Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

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6 Ways to Open Performance Monitor in Windows 10

May 7th, 2018 by Admin

Performance Monitor is Windows’ built-in utility that lets you monitor almost every aspect of performance, including CPU, memory, file system, database, and network usage. This is really useful for IT admins to troubleshoot performance issues or determine where bottlenecks might occur. In this tutorial we’ll show you the quickest ways to open Performance Monitor in Windows 10.

Method 1: Open Performance Monitor from Start Menu

Click the Start button. Scroll through the app list and find the System Administrative Tools section. Expand it and click Performance Monitor.

Method 2: Open Performance Monitor via Run

Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type perfmon and hit Enter.

This will launch Performance Monitor utility quickly.

Method 3: Open Performance Monitor with Cortana Search

Type “performance” (without double quotes) inside the Cortana Search box on the taskbar, and then click the appropriate result.

Method 4: Open Performance Monitor from Control Panel

Open the Control Panel in Large icons view, and click Administrative Tools.

In the next window, you can double-click the Performance Monitor shortcut to open it.

Method 5: Open Performance Monitor from Computer Management

Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu, and select Computer Management.

In the left pane of Computer Management, expand to Performance -> Monitoring Tools and you can access Performance Monitor.

Method 6: Open Performance Monitor from Command Prompt or PowerShell

Open the Command Prompt or PowerShell, then type perfmon and press Enter to open Performance Monitor.

That’s it!

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How to Check if I Have Windows Administrator Rights?

May 7th, 2018 by Admin

Do I have local admin rights? Before you can make system-wide changes to the system, such as install software or run elevated command prompt, you’ll need to log into Windows as a user with administrative rights. Here’s how to quickly check if a user account is an administrator or not in Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP.

Method 1: Check for Administrator Rights Using Control Panel

  1. Open the Control Panel in Large icons view, and then click User Accounts.

  2. Click the Manage another account link.

  3. You should see all the accounts on your computer. If your account has admin rights, you can see the word “Administrator” under your account name.

    As you can see from the screenshot above, pcunlocker is an administrator while david is a standard/limited user.

Method 2: Check for Administrator Rights Using Command Prompt

  1. Press the Windows key + R keys on the keyboard to open the Run box. Type cmd and press Enter.

  2. In the Command Prompt, type the following command and hit Enter.
    net user account_name

  3. You’ll get a list of attributes of your account. Look for the “Local Group Memberships” entry. If your account belongs to the “Administrators” group, it should have admin rights.

That’s it!

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

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3 Ways to Restart File Explorer in Windows 10

May 5th, 2018 by Admin

How do I restart Windows Explorer manually if it isn’t responding? I accidentally turned off Windows Explorer. Now, nothing is on my desktop, including the start menu. How do I get it back? In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 easy ways to restart File Explorer manually in Windows 10.

Method 1: Restart File Explorer from Task Manager

Press and hold down the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc to launch Task Manager. To see all of your PC’s current processes, click More details at the bottom of the Task Manager window.

Switch to Process tab, locate the Windows Explorer entry from the list, then click the Restart button on the lower-right hand corner.

Method 2: Quit File Explorer and Then Start It

Open Task Manager. In the Details tab, locate the explorer.exe process and then click the End task button.

There is another handy way for quitting the Windows Explorer. In Windows 10 / 8, you can hold Ctrl+Shift while right-clicking any empty area of the taskbar. Click the Exit Explorer command from the popup menu.

After quitting File Explorer, the taskbar and desktop icons will disappear. To access File Explorer again, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard to open Task Manager. Click the File menu and then choose “Run new task“.

Type explorer.exe into the Open box and hit OK to relaunch Windows Explorer.

Method 3: Restart File Explorer Using Command Prompt

You can also use the taskkill command to perform a restart of File Explorer. Here’s how to restart File Explorer from Command Prompt:

  1. Open the Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Copy the following commands and paste them into Command Prompt:
    taskkill /f /IM explorer.exe
    start explorer.exe

    The first command will terminate File Explorer, while the second one will relaunch it.

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Quick Ways to Open Internet Options in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

May 3rd, 2018 by Admin

Where do I find Internet Options in Windows 10? Internet Options is a Control Panel applet which lets you manage browser security level, control your privacy, block or allow specific websites and so on. In this tutorial we’ll show you 4 quick ways to open Internet Options in Windows 10 / 8 / 7.

Method 1: Open Internet Options from Internet Explorer

Open up the Internet Explorer. Click the Settings icon in the upper-right corner, or click the Tools menu.

Select Internet options from the drop down menu, you can then access Internet Options immediately.

Method 2: Open Internet Options via Run Command Box

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command box. Type inetcpl.cpl and press Enter.

You can now get to Internet Options.

Method 3: Open Internet Options from Control Panel

Open the Control Panel, and change it to the Large icons view.

Click Internet Options.

Method 4: Open Internet Options via Search

In Windows 10, type “internet options” in the Cortana Search box and you can then access Internet Options from the search result.

If you’re running Windows 7, click the Start button and type “internet options” in the Search box. Click its shortcut and it will open Internet Options quickly.

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Disable Beep Sound When Plugging / Unplugging Laptop Charger

May 2nd, 2018 by Admin

Disabling annoying power cord beep? When plugging in or plugging out the power adapter, there will be an annoying beep sound. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to disable beep sound when plugging or unplugging laptop charger.

Method 1: Disable Beep Sound When Plugging / Unplugging Laptop Charger via Device Manager

If you’re running Windows 7:

  1. Press the WIN + R keys together to open the Run box. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.

  2. When the Device Manager window opens, click the View menu and then select Show hidden devices.
  3. In the left pane, click on Non-Plug and Play Drivers to expand it, then double-click the Beep device.

  4. Switch to the Driver tab. Set Startup type as Disabled.

    Click Apply and reboot your computer.

If you’re running Windows 10 or Windows 8, you have to disable the System Speaker device instead:

  1. Press the WIN + R keys together to open the Run box. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
  2. In the left pane of the Device Manager window, Expand “System Devices“. Right-click on System Speaker and select Disable.
  3. Reboot your computer.

Method 2: Disable Beep Sound When Plugging / Unplugging Laptop Charger via BIOS

  1. Press a specific key (F2, F12, DEL, ESC, etc) repeatedly after restarting your laptop to access the BIOS Setup utility.
  2. Use the arrow keys to navigate through BIOS settings to look for “Power Beep“, “Power Control Beep” or a similar option, and set it to Disabled.

  3. Save your changes and exit BIOS.

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

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How to Stop Laptop from Sleeping / Shutdown When Lid is Closed

April 25th, 2018 by Admin

how do I stop my Windows laptop from shutting down when I close the lid? By default, Windows will go into sleep mode when you close your laptop’s lid. If you want Windows to keep running even when your laptop’s lid is closed, here’s how to customize the default action to take when you close the lid.

How to Stop Laptop from Sleeping / Shutdown When Lid is Closed?

  1. Open the Control Panel in Large icons view. Click Power Options.

  2. Click the “Choose what closing the lid does” link in the left side panel.

  3. If the options are grayed out, you have to click the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” link at the top.

  4. Open the drop-down list next to the “When I close the lid” option. Select “Do nothing” under both “On battery” and “Plugged in“.

  5. Click Save changes. Now, when you close the laptop lid, Windows will still keep running, without losing any unsaved work or suspending your downloads.

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5 Ways to Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10

April 23rd, 2018 by Admin

How do I empty Recycle Bin from command line in Windows 10? When a file is deleted, the space used on the disk is not reclaimed until you empty the Recycle Bin. In this article we’ll show you 5 quick ways to empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10.

Method 1: Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10 from Desktop Shortcut

Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, and then select Empty Recycle Bin from the context menu.

A warning box will appear. Click Yes to permanently delete files.

Method 2: Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10 from File Explorer

Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop, you will see a list of files you have deleted. Choose the Manage tab at the top and then click Empty Recycle Bin in the ribbon.

If you’re unable to see the Recycle Bin desktop icon, open File Explorer and type “Recycle Bin” in the address bar. Once hitting Enter you can access Recycle Bin immediately.

Method 3: Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10 from Command Prompt

Open the Command Prompt as Administrator, then execute below command to empty Recycle Bin for specific drive(s):

rd /q /s c:\$Recycle.Bin
rd /q /s d:\$Recycle.Bin

Method 4: Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10 from PowerShell

Open PowerShell. Run the following command and press Enter to empty Recycle Bin for all drives on your local computer:

Clear-RecycleBin -force -ErrorAction:Ignore

Method 5: Empty Recycle Bin in Windows 10 Using Disk Cleanup Utility

Open the Disk Cleanup utility. Just check the Recycle Bin box and leave all other settings unchecked, and then click OK.

Click on Delete Files to confirm if you want to empty the Recycle Bin for your selected drive.

That’s it!

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How to Delete Files Directly without Sending to Recycle Bin in Windows 10

April 23rd, 2018 by Admin

Recycle Bin is a special directory that is used to store deleted files that are awaiting permanent deletion. By default, when you delete a folder or file, Windows just sends your folder/file into Recycle Bin in the event you need to recover it. To get rid of all your deleted files permanently, you have to empty the Recycle Bin. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to delete files directly without sending to Recycle Bin in Windows 10.

Method 1: Use Keyboard Shortcut to Delete Files without Sending to Recycle Bin

Just open Windows Explorer and select those folders/files that you want to delete, then press Shift + Delete keyboard combination. Your selected folders/files will be permanently deleted without going to Recycle Bin.

Method 2: Bypass Recycle Bin When Deleting Files in Windows 10

  1. Right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop, and select Properties from the context menu.

  2. Select the drive for which you want to modify the Recycle Bin properties, and check the option “Don’t move files to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted“.

    Make sure you also check the box “Display delete confirmation dialog“, so you’ll get a confirmation message even if you delete something accidentally.

  3. Repeat the above step for other drives for which you don’t want deleted files to go to the Recycle Bin. Note: if you just go through the above step for the drive C:\ only, the files deleted from D:\ will still be moved to Recycle Bin.
  4. That’s it. Now whenever you delete a file from any drive in Windows 10, the file will not go to Recycle Bin but immediately deleted permanently.

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How to Restore All File Associations to Default in Windows 10

April 18th, 2018 by Admin

Windows 10 file extensions are messed up? Is there a simple way to reset all file associations to default? When double-clicking a text file, Windows will open it with Notepad because the file extension .txt is associated with Notepad by default. Installing a new text editor software can result in changes to the default file association. Since Windows 10 there is an easy way to restore all file associations to default.

How to Restore All File Associations to Default in Windows 10?

Press the Windows key + I shortcut to open the Settings app, and then click Apps.

Select the Default apps on the left, you’ll see all the default programs for opening your pictures, videos, webpage or checking out email message, etc. Scroll down a bit till you see the setting – Reset to Microsoft recommended defaults.

Click the Reset button and all your file associations will be restore to their original defaults immediately.

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Automatically Disable Touchpad When Mouse is Connected in Windows 10

April 12th, 2018 by Admin

Despite touchpads have improved over the years and they support so many gestures, users still won’t like using the touchpad for gaming, and have to manually switch between the touchpad and traditional mouse. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to configure Windows 10 to automatically disable touchpad only when a USB mouse is connected.

Method 1: Automatically Disable Touchpad When Mouse is Connected Using Settings App

  1. Press the Windows key + I shortcut to open the Settings app. Click on Devices.

  2. Select the Touchpad tab. Simply uncheck the “Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected” option on the right.

  3. Close the Settings app. Now, connecting a USB mouse to your PC will automatically disable the touchpad, while your touchpad will restore to work when the mouse is unplugged.

Method 2: Automatically Disable Precision Touchpad When Mouse is Connected Using Control Panel

If you don’t have a precision touchpad, you have to disable touchpad only when a USB mouse is connected using the Control Panel. Follow these steps:

  1. Open the Control Panel. Set the View by option to Large icons and then click on Mouse.
  2. When the Mouse settings window opens, go to the Device Settings tab, and check the “Disable internal pointing device when external USB pointing device is attached” option.
  3. Click Apply and then OK.

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