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3 Options to Access UEFI BIOS Setup in Windows 8 / 10

December 30th, 2012 by Admin

On Windows 10 or 8 operating systems that came pre-installed on the computer from the factory, the legacy BIOS has been replaced by UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). This will cause the problem that bootable media from previous versions of Windows may not be recognized in Windows 10 / 8 computer. To resolve this problem, you need to switch your BIOS mode from UEFI BIOS to Legacy BIOS. No doing so would prevent the installation of Linux, Windows 7, or any other OS.

In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 ways to access UEFI BIOS Setup, even if you couldn’t login to Windows 10 or 8.

Option 1: Access UEFI BIOS Setup After Logging in to Windows 10/8

In previous post, we’ve covered how to set Windows 8 PC to boot with legacy BIOS mode instead of UEFI mode. Here we’ll show you another option to access UEFI BIOS Setup so long as you can log into Windows 10 / 8. Here are the steps:

  1. In Windows 8/8.1, press the Windows key + C, or swipe in from the right edge of the screen to open your Charms. Click Settings -> Change PC Settings. In PC Settings, select General.

    If you’re running Windows 10, press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. Click Update & Security. Select the Recovery tab on the left pane.

    update-security

  2. Under Advanced startup, click Restart now. The system will restart and show the boot menu.
  3. In the boot menu, select Troubleshoot.

  4. In the Troubleshoot menu, select Advanced options.

  5. In the Advanced options menu, select UEFI Firmware Settings.

  6. Click Restart button to boot into UEFI BIOS Setup screen.

  7. When the computer restarts, the UEFI setup screen will be displayed. You can then disable UEFI BIOS and Secure Boot options, and enable legacy BIOS mode.

Option 2: Access UEFI BIOS Setup without Logging in to Windows 10/8

What to do if you forgot Windows user password and can’t login? Here is how you can access the UEFI BIOS Setup from Windows 10/8 login screen:

  1. From the login screen, click the Power icon in the lower right corner of the screen. While holding the Shift key, select Restart.

  2. The system will not actually restart but go into the boot options. click Troubleshoot.

  3. Afterwards, click Advanced options -> UEFI Firmware Settings -> Restart.
  4. The computer will reboot and take you into the UEFI BIOS setup.

Option 3: Access UEFI BIOS Setup from Command Prompt

You can also boot your computer into UEFI BIOS Setup by executing a simple command at the Command Prompt. Follow these steps:

  1. Open the elevated Command Prompt, then run the following command:
    shutdown /r /fw

  2. You’ll get a popup that says Windows is about to sign you out. Click Close.

  3. Your PC will now restart directly to UEFI settings.

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

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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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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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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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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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Forgot Windows Live Password in Windows 8

November 30th, 2012 by Admin

With Windows 8, you can sign in to your PC with a Windows Live account. This allows syncing and sharing personal data across multiple devices very easily. You might also be wondering, “How to log on the computer if I forgot my Windows Live password?” Well, here is a excellent hack for you.

With Password Recovery Bundle utility you can create a bootable password reset CD, and set your computer to boot from the CD and it enables you to reset forgotten Windows Live password which is stored on your local computer. After resetting, you will regain full access to your PC with a new password.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows Live Password in Windows 8?

  1. First you need to download Password Recovery Bundle program on another computer. After installing and running the program, click the Windows Password button, which allows you to create a bootable password reset disk in 3 steps. Insert a blank CD/DVD or USB drive into the computer and click Start Burn to create a bootdisk.

  2. Insert the password reset bootdisk you’ve created into your Windows 8 computer. Turn on the computer and hold down F2 or whatever the setup key is shown as during the initial boot screen. This should bring up the BIOS.

    In the BIOS look for the Boot Device Priority option, set CD/DVD as the 1st boot device if you want to boot from CD. You can either set Removable Device as the 1st boot device if you want to boot off USB drive. Save your changes.

  3. Restart the computer and now it will boot from the password reset bootdisk. After one or two minutes the bootdisk will launch the Reset Windows Password utility. Choose the local user account which is linked to your Windows Live ID, and then click Reset Password button. The program will set your Windows Live password to Password123 instantly.

  4. Now remove the password reset bootdisk and restart the computer, you can then quickly sign in to Windows 8 using your Windows Live account and the new password: Password123.

Password Recovery Bundle could also reset forgotten login password in Windows 7/Vista/XP/2003/2000. It should be the first Windows password recovery program which supports the latest operating system Windows 8.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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How to Start Windows in Safe Mode

November 28th, 2012 by Admin

Safe Mode is a special boot mode available in all versions of Windows, which is mainly used for troubleshooting purposes. Many times when you can’t boot into Windows because of a virus infection, a faulty software or driver installation, you can boot into Safe Mode and fix the problem.

While in Safe Mode, only basic files and drivers absolutely necessary to run the operating system are loaded. Graphic drivers are among the dispensable ones and do not load, hence Safe Mode looks rather bleak. However, because just the essential programs and files are loaded in Safe Mode, this allows us to remove some spyware, hardware, viruses and such that cannot be removed in Normal Mode.

This article explains how to start Windows in Safe Mode. Note that you will need an Administrator account in order to log into Safe Mode. If you forgot the administrator password, please reset the password first using Reset Windows Password utility.

How to Start Windows in Safe Mode?

  1. Restart or turn on the computer.
  2. Press and hold the F8 key while you wait for the Windows logo to appear. If the Windows logo appears or if the operating system begins to load, you may need to restart the computer and try again.
  3. The Advanced Boot Options screen for Windows will appear. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select Safe Mode, and press Enter key.

  4. Windows will boot into Safe Mode. When the desktop appears, it will display ‘Safe Mode’ in all four corners to let you know that you’re in this special mode.

After booting into Safe Mode, you can scan your system with antivirus, uninstall faulty software or driver which you’ve installed recently so you’ll be able to boot into Windows normally without any problem.

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How to Encrypt Your Files with EFS in Windows

November 20th, 2012 by Admin

EFS (Encrypting File System) is a built-in component of the NTFS file system, which comes with all professional versions of Windows since Windows 2000. Using EFS, you can encrypt files and folders so that only authorized logged-on users can view the data. If someone else logs in with unauthorized users, or boots from a Windows PE or Linux CD, or removes the hard drive, the files remain encrypted and they are inaccessible.

To use EFS, you simply change the property of a folder and enable encryption. Once a folder is encrypted with EFS, all the files you create within that folder or move into that folder are automatically encrypted.

How to Encrypt Your Files with EFS in Windows?

Select one or multiple files and folders in Windows Explorer, right-click the selection afterwards and select Properties from the context menu.

Click on Advanced button from the Properties window.

Tick the Encrypt contents to secure data checkbox on the new window, and click OK.

If you have selected at least one folder, you will be asked if you only want to encrypt the root files of that folder, or files in sub-folders as well.

The files and folder in question are then displayed in green in Windows Explorer. Congratulations, you have just encrypted your first files or folders with EFS.

Note: If the original EFS certificate is lost or corrupted in your system, you’ll lose access to your EFS encrypted files. It is important to backup your EFS certificate in a safe location.

Conclusion

Because it is already included in a typical Windows installation, EFS is the quickest way to encrypt your files if you’re already using Windows. There’s nothing to download or install and encrypting a folder can be done with just a few clicks. Unless you really have very sensitive information that requires a very strong encryption solution, EFS should suffice.

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

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