Tag Archives: Windows 10

Operating Systems

How to Prevent Driver Updates on Windows 10

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Motivation:

  • Your computer may become unstable with new drivers.
  • For instance, installing a new graphics driver could cause the screen to go black.

Solution:

Combine the three methods below for maximum effectiveness.

Method 1: Disable Automatic Driver Updates via System Settings

    • Open Control Panel → System and Security → System.
    • Click Advanced system settings (left pane).
    • Under the Hardware tab, click Device Installation Settings.
    • Select “No (your device might not work as expected)”.
    • Click Save Changes.

    Method 2: Use Group Policy Editor (Only on Pro, Enterprise, Education)

    • Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, press Enter.
    • Navigate to:
      Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Update.
    • Double-click Do not include drivers with Windows Updates.
    • Set it to Enabled, then click OK.

    Method 3: Use Device Installation Restriction in Group Policy

    • In gpedit.msc, go to:
      Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Device Installation → Device Installation Restrictions
    • Enable “Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device IDs”
    • Get the device’s hardware ID:
    • Open Device Manager → right-click the device → Properties → Details tab → select Hardware Ids
    • Add the hardware ID(s) to the policy.

     

    Operating Systems

    How to Block Your Child from Certain Websites

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    Motivation:
    You have a child and do not want him to be able to install games from Microsoft Store or play online games on certain websites or run a specific program.
    Solution:
    I. Prevent your child from installing games Microsoft Store. This method only applies to Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education.
    1. Type gpedit in the search bar to find and start Group Policy Editor.
    2. In the console tree of the snap-in, click Computer Configuration, click Administrative Templates, click Windows Components, and then click Store.
    3. In the Setting pane, click Turn off the Store application, and then click Edit policy setting.
    4. On the Turn off the Store application setting page, click Enabled, and then click OK.
    Note: Enabling Turn off the Store application policy turns off app updates from Microsoft Store. Source: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/stop-employees-from-using-microsoft-store II. Block all websites except some websites using one of the software below.
    1. Surfblocker.
    III. Block certain websites in your modem settings in order to prevent your child from playing online games on these websites. If you are using FTP GPON Modem then you can
    1. Click on the Access tab on the top,
    2. Click on the Filter tab on the left,
    3. Select URL Filter as Filter Type Selection,
    4. Select 1 as URL Index,
    5. Enter URL (host) (e.g. bluestacks.com or roblox.com),
    6. Select Enabled as Individual active,
    7. Click on the Save button.
    8. Repeat the procedure for other hosts with other URL Indexes (i.e. 2, 3, 4, etc.).
      IV. Block all Windows users from running certain programs.
      1. Type gpedit.msc in search box, then press Enter.
      2. Expand User Configuration > Administrative Templates, then select System.
      3. Double click the policy Don’t run specified Windows applications.
      4. Set the policy to Enabled, then select Show.
      5. Add the programs you would like to prevent the user from running to the List of disallowed applications. Use the name of the application launching file such as chrome.exe.
      6. Restart your computer.
           
      Operating Systems

      How to Install Ubuntu and Windows as a Dual Boot

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      Motivation:

      You are want to install Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18.04 (or Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04) as dual boot for completing some machine learning tasks.

      Prerequisites:

      You need to have a 8Gb USB stick.

      Solution:

      Step 1:

      • Note: You can skip this step if you are installing Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04.
      • Go to BIOS, select the UEFI option in Boot List Option.
      • Disable the Enable Legacy option ROMS option.
      • Disable Secure Boot.

      Step 2:

      • Install Windows 10 or Windows 11.
      • Create a free partition for Ubuntu.

      Step 3:

      Step 4: Install Ubuntu.

      • Select Minimal installation option, Download updates while installing Ubuntu option on Updates and other software screen.
      • Select Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware option and enter a password on Updates and other software screen. This password will be used on first boot after install.
      • Select Something else on Installation type screen.
      • Select free space partition that you created for Ubuntu.
      • Click the + sign.

      • Create an EFI System Partition and set its size to be 552MB if it does not exist.
      • Create a swap area. Set its size to be twice as your RAM size, e.g. 65536Mb swap area for 32Gb RAM.
      • Create a Root partition. Set its size to be all the remaining free space to optimize your space.

      • Click Install Now button.
      • On first boot after install, select Enroll MOK.
      • Enter the password that you entered to install third party drivers.

       

       

       

      Operating Systems

      How to Remove Caches and Temporary Files in Windows

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      Motivation:

      You may want to remove caches to update an application status or fix some issues.
      You may need to remove temporary files to get some more free disk space.

      Solution:

      Try clearing files and folders in the directories below.

      • %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp
      • C:\Windows\Temp
      • C:\Users\All Users\Package Cache
      • C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download
      • C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\Temporary ASP.NET Files

      Sometimes you may get permission error when deleting files or folders. If this is true then try the following command before deleting these files and folders.

      takeown /f C:\Users\All Users\Package Cache /r /d y
icacls C:\Users\All Users\Package Cache /grant administrators:F /t
      Operating Systems

      How to Hide Your IP Location using VPN on Windows 10

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      Motivation:

      You have VPN credentials and want to hide your IP location for a specific purpose.

      Solution:

      • Setup a VPN connection using your VPN credentials.
      • Type and click View network connections in Search box to open the Network Connections window.
      • Right-click the VPN connection and select Properties in the menu.
      • Select the Networking tab.
      • Click the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) row, then click the Properties button.
      • Click the Advanced… button.
      • Select Use default gateway on remote network option.

      Operating Systems

      How to Run Docker on a Windows 10 Hyper-V Virtual Machine

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      Motivation:

      You want to have an environment with Docker for development and testing  without interfering your stable machine.

      Context:

      You have enabled Hyper-V, created a virtual machine and install Windows 10 to the virtual machine.
      When installing Docker in the virtual machine, Docker requires that the Nested Virtualization feature must be enabled for the virtual machine.
      You open PowerShell, execute below command in the virtual machine:

      Get-ComputerInfo -property "HyperV*"

      You find that find that the HyperVRequirementVirtualizationFirmwareEnabled feature is not available.

      Procedure:

      1. Download this PowerShell script. The main interesting command in this script is the command below that enables Nested Virtualization for a virtual machine.

      On the host machine execute below command:

      Set-VMProcessor -VMName $vmName -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true

      2. Open PowerShell as Administrator and execute 2 commands below.

      Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy "Unrestricted"
.\Enable-NestedVm.ps1 "Windows 10 Dev"

"Windows 10 Dev" is the virtual machine name without quotes.

      3. Install Docker. Restart the virtual machine.

      4. Install any additional software if needed, restart the virtual machine again.

      5. Open a Command Prompt and test Docker installation.

      docker pull hello-world && docker run hello-world

Rerun the command if you get an issue in the first run.

       

       

      Operating Systems

      How to Install a Clean Windows

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      Motivation:

      Most of Windows machines are delivered with a limited Windows version and unnecessary preinstalled software.

      You want to format the hard drive and install a fresh Windows that can be booted from UEFI secure boot to improve machine performance and stability.

      Prerequisites:

      You need to have a 8Gb USB stick and an ISO file of Windows 10, version 21H2 or Windows 11, version 22H2 updated May 2023.

      Note: Use the command below to check the checksum of the ISO file and ensure its authenticity.

      certUtil -hashfile Win10_x64.iso SHA256
certUtil -hashfile Win10_x64.iso SHA1

      Solution:

      Step 1: Backup your machine and create an USB recovery by entering “Create a recovery drive” text to the search box on the task bar and follow the instructions.

      Step 2: Create a bootable USB with Windows installation files.

      2.A. If you plan to install Windows 11 then you can use Windows 11 Installation Assistant to create a bootable USB (click Download Now link below Create Windows 11 Installation Media section).

      2.B. If you plan to install Windows 10 then you can use the commands below to create a bootable USB.

      • Right click Windows logo, click Command Prompt (Admin).
      • Enter diskpart.exe, press Enter. 
        DISKPART> list disk
DISKPART> select disk 1 -- the USB disk should be selected, the number may be different in your machine.
DISKPART> clean
DISKPART> create partition primary size=1024
DISKPART> select partition 1
DISKPART> active
DISKPART> format quick fs=fat32
DISKPART> assign
DISKPART> create partition primary
DISKPART> select partition 2
DISKPART> format quick fs=ntfs
DISKPART> assign
DISKPART> exit
      • Double click on the Windows ISO file to create a virtual drive. 
        xcopy f:\sources\boot.wim d:\sources\ /s /e

where 
f: the virtual drive and 
d: the USB fat32 partition.
We copy only the f:\sources\boot.wim file to d:\sources\.

robocopy f:\ d:\ /IS /S /XD sources

where 

f: the virtual drive and 
d: the USB fat32 partition.
We copy everything from f:\ to d:\ except the sources folder.

xcopy f:* e:\ /s /e 

where 
f: the virtual drive and 
e: the USB ntfs partition.

      Step 3: Boot your laptop using the USB.

      1. Plug the USB to a machine.
      2. For a Dell laptop, power on the machine, press F12 until a one-time boot up menu appears. Select the option to boot the machine from the USB. (You may need to access BIOS to select the UEFI option for Boot Sequence, and select the AHCI option for SATA operation).
      3. For a Sony VAIO laptop, power off the machine, then press the Assist button to enter VAIOCare. Select the option to boot the machine from the USB. (You may need to access BIOS to enable the option to boot the machine from an USB).
      4. For a ThinkPad laptop, power on the machine, press F12 until a one-time boot up menu appears. Select the option to boot the machine from the USB. Alternatively go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery, click the Restart now button under the Advanced setup section and follow the instructions to boot the machine from a USB.

      Step 4: Install Windows.

      1. If your laptop is NOT officially supported by Windows 11, then on the first screen asking you to choose the language of your install, press Shift + F10 or Fn + Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt. Then type regedit and press Enter. Then locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup key. Then create a new LabConfig key. Then click on the LabConfig key, and create 3 DWORD (32-bit) Values named BypassTPMCheck, BypassSecureBootCheck and BypassRAMCheck and set each to 1. Then click View menu item, then click Refresh. Then close the regedit program and the Command Prompt, and continue the setup process.
      2. Follow the instructions to install Windows.
      3. Set Windows partition size to 123748Mb for DellXPS if you want to have a 120Gb C drive, or 614516Mb for DellPrecision if you want to have 600Gb C drive, or 819815Mb for ThinkPad if you want to have a 800Gb C drive.
      4. You can delete all the partitions, including MRP (Microsoft Reserved Partition – this is just a reserved partition for Windows later use if needed), ESP (EFI System Partition – this is where UEFI firmware files are stored to boot Windows), WINRETOOLS (Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) Tools – this is where files for repairing or recovering Windows are stored), and PBR image (this is where original the manufacture Windows installation file  are stored) because you already created an USB recovery in the Step 1.

      Step 5: Allow  Windows to be configured without the Internet.

      1. Press Shift + F10 or Fn + Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt.
      2. Type oobe\bypassnro.
      3. Press Enter.
      4. Setup will reboot your computer and after reboot, you will get  I don’t have Internet option, and then Continue with limited setup option, to skip the Internet requirement.

      Step 6: Configure Windows.

      1. Change Computer Name, turn off System Restore, enable Remote Desktop,
      2. Change Time Zone.
      3. Add Wireless LAN Service feature for Windows Server 2019.
      4. For a Dell laptop, install Dell Wireless 1820A 1830 WiFi Driver. Set battery charge threshold value to 50% in BIOS.
      5. Turn on Network discovery and file sharing by clicking on Network icon on the left side of Explorer.
      6. Activate Windows. Use Software Licensing Management Tool if you get any issue when activating your Windows using default activation feature:
        slmgr /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
        slmgr /ato
        slmgr /xpr
      7. Disable Hibernation (powercfg.exe /h off).
      8. Configure Power options (Hard disk >> Turn of hard disk after: 0, Wireless Adapter Settings >> Power Saving Mode: Maximum Performance, Sleep >> Sleep after: 0).
      9. Uninstall unnecessary applications.
      10. Use the manage-bde -status command to show BitLocker status (There is a space between bde and status). Use the manage-bde -off C: command to turn off BitLocker for the C drive.
      11. Turn on Automatic Logon.
      12. For a Dell laptop, go to Dell Support, scroll down and enter your Dell laptop service tag, click Search button, click Drivers & Downloads tab, expand Find drivers section, install Dell Command Update, and use it to check and install necessary drivers.
      13. For Windows Server 2019, install Chipset Device, Graphics, Audio, Ethernet, Bluetooth, Memory Card Reader, Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework driver.
      14. For a ThinkPad laptop, install Lenovo Vantage. Set battery charge threshold value to 40% using Lenovo Vantage.

      Step 7: Configure Windows for developer’s needs.

      1. Turn the following Windows features on: .NET 3.5, ASP.NET 4.8, Hyper-V, Internet Information Services, Telnet Client.
      2. Install Total Commander, Office 365 Offline, MS Project 2016, MS Visio 2016, MS SQL Server 2016, Visual Studio 2022, Adobe Acrobat Pro DC v15.8, Adobe Photoshop CC 2015, TortoiseSVN 1.14.6
      3. Install Remote Desktop Connection Manager, PuTTY 0.80, WinSCP 6.3.
      4. Create a VPN connection. Configure the VPN connnection.
      5. Prevent normal traffic from going through VPN: Go to Control Panel >> Network and Sharing Center >> Change adapter settings >> Right click VPN Connection >> Properties >> Select the Networking tab:
        – Disable Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).
        – Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) >> Properties >> Advanced >> IP Settings: Uncheck the Use default gateway on remote network option.
      6. Install Python 3.6.8, TensorFlow, Keras
        1. Install Firefox, MPC-HC.1.7.13. (Go to View >> Options >> Player and turn off all options under the History section. Go to View >> Options >> Playback and disable the Auto-zoom feature.)
        2. Configure secure protocols using IIS Crypto GUI (Select Best Practices, disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, MD5, SHA).
        3. Install Hyper-V, create an external Virtual Switch for Internet access, set Scheduler Type to Core.
        4. Apply Windows updates to the machine.

        Information:

        The bypassnro.cmd which is in \Windows\System32\oobe folder, is a script which contains:

        @echo off
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
shutdown /r /t 0

         

        Operating Systems

        How to Count the Number of Source Lines of Code, Find and Replace Content in Multiple Files

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        Motivation:

        • You have a source code folder and want to know the number of source lines of code.
        • You want to find and replace a string with another string in multiple files.

        Procedure:

        1. Right click Start icon, click on Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows Powershell (Admin)
        2. Assume that the source code folder location is C:\Users\admin\Downloads\test, type below commands and press Enter
        cd C:\Users\admin\Downloads\test

        3. Assume that the source code file extension is .py, type below commands and press Enter

        type *.py | Measure-Object -line

        SLOC

        4. Assume that you want to find and replace “.flac” string with “.wav” string in all .cue files in the “E:\New Music\” directory, type below command, then press Enter.

        Get-ChildItem "E:\New Music\" *.cue -recurse | ForEach { (Get-Content -Path $_.FullName).Replace(".flac", ".wav") | Set-Content -Path $_.FullName }
        Web Application Development

        How to Manually Install PHP 8.1 on Windows 10

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        Motivation:

        • You want to understand how PHP works with IIS.
        • You want to prepare a PHP or WordPress development environment on Windows.
        • You want to update PHP to any version to address compatibility or security issues on Windows.

        Solution:

        • Install CGI for IIS on Turn Windows features on or off > Internet Information Services > World Wide Web Services > Application Development Features > CGI.
        • Download VS16 x64 Non Thread Safe package under PHP 8.1 section on https://windows.php.net/download/.
        • Extract the ZIP file to C:\Program Files\php-8.1.10-nts-Win32-vs16-x64 folder.
        • Download the cacert.pem file and move it to the C:\Program Files\php-8.1.10-nts-Win32-vs16-x64\extras\ssl folder.
        • Copy the php-.ini-development file to php.ini.
        • Open the php.ini file and uncomment the following lines 
          fastcgi.impersonate = 1;

cgi.fix_pathinfo=1;
cgi.force_redirect = 1 (and change the value to 0, i.e. cgi.force_redirect = 0)

extension_dir = "C:\Program Files\php-8.1.10-nts-Win32-vs16-x64\ext"

extension=curl
extension=fileinfo
extension=gd
extension=gettext
extension=mbstring
extension=exif ; Must be after mbstring as it depends on it
extension=mysqli
extension=openssl
extension=pdo_mysql

error_log = "C:\Program Files\php-8.1.10-nts-Win32-vs16-x64\php_errors.log"

error_log = syslog

curl.cainfo = "C:\Program Files\php-8.1.10-nts-Win32-vs16-x64\extras\ssl\cacert.pem"

openssl.capath="C:\Program Files\php-8.1.10-nts-Win32-vs16-x64\extras\ssl\cacert.pem"
        • Add C:\Program Files\php-8.1.10-nts-Win32-vs16-x64 to SYSTEM PATH.
        • Restart your machine.
        • Open cmd and execute the command below to ensure that the PHP file can be found in the SYSTEM PATH. 
          php --version
        • Open IIS, click on Server name, double click on Handler Mappings > Add Module Mapping with below information. 
          Request path = *.php

Module = FastCgiModule

Executable = "C:\Program Files\php-8.1.10-nts-Win32-vs16-x64\php-cgi.exe"

Name = PHP 8.1

Request Restrictions = File or folder
        • Create phpinfo.php file with below content in the root website folder. 
          <?php phpinfo(); ?>

         

         

        Operating Systems

        How to Find and Remove Windows Hot Fix

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        Motivation:

        You have an application that had been working well but it has encountered issues after you applied a Windows hot fix.

        You need to list your latest Windows hot fixes and uninstall the one that causes the issue so that your application can work again.

        Procedure:

        1. Right click Start icon, click on Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows Powershell (Admin).

        2. Type below command and press Enter to list the Windows hot fixes.

        Get-Hotfix | Sort-object InstalledOn -Descending

        3. Type below command and press Enter to uninstall a hot fix. Please note that the hot fix id does not contain KB.

        wusa /uninstall /kb:4058702

        Some other useful commands:

        • Geting the Windows original install date.
        systeminfo | find /I "Install Date"

        Alternatively, you can use below command to get the Windows original install date.

        ([WMI] "").ConvertToDateTime(((Get-WmiObject -class win32_operatingsystem).installdate))
        • Displaying Windows OS information.
        systeminfo | findstr OS
        • Detecting Manufacturer name & Model number.
        wmic computersystem get model, name, manufacturer, systemtype