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Create a Bootable USB or DVD For Windows 10

Installing a new OS from a bootable DVD or USB has many advantages. You could also upgrade over the internet from your version of Windows 7 or 8/8.1 but that would only apply to that individual PC and there is a chance that the download could be disrupted. With a bootable device, you can ensure that you’ve downloaded the update files and then apply the upgrade (or fresh install) to any number of devices as well as have a backup in the event something goes wrong. Thankfully creating a bootable USB or DVD is extremely easy and made even simpler with Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool. Follow these steps to create a bootable USB or DVD to install Windows 10.

1. Download and install the Media Creation Tool.

2. Launch the Media Creation Tool and select ‘Create installation media for another PC’.

3. Now choose your language, Windows edition, and either 32-bit or 64-bit depending on your system’s processor.

4. Now choose whether to make a burned bootable DVD or a bootable USB device. For the DVD, you will need a blank DVD that can be burned with the ISO. For the USB device, you need a USB drive that has at least 3GB of free space. The USB drive will be formatted before use so make sure you do not have anything important stored on it, everything will be erased.

5. Now select either the DVD drive where your DVD is, or the USB drive that you have connected to your computer. Also be careful here if you have multiple devices connected. It’s best to remove any other USB drives or DVD drives that aren’t being used.

6. Once selected, the Windows 10 update files will begin downloading. Once the process is complete, the Media Creation Tool will write them to your DVD or USB device and make it bootable.

Once you have your bootable DVD or USB in hand, it’s a simple matter to begin installing or upgrading to Windows 10.

Upgrade To Windows 10 Pro From Windows 10 Home

If you’ve been happily using the newly released Windows 10, you’re sure to have noticed quite a few new features that have been introduced. There are also many tweaks that make the Windows experience more familiar while pushing modern ideas as well. The vast majority of users will have upgraded from the Windows 7 or 8/8.1 Home version that shipped with their PC or laptop and this is more than adequate for most. The upgrade from the Home version is Windows 10 Pro, which comes with some additional features.

The main features present in the Windows 10 Pro upgrade include BitLocker for encrypting files and your hard drive, Hyper-V for running virtual machines, Remote Desktop to access your PC from anywhere, and support for Domains and Active Azure Directory which are useful for connecting to school and business networks. Most users won’t need these features and there are alternative apps that accomplish the same thing. If you are a business or education user or you just want these features, it’s very easy to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro from the Home version. Just follow these steps.

1. Launch Settings, then click ‘Update & Security’.

2. Select Activation on the left and then click the ‘Go to Store’ button on the right.

3. You’ll be brought to the Windows Store where you can purchase the upgrade to Pro for $99.99 or enter your product key to upgrade to Windows 10.

4. You can confirm and review what type of Windows you have by going to Settings, System, About, and then view which version you have as well as upgrade.

It’s a very simple process and you’ll be able to upgrade in no time at all and begin enjoying the additional features present in the Pro version.

Force Cortana To Use Google Search With Chrome and Firefox

Cortana is Microsoft’s digital assistant and a big part of the new Windows 10. As expected, Cortana uses the Bing search engine and the new Edge browser for results wherever she is used. It’s not surprising that Microsoft would like to push their own search engine instead of using their competition in the form of Google search. Unfortunately, there is no default way to make Cortana use Google search though there is a simple workaround in the form of a browser extension named ‘bing2google’. This extension forwards all Bing search requests to Google and returns those results instead which effectively switches Bing searches to Google searches.

Cortana also uses the new Edge browser by default but this can luckily be switched to another browser such as Chrome or Firefox. To switch the default browser Cortana uses, simply go to the Settings app in Windows 10, then System, Default apps, scroll down to Web browser, and select the browser you’d like to use as your default. Now Cortana searches will be performed using that browser instead of Edge although the searches will still be made using the Bing search engine.

To force Cortana to use Google search instead, you’ll need to install the ‘bing2google’ extension in whatever browser you’re using. After installing it, there’s nothing else to do and Cortana’s searches will automatically be forwarded to and processed by Google as if they were Google searches. Results should now be returned in your browser of choice and using Google’s search engine. Poor Cortana will just be the messenger, the relay and have to tell Bing and Edge that they aren’t needed. Of course if you decide to switch, you can disable ‘bing2google’ and make Edge the default browser again and just wake them when you need them.

Install bing2google From The Chrome Web Store

Install bing2google Script For FIrefox

Enable GodMode in Windows 10

For the past three versions of Windows, a special way to access many administrator and system tasks has been hidden in a feature called ‘GodMode’. By accessing ‘GodMode’ you can perform many advanced tasks and have them all conveniently laid out all at once in a folder. Most if not all of these features can also be accessed via the Control Panel or Settings but with GodMode you can find them all in one place and it is especially helpful if you want to do a bunch of administrator tasks at the same time. Accessing GodMode is surprisingly easy, just follow these steps to gain omnipotence over your Windows domain.

1. Right-click on the desktop and select ‘New’ then ‘Folder’.

2. Name the folder ‘GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}‘, not including the apostrophes. Press Enter to create the folder.

3. The folder will now magically be named ‘GodMode’ and opening it will let you access numerous administrator options, settings, and tasks.

Inside GodMode you can do anything from managing disk space, Windows Defender, network settings, display options, etc. and access it all from one place. It’s definitely useful if you’re an admin, take care of the family computer or if you frequently switch settings for various thing inside Windows. It’s also just a fun all around tool and somewhat of a Microsoft Easter Egg.

It’s good to know that Microsoft chose to include it inside Windows 10 as well to speed up performing maintenance and administrative tasks. With the process being so simple, give it a try if you’ve ever wanted to speed up access to common system tasks. Note that you will need to be on an Administrator account to create and use GodMode.

Windows 10 and Wi-Fi Sense: Is It Safe?

Windows 10 has a new feature called Wi-Fi Sense that allows you to share your local Wi-Fi internet access with people you know as well as access public, crowd-sourced hotspots. You can include Facebook and Skype contacts as well as anyone else you’d like to share your network with and they will then be able to connect to your WiFi without a password if they are in range. If you’ve ever had to share your password with friends or family when they visit, this feature is meant to streamline that process as well as let you keep your password without changing it or giving it away to others while still letting them use your network.

Of course this sounds like quite a security headache at first glance. Wouldn’t this mean that some random Facebook acquaintance could wander over to your area, connect to your home network without a password, and then either hack your computer or view all your data? Thankfully that is not the case and Microsoft has designed Wi-Fi sense to reduce abuses like that. First, you must manually enable sharing on your home network for others to access it. Sharing is disabled by default so you won’t instantly get random contacts being able to connect to your network. You can turn it on and off as you like for when you have guests over or if you want to turn it off completely. Your WiFi networks can also be hidden by adding ‘_optout’ to the end of your SSID, the name of your network that is broadcast.

Also important is that Wi-Fi Sense does not enable file sharing or browsing of any kind, only internet access. So even if someone does connect to your network, they will not be able to steal files stored on your computer or browse through them.

If you’re concerned that Wi-Fi Sense gives your password away to everyone, that is also not the case. The password is uploaded, encrypted, and stored by Microsoft in the cloud so it is never retrievable or viewable in plaintext. It’s essentially invisible and used only by Wi-Fi Sense to make it easier for people to share networks without revealing their passwords.

All things considered, it’s up to you to decide if you want to use this feature. It’s been a part of certain business versions of Windows for some time now where sharing networks is common and useful. Like anything, it’s not entirely invulnerable to attack or abuse but on the other hand it is not as disastrously unsecured as some people think.

Fix The ‘Setup Couldn’t Start Properly’ Error When Upgrading to Windows 10

Some people have encountered an annoying error that reads ‘Setup Couldn’t Start Properly’ while trying to download the Windows 10 files with the Media Creation Tool. The next logical step would be to close the app and launch it again. However, this error will also prevent you from running the Media Creation Tool, as it pops up right after launching the app. Luckily it is very simple to fix this problem and hopefully complete the full download of your Windows 10 upgrade. Follow these steps to get the Media Creation Tool functional again so the download will go through.

1. Delete the Media Creation Tool. The file is very small and not tied to anything else so it is safe to remove completely.

2. Restart your computer.

3. Open the C:\ drive and enable viewing hidden files and folders.

4. Find folders called ‘$Windows.~BT’ and ‘$Windows.~WS’ and delete them both.

5. Download and install the Media Creation Tool once more. It should now start without giving you the error and you will be able to attempt the download again.

Those folders you deleted held the previous update attempt files which apparently cause the error with the Media Creation Tool. With some luck, removing them and downloading the tool again should fix this error and allow you to try downloading the files again. This is just a small obstacle in the way of enjoying that new Windows 10 upgrade. Luckily this is among the easiest of errors to fix and also one of the quickest. If for some very unlucky reason your download is interrupted again, you can repeat this process to have yet another crack at it. You can also try to find a more stable internet connection to make sure it completes quickly and without the possibility of becoming corrupted.