Archive for the ‘Others’ category

How to Customize the Start Menu in Windows 10

October 17th, 2014 by Admin

Windows 10 is basically a combination of Windows 7 and 8 that borrows design elements from each of Microsoft’s two most recent operating systems. If you’re running Windows 10, you may have noticed that the Start Menu is back but it isn’t just the old menu that we have seen in Windows 7 and Vista. The left-hand side of it looks like the Windows 7 Start Menu, with a search bar, links to Documents, Pictures, individual apps, and so on. The right side has all the live tiles and Metro apps. Here’s quick guide to customize it to work the way you want.

start-menu

Remove Live Tiles

Windows 10 Start Menu gets crowded with too many live tiles. If you want to make the Start Menu look more like Windows 7 Start Menu, you can remove all live tiles from it. To remove a live tile, simply right-click on the tile and choose Unpin from Start.

unpin-from-start

Resize Start Menu

Want to make the Start Menu larger or smaller? It’s simple to do. Move your mouse to the top of the menu until the mouse pointer turns into a double-headed arrow. Then drag it in the direction where you want it to grow or shrink. If you just want to resize a live tile, right-click on it and select Resize and then pick a size.

Customize Start Menu

There is a new and dedicated customization menu for the Start menu. To access it, right-click on an empty area of Start Menu and select Properties.

start-menu-properties

In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, select the Start Menu tab, click Customize.

customize-task-start-menu

Now you can choose which folders and locations you want to include and exclude from the Start Menu.

customize-start-menu

Change Start Menu Color

You can change the color of the Start menu easily. Right-click on an empty area of Start Menu and select Personalize. Select a color and apply it. The same color will also be applied to the taskbar and window borders.

set-start-menu-color

How to Disable Malware Protection in Firefox

September 29th, 2014 by Admin

Firefox 32 integrates Google’s Safe Browsing API with a safe browsing blocklist that identifies potentially malicious executables downloaded by the user. However, the browser is never capable of detecting malicious files successfully. Today when I try to download the freeware fgdump, Firefox keeps blocking it from being downloaded and says “Blocked: May contain a virus or spyware“.

firfox-block-download

Eventually I find a way to disable the malware protection in Firefox, and I can then download fgdump without any issue.

How to Disable Malware Protection in Firefox?

  1. In Firefox, open a new tab, then type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Click the button promising to be careful.
  2. In the search box above the list, type or paste browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled and press Enter.
  3. Double-click the browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled preference. It should switch from true to false and regular type to bold.disable-safebrowsing

Basically, what I would like to do is turn off just the malware protection feature, but leave the other safe-browsing features enabled. If you want to disable all safe-browsing features completely, use the same method above the set browser.safebrowsing.enabled to false.

How to Mount A VHD or VHDX Image in Windows Server 2012

September 25th, 2014 by Admin

Need to copy some files out of a Hyper-V virtual machine? Or looking for a way to view the contents inside a VHD or VHDX image? The most common method is to attach the VHD/VHDX file in Disk Management, so you can then browse all files of your virtual hard disk in Windows Explorer.

How to Mount A VHD or VHDX Image in Windows Server 2012?

Before getting started, make sure your virtual machine is powered off. Press Windows key + X together to bring up the Power User Menu, and then click on Computer Management.

computer-management

Under the Storage folder in the left pane, select Disk Management. Click on the Action menu and select Attach VHD.

attach-vhd

Browse to the location of the desired VHD or VHDX file, then click OK. If you don’t know where is the .vhdx image for your Hyper-V virtual machine, you can search for all files with a particular file extension, such as .vhdx.

virtual-hard-disk-location

Once your VHD/VHDX image is attached, your virtual hard disk will be available in Windows Explorer, which can be accessed just like a physical disk. You can now copy any files out or into your virtual hard drive.

When you have the files you need, go back to Disk Management and right-click on the lower window where it says your disk number. Then select Detach VHD to unmount your virtual hard drive.

detach-vhd

How to Convert Hyper-V VHDX to VHD with PowerShell

September 20th, 2014 by Admin

VHDX is a new format of virtual hard disk that appeared in Windows Server 2012. The main advantage of VHDX is its increased storage capacity of 64 TB, instead of VHD’s standard storage limit of 2 TB. However, VHDX files are not compatible with previous versions of Windows Server and Windows Azure. Luckily there is a simple way to convert VHDX to VHD with the cmdlet Convert-VHD (this work only on hyper-v enabled machines).

How to Convert Hyper-V VHDX to VHD with PowerShell?

Open a PowerShell window on the server that houses your .vhdx files and execute the following command:

Convert-VHD –Path c:\test\win7.vhdx –DestinationPath c:\test\win7.vhd

convert-vhdx

You can also specify whether you want a dynamic or fixed disk – but that is optional. To make the virtual hard disk type dynamic, use the switch -VHDType Dynamic. To make the virtual hard disk type fixed, use the switch -VHDType Fixed.

You can actually use the same process to convert a VHD file back to a VHDX file:

Convert-VHD –Path c:\test\win7.vhd –DestinationPath c:\test\win7.vhdx

Fix: The chain of virtual hard disks is inaccessible

September 16th, 2014 by Admin

I have Hyper-V running on a Windows 8 laptop. Within Hyper-V is a Windows 7 Pro virtual machine for test purpose. Everything was working fine until I mounted the VHD file using Disk Management so I can browse the virtual drive in Windows Explorer. I didn’t make any changes and then just dismounted it. Afterwards when I tried to turn on the virtual machine I got an error saying “The chain of virtual hard disks is inaccessible. There was an error opening a virtual hard disk further up the chain“.

hyper-v-error

This should be a known issue with Hyper-V and we can reproduce the error by doing the same things with one of your .vhdx file. Here is how I fix the error:

  1. In the Hyper-V Manager, right-click on the problematic virtual machine and select Settings.

    hyper-v-manager

  2. The Settings dialog for the VM will appear. Under IDE Controller 0, select the Hard Drive. Click on Inspect on your virtual hard disk.

    hyper-v-vm-settings

  3. In the Virtual Hard Disk Properties, you’ll see the error which prevents your VM from powering on. Click Reconnect button.

    virtual-drive-properties

  4. When the Edit Virtual Hard Disk Wizard appears, click on Next.

    reconnect-virtual-drive

  5. Click the Browse button and locate the VHD file for your Hyper-V VM. Check the Ignore ID mismatch checkbox, then click Next.

    reconnect-to-parent-vhd

  6. Click on Finish.

    virtual-drive-wizard

    This should fix your problem. I hope this helps you out if you run into the same problem.

How to Downgrade from Windows 8 Pro to Windows 7 for Free

August 25th, 2014 by Admin

After the release of Windows 8, most of the new laptops and desktops are shipping with Windows 8 pre-installed. If you’ve become accustomed to Windows 7 and don’t like Windows 8’s new Metro UI, you can downgrade to Windows 7. Windows 8 Pro comes with a feature called Downgrade Rights, which means you can downgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7 without paying a penny or having to format the hard drive.

If you want to try this, just make sure your new computer has downgrade rights because not all Windows 8 computers are on the list. These rights are available to PCs which come with Windows 8 Pro pre-installed and not for users who have upgraded to Windows 8 using the promo offer. So it is basically only Windows 8 Pro OEM users. You can only downgrade to Windows 7 Professional or Windows Vista Business, not Windows XP. To learn more about downgrade rights, please check out this complete guide from Microsoft.

Tips: You might need to provide your Windows 8 license key for validating your purchase during exercising your Windows 8 Pro downgrade rights. If you’ve lost the key, you can use KeyFinder Plus to recover it from your current Windows 8 installation.

How to Downgrade from Windows 8 Pro to Windows 7 Pro?

The actual downgrade process is tricky and not a straight forward one. You first need to create a recovery drive for your existing Windows 8 in case you want to bring it back to Windows 8 in future. Once done, you need to disable UEFI and enable Legacy/CSM boot support. You will need a Windows 7 Professional DVD. Insert the Windows 7 installation DVD and boot to it. During the Windows 7 setup, you might need to enter the license key to go past the installation. Here you can enter any used Windows 7 key since activation does not happen here.

Now wait for the install process to complete. Once the process is complete, your PC might show activation failed message or it will not be activated. This is because you have used a key which is already in use. For getting a new key, you need to call up Microsoft support and explain to them about your downgrade rights. Have your Windows 8 Pro key ready which you’ll need to prove your PC has downgrade rights.

Once this is validated, you will receive a new activation key for Windows 7. You will need to do this for all PCs which you have downgraded. You can install back Windows 8 anytime using the recovery drive.

Bypass Windows 8 Login Screen on Wake up from Sleep

August 20th, 2014 by Admin

In my previous post I’ve covered how to disable the password login screen in Windows 8, so the computer will automatically logon to Windows 8. Though when you put your computer to sleep, the login screen might pop up after wakeup. In this article I’ll show you 2 methods to bypass Windows 8/8.1 login screen on wake up from sleep or standby.

Method 1: Disable Require Password on Wakeup in Control Panel

  1. Press Windows key + X and select Control Panel.
  2. Set your View by option to Small icons. Then select Power Options from the list of computer settings.

    control-panel

  3. From the Power Options window, click the link labeled Require a password on wakeup on the left-hand side.

    power-options

  4. Click the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” link. Now, you can select Don’t require a password under Password protection on wake up. Click on Save changes.

    require-password-on-wakeup

Method 2: Disable Require Password on Wakeup in Charms Bar

  1. From the Start Screen, open the Charms Bar (Windows key + C).
  2. Go to Settings -> Change PC settings.
  3. Go to Accounts -> Sign-in Options.

    change-password-policy

  4. Under the Password Policy section, click on the Change button to get “Password is not required when waking this PC from sleep”.
  5. Reboot your system and it won’t ask you for a password next time you wake it up from sleep.

3 Options to Disable “Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to Log on” in Windows

August 19th, 2014 by Admin

How to bypass the Ctrl+Alt+Del logon prompt? One way of adding an additional layer of security to your computer is by enabling secure logon. By enabling secure logon, users are required to press Ctrl+Alt+Del before they can enter their credentials and log on. However, if you’re tried of pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del every time you turn on the computer, there are 3 easy options to disable the secure logon.

Option 1: Disable Secure Logon in the User Accounts Applet

  1. Press Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type netplwiz or Control Userpasswords2 and press Enter.
  2. When the User Accounts applet opens, click on Advanced tab.

    secure-logon

  3. Uncheck the Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete checkbox. Click OK. The next time you start the computer it will boot directly to the login credential dialog box, without prompting your to press Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Option 2: Disable Secure Logon through Group Policy

  1. Press Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type secpol.msc and press Enter to open the Local Security Policy Editor.
  2. Navigate to Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options.
  3. In the right pane, double click on Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL.
  4. Select and set the radio button of Enabled.

    disable-ctrl-alt-del

  5. Save the policy change by clicking OK.

Option 3: Disable Secure Logon through Windows Registry

  1. Press Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  2. In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

  3. You should see a DWORD (32-bit) entry named DisableCAD in the right pane. Double-click it and change its value from 0 to 1.

    DisableCAD

  4. Close Registry Editor and you’re done!