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  • Delete or Leave Homegroup – Windows 7 Tips


    INFORMATION:

     
    This article will show you how to delete or leave homegroup in Windows 7, so that you could stop library, document, media file or other sharing with other users on homegroup. 




    HERE’S HOW:

    Following are the step-by-step instructions to leave the homegroup:
    1) Go to Start and click on Control Panel.
    2) Proceed to click Choose homegroup and sharing options in Control Panel window.

    3) Homegroup window will appear, scroll down and click Leave the homegroup

    4) You can then click on Leave the homegroup option on Leave the Homegroup window. If you change you mind, you can then select other options.
    Note: If you click Don’t leave, but change what I’m sharing option, you can then enable or disable what you have shared.

    5) Wait for a while and your computer will then leave the homegroup. In addition, all user accounts on your computer also leave the homegroup.

  • Windows 7 Tips – Recover Home Group Password

    Quick Way to View Home group Password in Windows 7

    You might have forgotten your home group password if you created it some time ago. if this is the case, we might be able to help you with this.



    1) As usual, go to Start and click on Control Panel.
    2) Proceed to click Choose home group and sharing options in Control Panel window.
    Note: You can also locate this same option in Network and Sharing Center window.

    3) Change homegroup settings window will appear, go ahead to click View or print the homegroup password.

    4) Your homegroup password will then be shown, so you just need to write it down and share with other users, so that they could join the homegroup later. If you want, you can even click Print this page button to print the password.

  • Windows 7 Tips

    Configure Disk Defragmenter Schedule in Windows 7 or Vista

    Windows 7 or Vista automatically configures Disk Defrag to schedule defragment to run once a week, usually at 1am on Wednesday. I don’t know about you, but I’m usually awake at 1am on wednesday, and I’d rather schedule it for a different time.

    To open up the defragment utility, just type defrag into the Start menu search box, and hit enter. Vista users will have to click through a UAC prompt, but you should see this screen:
    Windows 7 users will see a very similar dialog, and will need to click the Configure Schedule button:
    From this screen, you can disable automatic defrag by unchecking the box. You can also modify the schedule by clicking the Modify schedule button
    If you are on Vista and using at least Service Pack 1, you can also select which volumes will be automatically defragmented during this scheduled defrag. (Windows 7 users can select the volumes from the start screen).

  • Windows 7 Tips- Create System Image

    How to Create a System Image in Windows 7
    Most of us who like experimenting with newer softwares or tips and tricks more often then not end up screwing up our system and going through the whole process of installing OS and applications etc. But wait there is an easy way out, we could create an optimal system image and keep it handy for times like this so we can get back to the best possible config even after our experiments go wrong.


     

    Creating an Image in Windows 7

    Click on Start go to Getting Started and then select Back up your files.
    Next click on the Create a system image hyperlink.
    Decide where you want to save the image. You can choose an external drive, burn to multiple DVD’s, or store it on a network location.
    You can include other drives if you want as well but remember that will add to the size of the final image.
    At the confirmation screen notice the amount of space the image may take. If something doesn’t look right you can still go back from this point and make adjustments.
    A progress meter is displayed while the images is created and backed up. In this example a disk of about 15GB in size took under 20 minutes backed up to an external drive. Times will vary depending on your system and where you’re backing it up to.
    After the process is complete you get the option to create a system repair disc which you should do and make sure to save it in a secure location.

    When it comes time to restore the image, you will be able to use the System Recovery Options to get the system back.
            

  • Manage Backup Size – Windows 7 Tips

    INFORMATION:
    This article will show you how to manage the size of your backup on your windows 7 machine

    Sometimes you may need to recover some disk space and Windows 7 allows you to manage the size of your backups.  In the Backup and Restore section click on the Manage Space link. 

    Your given a summary of the backup location and what is taking up space from the backup. 
    Click on the View backups button to check the different dated backups where you can delete older ones if needed.

    You can also change how windows retains older system images.
    Backing up data is one of the most important but overlooked tasks for a computer user.  If you have another backup app you might not consider letting Windows do it, but overall, the new backup and restore utility in Windows 7 is much better than previous versions. 

  • Backup and Restore – Windows 7 Tips

    How To Use Backup and Restore in Windows 7

    The backup utilities in previous versions of Windows have been less than spectacular resulting in a nice market for third party applications.  Today we take a look at the Backup and Restore feature in Windows 7  that may be their best backup tool yet.

    Set the Backup
    To set up a backup in Windows 7 open up Computer right-click on your local drive and select Properties.  Then click on the Tools tab and click the Back up now button.
    In the Back up or restore your files window click the link to set up a backup.
    Windows will search for a suitable drive to store the backup or you can also choose a location on your network.  If you backup to a network location you might need the password to the share.
    You can have Windows choose what to backup or you can choose the files and directories.  Because I like more user control for this tutorial I am choosing what to backup but it’s completely up to you.
     

    Note:  If you let Windows choose it will not backup Program Files, anything formatted with the FAT file system, files in the Recycle Bin, or any temp files that are 1GB or more.

    Select the files and folder to include in the backup.  Also notice you can select the option to create an image of your local drive.
    Now review the backup job and make sure everything looks correct. 
    Here you can also schedule the days and times the backup occurs.
    Save the backup settings and kick off your first backup and while it runs you can monitor the progress.
    Click the View Details button to see exactly what is being backup during the process.
    When the backup is complete you will see the two backup files and image folder if you created one.
    Double click on the backup file and can restore files or manage the size of the backups folder.
    Restore Files from Backup
    If you need to go back and restore a file from a backup click on Restore my files in the Backup and Restore Center.
    Now you can browse or search the most recent backup for a file or folder your missing. 

    Next you can restore them back to the original location or choose a different spot then click Restore.

    Progress of the restoration will vary depending on the size of the data and location it’s restoring from.

  • Restrict Access To Drives – Windows 7 Tips

    How To Restrict Access To Drives In My Computer In Windows
    If you have a shared or public computer that several people use, you might want to restrict access to it’s drives to prevent users from deleting important data. Today we look at restricting access to some or all drives on the machine using Local Group Policy.


    Note: This method uses Local Group Policy Editor which is not available on home versions of Windows 7 or Vista
    First type gpedit.msc in the search box of the Start Menu and hit Enter.
    Now navigate to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Windows Explorer. Then on the right side under Setting, double click on Prevent access to drives from My Computer.
    Select Enable then under Options from the drop down menu you can restrict a certain drive, a combination of drives, or restrict them all. The main drive you would probably want to restrict is the C:\ drive or which ever lettered drive Windows is installed on. Restricting all drives means they can’t access the CD or DVD drive, and cannot use a flash drive if they need to get files from it.
    Note: This setting won’t prevent users from using programs that access the local drives.
    The restrictions take effect immediately, no restart is required. When a user opens up My Computer they’ll be able to see which drives are listed, but when they try to access a restricted drive, they’ll get the following error message.
    For the screenshots in this tutorial we used Windows 7 Ultimate, but this process also works with XP Professional and Vista (not in Home versions) the screens just look different.
    Local Group Policy allows you to customize several settings for how you want to administer your machine. Restricting access to certain drives in addition to other security and access measures, can help  keep a shared computer stable and secure.

  • Save searches – Windows 7 Tips

    How to Save Searches in Windows 7

    If you regularly search for a certain group of files in Windows 7, saving searches is a great way to access them more quickly. Here we’ll take a look at how to share and organize searches in Windows 7.

    Saving Searches
    Anytime you are performing a search, you can click on the Save Search button in Explorer.
    Now when you are in Explorer you will see the save searches under Favorites.
    Another way to save a search is dragging the search icon in the address bar into your listed favorites list. Like in this example where I searched for “type:flac” and drag the icon to the list.
    You might also want to create shortcuts to the searches on your desktop for easy access.
    If you have a lot of files on your machine and need a way to access them quickly, saving searches is a great way to increase productivity.

  • Windows 7 Tips

    How to Schedule Disk Cleanup in Windows 7

    Schedule Disk Cleanup Basic
    Windows includes some handy tools to help keep your machine operating smoothly. One such tool is Disk Cleanup that can remove temp and old files to help you reclaim some hard drive space. You might want to set it up to run weekly or monthly depending on what works best for you. To schedule Disk Cleanup to run on a regular basis we need to schedule a task. For this example we’re using Windows 7, but the steps are essentially the same in Vista as well.

    Click on the Start Menu and enter task scheduler into the search box and hit Enter.
    The Task Scheduler opens and you’ll want to click on Action then select Create Basic Task.
    The Create Basic Task Wizard comes up and from here type in a name for the task and a description then click Next.
    Now select how often you want Disk Cleanup to run…Weekly, Daily, Monthly, One Time etc. There is not right or wrong answer to how often you run it. It’s completely up to you and you might want to try out some different schedules. In this example we’re going to select weekly.
    Since we set it up to run weekly we need to schedule it when to start, how often it reoccurs, and which day of the week to run it.
    Next under Action select Start a program
    In the Program/script field type in cleanmgr.exe
    Or you can hit browse and select Disk Cleanup which is in C:\Windows|system32\cleanmgr.exe
    Under Program/script you’ll see the path to Disk Cleanup as C:\Windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe
    Then you’re shown a summary of the scheduled task and if everything looks correct click on Finish.
    For this basic setting we scheduled it for a time when we know the computer will be in use. When it’s time for the Scheduled Task to occur it will pop up and you can run it by selecting the drive to clean up.
    Disk Cleanup starts its calculations
    Now the results and you can choose the files to delete.

  • Windows 7 Tips

    Keep Your Windows Computer Secure on Public Wireless Hotspots

    If you have a Netbook or Laptop that you would like to use on a Public Wi-Fi hotspot, there are security precautions you need to take. Here we look at keeping your computer secure at public Wi-Fi hotspots.

    Public Wi-Fi hotspots seem to be available in more locations than ever before. If you move between them a lot or are just getting started, following these security precautions can help keep your machine safe and secure. For this article we look at security steps in Windows 7, but most of these tips and suggestions will work in XP, Vista, and even other operating systems as well.
    Enable Your Firewall
    Whether you use the Firewall built into Windows or a 3rd-party app like ZoneAlarm, make sure it’s enabled before signing on to a public hotspot. Click on Start then Control Panel, make sure View by large icons is selected then click Windows Firewall.
    Then select Turn Windows Firewall on or off
    Then make sure it’s turned on under Home or Work and Public network location settings.