How to Restrict Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 Usage for a Specific Time

If you think that your kids are spending too much time on the computer, don't get off the computer and warning are not working anymore. It's a bit hard to set parental controls to local accounts and you can't let your kids mess up with your works by giving them the administrator account, with restrictions. You can use this simple trick to set a time frame that restrict to access Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 user account using the Command Prompt (CMD). 

How to Restrict Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 Usage for a Specific Time

Click on Start menu, type run and search for Command Prompt (CMD) and run as "Administrator". In the Command Prompt, type net user username / times: day, time

Replace username with the username of the account that you'd like to restrict the usage. Replace the day with the days that the user will be able to access his/her account, for this you can use initials like M, T, W, Th, F, Sa and Su. Replace the time with the time in which the user will be able to access Windows user account. 

For example : net user rahul /time: M-Sa, 8pm-9pm

You can also set a different time for different days by separating them using a semicolon.

net user rahul /time: M-W, 6pm-7pm; Th-Fr, 7pm-8pm; Sa-Su, 10am-12pm

Note : While setting time in 24-hour format, make sure that it should be in full hours (11:00 or 12:00). Half an hour (11:30 or 12:30) won’t work.

To give complete access to the user then type the following command

net user rahul /time:all

If you've any question, drop a line in comment box!

How to Recover data from Hard disk, USB flash drive or SD card

Hard drive crash or damage, usually include logical damaged and physical damage. The physical damage include scratches on platter, head wear, circuit board short circuit and chip burning. The logical damage includes partition table lost or damage, MBR damage, track servo information error, system information error and section logical error. 

This kind of damage is usually easy to be recovered by just adopting a professional and dedicated program. 

6 signs that may indicate a logical damage

1.A weird sound is coming from computer when it is started normally.

2.Data Error Reading Drive D:, General Failure Reading Drive C: or Sector Not Found error message appears and leads to boot failure, while virus infection is excluded.

3.Scandisk is automatically run to detect disk error each time when system is booted successfully.

4.When performing FDISK to hard disk, you find it was stuck in a certain point, going forward and backward repeatedly.

5.When you plan to format a partition on hard drive, the process is stuck in certain stage and error finally occurs, making you end up in failure.

6.Hard drive read error appears constantly when a file is reading or a program is running, suggesting file corruption and other information. Besides, if the disk reading process takes too long or the blue screen appears during reading, it also suggests that there’s bad sector/track on hard drive. 

Testdisk data recovery software works on Windows, Linux and Mac and file system supported includes FAT, FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, NTFS5, HFS, HFS+, EXT2, EXT3 and EXT4. By using this Testdisk software you can recover data from USB flash drive (Pen drive), external and internal Hard disk, SD card etc. 

How to Recover data from Hard disk, USB flash drive or SD card

#1. Download Testdisk for Windows, Linux or Mac from here. Plug in your USB flash drive, SD card or External Hard disk.

#2. Extract the zip file and open the file called Photorec, (Run as Administrator) it will open a Command Prompt. 

#3. Now select a media, which you want to recover and press "Enter". 

Note : If you see the message "Please select the partition table type", you need to select Intel for Windows and press Enter. 

#4. You will see "To recover lost files, PhotoRec need to know the filesystem type where the file were stored", choose other for Windows and Mac and ext2/ext3 for Linux, press Enter.   

#5. Next you'll see "Do you want to save recovered files in....", type Y and press Enter. 

#6. The software recovering the files and save it to the destination folder. It will take around 10 min for 8 GB Pen drive to recover data. 

If you've any question, please drop a line in comment box.

5 Ways to Speed Up Windows 7, 8, or 10 Folder Loading Time

Are you tired of the slow loading time, every time you open a folder in Windows 7, 8 or 10. The loading time is usually slow, if you have a folder with large collection of music, video, documents or photos. Windows 7, 8, or 10 folders are optimized default for pictures and tries to generate thumbnails for all the files in folder, even if the folder doesn't contain any pictures. 

How to Speed Up Windows Folder Loading Time

#1. Disable Thumbnail Preview : Generating preview of your files takes processing cycles and slow down your Windows Explorer. To disable this feature, open my computer or this PC > tap on "Organize" from the menu bar > Folder and Search Options > View and enable the "Always show icons, never thumbnails" checkbox. 

#2. Optimize Folders : Right click on any folder and choose its properties > Customize tab > check General items from the drop down menu and apply the setting to sub folders as well. Now tap on apply and click Ok to save changes. 

#3. Rebuild the Index : The indexing of files and folder can get huge over time with the addition and deletion of data. To speed up folder loading time, you can build index manually. 

Click on Start menu and type index, select Indexing Option > Advanced and enter the administrator password, if prompted to do so. In the Advanced Options dialog box, click the Index setting tab and the click Rebuild. Indexing may take long time to complete, some views and search results may be incomplete till then. 

#4. Add or Remove Columns : Open folder > click view from the menu bar > details. After this you can add new columns, click view from the menu bar and tap on choose details..at the bottom, you find add columns. Enable the checkboxes for the columns you want and disable the columns you dont' want. 

#5. Use third party Windows Explorer : Clover is an extension of the Windows explorer, to add multi-tab functionality similar to Google Chrome browser. The tabs lets you view multiple folders using a single window, which can be great for freeing up clutter and improving efficiency. 

Note : You can also use QTTabBar, BetterExplorer, and Tab Explorerto add tabbed browsing to Windows Explorer.

How to Create Recovery Drive or System Repair Disc in Windows 8 or 10

Windows 8 or 10 allows you to create recovery drive (USB) or system repair disc (CD or DVD) that can be used to troubleshoot problems like startup repair, file system problems, system restore and resetting your PC. Each type of recovery media gives you access to Windows advanced startup options. 

Note : you cannot use Refresh or Reset Your PC features if Windows is installed on a drive with GPT (not MBR) partition table until you force "UEFI only" boot setting in BIOS/EFI. Windows 8 and 10 will not detect GPT partition alignment correctly if BIOS booting is enabled.

How to Create a Recovery Drive (USB flash drive)

To create a bootable USB recovery drive, you need USB flash drive with space at least 256 MB for Windows 8, 4 GB for Windows 10 32bit and 8 GB for Windows 10 64bit.

To open the recovery drive creation tool, press the Windows key and type "create a recovery drive". Click the Setting category and launch the create a recovery drive application.

The Recovery Media Creator opens on your desktop. If your computer came with a recovery partition, you can copy it to the recovery drive, check the box says "copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive in Windows 8 or Backup system files to the recovery drive in Windows 10", otherwise click next. This will increase Recovery Drive space requirements from the default 256 megabytes to about 4 gigabytes in Windows 8.

You'll be prompted to select a connected USB drive and click the create button to copy files into USB drive. 

Windows will warn you that all contents of the selected drive will be deleted. To continue, click create. The drive formatting and file copying process might takes several minutes, depending on the speed of your USB drive, after the drive is ready, click finish. 

How to Create System Repair Disc (CD or DVD)

Open the disc creation tool by pressing Windows key and type recdisc, hit enter. The disc creator will open on the desktop, select the disc burner drive with a writable CD or DVD in it and click the create disc button to create recovery disc. 

Creating the System Repair Disc might take several minutes and after the process is complete, label the disc as instructed.

6 Ways to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 8 or 10

Safe Mode is one of the most important features of Windows operating system that is present in all recent versions. Safe Mode starts Windows with only a limited sets of files and drivers so you can figure out what's wrong with your PC. 
 

In Windows 7, accessing Safe Mode options was very straight forward. You just need to press F8 key or Shift + F8 after powering the computer. However, the procedure to boot Windows into Safe Mode is little complicated in Windows 8 and Windows 10. Here are 5 different ways to enable Safe Mode in Window 8 or Windows 10.

How to Boot Into Safe Mode in Windows 8 or 10

#1. Use the System Configuration Tool : This is the easiest method to enable Safe Mode in Windows with the help of System Configuration tool. Click on search and find Run desktop app or press Win + R key combination and type msconfig in the run box, hit enter. 

Go to Boot tab, check the box that says "Safe boot". You can also choose the type of Safe Mode you want to boot into:

• Minimal is normal safe mode.

• Alternate Shell is safe mode with command prompt

• Network is safe mode with networking.

Once you've chosen your option click the OK button and restart your machine. Your PC will be booted into Safe Mode automatically.

Note : To exit from Safe Mode, open msconfig again and uncheck the Safe Boot option, then tap OK button.

#2. Use Shift + Restart : Hold Shift and press the Power button at the Windows login screen or in the Settings. Windows will ask you to choose an option, Press Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings and press "Restart".

Once your PC restarted, it displays options like enable debugging, enable boot logging, enable low resolution video, enable Safe Mode, enable safe mode with Command Prompt, disable driver signature enforcement, disable early launch anti-malware protection and disable automatic restart after failure. You need to press number key or function key from F1 to F9, to choose options.

#3. Boot from System Recovery DVD  : Insert the System recovery DVD into DVD ROM and press any key to boot from it. Choose your keyboard layout and click on Troubleshoot. The other steps are identical shown in method 2. 

#4. Boot from a System Recovery Memory Stick : You can use the Recovery Media Creator to create a system recovery drive on a USB flash drive. Boot from the USB flash drive and follow the same instructions as in Method 3.

#5. Use F8 or Shift + F8 : When you turn on a Windows 8 or 10 PC, there's no enough time to detect keystrokes like F2 or F8, much less time to read a message such as "Press F2 for Setup". If you have modern PC with a UEFI BIOS and a fast SSD drive, there's no way, you can interrupt the boot procedure with F8 key or Shift + F8.  On older PCs, with a classic BIOS and no SSD drive, pressing these keys might still work though.

#6. Add Safe Mode to Boot Menu : Open the Command Prompt and type the any of the command given below, hit enter.

bcdedit /copy {current} /d "Windows 10 Safe Mode"

Tap on Start, type msconfig and then select System Configuration. Now click on the Boot tab, you'll see the default OS, and the new entries you created. 

Click the new entry you created for Windows 10 Safe Mode (or whatever you named it). Enable the “Safe boot” check box and make sure that the Minimal option is selected underneath it. Enable the “Make all boot settings permanent” option if it isn’t already. You can also delay the boot time by entering the timeout values from 0 to 9999 seconds. To see the Boot Menu until you pick an OS, set the value to -1. 

You'll be asked to confirm the changes with a Scary warning about everything you've done being permanent. Go ahead and click Yes and restart your computer.

How to Remove Your Number from Turecaller Database

Truecaller is an excellent Global phone number directory available that shows you contact details of unknown numbers calling you. Truecaller fetch the contact details from all it's user's address book, if you've never used the service, your name and phone number could be on Truecaller database. 

Truecaller has some privacy issues and threats which may leads us to trouble. As our number is listed on Truecaller database, it's easily accessible by any unknown person. Truecaller lists the address of the landline numbers and you wouldn't want strangers to know your home address just because you called them from your landline. For this reason, you should remove your number from Truecaller's database. 

Recommended :  Best Methods to Root Your Android Phone



Note : you can't remove your number from the Truecaller database, if you're using the app. You'll have to deactivate you own account to get your number removed. 

How to deactivate your Truecaller account

#1. Windows Mobile : Open the app and tap the three dots in the bottom right corner > Settings > Help > Deactivate account.

#2. Android : Open the app > tap the people icon in the upper left corner > Settings > About > Deactivate account.

Also See : How to Use Reserve Image Search on Your Mobile Phone

#3. iPhone : Open the app > tap the gear icon in the top right corner > About Truecaller > Scroll down > Deactivate Truecaller. 

How to remove your number from Truecaller 

• Go to the Truecaller unlist page.

• Enter your phone number with the correct country code. For example: +911140404040 or +919999999999.

• Tick one of the reasons for unlisting, or if you wish, type your reasons for removal in the Other form.

• Enter Key in the verification Captcha and Click Unlist.

Also See : Best Apps to Block Unwanted Calls in Android Phone

Truecaller claims that it removes these numbers up to 24 hours after receiving an unlist request. This doesn't always mean that your number will stay off the service forever. Your best bet is to keep checking with Truecaller users whether they see your contact details. If they don't, you're good to go. If not, you can always ask them to unlist your number.

8 Ways to Play Android Games on Windows PC

Is your child always playing games on mobile for hours together draining the battery of your Android phone. You don't have an Android mobile but want to try an awesome game that you played on your friend's mobile. You don't necessarily need to have an Android device to play Android Games, if you know how to play Android Games on PC you can turn any Windows machine into an Android-based arcade. 

Emulators acts as the middleman between Android apps and your PC. Android emulators/simulators are largely required to run Android Apps and games on PC (Windows XP, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10). 

How to Play Android Games on PC

#1. BlueStacks : An Android emulator which is free and easy to install. Once you install it, you can run BlueStacks into a separate window at your Windows desktop. It allows you to connect with Google Play Store and install the apps and games. You can also use Cloud connect feature provided by this application which lets you sync the apps from your phone or tablet with the BlueStacks installed on your Computer. To use this feature you've to install BlueStacks cloud connect on your Android mobile, once synced, apps can be installed from the cloud. 

#2. Genymotion : It is quite impressive with its speed and features and the best alternative to BlueStacks. It allows drag and drop installation of apps and games, you can test any app or game in a big screen. It's also support the sensor system and open GL. 

#3. Manymo : It is a browser based emulator and does not require any installation to run the Android apps and games. You can also embed any Android apps or game at any webpage by using this browser based emulator. 

#4. Windroy : Easy to use, one click installable emulator. It directly run on Windows architecture hence considerably faster and supports 3D based games. You can install apps by going to installation directory and placing .apk files in Windroy\windroy_root\data\app folder.

#5. Droid4X : It has some silent features such as it comes pre-rooted with play store installed. It's pretty fast, doesn't lag and allows you to configure your keyboard as a controller. 

#6. Andyroid-Andy OS : This emulator supports some unique features which aren't supported by other Android emulators such as using your phone as remote control while playing games,  ARM support. You can directly install apps in your Andy emulator through your host's desktop browser. Andyroid is an advanced alternative to Genymotion as both of them require VirtualBox to be installed on the system. 

#7. Live Android : A complete OS for Android games and apps which can boot separately in a laptop or desktop computer. You can also it in VMware or VirtualBox to test the Android Apps and Games. 

#8. Android X-86 : The desktop version of the Android OS which can run natively in AMD and Intel processors. You can install just like the Windows or Linux operating system in your X-86 based computers. It supports devices like Del Inspiron Mini Duo, Samsung Q1U, ASUS Eee PCs, Viliv S5, Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet and Viewsonic Viewpad 10. You can also install it on a Virtual Machine using VMware or VirtualBox.

6 Ways to Disable or Turn Off Automatic Updates in Windows 10

Microsoft has set the Windows 10 operating system to automatically check for updates and install new updates by default. The latest version of Windows 10 does not offer disabling or turning off Windows updates. 

Professional, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows 10 have access to group policy and registry settings for this, but even Home editions of Windows 10 give you a way to stop updates from automatically downloading. 

How to Disable or Turn Off Automatic Updates in Windows 10

1. Using Group Policy Editor : This feature will not work in Home editions of Windows 10 as it lacks Group Policy Editor. To open Group Policy Editor, open the run command (Win Key + R) and type gpedit.msc and press enter. This opens the editor and navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Update.

Double click on the option “Configure Automatic Updates” and in the options enable it. Now, change the Configure Automatic Updates setting to ‘2 – Notify for download and notify for install’

This will prevent automatic download of updates, but it will notify you of new updates.

2. Stopping Windows Update Service : Windows 10 has a service for checking the updates and you can try disabling it. Open the Run command (Win + R) and type services.msc and press enter. In the services list, find the Windows Update Service. Open the service and in the ‘Startup Type’ (under the ‘General’ tab) change it to ‘Disabled’.

3. Using Metered Connection : When you set a connection as "Metered", Windows 10 won't automatically download updates on it. To set this option, open the Settings app, select Network & Internet, scroll down, and select “Advanced options” below the list of Wi-Fi networks. Enable the “Set as metered connection” option. By marking a connection as metered, you’ve tricked Windows into thinking it’s a mobile data connection.

 4. Using Registry Editor : Open the Run command (Win + R) and type regedit and press enter. In the registry editor navigate to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU. You might have to create the last couple of keys there as it might not exist. Under AU, create a ‘32-bit DWORD’ value called AuOptions and under ‘Value Data’ type 2 and click ‘OK’.

Alternatively you can also create a new DWORD called NoAutoUpdate and value as 2, which is disable automatic updates. Before you edit this, it is advisable to take a backup of the registry on Windows.

5. DoNotSpy App : It  is a free app which allows you to disable certain functions in Windows 10, such as automatic system updates, biometrics or the Lock Screen Camera function and more. DoNotSpy10 provides you with the opportunity to easily manage what you want to share and what not. The app lists all the services which can be prevented and you can check the box against them to disable it. You can disable automatic updates for system, Windows store, disable Windows defender and more.

6. Using Microsoft's Tool : Download the "Show or Hide updates" tool from Microsoft and run it. The tool will automatically search for available updates and allow them to be hidden. This essentially prevents Windows updates from downloading updates for that package in the future. By using this tool, you're enable to find the Windows Update or driver update that causing problem to your system. 

Bonus Tips : You can stop Windows updates from automatically rebooting your computer by Go to Settings app > Update & Security > Advanced Options > Notify to Schedule Restart. 

How to Remove Ads from Windows 10 Lock Screen

If you've upgraded your older version of Windows to new Windows 10 then you may have noticed ads appearing on your desktop or laptop's lock screen over the past couple of days. Windows 10 new feature Spotlight shows you clean and beautiful images and fun facts on your lock screen, but now started displaying ads to over 200 million devices running Windows 10. 

Some Windows 10 users have reported seeing ads for Square Enix's Rise of the Tomb Raider with links to Windows Store from where users can purchase the video game. Most people probably don't want to be hit in the face with a full screen advertisement for a video game before they even unlock their computer.  

How to Remove Ads from Windows 10 Lock Screen

Windows 10 that makes the Operating System unappealing to some users though it's not as annoying as the Windows 10 upgrade ads that appeared before the update, or the privacy concerns related to the way Microsoft collects personal data with Windows 10.

To remove Windows 10 lock screen ads, click on your Start menu > Settings > Personalization settings > Lock Screen tab. 

Now find the field that reads "Windows Spotlight" and click on the box, you can switch to display either a "Picture" or "Slideshow" depend on your personal preference. This will disable Microsoft from automatically pushing ads to your login screen without your permission. 

Note : Make sure you turn off the "Get the facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen".

If you like the ads on Windows 10 lock screen, you can tell Microsoft shows relevant ads by clicking the icon in the top right corner of your lock screen. Tick any of the two options "I want More" and "Not a Fan". 

Have you seen ads on your lock screen, what were the ads for? Did this solve the issue, lets us know in the comment box below!

How to Uninstall Windows 10 & Downgrade to Windows 7 or 8.1

If you don't like Windows 10 or having problems, it's easy to downgrade Windows 10 and return to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Here is tutorial, showing how to uninstall Windows 10 and restore your old Windows in minutes, if you upgraded it in the last month.

How to Uninstall Windows 10 & Downgrade to Windows 7 or 8.1 

If you've upgraded a PC or Laptop to Windows 10 (not performed a clean install), you'll have an easy option that lets you restore the last version of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. 

To access this feature, open Start Menu > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery, You should see a "Go back to Windows 7" or "Go back to Windows 8.1" option. Now Click the Get started button to restore your previous version of Windows. 

Note : You can't get this option, if you deleted the C:\Windows.old folder or run the Disk Cleanup Tool and removed the previous Windows Installations. Windows 10 appears to automatically remove the old windows installation files after a month to free up space. 

If Windows 10 doesn't give you the option, you'll have to perform a clean install of Windows. Microsoft now offers download for Windows 7 and 8.1 ISO files, Download the ISO file and burn to disc or USB drive to install a clean copy of Windows.

Do you face any problem while uninstalling Windows 10 or perform a clean install of Windows, drop a line in comment box!

Transfer Big files from one computer to another via LAN

When you buy a new computer or laptop, you want to transfer collection of movies, games, music and photos from your old computer or friend's laptop. You can transfer files from old computer to new laptop by using traditional methods such as
1. Copy files from one computer and paste it on another computer with the help of USB drive (Pen Drive).
2. Remove your old HDD drive from computer and connect it to new PC for file transfer.


The above methods are time taking and require a lot of effort. 

How to Transfer Large files from one computer to another via LAN

You can transfer files from PC to laptop, PC to PC, and Laptop to Laptop with the help of LAN cable. Here is step by step to transfer files from one machine to another.

1. Connect one computer to another using LAN cable.

2. You have to enable sharing option on both computers. Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced Sharing Settings.

Make sure you turn on network detection and turn off password protection and click on save changes.

Note : You can transfer files on the same network with the help of Network Sharing. In this process you don't need LAN cable, just connect your computers to Internet and share files. 

3. Bring both the computers on the same network, Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > > Network Connections, you will see local area connection, right click on it and navigate to properties. Now click on TCP/IVP4 option here and select its properties.

Put the following IP address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway in both the computers and click on ok.

1st Computer settings
Ip address 192.168.1.1          
Subnet mask 225.225.225.0
Default gateway 192.168.1.3

2nd computer settings
Ip address 192.168.1.3
Subnet mask 225.225.225.0
Default gateway 192.168.1.1

4. You will see the two computer name in the Networks.

5. Now select the folder you want to share on 1st computer and right click on it > share with > specific people. On the drop down menu select everyone > add > click share.

6. To see shared folder on 2nd computer, click on Computer > Networks and select the 1st computer. You find the shared folder, just copy and paste it on 2nd computer.

If you have any problem, drop a line in comment box!

Best Methods to Upload Photos to Instagram From Computer

Instagram is now one of the most popular social site for sharing pictures and short videos. You can run Instagram on popular platforms such as iOS, Android and Windows phone. Instagram launched a web platform in 2013, but it only gives the ability to view your Web profile and others profile, like photos and follow/unfollow.  The app is available for phones, it is not available for desktops including Windows and Mac but there are some ways to upload photos to Instagram. 

In order to upload Photos to Instagram, you can use any you like to transfer your Photos from your desktop to a mobile device that either runs on iOS, Android or Windows and then upload it through the Instagram app.

1. Emailing yourself the photo then opening and downloading the photos from your phone.
2. Saving the photo on Evernote then using the Evernote app to download it on your phone.
3. Use DropBox, Google Drive or Amazon cloud to create folder on your computer and drop any photos you potentially want to use on Instagram on that folder.
4. Upload your images to Flickr or Facebook from PC and download to your mobile phones.

Note : The above methods are time consuming but safe. 

There are some Apps using which you can upload or post photos to Instagram from Computer like Bluestacks, InstaPic. 

How to upload photos to Instagram by Bluestacks 

Bluestacks app player allows you to run any Android app on your Windows or Mac PC. To upload Photos to Instagram from your PC, download and install Bluestacks App Player on your PC.

Sign in to Bluestacks with your Google account credentials.
Search the Instagram App and install it. Sign up or login to your Instagram account.  Now choose the photos to be uploaded and Scale and crop the image.  Add filter to image, upload and share.

How to upload photos to Instagram using InstaPic

InstaPic is the first and only fully featured and free Instagram client for Windows devices. The app comes with a suite of Photo editing features like adjusting brightness, saturation, contrast and several more. This app allows users to upload Photos by either selecting from the gallery or using the camera on your laptop or desktops. Once you have selected the photos, you can do all the basic editing you find on the official Instagram mobile app and then apply filters before uploading them. 

Note : There are also some apps like Gramblr, Up-Uploader for Mac, ARC Welder and Instamize, but I don't prefer due to security reasons. Gramblr can get you banned because of misuses of the API, Bluestacks and InstaPic don't use API. If you're using any of the tools that use the API, you can get banned. 

You can use Latergramme to upload and schedule photos and videos from your computer or mobile device, at the time of posting they send you a notification on your mobile device, you just have to click the notification and you're ready to post in Instagram. 

Tell Us, Which Method do you use to upload photos to Instagram from PC.  Drop a line in Comment Box!