Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Windows 10 Creators Update–Enabling touch-friendly File Explorer

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We may probably see this on future Windows 10 releases, specially for those on Windows Insider Program, but until than…

If you’re using Windows 10 Creators Update (or in other words Windows 10 version 1703) on a tablet or a 2-1 device, or simply because you’re curious about this tip, here are the necessary steps to enable a much touch-friendly File Explorer:

  1. Create a new shortcut on your desktop (Right-click > New > Shortcut)

  2. Now just copy-paste the following path:
    explorer shell:AppsFolder\c5e2524a-ea46-4f67-841f-6a9465d9d515_cw5n1h2txyewy!App

  3. Click Next

  4. Give the desired name to your shortcut

  5. Click Finish


And…you’re done and can now enjoy the touch-friendly File Explorer!

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

WannaCry Ramsonware– KB4012212 Fails to Install

By now, 99% of the world knows what Malware means and that’s WannaCry fault.
Also, you know that to prevent to get caught by this malware/virus you should install Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010 and obviously, be sure you’re antivirus is up-to-date.

Now, in some cases you may not be able to install KB4012212 (which is the hotfix for Windows 7 O.S), just getting a “Failed to Install” error.

In a deeper look, you’ll find that you cannot install the update because of error code (or exit code) with something like “Access Denied”.
This could happen even if your a member of a local administrators group.

After some investigation and finally with the help of Microsoft Support, the issue was solved!

So, follow this steps:

  • Start –> Run –> dcomcnfg
  • Expand Component Services –> Computers
  • Right-click My Computer and than Properites
  • Select Default Properties tab
  • Now, make sure you’ve this configuration
  • Restart your machine, cross fingers and try to install KB4012212 again

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Nokia Lumia – Upgrading to Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update

So, as you may know, Microsoft reduced for just a few devices, 13 to be more exact, that can upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update.
A lot of our beloved Nokia Lumia were out of the equation, and that was exactly what happened with my good old Nokia Lumia 925.

After a lot of try and miss and some bit of frustration I’ve decided to take the risk and try to update my Windows Phone.
The process is not that complicated but it takes some time.

The final result? Well, If your completely frustrated with your Windows Phone experience, because of crashes, slow performance, etc. Please, upgrade! The difference is huge! Ok, there’s still the lack of some apps but my phone just got a new life.

So, please follow one of the following tutorials:
Windows Latest - Download Windows 10 Mobile Build 15205 on any Windows Phone
Reddit.com - Tutorial for installing Redstone Builds on unsupported devices

Now, if for any reason, like me, you need to download to Windows Phone 8.1 before upgrading, you should use the following tutorial to get you on Windows 10 Mobile:
XDA Developers Forum - Installing Windows 10 Mobile Tech Preview on Lumia 925 & Old Lumias after downgrading

Monday, May 8, 2017

Enabling Group Policy Preferences Logging

Group Policy Preferences (GPP) are available since Windows 2008 / Windows 7 and they extend the expand the range of configurable setting within Group Policy Objects (GPO).

Although they provice a better targeting through item-level targeting and action modes, theres something not so good when you need to troubleshoot them.

Instead a quick look in the event viewer for example, you’ll need to enable GPP logging through GPO settings.

To do so, use the following steps:

  • Open Group Policy Management Console (GPMC)
  • Navigate to Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\System\Group Policy
  • There you have Logging and Tracing folder
  • Configure as desired and restart machine

Inside this folder you’ll get everything you can trace.
You can set what to trace (ex.: Warnings and Errors), where to save the debug logs, maximum log size, etc.