How to Enable System Restore (Repair System Problems) on Windows 10

With Windows 10, Microsoft seems to have disabled System Restore by default — at least on some PCs. System Restore has been around since Windows ME, creating snapshots of system files you can restore if a problem occurs.

Windows 10 still does contain System Restore, so you can re-enable it if you feel more comfortable with System Restore as a safety net. Windows 10 also offers other system-recovery features, helping lessen the need for System Restore.

Why Did Microsoft Disable System Restore?

Microsoft hasn’t really explained why it’s not enabling System Restore by default. However, we do have some idea. System Restore can use quite a bit of disk space when it creates those snapshots, and Microsoft is trying to get Windows 10’s disk space requirements down. Microsoft wants Windows 10 to run on devices with as little as 16 GB of internal storage — all the better to compete with Chromebooks and cheap Android tablets.

System Restore is also less necessary thanks to other features in Windows 10 that can quickly get your Windows system back to a fresh state without a full reinstallation of Windows. Windows 10’s PC reset feature that will give you a fresh Windows system without necessarily wiping your files is one big help here.

How to Re-Enable System Restore

You can re-enable System Restore from the Control Panel. It will use some system storage space for its snapshots, so you probably won’t want to do this on inexpensive laptops and tablets with only a small amount of storage space. If you have a big hard drive in your PC, however, it won’t be a big deal.

Bear in mind that it’s disabled by default, so it hasn’t been creating snapshots. If you’re experiencing a system problem, re-enabling System Restore won’t help because you won’t have any old snapshots to restore. When you re-enable it, it will create a new snapshot — of your current system in its damaged state, if it’s damaged. If you want to enable and rely on System Restore, this must be done preemptively, before you have a problem.

This option is only available in the Control Panel, not the new Settings app. The quickest way to access System Restore settings will be to open the Start menu or Start screen, type “Restore” to search for it, and click the “Create a restore point” shortcut. You can also open the Control Panel, navigate to “System”, and click the “System Protection” link in the sidebar.

Open this window and you’ll see that system protection is “Off” for your Windows 10 system drive and the other drives in your computer. Select your system drive and click the “Configure” button if you want to enable it.

Click the “Turn on system protection” option and choose how much disk space you want to reserve for your restore points. The less space you provide, the fewer restore points System Restore will be able to kepe at once. Click “OK” and System Restore will be enabled.

To use System Restore in the future, just go back to the same “System Protection” panel you used above. Click the “System Restore” button — now no longer grayed out, assuming you enabled System Restore — and you can use System Restore to go back to a previous restore point.

If Windows isn’t normally bootable, you can also boot into Safe Mode and run System Restore, or launch System Restore from the “advanced startup options” recovery environment.

Other Ways to Fix System Problems

If you wanted to use System Restore to fix a problem but found out it’s been disabled all along, you’ll have to fix whatever system problem you’re encountering in another way.

If the problem was caused by a recent update, you can look at uninstalling that Windows Update or reverting to a previous “build” of Windows 10. This should fix problems that might occur due to Windows Update and issues with your specific hardware and software.

If your system files are corrupted, you can try using the SFC — system file check — command to scan your system files for problems and automatically repair them.

If you installed a program or hardware driver and the problem started after that, you can visit the Control Panel and uninstall that program or hardware driver.

If Windows isn’t booting properly so you can’t do any of this, you can boot into Safe Mode. You can also visit the “advanced startup options” screen — these will automatically appear if Windows 10 can’t boot normally — and use the options there.

There are many other ways to troubleshoot and fix a Windows 10 system. However, the one surefire solution will be to use the “Reset this PC” tool in the Settings app. This will wipe your Windows 10 system and restore it to factory-default settings. You’ll have to reinstall your software and reconfigure Windows afterwards. However, your personal files will be kept and won’t be erased. Whatever system problem you’re having, this will restore all your Windows 10 system files to their default state.

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System Restore has always been a bit of a shotgun approach, just rolling back an entire system rather than fixing whatever that individual problem was. It used a bit of disk space, too.

Having it disabled by default is certainly a loss that makes tech support harder to perform. It used to be enabled by default and was a quick thing to try whenever a Windows PC isn’t working properly. Now, you just might have to use the “reset” feature instead.

What to Do If You Forget Your Mac’s Password

Can’t remember your Mac’s password? Don’t worry. With the default settings, you can simply try logging into your Mac. Fail enough times and you’ll be able to reset your password with your Apple ID. But this won’t always work.

If you haven’t enabled FileVault disk encryption, there’s an easy password-reset tool you can access. If you have enabled FileVault disk encryption and are willing to abandon your encrypted files, you can just reinstall Mac OS X and start over again.

Reset Your Password Using Your Apple ID

This trick only works if you’ve associated your Mac account with an Apple ID. It will work if you haven’t set up FileVault disk encryption, or if you set up FileVault disk encryption and had Mac OS X store your recovery key in your iCloud account. This is the default option. If you enabled FileVault and didn’t store your recovery key with your iCloud account, it won’t work.

If you’ve forgotten your password, just try entering the wrong password three times at the sign-in screen. After three wrong answers, you’ll see a “If you forgot your password, you can reset it using your Apple ID” message. Click the button and enter your Apple ID details to reset your passwordl.

Enter Your FileVault Recovery Key

If you’ve enabled FileVault disk encryption and didn’t store your recovery key in your iCloud account, the FileVault setup tool gave you a recovery key and told you to print it out or write it down and store it somewhere safe. This — aside from the password — is the only thing that can decrypt the files stored on your Mac and give you access to them.

Assuming you have this recovery key, you can type the recovery key into the password field on the login screen. This will decrypt your Mac’s storage and sign in you in. Once you’re signed in, you can change the password from the usual Users & Groups tool in the System Settings window.

Reset the Password From OS X Recovery (If You’re Not Using FileVault Encryption)

If you haven’t enabled FileVault encryption, there’s an easy way to reset any user account’s password. You just need to restart your Mac and hold Command + R while it’s booting. This will boot your Mac into a special recovery mode, also known as OS X Recovery.

From OS X Recovery, you can access a hidden a password reset tool and use it to change any user account’s password on the Mac. This is another good reason why you should enable FileVault encryption on your Mac — it’ll prevent people from entering the password and gaining access.

In the unlikely event that you’ve enabled a UEFI firmware password on your Mac, you won’t be able to gain access to OS X Recovery unless you remember that password. You can’t remove that UEFI firmware password without visiting an Apple Store — at least in theory. This helps prevent thieves from just erasing the UEFI password of a MacBook after they steal it.

Sign In As Another User (If You Are Using FileVault Encryption)

If you have more than one user account on your Mac and are using FileVault encryption, try logging in as the other user account. If you gave that other user account permission to decrypt your Mac with its password, you’ll be able to sign in and access a desktop. You can then create a new user account or regain access to your old user account.

Reinstall Mac OS X (If You Are Using FileVault Encryption)

If there’s a UEFI password on your Mac, you won’t be able to gain access to OS X Recovery to reset the password or reinstall Mac OS X without that password. You’ll just see a big lock icon appear on your screen and a box to type your password when you try to boot into recovery mode or boot from an external device.

This is a separate password from your user account’s password, so hopefully you remember this one. If you can’t, the only way to potentially remove that UEFI password is to take your Mac to an Apple Store.

There may be some sort of attack that allows an attacker to bypass a UEFI password, but, in theory, only Apple can remove an unknown UEFI password.

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If you can’t remember your Apple ID (iCloud) password, Apple’s website offers an Apple ID password reset tool that might be able to help.

How to Setup Your New Chromecast

When we first reviewed the Chromecast back in 2013 we showed you how to set it up, but the Chromecast now comes in a sleeker, more powerful, and better designed package so we’re back with updated instructions.

What’s New With The Chromecast?

The most obvious change with the Chromecast is the form factor. The rigid HDMI-stick form factor is gone now and has been replaced with a flexible cable attached to a disk-shaped device. This is a great change as it makes it easier to position the Chromecast behind your HDTV and it better protects the Chromecast from damage. The original Chromecast had a seldom used extender (that we received more than a few emails about over the years) designed specifically to both improve the Wi-Fi signal and protect the HDMI jack. The new design builds a flexible extender right into the unit and ensures people use the feature (whether they need it or not).

Speaking of signal strength the new Chromecast features an updated Wi-Fi radio that finally supports 5GHz networks via 802.11ac wireless. For those who have had headaches with the 2.4GHz band it’s a welcome relief to both get a faster connection and the ability to move to a less congested band.

In addition to other small hardware changes under the hood the biggest change is brand new control software that radically extends the usefulness of the Chromecast. The old Chromecast app was pretty elementary and, while it got the job done, it existed pretty much to set up the Chromecast for the first time and find apps to use with it. The new Chromecast app will actually keep you coming back with features like the “Fast Play” prediction algorithm that pre-caches content it predicts you will want to watch across the services you use like Netflix and YouTube so you always get a snappy and ready to go playback experience.

Better yet, the Chromecast app now serves as a unified search platform for the video services you use; it’s never been easier to find exactly what you want to watch on the Chromecast than it is now with the new and updated software.

Finally, although it has yet to prove as popular as the traditional Chromecast, the new Chromecast update rolls out an audio-only Chromecast designed to link your streaming music services to your stereo.

If you already have a Chromecast you’re likely curious if it’s worth upgrading to the new model. Just like the old Chromecast the new Chromecast costs $35 (with an occasional sale here or there). If it’s in your budget to replace your Chromecast with the new one, we’d certainly recommend doing so: it really is a faster and smoother experience. If it’s not in your budget, don’t worry. The old Chromecast is compatible with the new software and will keep working just as well as it always has.

Setting Up The Chromecast

The setup process hasn’t changed much since the original Chromecast but it’s way more polished now. Unpack your Chromecast, plug it in, and you’re treated to clear step-by-step instructions.

If you don’t already have the Chromecast app installed on your smartphone or tablet, now is a great time to do so.

With the app installed, launch the app and select the “Devices” tab at the top of the screen. There you’ll find your new Chromecast ready for set up. Unless you live in a population-dense area like a college dorm or apartment complex you really don’t need to double check the identity of your Chromecast, but if you desire to do so you can look at the screen of your HDTV and the name of the Chromecast on the setup screen in the app to confirm they’re the same unit (you can see in the two screenshots above that both read Chromecast5108). Select “Set Up”.

The app will indicate the setup process is starting, prompt you to select “Next” and then you’ll see the screen above, on your mobile device, with a 4 character alpha-numeric confirmation code.

Confirm that the same code, as seen above, appears on the screen of your HDTV. Again, unless you live in a high-density area the chances of you setting up somebody else’s Chromecast is slim. Where this is handy, however, is if you’ve bought lots of Chromecasts. We’re huge fans of the Chromecast and with at least one Chromecast on every floor it’s definitely possible to mix them up.

Next, on your mobile device, select your region (e.g. The United States), then you’ll be prompted to name your Chromecast for easy identification and to toggle options like enabling guest mode and crash reporting.

The crash reporting bit is self explanatory, but if you’d like to read more about guest mode (which allows guests to use your Chromecast without logging into your Wi-Fi) you can read our full guide to enabling and using Chromecast’s guest mode here. In short: don’t worry about random people connecting to your Chromecast from the apartment down the hall; you need to see the actual screen and use the PIN on the screen in order to connect.

Finally, plug in the credentials for the Wi-Fi network you wish to connect the Chromecast too. If you have multiple Wi-Fi networks in your home and/or distinct SSIDs on your main router be sure to put the Chromecast on the Wi-Fi network/SSID you normally use with the device you intend to cast from (e.g. your iPhone) because it must be on the same Wi-Fi node.

Using Your Chromecast

There are two ways to use the Chromecast. You can cast from a mobile device and you can cast from your computer via Chrome browser plugin. If you want the full run down on the desktop casting option, check out our guide Mirror Anything from your Computer to Your TV Using Google Chromecast here.

Although the desktop casting function has its uses the mobile casting experience is far more polished and certainly the source of the Chromecast’s popularity.

Finding Apps

The easiest way to get started actually using the Chromecast is to use the Chromecast app to see what apps you already have on your phone that support casting. After completing the setup open up the Chromecast app.

In the screenshot above you can see that the Chromecast app has already populated the “What’s On” tab, the default view, with potential YouTube videos and Netflix content because we have both apps on our iPhone.

If you don’t have any apps yet or want to explore what else is out there, you can either select the “Get Apps” tab as seen above or you can scroll to the bottom of the “What’s On” tab where you’ll both see other apps on your device that can cast to the Chromecast (like Plex or other streaming apps) and you can click “Get More” beside those apps to search for more related apps.

Searching for Content

While we’re still in the Chromecast app let’s take a look at the new unified search function that really makes it easy to search across services like YouTube, Netflix, and Google Play to find the content you’re looking for. Let’s say, for example, want to get started with the popular TV show The Walking Dead.

Simply enter the key words for the content you’re looking for in the search box, found at the top of the Chromecast app, and you’ll be treated to a page of search results right inside the application.

Select the result you want, in this case the entry for the original series as seen above to the right.

There you’ll find a summary of the show and, most importantly, a “Watch” button linking you right to the Netflix app. If you tap the “Watch” button Netflix will launch just as if you had searched for the show within the app. Let’s take a look at how to cast the show to your TV in the next section.

Playing Content

Once you’ve loaded an app with Chromecast compatibility, like the Netflix app we just launched courtesy of our search query in the Chromecast app’s unified search dashboard, playback is as easy as can be (and this ease of use is definitely why the Chromecast is so wildly popular).

Any time you’re in an application that can cast to the Chromecast the Chromecast logo, seen above in the upper right-hand side of the screenshot, will appear. Tap the icon and the mobile app you’re using will automatically kick the stream over to the Chromecast and the stream will begin playback.

The extra nice thing about the Chromecast is that all the unpacking/decompression of the video stream is handled by the Chromecast itself (not the casting device) so even if your device is old, battered, and sporting a slow processor you can still use the Chromecast with ease. A such old Android and iOS devices make for great Chromecast “remote controls” you can leave plugged in next to the couch in the living room.

What’s the Difference Between FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS?

Whether you’re formatting an internal drive, external drive, USB flash drive, or SD card, Windows will give you the choice of NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT. The Format dialog in Windows doesn’t explain the difference, so we will.

FAT32 is an older file system that’s largely relegated to USB flash drives and other external drives. Windows uses NTFS for its system drive, and it’s also ideal for other internal drives. exFAT is a modern replacement for FAT32, and more devices support it than do NTFS — although it’s not as widespread as FAT32.

FAT32

FAT32 is the oldest file system here. It was introduced all the way back in Windows 95 to replace the older FAT16 file system.

This file system’s age has advantages and disadvantages. Because it’s so old, it’s the de-facto standard. Flash drives you purchase will often come formatted with FAT32 for maximum compatibility across not just modern computers, but other devices like game consoles and anything with a USB port.

Limitations come with that age, however. Individual files on a FAT32 drive can’t be over 4 GB in size — that’s the maximum. A FAT32 partition must also be less than 8 TB, which is less of a limitations — but still a noticeable one if you have a new, high-capacity mechanical drive.

While this file system is okay for USB flash drives and other external media, you won’t want to use this for an internal drive. It lacks the permissions and other security features built into the more modern NTFS file system. Modern versions of Windows can no longer be installed to FAT32, and must be installed onto drives formatted with NTFS.

Compatibility: Works with all versions of Windows, Mac, Linux, game consoles, and practically anything with a USB port.

Limits: 4 GB maximum file size, 8 TB maximum partition size.

Ideal Use: Use it on removable drives for maximum compatibility with the widest range of devices, assuming you don’t have any files 4 GB or larger in size.

NTFS

NTFS is the modern file system Windows likes to use. When you install Windows, it formats your system drive with the NTFS file system. NTFS has file size and partition size limits that are so theoretically huge you won’t run up against them. NTFS first appeared in consumer versions of Windows with Windows XP.

Aside from these limitations, NTFS is packed with other modern features. It supports file permissions for security, a change journal that can help quickly recover errors if your computer crashes, shadow copies for backups, encryption, disk quota limits, hard links, and other various features. Many of these are crucial for an operating system drive — especially file permissions.

Your Windows system partition must be NTFS. If you have a secondary drive alongside Windows and you plan on installing programs to it, you should probably go ahead and make it NTFS, too.

However, NTFS just isn’t as compatible with other operating systems. It’ll work with all recent versions of Windows — all the way back to Windows XP — but it has limited compatibility with other operating systems. By default, Mac OS X can only read NTFS drives, not write to them. Some Linux distributions may enable NTFS-writing support, but some may be read-only. None of Sony’s PlayStation consoles support NTFS. Even Microsoft’s own Xbox 360 can’t read NTFS drives, although the new Xbox One can. Other devices are even less likely to support NTFS.

Compatibility: Works with all versions of Windows, but read-only with Mac by default, and may be read-only by default with some Linux distributions. Other devices — with the exception of Microsoft’s Xbox One — probably won’t support NTFS.

Limits: No realistic file-size or partition size limits.

Ideal Use: Use it for your Windows system drive and other internal drives that will just be used with Windows.

exFAT

exFAT was introduced in 2006, and was added to older versions of Windows with updates to Windows XP and Windows Vista.

It’s a file system optimized for flash drives. It’s designed to be a lightweight file system like FAT32 without all NTFS’s extra features and overhead, but without FAT32’s limitations.

Like NTFS, exFAT has very large file size and partition size limits. This means you can store files that are larger than 4 GB apiece on a flash drive or SD card if it’s formatted with exFAT. exFAT is a strict upgrade over FAT32, and should be the best choice for external drives where you want a lightweight file system without FAT32’s file size limits.

exFAT is also more compatible than NTFS. While Mac OS X includes only read-only support for NTFS, Macs offer full read-write support for exFAT. exFAT drives can be accessed on Linux by installing the appropriate software.

While exFAT is compatible with Macs — and will be compatible with some devices that don’t support NTFS, like digital cameras — it still isn’t quite as compatible. Microsoft’s own Xbox 360 doesn’t support it, although the Xbox One does. The PlayStation 3 doesn’t support exFAT drives, although the PlayStation 4 reportedly does. Various other older devices may only support FAT32 instead of exFAT.

Compatibility: Works with all versions of Windows and modern versions of Mac OS X, but requires additional software on Linux. More devices support exFAT than support NTFS, but some — particularly older ones — may only support FAT32.

Limits: No realistic file-size or partition-size limits.

Ideal Use: Use it for USB flash drives and other external drives, especially if you need files of over 4 GB in size. Assuming every device you want to use the drive with supports exFAT, you should format your device with exFAT instead of FAT32.

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NTFS is ideal for internal drives, while exFAT is generally ideal for flash drives. However, you may sometimes need to format an external drive with FAT32 if exFAT isn’t supported on a device you need to use it with.

5 great language learning apps

Learning a new language is a process that might not sound like immediate fun, but it opens new horizons and possibilities to learn about and see different cultures.

With a powerful smartphone in your pocket, you have one more aid in the learning process, but what are the right apps to use? These days, DuoLingo is all the rage for many reasons: it's a well-structured system to learn a language that touches upon not just one, but the multiple elements of learning, including speaking, listening, reading and writing.

It is not the only one worth noting, though. In this round-up, we have selected some great alternative apps that will speed up your language learning. Take a look at them right below.

English Lesson with Gymglish

Download on Android | iPhone

Most PhoneArena readers are English speakers, but for the great many across the world who are trying to learn English, this app by Gymglish is a fun new way to get the grips of the language in a few simple steps with plentiful graphical clues provided along the way. The app serves knowledge lesson by lesson, in dozes of one lesson served every morning so that you can make constant, steady progress, and it also shows you scores at the end of the lessons. The whole language course is based around the story of the Delavigne Corporation and features both reading and listening exercises, with varied access and some elements of business English. Each lesson takes around 10 minute to complete, a small time investment that could yield great results in the longer term.

French Lessons by Fantastique

Download on Android | iPhone

When the focus of a language app is just one language, this provides a much more focused way to learn a language and the French Lessons by Fantastique app is a brilliant example. Dedicated solely to learning French, it follows a similar model as the previous app: daily lessons served in the morning that take around 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Infused with French culture and humor, the stories in the lessons are easy to digest and the narrator in many of them is no other than a virtual Victor Hugo. The app features various accents, a daily score and - quite importantly - explanations for your answers.

Chinese Skill

Download on Android | iPhone

Chinese Skill is the only app you need if you are a total beginner who wants to learn Chinese, and here is why: it guides you gently in a DuoLingo-like play-based approach with words, it has native pronunciation that you can also slow down, and this will save you a lot of the boring theory about pinyin pronunciation and the four tones, it displays both characters and pinyin along with actually well translated English equivalents, and it is miraculously, mind-bogglingly, completely free (as in ad-free and in-app-purhcase free).

We've tried multiple other apps and they are a waste of time, especially for beginners. Spare yourself this lost time searching and the trial and error, and just focus on mastering the knowledge summed up in Chinese skill before you dive in further into Chinese.

Learn Languages Rosetta Stone

Download on Android | iPhone

The Rosetta Stone system has been crafted and perfected over time, so it comes with a reputation that not many others can match. The app, however, requires a hefty $200 in-app purchase for each of the 19 languages it supports (you have free access only to the first lesson, so you can try it). If you decide to spend the money, though, you are getting a comprehensive language learning system. The full course takes you on a journey through the basics, common greetings and introductions, vocabulary used during shopping, travel topics, past and future expression, and words in the area related to friends and social life.

busuu

Download on Android | iPhone

busuu is an app that comes with a unique premise: learn a language with the help of native speakers, who will help you get exercises right. The app focuses on getting you right up to speed with the most commonly used 150 topics and 3000 words that you will need, and it allows you to set personal learning goals and strive towards reaching them. It covers all the important aspects of language learning: vocabulary and grammar lessons, audio dialogues and interactive tests. busuu costs $11 for a 1-month subscription, $50 for a 6-month sub, and $65 for a 12-month subscription (all are automatically renewed until cancelled), but you can try it and see what it's all about for free.

How To Install and Test Windows Without Affecting The Currently Installed OS

Most of you will have heard by now that Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 10, is now in testing phase and begins the long road to a final release sometime in 2015. This will please a lot of people because many of the changes in Windows 8 that made it so unpopular are being scaled back or even reversed completely. For Windows 8 or 8.1 users, this may be good news if you’re currently one of the many not entirely happy with features like the Start Screen or the heavy reliance on the Modern UI.

If you’re a Windows 7, Vista or even an XP user, you might want or need to upgrade and install something newer, whether it’s from XP to 7, or you’re a Windows 7 user looking to see if you’ll like the desktop friendlier Windows 10. Most users don’t try out a new version of Windows before actually buying a license or a prebuilt computer with a license already installed. In the main, it’s simply due to believing there’s a lot of work involved and they will have to erase or tamper with their current operating system to do so. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be the case. Messing around with backups, Master Boot Records, multiboot menus and drive partitions can be a dangerous and time wasting, especially if you don’t plan to test the new operating system out for long or you’re inexperienced in these areas. The best and least destructive way to test drive a new operating system is in a virtual environment. Here we’ll show you how to easily get the version of Windows you want to test and how to quickly install it in a Virtual Machine so you can see how it works and whether you like it.

Downloading The Version Of Windows You Want To Test

Apart from the virtual machine software itself, you obviously need a version of Windows which you can use inside it. If you have a Windows installation DVD or ISO already, this can be used, but there are special versions of Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 already pre-built as virtual machines by Microsoft, so you don’t have to go through the whole Windows install procedure. If you’re feeling nostalgic, even Windows XP is there!

1. Visit the Microsoft Modern.IE website . This will take you to the downloads page for all the virtual machines (VMs) Microsoft have created.

2. Click the button on Step 1. As Modern.IE is aimed primarily at testing websites on different versions of Windows and Internet Explorer, there are several distros for the same OS, such as Windows 7 with IE8-IE11, choose the latest IE version.

3. With the Step 2 button select either ‘VirtualBox on Windows’ or ‘VMware Player on Windows’ depending on which software you are going to use. We will show you how to install on both VMware Player and VirtualBox below.

4. Step 3 will automatically display the download links you need to get the VM package. Either click on the links individually or use ‘Batch File Download’ to show all links together which can then be added into a download manager. As each file can be up to 1GB in size, MD5 checksum links are provided so the files can be verified for integrity after download.

These Windows VMs are also available to use in Linux and OS X, simply click the small link and go through the on page steps 1 and 2 again to show the correct files. VirtualBox, VMware Fusion and Parallels are supported.

5. Go to your downloaded VM files and double click the Part001.exe to extract the contents to a folder of your choice. The Windows 10 Preview virtual machine doesn’t have a .exe and comes in plain RAR files so you will need an archiver capable of extracting them, such as WinRAR or 7-Zipetc. This will extract a single .OVA file in the case of VirtualBox or three files from the VMware archive, .MF, .OVF and .VMDK.

Note the Windows 10 Technical Preview at Modern.IE is 64-bit and the rest of the operating systems in the list are 32-bit versions.

Running The Virtual Windows In VirtualBox

VirtualBox is currently owned by Oracle and is a hugely popular virtual machine software, it is also cross platform with versions for Mac and Linux as well as Windows. While we’re fans of VirtualBox in general, it isn’t the most reliable software and recent updates to the program have also caused major issues for many users, for this reason we use a slightly older version of 4.3.12.

1. Go to the website and download VirtualBox . If you wish to use the older more stable version 4.3.12, download it from the older builds page .

2. Install VirtualBox using the default options, you can of course change the installation folder if required but make sure to leave the file associations option enabled.

3. Double click the extracted .OVA file which automatically launches VirtualBox and pops up a window with the pre-defined settings for the VM. Unless you specifically want to disable sound or the optical drive etc, simply click Import.

4. After spending some minutes importing the package to VirtualBox, the VM will be ready to use. Make sure the VM is highlighted in the list on the left and click Start to boot it up.

After some screens saying your installation is being configured, you will eventually reach the desktop of your chosen OS. These Virtual machines have a preset default username of IEUser and a password of Passw0rd! (XP lets you create your own password). Various information is displayed on the desktop, you can change this by altering the desktop background or theme.

Once installed there are a few changes you can make such as altering the default amount of memory used (no lower than 1GB for Vista, 7, 8 or 10) or increasing the number of used processor cores, the virtual Windows needs to be shutdown to do this. Guest additions can also be installed that adds shared folders and improves the performance and graphics of the Windows VM, which is accessible from the Devices menu while the VM is running.

Note: If you run into a black screen while testing Windows 8 or 10 in VirtualBox, especially an error that ends in 5D, you may need to look for and enable a setting in your system BIOS called “No-Execute Memory Protection”, also known as “Data Execution Prevention”.

Running The Virtual Windows In VMware Player

VMware Player is basically a cutdown version of the full and expensive VMware package, which is regarded as probably the best virtual machine software around. Although Player is missing a few things like snapshots which are available in VirtualBox, it is definitely more stable, easier to use and the virtual operating system generally runs slightly faster than in VirtualBox.

1. Download VMware Player , then install it on your computer. There are no special options to configure during installation.

2. In the extracted folder from Modern.IE, double click on the .OVF file. A new window will show that asks what name you want to call the virtual machine and where to store it. Make sure the save location has plenty of storage space available, at least 15-20GB for Vista and above. Click Import and wait a few minutes for the process to complete.

3. Once step 2 is finished, VMware Player will automatically start to boot the VM. If you receive a message that VMware Tools is outdated and an update is available, you can either let it update now or later on. The good thing is VMware Tools is already installed and is similar to VirtualBox’s Guest Additions that improves several areas of the VM performance. The only issue is it may need updating depending how old the virtual machine files are at Modern.IE and whether a newer VMware Player has been released since.

Ctrl+D > Options will allow you to add shared folders straight away. Shutting down the virtual machine first and pressing Ctrl+D will allow you to edit the hardware configuration such as memory allocation or CPU cores, Sound, ROM drive etc.

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Notes: As you might expect, the virtual machines at Modern.IE aren’t fully activated versions of Windows (if only!) or ones that you activate with a real product key. They are essentially Enterprise version trials that usually work for 90-120 days. As this article is about testing or trying out a different version of Windows for a short period, the time frame should be long enough to get you well acquainted with your chosen Windows operating system.

A simple workaround to get it working again after your time expires is deleting the old virtual machine from the software and then importing it again from the downloaded files. Alternatively, using the Snapshot feature in VirtualBox will help lengthen the time until expiry.

For best results you need make sure Intel VT-x or AMD-V hardware virtualization extensions are enabled in your system BIOS, you have 4GB+ of system memory, a dual/quad core CPU and plenty of hard drive space. All is not lost if you don’t have these but the specification of the virtual machine’s hardware will have to be lowered and its performance will be reduced.
Read More:https://www.raymond.cc/blog/step-by-step-on-how-to-download-install-and-activate-windows-7-beta-without-messing-currently-installed-os-and-dual-boot/