TechnoBB – Page 14

Guide to Upgrading to Windows 10 From Windows 7

Windows 7 has been a tried and true OS for years and many users have even held onto it to avoid the often criticized Windows 8/8.1. With Windows 10 here and addressing many of the issues that plagued Windows 8, it’s no surprise many Windows 7 users are considering the free upgrade. You can enjoy a number of new features as well as a modern and more future proof OS. Upgrading is surprisingly easy and takes just a few steps and some patience. Read on to find out how to easily upgrade from Windows 7.

1. Before you begin, check if your copy of Windows is activated to avoid any problems after the upgrade. Right-click on your My Computer icon or on Computer in the Start menu and then select Properties. Under ‘Windows activation’ it will indicate if it’s activated.

2. Back up all of your most important files. The upgrade will preserve everything but it’s always better to have a backup in case something goes wrong.

3. Download and launch the Media Creation Tool. This tool lets you make a bootable USB or DVD as well as directly upgrade on your computer.

4. Select ‘Upgrade this PC now’ to start the upgrade process without making a bootable USB or DVD.

5. The tool will begin downloading the Windows 10 files. The files are large so this will take several hours at least. You can continue to use your PC but do not disturb the download window.

6. Once the download is done, the tool will begin preparing the installation. You will be asked if you want to search for updates. You can skip the updates and perform them after the install or search for them at this time.

7. Now, after a few more windows you’ll be asked to accept the License terms, click ‘Accept’.

8. Now you can choose to keep your existing apps and files or you can delete everything and have a clean install. Be very careful here to select ‘Keep personal files and apps’ if you don’t want everything to be deleted.

9. Your PC will install various files and restart several times and then you can enjoy your newly upgraded Windows 10 PC.

Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10

Along with some of the newer features in Windows 10 comes a host of new keyboard shortcuts to go with them. Sometimes a few keystrokes is faster and more accurate than doing the same action with a mouse or touchpad. While it might take a little practice to learn them, keyboard shortcuts will eventually become second nature and improve your overall experience. Here are some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts and what they can do.

Window Snapping

With Window Snapping you can have up to four different windows onscreen at a time, conveniently designated to different halves or quadrants of the screen. It’s very useful for working on different apps or data simultaneously if you need it all in view.

Windows Key+Left — snap current window to the left.

Windows Key+Right — snap current window to the right.

Windows Key+Up — snap current window to the top.

Windows Key+Down — snap current window to the bottom.

Virtual Desktops

Virtual Desktops lets you have multiple “desktops” each with any number of open windows and apps that you can switch between. It’s also potentially very useful for work in which you want separate environments but access to all of them at once.

Windows Key+Ctrl+D — create a new virtual desktop.

Windows Key+Ctrl+Left — scroll left through virtual desktops.

Windows Key+Ctrl+Right — scroll right through virtual desktops.

Windows Key+Ctrl+F4 — close the current desktop.

Windows Key+Tab — view all virtual desktops in the Task View page.

Cortana

Cortana is Microsoft’s new digital assistant and can answer your questions via voice or text input.

Windows Key+Q — open Cortana for voice input.

Windows Key+S — open Cortana for text input.

Windows Key+I — open the Windows 10 settings pane.

Windows Key+A — open Windows 10 notifications

Windows Key+X — open the Start menu

Command Prompt

With the command prompt, you can access detailed system functions and perform diagnostics and maintenance. To allow for shortcuts while in the Command Prompt, right-click the top of the window, click Properties, then in the Options tab uncheck ‘Use legacy console’, enable Ctrl shortcuts, and enable the text selection options. This is a great feature for anyone who has had to type in lengthy and obscure commands. Now you can just copy and paste with the same text keystrokes.

Shift+Left — highlight text to the left of the cursor.

Shift+Right — highlight text to the right of the cursor.

Ctrl+Shift+Left (or Right) — highlight a block of text.

Ctrl+C — copy selected text to the Windows clipboard.

Ctrl+V — paste text from the Windows clipboard.

Ctrl+A — select all text after the prompt.

Classic Helpful Shortcuts

Windows Key+Home — minimize all windows except the active one.

Windows Key+L — lock your PC and go to the lock screen.

Windows Key+E — launch Windows Explorer

Alt+Tab — switch between windows.

Alt+F4 — close the current window.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc — open Task Manager.

Windows Key+R — open the Run dialog box.

Shift+Delete — delete files without sending them to the Recycle Bin.

Alt+Enter — show the properties of the currently selected file.

Windows Key+PrtScr — take a screenshot saved to your Pictures folder.

Windows Key+plus — zoom in using the Magnifier utility.

Windows Key+minus — zoom out using the Magnifier utility.

Disable Or Uninstall OneDrive In Windows 10

OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage platform and lets you sync data across many devices. You can upload and download a variety of data and set OneDrive to automatically back up everything to the cloud. While some might find this a wonderfully beneficial feature, it does introduce some security concerns, especially on shared devices. You might also just prefer a different cloud storage platform or not like cloud storage in general. By default, OneDrive is enabled all the time in Windows 10. However, it is easy to either disable the app from running or delete it entirely. Follow these steps if you choose not to use OneDrive.

Disable OneDrive Via The Registry Editor

1. Hit Windows Key + R to launch the Run dialog box.

2. Enter ‘RegEdit.exe’ and then click ‘Ok’ or hit the Enter key to open the Registry Editor.

3. Find the registry entry called ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows’.

4. Right-click Windows and select New, then Key. Name the new key ‘OneDrive’.

5. Right-click the OneDrive key and select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this ‘DisableFileSyncNGSC’.

6. Set the data value for ‘DisableFileSyncNGSC’ to 1.

7. Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC.

Uninstall OneDrive Completely

If that process doesn’t work, you can also just uninstall OneDrive and all of its components very easily. You can always download OneDrive again if you want it. This process will remove the OneDrive app so it won’t upload any data and you won’t be able to download any of your OneDrive data on that device.

1. Open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges.

2. Enter ‘taskkill /f /im OneDrive.exe’ to stop OneDrive if it is running.

3. For the 32-bit version, enter ‘%SystemRoot%\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall’.

4. For the 64-bit version, enter ‘%SystemRoot%\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe /uninstall’.

5. Run the following commands to clear old OneDrive folders:

‘rd “%UserProfile%\OneDrive” /Q /S’

‘rd “%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\OneDrive” /Q /S’

‘rd “%ProgramData%\Microsoft OneDrive” /Q /S’

‘rd “C:\OneDriveTemp” /Q /S’

6. You can also remove the following registry entries:

‘REG Delete “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}” /f’

‘REG Delete “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}” /f’

The 5 Best Features of Windows 10

Windows 10 has quite a few substantial changes, especially when compared to the much maligned Windows 8. With Windows 8, Microsoft tried hard to blend desktops, tablets, and mobile devices but ended up frustrating users of all of them by making odd concessions like removing the beloved Start menu from the Windows 8 desktop environment. Luckily Microsoft has learned their lesson the hard way and Windows 10 is actually the biggest and most ambitious launch for Microsoft perhaps ever. It’s so big in fact that Microsoft skipped Windows 9 and jumped straight from 8.1 to 10. Here are 5 of the best and brightest reasons to upgrade to Windows 10.

1. Start Menu

Yes, it’s back and better than ever. For some reason, Microsoft thought that people would like having a strange tablet-like experience on their new Windows 8 desktops and removed the Start menu that was so familiar to users of Windows products for decades. The trusty Start menu allows you quick access to apps, utilities and documents and it’s a wonder that it was removed completely. Thank your lucky stars it makes well-deserved reappearance in Windows 10 where it will be instantly familiar to anyone upgrading from Windows 7 and below.

2. Edge Browser

Edge is Microsoft’s brand new browser meant to compete with the popular Chrome and Firefox browsers that largely replaced their awful Internet Explorer. Using Internet Explorer was slow, painful and it was riddled with security problems. Edge is new, fast, clean and a worthy competitor to any modern browser. It’s likely to win more than a few fans and new Windows 10 users over.

3. Cortana

She might have first appeared as Master Chief’s assistant in the wildly popular Halo series, but now she lives in many a Microsoft device as a helpful digital assistant. Cortana is Microsoft’s response to Apple’s Siri digital assistant and she’s every bit as helpful. Cortana responds directly to your voice and can help with searches, appointments, etc. and act as a great help in this busy digital world.

4. Continuum Mode

Continuum Mode is a cleverly designed way to switch between the difference interfaces available on tablets, desktops, and other devices. These devices have varying sizes, aspect ratios and inputs so why force them to share a single interface style? It’s much better and convenient to allow users to seamlessly switch between them, especially on hybrid devices that would benefit the most from fast interface swapping.

5. It’s Free!

Microsoft has often been abbreviated to M$ by jaded users who rightfully felt at times that Microsoft only wishes to squeeze every last penny from them with minor upgrades. Well Microsoft responded by making Windows 10 entirely free, not only to recent buyers of newer devices but even older users on Windows 7 and Window 8. It was a bold move and is sure to delight both loyal Microsoft users and those new to the world of Windows.

-> Force Upgrade to Windows 10

-> Download the Windows 10 Pro ISO Without a Key From Microsoft

Download the Windows 10 Pro ISO Without a Key From Microsoft

With users the world over upgrading to Windows 10, Microsoft has thoughtfully made ISO files available as well so the upgrade process can be streamlined. An ISO version is great if you need to upgrade multiple machines, install Windows 10 on a formatted device, or just prefer to have a backup in case you need to make repairs or do another install. Luckily, the Windows 10 Pro ISO is available to download from Microsoft and no key is required upfront. You will of course need a genuine key when you actually install Windows 10 however.

Before you begin, you’ll need to make sure you have enough storage space for the relatively large Windows 10 ISO file. You’ll also need a USB or DVD to write the files to so you can make bootable media to install Windows 10. You might also want to double check if your PC is fully compatible with Windows 10. A stable internet connection is highly recommended as the file size is large and you don’t want to have it be corrupted and have to download the entire thing again.

If you’re all set, head on over to the Microsoft’s Software Download page here. Then simply select Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro, select your Language, and then either the 32-bit or 64-bit version depending on your system. Once you’ve made the relevant selections, the download should begin and once it’s done, you’re ready to install and enjoy Windows 10!

The process is very simple and thankfully Microsoft has eliminated virtually all of the hassle of upgrading to a new OS. The way the Windows 10 launch has been managed bodes well for the future of Microsoft and Windows 10. It’s a great time to be a Windows user and the free upgrade certainly doesn’t hurt.

Force Upgrade to Windows 10

Microsoft has officially launched the full release version of Windows 10 though it is still rolling out as part of Windows Update. As many have been eagerly anticipating the day of the release and have their free upgrades reserved, now is the time to download the update itself and begin enjoying Windows 10. If you’ve already reserved your upgrade, Windows Update should eventually download and apply the upgrade automatically. If you don’t want to wait however, you can force the upgrade with a few easy steps.

1. Make sure Windows Update is not already in the process of downloading the Windows 10 files. Enable viewing Hidden items and check your C:\ folder for an entry ‘$Windows.~BT‘. If it’s there, the upgrade process has already started so you can just sit back and wait. Otherwise, continue to Step 2.

2. You will need a genuine copy of Windows 7/8.1, all previous Windows updates, and a compatible device. Make sure these all apply to your system.

3. Now launch Windows Update. Enable ‘Install updates automatically’.

4. Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download and delete everything in that folder. These are just temporary update files so don’t fret about removing them.

5. Hit the Windows button and type ‘cmd’ in the search box. Right click on ‘cmd.exe’ and ‘Run as Administrator’. This will open the Command Prompt window.

6. Inside the Command Prompt window, type ‘wuauclt.exe /updatenow‘ and then hit the Enter key.

7. Now wait a few moments and check Windows Update again. It should have begun downloading Windows 10 with a progress bar for the download status.

8. After the download is complete, it will say ‘Preparing for installation’ and after that is finished you can finally install Windows 10 and reboot to try it out.

That’s all there is to it, a pretty simple trick to force the Windows 10 upgrade. Windows 10 has a lot of new features on offer, so enjoy taking it for a spin and trying out all the changes and additions.

-> Download the Windows 10 Pro ISO Without a Key From Microsoft

-> The 5 Best Features of Windows 10