When you start using a new program there’s always a testing period during which both the program and you as user must adapt to each other in order to build the perfect working partnership. This usually involves tweaking the program’s settings to make it suit your tastes and needs.
The same applies to operating systems. Windows, for example, includes three particular characteristics that are enabled by default on installation but which I personally find quite annoying. Here they are, and here’s also how to get rid of them:
- Hiding known file types extensions. Common file extensions such as JPG, EXE, MP3 and others are hidden by default. I don’t really get the point of doing this. Is it meant to make Windows easier to use? Because I think it only makes things more confusing and complicated. So if you want to bring those extensions back, open any File Explorer window, go to Tools > Folder Options and click on the View tab. Search for the “Hide extensions for known file types” option and disable it.
- Grouping similar windows in the taskbar. You only need to open two or three Explorer windows to realize that something is wrong with your toolbar. The problem is that all the windows from the same application are grouped by default under a single taskbar button. While this may save up space, it makes minimized windows much harder to manage! If you want to recover them, right-click anywhere on the taskbar, select Properties and uncheck “Group similar taskbar buttons”.
- Cleaning up unused icons on Desktop. Every two months the desktop cleanup wizard will pay a visit to tell you how many of your desktop shortcuts you haven’t used for a while. If you feel you don’t need to be told off like a child, go ahead and disable this wizard by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop and choosing Properties. Then click on the Desktop tab and press the Customize Desktop button. Look for the “Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days” option and uncheck it.
