Tag Archives: Windows 10

Rename User Profile Directory

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How to Rename User Profile Directory in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7

Renaming a user account in Windows won’t automatically rename the associated user profile folder. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to manually rename user profile directory in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7, if the name of your user account folder is not what you want.

How to Rename User Profile Directory in Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7?

To make sure your renaming of user profile folder is consistent across the entire installation of your Windows and does not break anything, follow these steps:

  1. Log on to another Administrator account that is not the account being renamed.
  2. Open the Windows Explorer and browse to the C:\Users folder. Right-click on your user account folder and rename it to whatever you like.rename-user-profile
  3. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter.
  4. When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following registry location:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\
  5. Under the ProfileList subkey you will find a few subfolders (starting with ‘S-1-5-‘) that are named with the SID of Windows user accounts. Find the SID for your user account whose profile folder you just renamed. You can simply open each subfolder and check the ProfileImagePath path for the correct one.profile-image-path
  6. In the right-pane, double-click the ProfileImagePath value and change the user profile path to your desired name. In my example, I renamed the account folder from C:\Users\Tom to C:\Users\Tom_New.change-profile-path
  7. Close the Registry Editor window. Logout of the Administrator account and log in with your user account. Everything should work fine – all your apps and files should be intact and your user folder should have been renamed.

Windows 10 Explorer Fix

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Windows Explorer shortcuts not working giving Error message:

Windows cannot Find, Make Sure You Typed the Name Correctly, and Then Try Again.

Today I encountered a weird issue in Windows 10 operating system. I usually open Windows Explorer by using WIN+E hotkey. When I pressed WIN and E keys together, Windows showed following error message:

[Explorer.EXE]

Windows cannot find ”. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.

Then I tried to open Windows Explorer by double-clicking on This PC icon on Desktop and it opened fine.

Finally I was able to address this annoying issue and fixed it using a very simple solution.

If you also face this problem ever, you may try following working fix:

1. Open Windows Explorer (or File Explorer or This PC) by double-clicking on its desktop icon or by clicking on its pinned icon on Taskbar. Now click on View tab in Ribbon and then click on Options.

If you are unable to open Windows Explorer and get above mentioned error message, open Control Panel and click on “File Explorer Options” icon.

2. Now check the option “Open File Explorer to:“. It would be set to “Quick access“. Click on the drop-down box and select “This PC” option.

Open_File_Explorer_This_PC_Quick_Access_Windows_10.png

3. Apply the changes and it’ll fix the problem.

Now you’ll no longer receive any error message while trying to launch Windows Explorer.

It seems a “Quick Access” related bug to me and when we disable “Quick Access” option in File Explorer options, it solves the issue.

Reset the video driver

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1.

To reset the video driver on Windows 10, you can use the keyboard shortcut Win + Ctrl + Shift + B.

This will cause the screen to flicker for a few seconds or go black for a second, and then everything will return to normal.

This method is safe and won’t affect running apps and opened documents. If the driver is misbehaving a lot, chances are that it has gone corrupt. Another way to restart the driver is by disabling and re-enabling the Display adapter from Device Manager. It is important to check if the Windows Key is not disabled as it can accidentally shift the focus.

2.

Reset the Graphics Card Driver Using Device Manager

If you are still facing display issues even after applying the keyboard shortcut to refresh your graphics card driver, you can try resetting it with the Device Manager.

Device Manager is available on all Windows versions and provides a list of all the hardware components connected to your PC. Here, you can find the graphics card driver as well, which can be reset if needed.

Here are the steps to use the Device Manager to reset the graphics card driver:

  1. First, open the Device Manager by searching for it in the Windows search box and clicking on the Device Manager icon from the Start menu.launch device manager from start menu
  2. Then, locate and expand the Display adapters section in the Device Manager window.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select Properties from the context menu.graphics card properties
  4. Under the Properties window, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Disable Device button.disable graphics card driver
  5. Confirm the disable action and wait for a few moments.
  6. After the driver is disabled, again right-click on your graphics card driver, and select Properties from the menu that appears.
  7. Switch to the Driver tab, and click on the Enable Device button.enable device driver
  8. Wait for the driver to be re-enabled.

This action will reset your graphics card driver and may clear up any display issues you were having.

3. Uninstall and Reinstall the Graphics Driver to Reset It

If nothing else works, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling the graphics driver. Uninstalling the driver will remove it from your system completely, which should resolve any possible glitches or compatibility issues that might have been causing the display problems.

To uninstall and then reinstall the graphics card driver on Windows, follow these steps:

  1. First, open the Device Manager by searching for it in the Windows search box and clicking on the Device Manager icon from the Start menu.
  2. Then, locate and expand the Display adapters section.
  3. Right-click on your graphics card driver and select Uninstall device from the context menu.uninstall graphics driver
  4. Confirm the uninstall action to remove all its files completely.
  5. After the driver is removed, reboot your device.
  6. Windows will detect a missing driver and prompt you to install it automatically. If not, head to your graphics card manufacturer’s website and download the suitable drivers for your device.

App Launch

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Did You Know

You can launch apps on your on the “TaskBar” by pressing:

  • WIN + 1 (to Launch the first app on your “TaskBar”)
  • WIN +2 (to launch the second App on your “TaskBar“)
  • WIN + X (for additional apps)

Stay tuned for more tips.

Windows Explorer

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Today again I had the top section of my windows explorer just disappeared and I was not able to close the program using the x at the top right section of the header.

I was able to recover it by resetting the screen resolution and magnification, then later I found this trick that seems to force a screen reset. I was able to move it to my second screen an there is was just fine, so as long as I did not move it back to the surface primary screen it was just dandy.

The Ctrl+Shift+Win+B key sequence will restart your graphics driver.

Shortcuts to Windows Settings

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A simple extension of a brilliant hack by Lucas (@Whistler4Ever), published by Sergey Tkachenko at WinAero, and unearthed by Steven Parker at Neowin gives you a very easy way to put an icon on your Windows 10 Desktop screen that opens to just about any Settings page, where you can change a setting in a nonce.

[ More info: How to fix five Windows 10 headaches ]

Here’s how to make it work:

[ Got a spare hour? Take this online course and learn how to install and configure Windows 10 with the options you need. ]

  1. Right-click or tap and hold any blank place on the Windows 10 Desktop.
  2. Choose New > Shortcut.
  3. Pick one of the ms-settings apps listed below and type it into the input box. For example, to go to the Data Usage app, type ms-settings:datausage in the box marked Type the location of the item.
  4. Click Next, give the shortcut a name, and click Finish.

A new shortcut appears on your desktop. Double-click or tap it, and the Settings app appears.

Settings page App used for the shortcut
Accessibility
Closed captioning ms-settings:easeofaccess-closedcaptioning
High contrast ms-settings:easeofaccess-highcontrast
Keyboard ms-settings:easeofaccess-keyboard
Magnifier ms-settings:easeofaccess-magnifier
Mouse ms-settings:easeofaccess-mouse
Narrator ms-settings:easeofaccess-narrator
Other options ms-settings:easeofaccess-otheroptions
Battery and power
Battery Saver ms-settings:batterysaver
Battery Saver settings ms-settings:batterysaver-settings
Battery use ms-settings:batterysaver-usagedetails
Power and sleep ms-settings:powersleep
Display and user interface
Backgrounds ms-settings:personalization-background
Colors (display) ms-settings:colors
Colors (personaliation) ms-settings:personalization-colors
Date and time ms-settings:dateandtime
Display ms-settings:display
Mouse and touchpad ms-settings:mousetouchpad
Personalization ms-settings:personalization
Region and language ms-settings:regionlanguage
Screen rotation ms-settings:screenrotation
Speech ms-settings:speech
Start ms-settings:personalization-start
Themes ms-settings:themes
Typing ms-settings:typing
Network and radios
Airplane mode ms-settings:network-airplanemode
Bluetooth ms-settings:bluetooth
Cellular ms-settings:network-cellular
Data usage ms-settings:datausage
Dialup ms-settings:network-dialup
DirectAccess ms-settings:network-directaccess
Ethernet ms-settings:network-ethernet
Manage Wi-Fi ms-settings:network-wifisettings
Mobile hotspot ms-settings:network-mobilehotspot
Proxy ms-settings:network-proxy
Wi-Fi ms-settings:network-wifi
VPN ms-settings:network-vpn
Other
For developers ms-settings:developers
Offline maps ms-settings:maps
Optional features ms-settings:optionalfeatures
Privacy
Account info ms-settings:privacy-accountinfo
Calendar ms-settings:privacy-calendar
Camera ms-settings:privacy-webcam
Contacts ms-settings:privacy-contacts
Feedback ms-settings:privacy-feedback
Location ms-settings:privacy-location
Messaging ms-settings:privacy-messaging
Microphone ms-settings:privacy-microphone
Motion ms-settings:privacy-motion
Other devices (privacy) ms-settings:privacy-customdevices
Privacy ms-settings:privacy
Radios ms-settings:privacy-radios
Speech, inking, and typing ms-settings:privacy-speechtyping
System and user
Connected devices ms-settings:connecteddevices
Family and other users ms-settings:otherusers
Lockscreen ms-settings:lockscreen
Notifications and actions ms-settings:notifications
Proximity ms-settings:proximity
Signin options ms-settings:signinoptions
Storage Sense ms-settings:storagesense
Tablet mode ms-settings://tabletmode/
Windows Update ms-settings:windowsupdate
Work access ms-settings:workplace

Bose Soundlink

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Bose Soundlink Micro

Bose (bluetooth) Soundlink Micro, I have just purchassed a new Surface Laptop 2 to replace my Surface Pro 4. The transfering of date from my old Surface Pro to the new Laptop 2 went according to plan. I was able to test most things before my next trip to Edmonton to train the final course CompTIA Security + for the 3rd intake.

During my presentation I needed to play a video to the class and I connected my Bose (BT) Soundlink Micro, well what can I say, there was absolutly no volume, so I had to revert back to my build in speakers. The volume was enough for the students to hear the content but nowhere like it should have been, had my Bose speaker been working.

After much testing on various devices I proved that the issue was with my new Surface Laptop. How very sad, searching online for a solution I quickly realised that hundreds of people had the same issue with different hardware, something that Bose themselves had not yet been able to resolve. Realising that it could not be my Laptop, I of course couldn’t give up and revert to the Surface pro. I have just gotten used to the slightly larger screen of the Laptop 2. After many hours I found an inconspicuous post that said we had to add a registry setting. Me I had to check this first in the registry myself, and found setting was already there but needed to have its value changed from 1 to 0.

Below is the command to add the registry entry, but as I said above my entry already existed, so all I did was change the DisableAbsoluteVolume REG_DWORD to 0

reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Bluetooth\Audio\AVRCP\CT /v DisableAbsoluteVolume /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Once that had been changed my volume was back to loud.

I can now go back to Edmonton and not have to worry about the volume when showing videos.