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Review : Systools Hard Drive Data Recovery for Windows
Data & Information are synonymous terms. In today’s world data is the most important factor for any individual or business. We carry out all essential data in Pen drivers, external hard drives etc. All this information flow requires a lot of read & write operations. The devices carrying the data do have a life expectancy period. Even, otherwise any data storage device could fail without any prior notice. But, the main question is that when your Data fails, do you have sufficient resources to recover it ? Does the software you are using supports the kind of device & file system your storage device has ? Recently, Systools contacted me to test one of their products SysTools Hard Drive Data Recovery Software for Windows .

Review : SysTools Hard Drive Data Recovery for Windows

My test environment consisted of :
- One 16gb USB Pen drive ( FAT 32 File system )
- One 500 GB External Hard Disk Drive ( NTFS File system )
- The data on my Pen Drive had 12 GB of JPEG images
- My 500 GB external Hard Disk drive had Four Partitions.
- The First Partition was completely formatted
- The data on the Second Partition was deleted
Key Features of SysTools Hard Drive Data Recovery are :
- Complete Hard Drive Data Recovery
- System Partition Recovery
- Formatted Partition Recovery
- RAW Partition Recovery
- Corrupt MBR, MFT or FAT recovery
- Recover from Internal / External Storage
- Recover from CD / DVD / Pen Drive ( flash drives ), Data Cards etc.
- Maintains the Folder Structure
- Recover photos, video, music, documents & other multimedia files
- Supports all Windows Version ( Windows 8 32 bit & 64 bit, Windows 7 32 bit & 64 bit, Vista, XP, 2000 & below )
Recovering Data has never been so easy, The takes almost 30 seconds from downloading the software to Installing it & starting the recovery process.
- Download & Install the software
- Activate it
- Click on Scan Disks
- Just Select the disk drive you wish to recover data from
- Click on Recover Partition button
- Now, Select from Normal Data
- Deleted Files & Folders Only
- Formatted Partition
- Click on Recover
- Instantly, the process starts.
- I selected the Formatted Partition option
- As this was a dummy partition of 350 MB, it took almost 10 minutes for this software to recover the partition
- After the recovery process is completed,
- Click on Close
- Select all the files & folders you wish you recover
- Click on save in the Navigation Bar
- Select the location of your recovered Files & folders
- Click on Save
SysTools Hard Drive Data Recovery is a great tool, When it comes to recovering your valuable data from almost any source in your Windows Computer. It works with all versions of Windows i.e. 32 & 64 bit and can search through NTFS & FAT files systems. The recovery process within this software is very easy & all necessary information is right in front of you. Its simple, yet a powerful tool for recovery.

5/ 5stars
January 14, 2014
Review : Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3.0 for Windows 8 , 8.1
Tweaking or Customizing Windows is something that a lot of us want to do. Changing some setting or doing something different with your Computer has it’s own kicks. But, Customizing Windows safely & getting the most out of it is no easy task. Any day to day user of Windows will have to endure a lot of time to achieve any customization they wish to do with Windows. But, what if there is an application, built specifically for your Windows 8 PC, that could let you do almost every possible tweak or customization safely & easily ? The Windows Club, one of the Authority Web portals on Windows has rolled out a new version of their famous Ultimate Windows Tweaker & this time it adds support for Windows 8 | 8.1 .Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3.0 by The Windows Club is a freeware program that allow the Windows 8 / 8.1 users to easily & efficiently tweak Windows features to personalize the look and feel of your Windows.

To download UWT follow this link.

Review : Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3.0 for Windows 8, 8.1

5/ 5stars

UWT 3.0 offers a lot of features, some of them are :
- System information
- User Account Control
- Security Tweaks
- UI Customization
- Performance Tweaks
- Internet Explorer Customization
- Some Additional Customizations
To open the program, Right Click in and click on Run as Administrator ( Remember to read the Read me file in your downloaded package )

On the main screen itself, System Information is displayed. What I liked the most about this start screen is that it offers the most used recovery options in Windows. In a single click, you can open the Advanced recovery menu ( Windows 8 / 8.1 ) & you can also use SFC /SCANNOW ( system file checker utility ) to check for any File related corruption.

The Second option on the left hand options bar gets you to the Customization menu.

Within this option, you can :
- Customize the Taskbar
- Customize File Explorer
- Customize the Modern UI in Windows 8 | 8.1
- Use Some additional Customization Options
The Third Option is User Accounts. Here you can :
- Change User Account Control Settings
- Change all User Specific settings
The fourth option lets you do Performance tweaks, Some of them are :
- Reduce the time taken by Windows to force shutdown your system
- Reduce the waiting time to kill the unresponsive applications & services
- You can even check the option to Auto Kill non responsive programs
- If you are using an SSD, the first option to choose here would be to Turn off Search indexer
The Security Tweak bar is the next option. This is basically a Control Panel of all the security related tweaks that can be done on Windows. This is something all the IT professionals look for. Getting all of them in a single click is much appreciated:

Some of the tweaks that i played here are :

With Ultimate Window Tweaker 3.0 you can also Tweak your Internet Explorer, you can :
- Control the Overall IE options
- You can change the look & feel of your IE
- You can Disable Active Scripting
- Use between GPU and Software Rendering
- & a lot more
But, that’s not all. You can use the Additional Tweaks Section :

Another Amazing feature of this tool is the ability to Restore Defaults. This option is available under every Tweak menu, if you think you did something wrong, just click on Restore Defaults & you will go back to the stock Windows Settings.

Before Using the Ultimate Windows Tweaker 3.0 for Windows 8 | 8.1, make sure to create a Restore Point
January 9, 2014
Fix : Broken libraries in Windows 8.1 | Restore Default Libraries
This post will help you fix broken libraries in Windows 8 , 8.1 & Windows 7 | Restore Default Libraries. This post also shows you the steps to show & restore your libraries in Windows operating system. Sometimes the library folders get corrupted & the whole functionality of the libraries is affected. This post will also fix the issue when you cannot find your files stored in the libraries or open the library folders at all.

Below are the steps to fix Windows Libraries :

Step 1 : Show the Libraries
- Go to This PC ( Computer )
- Click on View
- Click on Navigation Pane
- Check “show all folders”
- Check “Show Libraries”
- Do not uncheck anything that is already checked
Step 2 : Restore Default Libraries
- Now,
- Locate your libraries in the left hand pane
- Right Click
- Click on Restore Default Libraries
- That’s it.
If you still face an issue with your libraries, please use the comment section & i will try to help.
November 24, 2013
How to : Enable Local Administrator Account in Windows 8.1
This post is a collection of steps on How to enable local administrator account in Windows 8.1 . The same steps can be followed in Windows 8 as well. Windows 8 / 8.1 by default has the local Administrator account disabled. Follow the steps below to enable the local ( built-in) administrator account in Windows 8.
- Follow this article to List Local users MMC
- Now, Right Click the User Account that says Administrator
- Click on Properties
- Now, here, Uncheck the box that says Account is disabled
- Click on Apply
- Click on Ok
- Your Built-in ( Local ) administrator account is now active
- You can choose to set a password for the same by:
- Right Clicking the Administrator account
- Click on Set password
If you face a problem with the steps mentioned above or need assistance with a certain step, please use comments section to post your query
October 31, 2013
Review : Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate | Giveaway
5/ 5stars

Video conversion started back in the days when portable video players were introduced. People belonging to the 80’s era know that when different form factors of video players came to the market, came with it the need for format & resolution conversion. VCD, DVD, WMV, 3gp, AVI, MPG etc. are amongst many popular video formats out there. As the technology progressed, different devices such as smartphones & tablets & multimedia players came into existence. For a user like me, who likes to have a number of gadgets, a video converter is an application of great utility. I always have a need to convert from & to QuickTime, Windows Media & RMVB. Most of my home videos were WMV & mpg format & I always have a need to play all my videos on my iPad & my Windows Phone. Same goes with playing them on my PC and my sister’s iPhone. Platform dependency was make my life a bit hard.

I tried a number of video convertors & the results were all but unsatisfactory. Suddenly a friend recommended me the Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate (http://www.wondershare.com/pro/video-converter-ultimate.html ). I tried the application before buying & I have to admit that it works better than any Video / Audio converter I have used till date. It has a better conversion rate & as suggested by the website, it does convert almost 30 times faster than a few other converters I tested.

Below is the Review : Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate | Giveaway inside

Wondershare Video Convertor Ultimate supports a number of input & output formats that it supports for conversion. You can convert Audio, Video & Images by using this application. Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate can be installed on Windows 8/7/Vista/XP & also on Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7 or 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Let’s cover each aspect from installation to conclusion one by one:

Installation:

Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate came in a small web downloader package & Installation on my medium bandwidth connection took around 2 minutes. It was fairly easy & did not give me any headaches. Now, I am very sardonic about my Video Players. All my life I have used the Windows Media Player & Media Player Classic, but this Video Convertor came with a Wondershare VIdeo Player & I was more than impressed by the overall user interface & usability of this player. It has all the combined / good features of my favourite players & performed even better than in all the key aspect of multimedia playback.

First Impression:

Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate has a very eye soothing User Interface. Every Button & menu is well located & within minutes you get a hang of what you are doing. Its a familiar application & feels like you are using it for ages. The conversion quality & speed is excellent. Its like a All in one A/V studio at your fingertips.

Conversion Formats & Devices
- Supports 158 Video conversion formats
- Supports editing of video on the fly
- You can Burn CD/DVD & even save ISO files (burn to ISO ) directly from the converter itself.
- Supports direct Video download, that means that you can simply click on download
- To enable the video download feature simply let the Wondershare Video Converter ultimate Enable the Video Download plugin
- Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate supports a number of device specific output formats, that lets you convert any(supported input format) video
Features & Interface
- The initial screen on the Wondershare Video Converter ultimate is your dashboard that you can use to do every task associated with this application
- If you wish you convert, either drag & drop files or click on the add files Button.
- If you have a DVD that you need to convert, simply click on Load DVD & browse for the DVD path
- At the bottom you can choose the storage folder where all the converted videos are saved for future usage.
- If you have a lot of small videos and wish to make a combined video, simply click on the Merge all videos into one file file checkbox at the bottom right corner & Click on convert
- You can select a output format based on your Device or file format
- Just Click the dropdown menu on the Output Format menu on the right hand side of the dashboard
- If you wish to edit the video that you are converting, simply click the edit button in front of the video
- Now, after you click on edit, you are presented with some great options. You can add subtitles to the video if you wish, or crop the video, add a watermark or add an effect of your liking. After you are finished, just click on Ok & choose the destination that you wish to save the video to.
- The Burn Suite within this Converter application is equally amazing, you can choose the converted files ( Audio, Video, Images )
- Select a Template
- Select a DVD label
- Choose the Quality of the Videos
- & choose the aspect ratio
- Click on burn & you are done
Conclusion & Rating

Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate is an application that packs almost every feature that a user looks for. It can download, convert to your favourite format or device & even burn a DVD or save an ISO file with your content. It is fast, faster than any video converter application that I have used till date & it offers a great Wondershare Video Player that is among the best players that I have used. Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate can be installed on both Windows & Mac. I would give this application 5 Star rating.

Giveaway

If you wish to get your hands on this amazing Video converter, share this post on Facebook and twitter & post a comment with the link to your Facebook / twitter post in the comment section of this post to stand a chance to Win a License of Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate.

* 10 days until the Giveaway closes. Send in your entry now.
September 23, 2013
How to : List Local users MMC in Windows 8, 8.1
This post is a step by step on How to list local users MMC in Windows 8 | 8.1 .Microsoft Management Console (MMC), is a built-in extensible common presentation service for management applications. MMC snap-ins are commonly used by Microsoft or other third party programs to interact with host integration services within the operating system. MMC can be used to add /remove snap-ins according to the need of the administrator. Some of the most common management consoles in Windows Operating system are gpedit.msc & rsop.msc ( Resultant Set of Policy )

Below are the steps to List Local users & Groups in Microsoft Management Console (MMC):
- Press Windows Logo Key + X
- Press A ( This will open command prompt with elevated privileges | Administrator mode )
- Now, within the command prompt type MMC & press enter
- Now, within the File Menu on the top left corner
- Click on Add/Remove Snap-in…
- Locate & select Local Users and Groups
- Click on Add
- Click OK
- A New Windows will pop open
- Here, Select Local Computer
- Click on Finish
- Press OK
- Now, a new entry named Local Users and Groups (Local) Can be seen
- Here, if you notice are listed all the users in your system.
- Now, Click on File
- Click on Save
- Give a name to this management console, so that you can use it later
If you need further help or face an issue implementing any of the above mentioned steps, feel free to drop a line to me & I will try to help out.
September 17, 2013
Fix : Windows 7 Installation Stop error 0x80FE0000 | 0x80FF0000
This post will help you Fix Windows 7 Installation Stop error / BSOD 0x80FE0000 | 0x80FF0000. Below are the steps to fix blue screen error 0x80FF0000 | 0x80FE0000 while installing Windows 7 | Vista with a message Could not set the offline locale information

You might get this blue screen error for some of the possible reasons listed below :
- Corrupted Hard Disk Drive with possible bad sectors
- Windows Installation Disk problem
- BIOS setting problem
- You tried Installing Windows in a Logical Drive instead of Primary partition
Before you continue reading this post, I suggest you read this article to know more about blue screen errors and possible steps to resolve them.

Below are a few different methods to fix this stop error:

Method 1 : Windows Installation Disk problem
- If you are installing Windows Vista | 7 from a DVD, make sure that your DVD is not scratched or has any visible signs of damage
- If you have an ISO file ( Disc Image ), you can use it to make a Installation USB drive to Install Windows
- For How to make a USB installation drive Follow this link
- After creating the USB Installation, try to install Windows again
- If you still face an issue, go down to Method 2
Method 2 : Check your Hard Disk Drive ( hdd ) for errors
- Boot from Windows 7 | Vista Installation DVD / USB
- Press Shift + F10
- or,
- Click on Repair your computer
- Click Next
- Click on Command Prompt
- Now, if this your hard disk has multiple partitions, go to the partition you are trying to install Windows in.
- now, type chkdsk x:/f – ( X being your drive letter, example : C: , D: )
Method 3 : Making Sure that you are not Installing Windows to a Logical Drive
- Follow method 2 to open command prompt
- In Command Prompt, type diskpart and press enter
- Type List Disk (note down your disk number in case you have multiple hard disk drives installed in your PC )
- Type Select Disk 0 (Replace 0 with the number of your drive. Example : Disk 0, Disk 1, Disk 2 )
- Type List Partition
- This should list all the partitions on your hard disk drive
- Just make sure that the partition you are trying to install Windows on is not a Logical Drive (It must be a primary partition )
Method 4 : Cleaning Your partition | DATA Backup Must before continuing

Note : This method will clean all partitions on your hard disk. Before continuing, make sure you backup your data.
- Follow Method 2 to open command prompt
- Type Diskpart and press enter
- Type List Disk (note down your disk number in case you have multiple hard disk drives installed in your PC )
- Type Select Disk 0 (Replace 0 with the number of your drive. Example : Disk 0, Disk 1, Disk 2 )
- Type Clean ( This will delete all partitions on your drive )
- Now, type create partition primary & press Enter
- Type format fs=ntfs
- Note: This is a full format and will take some time to complete depending on the size of your disk
- After the format is complete, try installing Windows again
Method 5 : Check BIOS settings
- Boot into the BIOS ( press DEL, F2, F10 ) ( refer your system documentation for details )
- Locate options saying SATA Mode & set it to AHCI
- Remember, The option to change the SATA type might vary depending on your BIOS make and system model. You just have to set the drive to AHCI, if available.
If you still face an issue, please use the comment section to post your problem & I will try to help you
September 14, 2013
How to Install Windows Live mail / essentials in Windows 8 | POP Support
This post is a How to Install Windows live mail desktop ( essentials ) in Windows 8 |POP support. Many of you have written to me saying that they are really sad that Windows 8 mail app does not support POP ( Post office Protocol ) & you wish to use POP as your email settings. And many email providers does not support / charge extra for IMAP.In Windows 7 days, I used to install Windows Live Essentials for Windows Live mail, messenger, photo gallery, live writer and some other sets of essentials programs. This post helps you do exactly that. Just follow the steps mentioned below :
- Go to http://get.live.com
- Click on Download Now
- After the Download Completes, Run the program
- Click on Choose the programs you want to Install
- Select Windows Live Mail & uncheck every other box ( Unless you need those extra applications )
- Click on Install
- Let the process Finish
- It might take a while, depending on your Internet connection speed.
- Now,
- You can use the POP3 type email settings with Windows Live Mail in Windows 8, Without using the Default Windows 8 mail app.
If you have any queries or comments, please feel free to use the comment section
September 9, 2013
Fix : Windows 8 Installation error : Product key not verified : Check installation Media
Fix : Windows 8 couldn’t verify the product key , Check installation media. This post fixes the Windows 8 Installation error where setup says “ We couldn’t verify the product key,. Please check your installation media” . Below is the screenshot of the error i received while trying to install Windows 8. This post applies to Windows 8.1 as well. This guide will help you when you are sure that you are using correct product key for your Windows 8 | 8.1 installation, and you are receiving an unexpected error. Below are a few fixes that helped me and should help you :

Tip 1 : Check Installation Media
- If it’s a DVD, make sure it is not scratched and inserted properly
- If its a USB drive and you used the Microsoft USB DVD Tool to make it:
  
  Check the ISO file you used to make this installation media
  
  Try to remake the media using the USB tool
  
  or
  
  Try using the same tool to burn a DVD if you can
  
  Make sure that you have enough space on the USB drive that you are using to Install Windows.
  
  Also, make sure that the USB drive is inserted properly into the USB port.
  
  Make sure that you insert your USB drive directly into the system and not through a external USB hub
Tip 2 :USB 3.0
- If your system supports USB 3.0, it is possible that for some reason the setup is not able to read it properly.
- Try Inserting your USB drive into a USB 2.0 port.
Tip 3 : Change BIOS settings for USB
- At the time of system start up
- Press DEL, F2, F10 or refer your system documentation for the key binding assigned to boot into the BIOS
- Locate the options for USB and make sure USB Legacy support is turned on
- Secondly, if there is an emulation setting for USB, set it to CD/DVD
- and,
- Make sure it is not set to hard disk
If you still face an issue, please use the comment section and I will try and help you further
September 7, 2013
Fix : Stop error / BSOD 0x0000009F | 0x000000FE Windows 7, Vista (AMD specific)
This post helps in fixing a AMD chipset based issue in Windows 7 or Windows Vista with stop error ( blue screen ) 0x0000009F or 0x000000FE. Both these error codes can be associated with some other problems too. But this problem being AMD chipset or specifically with some AMD EHCI drivers, that when put on standby or left Idle can crash your system with error codes mentioned above.

There are two very simple methods to fix this issue:

Method 1 : Microsoft Fixit ( Automated Fix )
- Click on the picture above to open the Fix it link
- Download the fix and run it
- Restart your Computer
Method 2 : Turning off some power management features
- Go to the start menu ( you can also use Run ( windows logo key + R )
- type in devmgmt.msc & press enter
- This will open device manager
- Now, expand the section that says Universal Serial Bus Controllers
- Right Click USB root hub
- Click on properties
- Click on power management tab
- uncheck Allow the Computer to turn off this device to save power
- Press Ok
- Restart your computer
- Check your system for problem
- If you still face a problem, please use the comment section and I will try to help you
September 6, 2013