MY PC WORKS, Elect Investments, Inc.

04/12/2022

To increase shutdown time in Windows 10
Open the registry, to open type regedit from the start menu.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM CurrentControlSet Control
Click the Control key folder and look for the WaitToKillServiceTimeout key. Double-click that key and change the value from the 5000 default to 2000, and then click OK.
This changes the time Windows 10 will wait for an unresponsive service from 5ms to 2ms. It is not recommended that you set this parameter any lower than 2ms.
Next, navigate to this key in the Windows Registry file:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER Control Panel Desktop
We have to create several new keys. Right-click the Desktop folder and select New String Value and give it the name WaitToKillAppTimeOut. Double-click the new key, give it a value of 2000, and then click OK.
Right-click the Desktop folder again and select New String Value and give it the name HungAppTimeout. Double-click the new key, give it a value of 2000, and then click OK.
Right-click the Desktop folder for the last time and select New String Value and give it the name AutoEndTasks. Double-click the new key, give it a value of 1, and then click OK.
The changes and additions to the Windows Registry file will decrease the time the operating system will wait for applications, services, and tasks to close, so, it is possible that a service or application will not be able to close. Generally speaking, if your work is saved that should not cause a problem, but you should monitor outcomes and modify the parameters as necessary.

10/05/2021

A great Gmail tip for creating unlimited email addresses. The only thing you'll need for this to work is a Gmail address.
Let's use the example [email protected]. That's your regular Gmail address. Let's say you want to sign up for Facebook newsletters, but don't want to use your real Gmail address. For that, you could sign up with something like:
yourname+[email protected].
The email you used to sign up for the newsletter will still come to the inbox for [email protected], only it will be sent from the Facebook newsletter server to yourname+[email protected].
Also say you've signed up for that Facebook mailing list and one day you receive an email that is not from Facebook, but it came to the address, yourname+[email protected]. That email is probably an attempted phishing attack, and you can easily deal with it.
This is a very handy way to keep mailing lists organized and secure.
Also if you want to sign up for product registrations, you could use an email like:
yourname+[email protected]
The important thing here is the + character. Just make sure that yourname is always first and whatever goes after the + is something useful to help identify your email. You can also add a rule that will move those emails to a folder of your choice. Example, if you sign up for a newsletter from Microsoft, your email address will look like yourname+[email protected]. Then add the rule to move any email with Microsoft in the address to the folder you want it moved into. If your client supports rules. Gmail also supports POP3 so you can use a third party e-mail client to download and take possession of your e-mail.
And don't think you have to stop at just one + character. You could use an address like:
yourname+facebook+[email protected]
Any email sent to the above address will still go to [email protected].

08/14/2021

If for some reason you need your Windows 10 key, three ways to do this. You may need to transfer your license to another computer, and you will have to contact Microsoft to make that happen. Three ways to get your Windows 10 product key, of course there are many small stand alone product key viewers you may use.

1. From a command prompt type
wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

You can also put this in a batch file, open notepad, type this in and on the second line type pause, like this

wmic path softwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey
pause

save as productkey.bat or any name you like...anyname.bat

2. Run Powershell in administrative mode and type these commands

powershell "(Get-WmiObject -query 'select * from SoftwareLicensingService').OA3xOriginalProductKey"

3. Open regedit and navigate to this position to see the license key

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform

It is located in the key BackupProductKeyDefault

06/30/2021

Microsoft warns: Now attackers are using a call centre to trick you into downloading ransomware.
Beware of phishing emails claiming your free trial subscription is over and that urge you to call a number to cancel it before you get hit with monthly fees.
Microsoft's cybersecurity researchers are now on the hunt for BazarCall, a criminal group that's using call centers to infect PCs with malware called BazarLoader – a malware loader that's been used to distribute ransomware.
BazarCall (or Bazacall) actors have been active since January and were notable because they used call center operators to guide victims into installing BazarLoader on to a Windows PC.

06/06/2021

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04/05/2021

How to improve network speed in Windows 10 by increasing IRPStackSize
Default network configuration settings in Windows 10 are notorious for being programmed to what are considered safe, stable values. Safe and stable does not always equal fast and high-performance. The default setting is 15, which is adequate for most normal speed (10 Mbps) network connections. The maximum number is limited to 50, and Microsoft warns that choosing values in the 33 to 38 range can cause stability issues. I increased the value on my PC to 32. You will have to edit the registry, Type "regedit" into the Windows 10 desktop search box and select regedit.exe. Use the left-hand windowpane to navigate the Windows 10 Registry file until you find this specific key,

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

There may not be an entry for entry for IRPStackSize, so you will have to create it. Right-click the Parameters folder (or right-click an open area in the right-hand windowpane) and select New | DWORD (32-bit) Value from the context menu. Give the new key entry the name IRPStackSize. Name it exactly as you see it here. Double-click the new IRPStackSize key you just made and change the value base to Decimal to make your life easier. Then change the Data value to 32. Click OK to lock in the change and then exit out of regedit. You will need to reboot your PC.

04/04/2021

How to reset a network connection in Windows 10 with a batch file

Type this command into the command prompt and press Enter.

netsh interface show interface

you can create a batch file for this command also, use the same method mentioned below, but you will need to add pause on the next line so it doesn't disappear.

The system will show you a list of installed network connections for your computer. The network connection name of the NIC that is causing you trouble, and then close the command prompt window.

Now create the batch file. Start your favorite text editor, which for Windows 10 users is typically Notepad. Type "notepad" into the search box and select the app from the results.

Type the following commands into your text file:

OFF
cls
netsh interface set interface PROBLEM disable
netsh interface set interface PROBLEM enable
pause

In Notepad, click File | Save As, select All file types, and choose the Desktop folder as the location, and then give the file a descriptive name. Just remember to use the ".bat" file type. For our example, name the file ResetNIC.bat or whatever you like, but with the .bat extension.

11/01/2020

Top 5 things to know about Latency

1. Latency is the time it takes for information to get from one point to another. It's most often measured as a roundtrip. If I make a request for a website, the request travels to a server, the server delivers the webpage, and that data shows up in my browser. That roundtrip time is the latency.
2. Latency is related to speed, but it isn't your speed. Neither is bandwidth. Throughput is your speed--it's the amount of data that can be transferred over a given period of time. Though your actual throughput is affected by latency and by your bandwidth. Everyone on your block has internet these days, so guess what, you are all sharing the bandwidth, which decreases the throughput, which decreases speed. Pick time of day to download big files if a problem, middle of night works.
3. An analogy for you: If a packet of data is a car on a highway, latency is how fast the car can go. Bandwidth is how many lanes are on the road. If the car can only go 55 mph, it doesn't matter if there are six, 10, or 30 lanes, the car (aka your data) will only arrive as fast as 55 mph can get it there. Always set your NIC to auto. By default it is, don’t change it. If set to a 100 megabytes per second, and it reaches 99, it will error and resend the data packet, then you are really slow.
4. Latency causes jitter. Jitter is the variability over time of latency--if you have a connection that swings from 100 milliseconds to 600 then to 486 then to 700 then back to 100 milliseconds. Any streaming data is sensitive to jitter. It's also why your video call may suddenly drop out and then come back just fine.
5. Lots of things affect latency. The distance from the server, the number of routers it has to pass through to get to you, any packet management ISPs and transit providers use, and congestion. If a lot of folks are clogging up the roads, that 100 mph sports car of data is going to get held up.

Latency isn't entirely under your control. You can make sure you're not adding it on your end, but your providers are part of the equation too. It's not as simple as more bandwidth.

04/04/2020

FBI warns about Zoom bombing as hijackers take over school and business video conferences, Keep your privacy considerations in mind when using Zoom at home for work collaboration.

04/04/2020

667% spike in email phishing attacks due to coronavirus fears