Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

Fix: OneDrive Icon Missing from Windows 10 Taskbar

August 6th, 2017 by Admin

OneDrive icon is missing from the system tray in Windows 10? After upgrading to Windows 10 you find the OneDrive icon disappeared? In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 simple ways to restore the missing OneDrive icon back to your taskbar notification area in Windows 10.

Method 1: Set OneDrive Icon to Appear on the Taskbar

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app, and then click on Personalization.

    Personalization

  2. Click on the Taskbar option from the left column. On the right side of the window, click the “Select which icons appear on the taskbar” link.

    select-icon-appear-on-taskbar

  3. As you can see from the screenshot below, all the system icons are listed and you can set the “Microsoft OneDrive” switch to On.

    show-onedrive-icon-on-notification-area

  4. Now you should see the white cloud OneDrive icon in your taskbar notification area.

Method 2: Reinstall OneDrive

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Copy and paste the following code and press Enter.

    %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\Update\OneDriveSetup.exe

    OneDriveSetup

  2. A window of Microsoft OneDrive Setup will appear on the screen and it starts to initialize OneDrive for first use.

    install-onedrive

  3. It will ask you to sign in with your Microsoft account. After that OneDrive icon will be available again in the system tray. Right-click on the OneDrive icon and then select Settings.

    onedrive-settings

  4. In the Settings tab, check “Start OneDrive automatically when I sign in to Windows” and click OK. Windows 10 will automatically launch OneDrive at startup.

    start-onedrive-automatically

    That’s it!

How To Disable Windows Ink Workspace in Windows 10

July 30th, 2017 by Admin

Windows Ink Workspace is a new feature introduced in Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which makes pen input more usable for everyone with a PC. Within Windows Ink Workspace, you can use a digital pen to write sticky notes, doodle in Sketchpad, take a screenshot of your desktop and load it for your sketching.

windows-ink-workspace

If you don’t have a digital pen or you want to remove Windows Ink Workspace icon from your taskbar, here are 2 easy ways to disable Windows Ink Workspace in Windows 10.

Method 1: Disable Windows Ink Workspace in Windows 10 Using Group Policy

  1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor. Navigate to: Computer Configuration ->Administrative Templates ->Windows Components ->Windows Ink Workspace.
  2. In the right side pane, double-click Allow Windows Ink Workspace to open its properties.

    allow-windows-ink-workspace

  3. Check the Enabled option. Next, select Disabled from the drop-down menu under Options section.

    disable-windows-ink-workspace

  4. Click on Apply and then OK. Restart your PC to make the changes to take effect.

Method 2: Disable Windows Ink Workspace in Windows 10 Using Registry Tweak

  1. Open the Registry Editor. Navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft
  2. Right-click the Microsoft key in the left pane, and then select New -> Key. Name the Key as WindowsInkWorkspace.

    new-WindowsInkWorkspace-key

  3. Now, select the WindowsInkWorkspace key. Right-click empty space in the right pane, select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

    new-AllowWindowsInkWorkspace-value

  4. Name the DWORD value as AllowWindowsInkWorkspace. Leave its value data as 0.

    AllowWindowsInkWorkspace

  5. Restart your computer. Once signed back in, you should see Windows Ink Workspace disabled.

If you want to enable Windows Ink Workspace again, just follow the steps above and change the DWORD AllowWindowsInkWorkspace value from 0 to 1, and restart your computer.

Enable / Disable Sharing Tab in Folder Properties on Windows 10

July 29th, 2017 by Admin

Sharing tab missing in Folder Properties on Windows 10? If you want to share a folder with other users, just right-click on the folder and select Properties, and then go to the Sharing tab in the Folder Properties window. Sometimes you might find the Sharing tab goes missing. In this tutorial we’ll enable or disable Sharing tab in Folder Properties for all users on Windows 10.

sharing-tab-in-folder-properties

Part 1: Disable Sharing Tab in Folder Properties

  1. Press Windows + R keys together, type regedit in the Run dialog box and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.

    regedit

  2. Navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\Sharing
  3. Right-click on the Sharing key in the left pane, and then select Delete.

    disable-sharing-tab-in-folder-properties

  4. Now, bring up the Folder Properties dialog and you’ll find the Sharing tab is disappearing.

Part 2: Enable Sharing Tab in Folder Properties

  1. Press Windows + R keys together, type regedit in the Run dialog box and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
  2. Navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\Sharing

    If the Sharing key doesn’t exist, right-click on the parent key and select New -> Key to create it.

  3. Highlight the Sharing key and go to its right pane. Double-click on Default string with type REG_SZ.

    double-click-default-string

  4. Copy and paste the following value into the Value data box, and click OK.

    {f81e9010-6ea4-11ce-a7ff-00aa003ca9f6}

    change-sharing-value

  5. Close Registry Editor and open the Folder Properties dialog, it should restore the missing Sharing tab.

2 Ways to Hide / Show Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer

July 28th, 2017 by Admin

Navigation pane missing from File Explorer in Windows 10? By default, Windows Explorer will display the navigation pane in the left-hand column, which gives you quick access to the most frequently used items like This PC, Network, Quick access and so on. If you don’t like the navigation pane, it’s very easy to get rid of it. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to hide / show navigation pane in Windows Explorer (or File Explorer).

navigation-pane-in-windows-explorer

Method 1: Hide / Show Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer Using Ribbon

  1. Press the Windows key + E hotkey to open Windows Explorer.
  2. Click the View tab, and then click the Navigation pane button in the ribbon. In the drop-down menu, you can click to check or uncheck the “Navigation pane” option. When it’s unchecked, the navigation pane will disappear from Windows Explorer.

    show-hide-navigation-pane-in-file-explorer

Method 2: Hide / Show Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer with Registry Tweak

  1. Download one of the following registry files and save it on your desktop.

    hide-navigation-pane-in-explorer.reg

    show-navigation-pane-in-explorer.reg

  2. Next, right-click on the .reg file and select Merge. If prompted by UAC, click on Yes.
  3. Click on Yes to confirm that you want to add the registry keys.

    import-registry-settings

  4. Close all Explorer windows that are currently open, and re-launch Windows Explorer. You’ll see that the navigation pane is shown or hidden in File Explorer as you expected.

How to Check If Your Disk Uses MBR or GPT Partition Style

July 24th, 2017 by Admin

How can I determine if my disk is formatted as GPT or MBR? Since the release of Windows 8, GPT partition style is becoming a popular alternative as newer computers are shipping with UEFI firmware, and Windows 10/8 can only boot from GPT disk on UEFI-based computers. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to find out where your disk uses MBR or GPT partition style in Windows.

Method 1: Check If Your Disk Is MBR or GPT Using Disk Management Tool

  1. Press Windows key + X on your keyboard, and then select Computer Management from the pop-up menu.

    computer-management

  2. Click on Disk Management, which appears in the left-hand side under the heading Storage. Right-click on the hard drive available in the center of the window, then select Properties.

    disk-properties

  3. This will bring up the Device Properties window. Click the Volumes tab and you’ll see if the partition style of your disk is GUID Partition Table (GPT) or Master Boot Record (MBR).

    partition-style

Method 2: Check If Your Disk Is MBR or GPT Using Command Prompt

  1. Open the Command Prompt with administrative rights.
  2. At the Command Prompt, type following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each.
    diskpart
    list disk

    list-disk-cmd

  3. It will list all disks that are connected to your PC. If a disk uses GPT, you’ll see an asterisk character (*) under the Gpt column. As you can see in the screenshot above, disk 0 is a GPT disk while disk 1 is a MBR disk.

That’s it!

4 Ways to Launch Administrative Tools in Windows 10

July 21st, 2017 by Admin

Administrative Tools is the most commonly used Control Panel applet, which gives you access to a variety of advanced tools in Windows, like Computer Management, Services, Event Viewer, Local Security Policy, etc. In this tutorial we’ll show you 4 simple ways to launch Administrative Tools in Windows 10.

Method 1: Access Administrative Tools from Start Menu

Click the Start button in the lower left corner of your screen. When the Start Menu opens, scroll down and expand Windows Administrative Tools, and you can then click on the administrative tool you want to open.

open-administrative-tools-from-start-menu

Method 2: Launch Administrative Tools via Cortana Search

In the Cortana Search box on the taskbar, type “administrative tools” and then click or tap the Administrative Tools search result.

search-administrative-tools

Method 3: Launch Administrative Tools from Run or Command Prompt

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run window. Type control admintools and hit Enter. This will open the Administrative Tools applet immediately.

run-control-admintools

Another method that works in all Windows operating systems is to type control admintools in the Command Prompt.

Method 4: Open Administrative Tools from Control Panel

Open the Control Panel and then choose “Large icons” under the View by option. You can then click Administrative Tools to launch it.

administrative-tools-in-control-panel

That’s it!

How to Hide Specific Control Panel Items in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

July 21st, 2017 by Admin

Control Panel is the centralized configuration area in Windows. It contains a collection of applets (System Properties, Administrative Tools, Add/Remove Programs, Date/Time, etc) that let you make changes to various settings of your system. If you share a computer with others, you may not want users to access certain applets in Control Panel.

hide-control-panel-items

In this tutorial we’ll walk you through the steps to hide specific Control Panel items (applets) and stop others from changing certain settings in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

How to Hide Specific Control Panel Items in Windows 10 / 8 / 7?

  1. After logging on, open the Local Group Policy Editor by pressing Windows + R keys and then typing gpedit.msc in the Run box.

    gpedit

  2. In the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel. Double-click Hide specified Control Panel items in the right pane.

    hide-specified-control-panel-items

  3. Select Enable and then click the Show button.

    hide-control-panel-applet

  4. Enter the canonical name of the Control Panel item you want to hide, and click OK. For instance, if you want to restrict users from accessing Administrative Tools, enter Microsoft.AdministrativeTools in the Show Contents dialog.

    disallowed-control-panel-items

    How to find out the canonical name of a Control Panel applet? Please check the list below.

  5. Close the Local Group Policy Editor and reboot your computer. Your specified item /applet will not show up in the Control Panel any longer.
Control Panel Item Canonical Name
Action Center Microsoft.ActionCenter
Administrative Tools Microsoft.AdministrativeTools
AutoPlay Microsoft.AutoPlay
Backup and Restore Microsoft.BackupAndRestore
Biometric Devices Microsoft.BiometricDevices
BitLocker Drive Encryption Microsoft.BitLockerDriveEncryption
Color Management Microsoft.ColorManagement
Credential Manager Microsoft.CredentialManager
Date and Time Microsoft.DateAndTime
Default Location Microsoft.DefaultLocation
Default Programs Microsoft.DefaultPrograms
Desktop Gadgets Microsoft.DesktopGadgets
Device Manager Microsoft.DeviceManager
Devices and Printers Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters
Display Microsoft.Display
Ease of Access Center Microsoft.EaseOfAccessCenter
Folder Options Microsoft.FolderOptions
Fonts Microsoft.Fonts
Game Controllers Microsoft.GameControllers
Get Programs Microsoft.GetPrograms
Getting Started Microsoft.GettingStarted
HomeGroup Microsoft.HomeGroup
Indexing Options Microsoft.IndexingOptions
Infrared Microsoft.Infrared
Internet Options Microsoft.InternetOptions
iSCSI Initiator Microsoft.iSCSIInitiator
Keyboard Microsoft.Keyboard
Location and Other Sensors Microsoft.LocationAndOtherSensors
Mouse Microsoft.Mouse
Network and Sharing Center Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter
Notification Area Icons Microsoft.NotificationAreaIcons
Offline Files Microsoft.OfflineFiles
Parental Controls Microsoft.ParentalControls
Pen and Touch Microsoft.PenAndTouch
People Near Me Microsoft.PeopleNearMe
Performance Information and Tools Microsoft.PerformanceInformationAndTools
Personalization Microsoft.Personalization
Phone and Modem Microsoft.PhoneAndModem
Power Options Microsoft.PowerOptions
Programs and Features Microsoft.ProgramsAndFeatures
Recovery Microsoft.Recovery
Region and Language Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections Microsoft.RemoteAppAndDesktopConnections
Scanners and Cameras Microsoft.ScannersAndCameras
Sound Microsoft.Sound
Speech Recognition Microsoft.SpeechRecognition
Sync Center Microsoft.SyncCenter
System Microsoft.System
Tablet PC Settings Microsoft.TabletPCSettings
Taskbar and Start Menu Microsoft.TaskbarAndStartMenu
Text to Speech Microsoft.TextToSpeech
Troubleshooting Microsoft.Troubleshooting
User Accounts Microsoft.UserAccounts
Windows Anytime Upgrade Microsoft.WindowsAnytimeUpgrade
Windows CardSpace Microsoft.CardSpace
Windows Defender Microsoft.WindowsDefender
Windows Firewall Microsoft.WindowsFirewall
Windows Mobility Center Microsoft.MobilityCenter
Windows SideShow Microsoft.WindowsSideShow
Windows Update Microsoft.WindowsUpdate

How to Hide / Remove Administrative Tools from Windows 10 Start Menu

July 20th, 2017 by Admin

How do I hide Administrative Tools on the Start Menu? Administrative Tools is a folder that contains a collection of system maintenance tools for advanced users. If you are system administrator, you may want to hide, remove or disable Administrative Tools in Windows 10 and prevent others from using them.

Administrative-Tools

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to hide / remove Administrative Tools from Start Menu in Windows 10, without deleting any files on your computer.

How to Hide / Remove Administrative Tools from Windows 10 Start Menu?

  1. Press the Windows key + R hotkey to open the Run box. Type the following path and hit Enter.

    C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

    open-folder-via-run

  2. File Explorer will open the Programs folder on the Start Menu. From there you can see the “Windows Administrative Tools” folder that you want to restrict others from accessing.

    start-menu-folder-location

  3. In order to hide / remove Administrative Tools from Start Menu, you have to download and install the Protect My Folders program on your computer.
  4. Protect My Folders will ask you to set a password the first time you launch it. When you get to its main interface, drag the “Windows Administrative Tools” folder from File Explorer, and then drop it into the program.

    hide-administrative-tools-folders-from-start-menu

  5. Your folder will be locked and hidden from File Explorer. Restart your computer and you’ll find that the “Windows Administrative Tools” folder is hidden/removed from the Start Menu for all user accounts in Windows 10. If you open the Administrative Tools from Control Panel, you’ll get “Access denied” error.

If you want to restore the Administrative Tools back to the Start Menu, just launch the Protect My Folders program again and remove your protected folder from the locked list. Reboot your PC for the Start Menu to reload. That’s it!