Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

3 Ways to Fix “Windows 10 Start Menu Not Working”

March 15th, 2016 by Admin

Start Menu not working or showing up? Many Windows 10 users faced the issue that Start Menu is not opening when clicking the Start button or pressing the Windows key on the keyboard. Luckily there are simple ways to solve this problem and in this tutorial we’ll show you 3 ways to get Start Menu back to work as expected.

Method 1: Using System Configuration Utility (MSConfig)

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type msconfig and press Enter to launch System Configuration.
Click on the Boot tab at the top. Check the Safe boot option and select Network. Leave all the other settings to default. Click Apply and then OK.
You’ll prompted to restart your computer. Click Restart.
The computer will automatically reboot into Safe Mode. After logging in, you need to open the System Configuration utility again, by pressing the Windows key + R and then type msconfig in the Run box.
Uncheck the Safe mode option. Click Apply and then OK. Restart again and hopefully the Start Menu will work now.

Method 2: Using PowerShell

Press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu. Click on “Command Prompt (Admin)“.
When the elevated Command Prompt opens, type powershell and press Enter.
Copy the following PowerShell command and paste it into the Command Prompt, press Enter.
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
Wait for PowerShell to execute and complete the command. Ignore the few errors (in red color) that may pop up.
When it finishes, try hitting the Start button and hopefully it’ll start working.

Method 3: Using System File Checker Tool

Press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu. Click on “Command Prompt (Admin)“.
In the Command Prompt, type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
It will scan all protected system files, and replace corrupted files with a cached copy. This process may take a while.

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4 Ways to Turn Off Windows 10 Automatic Update

March 14th, 2016 by Admin

By default, Windows 10 will automatically download all updates and install them without notifying the user. Users who use slow Internet connection, can face slowdown problem in Internet speed when Windows is downloading updates in background. In this tutorial we’ll show you 4 ways to turn off automatic update in Windows 10, or set Windows to notify you before downloading or updating.

Method 1: Turn Off Automatic Update from Settings Charm

Click on Start button. Select Settings when the Start Menu appears.
The Settings charm should open. Click Update & security.
Click Advanced options at the bottom of the Windows Update pane.
Select “Notify to schedule restart” instead of “Automatic (recommended)“. It’ll stop Windows from automatically restart your computer after downloading and installing updates.
Now enable “Defer upgrades” option. New Windows updates will not be downloaded and installed for several days or months. But security updates will be downloaded immediately.

Method 2: Turn Off Automatic Update By Disabling the Service

Press the Windows Key + R, type services.msc into the Run dialog, and press Enter.
When the Services Manager opens, scroll down and search for the service “Windows Update” in the list.
Double-click on the Windows Update service and open its Properties window. Stop the service and choose Disabled from the Startup Type drop-down menu. This will disable Windows Update entirely.

To re-enable Windows Update simply repeat these four steps, but change the Startup Type to Automatic and restart your computer.

Method 3: Turn Off Automatic Update Using Group Policy

Press the Windows Key + R, type gpedit.msc into the Run dialog, and press Enter.
When the Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to:
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Update
Now in the right pane, double-click on Configure Automatic Updates.
From here you can set the updates to Disabled or set the following options:
- Notify for download and notify for install
- Auto download and notify for install
- Auto download and schedule the install
- Allow local admin to choose setting
Click Apply and then OK. Reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

Method 4: Turn Off Automatic Update Using Registry Editor

Press the Windows Key + R, type regedit into the Run dialog, and press Enter.
When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
In left-side pane, right-click on the Windows key and create a new subkey and set its name as WindowsUpdate.
Right-click on the WindowsUpdate key and create another subkey named AU.
Now select AU key and in right-side pane create a new 32-bit DWORD value NoAutoUpdate and set its value data to 1.
Restart your computer and Windows won’t automatically download and install any update any longer.

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Tags: disable windows update turn off updates windows 10 turn off windows automatic update turn off windows update windows 10 turn off automatic updates

How to Disable Caps Lock Pop-up Notification in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

March 11th, 2016 by Admin

Every time you press the Caps Lock key, you might see a popup notification near the bottom-right corner of your screen. This can be a big problem since it takes focus off of the window/app you’re typing in. If you’re playing a game and accidentally press Caps Lock, clicking the popup will minimize the game.

caps-lock-notification

In this tutorial we’ll show you all possible ways to disable Caps Lock notification that pops up at the bottom right of your screen. The methods differ depending on the manufacturer of your computer.

Method 1: For HP computers

Here’s how to turn off Caps Lock notification on HP computers:

Press the Windows logo key + R to bring up the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter.
After the Registry Editor opens, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Hewlett-Packard\HP HotKey Support
In right pane, double-click on the CapsLockOSD entry and set its value to 0.

Method 2: For Dell computers

Dell Quickset is supposedly a helpful little program that helps you keep track of your power management and other system settings. To disable Caps Lock notification on Dell computer, you can uninstall Quickset, or make a registry change by following the steps below:

Press the Windows logo key + R to bring up the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter.
After the Registry Editor opens, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Dell Computer Corporation\QuickSet
In right pane, double-click on the QuickSetControl entry and set its value to 1.

Method 3: For Lenovo computers

Open the Control Panel. Set the View by option to Large icons.
Click on Display icon, then click on Change display settings on left panel.
Click on the Advanced settings, then click on On-Screen Display tab.
Check Enable on-screen display.
Under “Indicator settings for NumLock and CapsLock” section, look for “While the numeric lock or caps lock is ON” section, choose the “Show the indicator for a few seconds” option.
Click Apply, then click OK.

Method 4:

The Caps Lock notification might be handled by BlueTooth (BTTray.exe) process. You must edit the following registry entries to ged rid of this ugly alert:

Press the Windows logo key + R to bring up the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter.
When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Widcomm\BTConfig\General
Change the value of KeyIndication from 1 to 0.
Reboot your computer and the Caps Lock pop-up notification is gone!

Method 5:

This is a common method to decrease the display time for Caps Lock notification:

Open Control Panel. Set the View by option to Large icons.
Click Ease of Access Center.
Select “Make it easier to focus on tasks“.
Scroll down to the “Adjust time limits and flashing visuals” section, Check the checkbox to “Turn off all unnecessary animations (when possible)“. Under the option “How long should Windows Notification dialogue boxes stay open“, select 5 seconds.
Click Apply/OK.

The end result is that you will still see the notification that Caps Lock has been turned on or off, but it will not cause a pause in your typing.

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

Tags: disable caps lock notification turn off caps lock notification windows caps lock notification

4 Ways to Take Screenshot in Windows 10 Without Third-Party Software

March 10th, 2016 by Admin

A screenshot is an image that captures what appears on your screen. In this tutorial we’ll show you 4 simple ways to take quick screenshots in Windows 10, without using any third-party software.

Method 1: Take screenshot of whole screen with [PrtScn] key (copy to clipboard)

This method is the easiest and most popular way to capture your whole screen. It works in all versions of Windows, including Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.

Just press the PrntScr key on your keyboard, which creates a screenshot of the whole screen and saves it to the clipboard. Want to save it in file? It will take some extra clicks. Open an image editing program like Paint and hit Ctrl + V to paste the image from the clipboard, you can then save it as a file.

mspaint

Method 2: Take screenshot of whole screen with [Win] + [PrtScn] (as a File)

Simultaneously press the Windows logo Key + PrtScrn on your keyboard. This will take a screenshot of the whole screen and save the image directly into the User’s Pictures folder (e.g. C:\Users\Tom\Pictures\Screenshots), in .png format. No need to open Paint and paste. A real time saver for computer novices!

windows-prntscr

Method 3: Take screenshot of active window with [Alt] + [PrntScr] (copy to clipboard)

Instead of capturing the whole desktop and all opened apps, this method captures only the currently active window.

Click on the title bar of the window that you want to capture. Press Alt + PrtScn keys together. A screenshot of your currently active window will be copied to the clipboard. Next paste it into your favorite image editing program for saving or editing.

alt-prntscr

Method 4: Take screenshot with built-in Snipping Tool

Snipping Tool was introduced in Windows 7, and available in Widows 10 as well. It is very handy for capturing specific areas of your screen. Follow these steps and you can take all kinds of screenshots like a pro:

Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run box. Type snippingtool and hit Enter. If you’re running Windows 7/Vista, you can go to the Start Menu, choose Accessories and then click Snipping Tool.

run

When the Snipping Tool window opens, click on New button and you can choose from one of four types of snip:

Free-form Snip – let you draw and captures any irregular part of the screen
Rectangular Snip – allow you to drag the cursor around an object to form a rectangle
Window Snip – let you select an open window, such as a browser window or dialog box and let you capture it
Full-screen snip – enable you to capture the entire screen, like the old-fashioned PrntScr key.

rectangular-snip

Once you’ve captured your screenshot, it opens in the Snipping Tool editing window. The Snipping Tool editor allows you to edit and annotate the screenshot.

snipping-tool

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3 Ways to Turn On / Off ClearType Text in Windows 10

March 9th, 2016 by Admin

ClearType is a font technology that makes the text on your screen almost as sharp and clear as text that’s printed on paper. ClearType is designed for LCD screens, so if you’re still using an old CRT monitor you will likely get best results from turning ClearType off. In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 ways to turn on or off ClearType Text in Windows 10.

Method 1: Turn On / Off ClearType Using Search

Click the Cortana search box on the taskbar, type cleartype.
Click Adjust ClearType text from the search results.
The ClearType Text Tuner should open. Select the “Turn on ClearType” check box to enable ClearType, or deselect it if you want to turn off ClearType. Click Next.
Select the text that looks better to you and click Next, The ClearType Text Tuner will ask you to repeat this step four times with different blocks of text.
On the appearance of last window click Finish after completing the tuning of the text for your monitor.

Method 2: Turn On / Off ClearType from Settings Charm

Click the Start button and select Settings from the Start Menu.
When the Settings app opens, click System.
From the Display settings, select Advanced display settings.
Choose ClearType text below Related Settings. The ClearType Text Tuner window will appear. It lets you to turn on / off ClearType, and fine tune how the text on your computer looks.

Method 3: Turn On / Off ClearType from Control Panel

To get started, you need to access the Control Panel. In Windows 10, just press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu and click Control Panel.
When you see the Control Panel, set the View by option to Large icons. Click on Display.
On the right pane of the Display window click on Adjust ClearType Text link.
A ClearType Text Tuner window will appear on your screen. Check or uncheck the checkbox Turn on ClearType and click Next button to begin tuning the text on your monitor.

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Tags: ClearType Text Tuner make text more readable windows 10 turn off clear type text in windows 10 turn on clear type text in windows 10

How to Stream Video / Audio from PC to Sony TV Wirelessly

March 8th, 2016 by Admin

Like many people, you probably have lots of music, video and photo files stored on your computer. There might be times when you want to play them on your TV. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through the steps of streaming video / audio from a Windows PC to Sony TV wirelessly. No need to install any third-party software.

You’ll need:

A computer running with Windows 10, 8 or 7
Sony TV with built-in WiFi and DLNA support
Wireless network with DHCP enabled (WiFi)

How to Stream Video / Audio from PC to Sony TV Wirelessly

There’s actually an open standard for sharing media files across a home network. It’s called the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), and you probably already have everything you need to use it. Here we’ll set up your PC as a DLNA media server, and the TV will work as a DLNA renderer to receive stream over the LAN.

Part 1: Connect Your TV to A Network Using Wireless Connection

It’s pretty easy to configure your Sony TV to connect to wireless LAN. Follow these steps:

tv-settings

Press the HOME button, then select [Settings] > [Network] > [Network setup] > [Easy].
Choose Wi-Fi and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the set-up.

Note: When entering Wi-Fi passwords, press OK to bring up the virtual keyboard. Click NEXT key on the virtual keyboard when it’s done.

Part 2: Set Up Your Computer as a Media Server

Windows Media Player is the built-in software available in Windows 10/8/7 that you can use to share your media over the network to DLNA-compliant devices. Before getting started, you need to turn on media streaming options in Windows.

You will then be prompted with a list of DLNA-compliant devices that Windows has found on your wireless network. Select the Sony TV you want to share with and then OK. In my example, my Sony TV is shown with its model KD-55X8000C.

Now open Windows Media Player. Drag your favorite movies, musics or photos stored on your computer, then drop them into Windows Media Player’s library.

Right-click on the videos or audios you want to watch on TV, select “Cast to Device” and choose your TV from the menu.

cast-to-device

Once the “Cast to Device” remote control window is launched, you can reorder or delete items, add to the queue, or toggle repeat. It’s even possible to add new media items from Windows Media Player or Windows Explorer by dragging them into this window.

play-video-on-TV

So this is how you can stream a video or audio fro a Windows PC to TV over a wireless network. Enjoy it!

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Tags: stream video from computer to TV stream video from PC to TV stream video to TV

How to Turn On Media Streaming in Windows 10, 8 and 7

March 8th, 2016 by Admin

Is it possible to stream your favorite movies from a Windows PC to TV or Xbox 360? Nowadays most of new TVs support the DLNA feature, just turn on the Media Streaming in Windows, and you can then watch your videos on TV connected to LAN, without having to transfer the videos over a USB drive. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to turn on media streaming in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

Method 1: Turn On Media Streaming from Windows Media Player

Launch Windows Media Player.
From the Player Library view, click on Stream and choose “Turn on media streaming“.

If “More streaming options” is shown in the drop-down menu, it indicates media streaming is already turned on.
Click on Turn on media streaming.
Here you can give your media library a name. You’ll also see a list of detected media devices and players on your network. You can allow or block each player from accessing your media. Simply select “Local network” and click on “Allow All“, it will allow all devices on the LAN access to your media library.

If you want to turn off media streaming later, just click on “Block All“.

However, the “Turn on media streaming” option is not available in all versions of Windows Media Player, and you might have to turn on media streaming using the Control Panel.

Method 2: Turn on Media Streaming from Control Panel

Open the Control Panel. If you’re running Windows 10 or 8, just press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu and then select “Control Panel“.
By default, the Control Panel should open in Category view. Click Network and Internet.
Click Network and Sharing Center.
In the left pane, click Change advanced sharing settings.
To enable media streaming and other options, select “All Networks” type and click on “Choose media streaming options” as shown below.
Click on Turn on media streaming. If you don’t see that button, media streaming is already turned on. You’re done.
On this screen, you’ll see all of the DLNA-compatible devices that Windows Media Player recognized on your local network. Click on Allow All and this will allow all networked machines access to your media library. (If you want to turn off media streaming later, just click on “Block All“.)

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Tags: media streaming options turn off media streaming turn on media streaming windows 10 media streaming

3 Simple Ways to Open Windows Media Player in Windows 10

March 8th, 2016 by Admin

Windows Media Player 12 is still available as part of Windows 10 that can play more music and video than ever. In this article we’ll show you 3 ways to open Windows Media Player in Windows 10.

windows-media-player

Option 1: Open Windows Media Player from Start Menu

Click the Windows icon from the bottom-left corner of the screen, this will open the Start Menu. Next click on All apps to view all apps in alphabetical order.

start-menu

Scroll down to the letter “W” in the list. Expand the “Windows Accessories” folder and you can find the shortcut named “Windows Media Player“. Click on it to launch Windows Media Player.

browse-all-apps

Option 2: Open Windows Media Player by Search

Click on the Cortana Search Box in the taskbar and type in media player. If the Cortana Search Box is hidden, you can access it by pressing the Windows key + S.

Click on Windows Media Player that is shown in the search results.

Option 3: Open Windows Media Player from the Run box

Just press the Windows key + R to open the Run box.

wmplayer

Type wmplayer and hit Enter. This will also open the Windows Media Player quickly.

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Tags: open windows 10 media player open windows media player open windows media player 12

Windows 10 Command Prompt: New Console vs. Legacy Console

March 4th, 2016 by Admin

If you have upgraded to Windows 10, you may have noticed that it features an improved Command Prompt. For years, we have suffered the limitations of the Command Prompt such as not able to paste text using Ctrl+V or resize the window. Now all these features are included with the new Command Prompt.

resize-command-prompt

The new Command Prompt also allows you to switch back to use only legacy console. In this article we’ll explain in detail the differences between new console and legacy console for Windows 10 Command Prompt.

Part 1: Enable / Disable Legacy Console in Windows 10 Command Prompt

Open a Command Prompt. Right-click on the title bar and select Properties from the context menu that opens up..

cmd

Go to the Options tab and you can see a new option called “Use legacy console (requires relaunch)“. In Windows 10, the new console is enabled by default so you should see the “Use legacy console” option is unchecked.

new-cmd-console

If you want to use an old legacy Command Prompt, just uncheck the “Use legacy console (requires relaunch)” option. When legacy console is enabled, only two edit options are available: QuickEdit Mode, Insert Mode. To access other edit options such as “Enable new Ctrl-key shortcuts“, you have to enable the new console by unchecking the “Use legacy console (requires relaunch)” option.

legacy-cmd-console

Part 2: List of Windows 10 Command Prompt Features

To help you understand the differences between new console and legacy console, we’ll go over the most important features available in Windows 10 Command Prompt:

QuickEdit Mode (available in both legacy console and new console)

This option allows you to use the mouse to copy and paste text to and from the Command Prompt window. When QuickEdit Mode is disabled, you need to right-click the title bar of the Command Prompt, click Edit and then Mark, before you can drag the mouse to select the data you want to copy.

text-selection

Insert Mode (available in both legacy console and new console)

It has the same function as the Insert keyboard key: the cursor inserts a character at its current position, forcing all characters past it one position further. If Insert Mode is disabled, then when you type, what you’re typing overwrites any text that is present in your current location.

Enable Ctrl key shortcuts (available in new console only)

It lets you use a set of keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + C or Ctrl + V inside the Command Prompt, which is something you couldn’t do in previous versions.

CTRL + A – Select all
CTRL + C – Copy
CTRL + F – Find
CTRL + M – Mark
CTRL + V – Paste
CTRL + ↑/↓ – Scroll (line) up/down
CTRL + PgUp/PgDn – Scroll (page) up/down

Filter clipboard contents on paste (available in new console only)

When you paste contents from the clipboard to the command prompt, tabs are automatically removed and smart quotes are converted to regular ones.

filter-clipboard-contents

Enable line wrapping selection (available in new console only)

Previous versions of Command Prompt only allow you to use a square selection box for selecting text in block mode. After you copied the text, you have to correct the line wrapping with a text editor. In Windows 10, if you’ve enabled the “Enable line wrapping selection” option, you can select the text just like you select text in a regular text editor like Notepad.

line-wrapping-selection

Extended text selection keys (available in new console only)

This option allows you to use a set of common keyboard shortcuts in Command Prompt. For example, you can use Shift + Arrow keys to select characters or lines of text, or Ctrl+ A to select all the text on the command line or all the text in the window.

That’s it. Now you know about all new features in Windows 10 Command Prompt, and the differences between new console and legacy console.

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Tags: command prompt legacy console enable use legacy console for command prompt windows 10 command prompt windows 10 command prompt shortcut

5 Ways to Run Powershell as Administrator in Windows 10

March 2nd, 2016 by Admin

Is there a way to run a PowerShell Prompt with elevated privileges from a command line? In this tutorial we’ll show you 5 simple ways to open PowerShell as Administrator in Windows 10.

Method 1: Run PowerShell as Administrator Using Cortana Search Bar

Windows 10 comes with a Cortana search box in the taskbar. Just type powershell in the search box.

cortana

Right click on Windows PowerShell on the results and select Run as administrator.

run-powershell-from-cortana

The UAC prompt will ask you for your consent. Click Yes, and the elevated PowerShell prompt will open.

run-powershell-as-admin

Method 2: Run PowerShell as Administrator Using the Run Window

Press Windows + R keys together on the keyboard to open the Run box. Type powershell and hit Enter.

run

Windows PowerShell will launch with the rights of the current user.

If you want to switch from normal mode to administrator mode, type the following PowerShell command and press Enter.
Start-Process powershell -Verb runAs

switch-to-admin-mode

Method 3: Run PowerShell as Administrator from Command Prompt or WinX Menu

Open the Command Prompt as administrator, type powershell and press Enter.

Since Windows 10 Creators Update, you can also access PowerShell from the WinX menu. Press Windows + X keys together on the keyboard to open the WinX menu. Click on “Windows PowerShell (Admin)“.

Method 4: Run PowerShell as Administrator from Task Manager

First of all you need to access the Task Manager. This can be done by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc in Windows 10 / 8. By default Task Manager shows fewer details, and you need to click More Details.

Click on File menu and select New Task.

task-manager

Type powershell and select the “Create this task with administrative privileges” check box and click OK to open an elevated PowerShell prompt.

create-new-task

Method 5: Run PowerShell as Administrator from Start Menu

Click on the Start button to open the Start menu. Next click on All apps button at the bottom to expand the list of apps.

Scroll to the Windows PowerShell folder. Expand the folder and then right-click on Windows PowerShell shortcut. Select “Run as administrator“.

If you’re running Windows 7, Vista or XP, in order to start Windows PowerShell with administrator privileges, you need to click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories, point to Windows PowerShell, right-click Windows PowerShell, and select Run As Administrator.

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Tags: access windows powershell in windows 10 open windows powershell as administrator open windows powershell from command prompt open windows powershell in windows 10 run powershell in windows 10 run windows powershell as admin