Q: The latest version of Windows 10 seems to be reducing my internet speed. What can I do?
Bruno Mattedi, Woodland Park, Colo.
A: The newest versions of Windows 10 can slow down your internet browsing because of how they handle software updates and control the flow of data.
You can reduce the slowdowns by adjusting the latest incarnations, which are the Creators Update, introduced in April, and the Fall Creators Update, introduced in October.
The first thing to adjust is a Windows 10 feature called "auto-tuning," which debuted in 2016's Anniversary Update of the operating system. Auto-tuning makes the Windows app store more responsive to your PC's needs, but it does so by giving app downloads and updates priority use of your internet connection. Whenever app updates are active, your Web browsing will be slowed. You can correct this by disabling auto-tuning (see tinyurl.com/yawr6wry).
Another way to increase your Windows 10 internet speed is to change the "quality of service" settings within the operating system's "local group policy editor." You should set incoming internet data (called "inbound TCP traffic") to "maximum throughput."
Besides adjusting settings to increase your browsing speed, make sure you have the proper software drivers for the latest versions of Windows 10. For example, an internet slowdown could be caused by an outdated driver for your PC's network card. (To check, see tinyurl.com/y8hso6so).
It's also a good idea to check the other equipment that stands between you and the internet. If you use a wireless router, adjusting its Wi-Fi settings may speed up your Web browsing. See "modify the network configuration" at tinyurl.com/yawr6wry for specifics.
Q: My wife and I have been using Google's Picasa photo editing and sorting program on our laptops for years. The Picasa program on my computer still works, but the program on hers gives the error message "CBlockFile::Restore err=2,albums_index.db." Is this caused by Google's decision not to support Picasa any longer? If so, how can we get access to all the photos we have modified with Picasa? And, for the future, where can we find a replacement program?
Curt Lawson, Dayton, Minn.
A: The problem with your wife's laptop isn't caused by Google ending technical support for Picasa. It's the result of data corruption in the laptop's Picasa database, which contains the information for sorting and labeling photos.
Fortunately, that database can be rebuilt (see tinyurl.com/m487fs8), although some of your existing photo labeling information may be lost. (If you are asked to uninstall Picasa as part of rebuilding the database, make sure you have your original copy in your "downloads" folder so you can reinstall it. The program is no longer available online.)
Because your laptop's Picasa program has no problems, you can keep using it. Photos you stored in the online Picasa photo gallery are now in Google Photos (see tinyurl.com/oxcpvl5).
For potential Picasa replacements, see tinyurl.com/y98wkgrn and tinyurl.com/y9rzbwfn.
E-mail tech questions to steve.j.alexander@gmail.com. Include name, city and telephone number.
