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How to Recover or Change HomeGroup Password in Windows 10

October 17th, 2017 by Admin

Forgot or misplaced your HomeGroup password? If your computer is already part of a HomeGroup, you can view or reset the password without using third-party software. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through how to recover or change HomeGroup password in Windows 10.

Part 1: Recover HomeGroup Password in Windows 10

  1. Open File Explorer (previously known as Windows Explorer). Right-click the Homegroup shortcut in the left navigation pane, and then select “View the HomeGroup password” from the pop-up menu.

  2. The HomeGroup password is now shown in a yellow box. You can either write it down or print it by clicking the “Print this page” button at the bottom.

Part 2: Change HomeGroup Password in Windows 10

  1. Open File Explorer. Right-click the Homegroup shortcut in the left navigation pane, and then select “Change HomeGroup settings” from the pop-up menu.

  2. Under the “Other Homegroup actions” section, click the “Change the password” link.

  3. When the “Change Your Homegroup Password” wizard opens, choose the “Change the password” option.

  4. Windows will generate a random password automatically, but you can type your own password. When it’s done, click Next to continue.

  5. Now your HomeGroup password was successfully changed. Now you can write down it and close the wizard.

    That’s it!

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How to Import EFS Certificate into Windows 10, 8 and 7

October 17th, 2017 by Admin

If you lost access to your EFS encrypted files, you’ll not be able to open them unless you have a backup of the EFS certificate to decrypt the data. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to import EFS certificate into Windows 10, 8 and 7, so you can regain access to your EFS encrypted files.

Method 1: Import EFS Certificate into Windows Using Certificate Import Wizard

  1. Right-click on your EFS certificate (.pfx) in Windows Explorer, and then select Install PFX from the context menu.

  2. When the Certificate Import Wizard opens, click Next.

  3. Confirm the EFS certificate file with the .PFX extension is entered in the File name field. Click Next.

  4. Enter the password to access the private key associated with the EFS certificate. Select the box “Mark this key as exportable. This will allow you to back up or transport your keys at a later time“. Click Next.

  5. Click “Automatically select the certificate store based on the type of certificate” and click Next.

  6. Click Finish.

    You should see a message reporting that the import was successful.

Method 2: Import EFS Certificate into Windows Using Command Prompt

  1. Open the Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. If you want to import EFS certificate you’ve backed up, type the following command and press Enter.

    certutil.exe -p [certificate_password] -user -importpfx [certificate_full_path]

  3. You will get a security warning indicating that the self-signed EFS certificate is not signed from a trusted authority. Click Yes to continue.

  4. Now you’ve successfully imported the EFS certificate (.pfx) into the Personal store of Certificates Manager.

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

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2 Ways to Backup or Export EFS Certificate in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

October 16th, 2017 by Admin

When you encrypts a folder or file with EFS, Windows will create a EFS certificate and store it locally, so you can transparently access encrypted files without being prompted for certificate / password. In the event of a system failure or your EFS certificate is corrupted or lost, you’ll be unable to access EFS encrypted files any more. So it is very important to backup or export EFS certificate in Windows 10 / 8 / 7.

Method 1: Backup or Export EFS Certificate Using Certificates Manager

  1. Press the Windows key + R together to open the Run box. Type certmgr.msc and click OK to open Certificates Manager.

  2. In the left pane of the Certificates console, expand the Personal node and then click on Certificates.

  3. In the right pane, right-click the certificate that lists Encrypting File System under Intended Purposes, and then select All Tasks -> Export.

  4. When the Certificate Export Wizard opens, click Next.

  5. Choose “Yes, export the private key” and click Next.

  6. Click the checkbox next to “Include all certificates in the certification path if possible” and click Next.

  7. Enter a password that will be used to protect your exported EFS certificate. Confirm it and click Next.

  8. Click the Browse button to find a location to save your exported EFS certificate (.pfx). Type in a name such as “my-EFS-certificate.pfx” and then click Next.

  9. Click Finish.

    You can then backup the exported EFS certificate in a safe place!

Method 2: Backup or Export EFS Certificate Using Command Prompt

  1. Open the Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. In order to export EFS certificate stored in Certificates Manager, type the following command:

    cipher /x d:\my-EFS-certificate

  3. Once you press Enter, you’ll be prompted to confirm backing up EFS certificate. Click OK to continue.

  4. Type a password used for protecting your EFS certificate, then confirm the password.

  5. The .pfx file containing the EFS private key certificate is now saved to the location d:\my-EFS-certificate.

    That’s it!

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

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Enable or Disable Folder Options in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

October 12th, 2017 by Admin

Folder Options is missing from Windows Explorer? How can I remove Folder Options from Control Panel? In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 easy ways to enable or disable Folder Options in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

Method 1: Enable / Disable Folder Options Using Group Policy

  1. Press WIN + R keys to bring up the Run dialog box. Type gpedit.msc and hit Enter.

  2. In the Local Group Policy Editor window, navigate to:
    User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer

    If you’re running Windows 7/Vista/XP, browse to:
    User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Explorer

  3. Double-click on the policy”Do not allow Folder Options to be opened from the Options button on the View tab of the ribbon” on the right pane. For Windows 7/Vista/XP, this policy is called “Removes the Folder Options menu item from the Tools menu“.

  4. Set it to Enabled or Disabled, depend on if you want to disable or enable Folder Options in Windows Explorer.

  5. Click Apply and then OK. This policy setting will take effect without rebooting.

Method 2: Enable / Disable Folder Options Using Registry Editor

  1. Press WIN + R keys to bring up the Run dialog box. Type regedit and hit Enter.

  2. When Registry Editor is launched, navigate to the key:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
  3. If you want to disable Folder Options in Windows, right-click an empty area on the right pane and create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value, named it as NoFolderOptions and set its value to 1.

    If you want to enable Folder Options, just delete the NoFolderOptions value.

  4. Exit the Registry Editor. Restart needed for your registry change to take effect.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Video Converter, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8

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4 Ways to Open Folder Options in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7

October 12th, 2017 by Admin

How can I open Folder Options through the Command Prompt? If you want to show hidden files or customize how your files are displayed in Windows Explorer, you have to access Folder Options. In this tutorial we’ll show you 4 quickest ways to open Folder Options in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7.

Method 1: Open Folder Options from Windows Explorer

Press WIN + E keyboard combination to open Windows Explorer (also known as “File Explorer). Click the View tab, and then click Options in the ribbon. This will open Folder Options dialog.

In Windows 11, open File Explorer and click on the See more button (three dots) on the right side of the toolbar, and then select Options.

Method 2: Open Folder Options from Control Panel

Open the Control Panel. Change the View by option to Large icons or Small icons.

Click File Explorer Options to open Folder Options.

Method 3: Open Folder Options from Run or Command Prompt

Press the WIN + R keys together to open the Run command box, and then type control.exe folders and press Enter to access Folder Options.

If you’re at Command Prompt, type control.exe folders and you can also access Folder Options quickly.

Method 4: Open Folder Options by Search

If you’re running Windows 10/8, type folder options into the Cortana Search box on the taskbar. Click on File Explorer Options from the result.

If you’re running Windows 7, click the Start button and type folder options into the search box, then click Folder Options.

That’s it!

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 7, Windows 8

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How to Disable F1 Key from Opening Help in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

October 10th, 2017 by Admin

How can I stop F1 key from opening Windows Help when gaming? In Windows 8 and 7, pressing F1 key opens Windows Help and Support by default. If you’re using Windows 10, pressing F1 will open a browser window and search for “how to get help in windows 10” on Bing. It can be really annoying when you keep hitting the F1 key accidentally. Here is the best way to disable F1 key from opening help in Windows 10 / 8 / 7.

How to Disable F1 Key from Opening Help in Windows 10 / 8 / 7?

  1. Download the registry fix from this link. It is a zip archive which contains two .reg files.
  2. Next, double-click the disable-f1-key-for-help.reg file to import/merge its contents to the registry.
  3. This registry changes take effect without restart. Now press F1 key will no longer open the Help window in Windows.

Note: this wouldn’t prevent F1 key from working in a game or third-party programs.

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

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How to Format Hard Drive Using PowerShell

October 9th, 2017 by Admin

Is there a simple PowerShell script to format a USB disk? If you have a brand new hard drive, or you want to erase all the data from a disk, you have to format it. In this tutorial we’ll explain how to format a hard drive using PowerShell commands in Windows 10.

How to Format Hard Drive Using PowerShell?

  1. To open Powershell as admin in Windows 10, press the Windows key + X together and then select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)“.

  2. Type the following command to find the hard drive you want to format.

    Get-Disk

  3. To clear all partitions and volumes from your disk, type the following command. Replace 1 with the disk number of the drive you want to format.

    Clear-Disk -Number 1 -RemoveData

  4. Next, create a new partition on your blank disk, and assign a drive letter:

    New-Partition -DiskNumber 1 -UseMaximumSize -IsActive -DriveLetter E

  5. To format the newly-created partition with the NTFS file system, type the following command and press Enter. Replace ‘USB’ with the volume label you want to use.

    Format-Volume -DriveLetter E -FileSystem FAT32 -NewFileSystemLabel USB

  6. Once you’ve completed the steps, you can now access the new partition in Windows Explorer.

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5 Simple Ways to Start Firefox in Safe Mode

September 28th, 2017 by Admin

Firefox keeps crashing at startup? Firefox uses too much memory and it starts to become sluggish? Do you suspect an add-on is causing Firefox to be slow? If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension. In this tutorial we’ll show you 4 simple ways to start Firefox in Safe Mode.

Method 1: Start Firefox in Safe Mode from Help Menu

Click the three-line icon in the upper right corner of your Firefox window, and then click the Help icon (question mark) at the bottom.

Select the “Restart with Add-ons Disabled” option from the help menu.

Click the Start in Safe Mode button in the pop-up window that appears. Firefox will restart into safe mode with all add-ons disabled.

Method 2: Start Firefox in Safe Mode from Run

Press the Windows key + R shortcut to open the Run box. Type firefox -safe-mode and press Enter.

In the Firefox Safe Mode window that appears, click on the Start in Safe Mode button.

Method 3: Start Firefox in Safe Mode by Holding SHIFT

Hold down the SHIFT key, and then double-click the Firefox shortcut on your desktop.

When the Firefox Safe Mode window opens, click on the Start in Safe Mode option.

Method 4: Start Firefox in Safe Mode from Command Line

Open the Command Prompt. Type the following command and press Enter.
start firefox -safe-mode

This will open Firefox Safe Mode pop-up and you can select the Start in Safe Mode button.

Method 5: Create Shortcut to Start Firefox in Safe Mode

If you need to start Firefox in safe mode frequently, right-click the Firefox shortcut in desktop and select Properties. Click the Shortcut tab. At the end of the Target field, add this outside of the quotes:
-safe-mode

Click Apply. Whenever you double-click the Firefox shortcut, you will see the Firefox Safe Mode popup and select the Start in Safe Mode button.

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How to Turn On / Off File and Printer Sharing in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

September 27th, 2017 by Admin

File and Printer Sharing is a network feature that allows Windows users to share local files and printer with other computers on a network. This is really useful on home network but it can be a security concern on public network. In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 easy ways to turn on or off file and printer sharing in Windows 10 / 8 / 7.

Method 1: Turn On / Off File and Printer Sharing through Control Panel

  1. Open Control Panel. Click the View by option at the top right, and set it to Large icons. Next, click Network and Sharing Center.

  2. Click on the Change advanced sharing settings link on the left side.

  3. Expand the network profile you’re using, select either Turn on file and printer sharing or Turn off file and printer sharing. Click on Save changes when done.

You can configure Windows to turn on file and printer sharing on private network, while choosing to turn off file and printer sharing when your network is set to Guest or Public.

Method 2: Turn On / Off File and Printer Sharing Using Command Prompt

Open the Command Prompt as administrator. Copy and paste the following command and hit Enter. This will turn on file and printer sharing for all network profiles.

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="File and Printer Sharing" new enable=Yes

If you want to turn off file and printer sharing for all network profiles, type this command instead:

netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="File and Printer Sharing" new enable=No

Method 3: Turn On / Off File and Printer Sharing Using PowerShell

Open Windows PowerShell as administrator. Copy and paste the command below to enable file and printer sharing for all network profiles:

Set-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "File And Printer Sharing" -Enabled True

Or disable file and printer sharing:
Set-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "File And Printer Sharing" -Enabled False

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

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How to Remove or Enable Security Tab in Folder Properties

September 25th, 2017 by Admin

Trying to change the permissions or ownership of a folder, but the Security tab is missing? How can I disable or restore the Security tab in Windows 10? In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to remove or enable the Security tab from folder properties in Windows 10.

Method 1: Remove or Enable Security Tab in Folder Properties Using Group Policy

  1. Press the Win + R keyboard combination to bring up a run box then type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
  2. When the Local Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to:
    User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> File Explorer
  3. On the right hand side, double-click the “Remove Security tab” setting.

  4. If you want to remove Security tab, select Enabled and click Apply.

    If you want to restore the missing Security tab, select Disabled instead.

  5. The policy setting will take effect immediately.

Method 2: Remove or Enable Security Tab in Folder Properties Using Registry Editor

  1. Press the Win + R keyboard combination to bring up a run box then type regedit and press Enter.
  2. After Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
  3. On the right-side pane, create a new DWORD (32-bit) NoSecurityTab and set its value to 1. This will hide the Security tab from folder properties.

    If you want to re-enable the Security tab, simply change the value of NoSecurityTab to 0.

  4. Close Registry Editor and re-open the folder properties, the Security tab will be hide from everyone or magically appear.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

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