Search Results for: create system image

How to prevent your PC from automatically rebooting after installing Windows Updates

Posted on July 28, 2013

Have you ever lost important work that you had intended to finish when you returned to your PC because the system rebooted after installing Windows Updates? I’m guessing that we all have, and it’s certainly no fun when it happens.

You can make sure that you never again lose work in progress because of an automatic restart by following the steps listed below. But first, I need for you to read and agree to my semi-standard disclaimer…

Important: This tip involves editing the Windows Registry, a process that could render your Windows installation unstable (or even unable to boot up properly) if performed incorrectly.

Therefore, if you choose to follow the steps listed below, you do so at your own risk. You also agree that if the Moon flies out of its orbit and knocks Saturn for a loop, the waters of the Mississippi turn into clabbered milk, or your PC becomes unstable or refuses to boot, it won’t be the fault of your humble tech blogger (namely ME).

If you agree with everything I said above, feel free to follow these steps to disable automatic restarts after Windows Updates have been installed: [Read more…]

How to re-install Windows 7 or Windows 8 when you don’t have a Recovery Disc

Posted on July 22, 2013

create-windows-installation-media It’s a fact of life: Sooner or later there will come a time when you’ll need to re-install Windows on your PC.

Whether it’ll be due to a hard drive failure, a virus attack or just the desire to re-install the operating system from scratch and start over fresh, you most likely will have to refresh your Windows installation at some point.

If you have a set of recovery discs, re-installing Windows from scratch is easy. If you don’t, it’s virtually impossible. But what if you can’t find your recovery discs (or never had a set in the first place)? Well, you have three options:

1 – Order a replacement set of recovery discs for your specific PC model directly from the support section of the manufacturer’s website. This option can be (and in most cases is) fairly expensive.

2 – Purchase a full retail version of Windows, either on discs or via direct download. This option is even more expensive than the first one.

3 – Create your own Windows 7 or Windows 8 installation media. This option is virtually free (you’ll need either a blank, writable DVD or a blank USB thumb drive).

If you choose to go with option 3, here are the steps you’ll need to take in order to create your own Windows 7 or 8 installation media: [Read more…]

Would you buy a full-size PC running Android?

Posted on June 11, 2013

Android smart phones and tablets are selling like there’s no tomorrow, and more people are switching from iPhones to Android phones than the other way around. This means that Android based devices are extremely popular, and apparently getting more so all time.

Could Android also succeed as an operating system powering full size computers? Well, we’re about to find out because Acer and Gateway are in the process of testing prototypes of all-in-one PCs running Android. Which of course begs the question: Would you buy one? [Read more…]

Reset your forgotten Windows password with the free Trinity Rescue Kit

Posted on June 5, 2013

If you ever find yourself locked out of your Windows PC’s Administrator account because you forgot the password, you’ll be extremely limited in regards to what you can do with your computer. You won’t be able to install or remove software, add or remove hardware devices, change system settings that affect other users or even access certain files on the PC. Not a good situation to be in!

Luckily, there is a free tool that will allow you to reset your forgotten Windows password. It’s called the Trinity Rescue Kit, and while it performs many other handy tasks, its most popular feature is the Password Reset utility.

Before I explain how to download and use the Trinity Rescue Kit to reset your lost Windows password, I must first tell you the following:

1 – I strongly recommend that you only use the Trinity Rescue Kit on your own PC or on someone else’s PC with their explicit permission. Using it on a work PC that has been password protected by the IT department can get you fired. Even worse, using it on another person’s PC without their explicit permission could land you in jail.

2 – At this point in time, the Trinity Rescue Kit will not reset passwords on PCs running Windows 8, but it works great with Windows XP, Vista and 7.

Now that the “fine print” is out of the way we can get started… [Read more…]

BlueScreenView – Find out what caused your PC to crash – And how to fix it!

Posted on May 3, 2013

For many, the most dreaded “feature” of Microsoft Windows is the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” that tells you that Windows has crashed, without giving you the reason why it happened.

Yes, the Blue Screen provides you with a cryptic code that offers a subtle hint as to where to start looking, but that’s about all.

Windows 7 and Windows 8 are much more stable than previous versions of Windows, but the occasional Blue Screen still rears its ugly head from time to time. A wonderful free utility called BlueScreenView sheds light on the cause of a system crash by scanning the minidump file that was created when the crash occurred and helping you track down the particular driver that caused the crash. [Read more…]