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Password Protect A Folder in Windows 10

August 14th, 2015 by Admin

We all have sensitive files we’d like to keep secret from the world. Just like the older versions, Windows 10 also doesn’t come with a native utility specifically designed for password protecting folders. Thankfully, there is a handy folder lock program – Protect My Folders, which can hide and password protect any folders/files with ease. Here’s how to use it to password protect a folder in Windows 10.

How to Password Protect A Folder in Windows 10?

  1. Download and install Protect My Folders. The first time you launch the program, it will prompt you to set a master password. This is the only password that will be used in this tool to protect your folders, so don’t ever forget it or you will be unable to access protected folders.

    set-new-password

  2. After you enter the password and click OK, the main interface will open where you can lock or unlock folders or change the lock settings.

    protect-my-folders

  3. Open the folder which you want to lock. This folder could have files, subfolders, videos, presentations, or any sorts of data you want to protect.

    test-folder

  4. To lock the folder you wish to password protect, just drag and drop it from Windows Explorer to the Protect My Folders program. Or click on “Add/Lock” button to select your desired folder. Repeat the same process to add more folders and lock them as well.

    password-protect-folder

  5. The protected folder will be vanished immediately! If you try to access the protected folder from Windows Explorer or Command Prompt, you’ll get the error message “Access denied” or “Windows can’t find the folder“. Your protected folders will remain lock even if you’ve closed the Protect My Folders program.

    folder-access-denied

  6. To unlock a folder, launch the program and enter the master password. Just select the folder you want to unlock, and then click Unlock. Your protected folder will be back and you can open it in Windows Explorer.
  7. If you just need to lock your folder but keep it visible, click on Settings from within the Protect My Folders program. When the Settings dialog appears, uncheck the Hide option.

    lock-options

    From there you can also change the master password or uninstall the program. After it is uninstalled, all your locked folders are automatically unlocked, thus eliminating the risk of losing your data.

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Fix Boot Failure: a proper digital signature was not found

August 10th, 2015 by Admin

I have a Toshiba P850/02c with windows 8. This morning it did an automatic Windows configure update but then on restarting, I got the error message “Boot Failure: a proper digital signature was not found. One of the files on the select boot device was rejected by the Secure Boot feature.” and stuck on there. Now I am unable to boot to the desktop. How can I fix the issues?

boot-failure

This is probably due to the “Secure Boot” feature currently on all new Windows 8/8.1/10 computers. Secure Boot is a new feature that improves the security of Windows. To fix this boot failure, you have to disable the Secure Boot option in the UEFI firmware.

How to Disable Secure Boot?

To disable the Secure Boot option, you have to access to the UEFI setup.

In UEFI setup, try to find a menu labeled “Security” or “Security Settings.” Once you navigate to it, head straight down to “Secure Boot”. There’s a possibility that you might have a “Secure Boot” option immediately when you arrive at the security menu, so look out for that also. Once you see a “Secure Boot” option, disable it. Then reboot the PC to check if that fix the issue.

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How to Create A Windows To Go USB Drive in Windows 8 Enterprise

August 3rd, 2015 by Admin

Windows to Go is a exclusive feature available in Windows 8 Enterprise only, which lets users create a portable version of the OS that can be used directly from a USB drive. Here’s how to create a Windows To Go USB drive in Windows 8 Enterprise, without using any third-party software.

How to Create A Windows To Go USB Drive in Windows 8 Enterprise?

  1. First of all we need to open the Windows To Go Creator. Press the Windows key + W, type “Windows To Go” and then press Enter. The Windows To Go Creator Wizard opens.
  2. Select your USB drive. Although it’s recommend to use USB 3.0 external storage device, USB 2.0 should also work.

    windows-to-go-1

  3. Select Windows 8 image (.wim) file from Windows 8 installation DVD. If you’re using a Windows 8 installation ISO file, you can extract the install.wim file from it with the freeware 7-zip.

    windows-to-go-2

  4. Set up BitLocker password. By using Bitlocker, the USB drive and all data on it will be encrypted. This option is not mandatory, and you can skip it by clicking the Skip button.

    windows-to-go-3

  5. Begin to create Windows To Go USB drive. This step displays the summary of settings and prepares your storage media for Windows To Go workspace. Clicking on Create at the bottom will start the process.

    windows-to-go-4

  6. After this step, it begins to install Windows 8 on your USB drive. The whole process should take about 30 minutes, depending on the hardware from which you are running this.

    Windows-to-go-5

  7. Once a Windows To Go USB drive has been made you can choose whether to set up the host PC to boot from USB devices, or leave it as it is. You can close this wizard by selecting No, then choosing Save and Close.

    windows-to-go-boot-option

  8. Now your USB drive is ready for use.

Windows To Go Creator is only available in Enterprise edition of Windows 8. But with the freeware ISO2Disc you can create Windows To Go USB drive in any edition of Windows, so long as you have a Windows 8 ISO image.

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How to Decrypt BitLocker-Encrypted Drive from Command Line

July 30th, 2015 by Admin

If you still have admin access to your Windows computer, you can decrypt the BitLocker-encrypted drive easily from the Control Panel:

  1. After opening up the Control Panel, click the System and Security link.

  2. click on BitLocker Drive Encryption to launch the BitLocker configuration panel.

  3. Find the drive on which you want BitLocker Drive Encryption turned off, and click Turn off BitLocker.

  4. A message is displayed, informing you that the drive will be decrypted and that decryption may take some time. Click on Turn off BitLocker to begin the decryption process.

Sometimes things would get a bit tricky if your computer won’t start or you lost admin access to your Windows account. You might need to boot off your PC from a WinPE bootable disc and decrypt the hard drive through the command line utility – manage-bde. Here’s how:

  1. Open the Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Type the following command to unlock your BitLocker drive with 48-digit recovery key:
    manage-bde -unlock D: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-BITLOCKER-RECOVERY-KEY-HERE

    If your BitLocker recovery key is stored in a file on an external drive, then use this command:
    manage-bde -unlock D: -RecoveryKey "PATH_OF_YOUR_BITLOCKER_RECOVERY_KEY_FILE"

    If you can remember your BitLocker user password, type the following command. After pressing Enter, you’ll be prompted to enter the user password.
    manage-bde -unlock D: -Password

  3. Next turn off BitLocker Encryption:
    manage-bde -off D:

  4. Now you have unlocked and disabled BitLocker.

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Problem with Using Chntpw to Reset Password

July 29th, 2015 by Admin

I tried to reset the password of Windows 7 Using chntpw command in Ubuntu. The program appears to work exactly as expected, and doesn’t display any errors, and acts like it’s done everything properly when blanking or changing a password. However, when Windows is loaded, no change has been made – the password has not been blanked or changed.

Chntpw, also known as Offline NT Password & Registry Editor, is a free Linux tool that allows you to reset or edit Windows user passwords stored in the SAM database. Here are a list of problems you might experienced when using chntpw to reset a lost Windows password:

  • Chntpw boots for a short while and ends up in a kernel panic “Kernel panic – not syncing: Attempted to kill init! And then it stops booting.“
  • Failed to blank or change password. Chntpw said successfully clear the password. But when you try to login from Windows it does not seem to be changed.
  • Unable to mount the hard drive that that contains the Windows registry hives. Get the mount issue “Windows is hibernated, refused to mount. NTFS: Yes, but hibernated.“, or crash with “VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block.“
  • Chntpw: Unable to open/read a hive, exiting..
  • Chntpw hangs in a loop, or fail to boot even if your computer is configured with UEFI and Secure Boot.

What to do if chntpw doesn’t work on your computer? You can get around all these issues with the third-party Windows password bypass tool – PCUnlocker, or use the following methods:

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2 Options to Add a User to Local Administrators Group

July 13th, 2015 by Admin

Only an administrator can perform the administration tasks such as installing a driver or an application. If you have an existing standard or limited account, you can grant it administrator privileges by adding it to the built-in Administrators group. Here are two options to add a user to the local Administrators group in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP.

Option 1: Computer Management

The easier way to add a user to the local Administrators group is to use the Computer Management app. Here’s how:

  1. To open the Computer Management, right-click on My Computer icon on your desktop and then select Manage. Another method is to press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box, then type compmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
  2. When the Computer Management window opens, expand Local Users And Groups in the left pane, and click on Users (Please skip to the option 2 below if you don’t see Local Users and Groups.)

    local-users-and-groups

  3. Double-click your desired user account in the right hand side.
  4. In the User Properties window, click the Add button.

    account-properties

  5. In the Select Groups dialog, type the name of your administrators group. Click Check Names, and then click OK.

    select-groups

    If you don’t know the name of your administrator group, click Advanced and next click Find Now.

Option 2: Command Prompt

However, not every edition of Windows have the Local Users and Groups entry in the Computer Management (for example, Windows 8 Home and domain controller). This method will work on all editions of Windows.

  1. Open an elevated Command Prompt. In Windows 10 or 8, press the Windows key + X and then click “Command Prompt (Admin)“. In Windows 7 or Vista, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories, then right-click on Command Prompt shortcut and select “Run as Administrator“.
  2. To see a list of local groups available, just type:
    net localgroup
  3. You can add a user to the built-in Administrators group by running the following command:

    net localgroup Administrators [username] /add

    For example, add a user named test to the administrators group, we can run the below command.
    net localgroup Administrators test /add

    add-user-to-group

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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 Bypass the Password on Any Windows Version

July 6th, 2015 by Admin

There are lots of people that for some reason forget the login password on their Windows computers. Most of the answers they find all over the Internet is to reinstall or reset the password. This is not the answer you’ll get here. Today I’ll share with you how to bypass the password on any Windows version, not just reset it.

How to Bypass the Password on Any Windows Version?

  1. Download the required password bypassing tool – PCUnlocker. Once it’s finished, double-click the zip file to extract it. You will then need to burn the ISO file to a writable CD using a program like ISO2Disc.

  2. Insert the CD into the computer that needs its password bypass and boot from it. You may have to change the computer’s boot order in the BIOS in order to boot from the CD.

  3. If you boot from the CD successfully, it will run the Windows PE environment from memory. When the PCUnlocker application opens, you’ll see a list of Windows user accounts that are discovered on your computer.
  4. Here we’re not going to reset the user password, so don’t click the “Reset Password” button. At the bottom-left side of your screen, there is an Options button. Click on Options and select “Bypass Windows Password”.

  5. Confirm your password bypass operation and click OK to proceed.

  6. When you see the Congratulations dialog box, you’re almost done!

    Restart your compute and take out the CD. When it boots to the Windows login screen, click the icon of any User account (supporting Windows 8 Microsoft account) and you can login with arbitrary password.

I have tested this procedure on Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP and it works fine, so if yours somehow does not work, go back through the steps again and make sure you have not missed any step. Or check out the boot up toubleshooting guide for PCUnlocker.

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

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3 Ways to Turn off Windows Defender in Windows 10 or 8

July 5th, 2015 by Admin

Windows Defender is a built-in antivirus software comes with Windows 10 and Windows 8. While Windows Defender provides very baseline protection, it slows down your PC considerably. Users who prefer using third-party security solution like Kaspersky, McAfee or Norton might want to completely disable Windows Defender. Here are 3 ways to turn off Windows Defender in Windows 10 or 8.

Method 1: Permanently Turn off Windows Defender with Group Policy

  1. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and hit Enter.

  2. In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following location:
    Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Defender Antivirus -> Real-time Protection

    In the right pane you will see a policy labeled “Turn off real-time protection“. Double-click on it to modify.

  3. Select Enabled. Click Apply and then OK.

  4. You have to restart the computer to allow this policy to take place. When you try to turn on real-time protection again in Windows Defender, you’ll get a message that saying “This setting is managed by your administrator“.

Method 2: Permanently Turn off Windows Defender with Command Prompt

  1. Open the Command Prompt as administrator. Type the following command and press Enter.
    reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Real-Time Protection" /v DisableRealtimeMonitoring /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

  2. Restart your computer to apply the changes, and then Windows Defender should now be disabled.

Method 3: Temporarily Turn off Real-time Protection from Windows Defender

  1. After opening up Windows Defender, navigate to Virus & threat protection tab. Under the “Virus & threat protection settings” section, click on the Manage settings link.

  2. Turn off the Real-time protection toggle switch.

  3. Windows Defender will disable its real-time protection temporarily. The next time you restart your computer Windows Defender will re-enable automatically.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 8

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