Archive for the ‘Others’ category

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Stop Mouse / Keyboard from Waking Computer in Windows 10

May 7th, 2017 by Admin

By default, moving your mouse or pressing the keyboard will wake up your computer from sleep / hibernation mode. But, the slightest movement of the mouse or even a cat walking on the keyboard can cause Windows to wake up. That could be really annoying. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to stop mouse or keyboard from waking computer in Windows 10.

How to Stop Mouse / Keyboard from Waking Computer in Windows 10?

  1. Open the Control Panel in Large icons view, and then click on Mouse. If you want to prevent keyboard from waking computer, click on Keyboard instead.

    mouse-control-panel-app

  2. In the Mouse (or Keyboard) Properties window, switch to the Hardware tab. Select the mouse you want to control from the list and then click on Properties.

    mouse-properties

  3. Under the General tab, click the Change settings button.

    change-mouse-settings

  4. Select the Power Management tab, and uncheck the box next to Allow this device to wake the computer. Click OK.

    allow-this-device-to-wake-pc

  5. That’s it. Now neither your mouse or keyboard will wake your Windows 10 system from sleep mode. You’ll need to press the computer’s Power button to wake it.

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2 Ways to Turn On or Off PIN Expiration in Windows 10

May 4th, 2017 by Admin

Just like the local account, Windows 10 also allows you to set up expiration date for PIN login. A PIN usually contains only numbers, and this makes it easier for anyone with physical access to break into your computer. It’s good practice to enable PIN expiration policy to prompt users to change PIN regularly.

In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to turn on or off PIN expiration in Windows 10. When your PIN is expired, you’ll receive the message “Your organization requires that you change your PIN” during login.

windows-10-pin-expired

Method 1: Turn On / Off PIN Expiration in Windows 10 Using Group Policy

  1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor by pressing the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut and then typing gpedit.msc.

    gpedit

  2. Navigate to the following location in the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor:
    Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\PIN Complexity

    Next, double-click the Expiration policy in the right pane.

    windows-pin-complexity

  3. This will open the Expiration window. To enable PIN expiration, select the Enabled option and enter a number between 1 and 730 days for when to expire after. If you use default 0 the PIN will never expire.

    enable-pin-expiration-in-windows-10

    If you want to disable PIN expiration, just select either Disable or Not Configured, and click OK.

  4. Close local Group Policy Editor and restart your computer to apply your changes.

Method 2: Turn On / Off PIN Expiration in Windows 10 Using Registry Editor

  1. Open the Registry Editor by pressing the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut and then typing regedit.

    regedit

  2. Navigate to the following registry key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PassportForWork\PINComplexity

    The last two keys (PassportForWork, PINComplexity) may not exist on your machine, so you will have to create them (right-click on the previous key and select New->Key in the context menu that appears).

  3. Right-click on the PINComplexity key in the left pane, and then select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

    new-dword-value

  4. Name the new DWORD value as Expiration, and then double-click on it to modify.

    pin-expiration-registry

  5. Select the Decimal option, you can enter a number between 1 to 730 days before requiring users to change PIN. Click OK.

    turn-on-pin-expiration-windows-10

    If you want to disable PIN expiration later, just delete the Expiration value itself.

  6. Close Registry Editor and reboot your PC for your changes to take effect.

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2 Ways to Move Taskbar Location on Screen in Windows 10

April 28th, 2017 by Admin

“My taskbar decided to go vertical instead of horizontal. How do I move the taskbar back to its horizontal position at the bottom of my screen?”

Is there a way to change taskbar location in Windows 10? By default, the taskbar is at the bottom of the desktop, but you can also move it to any edge of the screen. This tutorial will show you 2 simple ways to move taskbar to different locations (Bottom, Left, Right, Top) of your screen in Windows 10.

windows-10-taskbar-at-top

Method 1: Drag Taskbar and Move it to Any Edge of the Screen

Right-click an empty space on the taskbar. If you see a check mark next to the “Lock the taskbar” option, the taskbar is locked and you’re unable to change its location. You need to click that option again to unlock the taskbar.

unlock-windows-taskbar

Next, click an empty space on the taskbar, and then hold down the mouse button as you drag the taskbar to one of the four edges of the desktop. When the taskbar is where you want it, release the mouse button.

Method 2: Change Taskbar Location from Settings App

The other way to change the taskbar location is through the Settings app. Right-click an empty space on the taskbar, and then select Taskbar settings from the context menu.

windows-taskbar-settings

This will open the Taskbar page in the Settings app. Scroll down and find the “Taskbar location on screen” drop-down box. You can choose any of the four sides of the display from the list.

taskbar-location-on-screen

After changing taskbar location, you can lock the taskbar to stop you moving or resizing it accidentally.

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3 Ways to Add Run Command to Start Menu & Taskbar in Windows 10

April 26th, 2017 by Admin

Most users prefer to open the Run command box by pressing the Windows + R key combination. But if you’re using a tablet or a PC without keyboard, the fastest way is to open the Run command by pinning the shortcut to Start Menu or taskbar. In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 ways to add Run command to Start Menu & taskbar in Windows 10, so it can always be seen and launched right away.

open-run-command-in-windows-10

Method 1: Using Cortana Search

Click the Cortana search box in Windows 10 taskbar and type Run. When you see the Run app showing up in the search result, right-click on it. You will see both Pin to Start and Pin to taskbar options in the context menu.

pin-run-to-start-menu-or-taskbar

Method 2: Using Start Menu

Click the Start button, and then browse to the Windows System folder at the bottom of Start Menu. Expand it and you’ll see the Run command there.

Right-click on the Run command and pick Pin to Start from the context menu.

pin-run-to-start

If you want to add Run to Windows 10 taskbar, just select More -> Pin to taskbar from the context menu.

pin-run-to-taskbar

Method 3: Right-click on Run desktop shortcut

To get started, you need to create a shortcut for the Run command on Windows 10 desktop. When it’s done, right-click on the Run shortcut and you can find the options to pin Run to Start Menu & taskbar.

run-command-dekstop-shortcut

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2 Ways to Reset Chrome to Default Settings without Reinstall

April 25th, 2017 by Admin

Have you messed up with your Chrome profile settings? Chrome is running slow and you have adware or pop-up ads problems? In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to reset your Google Chrome settings and data to default without reinstall.

Method 1: Reset Chrome to default from Chrome settings

This will reset your homepage, new tab pages, and search engine, disable your extensions and unpin all tabs. It will also clear other temporary and cached data, such as cookies, content and site data. However, your saved bookmarks and passwords will not be cleared or changed.

  1. Open your Chrome browser, and then click the More icon (with three lines or dots) in the upper-right corner and select Settings.

    chrome-menu

  2. Chrome’s Settings should now be displayed in a new tab. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Show advanced settings link.

    chrome-settings

  3. Scroll down to the Reset settings section, as shown in the screenshot below. Click on the Reset settings button.

    reset-chrome-settings

  4. A pop-up window will come up and ask for confirmation the restoration process.

    confirm-resetting-chrome

    Once you click Reset, you will get clean and default Google Chrome.

Method 2: Reset Chrome to default by deleting the user profile

Another way of resetting Chrome to default settings is to delete your Chrome profile. This will completely reset all Chrome settings to default and delete your browser profiles, themes, extensions, bookmarks, history, cache, passwords, cookies, and web form auto-fill information. Here’s how:

  1. Open your Chrome browser, and then click the More icon (with three lines or dots) in the upper-right corner and select Settings.
  2. In the People section of the Settings page, select your current profile and click the Remove button underneath. After deleting, Chrome will automatically set up a new profile with default settings.

    delete-chrome-profile

  3. All of your chrome user data, bookmarks, history, cookies and cache will be cleared, and you will get fresh Google Chrome running on your computer.

If you want to remove data and settings for all Chrome profiles, just open Windows Explorer and go to the directory C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data, delete all files in it. That’s it!

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How to Restore Missing Command Prompt to Win+X Menu in Window 10

April 21st, 2017 by Admin

If you’ve installed Windows 10 Creators Update (build 1703), you may find that Command Prompt is missing from the context menu when you press WIN + X shortcut keys. Microsoft has replaced it with PowerShell, which is a bit annoying if you are a fan of Command Prompt. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to replace PowerShell with Command Prompt in Windows 10, so you can access Command Prompt in the Win + X menu again.

windows-10-replace-cmd-with-powershell

How to Restore Missing Command Prompt to Win+X Menu in Windows 10?

Right-click on any empty space on the taskbar, select Taskbar settings (or “Settings” for earlier build of Windows 10) from the context menu.

windows-10-taskbar-settings

The Settings app will be opened directly at the Taskbar page. Turn the “Replace Command Prompt with Windows PowerShell in the menu when I right-click the Start button or press Windows key+X” option to Off.

replace-cmd-with-powershell

This change will take effect immediately. When you right-click the Start button, or hit the Windows + X keyboard shortcut, the Power User Menu will pop up as usual but the PowerShell will be replaced with Command Prompt. That’s it!

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How to Pause the Windows Update Download in Progress

April 19th, 2017 by Admin

Is there a way to pause the downloading update without having to turn off completely the Windows updates? Sometimes Windows will force you to start downloading the critical updates, even when you use a mobile internet with slow and strict traffic limits. In this tutorial we’ll show you a simple way to pause a Windows Update download while in progress, so you can resume it later.

How to Pause the Windows Update Download in Progress?

This method works by stopping all the Windows update services temporarily, and you can then resume them when you’re ready to download the updates. Here’s how:

  1. To start, you need to open the Command Prompt as administrator. To do so, press the Windows key + X on your keyboard and select Command Prompt (Admin). Click Yes when you see the UAC prompt.
  2. The first thing we need to do is stop the Windows Update service. Execute the below command:
    net stop wuauserv
  3. Next, stop the Background Intelligent Transfer service and for that execute the below command:
    net stop bits
  4. Now, stop the Delivery Optimization service. Just execute the below command:
    net stop dosvc

    pause-windows-updates

  5. You’ve now successfully paused all the Windows update downloads.
  6. Whenever you want to resume the download, simply execute the below commands one by one, press Enter after each.
    net start wuauserv
    net start bits
    net start dosvc

    resume-windows-updates

You can also turn on the Metered Connection feature in Windows 10 to stop automatic updates. However, this command line method is the most direct way to pause and resume Windows Update downloads while in progress.

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2 Ways to Hide Certain or All Settings Pages in Windows 10

April 17th, 2017 by Admin

In Windows 10, most Control Panel features have been moved to the Settings app, and Settings will eventually replace the Control Panel. Starting with Windows 10 Creators Update (build 1703), there is a new feature that allows you to hide certain pages of the Settings app. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to use group policy or registry editor to hide certain or all pages of the Settings app in Windows 10.

Method 1: Hide Settings Pages in Windows 10 Using Group Policy

  1. Press Windows + R keys together on your keyboard, then type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

    gpedit

  2. When the Local Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel. In the right pane, you will find the option named Settings Page Visibility. It is a new policy in Windows 10 Creators Update.

    settings-page-visibility

  3. Double-click the Settings Page Visibility policy. Set it to Enabled. In the text box, you can specify a list of settings pages to show or hide. For example, if you want to hide the “Sign-in options” page from the Settings app, then type:
    hide:signinoptions

    hide-sign-in-options-page

    Note: signinoptions is the URI of the Sign-in options page. To look up URIs for every pages of the Settings app, please check this article.

    For example, to hide the the Bluetooth page and the Display page, type the value:
    hide:bluetooth;display

    If you want to specify that only About and Bluetooth pages should be shown and all other pages hidden:
    showonly:about;bluetooth

    If you want to hide all settings pages, type:
    showonly:

  4. Next click Apply and then OK. Re-open the Settings app to check if it takes effects. In my case, the Sign-in options page is disappeared.

    sign-in-options-page-hidden

    If you’ve configured the policy to hide all settings pages, you’ll see nothing after launching the Settings app:

    hide-all-settings-pages

Method 2: Hide Settings Pages in Windows 10 Using Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows + R keys together on your keyboard, then type regedit and press Enter.

    regedit

  2. When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

    If you don’t see the Explorer key, then just create it yourself.

  3. Right-click on the Explorer key in the left pane, and then select New > String Value. Name the value as SettingsPageVisibility.

    create-string-registry-value

  4. Double-click on SettingsPageVisibility. In the Edit String window, if you want to hide certain pages in the Settings app, use the code:
    hide:pageURI;pageURI;pageURI

    SettingsPageVisibility

  5. Close Registry Editor and relaunch the Settings app to see the changes.

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Stop Windows from Adding “- Shortcut” Text When Creating Shortcuts

April 6th, 2017 by Admin

In Windows 10/8/7, you can create a shortcut by right-clicking on an existing folder or file, and then selecting “Send To” -> “Desktop (Create shortcut)“. But this will automatically append the “- Shortcut” text to the end of the shortcut’s filename. If you want to keep the filename short, here’s a registry trick to stop Windows from adding “-Shortcut” text when creating shortcuts.

new-shortcut-with-shortcut-text

Tips: If you want to remove shortcut icon from your desktop shortcuts, please check out this tutorial: How to Remove Shortcut Arrow from Desktop Icons in Windows 10 / 8 /7.

How to Stop Windows from Adding “- Shortcut” Text When Creating Shortcuts?

  1. To get started, press the Windows key + R at the same time to open the Run dialog box. Type regedit and press Enter.

    regedit

  2. Once the Registry Editor loads, navigate to the following location in the left pane:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
  3. On the right-hand side, double-click on the link value to modify. If you don’t see that value, right-click on empty space and select New -> Binary Value, then name the new value link.

    explorer-link-registry

  4. In the Value data box, replace the current value with 00 00 00 00 and click OK. Note that the current value you see will vary based on the specific version of Windows you’re running.

    edit-binary-value

  5. Close Registry Editor and restart your computer (a logoff is not sufficient to make the registry changes take effect). This time, you’ll see that your new shortcut is created without the “-Shortcut” text appended to the end.

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

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