021

Organizing the taskbar

The taskbar in Windows 10 can do a lot of things, but that doesn't mean you want it to. It can be difficult to pick out the icons you need to access when the taskbar is cluttered, but fortunately, fine-tuning things is simple.

Simply right-click on an icon and select ‘unpin' to remove it from the taskbar (while ‘pinning' icons to the taskbar adds them).

07/09/2021

Adjust the size of the desktop icons

Some Windows 10 users reported that icons on their desktop are randomly growing larger, which can be annoying.

To fix this, right-click on the desktop and select View from the drop-down menu on the right. This will bring up a fly-out menu with a list of icon size options. Simply click on the icon you want to change the size of to change it back.

07/07/2021

Disable huge search field

Cortana takes up a lot of screen space in the taskbar, but if you're short on screen space, you can always disable Cortana's search box.

To adjust the assistant to a pop-up, right-click on the empty search box, hover over ‘Cortana,' and select ‘Hidden' from the fly-out menu. By selecting the ‘Show Cortana icon' option, users can keep Cortana in the taskbar as a (much smaller) standard icon.

Microsoft separated Cortana from the search box with the Windows 10 April 2019 Update, placing its icon to the right of the box. The search box can still be hidden by right-clicking it and selecting 'Search' then 'Hidden.'

07/05/2021

Windows 10 upgrade - Having less storage space

You might not realize it, but whichever operating system you upgraded to Windows 10 from (assuming you didn't install the OS from scratch) still sits dormant on your PC for a while. This will, of course, reduce the amount of storage space available on your system drive.

To fix this, type "cleanup" into the Cortana/search box (next to the Start menu) and choose the Disk Cleanup utility from the results. When it finally appears after scanning your drive, look for a file called ‘Previous Windows Installation(s)' in the list of files you can clean up. Make sure this is checked, then click OK. Windows 10 will then delete the leftover files from the previous operating system, freeing up 5-10GB of space.

If your PC has more than one drive, you'll have to point Windows to the system drive where the previous OS was installed when you run Disk Cleanup (usually C:).

07/01/2021

Accessing community support to solve problems

We can't cover everything in this feature, and there's a good chance that you'll run into Windows 10 issues for which you can't find a solution on MightyPC at some point. Fortunately, Microsoft has support forums that provide solutions, assistance, and guidance for a wide range of common (and uncommon) problems.

To access the forums, launch your preferred browser and navigate to: support.microsoft.com/en-us. Topics are divided into apps – such as Office – and other classifications, and you'll obviously need to visit the Windows section. You can also contact Microsoft straight by phone or immediate message.

Microsoft is here to help you with products including Office, Windows, Surface, and more. Find articles, videos, training, tutorials, and more.