lectorguk - Tumblr blog

[lectorguk]

How to make the Start menu full screen in Windows 10

By default, the Windows 10 Start menu will open up in a size that accommodates all of the pinned items. For those who wish to use a larger Start screen, making the Start menu open in a full-screen mode is possible.

When the full-screen mode is enabled, the Start screen will overlay the entire desktop and provide a more generous amount of space to pin applications, and your live tiles will be larger.

If you wish to enable the Start full-screen mode, please follow these steps:

Click on the Start menu and then click on the Settings cog ( ) to open the Windows 10 Settings.

When the Settings open, click on Personalization and then Start.

In the Start settings, look for a setting named 'Use Start full screen' and click on the toggle to enable the feature, as shown below.

Enable Start full screen

You can now close the Start settings screen.

Now that you have enabled Start full screen mode, when you click on the Start button, the Start menu will be shown in full screen and overlay the entire desktop.

Start full screen

When using Start in full screen mode, you can close the Start menu at any time by pressing the Escape key on your keyboard or by clicking on another program or screen.

To disable Start full screen mode, just follow these steps again, but this time disable the 'Use Start full screen' setting.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/3is3vfu

[lectorguk]

How to install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Runtime

If you start a program and receive an error stating that the program you are trying to run needs the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Runtime, you can use this tutorial to install the package so that your program works again.

When developers create a Windows program using Microsoft Visual Studio 2015, there are specific dynamic link libraries (DLLs) that their programs are linked to work correctly.

These DLLs are distributed through the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Runtime, and if the package is not installed, users will encounter errors stating that DLLs are missing or you need to install the runtime.

As an example, the video game Valorant released an update today that did not include the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Runtime, causing the game not to work after the update was installed.

When users launch Valorant, they are instead greeted with the following error.

Missing Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Runtime error

"The following component(s) are required to run this program: Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Runtime"

The good news is that it is really easy to fix this problem by downloading and install the runtime from Microsoft's website.

To install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Runtime, please follow these steps:

Go to the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable page from Microsoft and click on the Download button.

You will be brought to a page where it asks you to select whether you want to download the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. Select the version you need and click the Next button. If you are unsure what version you need, you can use this tutorial to determine what you need. BleepingComputer suggests that you download and install both the x86 AND x64 versions of the runtime to not run into issues in the future.

The files will now be download to your computer. Once downloaded, double-click on the downloaded vc_redist.x64.exe file. 

The Microsoft Visual C++-2015 Redistributable screen will be displayed and ask you to agree to the license terms and conditions. Put a checkmark in the "I agree" box and then click on the Install button.

Microsoft Visual C++-2015 Redistributable

If Windows prompts you to allow the program to make changes or continue, click on the Yes or Allow button.

When done, the program will display a message stating that it was successfully installed.

Redistributable Installed

Now perform the same steps to install the vc_redist.x86.exe runtime.

You can now close the installer.

If you already had the Visual C++ 2015 Runtime installed, you can run the above redistributables and perform a repair.

Perform a Repair

You can now try to run the program that previously gave the missing runtime error, and it should work again.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/3gPdb28

[lectorguk]

How to open an elevated PowerShell Admin prompt in Windows 10

Since 2006, Microsoft has been bundling the PowerShell command-line shell that administrators can use to manage their computers and other computers on a network.

"Windows PowerShell is a Windows command-line shell designed especially for system administrators. Windows PowerShell includes an interactive prompt and a scripting environment that can be used independently or in combination," Microsoft explains.

Many PowerShell commands, though, require elevated or administrator permissions, and you need to launch an elevated PowerShell prompt to execute them.

This guide will provide two methods that you can use to launch an elevated PowerShell administrator prompt.

Method 1: Use the Windows 10 Start Menu context menu

When you right-click on the Windows 10 start menu, a context menu will appear that allows you to launch frequent administrative programs quickly.

Included on this context menu is an option called 'Windows PowerShell (Admin)', as shown below.

Launch PowerShell (Admin) prompt

To launch an elevated PowerShell prompt, click on the 'Windows PowerShell (Admin)' option.

Windows 10 will now display a UAC prompt asking if you want to give the program elevated permissions. Click 'Yes' at this prompt.

UAC Prompt

An elevated PowerShell prompt will now open. You can tell it is elevated as the starting directory will be C:\Windows\System32 and the window title will be 'Administrator: Windows PowerShell'.

Elevated PowerShell prompt

When done using the prompt, you can close it by clicking on the X or by typing 'exit' and then pressing enter.

Method 2: Launch PowerShell from elevated command prompt

If you have an elevated command prompt already open, you can launch a PowerShell shell within it by simply typing 'powershell' and pressing enter.

PowerShell launched from an elevated command prompt

When launched in this way, the PowerShell prompt will look slightly different as the background will not be blue, and it is running as a shell under the regular command prompt.

To exit back to the elevated command prompt, you would type 'exit' and press enter.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2Z86T8z

[lectorguk]

How to Install and Uninstall Google Chrome in Windows

Google Chrome is currently the most popular browser for Windows as it offers good performance, excellent compatibility with web sites, and a huge amount of extensions that can be used to extend the functionality of the browser.

If you are using a different browser and wish to install Google Chrome or if you are using Google Chrome and want to know how to uninstall it, you can follow the steps below.

How to install Chrome in Windows

To install the Google Chrome browser in Windows, please follow these steps:

To download Google Chrome, go to https://www.google.com/chrome/ page and click on 'Download Chrome'.

You will now be shown the Google Chrome Terms of Service. At this page, uncheck the "Help make Google Chrome better by automatically sending usage statistics and crash reports to Google" and click on the "Accept and install" button to download the Google Chrome installer.

Download Google Chrome Installer

The ChromeSetup.exe file will now be downloaded. When finished, click on it as indicated by the red arrow in the image below to start the installation program.

Launch Chrome Installer

When you click on the ChromeSetup.exe file, Windows will display a UAC prompt asking if you want to "allow this app to make changes to your device?". Click on the Yes button to continue.

UAC Prompt

Google Chrome will now begin to install on your computer.

Installing Google Chrome

When finished, Google Chrome will automatically open and an icon for Google Chrome will be on your desktop that you can use to launch the program.

Chrome Icon

Now that Google Chrome is installed in Windows, you can either start it from the icon on the desktop or search for Chrome in the Start menu and launch it from there.

How to uninstall Chrome in Windows

To uninstall the Google Chrome browser from Windows, please follow these steps:

Click on the Start button and type uninstall. When the Add or Remove programs option appears, click on it.

Open Apps & Features settings screen

The Apps & Features settings screen will now be displayed. Under Apps & features, search for chrome as shown in the image below.

Search for Chrome

When Google Chrome is shown like below, click on the Uninstall button.

Uninstall Google Chrome

When you click Uninstall, Windows will prompt you again to make sure you want to uninstall Chrome. At this prompt, click on the Uninstall button.

Confirm you wish to uninstall Google Chrome

Windows will now show you a UAC prompt asking if you wish to "allow this app to make changes to your device?". At this prompt click on the Yes button to continue.

Believe it or not, Google Chrome will now ask if you are sure you wish to uninstall Google Chrome. At this prompt, you can click on the Uninstall button, but I would not check the "Also delete your browsing data" option as you may want your bookmarks and settings to remain intact if you ever decide to reinstall the browser again.

Google Chrome uninstall prompt

When done uninstalling, your default browser will open to a survey asking why you uninstalled the browser. You can simply close this screen. 

You can now close the Apps & Features settings screen.

Google Chrome will now be uninstalled from Windows.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2vVA16K

[lectorguk]

How to Translate a Web Page in Google Chrome

The web is made up of terrific content from all over the world and sometimes the content you want to read is written in a different language. Thankfully, Google Chrome has built-in support for the Google Translate service, which will automatically translate the page into a language of your choice.

If you visit a website with Google Chrome and it is written in a different language, the browser will automatically display a prompt asking if you wish to translate the page into your default language as shown below.

'Translate this page' prompt

If you click on the Translate button, Google will send the URL to the Google Translate service, which will cause the page's contents to be translated to your default language. This can be shown in the site below, which has been translated from Dutch to English.

Translated Page

If the Translate prompt does not appear when visiting a foreign site, you can cause it to display by clicking on the  button in the Chrome address bar as shown below.

Translate button in the Chrome address bar

Selecting the language you wish to translate to

By default, Google Chrome will translate a web page to the default language configured in your operating system.

If you wish to translate a page to a different language or Google Chrome is having trouble detecting the correct language of the page, you can select what language you want to translate from and to by going into the Translate options.

This page can be accessed by clicking on the Options button in the 'Translate this page' dialog as shown below.

Translate options button

When you click on the Options button, you should then select Change languages to be brought to a page where you can select the language of the page and what you would like to translate it to.

Translate Option

When ready, click on the Translate button and the page will be translated from and to the configured languages.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2Q3aqzE

[lectorguk]

How to Disable Bing Search in the Windows 10 Start Menu

One of the features of the Windows 10 Start Menu is a built-in Bing search when a local search fails to find anything. Whether it be due to privacy reasons, bugs, or just personal dislike, this article will explain how to disable Bing search in the Start Menu.

When you perform a search in the Windows 10 Start Menu, Windows will first look for local search results such as settings, files, or programs and display any that are found.

If there are no local results, Windows will then perform a Bing search for the search keyword and list the results in the Start Menu as shown below.

Blank search results in Start Menu

When logged into a Microsoft Account, these searches will be uploaded to Microsoft who will then list them in your account's Privacy Dashboard. This is a privacy concern for fear that Microsoft is using this data to track your browsing habits.

There have also been bugs in the Bing search component in the past that have caused the Windows 10 Start menu to appear completely blank. If you do not utilize the Bing search feature, disabling it could prevent those bugs in the future.

Below we have outlined two methods that can be used to disable Bing search in the Windows 10 Start Menu.

How to disable Bing search in the Windows 10 Start Menu

Unfortunately, for those who want to disable Bing search in the Start Menu, Microsoft does not provide an easy method to do so.

Instead, Windows users need to modify the Registry so that it is using the following Registry values.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search] "CortanaConsent"=dword:00000000 "BingSearchEnabled"=dword:00000000

For those who feel comfortable modifying the Registry, we have instructions on how to set the proper values using the Registry Editor.

For those who are not comfortable with Registry modifications, please see method 2 that contains an easy to use premade Registry file that makes the settings for you.

Method 1: Use the Registry Editor to disable Bing integration

If you do not wish to use the premade Registry file, you can disable Bing's integration in Windows Search via the Registry Editor.

First, open the Windows Registry Editor by pressing the Windows key + the R key at the same time. This will open the Run: dialog and then type regedit and press the OK button.

Starting Registry Editor

Windows will display a UAC prompt asking if you wish to allow the Registry Editor to make changes to the system. Press the Yes button to continue.

Navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search key.

Right-click on Search and select New and then DWORD (32-bit) Value as shown below.

New DWORD value

You will be prompted to enter the name of the new value. Type BingSearchEnabled and press Enter on the keyboard. A new value will be created that should automatically be set to 0. If not, double-click on BingSearchEnabled and set the value to 0 and then press the OK button.

Now look under the Search key for a value named CortanaConsent. When you find the value, double-click on it and set its value to 0 and then press the OK button to save it. If the CortanaConsent value does not exist, create it using the steps above and set its value to 0.

When done, you should have both the CortanaConsent and BingSearchEnabled values created and set to 0.

You can now close the Registry Editor and restart Windows Explorer or restart your computer.

Once restarted, Bing search will no longer work in the Windows 10 Start Menu.

Bing Search disabled

Method 2: Use premade Registry file to disable Bing search

To make it easier, BleepingComputer has created a Registry file that you can use to import the required changes into your Registry.

To use this Registry file to disable Bing search, please follow these steps:

Download disable-bing-search.reg to your computer. Once downloaded, double-click on the file.

When you double-click on the file, Windows 10 will display a UAC prompt asking if you would like to allow Registry Editor to make changes to your system. Click on the Yes button to continue.

You will now be shown a prompt from Registry Editor asking if you wish to continue. Please click on the Yes button to configure the required Registry values.

Registry Editor confirmation prompt

You should now restart your computer or restart Windows Explorer for these changes to go into effect.

Once restarted, Bing search will no longer work in the Windows 10 Start Menu.

Enable Bing integration again

If you wish to enable Bing search in the Start Menu in the future, you can simply download the enable-bing-search.reg registry file.

This Registry file will delete the BingSearchEnabled value and set the CortanaConsent value to 1 under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search Registry key.

Once downloaded, you can double-click on the file to import the changes and restart Windows to enable Bing again.

While I strongly suggest that you use the premade Registry file for ease of use and to avoid mistakes, you can also make these changes via the Registry Editor.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/3c0Q0AF

[lectorguk]

Fix a Missing VCRUNTIME140.dll DLL Error in Windows

If you start a program and receive an error that Windows is unable to find the vcruntime140.dll DLL or that it is missing, you can use this tutorial to restore the missing DLL so that your program works again.

When a program is created, they are linked to dynamic link libraries (DLLs) that contains code that the program needs.  If a required DLL is missing, then Windows will display an alert telling you the name of the missing DLL so that you can try to restore or install the missing DLL.

If you run a program and receive the following error about vcruntime140.dll being missing, you need to install the Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable package using the steps below.

The program can't start because vcruntime140.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem/

To fix the vcruntime140.dll is missing error in Windows, please follow these steps:

Go to the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable page from Microsoft and click on the Download button.

You will be brought to page where it asks you to select whether you want to download the 32-bit or 64 bit version of Windows. Select the version you need and click the Next button. If you are unsure what version you need, you can use this tutorial to determine what you need.

The file will now download to your computer. Once downloaded, double-click on the downloaded vc_redist.x64.exe file. 

The Microsoft Visual C++-2015 Redistributable screen will be displayed and ask you to agree to the license terms and conditions. Put a checkmark in the "I agree" box and then click on the Install button.

Microsoft Visual C++-2015 Redistributable

If Windows prompts you to allow the program to make changes or continue, click on the Yes or Allow button.

When done, the program will display a message stating that it was successfully installed.

Redistributable Installed

You can now close the installer.

If you already had the DLL installed and it is still showing as missing, you can download the above Redistributable, but this time perform a repair.

Perform a Repair

You can now try to run the program that previously gave the missing vcruntime140.dll error and it should work again.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2NSQwqf

[lectorguk]

Fix a Missing api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll DLL in Windows

If you try to run a program and receive an error stating that the api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll DLL is missing from your computer, you can use this guide to restore the missing DLL so that you program works again.

When programs are created, they are linked to dynamic link libraries (DLLs) that contains code that the program needs to properly work.  If a required DLL is missing, then Windows will display an alert telling you the name of the missing DLL so that you can try and resolve the problem.

If you run a program and receive the following error about api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll being missing, you need to install the Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable package using the instructions below.

The program can't start because api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem/

To fix the api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll is missing error in Windows, please follow these steps:

Go to the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable page from Microsoft and click on the Download button.

You will be brought to page where it asks you to select whether you want to download the 32-bit or 64 bit version of Windows. Select the version you need and click the Next button. If you are unsure what version you need, you can use this tutorial to determine what you need.

The file will now download to your computer. Once downloaded, double-click on the downloaded vc_redist.x64.exe file. 

The Microsoft Visual C++-2015 Redistributable screen will be displayed and ask you to agree to the license terms and conditions. Put a checkmark in the "I agree" box and then click on the Install button.

Microsoft Visual C++-2015 Redistributable

If Windows prompts you to allow the program to make changes or continue, click on the Yes or Allow button.

When done, the program will display a message stating that it was successfully installed.

Redistributable Installed

You can now close the installer.

If you already had the DLL installed and it is still showing as missing, you can download the above Redistributable, but this time perform a repair.

Perform a Repair

You can now try to run the program that previously gave the error and it should work again. 

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2CCNTCY

[lectorguk]

How to Use Windows Defender to Scan a Folder for Malware

Windows 10 comes with a free built-in antivirus program called Windows Defender that offers real-time protection and the ability to performs scans of your computer.

It also allows you to perform a Custom scan that lets you specify the specific folder or drive you would like to scan for malware. As you only need to scan that one folder, the scan time will be much quicker than scanning an entire machine.

Below we have provided two methods that you can use to perform a custom scan of a particular folder.

Method 1: Right-click on a folder and scan it

If you wish to scan a single folder, and its subfolders, the easiest method is to just right-click on the folder and select "Scan with Windows Defender" as show below.

Right-click and scan a folder

Once you select Scan with Windows Defender..., Windows Defender will launch and scan all the files in the folder and its sunfolders.

If it finds malware, it will alert you as shown below. 

Malware Detected!

You should now click on the Start actions button to quarantine the file and make it inaccessible. 

When done, Windows Security will give you a summary as shown below.

Windows Security Summary

You can now close Windows Security.

Method 2: Perform a Custom scan using Windows Defender

The other method is to use the Windows Defender interface to perform a Custom scan of a selected folder. To do this, please follow these steps:

From the Start Menu, search for Windows Security and click on the result when it appears as shown below.

Searching for Windows Security

When Windows Security opens, click on the Virus & threat protection option.

Windows Security Screen

When the Virus & threat protection screen opens, click on the Scan options link as shown below.

Select Scan options

When the Scan options screen opens, scroll down and select Custom scan. Then click on Scan now to start a Custom scan.

The Windows Security About page showing version info

Windows Defender will now ask you what folder you wish to scan. In our example, we selected the C: drive to scan the entire C: drive, and only that drive, and all of its subfolders.

Select drive to scan

Windows Defender will now scan the enter C: drive for malware. While running, it will provide a running count of files that have been scanned and the approximate amount of time left until its finished.

Scanning the C: drive

When done, it will list the amount of infections that have been detected. To clean the infections, click on the Start actions button.

Detected threats

After reviewing the summary, you can close the window.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2M51s22

[lectorguk]

How to Find the Windows Defender Version Installed in Windows 10

There are times when it is important to determine what version of Windows Defender is currently installed in Windows 10 so you can diagnose a problem or determine if you have the latest version installed.

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not make it very clear how to find this information. This tutorial aims to clear up that confusion.

To find the version number for the installed Windows Defender in Windows 10, please follow these steps:

From the Start Menu, search for Windows Security and click on the result when it appears as shown below.

Searching for Windows Security

When Windows Security opens, click on the Settings gear at the bottom left of the Window as indicated by the arrow in the image below.

Windows Security Screen

When the Settings screen opens, click on the About link as shown below.

Windows Security Settings Screen

The Windows Security About page will now be open and will show the Antimalware Client Version (Windows Defender version), the Engine version (Scanning Engine), the Antivirus version (Virus definitions), and the Antispyware version (Spyware definitions).

The Windows Security About page showing version info

When done using this page, you can simply close the Window.

For most users, the Antimalware Client version is what you are looking for as it will indicate the overall version for Windows Defender installed in Windows.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2V0XM5w

[lectorguk]

How to Enable the Windows 10 Tamper Protection Security Feature

With the release of the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, Microsoft introduced a new security feature called Tamper Protection that protects security settings for Windows Defender antivirus from being disabled by malware or third-party programs.

When enabled, Tamper Protection will only allow Windows Defender related settings to be changed when done through the Windows Security settings screen. If a program, such as malware, or even PowerShell tries to change security settings or Microsoft Defender preferences, Tamper Protection will block the settings from being modified.

Due to this, Tamper Protection is an integral part of the Windows 10 security environment and should be enabled by all users for increased security and protection from malicious programs.

How to enable Tamper Protection in Windows 10

To enable Tamper Protect in Windows 10, please perform the following steps:

From the Windows Start Menu, search for and click on Windows Security when it shows in the search results.

When Windows Security opens, click on Virus & threat protection.

At the Virus & threat protection screen, scroll down until you see Virus & threat protection settings and then click on Manage settings.

Scroll down until you see Tamper Protect and click on the toggle switch so it becomes enabled.

You can now close the Windows Security window.

With Tamper Protection now enabled, your Windows Defender settings will be secured from malicious changes.

Enabling Tamper Protection with other antivirus software

If you have non-Microsoft antivirus software installed, Microsoft will register it as your antivirus provider and disable Windows Defender.  This also means that Tamper Protection and other features will be disabled as well.

If you want to enable Tamper Protection while having a third-party antivirus software installed, you can follow these steps:

Go into the Virus & threat protection settings as described above. When you open the screen, it will show you the antivirus software you are using, which in my case is ESET.  Now click on the Windows Defender Antivirus options as shown below.

This will display a toggle asking if you would like to enable periodic scanning with Windows Defender antivirus. Enable this setting and you will now have access to the rest of the Windows Security settings, including Tamper Protection.

Now continue with step 3 in the previous section to finish enabling Tamper Protection.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2YlLTfk

[lectorguk]

How to Export a Registry Key in Windows

The Windows Registry is a centralized hierarchical database that is used by Windows to store system settings, hardware configurations, and user preferences. The Windows Registry can be explored by using a program called the Windows Registry Editor, but modifying the wrong key could cause your computer to not boot properly, so it is advised to only use it as necessary.

More detailed information about the Windows Registry can be found in our Demystifying the Windows Registry article.

When making a change to the Registry, it is recommended that you first create a export of the entries that you are about to modify. This allows you to save the information to a Registry file, or .reg file, so that if a problem occurs you can import the original settings back into the Registry.

You can see an example of a Registry file below, where each setting is saved as text in the file.

Windows Registry File (.reg)

If you need to import the data back into the Registry, and overwrite any existing settings that it corresponds to you, you would simply double-click on the Registry file and allow the changes to be merged when Windows prompts you.

Below we have provided two methods that you can use to export data from the Windows Registry.

Method 1: Export a Registry key using the Windows Registry Editor

For most people, the easiest method to export a Registry key is to use the Windows Registry Editor. The Windows Registry Editor, otherwise known as regedit.exe, is a graphical tool that allows you to modify the Windows Registry.

To open the Registry Editor, type regedit in the Start Menu search field as shown below and then select Registry Editor.

Open the Registry Editor

When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the key that you would like to export. In our example, we are going to export the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management key.

The Windows Registry Editor

When at the key you wish to export, right-click on the key name and select Export as shown below.

Export key via Registry Editor

Windows will now prompt you for a location and file name that you wish to save the Registry information. Please select the location, enter a filename, and press the Save button.

Save Registry File

After saving the Registry file, you will see a file ending with the .reg extension at the location you saved it to.

This file can be used in the future to restore your exported settings if needed.

Method 2: Export a Registry key using the Reg command-line command

Windows includes the reg.exe program that can be used to manipulate the Windows Registry from the command line.  In order to use this tool, you will need to open an Elevated Command Prompt.  

Once an elevated command prompt is open, you can use the reg.exe command to export a Registry key using the following syntax:

reg export [key] [file_name]

For example, to export the reg export "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" to the test.reg file, you would use the following command:

reg export "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management" test.reg

Please note, when entering the Registry key to export, we enclosed it in quotes because there was a space in the key name.

You can see an example of this command being used in the image below.

Using the Reg.exe command from an Elevated Command Prompt

Once the command is executed, a file will be created, which in our case is test.reg, that contains the exported Registry key.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 https://ift.tt/2Hj88Jq

[lectorguk]

How to Restart the Windows Explorer.exe Process

When using Windows 10, you may find that the Windows desktop has frozen and you can no longer use the Start Menu, click on programs, drag files, or switch between windows. When this happens, it may be caused by the Windows Explorer, or Explorer.exe, process having issues and can typically be fixed by restarting it.

Explorer.exe is an executable in the Windows operating systems that is located at C:\Windows\explorer.exe. When Windows starts and a user logs in, the operating system will launch the Explorer.exe process, which displays the Windows user environment such as the desktop, taskbar, and Start Menu. 

To restart the Explorer.exe process, you can perform three different methods, which we have described below.

Method 1: Restart Windows Explorer.exe via Windows 10 Task Manager 

If you are using Windows 10, the easiest way to restart Explorer.exe is through the Task Manager.

To restart Explorer.exe in Windows 10, please follow these steps:

Open Task Manager by either pressing the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keyboard combination and selecting Task Manager or right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting Task Manager. Once Task Manager is open, click on the More details option as shown in the image below.

More details button

When the full list of processes is displayed, scroll down until you find the Windows Explorer process.  Then right-click on the process and select Restart as shown below.

Restart Windows Explorer

The Explorer.exe process will now be terminated and automatically restarted. During this process you will see your desktop disappear briefly and then reappear.

Now that the Windows Explorer has been restarted, you can close the Task Manager.

Method 2: Restart Windows Explorer.exe from the Command Prompt

This method allows you to restart the Explorer.exe process directly from the Command Prompt. This method works in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

To restart Explorer.exe from the command prompt, please follow these steps:

Open a Windows Command Prompt by clicking on the Start button, entering cmd, and then clicking on the Command Prompt search result that appears.

Open Command Prompt

When the Command Prompt opens, type the bolded taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe & start explorer command into the command prompt and press enter on your keyboard. This command will terminate the explorer.exe and then immediately restart the process so you can see your desktop again.

taskkill /F /IM explorer.exe & start explorer command

After you enter the command, you will see the Windows desktop go away for a second and then restarted. You can now close the Windows Command Prompt as the Explorer.exe process has been restarted.

Method 3: Exit Explorer and then restart it via Task Manager

If you are using Windows 7, or any version of Windows for that matter, you can also restart the Explorer.exe process by first ending the process in Task Manager and then running it again from the Create New Task dialog.

To restart explorer.exe by first terminating the process, you can perform these steps:

Open Task Manager by either pressing the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keyboard combination and selecting Task Manager or right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting Task Manager. Once Task Manager is open, scroll through the list of processes until you find the explorer.exe process and right-click on it as shown below. When the context-menu opens, click on the End Process option

End Explorer.exe Process

When you attempt to the end the explorer.exe process, it will ask you to confirm the request. At this prompt, click on the End process button.

End Explorer.exe Confirmation

You will now see the Explorer disappear and you will be left with a blank screen with Task Manager floating on it. In Task Manager, click on the File menu and select New Task (Run...).

New Task Menu Option

When the Create New Task prompt appears, enter explorer.exe in the Open: field and then press the OK button.

Create New Task Dialog

The Explorer.exe process will now launch and you will see the Windows Desktop again. Now that the Explorer.exe process has started and you can see the desktop, you can close the Task Manager.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 http://bit.ly/2US6MbR

[lectorguk]

How to Open a Windows Command Prompt

The Windows Command Prompt is a Windows shell that allows you to execute command by typing them in and pressing enter on the keyboard. 

Stemming from the Microsoft DOS operating system, this command prompt has continued to be available in Windows and allows administrators and users to quickly execute commands that manipulate Windows and the file system.

To learn more about how to use the Command Prompt once it is opened, you can read our Introduction to the Windows Command Prompt article.

Below we have provided two methods that can be used to open the command prompt in Windows.

Method 1: Open from Start Menu

You can launch the Windows Command Prompt directly from the Start Menu by typing cmd into the search field as shown below. This will display a search result called either cmd.exe in Windows 7 or Command Prompt in Windows 8 and Windows 10.

Caption

To launch the command prompt, simply click on the Command Prompt search result as shown above and the Windows Command Prompt window will open. When the command prompt is started, you will be in your home direct at C:\Users\[login_name].

You can now enter commands that you wish to execute and see their output in the command prompt.  When you are ready to close the command prompt, you can type exit and press enter and the window will close.

Method 2: Open Command Prompt from Run: Dialog 

The executable associated with the Windows Command prompt is C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe and can be launched directly from the Run dialog box.

To open the Run dialog, press the Windows key ()and the R at the same time and a box similar to the one below will open.  In the Open: field type cmd and then press the OK button.

After pressing the OK button, the Windows Command Prompt will open and you will be in your home directory, which is located C:\Users\[login_name], as shown below.

You can now type commands that you wish to execute and see their output in the command prompt.  When you are ready to close the command prompt, you can type exit and press enter and the window will close.

If you are confused on how to use the command prompt, you should read our Introduction to the Windows Command Prompt article.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 http://bit.ly/2Tzhggb

[lectorguk]

How to Clear or Flush the DNS Cache in Windows

If you are not able to connect to a particular site and its IP addresses is not resolving properly, it could be a problem with the DNS servers that you are connecting to or an incorrect DNS entry cached in the Windows DNS cache.

If you are having this problem, before you change your DNS servers, you should first you should first try to clear your DNS cache and see if that fixes your problem.

To clear, or flush, the DNS cache in Windows, you can perform the following steps:

Right-click on the Start Button or press the Windows+X keys on your keyboard. When you do this, a menu will open that contains either Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). When you see one of these options, click on it and allow the program to run when Windows asks you for permission.

Right-Click Menu

When the Command Prompt or PowerShell opens, type ipconfig /flushdns and press enter on your keyboard as shown below.

ipconfig /flushdns Command

After you press enter, you should see the command return "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache." This indicates the command ran successfully and you can now close the PowerShell or Command Prompt Window.

Now that your DNS cache has been cleared, or flushed, you can attempt to connect to the site again. If the problem still persists, then you may want to contact your ISP or change your DNS servers to Google's 8.8.8.8 service of Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 DNS service.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 http://bit.ly/2S8NO3X

[lectorguk]

How to View the Files Installed by a Chrome Extension

Whether it be because you suspect a Chrome extension is malicious, you want to create a backup of a favorite and discontinued extension, or you just want to see how the extension works, knowing how to find and view the files installed by a Chrome extension can be useful.

In this tutorial we are going to provide two methods that you can use to view the files associated with a Chrome extension. The first method is to view the actual files installed on your computer, which is useful if an extension is no longer available on the Chrome Web Store or the store has a different version than the one installed on your computer.

The second method is to use an extension called Chrome extension source viewer that makes it very easy to view the source code of an extension directly from the Chrome Web Store.

View the files belonging to an installed Chrome extension

When extensions are installed into Chrome they are extracted into the C:\Users\[login_name]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions folder. Each extension will be stored in its own folder named after the ID of the extension.

For example, below is the folder that contains the currently installed Chrome extensions, with each subfolder corresponding to an installed extension.

Extensions Folder

To view the contents of an extension, first find its ID, and then open the corresponding folder. When you open the folder you will be shown all the images, html, JavaScript files used by the extension.

Files belonging to an extension

To view the source code of a particular, simply right-click on it and select Open with and open it with the Notepad application. For JS, HTML, and JSON files, you will now be able to see the source code directly in Notepad.

View source file in Notepad

If you wish to backup the folder that contains the installed extension, just zip the folder named after the extensions ID in the C:\Users\[login_name]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions folder.

View source code of extension on Chrome Web Store

If you would like to view the source code of an extension before you install it, then there is a great extension that allows you to do so. The Chrome extension source viewer is an extension that allows you to view the source code of any extension that is available from the Chrome Web Store.

Once you install the extension, you will be given a new a right-click context menu option titled "View extension source".

Caption

Clicking on this menu option, will open the zip file containing the extension and display the contents of the archive as shown below. From this interface you can click on the various files to see their contents.

Caption

When done viewing the contents, you can close the windows.

This extension also allows you to download the corresponding Zip file for the extension from the Chrome Web Store by clicking on the Download button. This is particularly useful when you want to make an archive of the current version of the extension being offered by the Chrome Web Store.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 http://bit.ly/2RA9xlb

[lectorguk]

How to Find the ID for a Chrome Extension

Google Chrome extensions are small programs that can be installed to add or change the browser's functionality. When an extension is created and signed by Google, it will be given a unique ID that becomes associated with the extension.

These unique IDs are 32 characters long, such as jifpbeccnghkjeaalbbjmodiffmgedin, which is the extension ID for the Chrome extension source viewer extension.

If an extension is installed in Chrome, you can find its unique ID by following these steps:

Click on the Chrome Menu, select More Tools, and then select Extension as shown below.

Open Extension List

You will now see a list of the installed extensions. Find the extension you wish to determine the ID and click on the Details button for the extension as indicated below. 

List of Installed Extensions

When you open the details screen for an extension, the address bar will display it's ID after the ?id= part of the address. In our example below, the ID for the Chrome extension source viewer is jifpbeccnghkjeaalbbjmodiffmgedin.

Extension Details

You can now copy that ID as needed and use it to find its associated files under the C:\Users\[login_name]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions folder.

Chrome Extensions Folder

More information on how to view an extensions files can be found in this tutorial.

via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8135823 http://bit.ly/2HcgiEY