Need Help with Windows 10!

A few months ago, my laptop started making buzzing noises. Afraid that it was about to die (no doubt in the middle of an important project), I switched to a new laptop. My old laptop had Windows 7; the new one has Windows 10. I knew there would be a learning curve (which I hate more than almost anything!), but I decided to bite the bullet and dive in. It took some time (which is why I hate learning curves), but I managed to get used to it. Sorta.

And then I started getting warning emails from Verizon about my data usage. I didn’t connect that problem to my new laptop until Christmas Day, when I used my Wi-Fi hotspot at the airport. After a few minutes, I got a message that I had only 25% remaining of my data for the month. Twenty minutes later, I had 10% remaining. Fifteen minutes later, I was getting charged an overage fee. What on earth?

After several time-consuming calls to tech support people (did I mention I hate things that sap my time?), I discovered that Windows 10 totally eats up data when the computer is connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot. Who knew? Apparently a lot of people, because after spending moretime researching, I found several websites with suggested fixes.

Unfortunately, many of those recommendations went way over my non-techy head. And, of course, the instructions and pictures on those websites didn’t always match what I saw on my computer. Sigh.

So … if you have Windows 10 and you use a Wi-Fi hotspot (or something similar) when you’re traveling, I would loveto hear your suggestions for dealing with the data drains. To be honest, I am seriously considering taking my old laptop into a repair shop, and if they can fix it, switching back to good old Windows 7. For as long as I can—maybe long enough for Windows to come out with their next version, which might not suck data so much.

Feel free to post your ideas here (since others may have the same issue), or email me directly. (If you don’t have my email address, you can reach me through the Contact page of my website, www.KathyIde.com.) Any help you may be able to offer will be greatly appreciated!