Archive for the ‘Others’ category

2 Options to Change / Customize Date & Time Format in Windows 10

December 18th, 2015 by Admin

Have you inherited a computer with the date in the wrong format? How can I change the date & time format displayed in Windows 10 taskbar? Depending on your personal needs, you may wish that Windows displays the full date instead of the short date format. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 methods to change date & time format in Windows 10, customize the format to match your specific needs.

Method 1: Change Date and Time Format Through PC Settings

  1. To get started, right-click the bottom-right corner of the screen where the time and date are displayed in the system tray. After that select Adjust date/time.
  2. adjust-date-time

  3. It will open the PC Settings charm that displays the pre-defined date/time formats.

    change-data-time-formats

    Click the drop-down button and select the date/time format you want. If your format is not included in the drop-down list, you have to use the method below to customize the date/time format through Control Panel.

Method 2: Change Date and Time Format Through Control Panel

  1. Press the Windows key + X and you’ll be presented within the Quick Access window. Click Control Panel.
  2. When the Control Panel opens, set the View by option to Large icon. Click Date and Time.

    control-panel

  3. The Date and Time box should open. Click on the “Change date and time…” button.

    date-and-time

  4. After the Date and Time settings window opens, click on the “Change calendar settings” link.

    date-and-time-settings

  5. Now you can see the pre-defined date formats. Click the drop-down button and check whether the format you wish to change is available or not. If it is not included in the drop down list, you can customize the format by entering required date format (for example, DD-MM-YYYY). Make sure that you are entering in a right format with proper notations. You can find the meaning of notations below the date format. Click on Apply and save your settings.

    customize-format

  6. Now you can see the date/time on your taskbar at the bottom-right corner in your own desired format.

2 Methods to Remove Password Reveal Button in Windows 10

December 15th, 2015 by Admin

Password Reveal Button is a new feature introduced since Windows 8. When you begin entering your password into the text box on Windows 10 logon screen, the system displays the Password Reveal Button at the end of the text box, as shown in screenshot below. As you can see, this button looks like a human eye.

When you click the Password Reveal Button, it will reveal your typed password. This feature is really useful for people who have a tendency to mistype passwords, but it also expose the chance for someone who might look over your shoulder to find out your password.

password-reveal-button

Security conscious users will worry about this feature and want to disable it for extra security. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to remove the Password Reveal Button in Windows 10, by using either Group Policy or registry trick.

Method 1: Remove Password Reveal Button Using Group Policy

  1. Press the Windows + R key combinations to open the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
  2. When Local Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Credential User Interface.

    hide-password-reveal-button

    On the right side of the window, find the Do not display reveal password button option and double-click on it.

  3. To remove the Password Reveal Button, check the Enable option and click OK, else click on Disable or Not Configured if you want to see the Reveal Password Button again.

    not-display-password-reveal

However, Local Group Policy Editor is available only in the Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise editions. If you’re running Windows 10 Home, you have to use the registry trick below to disable the Password Reveal button.

Method 2: Remove Password Reveal Button Using Registry Trick

  1. Press the Windows + R key combinations to open the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter.
  2. In the left side of Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
  3. Right-click the “Windows” Key and then select New -> Key, name it CredUI.
  4. Now, right-click the CredUI Key and select the New -> DWORD, name it DisablePasswordReveal.
  5. In the right side, double-click the new DisablePasswordReveal value and set the Value data to 1.

    DisablePasswordReveal

    In future if you want to enable the Password Reveal Button again, either delete the key CredUI or change DisablePasswordReveal value to 0.

  6. Close the Registry Editor, and restart your system.

After disabling the feature, if you feel that the option to reveal was a comfortable option to rectify mistyped passwords, you can revert your changes and bring back the Password Reveal Button.

Fix “Password doesn’t work after upgrading to Windows 10”

December 14th, 2015 by Admin

I just recently upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 today, everything was working fine until I restarted my Laptop. It kept coming up with “Incorrect Password”. I can remember the password but the system refuses to log me in. Please help!

Just upgrade to Windows 10 and the original password doesn’t work? Many users complain about this issue and there are various reasons why Windows 10 doesn’t accept their passwords. In this tutorial we’ll run through the 5 steps you should take to successfully troubleshoot the “password not working” issue.

Step 1: View the Actual Password You Typed

After typing your password in Windows 10 login screen, you’ll see a small eye icon on the right side of the password box. Press and hold the eye icon and it allows you to reveal the text you’ve just typed. If the password appears as expected and the system still says it’s incorrect, it’s likely that you’ve forgotten your password.

view-windows-password

If the revealed password is not the same as what want to type, or the eye icon is missing from the password box, go to the next steps for troubleshooting your password problem.

Step 2: Switch Keyboard Layout Input

A wrong keyboard layout can result in an inability to type the characters needed for your password. If you’ve set up multiple keyboard layouts with your system, then be sure to select the correct keyboard layout for typing the password. At the lower-right corner of Windows 10 logon screen, there is a language button (e.g., ENG). click there, and you will be allowed to change to the keyboard of your choice. Your password should now be accepted.

keyboard-layout-for-login

If there is just a single but incorrect keyboard layout for the login screen, there is no option to switch. In some cases, the layouts used will simply rearrange some characters so you will have to use alternative keys to type the password, by using the on-screen keyboard.

Step 3: Using On-Screen Keyboard

If you find yourself in a situation where your physical keyboard doesn’t work at all, or a wrong keyboard layout is used, then you can type the password using On-Screen Keyboard.

on-screen-keyboard

Click the Ease of Access icon in the lower-right corner of Windows 10 logon screen, and then select On-Screen Keyboard. It will display a virtual keyboard with all the standard keys. You can then type the password by clicking keys with your mouse.

Step 4: Reset Windows 10 Password

If Windows 10 still refuses you to login, you can try the PCUnlocker Live CD which can unlock, bypass and remove lost Windows 10 passwords for both local account and Microsoft account.

Just boot your problematic computer from PCUnlocker Live CD and it allows you to remove the password of any Windows users. After resetting the password, reboot your computer and you can log in to Windows 10 without typing a password!

Step 5: Reinstall or Revert Your System Back to What It Was

As a last resort, you can always just reinstall the OS and do the whole thing over again. Another option is refresh or reset your Windows 10 computer to factory default or revert back to former OS.

How to Turn on / off Adaptive Brightness in Windows 10 / 8

December 8th, 2015 by Admin

Adaptive brightness is a new feature in Windows 8 / 10 that uses an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust your screen’s brightness to your surroundings. When you have mostly dark stuff on screen (like a text editor with dark background), the screen will dim automatically. While on a white background it will brighten. These changes happen automatically after a few seconds, and they can also sometimes manifest as noticeable flickering.

If the brightness switching is driving you crazy, you can disable this feature so your screen will stay at the brightness level you want. In this post we’ll show you how to turn on / off adaptive brightness in Windows 10 and 8.

Updated: For the latest build of Windows 10, open the Settings app and navigate to System -> Display, you can check or uncheck the “Change brightness automatically when lighting changes” option to enable or disable adaptive brightness.

How to Turn on / off Adaptive Brightness in Windows 10 / 8?

  1. Press the Windows logo key + X to open the Quick Access menu. Click Control Panel.
  2. When Control Panel is open, set the View by option to Large icons. Click Power Options.

    control-panel

  3. Find your currently selected power plan and click on the associated “Change plan settings” link.

    power-options

  4. Now click on “Change advanced power settings“.

    edit-power-plan

  5. Scroll down to Display –> Enable adaptive brightness, and change the settings there to Off or On.

    adaptive-brightness

    If you set it to off, your screen will maintain a constant brightness level. If you don’t see this setting, it means that your computer doesn’t come with light sensors.

How to Clear or Hide Recent Files in Windows 10 Explorer

December 6th, 2015 by Admin

When you open the File Explorer in Windows 10, you’ll see a list of recently used folders/files. This feature is useful for you to quickly access your frequently opened folders/files, but it also exposes your recent activities to others when you are on a shared computer or a public computer.

quick-access

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to clear or hide the recent files in Windows 10 File Explorer.

Option 1: Remove/Clear Recent Files from Windows 10 Explorer

By default, Windows 10 keeps track of recently opened documents and files generally. Here is a simple way to permanently remove / clear recent folders/files from Windows 10 Explorer:

  1. Open File Explorer. It includes two sections: Frequent folders and Recent files.
  2. Right-click on the recent folder or file you want to delete, and select Remove from Quick access.

    remove-from-quick-access

Option 2: Hide Recent Files from Windows 10 Explorer

This method allows you to hide all recent folders/files from appearing in Quick Access of Windows 10 File Explorer. Here’s how:

  1. In File Explorer, go to the View ribbon section and click the Options button.

    file-explorer

  2. Once you’re in the Folder Options window, click General tab.
  3. Under Privacy at the bottom of the window, uncheck “Show recently used files in Quick access” and “Show recently used folders in Quick access“.

    folder-options

  4. Click Apply and OK. The recent files and frequent folders will immediately disappear from File Explorer.

Note that re-check the option “Show recently used files in Quick access” and it will also make your recent files appear in File Explorer again.

Fix: Windows 8.1 Update (KB2919355) is not applicable to your computer

November 25th, 2015 by Admin

Unable to install Windows 8.1 Update (KB2919355) on your computer? Even if you’ve enabled automatic update in Windows, you might find out that KB2919355 doesn’t appear in the list of available updates. If you download KB2919355 directly from Microsoft’s online website and then install it manually, Windows Update Standalone Installer will fail with the error message “The update is not applicable to your computer“.

update-not-applicable

KB2919355 is essentially a service pack released for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2, but Microsoft has decided not to call it “service pack”. It is officially known as “Windows 8.1 Update”. In this article we’ll show you an effective way to install Windows 8.1 Update on Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 without such a problem.

How to Install Windows 8.1 Update (KB2919355) Successfully?

  1. Press the Windows key + X to open up the Quick Access Menu. Next click Control Panel.
  2. Click the View by option at the top right of the Control Panel. Set it to Large icons. Click on Windows Update.

    control-panel

  3. Click the Change settings link on the left side of the Windows Update window.

    windows-update

  4. Under Important updates, check the “Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them” option from the drop-down menu. Click OK.

    windows-update-settings

  5. When come back to the Windows Update window, click on the Check for updates link in the left pane. The search may take some time, depending on how many updates are waiting.

    check-for-updates

  6. When the search is finished, click the link that says how many important updates are available.

    available-updates

  7. In the list of available updates, select the update KB2919355, then click Install and you’re done! However, if the update KB2919355 doesn’t appear in the list of available updates, check ALL important updates and click Install.

    install-windows-updates

  8. After installing all available important updates, open your Web browse to download the Windows 8.1 Update from Microsoft’s website:

    At the download page, select your language and then click the Download button.

  9. Windows 8.1 Update contains six separate files: clearcompressionflag.exe, KB2919355, KB2932046, KB2934018, KB2937592 and KB2938439. You just need to select the file contains KB2919355 and click Next to begin downloading.

    KB2919355

  10. Now double-click on the update KB2919355 you’ve downloaded and it should be able to be installed successfully.

    install-kb2919355

Install .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows Server 2012 with / without CD

November 24th, 2015 by Admin

Today, there are lots of applications available that require .NET framework installed to run, including SQL Server. When try to install .NET framework 3.5 on a computer running with Windows Server 2012 (R2) or 2008 (R2), you might receive one of the following error messages

“The request to add or remove features on the specified server failed. The source files could not be downloaded.”

“The source files could not be found. Use the “Source” option to specify the location of the files that are required to restore the feature.”

failed-install-net-framework

This problem happens because the computer cannot download the .NET framework from Windows Update, or you specify a wrong alternate source path. So here we’ll walk you through the steps of installing .NET framework 3.5 on Windows Server 2012 (R2) with / without a install CD.

How to Install .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows Server 2012 (R2)?

First of all, open the Server Manager in Windows Server 2012 (R2). Click Add roles and features.

server-manager

On the Before you begin page, click on Next.

add-roles-and-feature-wizard

On the Select installation type screen, select Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next.

installation-type

Select the local server you want to install .NET 3.5 framework onto and click Next

server-selection

On the Select server roles page, do not select any role and just click Next.

server-roles

On the Select features screen, check .NET Framework 3.5 features and click Next.

add-net-framework-feature

On the Confirm installation selections page, you will get a warning “Do you need to specify an alternate source path? One or more installation selections are missing source files on the destination server.

confirm-installation

Here you have two choices:

  • If your computer has Internet connection, just ignore this warning and click Install. The wizard will try to connect to Microsoft’s online server and download the missing files from Windows Update.
  • If your computer has no Internet connection, you have to specify the alternate source path. Click the Specify an alternative source patch link at the bottom of the above screenshot. Then enter path of the source files from Windows Server 2012 installation CD.

    alternate-source-path

    In my example, it’s D:\sources\sxs, where D: is drive letter of my installation media. Click OK and then click Install to begin installation.

Once .NET Framework 3.5 has been installed, the screen will tell you Installation succeeded.

installation-progress

Click Close to exit the wizard. That’s it!