There may be a great be said in favor of web-based email services for example Outlook.com, Gmail and the like, but that doesn't mean you should limit yourself to accessing your email account using your web browser.

There are many reasons why you might like to consider using a desktop app to transmit and receive emails - just as you do on your phone - and it should come as little surprise that Windows 10 includes its very own email client.

Called simply Mail, the app can handle the major webmail services for example Yahoo, iCloud and Gmail, and you may utilize it to work with a single current email address or several. In fact, this really is one of the reasons using an app for email makes a lot sense - it's so simple to access all your emails in one location, without needing to move forward emails between accounts.

So, if you've yet to delve into Mail, come along once we get you on the tour and reveal what this app can do for you personally.

1. Setting up an e-mail account

The first time you launch Mail, you will be prompted to include one or more email options - click Add Account to get started. In the case of webmail accounts, things are very simple. Choose the service you utilize and enter your email address and password when prompted. Use the Other Account option to add POP and IMAP accounts, and you'll be prompted to go in server details.

2. Adding more accounts

It's likely that you have more than one email account. One of the benefits of using the Mail app is you can access them all in the same place, so it makes sense to add more than one account. If you choose to increase the at another time, you can click the Accounts label to the left-hand side of Mail, after which click Add account before entering the required details as before.3.

3. Link your inboxes

Automatically, Mail keeps emails from different accounts separate - and you may flit between their inboxes using the menu within the left-hand pane. You may prefer to see everything in one place, however. To get this done, click on the Accounts connect to the left and then 'Link inboxes' to the right. Select several email accounts, enter reputation for the combined inbox and click on the Save button.

4. Change mailbox sync settings

Click Accounts (left), then click an account around the right. In addition to changing an account's label, you also can alter how mail is synchronised. Click 'Change mailbox sync settings' and use the drop-down menus to select how frequently Mail should check for new messages, and how far back it should download messages from your inbox. You can also sync your calendar and contacts.

5. Show or hide navigation bar

The left-hand navigation bar is handy for those who have multiple email accounts, or if you are constantly jumping between mail folders. You can declutter the interface, however, by clicking the three-line icon to the upper left from the app window. This collapses the pane to give you more space; clicking the icon again brings it back. Despite recption menus collapsed, you may still navigate.

6. Send, receive and answer mail

Sending a brand new email is as simple as clicking 'New mail' in the left-hand pane. Dealing with emails you obtain is also simple. As new mail arrives, click the relevant inbox and choose a message to see in the preview pane on the right - unread messages are highlighted in bold. Towards the top of the preview pane are buttons for replying to messages, deleting them, flagging them and much more.

7. Opening multiple messages

There might be instances when you want to see two emails side by side, however the preview pane only shows one message at any given time. To get around this, select an e-mail you need to view and click on the 'Open message in new window' button, which appears to the best of the From field. Now choose another email and do this again before repositioning the windows as necessary.

8. Email quick actions

You don't have to spread out an e-mail to do certain actions. If you hover your mouse over an email within the central inbox column, three pop-up icons appear. Begin using these to archive, delete or flag an e-mail. This latter is handy if you wish to be reminded about an email later. You may also right-click an e-mail and use the context menu to perform other actions.

9. Favourite folders

Folders are an easy way to maintain your inbox organised. Your inbox is likely divided into numerous folders by default, however, you can make more. Click 'Folders' within the left-hand pane, then click the '+' button in the menu that appears. Enter a name for the folder you're creating and press [Enter]. To create a folder into a favourite, right-click it and select 'Add to Favourites'.

10. Handy email options

There are other settings for Mail you might like to explore. In Settings > Personalisation, for example, you can alter the colour and background image utilized in the app, while the Font section enables you to tweak the appearance of email sent through each of your accounts. And in the Signature section you are able to customise the written text that's put into the end of all your outgoing emails.

Find more great content such as this in Windows Help & Advice magazine. It is full of handy Windows tutorials for getting more from your PC. You can buy the most recent issue or subscribe.

Within this guide we'll demonstrate how to update drivers in Windows 10. A driver is really a bit of software that enables your PC's components to operate together and be recognised by Windows. When they become corrupted or out of date, problems can arise, from crashes and stability issues to sluggish performance and peripherals no longer working.

That's why it's so important to pay attention to them. When things start failing with components in your computer - your computer stops connecting to Wi-Fi, for instance - updating your drivers ought to be among the first stuff you try.

And worry not - it doesn't have to be complicated. Let us show you through the steps to keeping the drivers up to speed in Windows 10.

1. Create a restore point

Before you get started, you should make sure to create a restore point. This ensures you can roll in case updating a driver causes trouble for your computer. It takes only one minute but can help you save a lot of hassle down the road.

To create one, click Start and type 'Create a restore point' and click the top result. Make sure that 'Protection' is enabled for that drive you wish to create a restore point for, choose the drive, then click 'Create'. Give it a name, click 'Create', then wait for it to complete.

2. Windows Update

The very first method to update your drivers is by using Microsoft's built-in tool, Windows Update. Click Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, then click 'Check for updates'. If any updates are found, Windows will download and install them.

This really is good when you need to do a general check of your drivers, as well as getting updates for that operating system itself. However, if you know the specific driver that needs updating, there might be a quicker way to upgrade it - this leads us to…

3. Device Manager

The Device Manager is really a way to quickly view all of the components that comprise your pc, and update their drivers if required.

For example, in case your Wi-Fi seems to be playing up, you'll find your Wi-Fi adapter in Device Manager and update its driver after that.

Within this example, open the Start menu and type 'Device Manager', then click on the first result. Scroll right down to 'Network adapters' and click on the arrow to open the full list. Right-click the wireless adapter, click 'Update driver', then click 'Search automatically for updated driver software'.

4. Getting drivers from the manufacturer's website

Sometimes it is sensible to visit straight to the manufacturer's website to download the latest drivers, especially so if you have several aspects of the same company that need updating.

Visit the company's support section and download the appropriate driver. Now load up Device Manager from the previous step and right-click the component that needs updating, then click 'Update driver'.

This time around, click 'Browse my computer for driver software' and visit the folder containing the driver (making sure to tick 'Include subfolders').

5. Nvidia graphics drivers

Some drivers concentrate on improving stability and performance, graphics drivers see more regular updates, with drivers often being tailored for specific games. Depending on your graphics card, there will be new ways to update its drivers.

We'll begin with Nvidia graphics cards. First, open Nvidia's GeForce Experience program, then click Drivers within the top-left corner. If there is a new driver, you will notice an option to download it.

Nvidia provides you with an option to carry out a fresh installation - this will erase your previous settings, but can help if you're having issues installing the new driver.

6. AMD graphics drivers

For those who have an AMD video card, the process is quite different. Right-click on your hard drive, then click AMD Radeon Settings.

When the program loads, turn to the button in the bottom left. If new graphics drivers can be found, it will say 'New Update'. If it says 'Updates' having a tick next to it, you're up to speed.

Click the button and you'll see which graphics driver you have now installed. Click 'Check for Updates' to determine what is available; if your new driver is ready, click the name from it, then either 'Express Upgrade' for any quick installation, or 'Custom Upgrade' if you want to configure it.

7. Installing graphics drivers manually

As in step 3, you are able to download and install graphics drivers manually from the manufacturer's website. However, cellular phone process is slightly different when it comes to graphics drivers compared to those for other components.

You'll need to go towards the specific website of the graphics card maker - for instance, if you have an Nvidia card made by Gigabyte, try going to the Gigabyte website first, instead of to Nvidia's site. Visit the download or support section, download your driver, then double-click the installer file to get started.

8. Reinstall a troublesome driver

Sometimes, drivers just don't wish to install properly. Even when it seems everything should line up and go based on plan, you are able to run into a vital error. Thankfully, there is a solution, and it's easy to implement.

Bunch Device Manager, discover the component that's giving you grief, then right-click onto it. In the listing of options, click 'Uninstall device', then reboot your PC. Whenever your computer loads up again, Windows will endeavour to reinstall the motive force, that could solve the problem.

In the event that still won't work, download and run the Windows Update Troubleshooter from Microsoft's website. Once it's finished, try updating the motive force again.

9. Try a third-party program

There's a number of third-party programs around that advertise to locate and update old drivers fitted PC. There are plenty of free options out there, with other people charging for larger databases of drivers and additional features.

Be sure you do your research before plumping for any program, as some are bloated with a lot of unnecessary extras, for example.

Ensuring you regularly check Windows Update and Device Manager should preclude needing one more program, but they can be worth it if you would like the additional convenience.

10. How you can check if drivers installed properly

Now that you've installed the necessary drivers, there's the last step to take: check everything worked as intended. It's vital that you ensure the driver installed correctly so you know any issues happen to be fixed.

Open the unit Manager and, as before, navigate to the component whose driver just been upgraded. Right-click on it, then click Properties.

Within the new window, click on the Driver tab, then look into the 'Driver Date' and 'Driver Version' fields. If the date and version line up with the details for the driver you installed, you realize everything went smoothly.

Microsoft has released a brand new build of its Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser in the Dev channels, bringing the app to version 77.0.211.2 on Windows and Mac.

There are several additional features within this build, and the most notable is read aloud for PDFs. The original Windows 10 version, which comes pre-installed in the operating system, was specifically focused on offering a sophisticated PDF reading experience, and it appears like Microsoft is targeting a similar approach within this new browser too.

This update also enables Windows Defender Application Guard automatically, so you'll be protected when browsing the net, but additionally comes with secure receipt of payment card data.

Furthermore, Microsoft says additionally, it enabled Application Reputation in the SmartScreen feature for those users, and it added a family safety feature flag inside the app.

More improvements under the hood

You will find obviously plenty of other fixes and refinements, and you can browse the full change sign in this area following the job.

Worth highlighting are fixes for the dark theme, which is now displayed correctly on more pages as well as other controls, but also for macOS, as Microsoft states that the TouchBar should now act as expected in YouTube fullscreen mode.

Needless to say, this release also resolves a number of crashes, which means you should expect Microsoft Edge to run smoother overall.

Microsoft Edge Dev is easily the most stable build from the browser to date, and updates here land every week. Most improvements are first tested by the software giant as part of the Canary version (which receives updates every week).

More stable builds, including beta and the final version, are expected later this season, albeit for the time being Microsoft has remained completely tight-lipped on everything associated with this release. Microsoft Edge is going to be available on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, macOS, and perhaps on Linux.

Intel has made readily available for download a brand new form of its PROSet/Wireless drivers and software, namely 21.20.0, that is ideal for both IT administrators and home/business customers who do not need advanced tools.

Regarding changes, the current release resolves the Yellow Bang (!) errors observed in Device Manager under Intel Wireless Adapter after driver installations, after returning from Sleep Mode, or when WLAN is turned off and also the system restarted.

Moreover, the current update makes sure no limited connectivity notification is shown on the taskbar after resuming from sleep and removes an insect that caused Windows 10 Mobile Hotspot to show off unexpectedly soon after connection established.

When it comes to supported operating systems, the producer has provided several files directed at Microsoft's Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 operating systems, both 32- and 64-bit architectures. Besides the OS, the configurations must also include a compatible adapter.

Therefore, if you plan to upgrade your adapter's version, be sure to download and unzip the right package that most closely fits your needs, run the available setup file, and follow all instructions displayed for an entire and successful installation.

Moreover, once this process has finished, it is recommended to reboot your computer to allow the alterations to take effect properly.

Having said that, Intel PROSet/Wireless Driver/Software 21.20.0, do the installation on your pc, and also check our website in order to stay up to date using the latest releases.

There's very little you can customize about the Windows taskbar, and I think that many early Windows 10 adopters accept me this feature hasn't improved too much because the first version rolled out in preview stage in October 2014.

The Windows 10 taskbar, however, remains a vital feature from the operating-system, so for anything than basic functionality, the only option is to look in the third-party app ecosystem.

One of the software solutions that come in handy so far as enhancing the taskbar goes is SmartTaskbar, a Windows 10 application that's available in the Microsoft Store and which you can now install free of charge.

NOTE: This app comes with a free license, but you can purchase it as a donation. Should you don't wish to spend any cent, however, you can continue utilizing it for as long as you want.

There's not much you'll get after installing SmartTaskbar, albeit its purpose is fairly simple: hide the taskbar when you run an app in the maximized mode and restore it when you go back to the window mode.

While you most likely know already, the taskbar can be automatically hidden in Windows 10, albeit this becomes the default behavior and you can reveal it by moving the mouse cursor in the lower part of the screen.

But on the other hand, what SmartTaskbar does is enhance this feature with an robotic voice that only hides the taskbar should you run an application in full screen. This lets you enjoy the maximum screen estate around the desktop without compromising usability in any way.

SmartTaskbar sports a super-simple interface which comes right down to a few settings which you'll access by right-clicking the icon in the system tray. In fact, this context menu is the only thing you're getting, as the app is automatically minimized to tray to then look after your taskbar.

You will find just two options in this context menu.

The first is animation, which lets you enable an easy visual effect once the taskbar is going away and also the active window is resized to grow towards the entire screen. Should you don't enable the animation, the knowledge appears to be a little faster, albeit it's obviously not as eye-candy as it is having a visual effect activated.

As for the automatic mode, this allows SmartTaskbar to take control of the taskbar and hide it when running an app entirely screen. If you don't enable this automatic mode, you need to manually activate the whole process by double-clicking the icon within the system tray.

Which is virtually it. At first glance, it doesn't seem like SmartTaskbar does much, however, you really can't image how useful this little app could be when you're attempting to make the most of the available screen estate. And also the best of all is that it's a freeware app that doesn't eat up your system resources and quietly runs within the System Tray without you noticing it.

"THE BOTTOM LINE"

SmartTaskbar is first of all an excellent idea. I've been looking for this kind of application for a long time, and SmartTaskbar does precisely what it's designed to do without any unnecessary features or options.

The interface is really as straightforward as possible, and both beginners and power users alike shouldn't have any problem utilizing it.

Needless to say, it may be further enhanced with additional options, like a sound once the taskbar is hidden and restored, but I'm not sure everyone will be a fan of such an environment.

At the end of your day, SmartTaskbar is definitely an app that's certainly worth an opportunity. If you like to roll using the taskbar hidden on the screen, this could be the kind of tool that you're going to like.

Since Microsoft has shipped the April 2018 Update for Windows 10, it's moving full speed ahead to the next version of Windows, Redstone 5, due this fall. Chief among the new improvements are several key upgrades: a form of clipboard that can cut and paste between PCs, improvements to Sets, dark themes, a better Notepad, and more.

Microsoft shipped the brand new features included in Insider Preview Build 17666, which is rolling out for the Fast Ring of Windows 10 Insider machines today. (The 2 different Insider tracks, Fast and Skip Ahead, will receive the same build.)

Cloud Clipboard

A year ago, there were numerous, though cumbersome ways to transfer personal files from one PC to another: email, chat, saving it towards the cloud, a USB stick, and so forth. Now, Windows will save text and files towards the cloud, so that you can cut in one tool and paste into another (that you're signed into).

This new Clipboard feature, informally named "Cloud Clipboard," does require a Microsoft account, as well as your permission in order to save the data within Microsoft. There's a limit, too: You'll simply be in a position to cut and paste text less than 100K in size. That's not much. But for a URL or a text snippet, Cloud Clipboard actually is better to use than the Near Share feature inside the April 2018 Update, though it's a bit more limited, too.

Cut-and-paste adds a brand new twist: Microsoft stores a history of your pastes. Typing Win+V brings in the new Clipboard history experience, where you can actually pin frequently-pasted items. Note that the Clipboard history also roams across PCs, if you choose to enable it.

Sets and Edge

One thing Microsoft talked about at Build was a potential change in the behaviour of Sets. Currently, within Sets, typing Alt+Tab flips back and forth between apps. But within Sets' tabbed UI, everything-a webpage, an app, a document-gets its own tab. After flipping backwards and forwards from a specific Word document, along with a specific Outlook email, lumping a dozen or so Edge tabs under a general icon looks a bit weird.

Should you agree, you'll gladly realize that individual Edge tabs now receive the same weight being an Office document, Mail, Outlook, or any other apps-you'll have the ability to Alt+Tab between Edge tabs, quite simply. It's optional, so if you such as the old way you can stick to it.

With the new build, Sets also accumulates more Edge-like capabilities. Individual Sets tabs can be muted, like Edge, and you can specify whether you'd prefer new windows to open in the Sets tabbed environment, or within traditional windows.

Fluent Design, Microsoft's new design elements, also make an appearance.

Search previews get smarter

You may have realized that the Cortana search engine allows you to look for apps as well as documents. With the new build, you'll have the ability to search for an application, like PowerPoint, and Windows will even show you related PowerPoint documents.

In certain cases, searching for the app will trigger a submenu with additional options, like the opening a URL or perhaps a file in your browser. Microsoft said looking window will now open wider to allow a broader selection of happy to display.

Notepad adds line breaks of all stripes

Remember the cheers that accompanied the Build keynote announcement that Notepad would soon incorporate Linux line breaks? Developers can cheer again, as those line breaks have arrvied. But it's not just Linux: Macintosh line endings (CR) happen to be added as well.

Notepad has also become searchable via Bing. All you need to do is highlight a thing or phrase, and right-click. With Sets, a brand new tab search page will open.

Other improvements

Two smaller improvements happen to be added to build 17666: the opportunity to group, and name, apps together inside a Start menu folder...

...as well as a popular request, a dark theme for that File Explorer.

The infamous Blue screen of death of Death is one of the worst stuff that can occur on a Windows computer because the computer needs to be restarted, possibly with some data loss, as some applications may not be able to save your valuable work.

Since many long-time Windows users certainly agree, BSODs aren't something which we have seen as frequently as in the days of Windows XP or Windows 7, and also the release of Windows 10 and Microsoft's concentrate on reliability turned them into nothing more than occasional errors that aren't so difficult to repair.

And yet, BSODs still happen every once in a whilst not only on Windows 10 preview builds (where they are actually called Green Screen of Death / GSOD) but additionally on stable versions of the operating-system.

Most users attempt to fix these issues by themselves, albeit in certain lucky cases, a BSOD is just a rare thing that requires no input around the user side. This may be an indication that the BSOD was caused by a third-party driver or app which has in the meantime been patched with fixes to solve the fatal crash.

Each BSOD comes with some diagnosis information that's supposed to help users determine the reason for the stop error and fix it when logging back to Windows. While there are lots of such messages that may be visible on a BSOD, the seven most common are the following:
CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED
SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
VIDEO_TDR_TIMEOUT_DETECTED
PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION

In many from the cases, resolving a BSODs starts with determining once the crash occurred.

If you received the BSOD when using the device, you have to begin inspecting third-party software that may cause such an error. Security software, like antivirus products and firewalls, ought to be checked first, because they could block critical files or processes from running, consequently leading to a fatal crash.

Then, you have to uninstall drivers and remove any peripherals that might have triggered the BSOD.

On the other hand, if the BSOD happened after installing an update, the only way to go would be to uninstall that update.

Let's start with the CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED error. In this instance, the content that you see around the BSOD reveals that a critical system process died unexpectedly, therefore the operating system responded having a bug check. There are several processes that could cause such as BSOD, such as the following:
csrss.exe
wininit.exe
logonui.exe
smss.exe
services.exe
conhost.exe
winlogon.exe

When it comes to SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED, the reason for the mistake is a bit more hard to determine, because it signals that the system thread generated the best that the error handler did not catch. There are many codes that come with this error message, such as the following three:
0x80000002: STATUS_DATATYPE_MISALIGNMENT indicates an unaligned data reference was encountered.
0x80000003: STATUS_BREAKPOINT indicates a breakpoint or ASSERT was encountered when no kernel debugger was connected to the system.
0xC0000005: STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION indicates a memory access violation occurred.

IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, on the other hand, is an error that's typically brought on by kernel mode device drivers using improper addresses and in most cases signal faulty hardware, a system service problem, or an antivirus error.

In case your system crashes with VIDEO_TDR_TIMEOUT_DETECTED, you can examine for newer drivers for that video card. This error suggests that the device encountered either a software or a graphics hardware problem.

Much like several other errors, PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA is usually triggered by faulty hardware, bad drivers, or antivirus software. However, a corrupted NTFS volume may also create the same error, so fundamental essentials first stuff you should check when attempting to fix it.

SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION is definitely an error that virtually speaks by itself, because it signals that executing a code had an exception. This time, you should check the drivers and remove hardware that's been added recently to your system.

And last but not least, it's DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION, an error that occurs due to bad drivers which didn't develop a task inside the allotted time frame. Obviously, you should search for driver updates, as this is usually the easiest fix for the bug.

As you can see, the same workarounds are recommended for most of these errors, however it pros can also check the System Sign in Event Viewer for additional information to be able to determine the reason for the problem or find out the driver causing the bug check.