Windows Tools, Help & Guides

If you share your PC with others or let friends use it when they come to visit, you may find settings changed, files deleted, programs installed etc. when you next use it. With previous versions of Windows, I’ve used Windows Steady State, which provided a mode to allow access without setting complicated policies to protect your settings. Thankfully with Windows 7, Microsoft has made this level of protection much more readily accessible. Learn, in this guide how to set up a Guest account—available in all Windows 7 and 8 versions—for infrequent users of your PC.

Please note two things before getting started:

1. You should not use a guest account if you have parental controls set on your children’s accounts
2. You cannot use Guest mode in an Active Directory environment
   In other words, you probably wont be able to add a guest account if you use company hardware

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When you store your data with a third party provider like Dropbox, you put trust in the storage provider’s security controls to protect your data. While all good storage providers encrypt their data locally and during transmission, you can add an additional layer of security to really lock down your data and keep prying eyes away.

In the past, we’ve shown you how to create a secure, encrypted volume on your PC or USB drive; however, you need to use a PC to access the data. In this guide, we share an application that encrypts your data while still providing access to your data from any Windows, Mac, or Linux PC as well as from an iOS, Android, or Windows RT device.

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If you have a file that you suspect is housing a virus but your antivirus software does not detect it, you can submit it for further analysis online. This guide shows you  the best online virus scanners available today. If you’d like to scan one file, follow the instructions under Scan Individual Files for Viruses. If you’d like to scan your entire PC, follow the instructions under Scan Your Entire PC for Viruses.

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If you have a Windows PC that you can’t log in to but you need access to the files, the easiest way is to get to them through a live distribution of Linux. While that might sound a little daunting, this guide will walk you through the process and show you just how easy it can be.

Create a Bootable Linux Disc

1. Download the latest version of Ubuntu Desktop

2. Burn the Ubuntu ISO to a disc (how to burn an ISO to disc)

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If you want access to your Windows account (and not just access to your files), you can reset your password quite easily. Learn, in this guide, how to burn a password reset disc and how to boot from it and reset your Windows account password.

Warning: Do not reset your password if you’ve used Windows to encrypt your files. Instead, attempt to crack your Windows password to regain access to these files.
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Recently, we encouraged you to set (or change) a password for your Windows account. If you lose your password, you face the reality of losing access to your files and settings. In this guide, we show you how to create a password reset disk for your PC so, in a bind, you have an easy backdoor into your PC.

Note: you can also reset or crack the password; however, a little preparation will save you the hassle of doing this.

Before you begin this guide, you’ll need the following:

• A USB drive (does not have to be empty)
• A current password set for your account (how to)

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