Ed Bott - Windows 10 Support Secrets

52 CHAPTER 4 | Having fun CHAP T E R 4 Having fun Out with the old, in with the new. That seems to be the philosophy for the collection of digital media and entertainment apps included with Windows 10. Long-time Windows users are no doubt familiar with several legacy apps designed to manage and play back digital media files. The best known, by far, is Windows Media Player, which survives in Windows 10 with no noticeable changes from its incarnation in Windows 7. On devices that have been upgraded from earlier Windows versions, you might also find the venerable Windows Photo Viewer. Windows 10 includes three Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps that take over the digital media functions previously handled by those legacy apps: Groove Music, Photos, and Movies & TV. Because these are UWP apps, they update themselves automatically through the Store. In addition, all Home and Pro editions of Windows 10 include an Xbox app and some games. These apps all have some common interface conventions as well as online connections. This chapter focuses on training users to take advantage of those common features. Setting default digital media apps Although the new digital media apps are installed by default with Windows 10 and can’t be removed, that doesn’t mean you have to use them. Users who prefer the older Windows Media Player or would rather use a third-party alternative for specific tasks are free to do so. To see the current defaults for handling specific file types, open Settings > System > Default Apps. (You can also find this page on the All Apps list, under Windows System > Default Programs). The categories on this list include Music Player, Photo Viewer, and Video Player. As you can see in Figure 4-1, each category shows the icon of the current default app, and clicking that app (or the plus sign for a category that doesn’t have a default) offers a choice of programs that are appropriate for handling those file types.