Archive for the ‘Windows 10’ category

Fix: “User must change password at next logon” option greyed out in Windows

December 29th, 2016 by Admin

When you try to change or reset the password of a user account, you might find the checkbox “User must change password at next logon” is greyed out, so you can’t choose this option.

user-must-change-password-next-logon

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to enable the “User must change password at next logon” option that is greyed out for Windows local or domain user account.

For Windows Local Accounts:

Open the Computer Management. Expand System Tools, then Local Users and Groups, then Users. Right-click on your local account and select Properties from the context menu.

local-account-properties

This will open the Properties dialog box. Uncheck the “Password never expires” box and you’ll then find the “User must change password at next logon” option is enabled. Click Apply and then OK.

windows-password-never-expires

For Active Directory User Accounts:

In Windows Server with Active Directory installed, open the Active Directory Users and Computers MMC snap-in (start->run->dsa.msc). Right-click on your domain user and select Properties.

domain-account-properties

Click the Account tab. Under the Account options section, uncheck the “Password never expires” checkbox and click OK.

domain-password-never-expires

Now you should be able to reset the password and force the domain user to change it at next login.

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

Tags: User must change password at next logon user must change password at next logon greyed out

3 Ways to Change Network Location to Public or Private in Windows 10

December 27th, 2016 by Admin

The first time you connect to a network, you’ll be prompted to turn on sharing and connect to devices. Turn on this settings will set your network location to private. A private network makes your computer discoverable to other PCs. If you don’t want to share musics, pictures, videos or even printers with other PCs on the network, you should set the network type to public. In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 ways to change network location to public or private in Windows 10.

network-location-type

Method 1: Change Windows 10 Network Location Using Group Policy

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type secpol.msc and press Enter.
When the Local Security Policy window opens, click Network List Manager Policies in the left pane. Double-click on the name of the current network connection in the right pane.
Click the Network Location tab at the top. Under the Location type, you can choose either Private or Public.
Click Apply and then OK to save your change.

Method 2: Change Windows 10 Network Location Using Registry Editor

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter.
In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles
Expand the Profiles key in the left pane. Click on each subkey and have a look if the ProfileName matches the name of your current network connection.
If you have found the right subkey, double-click the Category in the right pane and edit the DWORD to the value you want. Public: 0, Private: 1, Domain: 2.
Reboot your computer to apply the new network location.

Method 3: Change Windows 10 Network Location Using PowerShell

Open PowerShell in Administrator mode.
Type or paste the following command in the PowerShell and press Enter. It will list the name and properties of your active network connection. In my example, the network name is TLRouter.
Get-NetConnectionProfile
Type the following command and press Enter to change your network location to private. Replace TLRouter with your network name.
Set-NetConnectionProfile -Name "TLRouter" -NetworkCategory Private

If you want to change the network location to public, type this command instead:
Set-NetConnectionProfile -Name "TLRouter" -NetworkCategory Public

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: change network from public to private change network location windows 10

5 Ways to Boot Windows 10 into Advanced Startup Options

December 26th, 2016 by Admin

Advanced Startup Options lets you boot Windows in troubleshooting mode. If you want to reset, refresh, restore your computer or get into Safe Mode, you have to access the Advanced Startup Options. In this tutorial we’ll show you 5 ways to boot Windows 10 into Advanced Startup Options.

If you Windows 10 doesn’t start, use method 4. If you can’t log on to your PC when you forgot Windows 10 password, method 3 will be the easiest way to access Advanced Startup Options.

Method 1: Boot into Advanced Startup Options Using Settings App

Open the Settings app by clicking the Settings icon on the Start Menu, or pressing the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut.
Click Update & security.
Click the Recovery tab on the left, and then click Restart now under Advanced startup.
The computer will log you off and bring up the Choose an option screen.

Method 2: Boot into Advanced Startup Options Using Command Prompt

Press the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to bring up the Power User menu, and select the Command Prompt from the list.
Type or paste the following command in the Command Prompt, and press Enter.
shutdown.exe /r /o
You are about to be signed off. Windows 10 will reboot automatically and you can see the Advanced Startup Options.

Method 3: Boot into Advanced Startup Options from Windows Login Screen

At Windows 10 sign-in screen, click on the Power button in the lower right hand corner to bring up the Power menu.
Hold down the Shift key on the keyboard, and then click Restart from the Power menu. This will bring up the Choose an option screen.

Method 4: Boot into Advanced Startup Options Using Windows Install Disk

Start your computer with Windows 10 installation media (or Windows RE). You can read this previous Windows 10 guide to create bootable USB drive for Windows 10 Setup.
When you see the Windows Setup screen, click Next.
Click Repair your computer. You can then see the Choose an option screen.

Method 5: Create Advanced Startup Options Shortcut

Right-click an empty area on your desktop, and select New -> Shortcut.
In the Create Shortcut wizard, copy and paste the following command into the location box and click Next.
%windir%\system32\shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 00
Type Advanced Startup for the shortcut name, and click Finish.
Right-click on the newly-created shortcut on your desktop and select Properties. In the Properties dialog, go to the Shortcut tab and click the Change Icon button.
In the Change Icon window, copy and paste the following in the “Look for icons in this file” field, and press Enter. Highlight the icon and click OK.
%windir%\System32\bootux.dll
You’re almost done! Just double-click the desktop shortcut and you can boot Windows into Advanced Startup Options immediately.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: advanced boot options windows 10 advanced startup options advanced startup options windows 10

Fix: Can’t Sign Into Microsoft Account in Windows 10

December 19th, 2016 by Admin

Just upgraded to Windows 10 and skipped the sign up process at the beginning. But now when I click on the “Sign in with a Microsoft account instead” link, nothing happens at all. I can’t even make the sign up dialog box appear. Please help!

Unable to sign into Microsoft account in Windows 10? Or it won’t accept your credentials? In this article we’ll show you 4 possible ways to fix the issue “cannot log in to your Microsoft account in Windows 10”.

Method 1: Disable All Non-Microsoft Services

Press the Windows + R key combination, type msconfig and press Enter.
When the System Configuration dialog opens, click the Services tab. Put a tick in the “Hide all Microsoft services” box at the bottom left, and then click Disable all.
Click Apply and then OK. Restart your computer and try to sign in to Microsoft account.

Method 2: Enable Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant Service

Press the Windows + R key combination, type services.msc and press Enter.
In the Services window, scroll down and look for the “Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant” service. Double-click on it to modify.
When the Properties window opens, set the Startup type to Automatic. If the service status is Stopped, click Start button there. Click Apply followed by OK.
Restart your computer and then try to sign in Windows 10 with Microsoft account.

Method 3: Turn Off Group Policy Which Blocks Microsoft Account

Press the Windows + R key combination, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
In the Local Group Policy Editor window, navigate to:
Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Polices > Security Options

Find the policy “Accounts: Block Microsoft accounts” in the right pane, and then double-click on it to modify.
From the drop-down menu select “This policy is disabled“, and then click Apply and OK.
Reboot Windows 10 and check if you can sign into Microsoft account later.

Method 4: Clear Cached Microsoft Account Credentials

When you try to sign into Microsoft account, Windows 10 might not accept your credentials. That is because the cached logon credentials are out of update. If you’re that case, you need to clear the cached Microsoft account credentials in Windows 10:

Press the Windows + R key combination, type regedit and press Enter.
When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\IdentityCRL\StoredIdentities
You’ll find your Microsoft account there. Right-click on it and select Delete.
Now close Registry Editor, and head to Settings -> Accounts -> Sign-in options. Try to add your Microsoft account again.

If you forgot the password of an existing Microsoft account and locked out of Windows 10, please refer to this tutorial: 2 Options to Reset Windows 10 Microsoft Account Password.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: cannot sign into microsoft account windows 10 sign in with microsoft account instead not working windows 10 cannot sign into microsoft account

3 Ways to Turn On / Off UAC in Windows 10

December 15th, 2016 by Admin

When you try to install programs in administrator mode or make any system change, a UAC prompt will pop up that alerts you to confirm your changes or operations. As a personal computer user, you may not want to disable these UAC prompts. In this tutorial we’ll show you 3 ways to turn on or off UAC (User Account Control) in Windows 10.

uac-prompt

Method 1: Turn On / Off UAC in WIndows 10 via Control Panel

Open the Control Panel in Windows 10. Set the View by option to Large icons, and then click User Accounts.
Click on the Change User Account Control settings link.
In order to turn off UAC, move the slider to the bottom (Never Notify) and click OK. If you want to turn on UAC, move the silder to the top (Always notify).
If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to continue. Reboot your computer for the change to take effect.

Method 2: Turn On / Off UAC in WIndows 10 via Registry Editor

Open Registry Editor by pressing Windows + R key combination, type in regedit and press Enter.

If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to continue.
In the left-side pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

In right-side pane, double-click EnableLUA to modify.
In the Value data box, type 0 if you want to turn off UAC, or type 1 to turn on UAC. Click OK.
Exit Registry Editor and reboot your computer.

Method 3: Turn On / Off UAC in WIndows 10 via Command Line

Press the Windows + X key combination, and then select “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the popup menu. When prompted by UAC, click Yes.
To turn off UAC, copy and paste the following command in the Command Prompt, and press Enter.
reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

To turn on UAC, paste the following command into Command Prompt and press Enter.
reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
After you enable or disable UAC, you will have to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: disable UAC from command line disable UAC windows 10 registry turn on UAC in windows 10

Windows 10 Fix: This app has been blocked for your protection

December 14th, 2016 by Admin

When you try to install a driver or application in Windows 10, you might get the following UAC error message:

This app has been blocked for your protection. An administrator has blocked you from running this app. For more information, contact the administrator.

app-blocked-for-protection

Even if you run the application with administrative rights, you’ll get the exact same error. This problem happens when your application was digitally signed with a revoked or untrusted certificate. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to fix the issue “This app has been blocked for your protection” in Windows 10.

Method 1: Install the Application from Elevated Command Prompt

To get around the error “This app has been blocked for your protection”, you can run the application from an elevated Command Prompt. Follow these steps:

Open File Explorer and locate the application (.exe) in question. Right-click on it and select Properties.
When the Properties dialog box opens, note down the full path that you need later. In my example, the path is C:\Users\pcunlocker\Downloads\uTorrent_3.2_build_27568.
Now open an elevated Command Prompt. This can be done by pressing the Windows key + X and then selecting “Command Prompt (Admin)“.
At the Command Prompt, type the full path of the application that you want to install and press Enter.

Method 2: Tweak Local Security Policy

To fix the error “This app has been blocked for your protection” permanently in Windows 10, you have to tweak the local security policy:

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
In the left pane, navigate to:
Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options

Look at the right pane and double-click the policy “User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode“.
Change the security setting to Disabled and click OK.
Close Local Group Policy Editor and restart your computer. After logging in, you can install the application without encountering the error “This app has been blocked for your protection”.

Note: tweaking the policy above will also cause UAC to be turned off automatically. But just turning off UAC won’t fix the error “This app has been blocked for your protection”.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: run all administrators in admin approval mode the app has been blocked for your protection windows 10 This app has been blocked for your protection

SysKey: Lock & Unlock Windows PC with USB Drive

December 6th, 2016 by Admin

Is it possible to set up a USB Drive to log into Windows without installing any software on the PC? SysKey is a built-in Windows utility that allows you to set up a Startup Key/Password to protect the SAM (Security Accounts Management) database. You can store the Startup Key to USB drive. Whenever the computer boots up, you will have to insert the USB drive to login.

In this tutorial we’ll walk you through how to enable SysKey in Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP, and use a USB drive as a key to lock & unlock your computer.

How to Lock & Unlock Windows PC Using SysKey?

Syskey (also known as SAM Lock Tool) was introduced since Windows NT. It’s so old that it only stores the Startup Key on the A: drive. So you need to assign the drive letter A: to your USB flash drive before following the steps below.

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type syskey and press Enter.
Click the Update button.
Choose the System Generated Password option, and then select Store Startup Key on Floppy Disk and click OK.
You will be asked to insert a disk into drive A: to save the Startup Key. Make sure you change the drive letter of your USB drive to A: and click OK.
After Windows writes the Startup Key into your USB drive, you’ll receive the message that the disk is now required to start up the system. Open your USB drive and you can see a single file named StartKey.Key, which is 16 bytes big.
Every time you computer boots up, you’ll be presented with the Startup Key Disk dialog which requires you to insert your USB drive. Without the USB drive, you’re unable to get past to access Windows login screen.

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

Tags: how to use syskey lock windows with usb syskey unlock computer with usb windows startup key

2 Ways to Change Drive Letter in Windows 10

December 5th, 2016 by Admin

The drive letter you want is already used by another partition? Your drive doesn’t appear in File Explorer and no drive letter is assigned? In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to manually change drive letter of any volume on your hard disk or USB storage device. Quickly get the missing or desired drive letter back in Windows 10.

Method 1: Change Drive Letter in Windows 10 Using Disk Management

To get started, you need to open Disk Management. In Windows 10, you can access it by pressing Windows key + X and then selecting Disk Management.
In the right pane you can see the details of all volumes and partitions on your hard drive and removable media. Right-click on the volume or partition you want to change, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
In the next dialog box, click Change.
Choose the the Assign the following drive letter option, then click the drop-down list to select your desired drive letter and click OK.
A warning message box will pop up. Click Yes and your drive should now have the new letter assigned.

Method 2: Change Drive Letter in Windows 10 Using Command Prompt

Open the Command Prompt in Administrator mode. This can be done by press the Windows key + X and then selecting “Command Prompt (Admin)“.
At the command prompt, type diskpart and press Enter. Next type list volume to list out all volumes on your computer. Note down the volume number next to the drive that you want to change the letter of. In our case, that number is 4.
Type the following command to select the volume whose drive letter you want to change. Replace 4 with the volume number you noted down in above step.
select volume 4
Run the following command to assign a new drive letter. Substitute A for the new drive letter you’d like to use.
assign letter=A

Tips: if you want to remove the drive letter only, type “remove letter=F“. Replace F with the current drive letter.
Now you’ve successfully changed the drive letter in Windows 10. Your drive should show up with a new drive letter.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: assign drive letter windows 10 change drive letter change drive letter windows 10

Display Full Path in Title Bar of Windows 10 File Explorer

November 26th, 2016 by Admin

By default, Windows 10 will display the folder name alone in the title bar of File Explorer. Sometimes you might need to know the absolute path of the location you are currently in. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to make Windows 10 display full path (file location) in the title bar of File Explorer.

Method 1: Make Windows 10 Display Full Path in Explorer Title Bar Using Folder Options

Open File Explorer. Click the View tab on the ribbon. You’ll see the the Options button on the right-hand side. Click it to open the Folder Options dialog.
Click the View tab. Locate and tick the checkbox named “Display the full path in the title bar“.
Click Apply followed by OK. Log off your user or restart the computer. As you see, the File Explorer should now show the full file path instead of the folder name in the title bar.

Method 2: Make Windows 10 Display Full Path in Explorer Title Bar Using Registry Editor

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box, type regedit and hit Enter.
In the left pane of Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState
In the right pane, double-click the value entry FullPath and modify the value to 1.

If FullPath doesn’t exist, you need to create it first. To do so, right-click on the empty space and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Vaule, and name it FullPath.
Close Registry Editor and reboot your computer. If you want to make Windows 10 not show full path in the title bar of File Explorer, just open Registry Editor and delete the FullPath value entry.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 10

Tags: display file location windows 10 display the full path in the title bar windows 10

How to Create Shortcut to Shutdown / Restart Windows 10

November 25th, 2016 by Admin

In previous post we’ve covered 7 ways to shutdown / restart your Windows 10 computer. However, if those are not simple or quick enough for you, you can create a shutdown / restart shortcut on your desktop. The following tutorial will walk you through the steps of creating a shortcut to shutdown / restart Windows 10 more quickly.

Tips: If you want to schedule your computer to shutdown or restart at specified time, please check out this article: Auto Shutdown Windows 10 / 8 As You Expect

How to Create Shortcut to Shutdown / Restart Windows 10?

Right-click any empty space on the desktop, select New and then Shortcut from the context menu.
When the Create Shortcut wizard appears, copy and paste one of following commands in the location box and click Next.
- Shutdown Computer:
  %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 0
- Restart Computer:
  %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe /r /t 0
- Lock Computer:
  Rundll32.exe User32.dll,LockWorkStation
You’ll be asked to name the shortcut. I suggest you name the shortcut to correspond to the action it will perform.
When you’ve clicked Finish on the above dialog, you’ll see a shortcut on the desktop. You can double-click it to immediately shut down or restart your computer.