Things That'll Frustrate You about Windows 10 (And How to Fix Them)By Andy Rathbone from Windows 10 For Dummies

You may find yourself thinking Windows 10 would be perfect if only . . . (insert your pet peeve here).

If you find yourself thinking (or saying) those words frequently, here you find not only a list of the most aggravating things about Windows 10, but also ways you can fix them.

I want to avoid the apps!With Windows 10, Microsoft continues its switch from the old-and-weary world of desktop programs to the mobile-friendly land of apps.

Some people love apps. They're designed for touchscreen tablets, as well as for phones, with limited screen real estate. They lack complicated menus and aim for touch-friendly simplicity. Other people hate apps, preferring to run programs on their desktop. After all, they've been doing it that way with a mouse and keyboard for two decades.

If you find Microsoft's focus on apps to be misguided and annoying, you can avoid them.

Prune apps from the Start menu and your PC

Windows 10 stocks the Start menu's right edge with app tiles. Windows 8 and 8.1 owners may be accustomed to Microsoft's new app-loving lifestyle, but apps may be new and unwanted for Windows 7 upgraders.

Luckily, you can prune those tiles fairly easily. To remove a Start screen tile, right-click it and, when the pop-up menu appears, choose Unpin from Start. Repeat with all the other tiles until they're gone, gone, gone.

That removes the app tiles from the Start menu. But the apps still remain on the Start menu's All Apps alphabetical list. And it doesn't remove the apps from your PC.

To go one step further and uninstall the apps, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button and choose Settings from the Start menu.

The Settings app appears.

2. Click the Settings app's System icon. When the System window appears, click the Apps & Features link along the window's left edge.

The Apps & Features window appears, listing your installed apps along its right side.

3. To remove an app, click its name and click the Uninstall button that appears below its name. Then click Uninstall again when Windows asks whether you're sure you want to delete the app.

Windows deletes the app from your computer, removing it from the Start menu along the way. Not all apps can be deleted, unfortunately. If the Uninstall button is grayed out, that app can't be uninstalled.

You can reinstall a mistakenly deleted app by visiting the Windows Store app, searching for the app in the Store's Search box, and reinstalling it. (It's also listed when you click your account icon near the upper-right corner of the Windows Store and choose My Library from the drop-down menu.)

I want to avoid the desktop!Windows 10's newly beefed-up Settings app makes it easier than ever to avoid the desktop. But staying nestled within the world of apps can be more difficult than it appears.

Ways to avoid the desktop

If you constantly return to the desktop for certain tasks, keep visiting the Windows Store to search for an app that can accomplish the same task. Microsoft stocks the store with more apps every day; as the apps fill more niches, you'll find yourself relying on the desktop less often.

Until the apps catch up with the desktop, tablet owners might want to pop a portable Bluetooth mouse into their gadget bags for those inevitable trips to the desktop and its tiny buttons and menus.

Windows makes me sign in all the timeThe power-conscious Windows normally blanks your screen when you haven't touched a key for a few minutes. And, when you belatedly press a key to bring the screen back to life, you're faced with the lock screen.

Avoiding signing in all the time

To keep Windows from asking for a password whenever it wakes back up, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, and click Settings from the bottom-left corner.

The Settings app appears.

2. Click the Accounts icon from the Settings app, and click Sign-in Options from the left panel.

3. Click the Require Sign-in Options drop-down menu, and change it to Never.

The taskbar keeps disappearingThe taskbar is a handy Windows feature that usually squats along the bottom of your desktop. Sometimes, unfortunately, it up and wanders off into the woods.

Locating your taskbar

If your taskbar suddenly clings to the side of the screen — or even the ceiling — try dragging it back in place: Drag the entire taskbar from its middle. As your mouse pointer reaches your desktop's bottom edge, the taskbar snaps back into place. Let go of the mouse and you've recaptured it.

I can't line up two windows on the screenWith its arsenal of dragging-and-dropping tools, Windows simplifies grabbing information from one window and copying to another. You can drag an address from an address book and drop it atop a letter in your word processor, for example. However, the hardest part of dragging and dropping comes when you're lining up two windows on the screen, side by side, to swap information between them.

How to align windows

Minimize all the windows except for the two you want to align side by side. Then right-click a blank spot on the taskbar and choose Show Windows Side By Side.

It won't let me do something unless I'm an administrator!Windows gets picky about who gets to do what on your computer. The computer's owner gets the Administrator account. And the administrator usually gives everybody else a Standard account.

Finding a way to become an administrator

If Windows says only an administrator may do something on your PC, you have two choices: Find an administrator to type his or her password and authorize the action, or convince an administrator to upgrade your account to an Administrator account.

I don't know what version of Windows I have

Not sure exactly what version of Windows lives on your computer? Windows doesn't really shout it out, but a little probing forces it to reveal that information.

Finding your version of Windows

Follow these steps to see what version of Windows is installed on your computer:

1. From the Desktop, click the Start button.2. Right-click the menu item named either Computer or My Computer and choose

Properties from the pop-up menu.

When the System Properties window appears, read the information to discover your version of Windows, and whether it's 32-or 64-bit.

That works with older Windows versions, but newer Windows versions offer a few exceptions:

If your Start menu fills the entire screen, you have Windows 8 or 8.1. To narrow it down, click the Start menu's Desktop tile. If the desktop lacks a Start button, you're running Windows 8. If it has a Start button, you're running Windows 8.1.

If your Start menu doesn't list the terms Computer or My Computer, right-click the Start button and choose System from the pop-up menu. Chances are good that you're running Windows 10.

Now that you're equipped with these tips, you'll know just how to make Windows 10 work best for you. For more tips about how to navigate Windows 10, check out Windows 10 All-in-One For Dummies and Windows 10 For Dummies.