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How to Delete File Explorer Address Bar History in Windows 11 / 10 / 8 / 7

June 15th, 2016 by Admin

While typing a path in the address bar of File Explorer, Windows will display a history of all previous locations you’ve typed. You can also view the address bar history by clicking the down arrow icon placed on the right end of the address bar.

address-bar-history

In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to delete File Explorer address bar history in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7.

Method 1: Delete Address Bar History by Right-clicking Address Bar

After opening File Explorer (or Windows Explorer), right-click on the address bar and select the “Delete history” option.

delete-address-bar-history

This will clear all address bar history from File Explorer. Now, if you click the down arrow button in the address bar, you’ll see all history has been cleared.

address-bar-history-cleared

Method 2: Delete Address Bar History from Folder Options

From File Explorer (or Windows Explorer), select the View tab and then click on Options.

file-explorer-options

Once the Folder Options window has been opened, click the Clear button to delete all the File Explorer history. This action clears the File Explorer address bar history and the recent files and folders in quick access.

folder-options

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

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How to Clear Search History in Windows 10 / 8 File Explorer

June 15th, 2016 by Admin

Just like earlier versions of Windows, Windows 10/8 File Explorer includes real-time search feature to let you search files and folders quickly. While typing your keyboard in the upper-right hand corner of File Explorer, it will display a history of your past searches in the list.

file-explorer-search-history

This tutorial will show you how to clear the search history typed in the search box of File Explorer in Windows 10 / 8.

Method 1: Clear Search History Directly from File Explorer

  1. Open File Explorer. Click in the search box in the upper-right hand corner of File Explorer.

    click-search-box

  2. The Search tab will appear then. In the Search tab, click on Recent searches, and then select Clear search history from the drop-down menu.

    clear-search-history

  3. Now you will not see the search history while typing in the search box of File Explorer. But the new keywords you typed later will also be saved and you might need to delete them again and again.

Method 2: Disable Search History Using Group Policy

If you want to disable the search history altogether, then you can do so by using the Local Group Policy Editor. Follow these steps:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
  2. When Local Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to:
    User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer
  3. From the right panel, double-click on “Turn off display of recent search entries in the File Explorer search box“, then change the setting to Enabled and click OK.

    not-display-search-history

  4. Now whenever you do a search in File Explorer it will not keep your search history.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 8

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8 Ways to Open Device Manager in Windows 10

June 13th, 2016 by Admin

Device Manager is the built-in tool in Windows that allows you to view and manage hardware, update device drivers and troubleshoot any problematic devices. In this article we’ll walk you through the different methods to open Device Manager in Windows 10.

Method 1: Open Device Manager from Computer Management

Open Computer Management by right-clicking This PC (or My Computer) shortcut on the desktop, and then select Manage.

device-manager

Expand System Tools in the left pane and you can then access Device Manager.

Method 2: Open Device Manager Using Run

The easiest way to open the Device Manager on earlier versions of Windows is by pressing Windows Key + R, typing devmgmt.msc in the Run box, and pressing Enter.

devmgmt

Method 3: Open Device Manager from WinX Menu

Press the Windows key + X to bring up the WinX menu (or right-click on the Start button). Select Device Manager from the menu.

open-device-manager-via-winx

Method 4: Open Device Manager Using Cortana Search

Click the Cortana search box on Windows 10 taskbar, type device manager and press Enter. (If you’re running Windows 7, type device manager in the Start menu Search box, and then press Enter.)

open-device-manager-via-cortana

Click Device Manager from the search results.

Method 5: Open Device Manager from Control Panel

Open Control Panel. Type device manager in the top-right search box and click Device Manager in the results.

control-panel

Method 6: Open Device Manager from Settings Charm

Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings charm in Windows 10 (In Windows 8/8.1, you can access the Settings charm by swiping in from the right edge of the screen).

open-device-manager-via-settings

Type device manager in the top-right search box and press Enter, and you can then access Device Manager from the search results.

Method 7: Open Device Manager Using Command Prompt

Open Command Prompt. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.

open-device-manager-via-cmd

The Device Manager will launch immediately.

Method 8: Create A Shortcut to Open Device Manager

If you need to access Device Manager frequently, you can create a shortcut on your desktop for quick access. Follow these steps:

  1. Right-click in the empty space of your desktop, select New -> Shortcut.

    create-desktop-shortcut

  2. Copy and paste devmgmt.msc in the location field and click Next.

    shortcut-for-devmgmt

  3. You will be asked to name the shortcut, just type Device Manager or anything you want and click on the Finish button.

    shortcut-name

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9 Ways to Open Control Panel in Windows 10

June 12th, 2016 by Admin

Opening the Control Panel is exactly the same as it ever was in Windows 10, but there are many new ways you can do it. In this tutorial we’ll show you 9 ways to open Control Panel in Windows 10.

Method 1: Open Control Panel from Start Menu

Click the Start button to open the Start Menu, then click All Apps and scroll down to the Windows System folder. Click on it and there you will find the Control Panel shortcut.

start-menu

Method 2: Open Control Panel from WinX Menu

Press the Windows key + X (or right-click on the Start button) to open the WinX menu in the lower-right corner of the screen. From there you can select Control Panel.

open-control-panel-via-winx

Method 3: Open Control Panel Using Run

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type control panel and press Enter. This will open the Control Panel.

open-control-panel-via-run

Method 4: Open Control Panel Using Command Prompt

Open the Command Prompt. Type control panel and press Enter.

open-control-panel-via-cmd

The Control Panel is now started.

Method 5: Open Control Panel Using Cortana Search

Click in the Cortana search bar located near the Start button on the taskbar. Type control panel and press Enter.

open-control-panel-via-cortana

Click Control Panel from the search results.

Method 6: Open Control Panel Using Settings

Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings charm.

open-control-panel-via-settings

Click the search box in the upper right corner of the window, type control panel and press Enter. Next click Control Panel from the search results.

Method 7: Open Control Panel from Taskbar

Right-click the taskbar and go to Toolbars, then click Desktop.

right-click-taskbar

The Desktop toolbar is now added to the taskbar. Click on it and then select Control Panel from the list.

open-control-panel-via-taskbar

Method 8: Click Up Arrow in File Explorer

While in the File Explorer, keep clicking the Up arrow (up one folder button) until it’s greyed out, or keep pressing Alt+Up on your keyboard until you get to the Desktop folder.

file-explorer-desktop

From there you can click on Control Panel shortcut to access it.

Method 9: Click Drop-down Arrow in File Explorer

While in File Explorer, click on the first arrow on the left side in the address bar, then select Control Panel from the drop-down menu.

file-explorer-arrow

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3 Ways to Disable Registry Editor in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7

June 12th, 2016 by Admin

Making improper changes to the Registry can cause Windows to become unusable or unbootable. To prevent, restrict or block anyone from accessing Registry Editor in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7, you can disable Registry Editor using group policy, registry trick or third-party software.

Method 1: Disable Registry Editor Using Group Policy

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

    gpedit

  2. When Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System. Double-click on Prevent access to registry editing tools on the right panel.

    prevent-access-to-regedit

  3. Select the radio button next to Enabled, click Apply and then OK, then close out of Group Policy Editor and reboot your computer.

    prevent-access-registry-edit

  4. When a user tries to access Registry Editor, they will get an error message saying “Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator“.

    registry-editing-disabled

This method will prevent all users from accessing Registry Editor, including yourself. To regain access to Registry Editor, you have to open Group Policy Editor again, and change the policy to Disabled or Not Configured.

Method 2: Disable Registry Editor Using Registry Trick

  1. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter.
  2. When Registry Editor opens, navigate to:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > System

    If the System key doesn’t exist, you need to create it.

  3. In the right pane, right-click on any empty space and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it DisableRegistryTools and set its value to 1.

    disable-registry-tools

  4. When you try to access Registry Editor, you’ll also get the same error message “Registry editing has been disabled by your administrator“.

This method will prevent your current user from accessing Registry Editor. To regain access, you have to log on as another administrator account and delete the registry value DisableRegistryTools.

Method 3: Disable Registry Editor Using Third Party Software

Using Protect My Folders you can lock & protect Registry Editor with a password. Anyone can’t access Registry Editor without knowing your password.

  1. Download and install Protect My Folders program on your computer. The first time you launch this program it will prompt your to set a password. Don’t forgot it as you’ll need it next time you run it.
  2. When Protect My Folders starts, click on Add/Lock button.

    protect-my-folders

  3. The File/Folder selection dialog should open, choose the C:\Windows\regedit.exe file and click Add, next click OK.

    select-regedit

  4. Now you’ll see the regedit application is locked. Close Protect My Folders program.

    lock-registry-editor

  5. When you try to access Registry Editor, you’ll receive the following error message:

    cannot-find-regedit

This method will block all users from accessing Registry Editor. To regain access you have to relaunch Protect My Folders, enter your password and unlock the regedit.exe app.

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

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3 Simple Ways to Find Windows 10 Product Key

June 8th, 2016 by Admin

Lost your Windows 10 product key? The product key is essential if you need to reinstall Windows or transfer and activate Windows to another PC. Let’s see how to easily find Windows 10 product key using PowerShell, Command Prompt or third party product key finder software.

Method 1: Find Windows 10 Product Key Using PowerShell

Open a PowerShell window with administrative privileges, type the following command and hit Enter:
$(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey

recover-cd-key-via-powershell

It will show you the product key of your Windows 10 OS. This method works on Windows 10 / 8.1 / 7 / Vista.

Method 2: Find Windows 10 Product Key Using Command Prompt

Launch an elevated Command Prompt. In Windows 10, just press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu and select “Command Prompt (Admin)“.

winx-menu

Type the following command and hit Enter. It will display your Windows 10 license key immediately.
wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Method 3: Find Windows 10 Product Key with Third Party Software

The methods above are quite simple but they might don’t work in some cases, then you can take use of third party software to recover your Windows product key. KeyFinder Plus is a reliable and comprehensive tool that allows you to reveal the product keys for Windows, Office, SQL Server, Adobe and other softwares you might have installed.

find-windows-product-key

After launching KeyFinder Plus, click on Start Recovery button and select “From current system“, it will display your Windows 10 retail/OEM license key stored in Windows registry or UEFI firmware.

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Windows 10: Make File Explorer Open This PC Instead of Quick Access

June 8th, 2016 by Admin

If you’re using Windows 10, you might noticed that whenever you open File Explorer, it would always show you the Quick Access view by default. Quick Access only displays recently viewed files and frequently used folders, and most of us have accustomed to seeing the drives upon launching File Explorer. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to make Windows 10 File Explorer open This PC instead of Quick Access.

How to Make Windows 10 File Explorer to Open to the This PC View?

Open File Explorer and from the Ribbon, select the File menu, and then choose Change folder and search options.

change-folder-options

This will display the Folder Options window. Click the General tab, select “This PC” from the Open File Explorer To drop-down box, and click OK.

open-file-explorer-to-this-pc

Close out of the File Explorer. Now, when you launch a new File Explorer window, you’ll start at This PC view, which you’re probably used to from past versions of Windows.

file-explorer

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How to Reset,Pin or Unpin Folders to Quick Access in Windows 10

June 7th, 2016 by Admin

Quick Access is a new feature introduced in Windows 10, replacing Favorites in previous versions of Windows which allows you to pin folders for easy access. The frequently-used shortcuts, like Desktop, Downloads, Documents and Pictures, are pinned to Quick Access by default.

quick-access

This tutorial shows you how to pin your own personal folder to Quick Access, unpin a folder or reset Quick Access to default.

Part 1: Pin Folders to Quick Access

Open the File Explorer. Now select the folder, library or even a drive that are to be pinned to Quick access. Right-click on it and select “Pin to Quick access” from context menu.

pin-to-quick-access

Your selected item will be quickly pinned to the Quick access section from File Explorer.

Part 2: Unpin Folders from Quick Access

Open the File Explorer. From the left Quick Access pane, right-click on the item you want to unpin and select “Unpin from Quick access” from the drop-down menu.

unpin-from-quick-access

Now your selected item will disappear from Quick Access.

Part 3: Reset Quick Access Folders to Default

Get Quick Access messed up? Here’s a simple way to reset / restore Quick Access folders to default:

  1. Press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu. Select Command Prompt (Admin).

    winx-menu

  2. Now copy the following command and paste it into the Command Prompt. Press Enter.
    del /F /Q %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations\*

    reset-quick-access-to-default

  3. Close Command Prompt and re-launch File Explorer. You’ll see that the Quick Access is restored to default and only the default folders are pinned.

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Prevent Users from Changing Lock Screen Image in Windows 10 / 8

June 5th, 2016 by Admin

The lock screen appears when you boot your PC or press Windows + L key combination. It gives you only the basic information such as date, time and weather. You have to click it or swipe away before you can login into Windows 10/8. In this article we’ll show you 2 methods to prevent users from changing lock screen image in Windows 10 / 8.

unable-change-lock-screen

Method 1: Disable Changing Lock Screen Using Group Policy

This first method is the easiest, but it may not work for some users, as the Group Policy Editor program is not included in the Home edition of Windows.

  1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog. From here, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
  2. You should see the Group Policy Editor window pop up. Navigate to:
    Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel -> Personalization
  3. Double-click the “Prevent changing lock screen image” entry on the right side of the window. Change the setting from Not Configured to Enabled.

    prevent-changing-lock-screen

  4. Close the Local Group Policy Editor window. When you want to change the lock screen image, you will notice that the options are grayed out.

Method 2: Disable Changing Lock Screen Using Registry Editor

  1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog. From here, type regedit and press Enter.
  2. In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization

    If the Personalization key is not present, create a new key under Windows and rename it to Personalization.

  3. On the right side of the window, right-click on an empty space, and choose New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it NoChangingLockScreen.
  4. Double-click on the newly created DWORD value, and change its value from 0 to 1. Click OK.

    no-changing-lock-screen

  5. Now you should be unable to change / modify the lock screen background image.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 8

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Fix “Windows Taskbar and Start Button Disappeared”

May 28th, 2016 by Admin

“I don’t know what happened but the taskbar (usually on the bottom of the screen) is missing. Without the taskbar, I couldn’t get to the Start Menu and ultimately launch any program. How do I get it back? Please help!”

There are 3 reasons why your taskbar or Start button disappeared on the computer screen:

  • The taskbar is set to auto-hide.
  • The explorer.exe process has crashed and the taskbar is completely gone.
  • The display resolution or main display changed and caused the taskbar to go off the screen.

This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to troubleshoot this problem and get your Windows taskbar and Start button back to your screen.

Method 1: Unhide Taskbar

Some users reported the Auto-hide feature is buggy. Disable the Auto-hide option and your Windows taskbar might be back again. Follow these steps:

  1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard. This will take you to the lock screen. From there, you can click Task Manager.

  2. When the Task Manager opens, click More details button at the bottom of the window.

    task-manager

  3. Click the File menu and select Run new task.

    run-new-task

  4. Type control panel and click OK.

    launch-control-panel

  5. In Control Panel, set the View by option to Large icons, and then click on “Taskbar and Navigation“.

    control-panel

  6. Click the Taskbar tab, clear the Auto-hide the taskbar check box, and then click OK.

    auto-hide-taskbar

Method 2: Restart Explorer

There is a chance that your Windows Explorer is crashed or an infected program might have terminated it. If that is the case, then your desktop icons and taskbar must also be missing. If that is the case, restart the Explorer process should fix your problem.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard and Task Manager will open up.
  2. The Task Manager in Windows 10/8 shows fewer details by default. Simply click More details at the bottom to access the full Task Manager.

    task-manager

  3. Click the Details tab and select the explorer.exe process, click End task.

    kill-explorer

  4. Click the File menu and select Run new task.

    run-new-task

  5. Type in explorer and press OK. This will restart the explorer process and hopefully get your taskbar back.

    launch-explorer

Method 3: Change Display

If the presentation display was changed, the taskbar may have moved off of the visible screen. To bring the taskbar back, you have to exit the presentation mode:

  1. Press the Windows logo key + P on your keyboard to launch External Display selection screen.
  2. You’ll get a pop-up dialog with a couple of choices like PC screen only ( or Computer Only), Duplicate, Extend, etc. Make sure it is set to PC screen only.

    display-switcher

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

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