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Set Up Remote Desktop Connection in Windows 10

February 22nd, 2016 by Admin

Do you need remote access to your home or work computer? Remote Desktop Connection is a nice feature included with every Windows installation, which makes it easy to access your computer remotely from another computer. By default, Remote Desktop is disabled for security reasons. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to set up and use Remote Desktop Connection in Windows 10.

Part 1: Turn On Remote Desktop Connection in Windows 10

In order to set up Remote Desktop Connection, follow these step-by-step instructions:

  1. Press the Windows key + X to open the Quick Access menu. Click System from the menu that pops up.

    quick-access-menu

  2. The next window will show you all of the basic specifications of your computer such as model number, CPU configuration, installed memory, etc. Click on the “Remote settings” link on the left pane.

    remote-settings

  3. Tick the “Allow remote connections to this computer” checkbox.

    allow-remote-desktop

    If you’ll be connecting to this computer from a system that’s running any version of Windows older than Windows 7, then do not check the “Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication” checkbox.

  4. To grant Remote Desktop access permissions to a user account, click on “Select Users” on the bottom right of the window. This opens the Remote Desktop Users dialog box. Click on Add button to add your user account to the list.

    remote-desktop-users

    Note: Remote desktop does not allow a user with a blank password to logon, so make sure your user account is password protected.

  5. Once this is done, you will now be able to connect to this computer using the Remote Desktop Connection.

Part 2: Connect to Your PC Remotely

Now you can connect to your computer from another Windows PC, by following these steps:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type mstsc and hit Enter.

    mstsc

  2. A Remote Desktop Connection dialog box will pop up now. In this box type your computer’s IP address and click Connect.

    remote-desktop

  3. You will be prompted to enter the login credentials of the Windows account you’ve granted Remote Desktop access to. Click OK and Windows Firewall may give you a warning. Just ignore it and click Yes and your remote connection session will start.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

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2 Ways to Repair Corrupt or Missing System Files in Windows 10 / 8

February 22nd, 2016 by Admin

Did you accidentally deleted a vital system file? Windows failed to load because of missing or corrupt system files? In this tutorial we’ll show you how to repair corrupt or missing system files using the Windows built-in command line utility – SFC (System File Checker). SFC is built into Windows 10/8/7/Vista that can scan your system files for corruption or modification. If a file is missing or modified, it will automatically replace that file with the correct version.

When your Windows system won’t load normally, start it in Safe Mode or boot off Windows Setup DVD, and you can also use the SFC command to repair corrupt or missing system files, without having to reinstall the whole OS.

Note: Though these guides are written for Windows 10 and Windows 8, a very similar process will work for Windows 7, Vista or XP.

Method 1: Repair System Files After Logging into Windows

  1. Open an elevated Command Prompt. To do this, press the Windows key + X to open the Quick Access menu and then select “Command Prompt (Admin)“.
  2. In the Command Prompt, run the following command:
    sfc /scannow

    sfc

  3. Just keep waiting & be patient because running this command will take quite a bit of time. The scan results will be shown after this process is finished. If you see a “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them” message, try reboot into Safe Mode and run the SFC command again, or try the method below.

Method 2: Repair System Files Offline When Windows Won’t Boot

If Windows cannot start because some of system files are corrupted or missing, just boot your computer from Windows Installation DVD and you can repair the system files offline. If you don’t have a Windows Installation DVD, you can borrow one from a friend or use a Recovery Drive created in any computer running Windows 10/8.

  1. Insert the Windows Installation DVD and set up your computer to boot from optical drive (You might need to change the boot priority in the UEFI / BIOS). Press a key when prompted to boot from DVD.
  2. Once booted to the DVD, you’ll see the familiar Windows installation language-selection screen. Click Next.

    windows-10-setup

  3. Click on “Repair your computer“.

    repair-your-computer

  4. When you are asked to choose an option for how you want to continue. Click Troubleshoot.

    toubleshoot

  5. Next click “Advanced options“.

    advanced-options

  6. On the next screen, click “Command Prompt“.

    command-prompt

  7. In the Command Prompt, use the dir command to find the drive letter of your Windows partition. In my example, C:\ is the System Reserved partition and D:\ is my actual Windows partition.

    find-os-partition

  8. Now run the SFC command to repair your Windows installation. It will scan all your system files, identify those that are corrupt or missing and try to fix the problems it find.
    sfc /scannow /offbootdir=D:\ /offwindir=D:\windows

    repair-damaged-files

    Remember to replace D:\ with the actual drive letter of your Windows partition.

When the scan is complete, remove the installation DVD and restart your computer to check if your problem is fixed. To perform the recovery experiment, I intentionally deleted a system file c:\windows\system32\sechc.exe, and the file can be restored successfully by running the SFC command.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 8

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Enable / Disable Lock Workstation Feature in Windows 10 / 8 / 7 and Vista

February 2nd, 2016 by Admin

In previous post we’ve covered 3 ways to lock a Windows computer. If you are unable to lock your Windows system or want to disable the computer lock option completely, here’s how you can enable / disable lock workstation feature in Windows 10, 8, 7 and Vista. When the lock feature is disabled, you will be unable to lock your computer by either pressing Windows + L, Ctrl + Alt + Del, or clicking the Lock option from the Start menu.

account-lock-option

How to Enable / Disable Lock Workstation Feature?

  1. Press the Windows + R key combination to bring up a run box, type gpedit.msc and hit Enter.
  2. When the Local Group Policy Editor opens navigate to:
    User Configuration\System\Ctrl+Alt+Del Options
  3. On the right hand side you should see a setting called “Remove Lock Computer“. Double-click on it.
  4. Then change the radio button over to Enabled if you want to disable the lock workstation feature.

    ctrl-alt-del-options

    To enable this feature later, just change it to Disabled or Not Configured. Click OK to save your changes.

  5. Now you will need to enforce the updated policy to take effect on your PC, to do this press the Windows + R key combination, when the Run box open run:
    gpupdate /force
  6. Once you press enter you Local Group Policy will be automatically updated. Windows will no longer show the lock option when that you press the Windows key + L or Ctrl+Alt+Delete keyboard combination.

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

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2 Options to Remove the Lock Option from Windows Start Menu

February 1st, 2016 by Admin

No matter what version of Windows you are running, you can find the lock option in the Start Menu (or Start Screen) that allows you to lock your computer. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to disable / remove the lock option from Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7 Start menu.

account-lock-option

Method 1: Remove the Lock Option with Group Policy

Follow this method and you can remove the lock option from the user tile menu on the Start menu (or Start screen) in Windows 11, 10, 8.1 or 8.

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
  2. When the Local Group Policy Editor opens, expand the tree to the following path:
    Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\File Explorer
  3. In the right-hand pane you should now see a variety of settings. Double-click on the “Show lock in the user tile menu” setting and its properties screen will open.

    show-lock-in-user-menu

  4. Set it to Disabled and click OK.

    disable-lock-in-user-menu

    Now close the Local Group Policy Editor window. You’ll see the lock option is disabled or removed from the Start menu.

Method 2: Remove the Lock Option with Registry Hack

If the Group Policy Editor is not available in your computer or you’re running Windows 7, then use this registry hack to disable the lock option from your Windows Start menu.

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter.
  2. When the Registry Editor opens, browse down to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
  3. Right-click on the System key on the left pane and select New -> DWORD (32 bit) Value.

    new-dword-value

  4. Name it DisableLockWorkstation and set the value to 1 in order to disable the lock option in the Start menu.

    disable-lock-workstation

    If you want to show / enable the lock option later on, just change the value to 0.

  5. Close the Registry Editor and you will see the lock option turns gray or disappeared from the Start menu.

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

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Hide / Clear Most Used Programs in Windows 10, 8 and 7 Start Menu

February 1st, 2016 by Admin

My frequently used programs are missing from the Start menu. Can this be corrected and if so how? Thanks in advance.

By default, Windows keeps track of programs you use frequently and puts them on the Start menu (or Start screen) for convenience. For privacy purposes, some of you may want to clear the most used programs from the list. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to hide / clear the most frequently / recently used programs in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

most-used-apps

The first part is for Windows 10 users and the second is for Windows 8 / 8.1 users, so you will have to scroll down if you use Windows 7 – the last part is for this operating system.

Part 1: Clear Most Used Programs from Windows 10 Start Menu

  1. Press the Windows key + I to bring up the Settings app. If you’re using a tablet without a keyboard, click the Start button and then select Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.

    settings

  3. At the Personalization window, click on the Start tab on the left-hand side. On the right pane, you’ll see a few options for configuring what is shown on the Start Menu and how the Start Menu is displayed.
  4. From there, set toggle button under “Show most used apps” to Off in order to make Start menu hide the apps you use often.

    hide-show-most-used-apps

Part 2: Clear Most Used Programs from Windows 8 Start Screen

  1. Right-click on an empty space on the Taskbar and select Properties.
  2. Click on the Jump Lists tab, uncheck the “Store recently opened programs” box.

    jump-lists

  3. Click Apply and then click OK.

Part 3: Clear Most Used Programs from Windows 7 Start Menu

  1. Right-click on an empty space on the Taskbar and select Properties.
  2. Click on the Start Menu tab, uncheck the “Store and display recently opened programs in the Start menu” box.

    hide-recently-opened-apps

    If you also want to hide your recently opened documents/files from the Start menu, uncheck the “Store and display recently opened items in the Start menu and the taskbar” box as well.

  3. Click Apply and then click OK.

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

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How to Modify / Edit Hosts File in Windows 10 / 8

January 28th, 2016 by Admin

The hosts file is basically a plain text file that is used to map host names to IP addresses. It is located deep down in the Windows folder: C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to modify / edit the hosts file in Windows 10 or 8, and use it to block opening of one or more particular websites.

Part 1: Edit Hosts File

You can use any text editor to open the hosts file. But you’ll get the “Access is denied” error when you try to save your changes back to the hosts file. By default, the hosts file is protected from user changes. Before editing, you need to take ownership of the hosts file so you have full permissions to it. Here’s how:

  1. Download and install the freeware TakeOwnershipPro on your local computer. After installing, it will add a TakeOwnershipPro shortcut to the right-click context menu.
  2. Browse to the folder C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc. Right-click on the hosts file and select “TakeOwnershipPro” from context menu.

    take-ownership

  3. When the popup window says the process of taking ownership is done. Click Exit to close it.

    TakeOwnershipPro

  4. Now the hosts file is ready to be modified.

Part 2: Block A Particular Website

The hosts file could be used to block access to any websites that you don’t want to visit. For example, lets say you want to prevent your computer from accessing the youtube.com website, simply add the following line to the end of the hosts file:

127.0.0.1 youtube.com

hosts

Once you’ve made the necessary changes, save it back to the hosts file and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Part 3: Prevent hijacking

Beware, the hosts file can also be used by viruses or malware to redirect you to phishing and other dangerous sites. To help prevent hijacking or unauthorized changes to the hosts file, consider making it read-only. Simply navigate to the hosts file with Windows Explorer: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. Then right-click the hosts file, select Properties, check the Read-only attribute, and click OK.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 8

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5 Quick Ways to Open Task Manager in Windows 10 / 8

January 28th, 2016 by Admin

Task Manager is one of the most-used system utilities in Windows. We usually use it to check the overall performance of our computers or close a program that stops responding (hangs). There are multiple ways you can launch Task Manager. In this tutorial we’ll show you 5 quickest ways to open the Task Manager in Windows 10 and Windows 8.

task-manager

Option 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Just press Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination on your keyboard and it can open the Task Manager directly. This keyboard shortcut is a global hotkey, means it is available from any app you running and even when your Explorer shell is not running! This should be the simplest way to launch Task Manager.

Option 2: Right-click Taskbar

Right-click the empty space on the taskbar, and then select “Task Manager” from the context menu. The Task Manager will launch immediately.

taskbar

This method allows you to use the mouse only and simply ignore the keyboard, making it the likely preferred method of those who like using the mouse instead of the keyboard.

Option 3: Run taskmgr Command

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type taskmgr and hit Enter. It will also start the Task Manager.

run-box

If you’re at the Command Prompt, run the taskmgr command and you can also bring up the Task Manager.

Option 4: Ctrl+Alt+Del

Press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys together on the keyboard, the security screen should open. Click on the “Task Manager” option.

ctrl-alt-del

This action will open the Task Manager. This method is pretty helpful if your system is unresponsive for whatever reason.

Option 5: Win+X Menu

While all previous options are available in previous versions of Windows like Windows 7, Vista, XP etc, this method is exclusive for Windows 10 and Windows 8.

quick-access-menu

Press the Windows key + X keys together on the keyboard, pick the “Task Manager” item from the power user menu and it will open Task Manager.

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Enable / Disable Fast User Switching in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 and Vista

January 28th, 2016 by Admin

Fast user switching is disabled or missing on your Windows 10 system? Unable to switch to a different account as the “Switch user” option is greyed out?

win7-switch-user

In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to enable or disable Fast User Switching in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 and Vista.

Method 1: Using Local Group Policy Editor

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
  2. The Local Group Policy Editor console should open. In the left pane, expand the following nodes:
    Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon
  3. In right-side pane, double-click on the “Hide entry points for Fast User Switching” policy and its properties screen will open.

    hide-fast-user-switch

  4. If you want to turn off / disable the Fast User Switching feature, set it to Enabled. Or click Disabled or “Not configured” to re-enable Fast User Switching.

By disabling the Fast User Switching feature, the “Switch user” option will be greyed out or removed from Windows logon screen,Start menu and the Task Manager.

Method 2: Using Registry Trick

Since Group Policy Editor doesn’t come with the Home and Starter editions of Windows, here is another method to enable / disable Fast User Switching using Registry Editor:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit and press Enter.
  2. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
  3. In the right-side pane, search for the value named HideFastUserSwitching. If it doesn’t exist, you can create one by right-clicking in the empty space on the right pane and choose New –> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

    hide-fast-user-switching

  4. Set the Value data for HideFastUserSwitching to 1 if you want to disable the Fast User Switching feature. To re-enable it, change that value to 0.
  5. Close the Registry Editor. You will have to log off and then log back on for the changes to take effect.

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

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5 Ways to Switch Users in Windows 10 without Log off

January 27th, 2016 by Admin

Fast User Switching is a nice feature for Windows users to quickly switch to another user account, without having to log off or close all running programs of the currently logged-on user. In this tutorial we’ll show you 5 quick ways to switch between multiple user accounts in Windows 10.

Note: Don’t restart or shutdown your computer while another user account is still logged in, or that account will lose any work that isn’t saved.

Option 1: Switch Users from Start Menu

  1. Click the Start button.
  2. From top-left corner of the Start Menu, click your user account who is currently logged in. You’ll see a drop-down menu that lists all other user accounts available in your system.

    win10-switch-user

  3. click on the user account you want to switch to. You will now be taken directly to the sign-in screen of the selected account.
  4. Enter your password and you can log on. Use the same method and you can switch back to your original account.

Option 2: Switch Users from Lock Screen (Windows + L)

  1. Press the Windows key + L simultaneously (i.e. hold down the Windows key and tap L) on your keyboard and it will lock your computer.
  2. Click the lock screen and you’ll be back on the sign-in screen. Select and log in to the account you want to switch to.

    windows-L

Option 3: Switch Users by Pressing Alt + F4

  1. The Alt + F4 keyboard shortcut has been around about as long as Windows has, as a shortcut to close the window that’s in focus. If your desktop has the focus, then pressing Alt + F4 will bring up the Shut Down Windows dialog. If the focus is not in your desktop, press the Windows key + D to hide all programs or click your desktop background.
  2. Select Switch user from the drop-down menu, and click/tap on OK or press Enter.

    alt-f4

  3. You will now be taken to the lock screen to unlock. When you’re back at the sign-in screen, you can select and sign in to the account you want to switch to.

Option 4: Switch Users by Pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del

  1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del at the same time to open the security screen.
  2. Click on Switch user. You will now be taken directly to the sign-in screen to select and sign in to the account you want to switch to.

    ctrl-alt-del

Option 5: Switch Users from Task Manager

  1. Open the Task Manager in Windows 10. You can launch it by right-clicking the taskbar and then selecting “Task Manager“, or pressing the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard combination.
  2. By default, the Task Manager will open in compact view. Click the “More Details” button at the bottom to access the full Task Manager.
  3. Click on the Users tab, select a user that you want to switch to, and click on the “Switch user” button.

    task-manager

  4. You can then switch and sign in to your selected account.

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How to Know Your Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit

January 23rd, 2016 by Admin

All versions of Windows are available in two different flavors: 32-bit and 64-bit. For most people, whether they use a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows doesn’t make a difference. But it’s necessary to find out your running Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit when performing certain tasks, such as install drivers for your new device. Here are 3 simple ways to know your Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit.

Method 1: Right-click on My Computer

Simply right-click on “My Computer” (or “This PC” if you’re running Windows 10) icon on your desktop, and then select Properties from the drop-down context menu.

my-computer-properties

The System Control Panel will now open. In this screen you will see various information about your computer and Windows. The System type field indicates whether your computer are running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

system-info

Method 2: Use the MSINFO32 Command

Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog. Type msinfo32 and hit Enter.

msinfo32

This opens the System Information window which shows details of almost everything in the system. Click the System Summary node on the left, then locate the System Type entry. If it’s x64-based PC, you’re running 64-bit Windows. If it’s x86-based PC, your Windows is 32-bit.

system-information

Method 3: Check the Program Files (x86) Folder

For purposes of backward compatibility, 64-bit version of Windows needs to run both 64-bit and 32-bit programs. 32-bit application are installed in the “Program Files (x86)” folder but native 64-bit application run in the normal “Program Files” folder.

program-files-x86

So if you can see the “Program Files (x86)” folder under the root path of your system partition, your Windows is 64-bit. Otherwise it’s 32-bit OS.

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

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