If you're looking for Windows Update, look no further -- Microsoft has completely removed the icon from the Control Panel, and it exists only in the new Windows 10 Settings menu. Microsoft is definitely trying to minimize the Control Panel in Windows 10, if not do away with it altogether.
If you want to update your Windows 10 PC, you'll now have to do it through the Settings menu. The Update & securitytab is where you'll find Windows Update, along with sections for Windows activation, backup, recovery, Windows Defender, and developer options.
Under Windows Update, you'll find (almost) everything you need to update Windows. At the top of the screen, you'll see a status message that tells you whether your PC is up to date, and when your computer last checked for updates. If you want to manually check for updates, click Check for updates.
For more Windows Update settings, click Advanced options. Here, you'll be able to choose how updates are installed (you can now schedule your update restarts for a specific time) and view your update history. To see details on a specific update, just click on the link below it that will either read "Successfully installed on..." or "Failed to install on..."
If you're running the Windows 10 Technical Preview, you'll also see a section that says Choose how preview builds are installed -- this section probably won't exist in the final version of Windows 10.
Next, you'll see a section called Activation. This section is pretty straightforward -- it shows you what edition of Windows you have, whether Windows is activated, and gives you the option to change your product key.
In Backup, you can set your backup settings: Add an external drive for backup, or click More options to see Advanced settings (this will take you to the File History window in Control Panel). If you created a backup using Windows 7's Backup and Restore tool, you can recover your backup through the Control Panel.
The Recovery section offers three options to help you fix your computer. Reset this PC, which will let you reinstall Windows without removing your files; Go back to an earlier build, which will let you go back to an earlier build of Windows (I assume this means it will uninstall updates in the final version of Windows 10); and Advanced startup, which restarts your PC so you can restore Windows from a system image, USB drive or disc.
In Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview Build 10130, Microsoft has added a Windows Defender section to the Update & security tab. Here, you can turn real-time protection, cloud-based protection and sample submission (reporting to Microsoft) on and off. You can also add exclusions, or files that you don't want Windows Defender to scan.
The For developers section is for people making apps and programs for Windows 10. This area lets you turn on some options most users won't need, such as side-loading apps.
Editors' note:This How To post was originally published on March 1, 2015, and was updated on June 11, 2015, to reflect new information regarding Windows 10 Pro Insider Preview Build 10130.