Spying-on-Internet-Activity (1)

How to setup Firefox Portable to work with Nord VPN independent of other browsers so you can be on a VPN and regular Internet connection at the same time.

AS of late 2020, you no longer have to use Proxy Omega as NORDVPN has now ported over to Firefox and Chrome a NORDVPN plugin directly inside the browser so you can easily switch countries.

However, Proxy Switch Omega is still useful for managing all kinds of other manual proxy configs.

 

 

One the problems I have with VPN services is I would like to have only one web browser use the VPN service, but have another browser NOT use the VPN service at the same time.

 

Currently if you install NordVPN it has a great simple to use interface of a map of the world, and you click the country you want, and it proxies your connection through that country. However, the software forces ALL web browsers  on the same Windows computer and Internet connection through the PROXY.

 

What we want to do, is have only 1 browser use the proxy, and that MUST BE Firefox, because ONLY Firefox has its own independent proxy settings outside of Windows proxy settings. All other browsers I have tried, Opera, Chrome, Edge, IE, ALL use the Windows proxy so that means any changes there, forces all those browsers to re-direct through the proxy.

 

With these settings you can have Firefox ONLY use your proxy, but everything else on the computer will use the normal connection.

 

The benefits of this are obvious, if I am at work, I can surf the web privately, check my email, look at the news, etc… but at the same time be doing my official business on my computer without disruptions and without tracking of my private information on Firefox by my company, ISP, or whomever. Firefox will run silently and independent on the computer using NordVPN.

 

In this article I will explain how you can setup Firefox Portable on a thumb drive, and take it with you wherever, plug it into any Windows PC, and start using it with your Nord VPN account while making absolutely NO modifications to the existing workstation you are using.

 

This is great for work computers, friends computers, the computer at the library or in public places.

 

Here is what the interface looks like for Firefox Portable with Proxy SwitchyOmega add-on configured for Nord VPN. Notice how I even have a Google Translater quick button, so I can proxy into any country I setup, have these countries on a list, and at the same time have Google Translate translate the target website in that countries language automatically translate to English.

 

This is very handy because when you proxy to a non-English speaking country, the first pages that come up, say Google will come up in that countries language, and its also fantastic for reading overseas news.

 

firefoxomeganordswedanmod

 

 

 

Notice the RED box. I have a drop down menu that shows the countries I want to PROXY through using NORD VPN. The Firefox add-on is called “Proxy SwitchyOmega”. You have to create each individual country within Omega Proxy, but its really easy and I will walk you through it.

 

proxybeforetranslate

 

Notice when I clicked the T, thats a GOOGLE TRANSLATE plugin, called Google “Translater for Firefox” it automatically enters the page into Google Translate, then detects the language and presents to me a second translated page into English. This is very handy, however the tranlated page is just a picture, its not interactive, but still very handy and useful.

 

proxyaftertranslatemod

Here is my plug-ins page in Firefox.

 

firefoxaddons

 

I have installed two plugins. Google Translator for Firefox and Proxy SwitchyOmega. You will also need Firofox portable.

 

So lets get started with the setup:

Step #1)

 

You will need to download Firefox portable first. Here is the link:

 

Firefox portable:

https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

 

Click on the green box in the middle of the page that looks like this and download it to a temp folder or too a thumb drive. Click on the green box in the middle of the page on PortableApps website. The button looks like this below.

 

firefoxporablegreenbutton

 

You will want to install it to a Thumbdrive but you can install it to the C: drive hard disk on any computer also if you don’t want it to be portable.

 

Download Firefox portable first, and then install it. After that, you will need to come back to the two links below using your new Firefox Portable that you just installed.

I installed it to drive F:  That is the drive letter of my thumb drive

 

firefoxportableinstallmod1

Installing …..tick ….tock…..tick…….tock……its going to be slower on a thumbdrive.

firefoxinstallprogress

 

 

AFTER INSTALLATION RUN THE NEW FIREFOX PORTABLE FROM THE THUMBDRIVE

 

STEP #2)

Goto these links next with the new Firefox you just installed, and ADD these two add-ons to Firefox.

 

 

firefoxportableproxyswitchadd

 

 

 

You will click the Blue Box in the middle of each page (+ Add to Firefox)

 

Here are the links:

 

Google Translator

 

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/google-translator-for-firefox/

 

Proxy SwitchyOmega

 

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/switchyomega/

 

You will need to add in these two addons, one for switching proxies, or you can use the New NordVPN proxy switch add-on.

 

Once you have Google Translator installed, you can use your proxy software to goto the foreign website of your choice and click on the T in the upper corner and translate it directly to English.

 

win10bloatware1

How to remove bloatware and advertisements from Windows 10 to make it perform fast like Windows 7

Windows 10 can be made to function and look like Windows 7 if you remove all the bloatware and advertisements that are built in. This is done by traditional means such as un-installing some software from the “Apps & Features” menu but much of it will be through the use of both DOS and Powershell commands, and also just turning off items in the Control Panel.

 

Its not hard, just follow the steps.

It will take some hours to remove 99% of it, so lets get started.

 

 

Step # 1 – Click on the COG wheel in the start menu and goto the WINDOWS SETTINGS menu in Windows 10.

 

—-Activate and create a restore point first, by typing in RESTORE POINT into the Windows 10 Search bar at the bottom.

 

Step #2 – Click on APPS

appsmenu1mod

Under APPS and FEATURES, is the list of the installed software included with Windows 10 and any other software you have added.

 

appsmenu2

 

You will notice there is quite an extensive list of BLOATWARE included with Windows 10. Some of its useful, some of it just serves up tons of ads, and some is completely useless, unless you happen to be a fan of Microsoft Sports or you use Microsoft Weather or Microsoft Money.

Many of these APPS and Features are redundant as most people just use the Internet and a web browser these days to “Google” the weather, or stock trades.

Personally as a technician I recommend you ALWAYS use a good secure web browser like Firefox in Private Browsing mode or Chrome to access news and weather, and most instant info on the Internet such as traffic reports from GOOGLEMAPS.COM. The reason being that most web browsers act as a secure proxy, or go-between the data on the web and your operating system, readily blocking snooping into your computer to send Spam, notifications and ads to you. Most web browsers today will prompt you for permission to access your location, camera, or microphone and you can refuse, which you cannot do using a purpose built “app” for weather, or stock quotes.

 

This is a list of items that I have removed. It is not 100% complete and from month to month it can change as Microsoft has now released a total of 12 different version of Windows 10.

The version i am using is Windows 10 version 1903.

For instance, the latest Windows 10 as of this writing, 2/5/2020 does not contain Microsoft Sports.

 

This is what I saw on the ADD/REMOVE list that I wanted to remove.

 

3D Viewer

Alarms and Clocks

Camera

Feedback Hub

Mail and Calendar

Maps

Messaging

Microsoft Onedrive

Microsoft Photos

Microsoft Salitaire

Microsoft Store

Mixed Reality Portal

Mobile Plans

Movies & TV

Office

OneNote

Paint 3D

People

Print 3D

Skype

Sticky Notes

Tips

Voice Recorder

Weather

Xbox Console Components

Xbox Game Bar

Xbox Live

Your Phone

 

 

Step #4

Click next to each item and remove in Apps & Features, and click UNINSTALL for each one. About 1/2 to 3/4 of them will remove without special commands except for those locked by Microsoft. Many of the locked programs are APPS from the APP store and would be removed though the MICROSOFT STORE, however, we want to remove the STORE because these computers are being staged for businesses and they don’t need an APP STORE.

 

For the programs that have the UNINSTALL greyed out, they will have to be removed via power shell commands. Make a note of each one that will not.

 

Here is a list of programs installed that were “grayed” out for UNISTALL

 

 

Alarms and Clocks

Camera

Maps

Messaging

Microsoft Photos

Microsoft Store

People

Xbox Game Bar

Your Phone

 

Step #5  – How to remove APPS via PowerShell commands

Goto the Search bar at the bottom of the START menu.

 

powershellcommandmod1

 

You will want to type into the white search bar at the bottom “powershell”, when you do, the search will bring up “Windows Powershell” at the top of the search bar, right click on it, and click RUN AS ADMINSTRATOR

 

You will get a BLUE POWERSHELL command box that looks like this.

 

powershell1

Click on the PROMPT in the blue DOS box, and you will need to enter these commands to remove these items.

 

THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF COMMANDS, BUT I WILL TRY AND PLACE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE.

To REMOVE:

3D Builder:

Get-AppxPackage *3dbuilder* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Alarms and Clocks

Get-AppxPackage *alarms* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Calculator:

Get-AppxPackage *calculator* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Messaging:

Get-Appxpackage *messaging* | Remove-Appxpackage

 

Maps:

Get-AppxPackage *maps* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

People:

Get-AppxPackage *people* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Photos:

Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Xbox:

Get-AppxPackage *xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Your Phone:

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.YourPhone* -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage

 

 

ADDITIONAL PS COMMANDS TO REMOVE MANY OTHER WINDOWS COMPONENTS AND UNWANTED BLOATWARE

 

Calculator:

Get-AppxPackage *calculator* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Calendar and Mail:

Get-AppxPackage *communications* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Camera:

Get-AppxPackage *camera* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Get Started:

Get-AppxPackage *getstarted* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Groove Music:

Get-AppxPackage *zunemusic* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Maps:

Get-AppxPackage *maps* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Microsoft Solitaire Collection:

Get-AppxPackage *solitairecollection* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Microsoft Office:

Get-AppxPackage *officehub* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Money “Bing Finance”:

Get-AppxPackage *bingfinance* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Movies & TV:

Get-AppxPackage *zunevideo* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

News:

Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

OneNote:

Get-AppxPackage *onenote* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

People:

Get-AppxPackage *people* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Phone Companion:

Get-AppxPackage *windowsphone* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Photos:

Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Microsoft APP Store:

Get-AppxPackage *windowsstore* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Skype:

Get-AppxPackage *skypeapp* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Sports:

Get-AppxPackage *bingsports* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Sway:

get-appxpackage *sway* | remove-appxpackage

 

Voice Recorder:

Get-AppxPackage *soundrecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

Weather:

Get-AppxPackage *bingweather* | Remove-AppxPackage

 

How to disable Microsoft Windows Defender:

 

Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring $true

 

How to enable Microsoft Windows Defender:

 

Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring $false

 

STEP # 5 – Additional Commands to disable startup and the lock screen advertisements

De-activate Windows 10 startup repair.

Unlike Windows 7 which would only run Windows Chkdsk and startup to SAFE MODE only after 3 failed startup attempts, Windows 10 appears to activate a startup repair after just the first failed startup attempt. Also unlike Windows 7 which ran a minimal and fast startup repair, Windows 10 goes through a long drawn out process that can take anywhere from 15 minutes to hours, and appears to be chronic.

So lets disable it…..

 

Type in CMD and run a command prompt Windows by typing in CMD at the bottom and clicking enter.

 

Type this into the black DOS box:

 

bcdedit /set recoveryenabled NO

 

This will disable the startup repair and save you hours of headaches if you improperly shutdown Windows 10. This is great for laptop users.

 

 

How to disable ADVERTISEMENTS on the LOGIN and LOCK SCREEN.

 

Another place Microsoft places ADs disguised as useful information, is right on the LOCK and LOGIN screen. You will see random messages that you can highlight and it will open Microsoft Edge and tell you things about what you clicked. Some are cleverly hidden advertisements for products disguised as useful news or gadgets, but I find it annoying and un-useful for business use.

 

Remove-Sponsored-Ads

 

The way you remove these POP-UPS from the LOCK and LOGIN screen is once again, click on the SETTINGS COG WHEEL

settings-in-start-menu

From here click “PERSONALIZATION” , then click “LOCK SCREEN”, and then click the “BACKGROUND” drop down and choose “Picture”. You will have to choose a picture. Once you select a picture, lick the SLIDER under “Get fun facts, tips, and more from Windows and Cortana on your lock screen”, and slide that too OFF, which turns the slider back to black and white and not the color blue.

 

This disables the LOCK screen advertisements.

 

 

freeupgrade7to10

How to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for FREE, all you need is a valid Windows 7 Pro key from a sticker on a licensed computer

Thats right! Microsoft has finally made the decision to let current users of Windows 7 Home or Pro update to Windows 10 Home or Pro for free, and its pretty easy. Removing the bloatware included is the hard part but I can walk you through it here.

 

You will need 2 things to do the FREE upgrade, and thats a valid Windows 7 Pro key, and the latest copy of Windows 10 made from Microsoft Windows Media Creation software. Just about any Windows 7 key will work from a license sticker on a computer that you have even if its not a PRO key, you will just get the Windows 10 Home addition instead.

 

Any valid key will work as long as it hasn’t been used more than once.

 

We are going to install Windows 10 and make it work fast and lean like Windows 7, and we will take certain steps to avoid tying your Windows 10 installation to Windows 10 cloud services as part of this installation.

 

The goal here will be to strip Windows 10 of cloud services and bloatware, so its “lean and mean” like Windows 7, and is not dependent on Microsoft cloud services to operate, and this will make Windows 10 work like Windows 7, fast, and with far less or no advertisements and more dependable.

 

Lets get started!

STEP # 1. Locate your Windows 7 key or scan the computer for it using Belarc Advisor.

 

If you have a license sticker on the bottom, side or top of the computer take a photograph of it with your cell phone or write it down. You will need it for the installation or upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.

 

On laptops many times they locate the sticker under the battery, like in this photo of this Dell Laptop we will be performing the installation too.

dellwin7keycrop

If you do not have a key, don’t fret, there are other ways to get the key from your computer and we will cover that here.

 

If you have lost the key, or the sticker is not on the computer, you will want to download Belarc Advisor and run it. It will pull all the Microsoft Keys on the computer including Microsoft Office Keys.

 

HOW TO OBTAIN YOUR LICENSE KEY FROM WINDOWS DIRECTLY

 

Download Belarc Advisor from here: Click on GREEN button in upper left corner to download latest version.

 

https://filehippo.com/download_belarc_advisor/

 

– Run Belarc Advisor and choose the defaults, however I say NO to downloading new security definitions because you don’t really need those to pull the keys.

 

– Once you run Belarc Advisor it may take a couple of minutes to scan the computer

 

– When Belarc is complete it will bring up a web page that contains all the data. Scroll down about half way until you see the header (SOFTWARE LICENSES). These are you licenses.

belarclicrevise2

 

STEP # 2. Download the latest version of Windows 10 using Microsoft Media Creation Tool. You will either need a blank DVD-R and a DVD drive that burns DVDs or you can put it onto a thumbdrive. Installing it too a thumbdrive is usually quicker but I have found DVD tend to work better , especially on older computer because you do need to be able to boot off of the thumbdrive.

 

Here is the link to download the latest version of Windows 10 using the Media Creation Tool:

 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

 

-You will want to follow the instruction and make either a thumbdrive or a DVD with the latest version of Windows 10. That version the Media Creator makes will have both Home, and Pro versions included. It automatically selects either HOME or PRO based on the license code you have for Windows 7.

 

STEP #3. Lets begin the installation of Windows 10 to your computer

 

BACK UP ALL YOUR DATA FIRST!!! Be sure and have whatever other software handy such as Microsoft Office and Intuit Quickbooks, and all the necessary license codes to re-install it. In the case of Quickbooks its under HELP when you run the software.

 

If possible plug the computer into a physical network jack or have WIFI handy because some of the steps require the computer contact Microsoft via the Internet like activating the Windows license key and / or downloading updates as part of the installation. If you don’t have an Internet connection handy you can still do the entire install but it won’t activate the key or run updates as part of the installation. That will need to be done after the installation.

 

Second, insert the DVD or Thumbdrive (Blue USB 3.0 slot preferred) and boot from it. Most computers the hot key is F12, but it could be F9, F10, or F11 depending on the model, F2 on some HP models. You may need to look this up, but its usually F9 or F12 for Dell brand computers.

 

Power off the computer and start pressing the F12 or whatever key brings up the startup menu right when the computer starts. I tend to jiggle the key until I get the startup menu.

 

IMG_20200130_142305_3

Select DVD if you are booting from a DVD, if a USB Thumbdrive it may only say USB HDD, but it will start with USB. I usually select LEGACY but UEFI may be your only option.

 

Your next  menu should be the Windows 10 Statup menu which looks like this:

IMG_20200130_142913_9

Click NEXT, onto the next menu.

IMG_20200130_142926_5

Click INSTALL NOW, and it will say “setup is starting”

 

If you have a computer that does not have the Windows License Key built-in to the BIOS you will know because it will now prompt you for the license key.

win10keymod1

If you computer has a built in license key it will skip this part. Don’t worry if your key is not valid at this point if you enter it and get an error. You can re-enter it later after Windows 10 has installed.

 

The next screen to AGREE TO THE LICENSE, check box it and click NEXT.

 

This brings you to the UPGRADE or CUSTOM INTALL screen. I would go with the CUSTOM INSTALL in ALL circustances where I have all of my critical software like Microsoft Office and its keys. Only do and UPGRADE if you have software on there , you absolutelly cannot lose, for instance, and 2015 Version of Quickbooks and you do not have the License and the original installation files.

 

Be warned, most software companies will not help you re-install any software that is out of warranty or over 2 years old, and is out of free technical support unless you either pay for technical support or an upgrade license.

IMG_20200130_143349_4

 

I am going to perform a CLEAN INSTALL, which I recommend because I have all my licenses and my software to re-install from scratch. A clean install is ALWAYS better if you have good backups because it will not import legacy Windows 7 components which may cause Windows to run slow or crash, and lets you start off FRESH in case maybe viruses had ruined your computer in the past , and you want to make sure you are not compromised.

 

IMG_20200130_143449_2

CAUTION!! Read the whole paragraph below first before continuing! You have been warned!

 

If you are sure you have all your data backed up, then do this next. If not, eject the drive or DVD now and hold the power key down and restart the computer. You old Windows is still there until YOU DELETE THE PARTITION. After that, ALL DATA IS LOST! If you have your backup or don’t need it, then proceed to this next step.

 

Next you are brought to the screen that shows your hard disk partitions. You will want to click on each one, highlight it and click DELETE. Do not worry about using the NEW or FORMAT options, just delete all your partitions on each drive and Windows 10 will create all the needed partitions and format the drive automatically for you. This will be the option you want. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR BACKUPS AND DON’T WANT ANY DATA OFF THE COMPUTER AT THIS POINT! The data is unrecoverable after your click DELETE.

 

It will look like this once you delete your partitions.

IMG_20200130_143531_5

Windows 10 will now take the UNALLOCATED SPACE , 238.6 GB , (250GB hard disk, don’t worry about size discrepancy) , and it will overwrite ALL the blank space and allocate it for Windows 10.

 

Click NEXT, and off we go, Windows 10 will start to install the files needed. This could take sometime, usually about 15 to 30 minutes.

 

…..tick …..tock …………………..Ok, when its done , it will look like this……………………………

 

IMG_20200131_072546_7

Choose your country. Click YES when the correct country is highlighted.

IMG_20200131_072616_0

Choose keyboard layout, and then SKIP for the additional layout. You can always add languages later.

 

It may take a minute for the computer to goto the next screen but what you do next is important.

IMG_20200131_072706_5

Because SPACECITY TECH’s do mostly business accounts we will choose “Set up for an Organization”, however, even if you are a home user, you still want to choose this.

 

If you see this setup for either personal or organization, at this point you know that it did upgrade you to Windows 10 Pro as the Home version does not allow setup for organizations.

 

Regardless, you don’t ever want to use a Microsoft account for setup. You want to use only LOCAL accounts which Microsoft says (NOT RECOMMENDED).

 

So we will chose, setup for an organization, or use LOCAL ACCOUNT which will be listed at the bottom and say (not recommended) . This is the old way of setting up windows and lets you setup a local ADMIN and password instead of going through Microsoft’s online control panel which will forever doom your Windows installation to be tied to a Microsoft account.

IMG_20200131_072734_5IMG_20200131_072806_1

Domain join instead will say “LOCAL ACCOUNT” instead if you have the HOME version. This will let you setup a user name and password right then on the computer just like all previous versions of Windows, and will work like the old Windows 7, which is what we are aiming for. To create a new copy of Windows 10 that works like Windows 7.

 

Once you click Domain join instead or create local account, it will then ask for the local account ID you want. Notice it will still try and offer that you use a Microsoft Account. Doing do will forever tie that version of windows to a Microsoft account so we don’t want to do that.

IMG_20200131_072841_1

You can use just your first name or “USER” or “ADMIN” , and click NEXT and type in a password and it will ask you to type it in a second time. I usually do not type in a password at this point, because the computer will need multiple reboots for all the updates and software installs, and I set a password only after I have done all of this, just to save the time of having to type in my password over and over as part of the setup.

 

The next step is to answer security questions to create a “back door” in case you lose you password.

IMG_20200131_072952_7


Now this is where it gets FUN. Microsoft will “offer” all kinds of tracking and advertising setup IDs. You want to say NO to every one of them.

 

IMG_20200131_073010_2

 

This is a device timelime that ties all your USE to your Microsoft account, since we used a LOCAL account, this isn’t going to work, so skip it. Think of this like GOOGLEMAPS creating daily lists of where you have been. Skip this by answering NO.

 

Next onto Cortona.

IMG_20200131_073021_2

 

I do not use Cortona, and I find it annoying , constantly popping up and bugging you to try the latest Microsoft “widget”.  You can add it later if you like it, or ACEEPT it if you have found Cortona useful. I click DECLINE because I am stripping Windows 10 down to be fast and minimal like Windows 7.

 

IMG_20200131_073054_9

 

You will want to click NO to every one of these. If you read them, they are ALL some form of tracking so Microsoft can better “serve you” relevant advertisements and so forth. Once again, the point of this installation is to put a stop to all of this, and thats why we are NOT paying for a Windows 10 upgrade to begin with.

 

YOU ARE DONE. WINDOWS 10 will start to setup your profile and will boot to Windows 10 desktop.

 

At this point, type at the bottom white toolbar, “UPDATE” and click “Check for updates”  which pops up first at the top of the bar, once you click it you will have to click it again on the left and it will start downloading all the updates. Depending on what version of Windows 10 you installed, the update could be pretty quick or take hours. Feature updates take the longest, and those are major releases of new versions of Windows 10.

 

Go onto my next article. “How to make Windows 10 perform like Windows 7 by removing all the bloatware”.

 

printether

How to setup a network printer at home

Many people buy printers with an RJ-45 (Ethernet jack) and don't really understand that if they physically attach it to their home router that it will become available to every device (even wireless, including smartphones) on their network. We recommend HP printers with a built-in Ethernet network jack, like the model pictured below.

hp2035nfront

The method outlined in this article should work with almost all network based printers

 

Hooking it up is easy, here are the steps.

1:) First make sure your home router is a model that has a 4 port switch on the back. The picture below is of an ASUS home router with a 4 port switch. Yours should be similar. If you have only a CABLE or DSL modem from your Internet provider, you will most likely need to purchase a home router with 4 port switch. Some models from Comcast already have this.

Note: The red Ethernet patch cable is hooked from 1 of the 4 ports to the back of the printer

routerback

 

2:) Connect this cable from the 4 port switch, (not the WAN port, this should be plugged to your cable or DSL modem), and then plug that Ethernet cable to the free Ethernet port on the back of the printer. Then power cycle your printer, or turn it on.

printether

 

3:) GET THE IP ADDRESS TO YOUR PRINTER. Usually just plugging the printer to the switch will automatically assign the IP address. The best way to do this is to print a config page.

Some printers automatically give a config page when you turn them on, but most will require that you either hold down the main paper feed button, like in the HP model below or there is a special button you have to press to get this.

Models with LCD screens will display it on the screen. You may not need to know this at all as most software these days will scan the network for your printer.

printerconfigbutton

I am holding the paper advance button (green button) on HP laser printer for 15 seconds to get my config page.

Here it is, I need the IP address, which I have circled in RED.

printerconfig_mod

 

Usually the IP address will be something like 192.168.1.21 or 192.168.0.21, the last number is the only one that changes on home routers. Mine is a 10.67.226.75 which you won't see at home. This is important because allot of printer software will either scan the network or allow you to put in this address up front, which makes the installation quicker.

Important : IF YOU RECEIVE NO IP ADDRESS OR AN IP ADDRESS STARTING WITH 169, YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG. CHECK YOUR CONNECTIONS.

TRY RESTARTING THE PRINTER AFTER CHECKING YOUR CONNECTIONS.

 

4:) Install your printer software and either input the IP address when asked, or let it scan your network. In the case HP printers, you can also download HP Eprint for smartphones, and if your phone is attached to your home WIFI it will automatically pick up the HP printers on your network.

Here is a pic of my HP Eprint picking up the HP printer on our network.

hpeprint

I also downloaded an APP for Android, called PrintBot, it supports thousands of printer models and lets you print straight to the printers IP address. The IP address of your printer is a handy item to have.

If you find this articles helpful, bookmark this page, and please tell your friends.

 

 

xeroxmachine

How to force printers online and cause greyed out offline printers to go online by changing SNMP settings

A well known issue with many Windows print drivers is that the printer randomly goes offline, and in the printers and devices box, the printer will show to be greyed out and offline.

This behavior is partly to blame on the fact that Windows turns on SNMP in the driver by default. SNMP, or
"Simple Network Management Protocol", is a protocol used to monitor and manage network devices such as switches and routers, and other network peripherals like printers.

This problem can occur if SNMP is being blocked accross WAN and LAN networks via router firewalls or rules, and also via power saving modes built into most printers, that when the printer goes to sleep, or places certain aspects of itself to sleep that SNMP, which is monitoring the connection, will tell Windows that the printer is offline, and thus jobs will stack up and not go through.

If you are on a large corporate network that spans many complexes or sites, blocking of SNMP is the most likely problem.

Users may have discovered that resetting the Print Spooler under SERVICES will make the jobs go through. This does work, however it is annoying and cumbersome and creates allot of issues if the printer is being shared from Windows Server.

The easiest way to stop this behavior is to disable SNMP in the driver as its not really needed.

This quick fix should work for most printer brands.

Here are the steps to turn of SNMP on Windows 7. The procedure should be roughly the same for all other version of Windows.

Step 1:  Goto Devices and Printers either from your CONTROL PANEL or from the START menu if your using Windows 7, or Windows 8.1.

startprinter2

 

Step 2: Locate the printer icon for effected printer and right click on the printer, and choose PRINTER PROPERTIES.

 

printerbox2

printerprop2

 

Step 3: Once inside the PRINTER PROPERTIES dialog box, choose PORTS at the top, and find the port that is associated with your printer. It should say the name of the correct printer next to the PORT type.

configureport2

 

Step 4: Click CONFIGURE PORT and then you will get the port settings dialog box, and at the bottom should be the setting for SNMP. Uncheck the box next to SNMP. Click OK, and then click CLOSE on the underlying PORT box. This should take you back to the Devices and Printers box. If this has worked the printer will go from being offline and greyed out to being online.

snmpbox2

Step 5: The printer should now be online and not greyed out. You can perform a test page to check functionality.

ungreyprint

 

 

windows_7_professional_disc

Have you lost your Windows installation CD/DVD?

If you have lost your Windows CD or DVD, and cannot re-install Windows there are alternatives.

Space City Tech can recover your CD/DVD for you.

Space City Tech can recover your installation code if you have lost that to.

If Windows cannot be re-installed because of any licensing issues, lost CD’s, lost license stickers, or you just don’t want to have to pay for a newer version of Windows, Space City Tech can install the latest version of Ubuntu Desktop for you also.

Ubuntu Desktop is a free version of the widely used Linux operating system. It is a great alternative to Windows, especially on older computers, or on computers for children were constant virus, spyware and adware is an issue, and the Ubuntu operating system is practically immune from viruses.

Here is a picture of the operating system. It comes preloaded with Firefox as the web browser.

ubuntu14window

Space City Tech can install this operating system and customize it to your needs in as little as an hour. This is a great operating system if you mainly use you computer for Internet related use, such as checking email, Facebook, word processing, and web browsing.

Click on the Contact Support page and send us a message if interested.

computertitleshake

How to “show desktop” on Windows 7 and 8, shake the Title Bar!

There are numerous ways to show the desktop on Windows 7 and 8, and some new ones that are often overlooked.

How to Show your Desktop

The easiest way of course is to click on the “show desktop” bar, in the notification bar area next to the clock in the lower right hand corner. In this picture below, look at where the red arrow is pointing.

spacecitytopshowbar

 

 

There is an often overlooked but really neat feature that is built into Windows 7 and 8. This feature is not included Windows 7 Starter or Home Basic,

Shake the Title Bar

By simply grabbing the Title Bar at the top of any window and shaking it side-to-side, you can minimize and maximize all the other open windows all at one time. The image below shows where to grab, and shake.

computertitleshake

 

Other Handy Windows Shortcut Keys

 

Press the Windows logo key Picture of the Windows logo key +D. To restore minimized windows, press the Windows logo key Picture of the Windows logo key +D again.
Press the Windows logo key Picture of the Windows logo key +M to minimize open windows, and press the Windows logo key Picture of the Windows logo key +Shift+M to restore them.
Large MS keyboard

Some useful shortcuts to the Control Panel, Shutdown, and Startup Menu for Windows 8 and Microsoft Server 2012

Starting with Windows 8 and Microsoft Server 2012, Microsoft removed the Shortcuts for Shutdown, Restart, Control Panel, and the Startup Menu.

Here are some useful shortcuts to get to all this and more.

If you press WINDOWS KEY + X, this will bring a menu were the START button used to be, with shortcuts to all the missing buttons.

Also you can press WINDOWS KEY + I, and this will bring up the left hand side menu with shortcuts for Control Panel and for Shutdown,  Power Off, and Restart.

Large MS keyboard

Large MS keyboard

If you want to get to the STARTUP menu to add items you would like for Windows to load at startup, the easiest way is to do this through the RUN box.

Instructions for accessing the STARTUP Menu on Windows 8 and Microsoft Server 2012.

1: Press WINDOWS KEY +R, this will bring up the RUN dialog box.

2: Type into the RUN dialog box SHELL:STARTUP

Once you press enter is will automatially open the entire folder to the STARTUP folder, the very same you had on all versions of Windows up to but not including Windows 8.

You can then paste shortcuts into the box.

 

 

Windows-8-1

How to upgrade to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8 and restore some legacy functionality to Windows 8

Help, the START menu is gone! How do I get to the CONTROL PANEL, how do I SHUTDOWN? What was Microsoft thinking?

(Here is a link to our article with some helpful shortcuts to geto allot of buttons that have been removed.)

If you find yourself in this situation, your not alone. Allot of people were so frustrated with the interface for Windows 8, Microsoft had to come up with the 8.1 patch in order to make it more like the older versions Windows.

THIS IS WHAT WINDOWS 8.1 LOOKS LIKE – NOTICE THE START MENU IS BACK

 

http://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/windows-8-start8-start-menu-630x361.jpg

You will need to register an account with the Microsoft for new product downloads and certain types of downloads such as the Windows 8.1 update.

If you would like to upgrade to 8.1, here is the link to Microsoft website.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8

 

Space City Tech recommends people upgrade  to Windows 8.1 if the computer is a desktop and has no touchscreen.

 

 

nonetworkaccess

Windows reports “unidentified network” “no internet access” in the task bar

Symptom: I can connect to the Internet but I keep getting an error in the lower right hand corner telling me I don’t have internet access.

Starting with Windows Vista, Microsoft added a service called Network Connectivity Status Indicator (NCSI) service. NCSI does not log anything into Event Viewer.

NCSI (Network Connectivity Status Indicator) or Network Awareness is unable to test for certain websites, and even though you can surf the web, NCSI cannot test for specific sites.

The error occurs because Windows cannot access and verify website that were pre-programmed by Microsoft to test for Internet access.

If you have a content filter in place such as Sonic Wall or other types of filtering to remove objectionable material, most likely certain websites and addresses are being blocked.  The information is supplied to the user by NCSI (Network Connectivity Status Indicator), or Network Awareness.

Network Awareness queries DNS for a host name, and then connects to that host name via HTTP. Content filters are designed to block web traffic that has not been permitted. This is the main cause of the error “No Internet Access” to be displayed.

The Steps Windows takes to test Internet Access are as follows:

1: The computer will query DNS for “dns.msftncsi.com” and ensure that it resolves to “131.107.255.255”.

2: If DNS is functioning, Windows will request the following web address “http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt” to ensure that it results predefined text: ”Microsoft NCSI”.

 

How to fix this error:

1: ensure the computer can query the DNS records and Windows can access the website;

2: use a registry entry to disable this feature in Windows.

 

Disable Via Registry Entry

To disable this feature you will have to modify the registry with this value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet

Under the “Internet” key, double-click “EnableActiveProbing”, and then in “value data” type “0”.

The default for this value is 1. Setting the value to 0 prevents NCSI from connecting to a site on the Internet connectivity checks.