Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

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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!

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

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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!

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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

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

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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!

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How to Open WordPad in Windows 10

July 18th, 2017 by Admin

WordPad is a basic text editor that is included with almost all versions of Windows. This tool enables you to create, edit, view, and print text documents. You can use it to open .docx file when you don’t have Office Word on your computer. In this tutorial we’ll show you the simple ways to open WordPad in Windows 10.

wordpad

Tips: WordPad.exe is located in the directory: C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories. If you open write.exe that resides in C:\Windows\System32, it ends up executing WordPad.exe.

Method 1: Open WordPad Using Cortana Search

Type WordPad in Cortana Search box on the taskbar, and then click WordPad from the search result.

open-wordpad-via-cortana

Method 2: Open WordPad from Start Menu

Click the Start button. When the Start Menu opens, scroll down to the Windows Accessories folder and expand it. There you’ll find the WordPad app.

open-wordpad-from-start-menu

Method 3: Open WordPad via Run

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type either wordpad or write and press Enter.

open-wordpad-via-run

Method 4: Open WordPad from Command Prompt

After opening the Command Prompt, type write and press Enter. It will launch WordPad immediately.

open-wordpad-from-command-prompt

That’s it!

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How to Open and Use Steps Recorder in Windows 10

July 17th, 2017 by Admin

How can I keep track of each steps I did on my computer? This is where an application built into Windows 10 called “Steps Recorder” can help. Steps Recorder makes it easy to capture steps you take on a PC, including a text description of what you did and a screenshot during each step. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to open and use Steps Recorder in Windows 10.

Part 1: Open Steps Recorder in Windows 10

To access Steps Recorder, type “steps recorder” in the Cortana Search box on the taskbar, then click Steps Recorder app from the search result.

open-steps-recorder-via-search

Steps Recorder is previously known as the Problem Steps Recorder (PSR for short) in earlier versions of Windows. You can also launch it by pressing Windows + R keys and then typing psr.

run-psr-command

Another way of opening Steps Recorder is to click the Start button. When the Start Menu opens, expand the Windows Accessories folder and then click Steps Recorder.

open-steps-recorder-via-start

Part 2: How to Use Steps Recorder

After opening the Steps Recorder application, click the “Start Record” button to begin the recording process. While Steps Recorder is recording, its title bar flashes the words “Recording Now” and its Taskbar icon shows a flashing red dot.

steps-recorder

When you finish recording, click the “Stop Record” button. You’ll see the results of the recording in a report that appears below the original Steps Recorder window.

steps-recorder-report

Click the Save button at the top. It will save the report in an .MHT webpage and then compress it into a ZIP file so that it can be easily emailed.

Conclusion

Steps Recorder is a program that helps you troubleshoot a problem in Windows 10 by recording the exact steps you took when the problem occurred. You can then send this record to a support professional to help them diagnose the problem. The program could also be used for creating annotated tutorials.

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How to Install Linux Bash in Windows 10

July 13th, 2017 by Admin

Starting from Anniversary Update, Windows 10 includes a subsystem to run Linux Bash shell directly. As developers we can all get excited about Bash on Windows, because we can now use GNU command line tools like awk, sed, grep, vi, etc. However, Bash is not enabled by default, and we have to turn it on before using Bash in Windows 10. Let’s walk you through how to install Linux Bash in your Windows 10 computer.

Updated: Starting with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you no longer have to enable Developer Mode in the Settings app to use this feature.

Step 1: Enable Developer Mode

Press the Windows + I hotkey to open the Settings app. Head over to Update & security > For developers, and then select Developer mode.

windows-10-developer-mode

If developer mode is turned off on your computer, the Windows Subsystem for Linux will be disabled as well, which preventing you from accessing to the Linux Bash shell.

Step 2: Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux

Open the Control Panel. Select Large icons under the View by option, and then click Programs and Features.

programs-and-features

Next click Turn Windows features on or off link in the left sidebar.

turn-windows-features-on-or-off

A new window will open. Check the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” option and click OK.

windows-subsystem-for-linux

Once that’s done, you’ll be required to restart your machine.

Step 3: Install Bash in Windows 10

When rebooting is complete, you need to install Bash itself. To do that, type bash in the Cortana Search box on your taskbar, and then click its icon.

search-bash

When you’re asked if you want to install Bash, just type y and press Enter. Windows 10 will download Bash from Windows Store and install it on your computer.

install-bash-on-windows-10

After Bash is installed, you’ll be prompted to create a user account and password that you’ll use in the Bash Shell. This account doesn’t have to be the same as your Windows account.

Once you’re done, you can now open the Start Menu and search for Bash again. You’ll find a “Bash on Ubuntu on Windows” shortcut that launches the shell. That’s it!

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Import Chrome / Firefox / IE Bookmarks and Passwords into Microsoft Edge

July 10th, 2017 by Admin

Is there any way to export favorites, bookmarks and passwords from Chrome to Edge in Windows 10? Since the public release of the Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703), this is now possible. This tutorial will show you how to import bookmarks and passwords from Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge in Windows 10, without using third-party software.

How to Import Chrome/Firefox/IE Bookmarks and Passwords to Edge?

  1. To get started, open Microsoft Edge and click the More button (three dots icon) near the top right-hand corner of the browser window, and then choose Settings.

    edge-settings

  2. Then select the Import from another browser button.

    import-favorites -into-edge

  3. Under the “Import your info” section, you can see the browsers that have already been installed on your local PC. Choose the browser you want to import bookmarks/passwords from, and click Import.

    import-bookmarks-passwords-into-edge

    You can alternatively use the Import from file button to import a bookmarks file you previously saved with another browser.

  4. After a while, you’ll find the imported bookmarks appear in a newly-created folder named “Imported from browser name” under the Favorites section.

Using this method you can easily import bookmarks/favorites, browsing history and saved passwords from Internet Explorer and Chrome to Edge. But the current version can import only bookmarks from Firefox. If you want to export or reveal saved passwords in Firefox or other browsers, you can try the all-in-one password utility – Password Recovery Bundle. That’s it!

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How to Batch Rename Multiple Files in Windows 10

July 6th, 2017 by Admin

How can I quickly rename a bunch of files at once? Of course, you can right-click each file and rename it one by one. But this could be really painful and time-consuming if you need to rename hundreds of files. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 quick ways to batch rename multiple files in Windows 10, without using third-party software.

Method 1: Batch Rename Multiple Files in File Explorer

Just put all the files which you would like to rename, in a single folder (if they are scattered). Follow these steps and you can quickly rename all files at once in File Explorer:

  1. Open File Explorer in Windows 10 and browse to the folder where the files you need to rename.
  2. Press Ctrl +A to select all your target files. Once all the files are selected, right-click on the first file and select Rename from the context menu (you can also press F2 to rename the file).
  3. You’ll notice only the file name itself is highlighted, not the extension. If you want to rename the full name including extension, press Ctrl + A to select all. Now type a new file name and press Enter.

    rename-multiple-files

  4. It will rename the rest of the files based on the first filename, and add the sequential number to the end of each file.

    5. multiple-files-renamed-at-once

If you don’t like the new name, you can undo the renaming and get the old name back, but you have to act now. Just right-click an empty area of File Explorer, and choose “Undo Rename” from the context menu.

Method 2: Batch Rename Multiple Files Using Command Prompt

Another fast way of batch renaming multiple files is using Command Prompt. This method is extremely easy especially if you want to change extensions of multiple files at once. You could follow these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer and browse to the folder where you want to change the name of files.
  2. Hold down Shift on your keyboard, right-click an empty area in that folder, and then choose “Open command window here” from the context menu.

    open-command-window-here

    Note: In Windows 10 Creators Update, the “Open command window here” option is removed and you can restore it by following this tutorial.

  3. When the Command Prompt window pops up, you can use the ren command to batch rename multiple files at once. For example, you have a bunch of .html files that you want to turn into .htm files. You could use the following command along with the * wildcard:

    ren *.html *.htm

    rename-file-extension-in-command-prompt

  4. Just a while all your files are going to be converted from one extension to another. That’s it!

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