HOW TO
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TO IMPROVING YOUR PC
If an application isn’t running normally or you’ve just downloaded a new program and the installation isn’t going well, opening the app as an administrator may solve your woes. This allows you to gain full access to the app with the highest privileges. One of the easiest ways to do this is to right-click it and select ‘run as administrator’. Alternatively, right click, select properties, then in the compatibility section tick ‘Run this program as an administrator’ to always run it in this way.
TIP OF THE MONTH
THE WINNER IS…
I had a dilemma. The choice was essentially between choosing a new handheld gaming system— the Asus ROG Ally—or swaying away from games and towards music by picking up a pair of Sony’s WH-1000XM5s. If you’ve watched the video covering our last build, then you’ll know that I was just about to embark on a vacation, and it was while I was out there that I realized what road I wanted to go down. Sorry Asus and handheld gaming, I need to amp up my audio experience. My trusty Airpods didn’t provide me with the clarity, depth, or noise cancellation that I needed.
I remember testing the previous-gen Sony WH-1000XM4s and feeling completely immersed in the sound. I didn’t feel this when I was flying, traveling from the airport and to the hotel, or by the beach or pool. There were certainly points where I would have also enjoyed having the Asus ROG Ally with me, but I’d argue that this sits on the other end of the spectrum to listening to music. You need more attention and concentration—two things I left at home! I’m also lucky to be able to game on all of the custom PCs we make and laptops we review, which makes the Sony WH-1000XM5 an easier choice. The bill won’t be tasty, but at least I’ll be able to get some chillout time, which I recommend everyone should make time for!
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Spruce up the Taskbar
(free, www.winstep.net/ nexus.asp), a collection of free taskbar tweakers for less drastic changes
1 SIMPLE TWEAKS
Let’s begin by addressing some of the most annoying aspects of the Windows Taskbar. Right-click the Taskbar and choose ‘Taskbar settings’ to access its settings under System. Two areas of interest stand out: the ability to remove unwanted additions in the form of the clickbait-heavy Widgets shortcut, and the Chat shortcut that’s superfluous to most.
» The second area can be found by expanding ‘Taskbar behaviors’ where you can realign the Taskbar’s icons to the left, so the Start menu is in its old, favored place. Other options worth examining include ‘Automa
