There are many more security risks on your computer than ever. In the past we only had to worry about viruses. Now there are viruses, trojans, rootkits, zombies etc. However, with just a few simple steps you can prevent 90% of the threats facing most users today. These steps including operating without admin rights and staying clear of unknown or pirated software. These steps are detailed below.

Admin rights

Make sure that your everyday account on the computer does not have admin rights. Admin rights are only needed when changes are being made to the computer. Instead create a separate account that does have admin rights and use that whenever you need to install software or make a change. On Windows and Mac OSX,the computer will popup a request for admin rights if the running user does not have them. This prevents most malicious payloads from executing on your computer without your knowledge.

Unknown Software

If the need arises to run or test software from an unknown party, make sure that you first check if there are any known issues with that software. Then if possible do not install it in your standard profile. Use a hypervisor like Hyper-V and run another instance of your OS only to run applications you are unsure of. This is another often used vector for infecting computers.

Pirated Software

Whatever you do, do not instal pirated applications. They almost always have some form of malicious software attached.a

It doesn’t matter if you have forgotten your Windows password. You can still log in even if there isn’t any other administrative account on the PC.

This might seem a bit scary from an administrative point-of-view but there are good reasons to use these tricks. Of course, what this also points to is the need for encrypting sensitive files.

Let’s look at the instructions for both Windows 7, 8 and 10:

 Windows 7:

For this, you will need a System Repair disc. You can even use one from someone else’s PC provided that one isn’t 32-bit and yours is 64-bit or vice-versa. So, to change the password, boot from the System Repair Disc. Press any key when prompted so as to reach the System Recovery Options screen. Check the location of the operating system be it C:, D: or otherwise. Hit Next. Select Command Prompt at the next screen.

Now enter each of the following commands and hit Enter:

x:

cd windows\system32

ren utilman.exe utilhold.exe

copy cmd.exe utilman.exe

exit

Now, remove the disc and reboot. Now, click the Ease of Access icon in the bottom left-hand corner to bring up the command prompt. Now type “net user username password” with username being the current one as well as the new password you want.

Finally, close the command prompt and log in with your new password.

Windows 8 (and 10)

Since your Windows 10 user account is linked with your online Microsoft account, this makes the process of replacing your password so much easier and secure.

For this, use another computer and go to Microsoft’s sign-in page. Click ‘Can’t access your account’. Of course, you’ll have to prove that you are the owner of this account based on the phone numbers and answers that you’ve provided before. You should be able to change the password easily.

Now, if you’ve created a local account, you’ll have to boot from the Windows 10 Recovery Drive. Also, the Ease of Access icon is located between the Power and Connect to Internet icons – in the lower right-hand corner.

Switching from Windows 7 to 10 can be a bit of a shock for any user. Without a doubt, Windows 10 is a much better experience overall.

Yet with so many changes, it can be quite confusing. Apart from learning how to use the Windows Store, a number of features have been moved around since the release of Windows 8.1.

 So, what does a new Windows 10 user do? Read Windows 10 tutorials found on Google?

No, you can ask the new digital assistant launched by Microsoft known as Cortana.

If you don’t know this already, Cortana is already placed on the taskbar and can be used to find both features as well as programs too.

Of course, you can find the information you want in Windows 10’s search function. So, if you don’t use Cortana, you can still use this feature to get your answers.

So, all you have to do is type in your question in the Cortana/Search box and the answer will show up right at the top of the results panel.

There are times when you won’t be able to find what you’re looking for with the words you type in. For this, try and change the phrasing a bit and it will still give the right information as a result.

For example, if you type in “Is this copy of Windows genuine?” or “Genuine windows”, you might not find the right answer. Yet typing in ‘Is Windows activated” does the trick.

Apart from this, you can search for both apps on your system as well as at the Windows Store. You don’t even have to open the Windows Store to find these apps.

As you will soon discover, it is very simple to use Cortana. Especially if you like Windows 10.

With every version of Windows, a new set of taskbar toys are thrown your way. With Windows 10, this is no exception.

By itself, the default taskbar setup will work alright. Yet if you want to customize the operating system to your PC, then a few tweaks are in order. Here are 3 tweaks to consider:

1: Shrink Cortana

While Cortana has changed everything for the better for Windows, it still consumes a large amount of taskbar space. So, you can either condense Cortana or get rid of it completely. For this, right-click on the Cortana search box or any free space on the taskbar. When in the context menu, select Cortana > Show Cortana Icon. The search box disappears and will be replaced by Cortana’s icon. Now, click on the icon to activate Cortana itself.

If you want to get rid of Cortana, then click Cortana > Hidden and you can find your will a lot of space. No, Cortana isn’t removed but the icon is hidden from the taskbar.

2: Remove Task View

If you’re not one to use Task View’s virtual desktops or you use the shortcut key (Windows key+Tab), then just get rid of the icon. For this, right-click on the Task View icon or on free space in the Taskbar. Then finally, de-select ‘Show Task View button’.

3: Add Toolbars

This feature is hardly new but there are very few people who know anything about it. Two toolbars that you must absolutely have are the website launcher and a launcher to File Explorer. Using the former involves typing in a web address and your browser launches the site. For this, right-click on your toolbar and select Toolbars>Address from the context menu. For immediate access to system items, select Toolbars>Desktop.

Even though Windows hides your device from others if it recognizes that you are using a public network, this protection sometimes isn’t enough.

Of course, there are other situations when it doesn’t recognize the WiFi network, and it will ask you how it should handle security. In some cases, it won’t even ask you the question and which means that you will have to manually adjust the settings.

For this question to be answered appropriately, one has to check their version of Windows first.

#1: Windows 7

For this version, Windows will throw up a dialog box asking whether it is a Home, Work or Public network. If this dialog box doesn’t open up, that means Windows knows that it is a public network.

To make sure of this, go to the Start Menu’s Search field and type “network” and then select “Network and Sharing Center”. Now you can look for the network as well as its type. When you click that link, the very same dialog box opens up

#2: Windows 8

For Windows 8, when you log into a new network, you’ll find that a panel opens up on the right side of the screen which will ask you whether it should find PCs, devices and content on this network. If it’s a public network, make sure you select “No”.

To make sure that you’ve picked the right setting, then go to the Search Charm and type network as well as select Network Connection Settings. If the “Find devices and content” switch is off, then Windows recognizes it to be a public network. If it is on, make sure you turn it on.

By Allied Time

No matter what type of business you’re in, if you have employees, they’re going to be a key factor in either making or breaking you. So it makes sense that most companies spend a lot of time and money on trying to get the most out of their employees. Unfortunately, for these companies, a lot of their efforts fall short and for one very sad reason.

They don’t have time clocks. Employees who aren’t being actively monitored by an electronic time clock simply aren’t giving you the performance you’re paying for. That’s not even their fault all the time either. Without clocks to monitor them, they can often be confused about what they’re supposed to be doing, when they should leave for lunch, come back, etc.

You also can’t be giving them very good leadership if you don’t understand the type of day they lead. With professional time clocks, though, this all becomes easy. Your company can operate better knowing that the time they’re paying for is being put to good use. Furthermore, your employees will have an easier time meeting your standards because of the feedback you’ll be able to deliver them.

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All businesses need the right kind of clocks to monitor their employees time cards, otherwise you really can’t expect much in the way of results. That’s why so many companies like yours turn to Allied Time for their Time machineneeds—if you can get them met there, they can’t be met!

There are a number of reasons why an Office subscription might be the thing you require be it the Microsoft Office apps for the iPad.

Probably an hour of free world minutes on Skype or even 27 GB of OneDrive storage for each user which is also just as tempting.

However, you don’t have to pay $10 a month or $100 a year. You can get some time for free while also saving money on the aforementioned standard rate.

So, here are three ways by which you can save money when using Office 365:

#1: Enjoy one free month

The first thing that you should know about Office 365 is that you get one full month free of cost. For that, you’ll have to set up a free Microsoft account – your Xbox Live, Outlook.com or even your OneDrive account should do. Be advised that if you do provide your credit card, you will be charged $10 if you don’t cancel your account before the free month is finished.

#2: Don’t subscribe from Microsoft directly

By the time you are done with a month of using Office 365 for free, you’ll know whether or not it’s right for you. However, you don’t have to subscribe for this service by visiting the Microsoft website or as an in-app purchase. A cheaper option includes a discounted subscription key card for just $68 from Amazon.

#3: Subscribe for multiple years

If you wish to purchase multiple subscriptions for several years, you can do that even if Microsoft does not advertise. So, all you have to do is purchase a couple of the aforementioned cards and which works out much cheaper compared to buying it in other ways.

No matter what you think, it isn’t safe using Windows XP anymore for the simple reason that it’s a magnet for malware.

Well, it’s almost been a decade now since the operating system has been around and so, it’s being phased out as Microsoft has released Windows 8 instead.

Speaking of which, your only options include replacing XP with Windows 7, 8 or jut opting for Linux altogether.

Among the three, Windows 7 is the simplest to try since it has the least learning curve than the other two.

Yet before you purchase a copy, it’s good to know whether your hardware can support Windows 7 or not.

In order to find out, it’s a good idea to install and run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. In more cases than not, you will have to obtain a 32-bit version of Windows as most if not all XP PCs did not use 64-bit processors.

If you’d like to be absolutely sure, then use Gibson Research’s Securable which will look at your chip and let you know if it’s 32-bit or 64-bit.

Now, once you know your processor, all you have to do is Google the keyword ‘windows 7’ and look for the cheaper upgrade option.

Once you purchase the copy, just make sure you back all your data up. Better still, use the EaseUS Todo Backup Free to create an image backup just in case something goes wrong.

After this, insert your Windows 7 DVD, boot your PC and follow the instructions to install Windows 7.

Once you’ve completed the installation, you’ll find all your old files in a folder with the path: C:\Windows.old.