Wednesday 9th May 2018
Updated 03/05/2023: Amended method for accessing my document Updating Laptops with 32GB Storage in section End of Support for Windows 10 Versions.
Windows 10 – 1803 Update
This
is one of the twice-yearly big updates. This update takes Windows 10 from
version 1709 to 1803. It was officially released on 30th April, so
only just qualifies for its name – the April
2018 Update. Initially, it was only available from the Microsoft Download
site:-
It
will gradually become available through the normal Windows Update process
starting from Tuesday 8th May 2018 (Patch Tuesday).
The
main new feature which has been introduced is Timeline. This feature has
been added to Task View and the Task
View icon has subtly changed:-
 |
| 1709 |
 |
| 1803 |
Timeline allows you to pick up work you started up to 30 days ago, even if you started that work on another device. Not all apps support this feature yet, but I’m sure more will soon. So, if you were browsing with Microsoft Edge on you iPad, you can pick this up later on your PC, provided you were signed in with the same Microsoft Account.
We discussed some of the new features of 1803 including Focus Assist (formerly Quiet Hours), Font Management in Settings, Progressive Web App provision, etc. This article looks at some these features in more detail:-
https://www.howtogeek.com/340688/whats-coming-in-windows-10s-redstone-4-update-available-march-2018/
I have updated my documents in line with the 1803 update. I have divided my Windows 10 documents into
two:-
Windows 10 – Introductory Guide. This will be sufficient for many users. It just covers the basics of starting up,
logging on, the Desktop layout, launching/closing apps and shutting down. I issued a paper copy of this document to those present at the Club.
Windows 10 – In-Depth Guide. This covers more details on the features,
options and settings. It could be a
useful reference document for more advanced users. We had a quick look through this document to remind us of some of the existing features of Windows 10.
The above two documents can be found at bit.ly/CE-Windows10.
Microsoft Edge. This covers the 1803 version of Edge and can
be found at bit.ly/CE-Edge.
You
can use the link on the right of this blog to get to all my documents, or go to
bit.ly/rogersdocs.
Note:-
While the automatic Windows Update process should update your machine eventually, if you click on Start, Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update and click Check for Updates, this will expedite the process and immediately download and install the 1803 update. Expediting the update in this way is a new feature of the update process.
End of Support for Windows 10 Versions
It is worth noting that support for each version of Windows 10 only lasts for about 18 months. Out-of-support versions would cease to get security and bug-fix updates and would, therefore, become insecure for use on the Internet. As Windows 10 normally updates automatically to the latest version, this is not usually a problem - unless something has prevented the update. An example we recently encountered was a laptop which had only 32GB of solid-state storage, rather than a hard drive. This meant there was not enough room to download and install a big feature update like 1803. The solution is to create the Windows installation on a USB stick using the Media Creation Tool. For anyone who is interested, I have documented this procedure. It is available under the Other Documents section of my website:-
You can find details of the support lifecycle for Windows 10 versions here:-
Hard Drives/Solid State Drives
We had some discussion about Hard Drives (HDs) and Solid State Drives (SSDs). Hard Drives use rotating magnetic disks to store data. Although the disks often rotate at 7200 rpm, this still means it takes about 8ms per revolution (i.e. 8 thousandths of a second). A processor chip can execute several million instructions in that time! SSD's can access their data significantly faster - all their addresses can be accessed with equal speed, as it is not waiting for anything physical to rotate.
Replacing a HD with an SSD will usually increases the computer's speed considerably. The existing HD would first need to be imaged using Windows Image Backup or other software. The HD would be removed and replaced with a blank SSD of the same, or greater, capacity. The image would then need to be restored onto the new SSD.
SSD's are relatively more expensive. HD's can be damaged by physical shock, while SSD's are not susceptible to this type of damage. HD's will eventually wear out mechanically - SSD's will not. However, SSD's have a limited number of re-write cycles per memory cell, so SSD's will not last forever! SSD's employ a technique call wear levelling to extend the life of the drive.
Control Panel/Settings
The Settings function in Windows 10 will probably replace the old Control Panel in due course. For now, Control Panel is still there - click Start and begin typing Control Panel to find it.
Browser Basics Document
This is a new document I have just produced which you can find from my web site - click on All Roger's documents on the right, or go to bit.ly/CE-BrowserBasics.
Signing In To Windows
You can sign into Windows with either a Local Account or a Microsoft Account. The Local Account is how it used to be in Windows 7 and earlier. Personally, I recommend using a Microsoft Account as this makes it easier to access the Store or OneDrive. Also, it is possible to reset your password for a Microsoft Account (if you forgot it) by going to a browser on another machine and going to:-
https://login.live.com
Next Session
Wed 13th June 2018
Possible Topics:-
Crypto-mining
Email distribution lists
