Posts Tagged ‘windows 8’

How to Set Windows 10 / 8 PC to Boot with Legacy BIOS Mode Instead of UEFI Mode

December 29th, 2012 by Admin

Just got a new DELL laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed but it refused to boot from Ubuntu Live CD or even Windows 7 installation DVD? If you’re in similar situation, you should see the error message “Reboot and Select proper Boot device” or “No bootable device found” on the screen during boot. In order to fix this issue, all you need to do is to disable the UEFI mode and turn off the Secure Boot option in BIOS, which allows the EFI-based PC to operate in a legacy BIOS mode. Fortunately, nearly all modern EFI-based computers include a feature known as the Compatibility Support Module (CSM) that enables them to boot with legacy BIOS mode.

One of Microsoft’s new rules for Windows 10/8 is that any manufacturer that ships a windows 10/8 computer must enable UEFI secure boot by default. The UEFI BIOS is created for Windows 10/8 and if you need to use other system like Windows 7, Linux or any other OS, you have to disable the UEFI mode and Secure Boot options.

How to Set Windows 10 / 8 PC to Boot with Legacy BIOS Mode Instead of UEFI Mode?

When your computer is powered on, check the boot-screen for setup key (i.e. DELETE key, F8 key, F2 key) to enter BIOS Setup Utility. If you don’t know how to access your BIOS (UEFI) Setup, please check out this article: How to Set Your Computer to Boot from CD or USB Drive.

In the BIOS Setup Utility, change the boot mode from UEFI mode to legacy BIOS mode (or CSM boot mode), and disable the Secure Boot option. Here are steps of disabling UEFI secure boot in Toshiba laptop:

  1. Power on the system and while the “TOSHIBA” logo appears, press F2 key to enter the BIOS Setup Menu.
  2. Select Security tab and set the Secure Boot to Disabled.
  3. Select Advanced tab and go to System Configuration.
  4. Set the Boot Mode to CSM Boot.
  5. Press F10 key to save and exit.
  6. Press F12 key at “TOSHIBA” logo screen to toggle between the bootable devices and choose the medium which you want to boot from.

Note: Once you are finished and you want to return back to normal operation you need to revert the BIOS settings. The installed Windows 10/8 OS will not boot up, if you do not revert the BIOS settings!

The exact menu option in your motherboard’s BIOS may differ but look for phrases like “Boot Mode”, “Boot List Option”, “UEFI/Legacy Boot Priority”, “UEFI Boot”, etc. For example, in ASUS desktop or laptop computers, you need to enable the “Launch CSM” option and disable the “Secure Boot Control” or “Fast Boot” option.

hp-secure-boot

dell-latitude-uefi

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samsung-uefi-secure-boot

How to Disable Password Reveal Button in Windows 8

December 16th, 2012 by Admin

In Windows 8, when you type a password in a website or app, a password reveal button (looks like a small eye) will appear at the end of the password filed. Clicking this button will display your password on the screen. By leaving the button displayed, it can result in somebody else viewing your password.

Luckily, this feature can be disabled by a Windows Administrator for every Windows user account on a computer. So let’s see how you can disable the password reveal button throughout Windows 8 easily.

How to Disable Password Reveal Button in Windows 8?

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run window, type in gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

2. In Group Policy Editor navigate to Local Computer Policy –> User configuration –> Administrative Templates –> Windows Components –> Credential User Interface on the left sidebar.

3. When you select Credential User Interface on the left sidebar, you will see Do not display the password reveal button settings on the right-hand sidebar. Simply enable the settings and close the Group Policy Editor.

4. Once done, this will immediately stop displaying the button after a user has typed in his password in the password field anywhere.

Conclusion

After disabling the feature, if you feel that the option to reveal was a comfortable option to rectify mistyped passwords, you can disable the settings or change it to Not Configured and bring back the password reveal button.

Forgot Windows Live Password in Windows 8

November 30th, 2012 by Admin

With Windows 8, you can sign in to your PC with a Windows Live account. This allows syncing and sharing personal data across multiple devices very easily. You might also be wondering, “How to log on the computer if I forgot my Windows Live password?” Well, here is a excellent hack for you.

With Password Recovery Bundle utility you can create a bootable password reset CD, and set your computer to boot from the CD and it enables you to reset forgotten Windows Live password which is stored on your local computer. After resetting, you will regain full access to your PC with a new password.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows Live Password in Windows 8?

  1. First you need to download Password Recovery Bundle program on another computer. After installing and running the program, click the Windows Password button, which allows you to create a bootable password reset disk in 3 steps. Insert a blank CD/DVD or USB drive into the computer and click Start Burn to create a bootdisk.

  2. Insert the password reset bootdisk you’ve created into your Windows 8 computer. Turn on the computer and hold down F2 or whatever the setup key is shown as during the initial boot screen. This should bring up the BIOS.

    In the BIOS look for the Boot Device Priority option, set CD/DVD as the 1st boot device if you want to boot from CD. You can either set Removable Device as the 1st boot device if you want to boot off USB drive. Save your changes.

  3. Restart the computer and now it will boot from the password reset bootdisk. After one or two minutes the bootdisk will launch the Reset Windows Password utility. Choose the local user account which is linked to your Windows Live ID, and then click Reset Password button. The program will set your Windows Live password to Password123 instantly.

  4. Now remove the password reset bootdisk and restart the computer, you can then quickly sign in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live account and the new password: Password123.

Password Recovery Bundle could also reset forgotten login password in Windows 7/Vista/XP/2003/2000. It should be the first Windows password recovery program which supports the latest operating system Windows 8.

How to Set Up Parental Control in Windows 8

November 26th, 2012 by Admin

We’re glad to see that parental controls in Windows 8 are simple and not nearly as complex as previous versions of Windows parental controls. It is much easier for all parents out there who want to protect their kids while they are using their computers. Parents can set up parental control to set limits on the hours that children can use the computer, the types of games that they can play, the websites that they can visit, and the programs that they can run.

How to Set Up Parental Control in Windows 8?

The key to using parental control in Windows 8 is to properly configure multiple accounts on your PC. You, as a parent you should have access to an administrator-level account. You need to set up a standard user account for your children as only this type of account can have parental controls applied.

Step 1: Move the mouse cursor to the lower right corner of the screen and then right-click to bring up a small menu. The menu gives you quick access to some common administrative tasks, including Control Panel.

Step 2: Open Control Panel and then open Family Safety. In family safety, click on the account you would like to configure and proceed. You will now have to configure some of the settings like Web Filtering, Time Limit, App restriction and, Windows Store and game restrictions.

Step 3: As all the settings are similar to Windows 7 and Vista, you can refer to our complete guide – How to Use Parental Controls in Windows 7. The article shows you how you can allot time limit, moderate games and apps and filter inappropriate websites. Finally at the end of the day you can view your kid’s activity log and see how he has spent his time on the computer.

Conclusion

That’s it. Keep in mind that if you have more than one PC that you allow your child to use, you might want to consider setting up an online Microsoft account for them. You can use local accounts, but you’ll probably have to set up their Family Safety settings for every PC, rather than just once with a Microsoft account.

Reset Windows Password v2.6 Released!

November 15th, 2012 by Admin

Great news for all Windows 8 users! We’ve recently updated this application and more than sure you will like new features we’ve added. What’s new in Reset Windows Password v2.6?

First of all, this update brings full support of Windows 8 so you can now reset lost or forgotten Windows 8 password without any problems or issues. It allows you to reset both local account password and Microsoft account password in Windows 8.

Secondly, Windows Server 2012 64-bit support was also added in this update. You are allowed to reset both local account password and domain user password on Windows Server 2012 in case you lost or forgot the password.

This update is absolutely free for you if you are a registered user of Reset Windows Password utility. For unregistered users, you can try or purchase the software at this link: http://www.top-password.com/reset-windows-password.html.

How to Boot to Desktop & Skip the Start Screen in Windows 8

November 1st, 2012 by Admin

In Windows 8, every time you log in your Windows account, you will be presented with the new Metro-style Start screen as shown below.

In order to get to the desktop in Windows 8, you have to click on the Desktop tile. If you don’t want to see the Start screen every time you log in, here is a quick trick to bypass the Start screen so you can boot straight to the desktop.

How to Boot to Desktop & Skip the Start Screen in Windows 8?

Download the win8desktop.scf file to your Windows 8 computer. Actually, this is a plain text file and but it looks like the shortcut of the Show Desktop icon in the Quick Launch area on Windows XP.

Launch the Task Scheduler. Press Windows + R to launch the Run box. Type taskschd.msc and click OK.

Click on the Create Task link at the right side of the Task Scheduler window.

The Create Task window is opened. In the General tab, provide a name for the task.

Click over to the Triggers tab and use the New button to create a new trigger. In the New Trigger window, set the task to begin At log on and click OK.

Click over to the Actions tab and create a new action. Set the action to Start a program, use the Browse button to select the shortcut you have downloaded, and click OK.

Click over to the Conditions tab and uncheck the Start the task only if the computer is on AC power check box under Power. If you don’t do this, your laptop won’t boot to the desktop if it’s running on battery power.

Click OK and you’re done. Next time when you log in, the computer will automatically skip the Metro-style Start screen and go straight to the desktop instead.

Install Windows 8 on a Windows 7 or XP Tablet

October 14th, 2012 by Admin

Microsoft’s public release of the Windows 8 operating system is coming, and tech-savvy users are eager to try it out. If you have a tablet running the Windows 7 or XP operating system, then you might be interested in trying out the more tablet-oriented Windows 8 system. In this post, we will provide you with a guide for installing Windows 8 on a Windows 7 or XP tablet.

How to Install Windows 8 on a Windows 7 or XP Tablet?

1). Download the edition of Windows 8 Release Preview you want (32-bit or 64-bit) from the links below.

Download 32-Bit US-EN Windows 8 Release Preview Here (ISO)

Download 64-Bit US-EN Windows 8 Release Preview Here (ISO)

(Product Key: TK8TP-9JN6P-7X7WW-RFFTV-B7QPF)

2). Create a bootable Windows 8 USB flash drive. To do this, you can refer the step 1 of the How To Install Windows 8 from USB Flash Drive guide.

3). After making a bootable Windows 8 USB flash drive, connect it with your tablet and boot your tablet selecting the option of “boot from USB”. Boot from USB can only be done from your BIOS settings. Your tablet will start showing Windows 8 installation screen, follow the on screen instructions and your Windows 8 is installed.

After installing Windows 8 successfully, you will need to install your essential drivers manually. To install drivers visit your manufacturer’s official website.