8 Frustrating Windows 10 Problems & How to Fix Them

Windows 10 is great with its advanced and user-friendly interface. However, like its earlier versions, it’s not free from the usual issues. From ‘no Internet via Wi-Fi’ to ‘Flickering Screen’ to ‘Drained Battery’, Windows 10 users have always encountered issues that can totally get on their nerves.

In this post, we’ve tried to address some of the issues that have been haunting the Windows 10 users since its release.

Downloaded Windows Update Won’t Install

Windows 10 has a notoriety to force updates on you, meaning you can’t really escape updates when they are due. As if it wasn’t irritating enough, what really gets your goat is the fact that sometimes the update files won’t install as they get corrupted for unknown reasons.

If this sounds familiar, here’s what you can do to fix the issue.

  • Press Windows Key + R to Open Run.
  • Type C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download and Click OK.
  • Delete everything inside the folder, but DON’T DELET the folder itself.
  • If you’re unable to delete some files in the folder, you may try booting Windows 10 on Safe Mode. (See Instruction Below)
  • When this process is complete, try restarting and updating your PC again.

How to Boot Windows 10 on Safe Mode

In earlier versions of Windows OS, you could enter the Safe Mode simply by tapping F8 key. However, in the Windows 10, that option has been disabled on default to speed up the boot process.

Try Command Prompt (Admin) to enter Safe Mode. (see screenshot below)

Windows-10-Command-Prompt-BCDEdit

When the Command Prompt appears, simply type (or copy/paste) the following command, and hit ENTER.

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

To undo this, open your Command Prompt again, execute the following command.

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard

Battery Drained Quicker than You Expect

Windows 10 has been known for sucking the juice of your battery real quick. Understandably, you can the blame on Cortana, the virtual assistant.

Basically, there are two things you can do to save your battery.

Turn Cortana Off: To save battery, do a system search for Cortana and turn it off.

Disable WUDO: WUDO is Windows Update Delivery Optimization. This is something that took everybody by surprised when Windows 10 was released. Users found their battery and internet bandwidth draining too fast.

Disable the toggle

To turn it off, press Windows Key + I, and navigate the following path:

Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced options > Choose how updates are delivered. Then, disable the toggle under “Updated from more than one place.”

Windows Forget Your Default App Choices

Windows 10 isn’t particularly good at remembering your default app choices. For example, if you had opened a link using Chrome browser the last time, Windows 10 will still stick to its default behavior and open Microsoft Edge the next time you click open a random link.

To change this behavior, press Windows Key + I and select System. Navigate to Default Apps and customize it as per your choice.

Wi-Fi Connections Not Discoverable

Many Windows 10 users have complained about issues with Internet access via Wi-Fi.

More often than not, the culprit is either your outdated and incompatible VPN client or outdated Wi-Fi driver adaptor.

To fix this issue, you can visit the VPN software’s website, download/install the updated software version that is compatible with Windows 10. Alternatively, you can Press Windows Key + X to select Command Prompt (Admin) and enter the two following lines, pressing enter key after each one.

reg delete HKCR\CLSID\{988248f3-a1ad-49bf-9170-676cbbc36ba3} /f

netcfg -v -u dni_dne

If the above doesn’t resolve your Wi-Fi internet issue, update your Wi-Fi driver adaptor at Device Manager. Follow the instructions in this guide for more help.

Touchpad Not Working

Well, sometimes, simply turning on the touchpad button on your keyboard will enable it. Look at your keyboard to find the appropriate F# button represented by an icon. If this doesn’t work, then try the following method.

  • Press Windows Key + I, and navigate to the following destination:
  • Devices > Mouse & touchpad > Additional mouse options
  • Click on the Device Settings tab on the dialog box and enable touch pad under Devices.

Alternatively, you can simply update Driver Software under Device Manager.

Unable to Update/Install Store Apps

Although it is quite rare but some users have faced this issue. If you’re unable to update or install any apps within Store, you simply need to clear the cache.

Press Windows Key + R to open Run. Then enter WSReset.exe and click OK. If you see a blank command prompt window, it’s likely working on resolving your issue. Simply wait and the window will close on its own when the command is executed.

Unable to Open MS Office Files

Sometimes, while launching MS office, you will encounter errors such as ‘File is Corrupt’, ‘Unable to Start Correctly’ or ‘Experiencing an error trying to open the file’.

If this is the case with you, the problem might be with the Protected View feature.

Resolve this by following one of the following methods:

Press Control + X, select Command Prompt (Admin), and execute the following command.

icacls “%programfiles%\Microsoft Office 15” /grant *S-1-15-2-1:(OI)(CI)RX

If this doesn’t work, go to Programs & Features, find MS Office, and then right click to choose Online Repair option.

Flickering/Flashing Screens

If you’re experiencing Flickering or Flashing Screens on your device, it’s quite likely that one of your application or driver is incompatible with the current version of your Windows 10.

Many users have found programs such as Norton AntiVirus, iCloud, and IDT Audio cause this issue.

To fix this following one of the following methods:

  • Uninstall the app and reinstall it.
  • Remove the display driver and reinstall it.
  • Roll back to the previous version of your display driver.

Bottomline

Any operating system can throw issues due to incompatible drivers or apps. Windows 10 is no different from that. While facing any issues, the first step is to update the drivers/apps, or uninstall/reinstall them to resolve the issues.

If you know any particular Windows 10 issue that drives you up the wall, let us know in the comment section below. We will include your tip with proper attribution.