Tag Archives: Windows 10

Taming Windows 10: Browser Defaults

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A reprint from the PC410 Security Newsletter:

Default browser settings in Windows 10

The browser default for Windows 10 is Edge, and it’s not ready for use on many websites, especially sites with advanced usage of forms. Switching the browser default to Internet Explorer 11 is an easy fix, or, even better, switching to either Google Chrome or Firefox, both of which protect users from evil sites better than Microsoft browsers, which are, in fairness, target number 1 for evil website developers.

To change the default browser, go to Settings, System, Default Apps, and in the Web Browser category, click on Edge, and select from the installed browsers in the list that appears.

Sometimes, Windows 10 will argue the point. Another way to set default apps is to go to Control Panel, Programs, Default Programs, Set Default Programs, find the program in the list on the left side, and on the right, click ‘Set this program as default.’

Taming Windows 10: Active Hours

Definitions, ,

A reprint from the PC410 Security Newsletter:

You can tell Windows not to automatically restart your computer during your work hours, which Windows calls your ‘Active Hours’. It’s badly designed; you can’t set more than a 12-hour period, so if you work 9-5, set active hours as 9am-9pm, that means that you have to set automated backups to run from 5pm to 9pm. This will take some planning. Fortunately, most updates are still scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month, so update reboots won’t block scheduled backups very often.

Active Hours in Windows 10

To set Active Hours, go to Settings, Updates & Security, Change active hours. Important: Click the check mark at the bottom of the hours column, or your settings will not be saved.