Windows 10 upgrade on my HP laptop

Well I finally upgraded to Windows 10.  Although I am already familiar with it's oddities on another pc, I am finding all sorts of problems.  System settings are all over the place, with old windows from Windows 7 to new ones designed for a touch screen. Sometime they even link to each other, sometimes not.  So here is my current list - I'll probably create a help page for the PDQ Library after I collect more.

Windows 10 Upgrade Tips
    1.  Customizing the date-time display in Windows 10
    2.  Microphone not compatible with Windows 10
    3.  Getting the Start Menu Back

1.  Customizing the date-time display in Windows 10

I prefer date-time stamps on files in Windows Explorer to look like this:
    16-07-16 3:06 pm

Click the Sth3art Menu (wWindows key), then Settings gear icon, then choose Time Date.
Time & Language window opens with Date & time already selected.
Click Change time and date formats
    Under Short date select "yy-MM-dd".
    Click back arrow to return to Time & Language
Under "Related settings" click Additional date, time & regional settings
    Under Region, select Change date, time or number formats
    In the Region window, the Formats tab is already selected.
    Under Short time select "h:mm tt" then click Apply at the bottom.
    Click on the Additional settings button at the bottom.
    In the Customize Format window, select the Time tab.
        Highlight the AM dropdown and type am then the TAB key.
        PM is now highlighted, so type pm then the TAB key.
        Click OK on all open windows and close them.

2.  Microphone not working in Windows 10

Click the Start Menu and the X key at same time to open the Control Panel. Select Sounds from the list.

On the Recording tab, right-click on Integrated Microphone Array (on my PC) and then click Enable - you should now see activity in the volume bar if the mic picks up any sound.

Next click the Start Menu then Settings then choose Time & Language.

From left of windows select Speech then under Microphone click Get Started to start the mic calibration.  You can now record sounds and use Cortana if you wish.

3.  Getting the Start Menu Back

If you've used Windows 7 for years, your Start Menu was probably organized into many folders and sub-folders.

If you upgraded from Windows 7 system and chose to "keep your existing programs and data", your old Start Menu is still there.  The "new" Start Menu still has your old folders and all the shortcuts in them -- but mashes them into the All apps list ALPHABETICALLY.  What a mess! To get your old Start Menu back in a form you can actually use, just add it to the Taskbar at the bottom of your screen as a "new toolbar".

First check out all the Start Menu locations to see which one you want to use.  Note: Replace XXX with your user name before using it. Copy each path in turn by typing Ctrl+C and paste it by typing Ctrl+V to open the path in Windows Explorer. Use Open in the File menu, or just paste into the address bar at the top.

"C:\Users\XXX\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu"
"C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu"
"C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu"

Copy the path of the folder you want to use (the quotes are required since the path has a space in it). To use the Programs subfolder, add "\Programs" to the path.

"C:\Users\XXX\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs"

Right-click on the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen and select Toolbars, then select New Toolbar...  In the window that opens, paste (Ctrl+V) into the Folder box.  The name Programs (or Start Menu) will appear in the Taskbar immediately left of the System and Notification icons.  When you click on the double chevrons to the right of the name, your menu of folders and programs will appear above it. Hover or select a folder to see its subfolders through the tree structure you so carefully created.