I love Windows, but that doesn’t mean I love everything about it. In fact, Windows can behave in a lot of very annoying ways until you make some tweaks.
When I set up any Windows PC for the first time, I always find myself fixing a few things to make Windows less obnoxious. Some of them are downright hidden — did you know you could stop the Start menu from searching Bing, for example?
Here are 10 of the most annoying aspects of modern versions of Windows — and how to fix them.
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Windows annoyance #1: Noisy widgets
Widgets are one of the most annoying things about a default Windows system. I don’t need to see an animated message saying the S&P 500 is “trending down” on my taskbar while I’m trying to be productive — or while I’m trying to relax. And I definitely don’t need a feed of often-clickbait stories popping up when I accidentally hover my cursor over the Widgets icon.
On Windows 11, you can hide Widgets by right-clicking an empty spot on the taskbar, selecting “Taskbar Settings,” and then turning off “Widgets” under Taskbar items.
On Windows 10, right-click an empty space on your taskbar, point to “News and interests,” and select “Turn off.”
(While the feature may not be called Widgets on Windows 10, it’s similar — and similarly annoying.)
Chris Hoffman, IDG
The Widgets pane is by far the worst part of Windows 11 — in my opinion.
Windows annoyance #2: Bing Search in the Start menu
When you search in the Start menu, Windows searches Bing rather than just the applications and files on your PC. And, if you click one of those links, Windows always opens Bing in Edge — not your default web browser.
Maybe web search from the Start menu is useful, but I don’t really want to use Bing — and I don’t want to use Edge.
Want to stop it? You’ll need to adjust the “DisableSearchBoxSuggestions” value in the registry. (This works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.)
Or, get rid of all your Start menu annoyances at once by installing an alternative Start menu for your Windows PC.
Chris Hoffman, IDG
Web search in the Start menu helps Microsoft boost its Bing — and Edge — usage numbers.
Windows annoyance #3: Unnecessary startup apps
PC manufacturers often preinstall startup apps and other “bloatware” on their PCs, but even if you have a fresh Windows system you installed yourself, Microsoft bundles in its own startup applications. For example, Windows includes Microsoft Teams and starts it when you sign in — even if you don’t use Teams — cluttering your notification area.
I recommend cleaning up your Startup applications. You can do so from the Task Manager — either right-click your taskbar and select…
2023-12-27 16:00:03
Article from www.computerworld.com rnrn
