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Windows 10 to Add Native Support for FLAC and MKV

February 10th, 2015 by Admin

Microsoft has already confirmed that Windows 10 will come with native support for MKV (Matrsoka Video) and FLAC. FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is a commonly used lossless audio format that provides a more accurate reproduction of recordings. In other words, it sounds better than other formats, such as MP3, which compress recordings down to a more manageable size but lose quality in the process.

It’s also worth mentioning that MKV and FLAC are currently supported in Windows 10 Technical Preview and that file support will continue on to the final version when it hits the market. Here’s a look at playing some .flac audio files with Windows Media Player on Windows 10 build 9901 (The download is available through the Windows Insider Program website).

windows-media-player

MKV and FLAC are two file formats that have been increasing in popularity over the years. They produce great quality audio and video, are compressed so the files aren’t too large and are feature rich. Windows 8.1 and prior did not provide any supporting software out of the box, requiring end users to download third party apps to convert FLAC/MKV formats, such as the Video Converter Assist. With Windows 10, Windows Media Player will be able to handle those duties.

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How to Convert DMG Image to ISO format in Windows

February 8th, 2015 by Admin

Most software on Mac OS X is distributed as a DMG image format. The Mac users can open .dmg files on Mac OS X without using third-party software. But if you are a Windows user, you will be in trouble, since Windows can not recognize dmg format by default. In this article we’ll show you how to convert DMG files to ISO format in Windows using the freeware dmg2img.

How to Convert DMG Image to ISO format in Windows?

  1. First head over to this website and grab yourself a copy of dmg2img by clicking on the win32 binary link. Extract the contents of the downloaded dmg2img-1.6.5-win32.zip file to a new folder.

    dmg2img

  2. Open a Command Prompt and then use the cd command to navigate to the folder where you extracted the dmg2img file.
  3. Now use the following command syntax to convert your DMG file:

    dmg2img.exe {source file.dmg} {destination file.iso}

    In my example I want to convert a Mac installer image called Apple.Mac.OSX.v10.7.Lion.dmg, and save the converted ISO as mac.iso, so my command would be:

    dmg2img.exe c:\Apple.Mac.OSX.v10.7.Lion.dmg c:\mac.iso

    convert-dmg-to-iso

  4. After a few minutes of processing, your DMG will be converted to ISO format. You can then burn the ISO image to your disc or mount it to CD drive for your own purpose in Windows.

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Posted in Free Software, Others, Tips & Tricks

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Disable Command Prompt Using Group Policy or Registry Trick

February 2nd, 2015 by Admin

Command Prompt is a built-in tool in Windows that is rarely used by the average user. It’s not so user-friendly but advanced computer users with malicious intent can use the Command Prompt to bypass most restrictions that are enforced on the Windows Explorer based GUI. In this post, we will explain how to disable Command Prompt in Windows 11/10/8/7.

Note: If you need to use the Command Prompt frequently, or run batch scripts or use the Terminal Services, disabling Command Prompt is not recommended.

Option 1: Disable Command Prompt Using Group Policy

  1. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box, type gpedit.msc and hit Enter.

  2. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor. Now, go to the following location in the left pane:
    User Configuration/Administrative Templates/System

    Make sure click on the System node rather than expanding it. In the right side pane you will see the “Prevent access to the command prompt” policy. Double-click it to modify.

  3. In the pop-up window, select Enabled. If you also want to prevent running .bat or .cmd script files, select Yes from the dropdown under the Options section. Click Apply/OK and you are done.

  4. You do not have to restart your computer for the setting to take effect. If you try to launch the Command Prompt, you’ll see the message “The command prompt has been disabled by your administrator.”

Option 2: Disable Command Prompt with Registry Trick

Unfortunately, the Local Group Policy (gpedit.msc) is not available in all editions of Windows. For those users running the Home edition of Windows, you can still disable Command Prompt with this registry tweak:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box, type regedit and hit Enter.

  2. This will open the Registry Editor. Navigate to the registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows. Right-click the Windows key in the left sidebar and choose New -> Key.

  3. Name the newly-created as System. When the System key is selected, right-click the blank area in the right pane and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  4. Name the DWORD as DisableCMD and then give it a value 1 for disabling the Command Prompt and preventing batch files from running. If you want to disable the Command Prompt but allow batch files, set the value to 2. This change will take effect immediately.

    To enable the Command Prompt again, just change the value to 0.

Conclusion

So this is how you can disable the Command Prompt in all versions of Windows. If you need a more secure method to lock the Command Prompt, you can use the third-party software – Protect My Folders, which allows you to protect c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe with a password.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 7, Windows 8

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How to Boot An Existing VirtualBox VM from USB Drive

January 23rd, 2015 by Admin

How can I get a VirtualBox virtual machine to boot from a physical USB drive? The problem is that the GUI of Oracle VirtualBox does not have an option to set boot from USB. Luckily there is a workaround to boot a VirtualBox virtual machine from USB drive.

Just create a new virtual hard disk (VMDK) file and use it as a raw disk that VirtualBox maps to your USB drive. When you boot your virtual machine from the newly-created virtual hard drive, it will load the operating system on your USB stick. Here’s how.

How to Boot An Existing VirtualBox VM from USB Drive?

  1. Before doing anything, make sure you’ve created a bootable USB drive and plugged it into your computer. Now we need to find the disk number of your physical USB drive.
  2. Press Windows Key + R to bring up the Run box, type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter to open the Disk Management window. Locate your USB drive and note its disk number. In my case, the USB drive is listed as “Disk 1“, so the disk number is 1.

    disk-management

  3. Once you have the disk number, open up the Command Prompt as administrator. Use the cd command to navigate to VirtualBox’s installation directory. If you have installed VirtualBox in any other directory or drive, then change the command accordingly.

    cd %programfiles%\Oracle\VirtualBox

  4. Enter the following command while replacing # with the actual disk number you found above.

    VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename C:\exusb.vmdk -rawdisk \\.\PhysicalDrive#

    create-virtual-hard-drive

    You can replace C:\extusb.vmdk with any file path you want. This command creates a virtual machine disk (VMDK) file that points to the physical USB drive.

  5. Now open up the VirtualBox with administrative rights. If not, VirtualBox will fail to boot from the USB drive. In the VirtualBox main window, select your target virtual machine and click Settings.

    virtualbox-manager

  6. Click on the Storage tab. Under the Storage Tree section, highlight Controller:IDE and then click on the “Add Hard Disk” icon to the right.

    virtualbox-settings

  7. In the popup box, click Choose existing disk and then choose the VDMK file (C:\exusb.vdmk in the example) you created in step 4. When this is done, click OK to save your changes.

    add-virtual-hard-drive

  8. Now starts Virtual machine and you’ll see that it starts booting from your physical USB drive. As you can see from the image below, I’ve successfully booted into my PCUnlocker Live USB drive.

    pcunlocker

With this method you can install the operating system from the USB stick, or boot your existing VirtualBox virtual machine from other third-party rescure & recovery USB drives.

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How to Reset Windows 7 to Factory Settings without Install Disc

January 23rd, 2015 by Admin

How do I reset or restore a Windows 7 PC to factory settings? As we all know, Windows 7 doesn’t have the built-in refresh and reset options like Windows 8/8.1 and you have no other way to restore your computer to factory settings unless you have a manufacturer-provided install media or recovery disc.

Many computer manufacturers are pre-installing Windows without giving you the actual installation media to go with it. Instead, they create a hidden recovery partition for users to perform a factory reset. If your hard drive has such a recovery partition, you can then reset your Windows 7 system to factory settings without needing any discs or external drives. Here’s how.

How to Reset Windows 7 to Factory Settings without Install Disc?

  1. Click Start, then choose Control Panel. Click System and Security.

    control-panel

  2. Next choose Backup and Restore.

    system-and-security

  3. In the Backup and Restore window, click on the Recover system settings or your computer link.

    backup-and-restore

  4. Next, choose Advanced recovery methods.

    recovery

  5. Now you’ll be presented with two options: “Restore files from a system image backup” and “Return Your Computer to Factory Condition“. Click on “Return Your Computer to Factory Condition”.

    Note: If your computer doesn’t have a recovery partition, then the factory reset option is not available and you’ll see the “Reinstall Windows (requires Windows installation disc)” option instead.

  6. Select to either create a Back up now, or to Skip it and continue the factory reset without backing up any of your current files.

    user-file-backup

  7. Click the Restart button to reboot your computer and to start the factory reset process.

    restart

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How to Backup and Restore Outlook Mail Messages

January 11th, 2015 by Admin

When you use Microsoft Outlook as your email client, your email messages, contacts, appointments, task, notes are automatically saved in a personal storage folder (also known as a .pst file). Backing up your Outlook data is an important job especially if your computer crashes or if your want to transfer them to a new computer.

In this article, I explain how to easily backup Outlook mail messages and then restore (or transfer) them to another Windows-based computer.

Part 1: Backup Outlook Mail Messages

  1. Click Start, and then click the Control Panel.
  2. In the upper right corner of the Control Panel, click the pull-down menu and choose Small Icons. Double-click on Mail.

    control-panel

  3. The Mail Setup window should be open now. Click on the the Data Files button.

    mail-setup

  4. In the Account settings window, select a mail account (in case of multiple ones) and click on the Open Folder button.

    open-pst-folder

  5. Windows Explorer will open to the Outlook .PST file that contains mail messages for your selected mail account.

    backup-pst-file

  6. With Outlook closed and the folder open, copy the .PST file to a safe location, such as an external hard drive. Better yet, make sure that your regular backup routine includes this folder.

Part 2: Restore Outlook Mail Messages

Here is how to import the .PST file back into Outlook to gain access to your mail messages again.

  1. In Outlook application, click the File menu. Navigate to the Open sub-menu, then click Outlook Data File.

    import-outlook-pst

  2. Navigate to wherever your .PST file is located. Select the PST file you backed up previously and click OK.

    choose-backup-pst

  3. Once restored, you’ll be able to browse and view all items including mail messages inside your selected PST file.

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How to Lock Chrome with Password and Enable Guest Browsing

January 8th, 2015 by Admin

There are times when you have to share your PC with others. Of course, this also means that you’re allowing others to open your web browser to surf the Web. The main issue here is that you may not want them to have access to your bookmarks, browsing histories, or more scary, the saved passwords.

In Chrome, there is hidden secret feature called “Profile management system” that lets you password protected the browser and allow you to manage multiple accounts. One pre-made user account is for guests in specific. The guest account keeps no record of history or other personal data.

How to Lock Chrome with Password and Enable Guest Browsing?

  1. Open your Chrome browser. Type chrome://flags in the address bar and press Enter. Press Ctrl+F and search for “Enable new profile management system”. Next select Enable from the drop-down menu.

    enable-chrome-profile-management

  2. Once changed, click on the Relaunch Now button appearing at the bottom of the screen so that the changes made will take effect. If you don’t see the relaunch button just close and re-open the browser.
  3. Once you relaunch the Chrome browser, you will find a new button in the upper-right corner just before the minimize button which is labelled as first user. Now click on it, a small panel will open where you can log in to your Google account.

    chrome-first-user

  4. After signing into your Google account, you will notice at the title bar Chrome is displaying your account name instead of a icon. Click on your name to reveal your user card where you can select the Lock option to lock the Chrome browser. By locking the browser, you can prevent others from assessing your browsing history, bookmarks and other private data.

    lock-chrome

  5. Once locked, the browser will vanish and the User Manager window will appear and others can still use the browser as a guest user by selecting the option Browse as Guest located at the bottom left corner.

    chrome-user-manager

    Keep in mind that the User Manager window will remain active until you re-enter your password, even after restarting Chrome or rebooting the operating system.

Note: You must remember to lock your profile before closing Chrome because closing the browser won’t automatically lock your profile. Since Chrome reloads all the tabs when you unlock, don’t forget to save any of your unsaved work.

Be aware that this new Chrome profile management feature is not yet enabled by default and is still in the testing phase. This feature only locks the Chrome app itself and it doesn’t actually add an extra layer of protection to your browsing histories. The saved passwords in Chrome can always be revealed with the password tool such as Password Recovery Bundle.

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Christmas Offer – Get 50% Off Password Recovery Software

December 24th, 2014 by Admin

Dear All! Christmas is coming and we’d like to wish you happy holidays and lots of great sunny days in upcoming 2015! In order to celebrate this awesome holiday, Top Password Software, Inc. releases 50% discount Christmas special offer today. It means that every customer can save 50% than any other time of the year to get any password recovery software from top-password.com.

Hurry up!!! Shop Now at www.top-password.com
All Products 50% OFF
Coupon Code: TOP-45K2D47BJG
This promotion will expire at 23:59 UTC, Dec 28th 2014.

merry-christmas

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How to Hide A Drive / Partition from Windows Explorer

December 24th, 2014 by Admin

Do you have some private files that you want to hide from your children? Here is a registry trick to hide a drive or partition in Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP, so it cannot be accessed from Windows Explorer by inexperienced users.

The method is not foolproof though, and users can still access the contents of the hidden drive from Command Prompt or Disk Management. If you have some confidential or sensitive data on a local disk and want to lock / protect it securely, I recommend you use the Protect My Folder application.

How to Hide A Drive / Partition from Windows Explorer?

  1. Open Registry Editor and navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. In the right pane, right-click the blank area and choose New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  2. Name the newly-created DWORD as NoDrives and then double-click it. In the pop-up window, choose Decimal, enter a proper number for hiding your desired partition. In my example, I want to hide the network drive Z:, so I type in the value 33554432.

    Here’s a list of the values (decimal number) you’ll want to enter for different drive letters:

    • A: 1
    • B: 2
    • C: 4
    • D: 8
    • E: 16
    • F: 32
    • G: 64
    • H: 128
    • I: 256
    • J: 512
    • K: 1024
    • L: 2048
    • M: 4096
    • N: 8192
    • O: 16384
    • P: 32768
    • Q: 65536
    • R: 131072
    • S: 262144
    • T: 524288
    • U: 1048576
    • V: 2097152
    • W: 4194304
    • X: 8388608
    • Y: 16777216
    • Z: 33554432
    • ALL: 67108863

    But what to do if you want to hide more than one drive in Windows? Just add the values of the drives that you want to hide. For example, if you want to hide the drives E:, F: and A: you would enter 49 (16+32+1) in NoDrives as the decimal value.

  3. Restart your computer and your target drive will disappear from Windows Explorer.

    You can even hide the C: drive without corrupting your system. When you want to get your drives back, just set NoDrives to 0 or simply delete NoDrives altogether.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP

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