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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

hp-envy-uefi

samsung-uefi-secure-boot

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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What to Do If You Forgot Windows 8 Picture Password

December 27th, 2012 by Admin

For Windows 8 users on a tablet or touchscreen computer, picture password is a great way to secure your computer without having to break out the keyboard every time you want to log in. By having the system memorize a few gestures over a picture, you can log in a lot faster and more efficiently than you could otherwise. But it may also cause you trouble if you forgot your picture password.

What to do if you forgot Windows 8 picture password? There are plenty of password cracking software which are available on the internet free of charge, but none of them support the recovery of picture password. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to log on back to your computer when you forgot Windows 8 picture password.

After forgetting your picture password, you can always choose to login using some other sign-in options such as traditional text password or Windows Live ID. Once you’ve gotten into Windows 8, you can reset or change your picture password easily. Now you may continue to ask what to do if both the text password and Windows Live password are also lost or forgotten? Luckily there is a professional password recovery utility – Password Recovery Bundle, which allows you to reset forgotten Windows 8 local account password and Microsoft account password easily.

The first thing you’ll need to do is use your friend’s computer to download and install Password Recovery Bundle. The software allows you to create a bootable Windows password reset CD/USB. After creating such a disc, bring it to boot your locked Windows 8 system. The computer will load the mini operating system inside the disc and start the Reset Windows Password program. Choose your administrator account and click on Reset Password button, it will remove your login password immediately.

Next restart the computer and remove the password reset CD/USB, you can then sign in to Windows 8 local account or Microsoft account using a blank password. Once you’re in Windows 8 with administrator privileges, you are granted to remove/change/reset your forgotten picture password easily.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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How to Run an Application as Administrator in Windows 8

December 26th, 2012 by Admin

In the previous post, we’ve covered several methods to run a program with administrator rights on Windows 7/Vista/XP. The methods still work on Windows 8. This tutorial will show you some other options to run an application as administrator with full unrestricted elevated rights and privileges in Windows 8.

Option 1: Run an Application as Administrator from Start Screen

  1. Move the mouse cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen, click the Search icon.
  2. Type the program’s name that you want to run as administrator in the Search box.
  3. Right-click on your desired application on the top-left of the search result page. A tick sign appears on the icon.
  4. Click on the Run as Administrator icon from the bottom options.

Option 2: Run an Application as Administrator from Task Manager

  1. Simply hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard (that starts the Task Manager) and then click on File -> New Task.
  2. A new dialog box will open. Type the name of your desired program, check the Create this task with administrative privileges box, and click OK.

Note: If you forgot the password for your administrator account in Windows 8, you can use the Reset Windows Password bootdisk to remove your password quickly and easily.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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Locked Out of Windows 7 by Forgotten Password

December 24th, 2012 by Admin

My laptop was installed with Windows 7 with only one account, but no reset disk was created. Now I had forgotten my password and don’t know how to reset it. Had tried Ophcrack to burn its ISO into a CD, but failed to boot my laptop. Is there any way to reset my password without formatting my whole system disk?

Locked out of Windows 7 by forgotten password? Probably 90% of the Windows 7 users never know about an effective way to reset a forgotten Windows 7 password. Actually, password resetting is the fastest and the most secure option to regain access to your system in case the login password is lost or forgotten. So here’s how to do it the easiest way, from scratch in 10 minutes.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows 7 Password?

You need an alternative computer with CD burner and a blank CD in order to make a bootable Windows 7 password reset disk. To do that download the Reset Windows Password utility, unzip the download file and you’ll get an ISO image. Burn the ISO image to a CD using your favorite CD burning software. If you don’t have a CD burner, let’s say you have a netbook PC, then you can do a Windows 7 password reset USB instead.

After you have created a bootable Windows 7 password reset disk or USB as mentioned above, go and boot the PC you want to reset its password with this reset disk or USB. Once the PC starts to boot, it will load the operating system inside the password reset disk and launch the Reset Windows Password program.

Choose the user account whose password you want to reset, then click on Reset Password button. It will reset your forgotten Windows 7 password and unlock the user account in no time.

Now take out the password reset disk and restart the computer. You can then log in to Windows 7 without being asked for a password. You’ll find that all files on your hard drive stay intact. No need to reinstall Windows and run the risk of losing your data when you are locked out of Windows 7 by forgotten password.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 7

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Forgot Windows 8 Password for Your Laptop?

December 23rd, 2012 by Admin

I have tried everything to get into my Windows 8 laptop. The password I had set up will not work for some reason. Is there anyway I can bypass this and get into my laptop.

Forgot Windows 8 password for your laptop? It is troublesome when you forgot windows 8 password especially your system contains important data. Though re-installing Windows 8 will help you remove Windows 8 password, it also erase your important data on computer. Many computer newbies don’t have any idea about password reset disc and other methods to reset the password in Windows 8. Here I’ll show you the easiest way to reset Windows 8 password using a bootable password reset disc.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows 8 Password for Your Laptop?

Reset Windows Password utility is one of the best Windows password recovery software which can help you unlock administrator password easily on Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP.

You have to boot into this program off a CD or USB drive, so it downloads as an .iso image file. Double-click that file and Windows just might start a program that burns the disc. If it doesn’t, download and install ISO2Disc, then try again. Simply copying the .iso file to a CD won’t work.

When you boot the Windows password reset disc, the computer will load the mini operating system inside the disc and finally start the Reset Windows Password program. The program automatically finds the Windows SAM database and retrieves the user accounts existing in your Windows 8 installation.

Simply select the user account whose password you want to reset, then click on Reset Password button. It will delete the forgotten/unknown password in no time.

Finally remove the CD and reboot the computer. It will boot Windows into the logon screen. Choose your user account and left the password field as blank, you can log in to Windows 8 without any hassle.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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Automatically Delete Browsing History When Browser Exits

December 22nd, 2012 by Admin

All Web browsers keep a log of Web pages that you have visited in the past, defined as browsing history. If you’re concerned about your privacy and don’t want others to know what sites you have visited, it’s a good idea to configure your browser to automatically delete browsing history upon exit.

This tutorial will show you how to configure your Web browsers to automatically delete your browsing history every time you exit your browser.

1. Firefox

To begin, select Options from the Firefox menu. On the Options dialog box, click Privacy on the toolbar at the top. Select Use custom settings for history from the Firefox will drop-down list. To automatically clear your web history when you close Firefox, select the Clear history when Firefox closes check box.

Next click on Settings button to customize the type of history that you want cleared when you close Firefox.

2. Internet Explorer

With Internet Explorer open, click on the Tools > Internet Options. Click on the Advanced tab in the Internet Options dialog box and scroll down until you reach the Security section, make sure to check the Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed option. Click OK.

Conclusion

Now, you don’t have to worry about clearing your browsing history, such as downloads and cookies. Once you close the Firefox or Internet Explorer browser, the web history will be deleted by your browser automatically.

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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.

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How to Unlock Windows Administrator Password

December 8th, 2012 by Admin

Maybe you use your administrator-level Windows user account so rarely that you forgot the password. Or perhaps you’ve acquired a used PC, don’t know the login password. Either way, if you want to keep using that computer, you have to either find out how to unlock the forgotten administrator password or reformat the hard drive.

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to unlock Windows administrator password when you forgot it. Quickly get into your computer without losing your files. You can use this trick on Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP.

How to Unlock Windows Administrator Password?

Reset Windows Password utility is one of the best Windows password recovery software which can help you unlock administrator password easily on Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP.

You have to boot into this program off a CD or USB drive, so it downloads as an .iso image file. Double-click that file and Windows just might start a program that burns the disc. If it doesn’t, download and install ISO2Disc, then try again. Simply copying the .iso file to a CD won’t work.

When you boot the Windows password reset disc, the computer will load the mini operating system inside the disc and finally start the Reset Windows Password program. The program automatically finds the Windows SAM database and retrieves the user accounts existing in your Windows installation.

Simply select the administrator account if you forgot the password, then click on Reset Password button. It will unlock your selected account and remove its password in no time.

Finally remove the CD and reboot the computer. It will boot Windows into the logon screen. Choose your administrator account and left the password field as blank, you can login without any hassle.

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

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How to Disable Windows 8 or 10 Lock Screen

December 7th, 2012 by Admin

By default, Windows 8 or 10 shows Lock Screen at startup, which displays the date ad well as notifications. You have to click the screen before you can get to the logon screen. This seems like something that makes more sense on a tablet PC.

windows-lock-screen

If you are using a desktop or laptop computer, you can disable the Lock Screen so the computer will boot up directly to logon screen to choose the user account to log in to Windows 8/10. Fortunately, you can disable the Lock Screen from Local Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor.

Method 1: Disable Windows 8 or 10 Lock Screen Using Group Policy

  1. The first thing you need to do is to open the Local Group Policy Editor by pressing the Windows + R key combination to bring up a Run box, then type gpedit.msc and hit Enter.
  2. Now, expand Administrative Templates settings from Computer Configuration, and then navigate to Control Panel –> Personalization. In main window, you will find Do not display the lock screen policy.

    do-not-display-lock-screen

  3. Double-click this policy and tick Enabled checkbox. This will permanently disable Lock Screen. When disabled, users will see the logon screen when they log off or lock out Windows. Similarly, you will be taken to logon screen directly, instead of Lock Screen, at startup.

Method 2: Disable Windows 8 or 10 Lock Screen Using Registry Editor

  1. Open Registry Editor by pressing Windows key + R to open the Run box, and then type regedit and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to the following registry key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization

    If you do not see the Personalization key, you have to create it by right-clicking the Windows key above it and selecting New -> Key.

  3. Right-click in the right pane and create a new DWORD value named NoLockScreen, and then set its value to 1.

    disable-lock-screen

    To re-enable the lock screen in the future, either delete the NoLockScreen value from your registry or set it to 0.

  4. Close the registry editor and now you’ve successfully removed the lock screen.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 8

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