Use Task View and Timeline in Windows 10 April 2018 Update

Let Windows 10 Maps Open New Doors

Whether you are looking for directions to a destination or traffic condition updates or other travel information, the drill up to now has been to go to the usual suspects online — Google Maps, Bing Maps or Mapquest.  But you can save a step in Windows 10 since it sports a just-as-resourceful Map app a click away in the Start menu?

Powered by Bing and using the powerful HERE Technologies navigation (formally NAVTEQ and Nokia), Windows Maps works equally well on PCs and tablets. It not only gets you from one place to another, it adds a carload of relevant information (restaurants, hotels, gas stations) related to your destination and points along the way.

To make your journey in Windows 10 Maps easier and quicker, here’s a road map to finding your way around its bountiful features from its intuitive iconography to its downloadable offline maps.

Buttons Help Find Your Way Around the Map

Maps works best when you are connected online, logged in to your Microsoft account, and optionally giving permission to location services. ( If you think letting Microsoft know your location is too intrusive, turn off Location services in Settings+Privacy.). With the location service turned on, the opening map will center the area around where your computer is at that moment with a target dot at map center. GPS Maps features work optimally (and only) with Location services turned on.

On the right side of the map is a six-button bar to control navigation and the variety of map views. Consider this your steering wheel.

On top is the North arrow button which adjusts the view where north is on top. The grid-like button changes the look of the map to a sort of horizontal plane, much like what you would see in a GPS display. The target button centers the map back to your location in case you’ve navigated far afield and want to get home again. Clicking the 3-layer button opens up more self-explanatory 3D-ish Map views of Microsoft selected world cities. Each button acts as a toggle so if you touch it again the map returns to the previous view.

The icons on the upper right of the map will open up maps of previously saved places, show current traffic conditions, let you use the Windows Ink toolbar to mark up a map, show 3D cities, and print or share the current map.

Search Techniques: Here, There, and Everywhere

It’s not where you are but where you are going that Maps in all its views proves its worth with its multiple methods and angles to search. You can use the search bar to type in an address, even an intersection (such as 1^st Street and Broadway), a city, a zip code or even a neighborhood, a point of interest or a business. And searches, by the way, are not case sensitive so don’t worry about capitalization. (If you’ve set up Cortana to speak, use the Cortana mic button to perform voice searches; Maps must be open.)

If you want not only a map of the destination but directions to getting there as well, use the traffic sign icon on the upper left and entering from where (Point A) to where  (Point B). By default, Maps will use My Location if you set that up in Settings. Otherwise, it will ask for permission to find and use the location of the PC you are using. You can even drill down to the exact route to take and not take (such as toll roads, traffic to avoid, etc.) Or just type in the exact addresses.

If you want to reverse directions click the arrow up/down which exchanges point A with point B.

To get an idea of what different map displays will look like, I used Maps to travel from Oakland, California to San Francisco over the Bay Bridge. The maps below shows the route and traffic conditions on the same route but with the various view types. The default 2D map (on top) displays the basic map view. The red-yellow-green lines reveal traffic conditions with red being heavy congested areas. The map pictured below this one is the view you get when you click on the grid button for a 3D style.

Streetside: What the Streets Actually Look Like

Once Maps has located your destination how will you know what it actually looks like? Using the Streetside function on the Maps Palette [ART: palette.jpg] you will get an interactive photo of the location as if you are standing there. Microsoft copycatted Google’s version by performing drivebys with special 360-degree cameras to get the eagle eye images. Streetside works in populated areas in the U.S. and Europe mainly.

Use the mouse of on touch screens your finger to get 360-degree views, a great way to identify what buildings and streets look like before you get there. Zoom in and out to pinpoint your view by using the mouse scroll wheel or pinching and spreading two fingers on a touchscreen.

No Internet Connection? No Problem: Use Offline Maps

There are times when you need a map and you cannot connect online for various reasons – expensive cellphone data charges, or rural areas where there is no cell service. That’s where downloadable offline maps come in handy.

However, downloading the maps while you have a high-speed connection before you travel is accomplished not through the Maps app but via Windows Settings.

From the Start menu select the Gear icon for Settings, then select Apps and Offline maps. Click Download maps. Now the world of maps is yours to pick from. For the United States, you can drill down by state. Each state shows how many megabytes the map file will be which can be important if moving the maps to memory limited portable devices. Select where you want to save the file (Storage location, the default is My PC).

In addition, if you select Automatically update maps, if any changes are made, Microsoft will make those changes in its database and update corresponding maps previously downloaded.

Ask @WinObs: What Troubleshooting Tools Are Available for Windows 10?

No operating system is perfect — and one of the most persistent questions for any operating system may be, “Something is broken — how can I figure out what?” Windows has built-in troubleshooters — but the experience of using them in Windows 10 is much different than in prior operating systems.

To understand how, let’s look at the way things worked in pre-Windows 10 operating systems. One of the things Microsoft included in the Control Panel of Windows 7 and its two successors is a collection of built-in troubleshooters.

Troubleshooters in Windows 7

The idea behind these troubleshooting tools was to help end users solve basic problems with their systems. As you can see in the screenshot above, different categories helped users find the right tool. The various groups had some crossover because some items for troubleshooting involved both hardware and networking such as printers.

In Windows 7 and 8.1, there were a total of 25 troubleshooters in the Control Panel’s Troubleshoot Computer Problems listing.

That same legacy Control Panel area is available on Windows 10 and contains a total of 30 troubleshooters in all of the same categories except for Appearance and Personalization that was for testing Aero related issues.

Troubleshooters in Windows 10 Legacy Control Panel

These tools are designed by Microsoft to scan/repair common issues on systems. No manual intervention is necessary to find the problem or fix it. Each can run and automatically fix things, or you can choose to have it discover the issue and then you can manually initiate the fix from within the troubleshooter.

That provides a process that is perfect for end users like your aunt or uncle who you help over the phone plus advanced users can easily make the same repairs.

If for some reason the troubleshooter can’t discover a problem, or it is beyond the detection capability of the software, then the search for a solution begins. This is when Bing and/or Google become your friends along with your ninja-like search skills.

The Windows 10 Difference: the Windows Settings App

On Windows 10, in addition to the 30 troubleshooters in the legacy Control Panel, the company has started to migrate some of these troubleshooters over to the new modern Windows Settings app.

Troubleshooters in Windows 10

There are a total of 19 troubleshooters in Windows 10 broken down into two categories compared to the multiple listings in the Control Panel across the last three versions of Windows. The same concept applies for using these – start them up and let them scan the system for common issues with options to automatically or manually repair them.

In addition to these troubleshooting options, Microsoft has added an assistant, no not that assistant, but their Virtual Agent. It is part of an inbox app for Windows 10 called Get Help.

Microsoft Virtual Agent in Windows 10

This Virtual Agent implementation uses machine learning, artificial intelligence and natural language to help you search through Microsoft’s massive collection of support documentation. By just typing a simple statement like My printer won’t print will prompt the Virtual Agent to suggest a troubleshooting step.

Follow these prompts which often include downloading an updated troubleshooter from Microsoft to help diagnose the problem. Ultimately, if none of these suggestions resolve your issue you can connect to a support person right there in the same app and get further assistance.

I have no doubt that these troubleshooters will never replace the on-hand knowledge and experience everyone has gained and written about over the years. These will not and do not solve every conceivable challenge that Windows throws our way so that experience, and a good search engine, will help sort out the rest.

Bonus Troubleshooter

Included in the April 2018 Update is an Xbox Live connectivity troubleshooter for those who game on Windows 10.

Xbox Live Connectivity Troubleshooter in Windows 10

This will help you sort out those related problems and check the Xbox Live services status on the same page. If you have a Windows 10 gamer in your family, this is important stuff, so it can come in very handy.

Do you have a favorite troubleshooter that you turn to regularly? Send me a note at winobs@outlook.com.

Use Task View and Timeline in Windows 10 April 2018 Update

You can juggle different windows, apps, and tasks and travel back in time to access older content.

Windows has long offered a Task View feature in which you can create virtual desktops and bounce from one environment or application to another. But with the Windows 10 April 2018 Update comes the multitasking tool known as Timeline.  Here’s what you can do in it:

• By using Task View and Timeline, you can not only jump to any currently open window but you can go back in time to past windows.
• You can view and access prior documents, spreadsheets, websites, and other content.
• You can travel back as far as 30 days and access older files on other devices.
• You can also modify your privacy settings to control how Timeline works and what content it gathers.

Why use Task View? Think about how you may work and multitask in Windows. You open one program, maybe your email. Then you open another program, perhaps your Web browser. And then another program, maybe Microsoft Word. And on and on and on.

Before you know it, your screen is cluttered with so many windows and programs that you lose track of them all. Yes, the Taskbar can help you move from one open window to another. But you may want to organize your windows into their own virtual desktops so you can more easily view each one.

To get the most out of this article, check to make sure you’re running the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. Open Settings, System, and then About. Scroll to the bottom of the screen. If the Windows version says 1803, then you’re set.

If not, go to the Update & security category in Settings. Install the update called “Feature Update to Windows 10, version 1803.” If you don’t see it, pop over to Microsoft’s Windows 10 Download page to manually install the April 2018 Update.

Using Task View

Now, let’s say you’ve opened a whole bunch of different windows and applications and need to leap from one to another. You can click on the corresponding icons on the Taskbar. You can press Alt+Tab to cycle through all the open windows.

But let’s try Task View instead. Click on the Task View icon to the right of the Cortana search field or press Win Key+Tab. Task View mode pops up to display all your open windows as large thumbnails. Click on a specific thumbnail to jump to that window.

Next, maybe you’re not actively using some of the open windows or applications but you still want to keep them handy. You can create a virtual desktop in which to store such windows. When you want to access any of those windows, simply jump to that virtual desktop.

One way to kick this off is to drag and drop the windows you want to organize into your second desktop. Open Task View again. Click on the thumbnail at the top for New Desktop. Now you’ll notice three desktop thumbnails: Desktop 1, which is your current desktop; Desktop 2; and New Desktop. Drag the windows you want to put on Desktop 2 onto its thumbnail. Click on Desktop 2 to move there and access its windows.

You can now move between Desktops 1 and 2 by triggering Task View. Hover over a desktop’s thumbnail to preview the windows it contains. Click on a desktop thumbnail to jump there.

Next, maybe you want to open still more windows and applications but you don’t want them crowding either Desktop 1 or 2. Open Task View and click on the thumbnail for New Desktop. Click on the new thumbnail for Desktop 3 to move there. Now, you can open additional applications to house in this third desktop. You can then bounce around the different desktops by triggering Task View and clicking on the appropriate desktop thumbnail.

Here’s another way to cycle from one virtual desktop to another. Hold down Win Key+Ctrl. Press the right arrow key to move to the next desktop; press the left arrow key to move to the previous desktop.

Next, maybe you want to move some applications from one desktop to another, for example, from Desktop 3 to 2. Open Task View. Hover over Desktop 3. Drag the first window you want to move to Desktop 2 onto the Desktop 2 thumbnail. Do the same for any other windows.

Then, perhaps you want to close one of the desktops entirely, such as Desktop 3. Again, open Task View. Click on the X for Desktop 3 to close it. What happens to any open windows still residing in Desktop 3? They’re rescued by climbing onboard to Desktop 3.

And here’s another way to manage your virtual desktops and the windows they contain. Right-click on any thumbnail for an application or window. From the popup menu, hover to the entry for Move to. You can now move that window to another existing desktop or a new desktop. If you want to see that window on all your virtual desktops, select the command to “Show this window on all desktops.” And if you wish to see any file or window for that application on all your desktops, select the command to “Show windows from this app on all desktops.”

Using Timeline

Okay, now let’s check out the new Timeline feature. Why use Timeline? Just as you can return to previous web pages in your browser’s history, so can you return to previous documents and other files via Timeline. You may need a file from the past few weeks but can’t remember the exact name or other attributes. Through Timeline you can browse and search for files from the recent past by name, date, or location.

Open Task View again. Scroll down the screen until you see the section for Earlier Today. Scroll down to travel further back in time. Click on the window or application you want to launch.

Scroll to the bottom of the screen. To see older windows, click on the Turn On button in the section “To see more days in Timeline.” Scroll down toward the bottom of the screen and you’ll see thumbnails to windows stretching back over the last 30 days. Beyond scrolling the usual way, you can also travel through time by moving the button on the slider bar at the right between Now and the earliest displayed date.

By default, Timeline shows you only thumbnails for the top activities for each date. To see more windows for a specific date, click on the link next to the date to “See all activities.” Click on the link to “See only top activities” to return to the previous view.

Looking for a specific item? You can search for it. Click on the Search icon above the date slider bar. Type a name for the item you seek. Timeline displays the results that match your search.

Are too many unneeded items showing up in Timeline? You can remove specific pieces of content from Timeline or clear everything from a specific date. Right-click on the thumbnail of an item you want to delete and click on Remove. To put the kibosh on everything from that date, click on the command to Clear all from [date]. Keep in mind that removing an item this way doesn’t delete the actual item but simply removes it from your Timeline history.

By default, Windows syncs your Timeline activity data so you can see the same content on different Windows 10 PCs for which you use the same Microsoft Account. If you have another Windows 10 computer, sign in with your account and open Task View to view a timeline of the same synced applications and windows.

Next, you can control the settings for Timeline. Open Settings, System, and them Multitasking. Windows can serve up suggested activities that you may want to see in Timeline. To receive notifications of these, turn on the switch for “Show suggestions occasionally in Timeline.” To see all windows across all your desktops in the Taskbar, change the option for “On the taskbar, show windows that are open” from “Only the desktop I’m using” to “All desktops.” And to see all windows across your desktops when you press Alt+Tab, change the option for “Pressing Alt+Tab shows windows that are open on” from “Only the desktop I’m using” to “All desktops.”

Finally, move to Settings, then Privacy, and then Activity History. If you don’t wish to use Timeline on this computer because you don’t want Windows to keep track of your activities, uncheck the box for “Let Windows collect my activities from this PC.” If you don’t want to see the same Timeline activities across multiple PCs and devices, uncheck the box to “Let Windows sync my activities from this PC to the cloud.”

You can also hide activities from Timeline for a specific account. Turn off this option for the account in the section to “Show activities from accounts.”

Finally, you can remove your current Timeline data as well as other data Microsoft has gathered on your activities. Click on the link to “Manage my Microsoft Account activity data.” That brings you to your Microsoft Account website where you can review and delete your activity history and other data.