Most Popular Windows Downloads And Posts Of 2015

Most Popular Windows Downloads And Posts Of 2015

Windows 10 made huge waves this year, adding a ton of new improvements, cleaning up a lot of old features, and did we mention it’s free? Here are our best Windows posts from one the platform’s biggest years in history.

How to Skip the Line and Upgrade to Windows 10 Now

If you’ve reserved a copy of Windows 10 but haven’t gotten the upgrade prompt yet, here’s a secret: you can skip the line and upgrade right now.

How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 10

Windows 10 is finally here, and your computer will automatically prompt you to upgrade. But if you’d rather start fresh, you can do a clean install — you just need to follow a few steps in the right order.

What Windows 10’s “Privacy Nightmare” Settings Actually Do

Windows 10 has some handy new features, but if you believe the rest of the internet, it also comes with features that eviscerate any semblance of privacy. But that view is a little overblown. Let’s take a closer look at what each of these settings actually do — and which ones are actually a privacy problem.

Lifehacker Pack for Windows: Our List of the Essential Windows Apps

Windows has more great programs than we can count, but some are essential to just about every PC setup. In this year’s annual Lifehacker Pack for Windows, we’re highlighting the must-have downloads for better productivity, communication, media management, and more.

How to Tweak Windows 10 and Fix Its Minor Annoyances

Windows 10 resolves a lot of the annoyances left over from Windows 8, but it also comes with a few of its own — little as most of them may be. Here’s how to tweak a few of the OS’s new features and fix its little quirks.

Why I Started Using a Gaming Mouse and Keyboard to Get Real Work Done

Everyone knows gaming mice and keyboards can make you barrel through fast-paced games with peak efficiency. But with all those buttons and macros, they can actually help you work smarter, too. Here’s why I swear by them.

Why Is Windows 10’s “System” Process Using So Much RAM?

If you’ve made the jump and updated to Windows 10, you might have noticed something strange: the System process sometimes takes up an insane amount of RAM, possibly over 1GB. That’s actually not a bug, it’s a feature of Windows 10. Here’s how it works.

Should I Upgrade to Windows 10?

Windows 10 is finally here. You’ve seen some of its best new features, even heard what it’s like to use every day. But you might be wondering if you should upgrade. For some, it’s free, a great update, and a foregone conclusion. For others it’s better to wait, or think about other options. Let’s see where you fall.

Microsoft Now Lets You Download Windows 7 ISOs with a Valid Licence

If you don’t have your Windows 7 disc handy — but want to create a custom installation, run Windows from a USB drive, or just do a fresh install — you’ll need an ISO file of the disc. You used to be able to download them from Digital River’s servers, but those links no longer work. Now, Microsoft has a Software Recovery Center where you can download those ISOs for free.

Everything You Can Ask Cortana to Do in Windows 10

Cortana is easily one of the coolest new features of Windows 10. You’re probably already familiar with personal assistants like Google Now and Siri, but now you have one built right into your desktop! Here’s how to get information, manage your schedule, and even run a few Google commands.

The Best Duplicate File Finder for Windows

You download too much crap. Sometimes you download the same crap multiple times. Even if you need to keep those files, you don’t need two of them. To get rid of the dupes, we recommend dupeGuru.

Find Out If You Get a Free Upgrade to Windows 10 with This Flowchart

There’s been a lot of confusion about who gets free upgrades to Windows 10 on July 29, but this flowchart should make it nice and simple to determine if you do.

The Best Windows 10 Features You Probably Haven’t Heard About

Windows 10 has arrived. Whether you’re jumping the line or still trying to decide if you should upgrade, chances are you’ve heard about some of the best new features of Windows 10. Here are some of the really awesome ones you might not have heard about.

What’s New in Windows 10’s Big November Update

Windows 10 gets its first major update today, with a number of features you’ve asked for — like coloured title bars, fixes to the Start menu, and (finally!) a better way to activate your Windows 10 licence.

How to Customise the Windows 10 Start Menu

In the past few years, the Windows Start menu has been dangled in front of us and taken away more times than we can count, but it’s finally back — and it’s brought a lot of new tricks. For the first time ever, the Start menu is very customisable, which means you can make it work exactly how you want it to.

How to Hide the “Get Windows 10” Icon from Your Taskbar

This week, Microsoft officially announced Windows 10’s release date, and allowed you to reserve a copy through an icon that appeared in your system tray. But after that, the system tray icon just…stays there. Here’s how to get rid of it.

The Windows 10 Apps That Are Actually Worth Using

Microsoft has made a big deal about its new Universal Apps for Windows 10. While some developers are slow to jump on the bandwagon, a few have developed new versions of their apps just for Windows 10, and they’re worth taking a look at.

I’m a Privacy Advocate, but I Still Use Windows 10 and Google Now

Privacy is important, and we should fight for it. I’ve said that many times. But when Windows 10 launched, I welcomed Cortana despite some concerns from privacy activists. It sounds hypocritical, but it’s an easy disconnect to resolve, once you understand how privacy works as currency. Here’s how I continue to advocate for a safer, privacy-focused Internet and still use these awesome free tools.

Crapware Is a Horrible Problem and It’s Our Fault

I love free apps. Who doesn’t love getting something for nothing? There’s just one problem: on the other side of that download link, every developer has to choose whether to charge money for their app, or offer it for free and find some other way to make money. And when we refuse to pay, we make that decision for them. We’ve created a demand for bundled crapware.


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At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

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