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Reset Windows 10 Password for HP Spectre x360 Laptop

October 12th, 2016 by Admin

Forgot Windows 10 password on your HP Spectre x360 laptop? How can you unlock the computer without a factory reset? If you don’t know how to reset Windows 10 forgotten password, then you’re at very right post. The following is a complete guide on how to reset lost Windows 10 password for HP Spectre x360 laptop when you get locked out.

Part 1: Create a Bootable USB Drive

When you’re locked out of HP Spectre x360 laptop, you need to use another PC for creating a bootable USB drive. Begin by download the PCUnlocker Enterprise (trial version), and then extract the ISO file from the downloaded file (in .zip format).

Download and install the free USB creator software ISO2Disc. Launch ISO2Disc and select the PCUnlocker ISO file you’ve extracted. Select the “GPT (required for UEFI boot)” option and click Start Burn.

Part 2: Boot HP Spectre x360 with USB

Insert the bootable USB drive into your HP Spectre x360 laptop. While turning on the machine, quickly and repeatedly press a key (might be F9 or ESC + F9) to access the Boot Options. Select your USB drive and let your laptop boot from it.

If you still couldn’t access the Boot Options, you can press F10 key to enter into BIOS and change the boot order to USB. Additionally, you can also access BIOS/UEFI from Windows 10 login screen: 2 Options to Access UEFI BIOS Setup in Windows 8 / 10

Part 3: Reset Windows 10 Password

Once the laptop successfully boots from USB drive, you’ll see the PCUnlocker program and it lists all user accounts detected in your Windows 10 SAM file. Select a user and click on “Reset Password” button.

A pop-up window will appear, asking to confirm you are ready to reset the password. Click Yes. Reboot your laptop and unplug the USB drive. You can then log on to your HP Spectre x360 laptop without a password!

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5 Ways to Stop or Start SQL Server Service

October 11th, 2016 by Admin

How to stop a local SQL Server instance from command line or PowerShell? In this tutorial we’ll show you 5 simple ways to stop or start SQL Server service in SQL Server 2016/2014/2012/2005.

Method 1: Stop / Start SQL Server Service from Microsoft Services Console

  1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run box. Type services.msc and press Enter.
  2. This will open the Microsoft Services console. Find the service called SQL Server (instant name) and then double-click on it.

    sql-server-service

  3. In the Properties dialog box, you can see that the service name of my SQL Server instance is MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS. From there you can click the Stop button if your SQL Server service is running, or click the Start button to get the service up and running.

    stop-sql-server-service

Method 2: Stop / Start SQL Server Service from Command Line

  1. Open an elevated Command Prompt.
  2. To stop a named SQL Server instance, type the following command. Replace SQLEXPRESS with the instance name.
    net stop MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS

    start-sql-server-command-line

    To start a named SQL Server instance, type:
    net start MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS

Method 3: Stop / Start SQL Server Service from SQL Server Configuration Manager

  1. To get started, you need to open SQL Server Configuration Manager. In Windows Server 2008 or 2003, you can click Start > Programs -> Microsoft SQL Server > Configuration Tools > SQL Server Configuration Manager.
  2. In the left pane of SQL Server Configuration Manager, click SQL Server Services. We can see all services in right pane. Right-click on SQL Server service and you can then select Stop or Start from the context menu.

    sql-server-configuration-manager

Method 4: Stop / Start SQL Server Service from PowerShell

  1. Open the PowerShell as administrator.
  2. You can use the Start-Service cmdlet to stop your SQL Server service. Replace SQLEXPRESS with the instance name.
    Start-Service -Name 'MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS'

    start-sql-server-powershell

    Or use the Stop-Service cmdlet to start your SQL Server service.
    Stop-Service -Name 'MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS'

Method 5: Stop / Start SQL Server Service from SQL server Management Studio

  1. Open SQL server Management Studio and connect to your SQL Server instance.
  2. Right-click on the server in Object Explorer, you’ll have options to Stop, Start, Pause, Resume and Restart your SQL Server service. If we are not already connected, we can’t start a stopped instance.

    stop-sql-server-via-ssms

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2 Ways to Reset Forgotten Windows Server 2016 Password

October 10th, 2016 by Admin

What to do if you forgot the administrator password in Windows Server 2016? As a IT administrator, you should have ever experienced trouble logging into a server with unknown password, so in this post we’ll show two simple ways to reset forgotten Windows Server 2016 administrator password. These methods work on other Windows versions as well.

forgot-server-2016-password

Method 1: Reset Windows Server 2016 Password with Installation Disk

If you have the original Windows installation disk, you can reset forgotten Windows Server 2016 password by following these steps:

  1. Boot the server from the Windows Server 2016 Installation DVD. When the Setup screen appears, press SHIFT + F10 keys to open Command Prompt.
  2. At the Command Prompt, run the following commands:
    d:
    cd Windows\System32
    ren Utilman.exe Utilman.exe.original
    copy cmd.exe Utilman.exe
    shutdown -r -t 0

    replace-utilman-with-cmd

  3. The server should now reboot and present the logon screen. Press Windows Key + U or click the Ease of Access button, Command Prompt will pop up and type:
    net user Administrator P@ssword123

    reset-windows-server-2016-passwordThis will set the password for the Administrator to be P@ssword123 (case sensitive).

  4. Close the Command Prompt and you should now be able to log back onto Windows Server 2016 using the password you have provided in the previous step. After logging in, browse to the directory C:\Windows\System32, delete Utilman.exe and rename Utilman.exe.original back to Utilman.exe.

Method 2: Reset Windows Server 2016 Password with PCUnlocker

PCUnlocker is easy to use bootable utility that can help you reset domain & local administrator password in Windows Server 2016. Here’s how:

  1. Boot your server from PCUnlocker Live CD (or USB drive). If you don’t have one, you need to create it from another working PC. Download the PCUnlocker ISO file and burn it to CD (or USB drive) using the ISO2Disc software.

  2. When booting to the PCUnlocker program, you’ll see two options: Reset Local Admin/User Password, Reset Active Directory Password. The latter option is for domain controller only.

    pcunlocker

  3. Select the Administrator account and click the Reset Password button. Depend on your account type (local account or domain account), the program will set the password to be empty or Password123.

    reset-server-2016-domain-password

  4. After resetting the password, reboot the server and take out CD. You can then log into Windows Server 2016 administrator account successfully.

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How to Add Missing Disk Cleanup in Windows Server 2012

October 8th, 2016 by Admin

With the release of Windows Server 2008, the disk cleanup utility is no longer installed by default for Windows Server OS. Microsoft placed disk cleanup within an optional feature called “Desktop Experience”. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through the steps to add missing disk cleanup in Windows Server 2012.

disk cleanup

How to Add Missing Disk Cleanup in Windows Server 2012?

  1. Launch Server Manager by clicking its icon on the taskbar. From the Server Manager Dashboard, select Add roles and features.

    add-roles-and-features

  2. Select Role-based or features-based installation from the Installation Type screen and click Next.

    select-installation-type

  3. The current server is selected by default. Click Next.

    select-destination-server

  4. Ignore the Server Roles page by clicking Next.

    select-server-roles

  5. From the Features page, expand the “User Interfaces and Infrastructure” feature and select the “Desktop Experience” component.

    desktop-experience

    A popup window will appear explaining additional roles services or features are also required to install Desktop Experience, click Add Features.

    add-required-features

  6. Review the installation and then click Install.

    confirm-installation

  7. After installing, reboot your computer. You can then open the disk cleanup utility from the Command Prompt or Control Panel.

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5 Ways to Launch Server Manager in Windows Server 2012

October 8th, 2016 by Admin

Server Manager is a management console (MMC) in Windows Server 2012 that allows you to add server roles / features, manage and deploy server remotely. In this tutorial we’ll show you 5 ways to launch Server Manager in Windows Server 2012.

server-manager

Method 1: Launch Server Manager from Command Line

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box, or open the Command Prompt. Type ServerManager and press Enter.

run-server-manager

This should be the most common and quickest way to open Server Manager in Windows Server 2012 / 2008.

Method 2: Launch Server Manager from Taskbar

By default, the Server Manager shortcut is pinned to the taskbar. Just click the Server Manager icon and you can run Server Manager immediately.

server-manager-in-taskbar

Method 3: Launch Server Manager from Start Screen

Click the Start button to open the Start Screen.

server-manager-in-start-screen

As you can see in the picture above, the Metro interface gives you access to Server Manager.

Method 4: Launch Server Manager Using PowerShell

Open PowerShell in Windows Server 2012. Type ServerManager and press Enter.

run-server-manager-via-powershell

Method 5: Create a Desktop Shortcut to Launch Server Manager

Right-click on any empty space on your desktop. Select New -> Shortcut from the context menu.

new-desktop-shortcut

Type ServerManager in the shortcut location box and click Next.

specify-shortcut-location

Give a name for the shortcut and click Finish.

type-name-for-shortcut

You should now see a new desktop shortcut on the desktop. Double-click it and you can launch Server Manager quickly.

server-manager-shortcut

That’s it!

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How to Enable USB Write Protection in Windows 10, 8 and 7

October 1st, 2016 by Admin

Worry about someone copying files off your PC via USB drive? The most common solution is to disable or restrict the usage of USB ports. In this tutorial we’ll show you another way to enable write protection of all USB drives that are connected to your Windows operating system.

How to Enable USB Write Protection in Windows 10, 8 and 7?

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

    regedit-via-run

  2. This will open the Registry Editor. Navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
  3. Right-click on the Control key in the left pane, select New -> Key. Name it as StorageDevicePolicies.

    new-registry-key

  4. Select the StorageDevicePolicies key in the left pane, then right-click on any empty space in the right pane and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it WriteProtect.

    new-dword-value

  5. Double-click on WriteProtect and then change the value data from 0 to 1.

    usb-write-protect

  6. The new setting takes effect immediately. Every user who tries to copy / move data to USB devices or format USB drive will get the error message “The disk is write-protected“. We can only open the file in the USB drive for reading, but it’s not allowed to modify and save the changes back to USB drive.

    disk-is-write-protected

So this is how you can enable write protection to all connected USB drives. If you want to disable write protection at a later time, just open Registry Editor and set the WriteProtect value to 0.

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How to Reset Local Group Policy Settings to Default with / without Login

September 30th, 2016 by Admin

Is there a way to bypass group policy? Group policy settings are messed up? You might be restricted from modifying certain system settings or you’re denied to log on to Windows. In this tutorial we’ll show you a simple way to reset local group policy settings to default, even if you couldn’t log into Windows.

Where Group Policy Settings are Stored

A local Group Policy object exists on every Windows-based computer, including Windows Home edition. The Local Group Policy is divided into two broad categories – Computer Configuration and User Configuration. All system-wide policies are stored under Computer Configuration, while user-specific settings are stored under User Configuration.

The group policy settings are stored in a file named Registry.pol under your system drive.

  • Computer-wide settings (Computer Configuration) – %SystemRoot%\System32\ GroupPolicy\Machine\registry.pol
  • User-specific settings (User Configuration) – %SystemRoot%\System32\ GroupPolicy\User\registry.pol

group-policy-location

Now that we know where the group policy settings are stored, we can reset them to default easily. No need to reinstall Windows when your group policy is messed up.

Method 1: Reset Local Group Policy Settings to Default After Login

  1. Open an elevated Command Prompt in Windows.
  2. At the Command Prompt, type the following commands one by one, press Enter after each.
    RD /S /Q "C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy"
    RD /S /Q "C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicyUsers"

    This will delete all your group policy settings (Registry.pol) stored on your computer.

    reset-group-policy-to-default

  3. Now you’ve reset the group policy objects to default. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Method 2: Reset Local Group Policy Settings to Default without Login

When you’re unable to boot or log into Windows any longer, or you have insufficient privileges to open up Command Prompt, just boot your PC from Windows installation disc and you can reset local group policy to default from outside Windows.

  1. Boot your PC with Windows installation DVD. When you comes to the Windows Setup screen, press SHIFT + F10 keys to open the Command Prompt.

  2. At the Command Prompt, use the dir command to find the drive where your Windows is installed.

    find-windows-partition

  3. Run the following commands one by one. Replace D:\ with the drive letter of your Windows partition.

    RD /S /Q "D:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy"
    RD /S /Q "D:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicyUsers"

    reset-group-policy-settings

  4. When it’s done, quit Windows Setup and take out the DVD, reboot your computer and the local group policies should have been reset to default. When you later make changes with the group policy, Windows will create a new Registry.pol file to store your settings.

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7 Ways to Open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10

September 30th, 2016 by Admin

Windows includes a disk-cleanup utility that’s helpful for freeing your computer from temporary and unnecessary files. In this tutorial we’ll show you 7 ways to open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10.

disk-cleanup

Method 1: Open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 from Run

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type cleanmgr and press Enter. This should be the quickest way to open Disk Cleanup utility in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

cleanmgr-via-run

Method 2: Open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 Using Cortana Search

Just click the Cortana Search icon in the Windows 10 taskbar and type disk cleanup. Click the Disk Cleanup shortcut appeared at the top of the list.

disk-cleanup-via-cortana-search

Method 3: Open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 from Control Panel

Open Control Panel in Large icons view in Windows 10. Click Administrative Tools.

administrative-tools

From there you can then see the Disk Cleanup shortcut.

disk-cleanup-in-control-panel

Method 4: Open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 from Command Prompt

Open the Command Prompt in Windows 10. At the Command Prompt, type cleanmgr and press Enter to launch Disk Cleanup.

disk-cleanup-via-cmd

By default the cleanmgr command will clean your system drive only. If you want to run disk cleanup for your other partition, type:
cleanmgr.exe /d D:

Note: Replace D: with the drive you want to clean up.

Method 5: Open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 from Drive Properties

Open File Explorer in Windows 10. Right-click on the drive (or partition) that you want to regain hard drive space, select Properties from the drop-down menu.

When the Drive Properties dialog opens, click the General tab. From there you can click the Disk Cleanup button to free up space on your drive.

drive properties

Method 6: Open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 Using File Search

Open File Explorer and browse to the root directory of your Windows partition. Type cleanmgr in the search box at the top-right of the window.

search-cleanmgr-app

Double-click on the cleanmgr.exe program from the search result.

Method 7: Open Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 from PowerShell

Open the PowerShell in Windows 10. Type cleanmgr and press Enter.

cleanmgr-powershell

That’s it!

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2 Ways to Enable Dark Theme (Mode) in Windows 10

September 29th, 2016 by Admin

Windows 10 default theme is very bright that hurts the eyes. If you spend much of time sitting in front of your computer, you can enable the built-in dark theme (known as “dark mode”) to reduce eye strain. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to enable dark theme (mode) in Windows 10.

windows-10-dark-mode

Method 1: Enable Windows 10 dark theme from the Settings app

  1. Open the Settings app by clicking its shortcut from the Start Menu, or pressing Windows key + I shortcut on your keyboard.

  2. Click on Personalization.

  3. Select Colors tab on the left pane. Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see the “Choose your app mode” section. By default, Windows 10 uses the light theme. To enable dark theme, click the Dark radio button and your apps will turn black right away.

    enable-dark-theme

Before the Anniversary Update arrives, the dark theme is a hidden feature in Windows 10, which could only be enabled with a registry hack.

Method 2: Enable Windows 10 dark theme using registry hack

  1. Open the Registry Editor in Windows 10. Navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize
    If the Personalize key doesn’t exist, you need to add it manually.
  2. In the right pane of Registry Editor, right-click any empty space to create a new DWORD (32-bit) value called AppsUseLightTheme with a value of 0. (0: enable dark theme, 1: enable the default light theme)

    AppsUseLightTheme

  3. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. Now you’ve successfully enabled dark theme in Windows 10.

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5 Ways to Remove the Administrator Password in Windows 10

September 27th, 2016 by Admin

Do you want to clear the administrator password and let Windows boot directly into the desktop? How to remove Windows 10 password if you’ve forgotten it? In this tutorial we’ll show you 5 ways to remove the administrator password in Windows 10.

Option 1: Remove Windows 10 Administrator Password from Control Panel

  1. Open the Control Panel in Large icons view. Click on User Accounts.

    user-accounts

  2. Under the “Make changes to your user account” section, click Manage another account.

    manage-another-account

  3. You’ll see all the accounts on your computer. Click the account you’d like to remove the password for.

    choose-user-you-want-change

  4. Click the “Change the password” link.

    change-the-password

  5. Enter your original password and leave the new password boxes blank, click on Change password button. It will remove your administrator password immediately.

    remove-local-password

Option 2: Remove Windows 10 Administrator Password from Settings

  1. Open the Settings app by clicking its shortcut from the Start Menu, or pressing Windows key + I shortcut on your keyboard.
  2. Click on Accounts.

    accounts

  3. Select Sign-in options tab in the left pane, and then click the Change button under the “Password” section.

    sign-in-options

  4. Next, enter your current password and click Next.

    confirm-current-password

  5. To remove your password, leave the password boxes blank and click Next.

    change-windows-password

Option 3: Remove Windows 10 Administrator Password from Command Prompt

  1. Open up an elevated Command Prompt.
  2. At the Command Prompt, type the below command and press Enter.
    net user Administrator *
  3. When you’re prompted to type new password, just press Enter twice and it will remove your Windows administrator password.

    remove-windows-password-via-cmd

Option 4: Remove Windows 10 Administrator Password Using Local Users and Groups snap-in

  1. Press Windows key + R to launch Run, type lusrmgr.msc and click OK.

    lusrmgr

  2. When the Local Users and Groups snap-in opens, click Users from the left pane, then right-click the Administrator in the center pane. Select Set Password.

    set-password

  3. Now click Proceed in the following window.

    proceed-to-change-password

  4. Leave the New password and Confirm password boxes empty and click OK. This will remove your Windows user password instantly.

    clear-windows-password

Option 5: Remove Windows 10 Administrator Password Using PCUnlocker

PCUnlocker is a handy Windows password removal tool that runs from a boot disk. It allows you to remove forgotten Administrator password for any Windows-based PC you can get physical access to.

  1. Start by burning the PCUnlocker ISO file onto a CD (or USB flash drive) using the freeware ISO2Disc.

  2. Boot your locked computer from the CD.
  3. Once booted to the PCUnlocker program, select the Administrator account and click on “Reset Password” button.

  4. This will remove your forgotten Windows administrator password quickly. Reboot your computer without CD, you can then log into your Windows 10 administrator account without a password.

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