How to Change Your Computer’s IP Address From the Command Prompt ?

How to Change Your Computer’s IP Address From the Command Prompt ?

It’s easy enough to change an IP address on your PC using Control Panel, but did you know you can also do it from the Command Prompt?

Changing your IP address with the Control Panel interface isn’t difficult, but it does require clicking through a number of different windows and dialog boxes. If you’re a fan of the Command Prompt, though, you can get it done more quickly using the netsh command, which is just one of the great network utilities built into Windows.

The netsh command allows you to configure just about any aspect of your network connections in Windows. To work with it, you’ll need to open Command Prompt with administrative privileges. In Windows 10 or 8.1, right-click the Start menu (or press Windows+X on your keyboard) and choose “Command Prompt (Admin).” In previous versions of Windows, search Start for “command prompt” and then right-click the result and choose “Run as Administrator.”

View Your Network Information

Before you change your IP address and related information, you’ll need to find the full name of the network for the interface you want to change. To do this, type the following command:

netsh interface ipv4 show config

Scroll down until you see the interface you’re looking for. In our example, we’re going to modify the Wi-Fi interface, which on our machine is just named “Wi-Fi.” You’ll also see other default names that Windows assigns to interfaces, such as “Local Area Connection,” “Local Area Connection* 2,” and “Ethernet.” Just find the one you’re looking for and make note of the exact name. You can also copy and paste the name to Notepad and then back into Command Prompt later to make things easier.

Change Your IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway

With the interface name in hand, you’re ready to change the IP Address, subnet mask, and gateway. To do this, you’ll issue a command using the following syntax:

4 set address name="YOUR INTERFACE NAME" static IP_ADDRESS SUBNET_MASK GATEWAY

So, for example, your command might look something like the following:

netsh interface ipv4 set address name="Wi-Fi" static 192.168.3.8 255.255.255.0 192.168.3.1

where the info is replaced by whatever you want to use. In our example, the command does the following:

Uses the interface name “Wi-Fi”

Sets the IP address to 192.168.3.1

Sets the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0

Sets the default gateway to 192.168.3.1

And if you’re using a static IP address but want to switch to using an IP address assigned automatically by a DHCP server–such as your router–you can use the following command instead:

netsh interface ip4 set address name=”YOUR INTERFACE NAME” source=dhcp

Change Your DNS Settings

You can also use the netsh command to change the DNS servers used by a network interface. Third-party DNS servers–like Google Public DNS and OpenDNS–can be faster and more reliable than the DNS servers provided by your ISP. Whatever your reason for changing your DNS server, you can do it either at the router so it affects all the devices that get their information from the router or at the individual device. If you want to change the DNS servers for just one PC, it’s easy to do with the netsh command.

You’ll need to use the command twice: once to set your primary DNS server and once to set your secondary, or backup, DNS server. To set your primary DNS server, use the following syntax:

netsh interface ipv4 set dns name="YOUR INTERFACE NAME" static DNS_SERVER

So, for example, your command might look something like the following (in which we set it to Google’s primary public DNS server, 8.8.8.8):

netsh interface ipv4 set dns name="Wi-Fi" static 8.8.8.8

To set your secondary DNS server, you’ll use a very similar command:

netsh interface ipv4 set dns name="YOUR INTERFACE NAME" static DNS_SERVER index=2

So, continuing our example, you might set your secondary DNS as the Google Public DNS secondary server, which is 8.8.4.4:

netsh interface ipv4 set dns name="Wi-Fi" static 8.8.4.4 index=2

And just like with the IP address, you can also change it so that the network interface grabs its DNS settings automatically from a DHCP server instead. Just use the following command:

netsh interface ipv4 set dnsservers name"YOUR INTERFACE NAME" source=dhcp

And there you have it. Whether you like typing at the command prompt better or just want to impress your coworkers, now you know all the command line magic you need for changing your IP address settings.

How to Monitor Your CPU Temperature ?

How to Monitor Your CPU Temperature ?

There are two groups of users worried about the temperature of their computer: overclockers… and pretty much anybody with a powerful laptop. Those things just cook you! So have you ever wondered exactly what temperature your CPU is running at?

There are quite a few Windows programs that you can use to monitor the temperature. Here are two of our favorite options.

For Basic CPU Temperature Monitoring: Core Temp.

The most important temperature to measure in your computer is the processor, or CPU. Core Temp is a simple, lightweight app that runs in your system tray and monitor’s the temperature of your CPU without cluttering it up with other stuff. It offers a few different options so you can customize it to your tastes, and even works with other programs like Rainmeter.

Download Core Temp from its home page and install it on your computer. When you run it, it will appear as an icon or series of icons in your system tray showing the temperature of your CPU. If your CPU has multiple cores (as most modern CPUs do), it will show multiple icons–one for each core.

Right-click on the icon to show or hide the main window. It will give you a bunch of information about your CPU, including the model, speed, and the temperature of each of its cores.

Take particular note of the “TJ. Max” value–this is the highest temperature (in Celsius) at which the manufacturer has rated your CPU to run. If your CPU is anywhere near that temperature, it is considered overheating. (Usually it’s best to keep it at least 10 to 20 degrees lower than that–and even then, if you’re anywhere close, it usually means something is wrong unless you’ve overclocked your CPU.)

For most modern CPUs, Core Temp should be able to detect the Tj. Max for your specific processor, but you should look your specific processor online and double check. Every processor is a little different, and having an accurate Tj. Max value is very important, as it ensures you’re getting the correct temperature readings for your CPU.

Head to Options > Settings to configure some of Core Temp’s more useful features. Here are a few settings we recommend looking at:

•  General > Start Core Temp with Windows: You can turn this on or off; it’s up to you. Turning it on will allow you to monitor your temperatures at all time without having to remember to start it up. But if you only need the app occasionally, it’s okay to turn this off.

•  Display > Start Core Temp minimized: You’ll probably want to turn this on if you have “Start Core Temp with Windows” on.

• Display > Hide Taskbar Button: Again, if you’re going to leave it running all the time, this is good to turn on so it doesn’t waste space on your taskbar.

•  Notification Area > Notification Area Icons: This allows you to customize how Core Temp appears in your notification area (or system tray, as its commonly called). You can choose to display just the app’s icon, or display the temperature of your CPU–I recommend the “highest temperature” (instead of “all cores”, which will show multiple icons). You can also customize the font and colors here.

If the icon is only appearing in the pop-up tray and you want to see it at all times, just click and drag it onto your taskbar.

If you decide to show the temperature in the notification area, you may want to change the Temperature Polling Interval in the General tab of Core Temp’s settings. By default, it’s set to 1000 milliseconds, but you can move it higher if the blinking numbers annoy you. Just remember the higher you set it, the more time it’ll take for Core Temp to notify you if your CPU is running hot.

Core Temp can do a lot more than this–you can head to Options > Overheat Protection to have your computer alert you when it reaches its maximum safe temperature, for example–but these basics should be all you need to keep an eye on your CPU temperatures.

For Advanced Monitoring Across Your Entire System: HWMonitor

Generally, your CPU temperatures are going to be the most important temperatures to monitor. But, if you want to see temperatures across your system–motherboard, CPU, graphics card, and hard drives–HWMonitor gives you that and much more.

Download the latest version from the HWMonitor home page–I recommend the ZIP version, which doesn’t require installation, though you can also download the full setup version if you want. Start it up, and you’ll be greeted with a table of temperatures, fan speeds, and other values.

To find your CPU temperature, scroll down to the entry for your CPU–mine, for example, is an “Intel Core i7 4930K”–and look at the “Core #” temperatures in the list.

(Note that “Core Temperature” is different than “CPU Temp”, which will appear under the motherboard section for some PCs. Generally, you’ll want to monitor the Core temperature. See our note below about AMD temperatures for more info.)

Feel free to poke around and see temperatures for other components in your system, too. There isn’t much else you can do with HWMonitor, but it’s a good program to have around.

A Note on AMD Processor Temperatures

Monitoring temperatures for AMD processors has long puzzled computer enthusiasts. Unlike most Intel processors, AMD machines will report two temperatures: “CPU Temperature” and “Core Temperature”.

“CPU Temperature” is an actual temperature sensor inside the CPU’s socket. “Core Temperature”, on the other hand, isn’t really a temperature at all. It’s an arbitrary scale measured in degrees celsius designed to, in a way, mimic a temperature sensor.

Your BIOS will often show the CPU Temperature, which may differ from programs like Core Temp, which show Core Temperature. Some programs, like HWMonitor, show both.

CPU Temperature is more accurate at low levels, but less so at high levels. Core Temperature is more accurate and precise when your CPU get hot–which is when temperature values really matter. So, in almost all cases, you’ll want to pay attention to Core Temperature. When your system is idle, it may show impossibly low temperatures (like 15 degrees celsius), but once things heat up a bit, it will show a more accurate–and useful–value.

What to Do If You Don’t Get a Reading (or Temperatures Look Really Wrong)

In some cases, you may find that one of the above programs doesn’t quite work. Maybe it doesn’t match up with another temperature-monitoring program, maybe it’s absurdly low, or maybe you can’t get a temperature at all.

There are a lot of reasons this could happen, but here are a few things to check:

Are you looking at the right sensors? If two programs don’t agree, it’s possible–especially on AMD machines–that one program is reporting the “Core temperature” and one is reporting the “CPU temperature”. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Core temperature is usually what you want to monitor, as we mentioned above.

Make sure your programs are up to date. If you’re using an old version of Core Temp, for example, it may not support your CPU, in which case it won’t provide an accurate temperature (or possibly won’t even provide a temperature at all). Download the latest version to see if it fixes the problem. If you have a very new CPU, you may need to wait for an update to the program.

How old is your computer? If it’s more than a few years old, it may not be supported by programs like Core Temp.

We could write a book about monitoring CPU temperatures, but in the interest of keeping this easy to follow, we’ll leave it at that. Hopefully, you can get a general estimate of how well your CPU is being cooled.

How To Enable in Windows 10 Remote Access To Administrative Shares

How To Enable in Windows 10 Remote Access To Administrative Shares.

This is how you can enable remote access to administrative shares in Windows 10.

(This guide applies to Windows 8.x, 7 and Vista too – only the screenshots are a bit different.)

The issue:

Adminstrative shares are default shares of all the disk drives on a Windows computer. These allow access to the root disks remotely.

If you try to connect to adminstrative shares (for instance C$ or D$) on a remote computer running a newer version of Windows than Windows XP, you will not be able to.

The solution:

First, you need to have a local account with administrative rights on the computer you want to connect to running Windows 10 or older.

You may need to enable Advanced Sharing. Right-click any disk drive using File Explorer and click “Properties”. Then click “Advanced Sharing” and turn on file sharing when it asks if you want to enable it. (Don’t share the disk drive, just close the dialog box.)

Now, at this point, you can connect to a remote share (i.e \\SERVERNAME\c$) but get prompted to enter a username and password.

If you enter the username and password of the local account on the server, (i.e \\SERVERNAME\MyAdminUser), you still get an error message.

This is because of a default security policy that disables access to adminstrative shares.

Thankfully, a small registry hack is all it takes to get around the issue by creating a policy manually that overrides the default setting. Do this on the server that has the shares you want to access remotely:

1.      Click the Windows Start icon and search for “regedit”. Right-click and select “run as administrator”.

2.      Expand the tree to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft\ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ policies \ system.

3.      Create a new key (Right click -> New -> choose “DWORD Value (32bit)”).

4.      Name the key “LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy” and give it the value of “1”. Click OK.

5.      Reboot the server to enable the setting to take effect.

6.      Now when you try to access the administrative shares on the remote computer, it should magically work.

Registry Hacks to Make Windows 10 Cooler .

Registry Hacks to Make Windows 10 Cooler .

Many believe that Windows 10 is the best Windows system Microsoft has ever released. And, many think that it failed to deliver the best. It might be cool but not perfect. So, if you think the same then let’s make Windows 10 cooler by hacking through the registry editor of Windows 10.

Here, I’d like to share with you, my 5 most favorite registry hacks for Windows 10 that makes it cooler. Registry Editor is made by Microsoft for those advanced users that want to change the looks and behavior of the Windows OS according to their needs.

A strong note : Don’t mess around with the Registry Editor if you don’t know what you’re doing. You might end up making your PC inoperable. I’d suggest you to take a system backup before you proceed. Read more on Registry Editor.

Now,  one more thing. There were many registry hacks that worked in the Windows 10 preview. But, after the release of the RTM version, they don’t work now. So, these are the ones that are working on Windows 10 Professional (Version 1511). Hit Windows Key + R and type in winver to check the current build and version on your system.

Again hit Windows key + R and type regedit to open registry editor. On the left, you’ll find the all the folder that contain the registries and D-words. On the right, you’ll get to see those registries and D-words. Below, I’ve shown the path of the specific D-Word or the registry that you’ll have to edit(along with screenshots).

You can use a third-party tool like RegScanner to quickly find the Registry or D-word that you’d like edit. Or else you can just simply hunt through the folders and find them.

Colored Title bar with Start Menu and Taskbar in Black

If you know you can change the title bar colors in Windows 10. But the colors that you apply to the title bar also are applied to the start menu and taskbar. So, what if you want to change title bar color but let the taskbar and Start Menu color remain black just like before?

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\DWM

Double click on ColorPrevalence. Replace the value to 1.

Make Taskbar Completely Transparent

Here, we are not going to edit the registry but we’ll make use of a small utility that we had shared before. We’ll use Classic Start Menu to turn down the transparency of the taskbar to completely transparent. Follow the linked guide on how to install and use it.

In Windows 10 Start Menu settings you just have to turn down the transparency 0 to make it completely transparent.

Dark Theme for Settings

Who doesn’t like a dark user interface? Even if it’s light around us we still tend to use the dark UI. Because, it’s easier on the eyes. Now, you can get this dark cool in the settings of Windows 10. We had written about it before so refresh your memory and thank us later.

Make Desktop Menus Snappier

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Double click on MenuShowDelay. You just need to turn down the value. Here I’ve made it to 200. This will reduce the delay in Menu animation.

Remove OneDrive Icon from File Explorer

Who uses OneDrive? Well, you might be if you got lured by those 100GB free cloud storage deals. But, I didn’t. And, I don’t want it on my desktop. We had shown you how you can disable it from Windows 10. But, if you don’t want to disable it but also don’t want it to appear in the file explorer then follow the below path and remove it.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}

Double click on System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree. Make the value 0.

WINDOWS 10 BEST HIDDEN TIPS AND TRICKS

WINDOWS 10 BEST HIDDEN TIPS AND TRICKS

Microsoft Corporation releases their latest and updated operating system Windows 10 with many exclusive features and easy user friendly interfaces. In Windows 10 have many latest drivers and options that help the user work more easy and simple.  But many user don’t know the exclusive options and features that’s why write this article that have top 10 best Windows 10 Tips and Tricks. Obviously Windows lover likes this article for new and exclusive tricks that they don’t know before read this article and get tips to operate Windows 10 easily and shortcut.  So don’t be late, read the full article and implement this Windows tips and tricks and enjoy windows 10 operating system.

1. SET USEFUL OPTIONS IN START MENU-

You can set all the necessary software and drivers in the Start menu in your choice that helps you to do your work more easy and minimize your time. This feature makes your Start menu more stylists. You also can private your Start menu and pin software in your choice. You can read How to customize Start Menu in Windows 10 from this page.

2. CHANGE VIEW MODE OF START SCREEN-

You can easily change your computer monitor view mode anytime if you setup Windows 10. You can see your monitor view size in tablet mode and full screen mode anytime. This feature modifies your start screen and showing display to your wants.

3. MAKE TASKBAR SEARCH TO DEFAULT WEB SEARCHER-

This search box also a mind blowing feature. You can use this search box for internal search and also web search. For this feature you can get all your answer and way from one platform. You can search any type of topics just giving simple meaningful word.

4. USE WINDOWS 10 NEW CALCULATOR-

Windows 10 have exclusive and updated calculator that makes your work easier. So you can know the using tricks of this calculator. Just read from here about Windows 10 calculator. You calculate any types of math and solve logical algorithm by this calculator. So at first knowing the using tricks and then uses it in your work.

5. CREATE PRIVATE FOLDER WITHOUT NAME AND ICON-

This is also an exclusive feature that makes your folder private and uncommon. It makes uncommon folder because the folder if you make have no name and icon.  So if you need uncommon and private folder then you can use this feature.  If you don’t know to create private folder then you read this article.

6. USEFUL SHORTCUT OF WINDOWS 10-

There are some shortcuts of Windows 10 that you do just using your keyboard and that minimize your time and done the work easily. So see the shortcut from bellow and bookmark that for using next time.

Ø  Foe Task View = Hit Windows key + Tab.

Ø  Closing virtual desktop = Windows key + Ctrl + F4.

Ø  Moving your app to right site quadrant = Windows key + Right-Up.

Ø  Cortana Listening = Windows key + Ctrl-C.

Ø  Maximizing or snap app move to top or bottom of screen.

Ø  Opening new virtual desktop = Windows key + Ctrl-D.

Ø  Checking daily glance of weather, news and sports = Windows key + S.

Ø  Virtual desktop = Hit Windows key + Ctrl-Left or Right.

Above shortcuts minimize your time and spreading your work so applying that in your work time. Just using keyboard and enjoying Windows 10 shortcut.

7.  SETUP THEME AS YOUR CHOICE-

Microsoft release many exclusive themes for Windows 10 and many theme maker also make colorful and gorgeous theme. You can change your Windows theme anytime. Especially black and hd theme change your monitor view and making more stylist. You can read “Best Windows 10 Themes and Setup Guide” article that helps you to setup new theme and there have best Windows 10 theme collections.

You can also change your Windows 10 wallpaper anytime. You can get 10 exclusive and stylist HD windows 10 wallpaper from this “Best Windows 10 Wallpaper HD and Setup Guide” page.

8. USE CORTANA FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANCE-

This feature really awesome and it helps you in your work by giving personal assistance. You can easily setup Cortana by following the steps from this article. This feature saves your money because you don’t need personal assistant if you use this.  You can ask any type question to Cortana and that answer and help you to provide planning and exclusive idea.

9. ENABLE WINDOWS QUICK TIPS-

You get all types of tips and trick about Windows 10 OS from this feature. It’s really awesome and it helps you to fix any types of error or attacks in your computer. So go to settings and enable the feature right now.

10. TIPS FOR SOME SPECIFIC OPTIONS-

Some specific features of Windows 10 make your new experience of operating system. So read the bellow features and enjoy  the new Windows 10 operating system.

Change Taskbar Color-  You want to change your taskbar color anytime. This exclusive feature makes your taskbar more colorful and gorgeous. If you don’t know changing the taskbar color then read this article now and colorful your taskbar.

Set Battery Saver- This feature save your laptop and tablet battery charge by off unwanted software and drivers. It’s also reducing your battery pressure.  So you should use this feature if you use laptop or tablet. These features automatically reduce and increase your brightness and also improve power saving options of the battery.

Use Offline Map- Windows 10 has this exclusive Map that you want to use offline means without internet. Just you update the map a time then use anytime and anywhere. This updated map detects your present position and giving instruction if you go anywhere.

Top 33 Windows 10 tips, tricks, hacks, and tweaks.

The top 33 Windows 10 tips, tricks, hacks, and tweaks.

Have you made the switch to Windows 10 on your primary operating system? With it being free, and Microsoft pushing the update to users, most of you probably already have. And if you haven’t, listen. XP is dead.

Oh, yeah, Windows 10 is awesome. To help you get even more of the awesome out of Windows 10, we’ve scoured the web to provide you with the top 33 Windows 10 tips, tricks, hacks, and tweaks for your computing pleasure. Anyway, check out these cool tips and more to see if you can get some more cool factor out of 10.

1. Enable virtual desktops

For starters, yes, Linux has had this for years. I usually have six in my tray in KDE and mouse through them like a boss. But this is Windows, and it’s great to have this finally. To turn on virtual desktops, Win+Tab to get the Aero view, then click “+New Desktop” down in the lower right. You can have as many as you want, and switch between them by clicking the Desktop icon next to the search box.

2. Print to PDF

There is finally a built-in PDF printer in Windows 10. To print anything as PDF file, just pick the “Microsoft Print to PDF” printer.

3. Use Wi-Fi Sense to make getting online easy

Much maligned, and definitely misunderstood, Wi-Fi Sense is actually pretty cool, when you’re not an enterprise security admin. This lets you identify and share Wi-Fi hotspots with your contacts, including the PSK to get onto them, so if you set up a guest network at home, have a guest network at work, or find one at your favourite coffee shop, you can share the details with your contacts, and they can do the same with you. Of course, it requires that the networks are either open or use a pre-shared key. If your “enterprise” Wi-Fi network is using PSK, you’re doing it wrong! Of course, you can turn it off.

Favourites in Explorer has replaced the Quick Access menu, and it’s much cooler. With several options you can use to customize your experience, you can make Windows 10 do just what you want. Here’s a rundown.

4. Open File Explorer to:

This lets you choose whether to default to Quick access, or the “This PC” view.

5. Show recently used files in Quick access

Turn it off if you don’t want to see the MRU list of files.

6. Show recently used folders in Quick access

As above. Turn it off if you don’t want to see the MRU list of folders, but odds are good that will prove to be dead useful!

7. Clear

Something in the MRU list you’d rather not have showing? Hit Clear to drop the list like your browser history!

Customize the shell

There are new and subtle settings in the Command Prompt and/or PowerShell lets you make all kinds of cool customizations above and beyond just tweaking colours. On the Options tab, check out the following.

8. Filter clipboard contents on paste

This is totally awesome, especially when pasting from a browser. It will swap smart quotes to straight quotes, and remove tabs so your pastes are what you want.

9. Enable line wrapping selection

Thank you jeebus! This does exactly what it says.

10. Copy/Paste

Yes, in both PowerShell and the command prompt, your CTRL-C, -X, and –V keys work now.

11. Persistent command history

You know how up and down arrows let you scroll through your command history. Guess what? Your history now persists, so when you open a shell, your commands from last time are available. How cool is that?

12. Extended text selection keys

Let’s you use home, end, shift arrows, CTRL-C, CTRL-X, and CTRL-V just like you are accustomed to in just about every other text program ever. Up and down arrows still scroll through the command buffer, but I don’t think you’d really want to get rid of that.

13. Wrap text output on resize

Okay, this is on the Layout tab, but it’s still new. If you do have to resize a shell window, this will wrap the text to match.

14. Opacity

Sure, we have had this in Linux shells for years. So what? Now we have it in Windows, and it’s just as cool. Practical? Maybe not. But still, cool! I like 90%. It’s dense enough to read, but still lets me see what is behind it.

If you don’t see those options, clear the checkbox next to “Use legacy console (requires relaunch)” and, well, relaunch!

15. Get more fonts

Want to add other fonts to the shell? Me too! Here’s how.

1.       First, you have to use monospaced True type fonts.

2.       Launch regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Console\TrueTypeFont

3.       Create a new REG_SZ and give it a unique number

4.       Enter the name of the True type Font you want to use.

5.       Reboot to make it available.

16. Shake it off

If you want to disable the Aero shake thing that causes all open windows to minimize, there’s an easy reg-hack to do so.

Launch regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows.

Create a new key called Explorer

Create a new DWORD(32) names NoWindowsMinimizingShortcuts

Set it to 1.

17. Disable the startup delay

If your machine is screaming fast to boot, uses an SSD, and is otherwise a rocket, you can get even more speed by disabling the startup delay that Windows includes by default to keep from overtaxing your hardware.

Launch regedit and navigate to CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Serialize

Create a new DWORD named StartupDelayInMSec

Set it to 0.

18. Background scrolling

Check it out. You can mouse over another windows and scroll it without clicking on it first, stealing focus from your active window. That’s dead useful when one window is instructions, and the other is the shell you are trying to enter command within!

Check out all these keyboard shortcuts

Some of these are tried and true, but some may be new to you, and all work great in Windows 10.

19. Windows Key-A launches the Action Center

20. Windows Key-I launches the Settings App

21. Windows Key-X launches the Power User Menu

22. Windows Key-R launches the Run dialog

23. Windows Key-Tab brings up the task view

24. Windows Key-Right-Up moves the active app to top right quadrant

25. Windows Key-Ctrl-Left or Right navigates across your virtual desktops

26. Windows Key-Ctrl-D creates a new virtual desktop

27. Windows Key-S brings up the Daily Glance for weather, news, sports, etc.

28. Windows Key-Ctrl-F4 closes the active virtual desktop

29. Windows Key-Up and Down snaps the active app to top or bottom of screen or maximizes it.

30. Get back more taskbar by losing the Search bar

Cortana is cool and all that, but if you don’t use the “Ask me anything” box, you can buy back a lot of taskbar real estate by turning that off. Here’s how.

1.       Right-click the task bar.

2.       Choose Cortana options

3.       Remove the checkbox next to “Show search box.”

31. Last Active Click

My favourite hack in this list is this one. I may have a dozen tabs open in IE at any point in time. If I click on another app, then have to get back to the tab I was on and click on the E icon, it pops up all the open tabs and even the windows so I have to figure out which one I was on. With this hack, if I just click, it takes me back to exactly the tab I was on. This works the same on other apps too, so if I had seventeen Word docs open, it would just take me right back to the last one I was active in when I click the icon.

1.Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

2.       Create a new 32bit Dword called LastActiveClick.

3.       Set it to 1.

4.       Profit!

32. Find the hidden images

The lock screen and logon screen have some really cool images, which as it turns out, by default both rotate AND change. Seems Microsoft has a CDN that updates these images based on what you click that like or not. Want to save one or more of those images for future use? Here’s where they are hiding!

1.       Open Explorer and brows to      %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.ContentDeliveryManager_[custom string of characters]\LocalState\Assets\

2.       Copy all of the files to a new directory.

3.       Open a command prompt in that directory.

4.       Run this command

ren *.* *.png [enter]

5.       Browse through them and find the ones you like!

33. Battery saver settings let you get every single mA out of your battery

The Battery saver settings can help extend your laptop’s battery life when you’re at 32K feet and not in first class. Go to Settings, Battery saver, and make sure it is set to come on. You can adjust when it does come on based on estimated battery life remaining, and what it does to help extend things, like reducing the screen brightness and limiting the apps that can run in the background and do push notifications. Since those need CPU and Wi-Fi to work, limiting the things running in the background can really make a difference.

With so many cool tweaks and hacks, you should have found something neat and new to help you pimp your desktop, but I am sure we missed some of the best. So if you have a favourite hack or tweak that makes Windows 10 your pawn, leave a comment and let us know what you’ve done. Thanks!

How to upgrade from a 32-bit to 64-bit version of Windows 10

How to upgrade from a 32-bit to 64-bit version of Windows 10

If your PC has a 32-bit version of Windows 10, then you're missing out on some productivity advantages. Use this guide to switch to the 64-bit version.

Microsoft offers Windows 10 as a free upgrade for computers running a genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Also, similar to previous releases, the operating system is available on different editions and two versions: 32-bit and 64-bit.

While upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro is not free, what many people are unfamiliar with is that Microsoft won't ask for more money to upgrade from a 32-bit to a 64-bit version.

However, the upgrade path only allows moving from a qualifying version to its equivalent edition on the same architecture. This limit means that if your PC is running a 32-bit version of Windows 8.1, after the upgrade you'll be stuck with the 32-bit version of Windows 10 -- even if your computer's processor can handle the 64-bit version. The only solution is to make a clean installation of the operating system and reconfigure all your apps and settings.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to verify whether your computer in fact includes support for a 64-bit version and we'll guide you through the upgrade process to Windows 10 (x64).

Make sure Windows 10 64-bit is compatible with your PC.

A 64-bit version of Windows can only be installed on computers with capable hardware. As such, the first thing you need to do is to determine whether your computer has a 64-bit processor.

You can easily get this information from the Settings app.

1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
2. Click System.
3. Click About.
4. Under System type, you will see two pieces of information: if it says 32-bit operating system, x64-based processor, then it means that your PC is running a 32-bit version of Windows 10 on a 64-bit processor. If it says 32-bit operating system, x86-based processor, then your computer doesn't support Windows 10 (64-bit)                                                                                                            

                                          

Alternatively, you can open System Information to gather the processor information:

1. Open the Start menu, do a search for System Information, and press Enter.

2. Under System Summary, on the right side, look for System Type. If you see x64-based PC, then your computer is capable of running a 64-bit version of Windows. If you see x86-based PC, then you can't install another architecture of the operating system.

Also, even though most current PCs will run Windows 10, if you have an older computer, you'll also need to make sure the processor includes the required features. According to Microsoft's support page in Windows 8.x and later, the operating system requires three essential characteristics, including Physical Address Extension (PAE), No-eXecute (NX), and Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2). Additionally, Windows 10 (64-bit) also requires CMPXCHG16b (CX16) feature to be present in the processor.

The Windows Setup wizard always checks for hardware compatibility before the installation begins. If these features are not supported by the processor, Windows 10 won't install.

If you want to verify that your computer includes support for these features, you can use a command-line tool called Coreinfo from Microsoft's Windows Sysinternals.

1. Visit Windows Sysinternals and download Coreinfo.

2.·Open the folder you downloaded Coreinfo, right-click the zip folder, and select Extract all.

3. When the Coreinfo folder opens, click on File, and select Open command prompt.

4.Type the command coreinfo and press Enter.

     5.Coreinfo will now list the processor information and make sure PAE, NX, SSE2, and CX16 are present (you can use Ctrl+F keyboard shortcut to open the find command). If the four features are present, then you can upgrade to Windows 10 (x64).

Make sure there 64-bit versions of device drivers.

Also, you also want to ensure that other components in your system, such as video and sound cards are 64-bit compatible, as 32-bit versions of drivers won't work.

If your computer is only a few years old, it's more than likely that there are 64-bit drivers available. However, older components may not even be supported anymore. Before switching from a 32- to a 64-bit version of Windows, check your manufacturer's website to see if there are 64-bit drivers available.

Make a full backup of your PC.

You will be doing making significant changes on your computer, as such it's a good idea to make a full backup of your system before upgrading.

You can use our previous guide to make a full backup of Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and even    Windows 7.

Remember that you will also need to backup your personal files to an external drive or OneDrive, as they will be deleted during the installation process.

Make a clean install of Windows 10

Because there is not a direct path from 32-bit to a 64-bit version of Windows 10, the only solution is to make a clean installation of the operating system.

Quick Tip: Before making a clean install, it's a good idea to make sure your copy of Windows 10 is properly activated. You can view this information on Settings > Update & security > Activation.

Create Windows 10 installation media

1.Connect a USB drive with at least 4GB of available space.

2.Visit Microsoft's Windows 10 download page.

2.Click the Download tool now button and save the Media Creation Tool on your desktop.

4. Double-click the MediaCrationTool.exe file.

5. Read the license terms and click Accept.

6. Select the Create installation media for another PC option.

7. Click Next.

8.Uncheck the Use the recommended options for this PC option.

9.Make sure to select your language, edition, and, more importantly, the architecture, which in this case is 64-bit (x64).

10.Click Next.

11.Select the USB flash drive option.

12.Click Next.

13.Select the removable drive from the list.

14.Click Next.

15. Once the installation media is created, close the Media Creation Tool.

Install a 64-bit version of Windows 10

1.Restart your PC with the installation media connected and begin the installation of Windows 10.

2.On the Windows Setup, click Next.

3.Click Install now.

4.As you previously have an activated version of Windows 10, you can skip the option if you're prompted to enter a product key.

5.Accept the licensing agreement and click Next.

6.Click the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option.

7. Select and delete system partitions -- usually: Drive 0 Partition 1 and Drive 0 Partition 2.

8.Click Next and follow the on-screen directions to complete the installation.

After the installation, make sure to go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update to download the latest updates and drivers. If some of the drivers are not available through Windows Update, make sure to check your computer's manufacturer website download and install the 64-bit version of the drivers needed.

Now, it's also the time to install any previous app and restore your personal files from backup.

Windows 10 64-bit benefits

Between a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of Windows, there are no differences in features. However, there are productivity benefits. For example, the 64-bit version addresses the 3.5GB of RAM limitation found in the 32-bit version of the operating system. This advantage means that on computers with at least 4GB of RAM, you'll be able to run more applications simultaneously. Other applications like Google Chrome will be able to handle more opened tabs, and you will be able to run more memory-intensive applications, such as Auto CAD, Photoshop, and video editing programs.

It's worth pointing out that while we're focusing on Windows 10, Microsoft doesn't support a direct path between architectures for previous versions of the operating system either.