====== Windows Tips, Tricks and Notes ======
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===== Windows 10 annoyances and how to overcome them =====

=== "Let's finish setting up your device."  Let's not and say we did: ===
Disable this annoying splash screen thusly:
  * Start -> Settings -> System -> Notifications & actions
  * Uncheck the “Show me the Windows welcome experience after updates…”, “Suggest ways I can finish setting up my device…” and “Get tips, tricks and suggestions…” items under Notifications.

=== End the automatic upgrade/automatic reboot madness ===
Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)\\
Navigate to the following path:
  Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update
Change the following 3 settings:

**Configure Automatic Updates** -> Enabled, 4 - Auto download and schedule the install\\
**Configure auto-restart required notification for updates** -> Enabled, 2 - User Action\\
**No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations** -> Enabled\\

=== Require username to be specified at logon (disable user listing)
Open the Local Policy app (secpol)\\
Navigate to **Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Interactive Logon: Don’t display last signed-in** and set to Enabled.

=== Enable ICMP ===
Open a command window in Administrator mode and enter the following command:
  netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="ICMP Allow incoming V4 echo request" protocol=icmpv4:8,any dir=in action=allow

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===== How Windows determines whether or not the machine has internet access =====

Windows attempts to download a file from a dedicated Web server. Depending on which version of Windows, it’s ''http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt'' or ''http://www.msftconnecttest.com/connecttest.txt''. If the download is successful and contains the correct contents, then Windows concludes that you have full Internet access.

If something goes wrong, Windows will report either limited or no Internet access, depending on what exactly went wrong.

More details on this are available [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/networking/internet-explorer-edge-open-connect-corporate-public-network|here]].
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===== Ways to personalize Windows 10 without activating it =====

=== Disable Taskbar Button Grouping with Group Policy ===
Open the Registry Editor app and locate the following registry key:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

On the right, create the new 32-Bit DWORD value //NoTaskGrouping//\\
Set the value of the newly created key to decimal 1.\\
Restart the computer.

=== Setting Desktop Wallpaper via Group Policy ===
Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)\\
Navigate to ''Local Computer Policy -> User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Desktop -> Desktop''\\
Select 'Desktop Wallpaper'\\
Select 'Enabled', then supply the wallpaper name (directory\filename).\\
Choose Wallpaper Style\\
Click OK

Wallpaper modification will take effect on the next login.

=== Setting Desktop Wallpaper using Registry Editor ===
Open the Registry Editor app.\\
Navigate to //Policies// in //HKCU//.\\
Right-click on Policies > New > Key.\\
Name it as //System//.\\
Right-click on System > New > String Value.\\
Name it as //Wallpaper//.\\
Double-click on it and enter the wallpaper path.\\
Right-click on System > New > String Value.\\
Name it as //WallpaperStyle//.\\
Double-click on it to set a Value data; the values below are valid:
  0 - Center
  1 - Tile
  2 - Stretch
  3 - Fit
  4 - Fill
  5 - Span
Click OK to save the change.

Wallpaper modification will take effect on the next login.

=== Removing the wallpaper ===
In case you want to remove this wallpaper, navigate to the following path:

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

And right-click on **Policies > Delete**. Then, confirm the change by clicking the Delete button again.

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===== Helpful Commands and Procedures =====

==== Creating/extracting files with 7-Zip ====

=== Create or add to an archive: ===
  7z a -p <zipfile name> <file(s) to add>
  
=== Create an archive, recursing the directory specified: ===
  7z a -rp <zipfile name> <file(s) to add>

=== Extract the archive: ===
  7z x <zipfile name>
  
==== Resurrecting a USB Stick ====
Connect your flash drive to the computer at first, and make sure it can be detected.

1. Click “start” and type “command prompt”.

2. Then, right click “command prompt” and select “run as administrator”.

3. After that, type “diskpart” and press “Enter”. Then execute the below commands in turn:

    list disk
    select disk n
    clean
    create partition primary
    format fs=fat32 quick: If you want to format to NTFS, type “format fs=ntfs quick”.

{{:cmd.jpg?600|}}

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