More than half of all computer uses will encounter malicious software, or malware, costing consumers billions of dollars each year.  These programs can destroy your data, steal your information and make your PC unstable.

In Windows 8 Microsoft introduced a new type of menu. This menu, in Windows 8, was called the start screen. But, users were clearly frustrated with the Windows 8 start screen and lack of a start menu. Users were so upset about that software was developed by third parties to allow users to get their start menu back!
Windows 10’s start menu combines features of the historical Windows start menu and the Windows 8 start screen into one.

Windows 10 Tiles

​So, what was it about the Windows 8 start screen that was added to the start menu? The tiles. Think of tiles as the icons on your phone’s screen. Or, the apps on your tablet.
So, the Windows 10 start menu now contains:

• at the far left, icons to change users, power off, open file explorer and adjust settings
• to the right of this settings column is the start menu you may remember from previous versions of Windows
  • this menu may look slightly different as there are small icons next to each option but it’s generally the same
• on the far right is a tile menu
  • think of this tile menu as a place to put your most used shortcuts to get to them quickly

In this article we’ll be discussing how to customize the tiles in the Windows 10 start menu.

How to Remove Tiles from Start Menu in Windows 10
Your computer probably came with tiles already in the start menu. To customize the Windows 10 start menu let’s first start by deleting the tiles you don’t want. You probably have all sorts of tiles that Windows or your computer manufacturer loaded onto your system. Let’s remove tiles that you won’t use.
To remove tiles from start menu:

1. Right click on the tile you want to delete
2. Click unpin from start menu

How to Add Shortcut to Windows 10 Start Menu
Now that you’ve removed the tiles you don’t want you have room to add shortcuts to your start menu for programs you actually use.

What types of tiles can you add to your start menu? Tiles for apps, programs and applications you use (whatever you want to call them, they’re all the same thing really). Shortcuts for your favorite internet sites can be added to your Windows 10 start menu as well.

To add a tile to Windows 10 Start Menu:

1. Open the start menu
2. Find the program you want to pin to the start menu
3. When you locate the app you want to add to the start menu, right click on it and select pin to start
4. The program will now appear as a tile on the tile portion of your start menu

Go down the program list in the traditional style smart menu and find all the programs you use most. For these programs, pin each one to the start menu for fast accessibility.

Add Shortcut to Start Menu
Did you know you can also pin internet shortcuts to your start menu? If you check your email in a web browser you may want to pin that to your start menu. If you like to shop at amazon you could add an amazon shortcut to your tile menu. Do you have to log into your work website often? Add that internet shortcut to your start menu. And if you love social media you can add shortcuts to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc to your smart menu in Windows 10.

In previous articles we’ve explained how to add internet shortcuts to your start menu if you use Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. The process for each is similar but there’s an important thing to understand.
With each of these instructions you’re pinning the internet shortcut to your start menu. When the shortcut opens, it will open in your default browser.

Here’s how to set your default browser on your computer:

1. In the Cortana search box type default browser
2. Click on the system settings that says choose a default web browser
3. On the right side of the screen in the window that opens (toward the bottom) you’ll see the option to select a default browser for your computer.

Here’s how to pin shortcuts to your start menu in Windows 10. Go to your favorite websites and add shortcuts to them in your start menu using the instructions below.

How to pin Microsoft Edge shortcut to start menu: 

1. Open Microsoft Edge
2. Go to the website you’d like to pin to the start menu
3. Click the three dots in the upper right corner
4. Click pin this page to start

Create a Google Chrome shortcut tile in your start menu: 

1. Open Google Chrome
2. Go to the website you’d like to add to the tile menu
3. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen
4. Click more tools
5. Click add to desktop
6. Now minimize or close your Google Chrome screen and right click on the new icon that’s appeared on your computer’s desktop screen
7. Click pin to taskbar

Add a Mozilla Firefox shortcut to your start menu: 

1. Open Mozilla Firefox
2. Go to the website you’d like to pin to the start menu
3. Make the Mozilla Firefox window small so you can see your desktop in the background
4. Click on the globe next to the internet address and drag it over to your desktop – this will create a shortcut on your desktop
5. Right click on the new shortcut on your desktop
6. Click pin to taskbar

Remember, regardless of which browser you used to create these shortcuts, they’ll always open in your default browser.

How to Organize Windows 10 Start Menu
Now that we’ve added our most used content, it’s time to organize the Windows 10 start menu.

Change Tile Sizes in Start Menu
The tiles in your start menu can be different sizes. When they’re first added they’re probably added as the medium size, a square. But, many of these can also be a small square, a horizontal rectangle or a large square.
To change the tile sizes in the start menu:

1. Open the start menu
2. Right click on the tile you’d like to resize
3. Click resize
4. Select the size you’d like for your tile

Note: Some tiles have fewer options than others.
Change the size of the tiles in the start menu to suit your style.

How to Add  New Column to Start Menu
Now if you’ve added a lot of content to your start menu you may have to scroll down to see it all. I prefer it all to be on the screen at the same time. To be able to view more tiles on your start menu you can add new columns to the menu. When you do this, you can essentially add more shortcuts to the right of your screen instead of having one long column that’s taller than your screen.
How to Add a New Column to Your Start Menu

1. Open your start menu
2. Click on a tile you’d like to put into a new column
3. Drag the tile to the right until a new column forms
4. Let go and the tile will stay in the new column

If you have a lot of shortcuts you might want to show more tiles in each column. Doing this will also enable you to see more tiles from the start menu on your screen.
To view more tiles per group:

1. Click on the start button
2. Click on settings on the left (the gear icon)
3. Click on personalization
4. Click on start
5. Turn on the toggle switch for show more tiles

Create New Group in Start Menu
Now you may have a lot of tiles all bunched together and looking crowded. To better organize your start menu, Windows 10 gives you the capability of grouping your tiles into “groups”.
How to create a new group in start menu:

1. Open the start menu
2. Click on a tile you’d like to move to a new group and drag it to the bottom
3. As you drag the tile to the bottom of the screen to an empty spot you’ll see a horizontal bar appear between the sections of tiles. This bar is the heading for a new group. When you drop the tile a new group will have been formed.

By continuing to drag and drop the tiles around the screen you can rearrange their locations and organize the tiles into groups that are logical. Here are some ideas on groups you may want:

• Utility: computer settings, control panel and windows explorer 
• Games
• Programs: Word, Excel, Outlook, etc if you’re using Office 365
• Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, etc
• Video: YouTube, Netflix, VidAngel, etc
• Shopping: Amazon, Ebay, Gazelle, Dell, Lenovo

 Rename Groups in Start Menu
Now we have organized tiles on our start menu in nice organized groups. Wouldn’t it be nice to give these groups names? Well, you can!
Here’s how to rename groups in start menu:

1. If your tile group already has a name just click on the name to change the name
2. If your tile group isn’t named, put your cursor on the blank horizontal line above the group and you’ll see a message that says name group. Click when you see that message and you can rename the group.

Conclusion
Now that you know how to add tiles, remove tiles, resize tiles, create groups and rename groups in the Windows 10 start menu you can organize your start menu in no time. My only problem is coming up with an layout I like. I keep tweaking it to rearrange tiles. I love things nice and organized and my start menu is no different! 

Hands of Support has been focusing on helping others get better jobs by offering career boosting classes and resume assistance.  In keeping with this theme today our post is about better interview prep. Enjoy!

Learn to code. Seriously. I can’t stress enough how valuable coding skills are. And coding know-how can often lead to much more flexible (and lucrative!) work.
So, if you’ve been plotting an escape from your cubicle for some time, coding may very well be your ticket out of the office.
In fact, some of the most in-demand, remote-friendly positions revolve around coding. So, I’ll say it again, if you want to work from anywhere (and make a good living to boot) learn to code!

But before we jump into how and where you can learn to code, let’s look at what exactly coding is and why it’s such a hot commodity skills-wise in the remote working world.

What Exactly is Code?
All the websites, apps and software you use are built on code.

Your favorite social media site? Yep, that’s code.

That game you spend way too much time playing? That’s code, too.

Your go-to browser for searching? All code.

This very line of text you’re reading right now? You guessed it! Code.

And because so many amazing things are built upon code, it means there’s a lot of demand for people who know how to code. After all, behind every awesome app and share-worthy site, there’s the brillaint mind of a programmer (what you call someone who codes). And when you learn to code, that programmer could be you.

What Does a Programmer Do?
We know the term coding is super broad and applies to many different applications, software, and sites. And the job duties of one programmer will be just as broad, varying greatly from one to the next.

In fact, there are different types of code, called languages. Each language has a specific purpose in the world of web design and development. Typically, a programmer will specialize in a few languages.

If this is starting to make your head spin! Hang in there. I promise, it’s not as complicated as it sounds.

As a beginner, you won’t be focusing on the super complex languages that well-seasoned pros tackle. You’ll start from the beginning and work your way up. Baby steps, right?

Popular Programming Languages
Someone who builds websites will be more well-versed in certain languages than others. Just as a programmer who specializes in databases may only work with a handful of languages.

Really, the type of programming languages used depends on the nature of a job and its industry.

But, generally speaking, there are those languages which are continually in demand thanks to their popularity and frequent use in building the applications, sites, and databases we use every day.

These languages include:

Java
Have an Android smartphone or tablet? Your device’s operating system is built on Java. This popular language is also used to build games, apps, and web-based content (to name a few).

PHP
Every time you visit Facebook, you’re looking at PHP in action! WordPress sites are also built using PHP.

Python
The name sounds intimidating, but Python is actually regarded as a beginner-friendly language to learn. It’s also the power behind web apps for my favorite visual search engine, Pinterest!

Ruby
Although specifically built to be easy to write, Ruby packs quite a lot of punch. This powerful language is used to build websites and apps as well as power Ruby on Rails, the framework that brings sites like Groupon and Shopify to life.

JavaScript
All of those interactive features and animations you see on websites are there thanks to JavaScript. It’s also a popular language for game developers.

SQL
Many databases are built using the special-purpose language of SQL. It’s specifically known for its query feature that allows users to search databases.

C Language
Before there was Ruby, Python, Java (or any other languages), there was C Language. As the oldest programming language around, many of the others mentioned on this list were built with C Language as a foundation. Needless to say, it’s a must-learn for aspiring programmers!

A Cubicle-Free Career
We know what code is. We know when you learn to code, you posess a super valuable skill. And we know the different coding languages and how they’re used to make the things we see, use and interact with every day.

But what makes programming such a remote-friendly career path?

Coding can be done from, well, anywhere. With a computer and Internet connection, you can work on, collaborate with, and share code with coworkers from around the world.

And many startups and well-established companies alike recognize this. So, instead of limiting their taent pool to local candidates, they open their virtual doors to anyone with the knowledge to get the job done.

So, when your end goal is to carve a cubicle-free career path, programming can definitely open up a lot of those opportunities for you.

Who Hires Programmers?
Programmers may be hired as full-time employees or as freelancers to perform one-off gigs.

For example, an online boutique owner may hire a programmer to help give their website a new look.

Or a large tech company may need a programmer on staff to make updates and troubleshoot bugs.

Really, it just depends on the company or person hiring and their needs.

Take Automattic, for example, the mastermind behind WordPress and popular plugins Jetpack and Akismet. They frequently hire full-time programmers because they have a lot of projects going on at any given time. And, as you may have guessed, their Code Wranglers and JavaScript Engineers can work from ANYWHERE!

But a quick search on Dice, a popular tech job board, shows a good mix of full-time, part-time, and freelance projects to choose from.
​
So, no matter the type of employment you’re after, chances are you can find it once you learn to code!

If these things don't put your computer in tip-shape then you may need to visit us. Schedule a time to come in HERE

Hands of Support is taking a couple of months to focus on supporting the Baltimore community.  We want to help the community upgrade their computer skills AND resumes so they can get that better job or change careers.  Hands of Support strives to do what our name says. We want to be the Hands of Support you need to make that jump in your career.

If you'd like more help we want to be there for you. Consider signing up for one of our workshop classes. Receive instruction on how to upgrade your computer skills and sharpen your resume. More details here.

It's always exciting when you bring home a new computer. It feels so powerful and fast; you can't imagine ever needing to buy another one again. Unfortunately, neither your excitement nor your PC's performance lasts.
Whether your hard drive is running out of space or your system takes forever to run simple tasks, it might be worth your time to try and revive it before replacing it. Here are some spring cleaning tips to revive your Windows PC:
Free up disk space
The enormous size of modern multimedia files can eat up your hard-drive storage quickly. What once seemed like a laughable amount of storage, can suddenly become insufficient. But are you using that storage efficiently?

• Uninstall software. It's easy to forget about software you've installed but haven't used in a while. Get rid of trial software, games you don't play anymore, and other software you rarely use.
• Run the Windows Disk Cleanup tool and while you're there, go to the More Options tab to also clean up your system restore files.
• Empty your Web browser cache. Over time, you'd be surprised how much space a browser's cache takes up.
• Use CCleaner to automate your cleanup tasks. It's one of the best Windows utilities around.
• If your hard disk is still short on storage, try running WinDirStat to see what's taking up all that storage. You might discover forgotten files you no longer need.
• To free up even more disk space, consider using Duplicate File Finder to identify and remove duplicate files on your system.

Recover performance with software tools
Performance on Windows computers tends to degrade over time, but with a few OS tweaks, you can recover some performance.

• Defrag your hard drive. Especially after performing massive file deletion tasks, your hard disk is going to be heavily fragmented. Use the default Windows defrag utility or a third-party program like, Defraggler to speed up disk access.
• Make Windows start faster. You can use the Windows msconfig utility to prevent programs from starting up automatically, or use CCleaner. You can also bypass the Windows logo by setting the No GUI boot setting. 
• Check for updated hardware drivers for components like graphics cards, printers, and network adapters. Updated drivers often fix bugs and improve performance.

Increase performance with simple hardware upgrades
Simple hardware upgrades can make your system perform better than when it was new.

• Adding RAM is still one of the most cost-effective ways to improve PC performance. Check your system specs to confirm the maximum amount of RAM that can be installed. Also, remember that only 64-bit versions of Windows can see above 4GB.
• If you're still using a mechanical hard drive in your computer, migrating to an SSD drive will significantly improve system performance.
• Can't justify the cost of an SSD? Consider upgrading to a hybrid drive. A hybrid drive uses a small amount of solid-state storage along with a traditional mechanical drive to boost performance, for much less than the price of an SSD drive.
• If you're not up for migrating your Windows 7 system to a brand-new drive, SSD cache drives are an easy way to boost performance. They're small, inexpensive SSD drives that can be added to your system without having to migrate Windows or your data.

Check your Windows system security
While you're tuning up your system for performance, it's also a good time to check your system security.

• Make sure Windows Update is enabled and scheduled for automatic updates. Updates often contain security patches, so this is essential for keeping your Windows PC secure.
• Make sure you have a highly rated firewall and antivirus program installed with automatic updates turned on. Free security programs are OK in a pinch, but they're usually crippled in some way or don't measure up to the premium ones. Internet providers like Comcast and AT&T also provide premium security programs for free with service. And online retailers routinely offer huge discounts after rebates on security software.
• Consider adding a physical firewall to your network. An oft-forgotten benefit of Wi-Fi routers is the fact that they serve as a firewall between the Internet and your home network.
• Review your system backup plan. Don't have one? Get one. And here's the most important part about a backup plan: test the restore to make sure it actually works.

Clean your hardware the right way
Cleaning your computer gear not only makes them look nice, but also keeps germs at bay and can help your system run better.

•  Clean and disinfect your keyboard and mouse. Computer keyboards can get pretty filthy from just normal use, not to mention from eating at our desks or working while we're sick. Studies have shown that keyboards have more bacteria than toilet seats -- ick!
• Clean your computer LCD display. Remember when your computer LCD display had that brand-new, fresh out-of-the-box shine? If it's looking a little dull lately, it might be time to give it a good cleaning.
• Clean the inside of your computer. Over time, dust buildup inside your computer could undermine its cooling efficiency, resulting in shorter life spans for your computer's components.

What to do with your old PC
If you've decided to go ahead and buy a new PC, you can still use your old one for some great things or sell it to put some cash back in your wallet.

• Turn your old PC into a media center PC, networked media storage, Linux test PC, home security monitor, or a backup storage device.  
• Strip it for parts. One of the most reusable parts of an old PC is the hard drive. Pull the internal hard drive out and make your own an external hard drive out of it.

That's it. Performing some or all of these tips should help keep your Windows PC running smoothly for at least another year. If you have questions on any of these tips, let us know in the comments below.

Earlier this week we talked about Macs vs. PCs to help you make a decision on which computer is best for you. If you are deciding on getting a new computer then that means you are getting rid of an old one. Passwords, emails, bank details and address books - chances are your computer contains plenty of personal information about you.  
Though dragging and dropping documents into your computer's trash folder is easy - it doesn't mean they're really deleted!  Here's how you ensure your deleted files are permanently disappear from your hard drive.

Trying to decide if you are better off buying a PC or a Mac?  We've provided a great comparison infographic for you here. 

Let us know your thoughts and which you prefer and why?