Archive for the ‘Others’ category

How to Edit Offline Windows Registry from WinPE

August 7th, 2016 by Admin

When your computer no longer boots up or you’re unable to login to Windows, a registry hack might fix your problem. To access the registry for an unbootable Windows installation, you should use a WinPE bootdisk. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through the steps to load / edit offline registry hive from WinPE.

Before get started, we need to know the locations of Windows registry hives:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM: %windir%\system32\config\SYSTEM
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SAM: %windir%\system32\config\SAM
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY: %windir%\system32\config\SECURITY
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE: %windir%\system32\config\SOFTWARE
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT: %windir%\system32\config\DEFAULT

How to Edit Offline Windows Registry from WinPE?

Boot your computer into WinPE. Open a Command Prompt and run regedit.exe to open the Registry Editor.
In the left pane of Registry Editor, highlight the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive (or HKEY_USERS).
Click the File menu and select Load Hive.
Browse to your Windows partition and select the registry hive which you wish to load. In my example, the registry hives are located in the directory D:\Windows\System32\Config.
Type a key name whatever you like (e.g. “OfflineReg“) and click OK. The name will be used to create a new node in the tree so one can browser the offline registry.
Now under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key, you should see a new key named after the name you typed previously.
Expand the new key, browse to the desired key or value for editing. In my example, I browse to OfflineReg\Software\Microsoft\IdentityCRL\StoredIdentities and delete its subkey.
When you finish with the modifications, highlight the key you created previously (e.g. “OfflineReg“). Click the File menu and select Unload Hive.
This will unload the hive and all changes made will be saved to the offline registry.

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

Tags: access windows registry offline edit offline registry hive load windows registry offline offline windows registry editor

Windows 10 Fix: Your device is offline. Please sign in with the last password

August 5th, 2016 by Admin

“Hey, I keep running into this error message whenever I try to log into my PC: ‘Your device is offline. Please sign in with the last password used on this device‘. It’s a total nightmare, I’ve tried all the fixes I could find and none of them have worked so far. Please help!”

device-offline-sign-in-windows-10

When using a Microsoft account to log into your Windows 10 PC, you might get locked out of system and the sign-in screen doesn’t accept your Microsoft password, no matter online or offline. Check out this troubleshooting tutorial and you should be able to recover access to your Windows 10 computer.

Option 1: Check Network Connection Status

In most of cases, there might be a problem with your network connection and because of that you can’t connect to your Microsoft account. At Windows 10 login screen, click on the Network icon in the lower-right-hand corner.

You’ll see a list of available networks. Choose the network you need and click the Connect button. Once an Internet connection is established, you should be able to sign into your Microsoft account successfully.

check-network-connection

Option 2: Check Out Typed Password

The problem can also be caused when the input language of the keyboard is changed or the Caps Lock key is on. After typing your Microsoft account password at login screen, click the eye icon (also known as Password Reveal button) that appears at the end of password box and it will show your password.

If you have problem of typing the password correctly, you can click the Ease of Access icon from the login screen, use the on-screen keyboard to type your password.

Option 3: Convert Microsoft Account to Local Account Offline

Still couldn’t log into Windows 10 and it keeps saying your PC is offline? The last resort is converting your problematic Microsoft account to a local account. This is really useful if your Microsoft account has got hacked, or you think it has been blocked or suspended by Microsoft.

PCUnlocker is a bootable CD that can help you reset / bypass Windows user password, as well as converting your Microsoft account to a local one offline. Just boot your Windows 10 PC from the CD, the program automatically finds the SAM (Security Account Manager) file for your Windows installation and lists all your local users.

pcunlocker

From the user list, check the Description column for your Microsoft email address. As shown in the screenshot below, my Microsoft account pcunlocker@hotmail.com is connected to the local account stella. Select the connected local account and click on “Reset Password” button.

convert-microsoft-account

Click Yes to confirm you want to change the Microsoft account to a local account. Reboot your computer and remove the CD, then you can log into Windows 10 with the connected local account. Once logged in, you can optionally switch to a Microsoft account again and this time everything should work normally.

Option 4: Delete the StoredIdentities Registry Key

If you insist on using Microsoft account and still couldn’t fix your PC is offline error, give a try with this registry trick from the Internet:

Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\IdentityCRL\StoredIdentities
Expand the StoredIdentities key in the left pane and delete the subkey that is named with your Microsoft account ID. When it’s done, close the Registry Editor.
Now access the Microsoft account page and login. Under connected device tab, click the Remove device link to remove your device which is running into this issue. Now try to log into Windows 10 and see if the problem is fixed.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: your device is offline sign in with the last password used on this device your device is offline windows 10 your pc is offline please sign in with the last password used

How to Change Default Location for Outlook Data File (PST & OST)

August 2nd, 2016 by Admin

Is there a way to change the default location of new .pst file when create a new e-mail account in Outlook? Different versions of Outlook use different default locations to store pst files. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to change default location for Outlook .PST & .OST data file using a registry trick. It works with all versions of Outlook, including Outlook 2016 / 2013 / 2010 / 2007 / 2003.

How to Change Default Location for Outlook PST/OST File?

Press the Win + R keys in a meanwhile to open the Run box. Type regedit and click OK.
When the Registry Editor launches, navigate to one of the following keys, depend on your Outlook version:
- Outlook 2016:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook
- Outlook 2013:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook
- Outlook 2010:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook
- Outlook 2007:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook
At the right-side pane, right-click on any blank area and select New -> Expandable String Value.
Name the newly created value as ForcePSTPath, then double-click on it. On the Edit String dialog, enter the new default location where you wish to store the PST file for Outlook new profile, and click OK.

Note: To change the default location folder of .ost files generated by exchange accounts, you can create an expandable string value and name it as ForceOSTPath.
Close the Registry Editor and restart Microsoft Outlook application. From now on, when you set up a new email account, Outlook will automatically create a new PST file in the new default location.

This method won’t affect the location of existing .pst files. If you want to change the location of existing pst file, follow these steps:

Exit the Outlook application. Locate your .pst file in Windows Explorer and move it to a new location.
Restart Outlook. An error dialog box appears that notifies you that an Outlook Data File (.pst) could not be found. Click OK.
It will open the Create/Open Outlook Data File dialog box. Browse to the new location, select the Outlook Data File (.pst) that you moved, and then click Open.
When you see a warning message, just ignore it by clicking OK. Now you’ve successfully moved your existing pst file to a new location.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks

Tags: change default pst location change outlook data file location change outlook pst location move outlook pst location move pst file to new location

Windows 10 Fix: “Compressed (zipped) Folder” missing from Send To Menu

July 31st, 2016 by Admin

Windows 10 comes with native support for zip files. In File Explorer, select and right-click on the folders or files you want to zip, select “Send To” -> “Compressed (zipped) folder” from the context menu. This will compress your selected folders/files into a single .zip file.

send-to-compressed-folder

However, the “Compressed (zipped) folder” might be missing from the right-click context menu. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to restore the missing “Compressed (zipped) folder” option from the Send To menu in Windows 10.

Part 1: Restore Compressed (zipped) folder shortcut

There is a copy of this shortcut in the default user profile in Windows 10. You can just copy it from the default user profile back to your personal profile and you are done. Here is how.

Open the Send To folder of the default user profile. To do so, press Win + R to open the Run dialog, and type the following command and press Enter:
%systemdrive%\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Right-click the Compressed (zipped) folder shortcut and select Copy from the context menu.
Now, type the following path in File Explorer’s address bar. This will open the Send To folder of your current user profile.
%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Paste the shortcut you previously copied there.

Part 2: Fix the .ZFSendToTarget file association

If the above method is still not working, it’s possible that the .ZFSendToTarget file association is corrupt. Normally, the “Compressed (zipped) folder” shortcut is shown with a zip icon. If its association settings are corrupt, it might show with a generic icon and display ZFSendToTarget in the Type column.

zfsendtotarget

Here’s how to fix it:

Press Win + R and type regedit and press Enter.
When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.zfsendtotarget
Right-click on .zfsendtotarget key in the left pane and select Delete.
Next open an elevated Command Prompt. This can be done by pressing Win + X and select “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the Power User Menu.
Type the following command and press Enter.
assoc .zfsendtotarget=CLSID\{888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062}
Reboot your computer and the “Compressed (zipped) folder” shortcut should now appear in the Send to menu.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: send to compressed folder missing send to compressed zipped folder missing in Windows 10

3 Ways to Stop Automatic Driver Updates in Windows 10

July 29th, 2016 by Admin

While plugging in a new device, Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs the device driver via Windows Update. Every time Windows 10 checks for OS updates, it will also update the device drivers. However, some drivers from Microsoft may not be fully compatible with the device driver you have installed and it might result in system instability.

In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 different ways to stop automatic driver updates in Windows 10. Note that the Local Group Policy Editor is not available to Windows 10 Home users.

Method 1: Stop Automatic Driver Updates Using Windows Settings

Open a File Explorer window. Right-click This PC from the navigation pane and choose Properties.
Click the Advanced system settings link located on the left hand side of the screen.
When the System Properties window opens, select the Hardware tab, and click the Device Installation Settings button.
You will be asked whether you want to automatically download manufacturers’ apps and custom icons available for your devices. Select No and click Save Changes.

This should stop Windows from automatically downloading and installing device drivers from Windows Update.

Method 2: Stop Automatic Driver Updates Using Group Policy

Press Windows key + R, enter gpedit.msc, and hit Enter to open Local Group Policy Editor.
Navigate to Computer Configuration –> Administrative Templates –> System –> Device Installation –> Device Installation Restrictions. In the right hand pane, find the “Prevent installation of devices not described by other policy settings” policy and double-click on it to modify.
To turn off automatic driver updates, select Enabled and click OK. This will disable all driver updates.

Method 3: Stop Automatic Driver Updates Using Registry Editor

Press Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog, enter regedit, and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\DriverSearching. Double-click on the SearchOrderConfig entry on the right pane.
Set the value data to 0 and it will turn off automatic driver updates. A value of 1 allows downloads of driver updates. Click OK and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: disable automatic driver updates in windows 10 stop windows 10 driver update turn off automatic driver updates in windows 10

3 Ways to Disable Windows Key Shortcuts (Hotkeys) in Windows 10

July 28th, 2016 by Admin

Did you ever play a game in full-screen mode and accidentally press the Windows key? This might cause your game to minimize or exit full-screen mode. What to do if the Windows keyboard shortcuts conflict with some software shortcuts? In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 simple ways to disable Windows key shortcuts (hotkeys) in Windows 10.

After testing, the first two methods seem to disable only these keyboard shortcuts: Windows + D, Windows + R, Windows + S, Windows + A. It won’t disable the shortcuts like Windows + X, Windows + L, Windows + PrntScr or Windows + Tab in Windows 10. If you want to disable the single Windows key on your keyboard, the 3th method is your choice.

Method 1: Disable WIN+ Keyboard Shortcuts in Using Group Policy

Type edit group policy in the Search or Run box and press Enter. It will open Local Group Policy Editor.
Navigate to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> File Explorer. In the right-side pane, double-click on the Turn off Windows Key hotkeys policy to edit it.
Select the Enabled option and click Apply and then OK.
Reboot the computer to apply the changes.

Method 2: Disable WIN+ Keyboard Shortcuts in Using Registry Editor

If you’re unable to access the Local Group Policy Editor, you can take help of Registry Editor for the same task. Just follow these steps:

Type regedit in the Search or Run box and press Enter. It will open Registry Editor.
Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. In right-side pane, right-click on the empty space and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Rename the newly created entry as NoWinKeys and set its value to 1.
Close Registry Editor and restart your system. After reboot the WIN+ hotkeys will be turned off in your system. If you want to re-enable the WIN+ keyboard shortcuts, just delete NoWinKeys entry.

Method 3: Disable Windows Key Completely

This method allows you to completely disable the Windows logo key for all users in Windows 10, 8, 8.1 and Windows 7. Follow these steps to disable Windows key virtually:

Type regedit in the Search or Run box and press Enter. It will open Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout. In the right-side pane, right-click on the empty space and select New -> Binary Value.
Rename the newly created entry as Scancode Map. Right-click on Scancode Map and click Modify. Type in the following value as the value data manually (copying and pasting will not work), then click OK.
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
03 00 00 00 00 00 5B E0
00 00 5C E0 00 00 00 00
Close Registry Editor and restart the computer. When you boot back into Windows 10, press the Windows key and nothing will happen. If you want to re-enable the Windows logo key, open the Registry Editor again and delete the Scancode Map entry.

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

Tags: disable keyboard shortcuts windows 10 disable windows hotkeys group policy disable windows key disable windows key shortcuts turn off keyboard shortcuts windows 10

How to Fix “Task Manager is Disabled or Greyed out” in Windows 10

July 27th, 2016 by Admin

Unable to access Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc? When you right-click on the taskbar, you might find that “Task Manager” option has been grayed out:

task-manager-greyed-out

Also when you press the Windows key + R and type taskmgr, you’ll receive the following error message:

“Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator.”

task-manager-disabled

Task Manager is probably disabled by an administrator or a virus or spyware. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to fix “Task Manager is disabled or greyed out” in Windows 10, by using Group Policy, Registry Editor or Command Prompt. Either way, you need to log in as administrator before following the steps.

Method 1: Fix ‘Unable To Access Task Manager’ Using Group Policy

Press Win+R to open Run box, and type gpedit.msc command to start the Local Group Policy Editor.
Navigate down to the following:
User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Ctrl+Alt+Delete Options
Since you’re facing the issue that Task Manager has been disabled by administrator, you’ll see that the “Remove Task Manager” policy in the right pane is enabled. Double-click on it to modify.
To enable Task Manager, you should set this policy to Not Configured or Disabled.

Click Apply followed by OK. Reboot and your problem should be fixed now!

Method 2: Fix ‘Unable To Access Task Manager’ Using Registry Editor

Press Win+R to open Run box, and type regedit command to start the Registry Editor.
Navigate to the following keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
In the right side panel, you’ll see a 32-bit DWORD value named DisableTaskMgr. In order to re-enable Task Manager, double-click and change the value to 0. (If you want to disable Task Manager, just change its value data back to 1.)
Go ahead and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

Method 3: Fix ‘Unable To Access Task Manager’ Using Command Prompt

Press Win+X shortcut keys on the keyboard and select “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the Power User Menu.
At the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter. This will enable the Task Manager.
REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

If you want to disable Task Manager again, just run this command instead:
REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Note: If you receive the “access denied” error, it’s likely that you’re running Command Prompt in non-Administrator mode.

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

Tags: task manager greyed out task manager has been disabled by your administrator windows 10 unable access task manager

3 Ways to Boot Windows Server 2012 into Safe Mode

July 24th, 2016 by Admin

How can I get into Safe Mode on the new Windows operating systems such as Windows 8, Windows 10 and Server 2012? Starting from Windows 8, the system boots very quickly and the time to press F8 key to access Safe Mode is smaller than 200 milliseconds, so it’s almost impossible to enter into the Safe Mode by pressing F8 during boot time.

In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 workable ways to boot Windows Server 2012 into Safe Mode. The methods should also work with Windows 10 and Windows 8/8.1.

Method 1: Boot Windows Server 2012 into Safe Mode Using Command Prompt

Press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu, select “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the list.
In order to make Windows display the Windows Boot Manager, type the following command at the Command Prompt and press Enter. You will get a confirmation stating that The operation completed successfully.
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes

If you want to stop displaying the Windows Boot Manager later, run this command instead:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu no
Now restart your computer and you’ll see the Windows Boot Manager screen. Just press F8 to bring up the Advanced Boot Options.
Select Safe Mode and press Enter. This will open Windows Server 2012 in Safe Mode.

Method 2: Boot Windows Server 2012 into Safe Mode Using System Configuration

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type msconfig and press Enter.
Now the System Configuration dialog box will be opened. Under the Boot tab, check the Safe boot option and click OK.
Reboot your computer and it will boot directly into Safe Mode automatically. If you wan to stop Windows from booting into Safe Mode next time, you need to open the System Configuration utility (msconfig) again and uncheck the Safe boot option.

Method 3: Boot Windows Server 2012 into Safe Mode Using Settings App

To get started, you need to open the Settings panel. This can be done by hovering your mouse to the top right-hand corner of the screen, or press the Windows key + I on your keyboard.
Hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, and then click on Power icon and select Restart.
You will need to click on the Troubleshoot option.
Click Startup Settings.
Click Restart.
The computer will boot automatically to the Advanced Boot Options screen. From there you can select Safe Mode to start Windows Server 2012 in Safe Mode.

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

Tags: boot windows 10 into safe mode boot windows 8 into safe mode enter windows server 2012 safe mode open windows server 2012 in safe boot start windows server 2012 in safe mode windows server 2012 safe mode

How to Change Background Image for Windows 10 Login Screen

July 21st, 2016 by Admin

Every time you start Windows 10, you’ll be greeted with a lock screen. Once you click or swipe away the lock screen, you’ll get to the login screen where you have to select a user and enter password before accessing the desktop. It’s very easy to change the lock screen background, but Microsoft doesn’t provide an official setting to change the login screen background with a custom image in Windows 10.

logon-background-image

To change the background image for Windows 10 login screen, we need to use some sort of third-party script or utility. The best tool we found is Windows 10 Login Screen Background Changer, which is an open source freeware you can download via GitHub.

How to Change Background Image for Windows 10 Login Screen?

Download the latest version of Windows 10 Login Screen Background Changer from GitHub website. The downloaded file is a self-extracting zip archive. Extract the contents to an easily accessible location, such as the desktop.
Locate the GUI folder from the extracted archive and double-click on W10 Logon BG Changer.exe file to launch the tool. Click Yes button when you see the ELUA prompt to use the tool at your own risk.
Under Edit Background, click on the image icon to browse and select a custom picture that you want to set as login screen background.
After choosing your desired picture, click Apply Changes button. (If you want to restore the login screen background to the default image, just click Restore Defaults.)
Log out and log in, or press the Windows key + L, you’ll see that your custom image is displayed as your Windows 10 login screen background.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: change logon background in windows 10 change windows 10 login background windows 10 login background image

Recover Forgotten iPhone Backup Password on Windows

July 11th, 2016 by Admin

Lost your iPhone backup password? How to unlock your iPhone backup if you forgot the password? The encrypted local backup will be unusable and unreadable without that password. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to recover forgotten iPhone backup password on Windows 10, 8 or 7.

Method 1: Try Possible Passwords

The most obvious advice is to try some of your possible passwords! Very few computer users actually create unique passwords for each account. Most people have one or two passwords that they use across all of their accounts. Check out the clues below and hope you can remember your iPhone backup password:

Try your iTunes Store password, which is most commonly the password to restore your backup.
Try your 4 digit passcode for unlocking your iPhone device.
Try the default password 0000 or 12345.
If you are using a Mac, check if your iTunes backup password is stored in Keychain access. First, open Applications -> Utilities -> Keychain Access. Double-click on the entry for “iPhone backup” and click “Show password”.
Try the Windows administrator password.

If you have managed to attempt all the steps and nothing has worked, it seems like you will have to crack your iPhone backup password with third party password cracking software.

Method 2: Recover iPhone Backup Password with iTunesKey

iTunesKey allows you to recover iPhone backup password using Brute-force attack, mask attack or dictionary attack. It works by try all possible password combinations or most common passwords. Follow these steps to crack iPhone backup password on Windows:

Download and install iTunesKey on your local computer. After installing, launch iTunesKey and then click on the … button.
When the File Open dialog opens, select the Manifest.plist file which is used by iTunes to store your iPhone backup password.

If you don’t know where the Manifest.plist is located, please check out this article: How to Find iPhone Backup Location in Windows and Mac.
Choose one of the recovery modes: Brute-force attack, Mask attack and Dictionary attack, and then click Next. In my example, I used Brute-force attack.
Customize the password length and the characters your password may contains. Click Next.
Just wait for the program to try all possible combinations to guess your password. When the correct password is found, you’ll get a pop-up dialog box with your password shown on the screen.