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6 Ways to Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10

April 23rd, 2016 by Admin

Local Group Policy Editor lets you control all kinds of Windows settings via a simple user interface, without playing with the Registry. In this article we’ll show you 6 simple ways to open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10.

Option 1: Open Local Group Policy Editor from Command Prompt

  1. Press the Windows key + X to open the Quick Access menu. Click on Command Prompt (Admin).

    command-prompt-admin

  2. Type gpedit at the Command Prompt and press Enter.

    gpedit-command-prompt

  3. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10.

Option 2: Open Local Group Policy Editor Using Run

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

    gpedit

  3. If prompted by UAC, click on Yes. This should be the easiest and quickest way to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.

Option 3: Open Local Group Policy Editor from Control Panel

  1. To access the Control Panel, press the Windows key + R to open the Quick Access menu and then click on Control Panel.

    open-control-panel

  2. You’ll see a search box in the top right-hand corner of the Control Panel window. Type group policy and press Enter.

    control-panel

  3. Click the Edit group policy link from the search result.

Option 4: Open Local Group Policy Editor via Windows 10 Search

  1. Click the Cortana search box from the taskbar. If the search box is hidden, press the Windows key + X to open the Quick Access menu, then click on Search.
  2. Type edit group policy in the Search box. Once the search results are shown, click on Edit group policy.

    edit-group-policy

Option 5: Open Local Group Policy Editor from Settings Charm

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings charm. Or click Settings from Windows 10 Start Menu.
  2. Once the Settings app is displayed, click the Search box in the upper right corner and type group policy.

    settings-app

  3. Click the Edit group policy link from the search result.

Option 6: Create A Shortcut to Open Local Group Policy Editor

If you need to access the Local Group Policy Editor frequently, you can create a desktop shortcut by following these steps:

  1. Open Windows Explorer, and then navigate to the directory: C:\Windows\System32.
  2. Right-click on the gpedit.msc file and choosing for Send To -> Desktop (create shortcut).

    gpedit-file

  3. This will create a shortcut on your desktop. Just double-click on the shortcut and you can access the Local Group Policy Editor with ease.

How to Disable Caps Lock Key in Windows and Mac

April 14th, 2016 by Admin

“Whenever I type, my baby finger hits the Caps Lock key and all my typing ends up in caps. I want to disable it completely and just use the Shift key for capitals. How do I disable the Caps Loks key in Windows 10? Please help!”

Without the Caps Lock key, you can still type the letter you want to capitalize by holding down the Shift key. Pressing the Shift key once is much more efficient than pressing the Caps Lock key twice. If you don’t need to use the Caps Lock key, you can disable it permanently. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to disable Caps Lock key in Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP and Mac OS X.

Part 1: Disable Caps Lock in Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP

There is no built-in settings available in Windows that allow you to disable Caps Lock key, so we have to use a registry hack to map the Caps Lock key to doing nothing. Follow these steps:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type notepad and press Enter.
  2. Copy the lines below and then paste them into the NotePad:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
    "Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,00,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00

    notepad

  3. Click the File menu and select Save as. Select “All Files” from the “Save as type” drop-down box. Type the file name as Disable_Caps_Lock.reg. Click Save.

    save-as

  4. Double-click the .reg file, or right-click on it and select “Open with” -> “Registry Editor“. If prompted by UAC, click on Yes.

    open-with-registry-editor

  5. Registry Editor will confirm if you want to import the registry settings in your .reg file, click Yes.

    import-into-registry

    Now log out (and back in) or reboot to make this registry trick to take effect.

If you want to enable the Caps Lock key again, open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout, then delete the Scancode Map entry entirely.

enable-caps-lock

Part 2: Disable Caps Lock in Mac OS X

It’s pretty easy to actually turn the Caps Lock key off if you’re using a Mac. Here’s how:

  1. Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your desktop, then select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

    system-preferences

  2. Click on the Keyboard icon to launch the preferences pane.

    keyboard-utility

  3. Click the Modifier Keys button in the bottom-right corner.

    modifier-keys

  4. A new window will slide down with a setting for the Caps Lock key at the top. click on the drop-down menu next to the Caps Lock Key title, and choose No Action.

    disable-mac-caps-lock

  5. Click OK. Now, whenever you hit the Caps Lock key by mistake, nothing will happen.

4 Ways to Find What Version & Build Number of Windows 10 You’re Running

April 13th, 2016 by Admin

How to determine which edition of Windows 10 is running on your computer? You probably know the version but do you know exactly which build number it is? In this article we’ll show you 4 simple ways to find what version & build number of Windows 10 you’re running.

Method 1: Using Windows + R

  1. Just press the Windows key + R to open the Run box.
  2. Type winver and press Enter.

    winver

  3. This will open the About Windows window displaying the Windows version and the build number in it.

    about-windows

Windows 10 has the following versions:

Microsoft Code Name Threshold 1 (TH1) Threshold 2 (TH2) Redstone 1 (RS1) Redstone 2 (RS2) Redstone 3 (RS3)
Release Date July 2015 November 2015 August 2016 April 2017 October 2017
Windows 10 Version 1507 1511 1607 1703 1709
Marketing Name  – – – – – –  – – – – – – Anniversary Update Creators Update Fall Creators Update
OS Build 10240.xxx 10586.xxx 14393.xxx 15063.xxx 16299.xxx

Method 2: Using the Command Prompt

  1. Just press the Windows key + R to open the Run box.
  2. Type cmd and press Enter.
  3. At the Command Prompt, type systeminfo and press Enter.

    systeminfo

  4. This will display detailed information about your computer, including Windows version, build number, OS install date, hotfixes installed, etc.

Method 3: Using the Settings App

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app, or click Settings from the Start menu.
  2. From the Settings window, click on System.
  3. Click About tab in the left pane. Here you’ll see your Windows 10 version, and know you’re running 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 10.

    system-settings

Method 4: Right-clicking This PC

  1. Right-click on This PC shortcut on your desktop and select Properties from the context menu. The This PC shortcut could also be found at the left pane of Windows Explorer.

  2. The “Windows edition” section at the top of the window displays which edition of Windows 10 you’re running, while the “System type” entry here displays whether you’re using a 64-bit or 32-bit edition of Windows 10.

    basic-system-info

Fix: “Burn disc image” Option Missing for ISO Context Menu

April 11th, 2016 by Admin

When you right-click on an ISO file in Windows 10/8/7, you should see the “Burn disc image” option in the context menu. What to do if the “Burn disc image” option is missing or no longer appears in the right-click context menu? To restore this context menu item, you have to set the built-in app – Windows Disc Image Burner – as the default program for opening an ISO file. Here’s how:

burn-disc-image

How to Fix: “Burn disc image” Option Missing for ISO Context Menu

  1. Open the Control Panel. Select Large icons from the View by option, then click on Default Programs.

    control-panel-items

  2. On the Default Programs window, click Set your default programs link.

    default-programs

  3. From the generated list of available programs in the left pane, select Windows Disc Image Burner, and then click on the Set this program as default option on the bottom right.

    set-default-programs

  4. Click on Choose defaults for this Program. You will get a window that displays the list of file extensions registered by the program. Check the boxes against the file extensions (*.iso, *.img) that you want the selected program to open by default. Click Save and you’re done.

    set-program-association

  5. Restart your computer and the “Burn disc image” option should now appear in the right-click context menu of an ISO file.

How to Delete Windows Update Cache to Free Space

April 9th, 2016 by Admin

The update cache is a temporary folder used by Windows Update to store the temporary installation files. By default, Windows Update automatically cleans out the cached updates at a regular interval. But the temporary files will not be deleted when Windows Update fails or refuses to install an update.

update-temp-file-size

Sometimes the obsolete update cache can take up Gigabytes of space and this can run out of disk space on C:\ drive. When you run into space issue or Windows Update doesn’t work properly, you can use this method to safely delete Windows Update cache in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

How to Delete Windows Update Cache to Free Space?

In previous post we’ve covered how to delete temporary Windows installation files ($WINDOWS.~BT) using Disk Cleanup. But that utility doesn’t include an option for purging Windows Update cache. So we need to delete the update cache manually. Before getting started, make sure no update process is running, or your update will fail to install.

  1. The first step is to temporarily turn off the Windows Update service. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type cmd and press Enter.
  2. When the Command Prompt opens, type the command below to stop the Windows Update service.
    net stop wuauserv

    stop-windows-update

  3. Open the Windows Explorer and navigate to the following folder and delete all its content (not the folder itself).
    C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

    delete-update-temp-files

  4. Once you’ve deleted the update cache, open the Command Prompt again and run the following command to start the Windows Update service.
    net start wuauserv

2 Ways to Recover iTunes Backup Password on Mac OS X

April 7th, 2016 by Admin

“Hi! I’ve forgotten the password for the local iTunes backup on Mac OS X. How do I reset or recover my iTunes password? Please help!”

Forgotten iTunes backup password is a common problem, because the password is rarely used until we need to restore iPhone or iPad from iTunes backup. What should you do if you’ve lost the password for your iTunes backup? In this tutorial we’ll show you two simple ways to recover iTunes backup password on Mac OS X.

Method 1: Recover iTunes Backup Password with Keychain Access on Mac

The Keychain Access application is Mac OS X’s built-in password manager. It stores a wide variety of passwords for email account, website, servers, itunes backup, etc. When you change or reset the password for iTunes backup, the password will also be stored in Keychain if you’ve checked the “Remember this password in my keychain” option.

If your iTunes backup password is stored in Keychain, you can recover it easily by following these steps:

  1. On your Mac, go to /Applications/Utilities/ and open Keychain Access app.
  2. Under the Keychains section on the left-hand side of the app, select login. You should now see a list of websites and applications that use Keychain Access to store login information. Scroll down through this list until you get to the login item named “iPhone Backup“.

  3. Double-click the “iPhone Backup” login item. This will open a new window with more details about your iTunes backup account. From this screen, check the “Show password” checkbox.

  4. You will be prompted to enter your Mac OS X user password to authenticate. Once entered, click the Allow button to continue.

  5. Once that’s done, you’ll return to the previous window showing all the details including the password in plain text. Make a note of it and ensure it’s kept somewhere secure so you can remember it the next time.

Method 2: Recover iTunes Backup Password with iTunesKey

What to do if your forgotten iTunes backup is not stored in Keychain access? Is there any hope? Luckily there is a handy iTunes password recovery tool – iTunesKey, which allows you to recover / decrypt iTunes backup password. But this program needs to run from within Windows. So if your iTunes backup is created and saved in Mac OS X, simply transfer the Manifest.plist file to a Windows-based PC and you can then use iTunesKey to recover your password. Here’s how:

  1. To get started, we need to find the iTunes backup location in Mac OS X. Simply hit Command + Shift + G on keyboard to open the Go To Folder screen. Type the following path and click Go.

    ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

  2. A Finder window will open and you can see a folder named with the UDID (unique device identifier) of your iPhone. Open that folder and copy the Manifest.plist file to your external USB thumb drive.

  3. Attach the USB thumb drive to a Windows-based computer and run the iTunesKey application. When iTunesKey launches, click on the button to select the Manifest.plist file.

  4. Select one of the recovery methods: Brute-force attack, Mask attack and Dictionary attack, and click Next. Follow the instructions to perform the password cracking. After your iTunes backup is recovered, write it down so you’ll never forgot it.

Reset Lost Admin Password on Dell PowerEdge with RAID

April 6th, 2016 by Admin

Forgot Windows Server admin password for your Dell PowerEdge server? Most of password recovery Live CDs lack the RAID drivers so your hard drive won’t show up after booting. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through the steps of resetting lost admin password on Dell PowerEdge with PCUnlocker Enterprise.

What You’ll Need:

  • A USB thumb drive (or a blank CD)
  • The ISO image of PCUnlocker Enterprise – You can try the trial version before purchasing the full version
  • Dell RAID drivers – Click here to download the RAID drivers for Dell PowerEdge, or check out this article on how to download / extract Dell drivers directly from Dell official website
  • A working PC for making the Live CD/USB

Reset Lost Admin Password on Dell PowerEdge with RAID Controller

  1. Before getting started, use a working PC to download and install ISO2Disc, a free utility that specifically designed to create bootable CD / USB drive from ISO image.
  2. Launch ISO2Disc and click on Browse button. Select the ISO image of PCUnlocker Enterprise in your PC. Select “Burn to USB Flash Drive” and click on Start Burn.

    After the burning is complete, copy the RAID driver files you’ve downloaded and paste them in the root directory of your USB drive.

  3. Once you have your bootable USB drive, plug it in to a USB port on your Dell PowerEdge server. Power on the server and quickly and repeatedly press the F2 key to enter the BIOS Setup.
  4. In the BIOS menu, scroll down to the option for “USB Flash Drive Emulation Type“. Use the space bar to change this to “Hard disk“.
  5. Then go to the Boot Sequence option and press Enter. The USB device will now appear as a hard drive in your boot options. Use the space bar to enable or disable boot options and the + or – keys to change their order in the boot sequence.

    dell-poweredge-boot-order

  6. After making these changes in your BIOS settings, press ESC and choose “Save and Exit“. Your server will reboot from your USB drive.
  7. Wait for the PCUnlocker program to launch. The program might prompt you to select the SAM file because it can’t recognize your hard drive. So you have to load the RAID driver on the fly. Click on the Options button at the bottom of the screen, and then select “Load IDE/SCSI/SATA/RAID Driver“.

  8. When the file open dialog appears, choose the RAID driver setup .inf file stored on your USB drive. Click Open.

    dell-poweredge-raid

  9. Once the driver is loaded successfully, you’ll see a list of user accounts stored in the Windows SAM file. Choose the administrator account and click on Reset Password button to remove the password.

  10. Reboot your server and unplug the USB thumb drive, you can then log back in to your Windows Server admin account without password. Done!