Find Your Lost Windows Product Keys

Assuming you can boot your computer without any problems, you can easily create a simple VBscript that will read the value out of the registry and then translate it into the format that you need for reinstalling.

Copy and paste the following into a Notepad window:

Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
MsgBox ConvertToKey(WshShell.RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId"))

Function ConvertToKey(Key)
Const KeyOffset = 52
i = 28
Chars = "BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
Do
Cur = 0
x = 14
Do
Cur = Cur * 256
Cur = Key(x + KeyOffset) + Cur
Key(x + KeyOffset) = (Cur \ 24) And 255
Cur = Cur Mod 24
x = x -1
Loop While x >= 0
i = i -1
KeyOutput = Mid(Chars, Cur + 1, 1) & KeyOutput
If (((29 - i) Mod 6) = 0) And (i <> -1) Then
i = i -1
KeyOutput = "-" & KeyOutput
End If
Loop While i >= 0
ConvertToKey = KeyOutput
End Function

You’ll need to use File -> Save As, change the “Save as type” to “All Files” and then name it productkey.vbs or something similar ending with the vbs extension. We’d recommend saving to the desktop for easy access.

Once you’ve saved it, you can just double-click and the popup window will show you your product key.

Protip: If you use CTRL + C when the popup window is active, it will copy the contents of the window to the clipboard, and then you can paste it into Notepad or somewhere else. 

Free .OST & .PST File Viewer

OST  File Viewer 2.0 — FREEVIEWER

http://www.freeviewer.org/ost/

OST file viewing designed to meet enterprise level challenges.

 Screenshots  How it Works

• View Emails, Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, Notes and Journals.
• Associated Email Attachments can be also viewed.
• 7 View mode (Hex, mime, header etc) to Analyze an email in depth.
• OST Viewer software is independent and standalone to speeds up email management.
• The software utility designed to meet issues regarding the .ost files.
• Force multiplier to speed up your email related work.
• Supports all Windows OS upto version 8.1

PST File Viewer 2.0 — FREEVIEWER

http://www.freeviewer.org/pst/

PST Viewer to manage and explore .pst file in easy and effective way.

 Screenshots  How it Works

• View emails and attachments within preview pane of tool.
• Easily Perform Hex and PST Forensic Analysis on the concerned file.
• Fully standalone and Outlook Email Client Independent.
• All-inclusive utility to meet and manage your entire requirement regarding the PST file.
• Simple, easy to use and preloaded with features to meet the present and future needs.
• Support all Windows OS (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP and other) & MS Outlook Editions (2016/2013/2010/2007/2003/2000).

Block Skype Ads Quick and Easy

ontrol Panel -> Internet Options -> Security -> Restricted Sites -> Sites -> add g.msn.com and apps.skype.com

Also, to remove the ad placeholder, go to your 

C:\users\youruser\AppData\Roaming\Skype\yourskypeuser\config.xml

and find the line <AdvertPlaceholder>1</AdvertPlaceholder>

and remove the line completely

Disable or Enable Windows Automatic updates from command line

We can disable Windows automatic updates from command line using the below command.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update" /v AUOptions /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f  

I have tested this on Windows XP, Windows server 2003 and Windows 7 and it works perfectly. After running the above command you can also see a balloon popping up near the system tray with the message “Your computer might be at risk… Automatic updates is turned off……“.

Please note that this will not work if domain group policy is enforced and users are prohibited to change the settings. One can find out if a GP is enforced or not looking at the ‘Automatic updates’ tab in Computer properties(sysdm.cpl). If the options are gryed out, it means that domain GP is enforced.

To enable automatic updates we need to set the registry value to 0. Command is given below.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update" /v AUOptions /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

If you want to download updates but not install till the user acts on it then you can set the registy value to 3.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\Auto Update" /v AUOptions /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f

If you want to disable Automatic updates service then run the below command.

sc config wuauserv start= disabled

IF you want to stop Automatic updates service then run the below command.

net stop wuauserv

Command for starting automatic updates service:

net start wuauserv

Command for enabling the service:

sc config wuauserv start= auto

Windows Update error 80070422

If you receive Windows Update error 80070422 while downloading updates, you might need to change the Windows Update service settings, and then restart the service.

The Windows Update Troubleshooter is available that fixes some problems with Windows Update, and it might resolve this error for you.

If that doesn't work, try the following steps.

To change or restart the Windows Update service

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.

1. Open Administrative Tools by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, typeadministrative tools, and then click Administrative Tools.
2. Double-click Services.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. Click the Name column heading to sort the names in reverse order. Find the Windows Update service, right-click it, and then click Properties.
4. On the General tab, next to Startup type, make sure that Automatic is selected.
5. Next to Service status, check to see if the service is started. If it is not, click Start.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Steps to fix 'Some settings are managed by your organization' message in Windows 10

Step 1: Launch Start Menu by hitting the Windows Key. Type in gpedit.msc and right-click the app from the search results. Choose Run as Administrator from the context menu.

Step 2: In the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc), go to Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Data Collection and Preview Builds.

Step 3: Find the Allow Telemetry item and double-click it to edit the policies.

Step 4: Change the setting to Enabled. Change the drop-down menu entry to 3-Full and click Apply.

Step 5: Now open the item again and change its Setting to Not configured and hit the Save button.

That's it. The message should no longer stop you from accessing various system settings in Windows 10.

How to Upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10

You’re not interested in a clean install, you don’t want to fuss with wiping your computer, you just want to take the plunge and upgrade to Windows 10. It might be a relatively straight forward process, but it’s always useful to bring a guide. Read on as we walk you through the upgrade process.

What Do I Need?

To upgrade from Windows 7/8 to Windows 10 there is a very small list of must-haves and a few recommended items (which we’ll cover in the next section Pre-Upgrade Housekeeping). Let’s take a look at what you need before proceeding and then highlight some best practices.

An Activated Copy of Windows

The most important thing is that your current version of Windows is properly activated. Although Microsoft alluded to the idea that Windows 10 would be a sweeping upgrade that would even install on pirated and/or unactivated copies of Windows that plan never came to fruition and you most certainly need an activated copy under the current deployment model.

To check if your copy of Windows 8 is activated, press Windows Key + W to pull up the Setting search and type in “activated” to access the “See if Windows Is Activated” menu. Alternatively, you can look under Control Panel -> System to see the status of the machine.

To check if your copy of Windows 7 is activated you can click on Start Button, right click on “Computer”, and select properties. The resulting status menu will show if your copy of Windows is activated.

The Appropriate Windows 10 Update Tool

You can find the download tool here. Select the correct version, 32 or 64-bit, to match your current Windows installation.

Running the Upgrade Installer

When you’re ready to upgrade run the installer tool, labeled MediaCreationTool, to get started.

You’ll first be prompted to upgrade the PC or create installation media for another PC. Select “Upgrade this PC now” to begin the upgrade process and click “Next”. This begins the download process which is a long or short affair dependent entirely upon your Internet connection speed. We zoomed to 100 percent in a matter of minutes on a speedy cable connection, but if you’re on a slow connection you might be watching the meter for some time.

When it finally finishes downloading and unpacking the installation media you’ll be prompted to accept the terms of the license agreement. Click “Accept” and the installer will do a final update check before kicking you over to the final confirmation page.

By default the installer will select the largest “what to keep” selection it can. If you want to make changes to what it is keeping click the small “Change what to keep” link as seen in the screenshot above. You’ll be prompted to select to select which kind of installation you want.

Here in this section you’ll select to keep personal files and apps, personal files only, or nothing at all and your apps, files, and settings will be deleted. The little micro-summaries under the entries aren’t perfectly clear so feel free to click on the “Help me decide” link for more information. We’ve included the relevant text from the resulting pop-up message here for clarity.

What can I keep when I upgrade?
What you can keep depends on the version of Windows you’re running on your PC, so you’ll only see the options available to you. Here’s what you might see:

Windows settings
This keeps your settings like Ease of Access, your desktop background, or Internet favorites and history.

Personal files
This keeps any files that are saved in your User folder, like the Documents and Desktop folders.

Apps
This keeps apps that will work after you upgrade. To get a report of apps that you currently have on your PC that will work, and those that won’t, run the Upgrade Assistant, available online at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=261871 before you upgrade (you’ll need to close Setup to run the Upgrade Assistant). Some apps might work after you upgrade but you’ll need to reinstall them. You’ll see a list of these in the report. You’ll need your original installation media to reinstall them.

Note: If you’re upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1, you won’t see “apps” as an option of things to keep, and you’ll need to reinstall your apps using the original installation media.

Nothing
This deletes everything, including all of your apps, and replaces your current version of Windows with Windows 10. Your personal files will be moved to the windows.old folder. You can find more info online at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=12416.

That’s a lot more helpful than the little summaries on the actual selection menu. The most obvious and smooth transition is offered by “Keep personal files and apps”. If you’re upgrading from Windows 7, however, be prepared to reinstall applications as significant changes between the Windows 7 architecture and the Windows 8/10 architecture necessitate it.

When you’re ready click “Next” to proceed and it will return you to the final screen. Confirm that on the “Ready to install” screen it shows what you want (e.g. you selected “Keep personal files and apps” and that’s what it says). After confirming the installation click “Install”. Your PC will reboot a few times as the installer works and when it’s done you’ll be returned to the Windows login screen.

Configuring Windows After The Upgrade

When the login screen pops up for the first time, you’re not quite done yet. There are quite a few little tweaks you can perform before booting into Windows 10 for the first time and we recommend you take advantage of them.

As soon as you log in for the first time you’ll be prompted to accept the “Express Settings” or click the tiny link to “Customize settings”. You should definitely click “Customize settings” to see what Microsoft has set as the defaults and confirm whether you want them set as they are.

The first screen is called “Personalization” but should really be called “Can we send a bunch of information about you to Microsoft?” The privacy conscious will want to turn off everything in this menu. (If you later discover you just can’t live without a personalized Cortana experience you can always turn it on again).

The second screen is focused on browser protection, hotspots, and error reporting. SmartScreen is useful if you use the Microsoft Edge browser or the Windows Store. Privacy oriented folks will likely want to turn off page prediction as it sends your browsing data to Microsoft. The connectivity settings really only matter for laptops and tablets (as your desktop PC isn’t roaming around connecting to hotspots).

The final screen shows you the four new default Windows apps for photos, web browsing, music, and movies/TV. If you click “Let me choose my own default apps” it doesn’t actually let you choose the apps at this moment but merely allows you to uncheck one or all of the four default app selections (you’ll be prompted to make your default choices later when you open your preferred web browser for the first time and so on). When you click “Next” this final time you’ll be sent, after a short wait, to the Windows 10 desktop.

Now is the time to check on your apps, see if they survived the upgrade process (and update them if necessary) as well as to plug in your peripherals, check that all your hardware works (and update the drivers if necessary) and then get down to enjoying Windows 10.

How to fix Outlook "Not Implemented" error during Send/Receive

After some research on the installed programs,discovered that two versions of MS Office were installed on the computer and the Outlook program settings probably were corrupted. So we applied the following solution to solve the “Not implemented” error.

How to solve the “Not implemented” error in MS Outlook

Step 1. Uninstall the Office version that you don’t want.

First of all decide which Outlook and Office version you want to use and then uninstall the other one.

1. To do that go to:

• Windows 8/7/Vista: Start > Control Panel.
• Windows XP: Start > Settings > Control Panel

 

2. Double click to open “Add or Remove Programs” if you have Windows XP or “Programs and Features” if you have Windows 8, 7 or Vista).

3. In the list of installed programs, find and remove/Uninstall the Office version that you don’t want (e.g. MS Office 365).

Step 2. Repair Office Installation

Next, repair your Office installation, To do that:

1. In the program list, select the “Microsoft Office” version installed on your computer and click “Change” from the top. 

2. At the next screen, check the “Repair” option and click “Continue”.

3. When the repair process is completed, restart your computer and work with Outlook again.

Additional Help: If the “Not implemented” error still occurs in Outlook, then try the following:

1. Create a new Outlook profile by going to: Start >  Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles.

2. Now click the “Add” button to create your new profile and when finished, check the “Prompt for a profile to be used” option and click “OK”.

3.Open Outlook, select your newly created profile from the list and setup your email account in this profile. Now you should be fine.

Use Outlook Anywhere to connect to your Exchange server without a VPN

In a local area network (LAN) environment, Microsoft Outlook communicates with Microsoft Exchange Server by using remote procedure call (RPC) with Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). This method provides quick and efficient access in a corporate network.

NOTE:  A Microsoft Exchange Server account is required.

However, access to Exchange when you are outside of your organization's firewall, such as when you are at home or traveling, usually requires a virtual private network (VPN) connection to the organization's network. A VPN provides you with a connection within an organization's network and within its firewall. A VPN also enables access to more network services than those required for just e-mail access.

For remote connections, Outlook offers Outlook Anywhere, an alternative to VPN connections that allows you to use Outlook just as you normally do at your organization, without the need for any special connections or hardware, such as smart cards and security tokens. Outlook can connect to Exchange through the Internet by using remote procedure call (RPC) over HTTP. The Outlook Anywhere feature allows you to access your Exchange account remotely from the Internet when you are working outside your organization's firewall.

Outlook Anywhere requires the following:

• Your account is hosted on Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server 2007, or Exchange Server 2003.
• Your Exchange administrator must configure the server to permit connections via HTTP. Exchange administrators can find more information about configuring this feature in the Microsoft Office Resource Kit and in Microsoft Exchange documentation.

Enable Outlook Anywhere in Outlook

Your Exchange administrator can automatically configure all copies of Outlook in your organization or provide a special executable script file that enables Outlook Anywhere. You can also manually configure Outlook Anywhere if the system requirements are met and you have the correct URL and security information from your Exchange administrator.

1. Click the File tab
2. Click Account Settings, and then click Account Settings.
   
3. Select the Exchange account, and then click Change.
4. Click More Settings, and then click the Connection tab.
5. Under Outlook Anywhere, select the Connect to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP check box.
6. To specify a proxy server, click Exchange Proxy Settings.
   
   1. Type the URL provided by your Exchange administrator.
   2. If your Exchange administrator tells you to use a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection, select the Connect using SSL only check box.
   3. If your Exchange administrator instructs you to do so, select the Only connect to proxy servers that have this principal name in their certificate check box, and then type msstd: followed by the URL provided by the administrator.
7. Under Proxy authentication settings, click Basic Authentication or NTLM Authentication as instructed by your Exchange administrator.
   

NOTE:  If you click Basic Authentication or NTLM Authentication and an LM Compatibility Level of less than 2, you will be prompted for a password each time a connection is made to Exchange. With Basic Authentication, the password is sent in clear text. For increased security, we recommend that you select the NTLM Authentication and Connect using SSL only options.

Setting Up Outlook 2010 for Exchange

1. Open Mail Setup.

• Click the Windows Start button, select Control Panel, then select the Mail icon.
  
  Note: Depending on which version of Windows you are running, you may need to switch to Classic view to find the Mail entry or it might be labeled 32-Bit.
• Select the Show Profiles button, select the Add button, enter a name for this profile, and select the OKbutton.
  
• .

3. Manually configure server settings.

ul>

• Select Manually configure server settings or additional server types.
• Click Next.
  
  

4. Choose email service.

• Select Microsoft Exchange.
• Click Next.
  
  

5. Enter information in the Settings window

• Enter findmailbox.ucsd.edu in the Microsoft Exchange server field.
• Enter your AD username in the User Name field.
• Click Check Name to make sure these fields are correct.
  • If a warning message appears, ask your system administrator or the ACT Help Desk for your department's Exchange server name.
• If you access your email from off campus, go to steps 6-7. If not, continue.
• Click Next, then click Finish.
• Go to step 8.
  
  

6. Access Exchange from off campus.

• The first time you set up this access, you need to connect to the UCSD VPN.
  • Note: After the initial setup, Outlook 2010 connects securely to your UCSD Exchange account without the VPN.
• Click More Settings.
• Click the Connection tab.
• Select Connect to Microsoft Exchange using HTTP under Outlook Anywhere.
• Click Exchange Proxy Settings.
  
   

7. Set up Exchange Proxy Settings.

• Enter mail.ucsd.edu in the Connection settings field.
• Select On fast networks, connect using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP.
• Select On slow networks, connect using HTTP first, then connect using TCP/IP.
• Select Basic Authentication from the pull-down menu under Proxy authentication settings.
• Click OK.
• Click Next, then click Finish.
  
  

8. Re-enter AD username if prompted.

• If the window shown below appears, enter ad, a backslash, and your username in the User name field.
• Enter your AD password in the Password field.
• Click OK.
  

9. View the headers of a message.

• To view the headers, select a specific message in the main Outlook window. Every email message contains header lines of technical and/or delivery information. These headers usually remain hidden unless you instruct Outlook to display them. The headers are useful when setting up spam filters or configuring more complex settings.
• Double-click the message
• Click File, Info, Properties.
  

10. Review the headers.

• In the Properties window, review the internet headers field at the bottom.
• Highlight the information to save it, and right-click to open the Edit menu.
• Select Copy and paste the contents of your clipboard in a new window.
• Click Close.