Archive for the ‘Windows 7’ category

2 Ways to Stop Your System from Force Upgrading to Windows 10

June 17th, 2016 by Admin

In May of 2016, Microsoft began forcing a Windows 10 upgrade to all Windows 8/7 users who haven’t requested it – and who might not want it. If you have software or hardware that isn’t compatible with Windows 10, you might no want this forced upgrade. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to stop your computer from force upgrading to Windows 10.

Method 1: Block Windows 10 Upgrade Using Group Policy

  1. Open up Group Policy Editor by using the Windows + R key combination, entering gpedit.msc and hitting Enter.

    run-gpedit

  2. From the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to:
    Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update
  3. Double-click the “Turn off the upgrade to the latest version of Windows through Windows Update” policy on the right pane, Select Enabled and then click OK.

    turn-off-windows-upgrade

  4. Now you’ve disabled Windows 10 upgrade. Reboot your computer and you will not be pushed to download & install Windows 10 upgrade.

Method 2: Block Windows 10 Upgrade Using Registry Trick

If you’re unable to access the Group Policy Editor or the group policy for blocking Windows upgrade is missing, you can then use the following registry trick:

  1. Open up the Registry Editor by using the Windows + R key combination, entering regedit and hitting Enter.

    run-regedit

  2. In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

    If you do not see the WindowsUpdate key, right-click the Windows key above it, point to New, and create a key named WindowsUpdate.

  3. Right-click in the right pane and create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named DisableOSUpgrade. Double-click the DisableOSUpgrade and enter a value of 1.

    DisableOSUpgrade

  4. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. So this is how you stop a forced Windows 10 upgrade.

2 Ways to Block Users from Deleting Browsing History in Internet Explorer

June 16th, 2016 by Admin

How to prevent others from deleting browsing history in your browser? There are situations where you need to share your computer with your friends or family members but you want to restrict them from deleting your saved logins and cookies. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to block users from deleting browsing history in Internet Explorer.

Method 1: Prevent Access to Delete Browsing History Using Group Policy

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
  2. This should open the Local Group Policy Editor. Navigate to the following location:
    Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Internet Explorer\Delete Browsing History
  3. In the right pane, double-click on “Prevent access to Delete Browsing History” to open its settings box. Select Enabled and click Apply / OK.

    prevent-delete-browsing-history

  4. Reboot your computer. When you open the Internet Options of Internet Explorer, you’ll find the button for deleting browsing history is greyed out.

    unable-delete-ie-history

Method 2: Prevent Users from Deleting Browsing History Using Registry Editor

If Local Group Policy Editor is not accessible in your computer, you can also use the following registry trick to block users from deleting browsing history in Internet Explorer.

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter.
  2. When you see the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel

    If both the Internet Explorer key and the Control Panel key don’t exist, you need to create them firstly.

  3. Now in right side pane, right-click the empty space to create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named DisableDeleteBrowsingHistory and set its value to 1.

    disable-delete-browsing-history

  4. Close Registry Editor and re-open Internet Explorer. Now users will not be able to access the option for deleting browsing history in Internet Explorer. That’s it!

3 Ways to Disable Registry Editor in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7

June 12th, 2016 by Admin

Making improper changes to the Registry can cause Windows to become unusable or unbootable. To prevent, restrict or block anyone from accessing Registry Editor in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7, you can disable Registry Editor using group policy, registry trick or third-party software.

Method 1: Disable Registry Editor Using Group Policy

  1. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

    gpedit

  2. When Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System. Double-click on Prevent access to registry editing tools on the right panel.

    prevent-access-to-regedit

  3. Select the radio button next to Enabled, click Apply and then OK, then close out of Group Policy Editor and reboot your computer.

    prevent-access-registry-edit

  4. When a user tries to access Registry Editor, they will get an error message saying “Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator“.

    registry-editing-disabled

This method will prevent all users from accessing Registry Editor, including yourself. To regain access to Registry Editor, you have to open Group Policy Editor again, and change the policy to Disabled or Not Configured.

Method 2: Disable Registry Editor Using Registry Trick

  1. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter.
  2. When Registry Editor opens, navigate to:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > System

    If the System key doesn’t exist, you need to create it.

  3. In the right pane, right-click on any empty space and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it DisableRegistryTools and set its value to 1.

    disable-registry-tools

  4. When you try to access Registry Editor, you’ll also get the same error message “Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator“.

This method will prevent your current user from accessing Registry Editor. To regain access, you have to log on as another administrator account and delete the registry value DisableRegistryTools.

Method 3: Disable Registry Editor Using Third Party Software

Using Protect My Folders you can lock & protect Registry Editor with a password. Anyone can’t access Registry Editor without knowing your password.

  1. Download and install Protect My Folders program on your computer. The first time you launch this program it will prompt your to set a password. Don’t forgot it as you’ll need it next time you run it.
  2. When Protect My Folders starts, click on Add/Lock button.

    protect-my-folders

  3. The File/Folder selection dialog should open, choose the C:\Windows\regedit.exe file and click Add, next click OK.

    select-regedit

  4. Now you’ll see the regedit application is locked. Close Protect My Folders program.

    lock-registry-editor

  5. When you try to access Registry Editor, you’ll receive the following error message:

    cannot-find-regedit

This method will block all users from accessing Registry Editor. To regain access you have to relaunch Protect My Folders, enter your password and unlock the regedit.exe app.

Fix “Windows Taskbar and Start Button Disappeared”

May 28th, 2016 by Admin

“I don’t know what happened but the taskbar (usually on the bottom of the screen) is missing. Without the taskbar, I couldn’t get to the Start Menu and ultimately launch any program. How do I get it back? Please help!”

There are 3 reasons why your taskbar or Start button disappeared on the computer screen:

  • The taskbar is set to auto-hide.
  • The explorer.exe process has crashed and the taskbar is completely gone.
  • The display resolution or main display changed and caused the taskbar to go off the screen.

This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to troubleshoot this problem and get your Windows taskbar and Start button back to your screen.

Method 1: Unhide Taskbar

Some users reported the Auto-hide feature is buggy. Disable the Auto-hide option and your Windows taskbar might be back again. Follow these steps:

  1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard. This will take you to the lock screen. From there, you can click Task Manager.

  2. When the Task Manager opens, click More details button at the bottom of the window.

    task-manager

  3. Click the File menu and select Run new task.

    run-new-task

  4. Type control panel and click OK.

    launch-control-panel

  5. In Control Panel, set the View by option to Large icons, and then click on “Taskbar and Navigation“.

    control-panel

  6. Click the Taskbar tab, clear the Auto-hide the taskbar check box, and then click OK.

    auto-hide-taskbar

Method 2: Restart Explorer

There is a chance that your Windows Explorer is crashed or an infected program might have terminated it. If that is the case, then your desktop icons and taskbar must also be missing. If that is the case, restart the Explorer process should fix your problem.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard and Task Manager will open up.
  2. The Task Manager in Windows 10/8 shows fewer details by default. Simply click More details at the bottom to access the full Task Manager.

    task-manager

  3. Click the Details tab and select the explorer.exe process, click End task.

    kill-explorer

  4. Click the File menu and select Run new task.

    run-new-task

  5. Type in explorer and press OK. This will restart the explorer process and hopefully get your taskbar back.

    launch-explorer

Method 3: Change Display

If the presentation display was changed, the taskbar may have moved off of the visible screen. To bring the taskbar back, you have to exit the presentation mode:

  1. Press the Windows logo key + P on your keyboard to launch External Display selection screen.
  2. You’ll get a pop-up dialog with a couple of choices like PC screen only ( or Computer Only), Duplicate, Extend, etc. Make sure it is set to PC screen only.

    display-switcher

How to Change Taskbar & Desktop Icon Size in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

May 23rd, 2016 by Admin

Desktop icons are too big or too small? How can I resize the desktop icon size? In this tutorial we’ll show you how you can simply change the taskbar & desktop icon size in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

resize-desktop-icons

Part 1: Change Desktop Icon Size

To change the size of desktop icons, right-click on an empty space on the desktop, and then click on View, and then select the size of the icons, either Large, Medium or Small icons. The default is Medium icons.

view-medium-icon

But what if you want to make the desktop icons smaller than the default small icon, or larger than the default large icon? Using the mouse wheel button you can set the icon size to any size you want:

To get started, make sure the desktop has the focus, this can be done by just clicking any empty space of the desktop. Press and hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard, and then using your mouse wheel, roll it upward to make the icons size larger, or downward to set the icon size smaller.

ctrl-mouse-wheel

Part 2: Change Taskbar Icon Size

The taskbar icons are really small? How can I make them appear larger? To do this, right-click on an empty space in the taskbar and then select Properties.

right-click-taskbar

On the Taskbar tab, uncheck the “Use small taskbar buttons” box in Windows 10/8. If you’re running Windows 7, uncheck the “Use small icons” box. Click OK.

small-taskbar-buttons

Prevent Other Users from Accessing Windows Apps with AppLocker

May 9th, 2016 by Admin

AppLocker is a Window’s built-in application that gives the administrator a very granular control over which applications are allowed to execute and which are blocked for a Windows account. This feature is really useful if you share a computer and don’t want other users accessing certain applications.

Today we’ll walk you through how to create rules in AppLocker to prevent other users from accessing certain applications in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

How to Restrict Access to Programs with Windows AppLocker?

  1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

    gpedit

  2. Under Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to:
    Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Application Control Policies -> AppLocker -> Executable Rules
  3. Right-click on Executable Rules in the left pane, and then select Create New Rule.

    applocker

  4. Click Next to bypass the Before You Begin screen. On the Permissions page, select Deny (Click Allow if you want to restrict what programs other users can access only).

    permissions-page

    Click on the Select button to choose the user or groups you want the rule to apply. When it’s done, click Next to reach the Conditions page.

  5. AppLocker rules can identify programs using the following conditions: Publisher, Path and File hash. Publisher condition relies on the digital signature of the executable file.

    conditions-page

    Here we’ll choose File hash because AppLocker can still identify the program even if it’s renamed or moved.

  6. On the File Hash page, click Browse Files and find the executable file for the application to which you want this rule to apply, or click Browse Folders if you want the system to calculate a hash for all of the executable files in a folder. Click Next.

    file-hash-page

  7. Type a name for the rule that will make it easy for you to remember what it is, and then click on Create.

    name-and-description

  8. When prompted to create the default rules, make sure you click Yes. This is to ensure that the rules you created don’t block operating system files from running.

    create-default-rules

  9. Now you will see three default rules and the new one you created.

    applocker-rules

    Restart your computer for the AppLocker rules to come into effect. When you try to run the blocked application, you’ll receive an error: “This app has been blocked by group policy. For more information, please contact your system administrator.

    app-blocked-by-group-policy

AppLocker Doesn’t Work?

AppLocker doesn’t work under either an admin account or a standard account? AppLocker not blocking application even if you set up the executable rule correctly? AppLocker relies on the built-in Application Identity service, which is normally set to manual startup type by default. Administrators should configure the service to start automatically.

To bring AppLocker back to work, follow these steps to start the Application Identity service:

  1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type services.msc and press Enter.

    services-msc

  2. Right-click on the Application Identity service, and select Properties.

    services

  3. Set the Startup type to Automatic and click on the Start button to run the service.

    application-identity-service

  4. Click on Apply and then OK.

2 Ways to Configure Windows Firewall to Allow SQL Server Access

May 2nd, 2016 by Admin

By default, Windows Firewall doesn’t allow inbound / outbound requests for SQL Server. If you try to connect to a SQL Server instance from network, you might get the error saying “The server was not found or was not accessible”. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to configure Windows Firewall to allow SQL Server access.

Method 1: Allow SQL Server Access Through Control Panel

  1. Open Control Panel in Large icons or Small icons view, click on Windows Firewall.

    windows-firewall

  2. Click the link “Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall” on the left of window.

    allow-app-through-firewall

  3. You will now see a list with all the apps which are allowed to communicate through the Windows Firewall. To change the rules, you need to click the Change Settings button. The list of rules will no longer be gray and you will be able to edit it.

    change-firewall-settings

  4. Click the “Allow another program…” button.

    add-another-program

  5. From the “Add a Program” window, click the Browse button.

    browse-program

  6. Navigate to the installation path for your SQL Server instance and select sqlservr.exe, and click Open. In my example, the location is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe.

    sqlserv

  7. You’ll back to the “Add a Program” window and see SQL Server is added to the list. Click the Add button.

    add-sql-server

  8. SQL Server now appears in the list of Allowed programs and features. You can check any of the location types: private or public. When done, press OK.

    allowed-program

Method 2: Allow SQL Server Access Through Command Prompt

  1. Open an elevated Command Prompt.
  2. You can run the Netsh advfirewall command to open all ports for SQL Server connections. Assuming the path of your SQL Server service is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe, copy / and paste the following commands in the Command Prompt, press Enter after each.

    netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Server TCP" protocol=tcp dir=in action=allow program="C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe" enable=yes profile=any localip=any localport=any remoteip=any remoteport=any

    netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Server UDP" protocol=udp dir=in action=allow program="C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe" enable=yes profile=any localip=any localport=any remoteip=any remoteport=any

    advfirewall

  3. When it’s done, you’ve successfully opened up all ports to allow SQL Server access through Windows Firewall.

How To Shrink & Expand Partition in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

April 25th, 2016 by Admin

Keep getting low disk space on C:\ drive even if you’ve deleted all files you can delete? There is no spare partition for another operating system? In this tutorial we’ll show you how to use the built-in Disk Management to shrink & expand partition in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

Part 1: Open Disk Management

To access Windows build-in Disk Management tool, just press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type diskmgmt.msc and hit Enter. This will open the Windows Disk Management utility. From there you can resize (shrink or expand) your hard drive partition without data loss.

disk-management

Part 2: Shrink Partition

Need to create a new partition but you don’t have unallocated space? Just shrink an existing partition to free up space from which you can create a new partition. Here’s how to shrink a partition:

  1. Right-click the partition you want to shrink (C: in our example) and select Shrink Volume.

    shrink-volume

  2. Windows will take a moment to query the volume for available shrink space. Enter the amount of space you want to shrink. For example if want to free up 15GB space, enter 15000 Mb (1000 MB = 1 GB) in the text box. Next click Shrink.

    space-to-shrink

  3. When the process is complete, you will see a new unallocated partition right next to your shrinked partition.

Part 3: Expand Partition

Run out of space on one of your Windows partitions? You can also expand disk partitions, as long as there is free (unpartitioned) space available only after the partition you’re trying to expand. Here’s how to expand a partition:

  1. Right-click the partition you want to expand (C: in our example) and select Extend Volume. Note that the Extend Volume option might be greyed out when there is no unallocated space right after your selected partition.

    extend-volume

  2. Now when the Extend Volume Wizard opens, click Next.

    extend-volume-wizard

  3. It will select the maximum number of unallocated space itself. But you can set any amount yourself too, keep in mind that it is calculated in MB not GB. After you are done here, click Next.

    select-disk-to-extend

  4. You’ll see a brief summary of the changes. Click Finish to apply them. Now you’ll see your partition is larger and the unallocated partition has been merged.

    complete-extend-wizard