How to Create Windows OS ISO File on a Bootable USB Flash Drive

Create Windows OS ISO Bootable USB Flash Drive

Windows USB/ DVD Download Tool (WUDT)

Scenario: Most of the latest Windows OS ISO files are above 4.8GB file size. A single layer DVD can only hold up to 4.7GB. Thus, you are not able to burn the ISO file into DVD SL. Here's the workaround for it using USB flash drive.

Solution: 

1. Download and save ISO file to your local HDD.

2. Download and install "Windows USB/DVD Download Tool" from CodePlex.

3. Prepare and insert a USB flash drive, 8GB and above (Must be larger than your ISO file size).

4. Run "Windows USB/ DVD Download Tool".

5. Choose ISO source file.

6. Choose media type "USB Device".

7. Browse to the correct USB Device and click "Begin Copying".

8. Wait for bootable USB flash drive creation to complete (All existing date on USB flash drive will be erased. Entire copying process could take anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes).

9. Insert USB flash drive into PC that you want to reformat.

10. Make sure boot option in BIOS is set to USB as the first boot device priority.

11. Install Windows OS normally like using any DVD installer.

12. Unplug USB flash drive after Windows OS automatic reboot during installation (You may stuck in installation loop for certain BIOS).

Note:
1.You must have basic knowledge in BIOS to perform BIOS option settings.
2. "Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 2" must be installed first before installing WUDT.

Choose ISO File

Choose Media Type

Insert USB Device

How to Disable Right Click, Copy, and Paste for Web Page

Disable Right Click, Copy, and Paste for Web Page

Scenario: Prevent others from copying your web page contents, be it text or picture.

Solution:

1. Add this line into HTML BODY code:

ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false" oncontextmenu="return false"

2. Add this Java Script bellow HTML Header:

 <script type="text/JavaScript">
function killCopy(e){
return false
}
function reEnable(){
return true
}
document.onselectstart=new Function ("return false")
if (window.sidebar){
document.onmousedown=killCopy
document.onclick=reEnable
}
</script>

3. Now, nobody can right click, highlight, and copy any content out of your web page.

Note: Basic HTML editing skill is required for this task.

How to Make Chrome Your Default Web Browser in Windows 10

Make Chrome Your Default Browser in Windows 10

Default apps > Web browser

Symptom:

1. Make Chrome your default browser option when launching Chrome doesn't work anymore for Windows 10.

2. Even you click OK, Microsoft Edge will still be the default browser.

Solution:

1. Click Windows Start button on bottom left of screen.

2. Click "Settings".

3. Click "System, Display, notifications, apps, power".

4. Click "Default apps".

5. Click "Web browser".

6. In Choose an app, select your desired web browser.

This works fine for FireFox and other web browsers too.

Facebook Videos Black Picture in FireFox

All Facebook Videos Showing Black Picture in FireFox

Black picture Facebook video

Symptom:

1. After upgrading to Windows 10, all Facebook videos are showing black picture.
2. There's audio playing in the background, but just no picture being displayed.

Resolution:

1. This steps only work for FireFox browser.

2. Enter "about:preferences#advanced" in Address box.

3. Untick "Use hardware acceleration when available".

4. Restart FireFox browser.

5. Try playing the Facebook video now, it should work fine.

For Chrome browser solution, click HERE.

about:preferences#advanced > Use hardware acceleration when available

Facebook video plays fine now

Facebook Videos Green Picture in Chrome

All Facebook Videos Showing Green Picture in Chrome

Green picture Facebook video

Symptom:

1. After upgrading to Windows 10, all Facebook videos are showing green picture.
2. There's audio playing in the background, but just no picture being displayed.

Resolution:

1. This steps only work for Chrome browser.

2. Enter "chrome://flags/" in Address box.

3. Scroll down to "Disable hardware-accelerated video decode". You can use CTRL + F (Find option) and enter keyword "hardware" to jump there quicker.

4. Click "Disable".

5. A new pop up button "Relaunch Now" appears on bottom of screen, click on that.

6. Chrome browser will restart.

7. Try playing the Facebook video now, it should work fine.

For FireFox browser solution, click HERE.

chrome://flags/ in Address box

Disable hardware-accelerated video decode

Facebook video plays fine now

Unable to Activate Windows 10

Windows 10 Activation Screen Hangs

Symptom:
1. On and off, Windows 10 requires you to reactivate it.
2. You frequently will get this product is not activated displayed on bottom right of screen above Windows clock.
3. In "Start > Settings > Update & Security > Activation" the screen freezes and unable to click anything such as "Activate" or "Change Key".
4. How to activate Windows 10 manually?

Solution:
1. Use manual activation in command line (Windows Software Licensing Management Tool aka. slmgr).
2. Windows Key + F and type "CMD".
3. Right click on Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator".
4. Type "slmgr /ipk <Your Windows Key Here> and hit Enter. This is to insert the product key manually.
5. Type "slmgr /ato" and hit Enter. This is to activate the product key online.
6. It will tell you Windows successfully activated if all's successful.

Run Command Prompt as Administrator

Use slmgr to change product key

Use slmgr to activate product key online

Windows 10 Update Causes Host Network and Hyper-V Network to Stop Working

Unable to Enable Network Device for both Host Network and Hyper-V Network After Windows 10 Update

Unable to Enable Hyper-V Network Device

Symptom:

1. After updating Windows 10 to the latest build, host machine looses connectivity to LAN.

2. Virtual machines in Hyper-V still has connectivity to LAN but host machine doesn't have have connectivity to LAN.

3. In Network Connections, Hyper-V network device is disabled and cannot be enabled.

Solution:

1. Perform this in elevated administrator rights.

2. Windows Key + F, enter "cmd".
3. Right click on CMD and run as Administrator.

4. Enter "devmgmt.msc" to open up Device Manager.

5. In Devie Manager, uninstall both physical NIC and virtual Hyper-V NIC.

6. Scan for hardware changes.

7. Physical NIC will be reinstalled automatically.

8. Open up Power Shell in elevated administrator rights.

9. Windows Key + F, enter "powershell", right click run as Administrator.

10. Enter "Get-NetAdapter" in PowerShell to list physical NIC.

11. Create a new Hyper-V virtual network device.

12. Enter New-VMSwitch "vSwitch" -NetAdapterName "Ethernet" -AllowManagementOS $True

* vSwitch = desired name for your Hyper-V virtual switch and Ethernet = name of your physical adapter.

13. Enter "Get-NetAdapter" again to view newly created virtual adapter.

14. Go back to Hyper-V Manager.

15. Open Virtual Switch Manager to verify the newly created virtual switch is in External Network > Physical NIC mode.

16. Check virtual machine settings to verify they are mapped to the newly created virtual switch.

17. Verify virtual machine is able to access LAN.

Uninstall physical NIC, Hyper-V NIC, and scan for hardware changes

PowerShell commands

Hyper-V Manager

Virtual Switch Manager

How to Disable Flash Hardware Acceleration on Google Chrome

Unable to Disable Flash Hardware Acceleration on Google Chrome

Unable to click anything in flash settings

Use chrome://flags/ as workaround

Symptom: 

1. When you right click on any flash video to get settings menu up, the checkbox for hardware acceleration and any other flash menu tab cannot be clicked.
2. You have already tried my steps to disable Flash Hardware Acceleration at HERE but it still doesn't work.

Solution:

1. Open a new tab in Google Chrome.

2. Type in "chrome://flags/" on the URL address box.

3. Scroll down and look for "Disable hardware-accelerated video decode".

4. Click once to "Disable".

5. Click "Relaunch Now".

6. Once you've relaunched Google Chrome, all flash videos will start playing normally again.

Note:

I've previously disabled flash hardware acceleration on Google Chrome by right clicking flash settings. But somehow after Windows update and resetting Google Chrome browser, the flash checkbox menu no longer is clickable. This is the workaround that I could find to play all my flash videos normally once again on Google Chrome.

How to Bypass Maxis Technicolor TG784n Router DNS Lock Down

Unable to Change DNS Server Set When Using Maxis Fibre Broadband on Technicolor TG784n Router

Symptom:

Have changed the DNS server sets from router's GUI but still unable to use custom DNS server sets for Maxis Technicolor TG784n Router.

This is because Maxis had hard coded the router. Whatever changes you made for DNS server sets from GUI will not take effect.

Solution:

You've to use telnet/ command line to configure the router's DNS set.

Download any free Telnet client from Internet and connect to your gateway.

Popular clients are Putty and Microsoft default Telnet client.

Assuming your default router IP address is 192.168.1.254 if you've never changed this.

1. telnet 192.168.1.254

2. Use "Administrator" for username. It's case sensitive.

3. For password, you've to refer to the access key sticker on your router.

4. Copy and paste the following texts into telnet client.

dns server config state=disabled

dhcp server config state=disabled

dhcp server lease flush

dhcp server pool config name=LAN_private primdns=4.2.2.2 secdns=8.8.8.8

dhcp server config state=enabled

dns client flush

dns client dnsadd addr=4.2.2.2

saveall

exit

5. After this flush your local PC's DNS cache. In windows use ipconfig/flushdns or reboot your PC.

6. You will now be able to access websites blocked by MCMC/ SKMM on your Maxis fibre broadband.

Note:

Basic knowledge of PC IP addressing/ networking is required for these tasks.

Facebook Flash Videos Showing Green Screen

Green Screen When Playing Any Flash Video

Symptom:

After updating to the latest flash player version, when  you play any flash video, you get a screen screen with no video but with audio.

Solution:

1. Right click on the flash video, select "Settings".

2. In settings's display tab, uncheck "Enable hardware acceleration".

3. Refresh your flash page, it should start playing.

Note:

You must have the latest graphics drivers installed on your computer too. I've tested this on all 3 browsers of mine: IE, Chrome, and FireFox. All worked fine after applying this setting.
If after performing this steps, it still doesn't work you may refer to Google Chrome's fix to it at HERE.

How to Make YouTube Videos Auto Repeat?

Ever wanted to keep on repeating that favorite music video of yours in YouTube?
Well here's the solution to that.

Solution:
1. Just add "repeat" in your URL box after "youtube".
2. Hit Enter and this will bring you to Listen On Repeat site that will repeat your YouTube video indefinitely until you close it.

FileZilla FTP Client Error: Unknown Certificate

Command: MLSD
Error: Connection timed out
Error: Failed to retrieve directory listing

Unknown Certificate

Connection timed out. Failed to retrieve directory listing.

Symptom:

After updating to latest version of FileZilla client, all FTP sites stopped working. Getting error unknown certificate, connection timed out, and failed to retrieve directory listing.

Solution:

1. Click on File > Site Manager (or use shortcut key CTRL + S).

2. Click on New Site.

3. Inside new site's General tab, enter your FTP host IP/ domain and FTP port accordingly.

4. In Encryption option, select Only use plain FTP (insecure).

5. For security measure, in Logon Type, select Ask for password (I never trust saving down passwords).

6. In User field, erase out the anonymous username.

7. Hit OK and you're done.

8. To connect to your FTP site, click on Open the Site Manager button (bellow File menu), and select your desired FTP site to connect.

Site Manager Configuration

Open the Site Manager Button

Note: 
I wouldn't recommend saving down login credentials. Be it just username alone or both username and password. In the even of PC being compromised, affected by virus/ malware/ hack, your login credentials still have a chance to survive

FTP transfer is insecure and not encrypted (No security at all). For more secured data transfer, consider using SFTP or FTPS, where data is encrypted.