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How to Create Windows 8.1 PE Boot CD/USB Drive

November 20th, 2014 by Admin

WinPE (Windows PE) is a stripped down version of Windows. It has the bare minimum drivers and files just enough to run the installer and the repair tools. WinPE does not require a hard drive to boot, it can run solely from a CD drive using the memory for dynamic data. This feature makes WinPE appealing for data recovery and system maintenance purposes. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to manually create a bootable WinPE 5.0 CD/USB drive. WinPE 5.0 is based on Windows 8.1.

How to Create Windows 8.1 PE Boot CD/USB Drive?

  1. WinPE 5.0 is part of the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 8.1, which you can download here. When you install the ADK, you only need to select these two features: Deployment Tools and Windows Preinstallation Environment.
  2. After installing, launch the Deployment Tools and Imaging Environment. Create an empty folder such as c:\winpe, and then type this command:
    copype.cmd amd64 c:\winpe
    If you want to make a 32-bit WinPE bootdisk, just replace amd64 with x86. This step will copy the boot files and the Windows PE boot image (boot.wim) to the folder c:\winpe\media.
  3. If you need to make changes to the WinPE boot image, you need to mount the image before adding drivers or other third-party apps:
    dism /mount-image /imagefile:c:\winpe\media\sources\boot.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\winpe\mount
  4. After mounting the image, you can add any specific RAID or storage drivers, in order for your hard drive to be recognized by the WinPE bootdisk. You will need to collect and extract the raw .inf and .sys driver files in order to install the driver.
    dism /image:c:\winpe\mount /add-driver:"c:/storage/iaStor.inf"
  5. Unmount the image and commit the changes back to the WinPE boot.wim file.
    dism /unmount-image /mountdir:c:\winpe\mount /commit
  6. Now that we have the base image (boot.wim) and its time to create the bootable WinPE ISO image by running the following command:
    oscdimg -b"c:\winpe\fwfiles\etfsboot.com" -n c:\winpe\media c:\winpe\winpe.iso
  7. Finally, you can burn the ISO image (winpe.iso) onto a CD-ROM or USB stick. You can use the freeware ISO2Disc, Rufus, Imgburn or any other burning application of your choice.

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Fix the 0x000000C4 Error: Your PC Needs To Restart

November 19th, 2014 by Admin

When you try to install Windows 8.1 64-bit in Oracle VM VirtualBox / VMware Workstation, or boot a virtual machine from Windows 8.1 64-bit PE image, you might receive the following error message:

Your PC needs to restart
Please hold down the power button.
Error code: 0x000000C4
Parameters:
0x0000000000000091
0x000000000000000F
0xFFFFF8028E363A80
0x0000000000000000

0x000000C4

The problem exists only with the Windows 8.1 64-bit. The 32-bit version works fine. This problem is similar to the blue screen error 0x0000005D that we previously covered in this article: How to Fix Error 0x0000005D When Booting from Windows 8 Installation Disc.

If you got the 0x000000C4 error while booting an existing virtual machine from Windows 8.1 64-bit PE image, the temporary solution is changing your guest OS to 64-bit. This article has explained how to change the OS version in VirtualBox and VMware Workstation: VirtualBox and VMware Error 0x0000005D Fix: Your PC Needs To Restart.

If you got the 0x000000C4 error when you try to install Windows 8.1 64-bit in VirtualBox, please perform the following steps to resolve:

  1. First of all, you need to find the name of your problematic virtual machine in the VirtualBox Manager interface:

    oracle-virtualbox

    Or open an elevated Command Prompt, type the following command to list your virtual machine’s name:
    "c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" list vms

    list-virtualbox-vms

  2. Next paste following command followed by Enter:

    "c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" setextradata "virtual_machine_name" VBoxInternal/CPUM/CMPXCHG16B 1

    Replace virtual_machine_name with the name of the virtual machine name which you find in the step above.

    fix-virtualbox-bluescreen

  3. That’s it! Close the Command Prompt, and you can now install Windows 8.1 64-bit in VirtualBox without the blue screen error 0x000000C4.

Another workaround is upgrading VirtualBox to the latest version 4.3.18 which claims to have this issue fixed already. If you got the 0x000000C4 error with Windows Server 2012 R2, the solution is the same as for Windows 8.1.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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How to Restore Windows Registry to A Previous State

November 11th, 2014 by Admin

Did you mess up the Windows registry and need to restore it to a previous state? Problems with the Windows registry can cause your computer to freeze, slow down, restart randomly, or be unusable. Luckily, since Windows 7, the system will automatically make a backup of your registry files after a successful boot. Here we’ll explain how to restore your Windows registry to a previous state, in order to fix / repair a corrupted registry.

How to Restore Windows Registry to A Previous State?

As the registry files are inaccessible while Windows is running, you need to boot your PC from a boot media for replacing the registry. Here we’ll use the PCUnlocker utilty, which comes as a self-extracting zip file containing a bootable CD image. Download the program and unzip it locally. Burn the CD image to a blank CD with your favorite burning program or ISO2Disc.

Boot your computer from the newly burned CD. After booting from the CD, you’ll get to the PCUnlocker program. Despite this program is mainly designed for resetting lost Windows password, it can also be used to backup the files on your computer, including the registry. Click on the “Option” button and select “Launch Command Prompt”.

Before restoring, I highly recommend you to take a backup of your current registry files, by typing these commands, one by one, and press Enter after each (Assuming C drive is the driver letter of your Windows installation).

mkdir c:\regbackup
copy c:\windows\system32\config c:\regbackup

These commands will create a backup folder and copy all your current registry files to that folder.

In Windows 10, 8 and 7, there is a folder called RegBack on your system partition which contains the most recent copy of registry files that were backed up automatically by Windows. Here we need to copy the registry files from C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack   to C:\Windows\System32\config. To do so type in this command:

copy c:\windows\system32\config\RegBack c:\windows\system32\config

Now you’ve successfully restored your Windows registry files to last known good state. Remove the CD and restart your computer to see if you are able to boot into Windows properly.

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

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How to Hide User Name from Windows Lock Screen

November 1st, 2014 by Admin

It’s a common security practice to lock your Windows desktop screen by pressing Windows + L keys every time you walk away from your computer. This can prevent other people from accessing your computer in your absence. However, did you realize that Windows will display the user name on the screen while your PC is locked? A user name can be just as sensitive as a password in a lot of scenarios. Luckily there is a simple way to hide your user name from Windows lock screen.

How to Hide User Name from Windows Lock Screen?

  1. Open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously.
  2. Browse down to the following registry key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
  3. On the right-hand side, create a new DWORD 32-bit value named DontDisplayLockedUserId and give it one of these values:
    • 1 = User display name, domain and user names
    • 2 = User display name only
    • 3 = Do not display user information

    dont-display-locked-user

    If you change this value to 3 then it will remove all user information from your Windows lock screen.

    Note: To prevent the last logged on user to be displayed in the Windows logon screen, also set the dontdisplaylastusername value to 1.

  4. Exit Registry Editor and reboot your computer. The next time you press Windows + L to lock your computer, your user name will not be displayed on the Windows lock screen any longer. User will be required to enter both their user name and password when logging back in from the locked workstation.

This is how it looks like on a Windows 7 machine.
Before:

press-ctrl-alt-del-2

windows-logon2

After:

press-ctrl-alt-del

windows-logon

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

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How to Track User Logon Activity with Logon Auditing

October 29th, 2014 by Admin

Ever wonder how to keep a track of who logged into your computer and when they log in? Or want to find out who is trying to break into your Windows account? Luckily Windows comes with a built-in feature – Logon Auditing, which enables you to record logon, logoff and logon failure events, along with the user information and the time at which the computer was accessed.

In this article we’ll show you how to enable logon auditing to have Windows track which user accounts log in and when. This is particularly helpful in determining and analyzing any attacks on a local computer or over a network.

Part 1: Enable Logon Auditing in Windows

To enable Logon Auditing, we need to configure Windows Group Policy settings. Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

After the Local Group Policy Editor opens up, navigate to Local Computer Policy –> Computer Configuration –> Windows Settings –> Security Settings –> Local Policies –> Audit Policy. Double-click the Audit logon events policy in the right pane.

audit-logon-events

When the logon event property window opens up, check both Success and Failure to audit all types of account logon activities. Click Apply to save your changes.

logon-audit-settings

From now on, every log in, log off and failed log in attempts will be recorded in the Event Viewer.

Part 2: View Logon Audit Events

To launch Event Viewer, click Start, type Event Viewer and hit Enter. In Windows 8, you can press the shortcut Windows + W and search for the Event Viewer applet.

open-even-viewer

In the Event Viewer window, navigate to the Windows Logs -> Security option to see the logs for both the successful and failed logon attempts.

event-viewer

Double click on one of the logon events, you will find out the details like the user that has been logged in or logged out, logon date and time, etc.

logon-failure-event

Conclusion

So that is how you can record and view logon events in Windows 7 Pro. Logon Auditing is also available in Windows 8 (Windows 8 Pro, Ultimate and Enterprise editions) too, although not in all the versions.

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

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Fix: Unable To Execute Files In The Temporary Directory. Setup Aborted

October 27th, 2014 by Admin

When you try to install a program downloaded from the Internet in Windows 8, 7 or XP, you might receive the following error message:

Unable to execute file in the temporary directory. Setup aborted. Error 5: Access is denied.

unable-execute-file

Right-click your downloaded .exe file and select Run as administrator. This is a temporary fix and Microsoft needs to patch it up in their updates. The problem is with the security permissions on your profile temp folder. Here are step-by-step instructions to fix this error permanently:

Before sorting out this issue, we need to find out where the temp folder is located. This folder is different for each Windows user i.e., each logged-in user gets a separate “Temp” folder. Simply press Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type cmd and press Enter.

The Command Prompt will run with permissions of the current logged-on user. Type set TEMP and press Enter. It will display your profile temp folder. By default, the temp folder is stored in C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local directory in Windows 8/7/Vista, and in C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings directory in Windows XP and previous versions.

command-prompt

Navigate to your profile temp folder. Right-click on the Temp folder and choose Properties. In the Properties window, click the Security tab, and then click Edit to change permissions.

folder-properties

Here select your account from the list and check the Full Control checkbox. When done, hit OK. Note that when you will check the Full Control checkbox, all other permissions will be automatically checked too.

folder-permissions

Now go ahead and you should be able to install your program successfully.

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

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How to Customize the Start Menu in Windows 10

October 17th, 2014 by Admin

Windows 10 is basically a combination of Windows 7 and 8 that borrows design elements from each of Microsoft’s two most recent operating systems. If you’re running Windows 10, you may have noticed that the Start Menu is back but it isn’t just the old menu that we have seen in Windows 7 and Vista. The left-hand side of it looks like the Windows 7 Start Menu, with a search bar, links to Documents, Pictures, individual apps, and so on. The right side has all the live tiles and Metro apps. Here’s quick guide to customize it to work the way you want.

start-menu

Remove Live Tiles

Windows 10 Start Menu gets crowded with too many live tiles. If you want to make the Start Menu look more like Windows 7 Start Menu, you can remove all live tiles from it. To remove a live tile, simply right-click on the tile and choose Unpin from Start.

unpin-from-start

Resize Start Menu

Want to make the Start Menu larger or smaller? It’s simple to do. Move your mouse to the top of the menu until the mouse pointer turns into a double-headed arrow. Then drag it in the direction where you want it to grow or shrink. If you just want to resize a live tile, right-click on it and select Resize and then pick a size.

Customize Start Menu

There is a new and dedicated customization menu for the Start menu. To access it, right-click on an empty area of Start Menu and select Properties.

start-menu-properties

In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, select the Start Menu tab, click Customize.

customize-task-start-menu

Now you can choose which folders and locations you want to include and exclude from the Start Menu.

customize-start-menu

Change Start Menu Color

You can change the color of the Start menu easily. Right-click on an empty area of Start Menu and select Personalize. Select a color and apply it. The same color will also be applied to the taskbar and window borders.

set-start-menu-color

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How to Disable Malware Protection in Firefox

September 29th, 2014 by Admin

Firefox 32 integrates Google’s Safe Browsing API with a safe browsing blocklist that identifies potentially malicious executables downloaded by the user. However, the browser is never capable of detecting malicious files successfully. Today when I try to download the freeware fgdump, Firefox keeps blocking it from being downloaded and says “Blocked: May contain a virus or spyware“.

firfox-block-download

Eventually I find a way to disable the malware protection in Firefox, and I can then download fgdump without any issue.

How to Disable Malware Protection in Firefox?

  1. In Firefox, open a new tab, then type about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Click the button promising to be careful.
  2. In the search box above the list, type or paste browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled and press Enter.
  3. Double-click the browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled preference. It should switch from true to false and regular type to bold.disable-safebrowsing

Basically, what I would like to do is turn off just the malware protection feature, but leave the other safe-browsing features enabled. If you want to disable all safe-browsing features completely, use the same method above the set browser.safebrowsing.enabled to false.

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How to Mount A VHD or VHDX Image in Windows Server 2012

September 25th, 2014 by Admin

Need to copy some files out of a Hyper-V virtual machine? Or looking for a way to view the contents inside a VHD or VHDX image? The most common method is to attach the VHD/VHDX file in Disk Management, so you can then browse all files of your virtual hard disk in Windows Explorer.

How to Mount A VHD or VHDX Image in Windows Server 2012?

Before getting started, make sure your virtual machine is powered off. Press Windows key + X together to bring up the Power User Menu, and then click on Computer Management.

computer-management

Under the Storage folder in the left pane, select Disk Management. Click on the Action menu and select Attach VHD.

attach-vhd

Browse to the location of the desired VHD or VHDX file, then click OK. If you don’t know where is the .vhdx image for your Hyper-V virtual machine, you can search for all files with a particular file extension, such as .vhdx.

virtual-hard-disk-location

Once your VHD/VHDX image is attached, your virtual hard disk will be available in Windows Explorer, which can be accessed just like a physical disk. You can now copy any files out or into your virtual hard drive.

When you have the files you need, go back to Disk Management and right-click on the lower window where it says your disk number. Then select Detach VHD to unmount your virtual hard drive.

detach-vhd

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How to Convert Hyper-V VHDX to VHD with PowerShell

September 20th, 2014 by Admin

VHDX is a new format of virtual hard disk that appeared in Windows Server 2012. The main advantage of VHDX is its increased storage capacity of 64 TB, instead of VHD’s standard storage limit of 2 TB. However, VHDX files are not compatible with previous versions of Windows Server and Windows Azure. Luckily there is a simple way to convert VHDX to VHD with the cmdlet Convert-VHD (this work only on hyper-v enabled machines).

How to Convert Hyper-V VHDX to VHD with PowerShell?

Open a PowerShell window on the server that houses your .vhdx files and execute the following command:

Convert-VHD –Path c:\test\win7.vhdx –DestinationPath c:\test\win7.vhd

convert-vhdx

You can also specify whether you want a dynamic or fixed disk – but that is optional. To make the virtual hard disk type dynamic, use the switch -VHDType Dynamic. To make the virtual hard disk type fixed, use the switch -VHDType Fixed.

You can actually use the same process to convert a VHD file back to a VHDX file:

Convert-VHD –Path c:\test\win7.vhd –DestinationPath c:\test\win7.vhdx

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