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4 Ways to Open Microsoft Edge in Windows 10

June 27th, 2016 by Admin

Microsoft Edge is the new default web browser in Windows 10. It’s clean, fast, and more intuitive than Internet Explorer. In this article we’ll show you 4 ways to open Microsoft Edge in Windows 10.

Method 1: Open Microsoft Edge from Taskbar

By default, the Microsoft Edge shortcut is pinned to Windows taskbar. Just click the Microsoft Edge icon and you can launch Edge browser immediately.

open-edge-via-taskbar

Method 2: Open Microsoft Edge from Start Menu

Click on the Start button, then click the Microsoft Edge tile shown at the right panel of the Start Menu.

open-edge

If Microsoft Edge is not shown there, click the All apps entry on the left side of Start Menu. Scroll down to select Microsoft Edge.

open-edge-via-start-menu

Method 3: Open Microsoft Edge Using Cortana Search

Click the Cortana Search box on the Windows 10 taskbar. Type edge and you can access Microsoft Edge from the search results.

open-edge-via-cortana

Method 4 Open Microsoft Edge from Run or Command Prompt

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type microsoft-edge: and press Enter. This will launch Microsoft Edge instantly.

open-edge-via-run

If you’re at the Command Prompt or PowerShell, just type start microsoft-edge: and press Enter.

If you want to open URL in Microsoft Edge from Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter:
start microsoft-edge:http://www.top-password.com

open-edge-via-cmd

This will automatically open Edge with your desired website.

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Difference Between Sleep and Hibernate in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

June 24th, 2016 by Admin

It’s a good idea to put Windows in the energy-saving mode (Sleep or Hibernate) when you’re away from your computer. However, most of users don’t know the exact differences between Sleep mode and Hibernate mode. In this article we’ll try to explain the differences in detail.

hibernate-vs-sleep

Sleep:

Sleep mode (also known as Standby mode) is useful when you’re going to be away for a short period of time. It’s similar like pausing a DVD movie, all your running programs are suspended. The computer immediately stops most system operations and your open documents and applications are put in the RAM. Power is cut from all components apart from RAM: the display, the hard drive, and ports.

However, the power must NOT be cut off while your PC is in Sleep mode, and must be continue to supply to the computer. A power outage would cause all data that aren’t saved to hard disk to be lost.

When you wake the computer up, all processes and programs resume working within seconds. This is because your computer is still on and all your data is still kept in the computer’s memory.

Hibernate:

Hibernate mode will take everything you have running on RAM (including open documents and apps) and saves it to a special file (C:\hiberfil.sys) on your hard drive, and then turn off your computer completely. That means it consumes almost no power, but it takes a bit more time to wake up than Sleep mode.

When you wake your computer from hibernation, the system will load everything saved in the hiberfil.sys file and all programs you had open will reopen in the same state you left them.

Hibernation is ideal for users who would be away from the computer for an extended period, especially when you have to cut off the power to travel but want to continue working from where you left off, without having to open your programs and documents again.

The downside of Hibernate is that it will take up a huge amount of disk space because it saves the full memory of the RAM into hard drive, you can see a gigantic hiberfil.sys file sitting in the root of your system drive.

hiberfil_sys

Conclusion

Now you should have found out the main differences between Sleep mode and Hibernate mode. It’s up to you to decide which option is best for you to save power for your computer.

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

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Add Missing Hibernate Option to Windows 10 Start Menu

June 24th, 2016 by Admin

In Windows 10, Hibernate mode is disabled by default. When you click the Start button, only Shut down, Restart and Sleep options are shown in the Power Options menu. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 methods to add the missing Hibernate option to the Start Menu and Power User menu in Windows 10.

hibernate-in-power-options

Before getting started, make sure you have enabled Hibernate mode in Windows 10. If Hibernate mode is disabled, the following methods still couldn’t bring the Hibernate option back to the Start Menu.

Method 1: Add Hibernate Option to Start Menu from Control Panel

  1. Open the Control Panel in Large icons view. Click Power Options.

    control-panel

  2. Select “Choose what the power buttons do” from the left side of the window.

    power-options

  3. This will open the System Settings window, where many options are greyed out. You have to click “Change settings that are currently unavailable“.

    power-system-settings

  4. Scroll to the bottom of the window, until you find the Shutdown settings section. Now check the Hibernate checkbox and click Save changes.

    add-hibernate-to-power-options

  5. Now open the Start Menu and click Power, you can see the Hibernate option in the Power menu, next to Shut down, Sleep or Restart. You can also access the Hibernate option by pressing the Windows + X (or right click on the Start button) and selecting Shut down or sign out.

Method 2: Add Hibernate Option to Start Menu Using Group Policy

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

    gpedit

  2. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor. Navigate to:
    Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> File Explorer
  3. Double-click on the “Show hibernate in the power options menu” policy on the right panel, and set it to Enabled.

    show-hibernate-in-power-options

  4. Close Group Policy Editor and you’ll see the Hibernate option back in the Power Options menu of Windows 10 Start Menu.

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2 Options to Enable / Disable Hibernate in Windows 10

June 24th, 2016 by Admin

Hibernate is a way to power off your system with the full memory saved to a hibernation file named hiberfil.sys. When the PC is turned on again, the content of the hiberfil.sys file is restored into the RAM and this will resume everything (including your opened files and running programs) where you left off. This tutorial will demonstrate you how to enable or disable Hibernate in Windows 10.

Option 1: Enable / Disable Hibernate Using Command Prompt

Open an elevated Command Prompt by pressing Win + X and selecting Command Prompt (Admin) from the WinX menu.

winx-menu

Type the following command and press Enter. This will turn on the Hibernate feature and the system will create a hiberfil.sys file under the root path of your system partition.
powercfg -h on

turn-on-hibernate

If you want to disable Hibernate, just type this command and press Enter. The system will delete the hiberfil.sys file automatically.
powercfg -h off

turn-off-hibernate

Option 2: Enable / Disable Hibernate Using Registry Editor

Open the Registry Editor by pressing Win + R and typing regedit in the Run box.

regedit

In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power

Double-click on the HibernateEnabled entry in the right pane and change its value. To turn on Hibernate, set the value to 1, or set it to 0 if you want to turn off Hibernate.

enable-hibernate

Close Registry Editor and restart the computer to apply the changes.

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2 Ways to Turn On / Off Airplane Mode in Windows 10

June 23rd, 2016 by Admin

Airplane mode (also known as flight mode) allows you to turn off all wireless communications (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS) on your PC. During a flight, you’ll be requested to turn off your computer or switch to Airplane mode to prevent any any possible interference with the airplane’s communication and navigation systems. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to turn on or off Airplane mode in Windows 10.

Method 1: Turn on / off Airplane mode from Action Center

Press Windows + A on your keyboard, or click on the Action Center icon (square box with three lines) from the system tray.

action-center

Expand the Quick actions section. If the Airplane mode icon is darker than the other icons, airplane mode is disabled. Click on the Airplane mode button to turn it on or off.

Method 2: Turn on / oOff Airplane mode from the Settings app

Click the Start button and select Settings, or press Windows + I on your keyboard. Once the Settings app is launched, click on Network and Internet.

network-internet

Click on Airplane mode on the left side, and you can then turn on or off Airplane mode on the right side.

airplane-mode

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Fix Windows 10 PIN Error: “Something went wrong. Try again later”

June 22nd, 2016 by Admin

When you try to change a PIN or add a PIN logon in Windows 10, you might get the error message “Something went wrong. Try again later.”

something-went-wrong

By default, Windows 10 stores the PIN logon credentials in the directory C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\NGC. If the NGC folder is corrupt, the system will refuse you to change PIN. While you’ll not be allowed to add/create a PIN when the NGC folder is missing.

To fix the error “Something went wrong. Try again later.” and get PIN logon back to work, you have to delete all the contents of the NGC folder. Follow these steps:

  1. Before getting started, you need to configure Windows to show hidden files as the AppData folder is hidden by default.
  2. Open File Explorer and browse to the directory: C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\NGC. You will be denied permission to access this folder, so you need to take ownership of the NGC folder, and this can be done easily with the freeware TakeOwnershipPro

    take-ownership-NGC

  3. After taking ownership, delete all subfolders and files under the NGC folder. But do NOT delete the NGC folder itself.

    del-pin-logon-location

    Instead, if the NGC folder doesn’t exist, you need to create an empty folder and named it NGC.

  4. Now open the Windows 10 Settings app -> Accounts -> Sign-in options, your previous PIN logon should have been erased and you can create a new PIN, and then change PIN normally. Everything is working fine, consequently the error of “Something went wrong. Try again later.” would disappear as well.

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VMware Fix: Windows cannot find the Microsoft Software License Terms

June 20th, 2016 by Admin

Today I am trying to set up a Windows Server 2012 virtual machine in VMware Workstation 12, but keep getting the error message “Windows cannot find the Microsoft Software License Terms. Make sure the installation sources are valid and restart the installation.”

cannot-find-ms-license-term

Firstly I doubt if the Windows ISO file is corrupt and download it again from Microsoft’s website, but the problem still exists. So I think the problem lies in the VMware Workstation and eventually find a solution. Here’s how:

  1. During the setup of the New Virtual Machine Wizard, select “I will install the operating system later” instead of using the Installer disc image file.

    new-vm-wizard

  2. When completing the wizard, go to VM -> Settings -> CD/DVD -> Use ISO image file, and then choose Windows installation ISO file. Boot your virtual machine and you should be able to install Windows smoothly.

    windows-setup

This problem also happens with VMware Fusion, Hyper-V, Parallels, VirtualBox. If the solution above doesn’t work for you, please try to increase the RAM for your virtual machine. Good luck!

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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.

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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!

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

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How to Delete Microsoft Edge & IE Browsing History in Windows 10

June 16th, 2016 by Admin

Edge is Microsoft’s new built-in browser that’s meant to replace Internet Explorer. But you can continue to use Internet Explorer which is still available in Windows 10. Like any other browser, Edge keeps track of websites you’ve visited in the past. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to delete browsing history from both Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer in Windows 10.

Part 1: Delete Browsing History in Microsoft Edge

  1. After launching Edge browser, click the three dots icon on the upper-right corner. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.

    edge-settings

  2. With the settings open, click the Choose what to clear button under “Clear browsing data”.

    clear-edge-browsing-data

  3. There are some options that you want to delete or keep it like Cookies and saved website data, download history, form data, cached data, passwords, etc. But if you want to totally wipe it out, just select them all then click Clear.

    edge-browsing-history

Just remember, as soon as you start browsing the Web again, Edge will begin keeping your history once more, so you will have to keep clearing your history repeatedly. There is no option to configure Edge to automatically clear the browsing history upon exit.

Part 2: Delete Browsing History in Windows 10 Internet Explorer

In Windows 10, you can still access Internet Explorer by clicking the Cortana Search box on the taskbar, then typing Internet Explorer and pressing Enter. Here’s how to clear Internet Explorer browsing history in Windows 10:

  1. Launch Internet Explorer. Click on the gear wheel icon in the top right corner. Select Internet options from the drop-down menu.

    internet-options

  2. On the General tab, you can see the ‘Delete… ‘ button under the ‘Browsing history’ section. Click on Delete… button to continue. If you check the option “Deleting browsing history on exit“, the history data will be wiped out automatically when you exit Internet Explorer.

    delete-ie-browsing-history

  3. In the dialog that comes up, you can select which parts of the browsing history to delete. Click the Delete button and your browsing history will be cleared immediately.

    ie-browsing-history-options

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