Windows

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Enable or Disable Windows Defender Using Shortcut or Command-line

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Windows Defender, the built-in anti-virus program in Windows, has useful features such as cloud-based protection, offline scanning, limited periodic scanning, tamper protection, controlled folder access, etc.

Almost every aspect of Windows Defender can be managed or automated using the MpCmdrun.exe command-line tool and PowerShell cmdlets. There are times when you need to temporarily disable your Windows Defender real-time protection on your test (non-production) systems and switch it back on after a few minutes.

You may prefer a single-click shortcut or script solution because of the following reasons:

  1. It takes several mouse clicks to turn off/on the Windows Defender real-time protection through the user interface.
  2. The Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus Group Policy setting or its equivalent registry setting DisableAntiSpyware = 1 would require rebooting the computer.
  3. Microsoft has discontinued the DisableAntiSpyware policy/registry setting in Microsoft Defender Antimalware platform versions 4.18.2007.8 and higher. DisableAntiSpyware no longer works!

hand point iconThis post explains how to enable or disable Windows Defender in a single click using desktop shortcuts or command-line without requiring a restart.

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How to Clean Up the Windows Installer Cache Folder

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windows installer - delete unwanted files

When you install a program in Windows, the program’s .msi or .msu setup package gets copied to the C:\Windows\Installer folder. The Installer folder is a protected folder with System & Hidden attributes and is found under your Windows folder.

windows installer - delete unwanted files

What is the Windows Installer folder?

The Installer directory is intended to serve as a cache for installer data files for various applications installed on the computer.Read more

[Fix] Cannot import file: The specified file is not a registry script

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specified file is not a registry script

When you try to import a registry file (.reg) by double-clicking it or by using the Import option from within the Registry Editor, the following error occurs. As a result, the .reg file is not imported.

Registry Editor

Cannot import filename.reg: The specified file is not a registry script. You can only import binary registry files from within the registry editor.

specified file is not a registry script

This post tells you how to fix the .reg file import error in Windows.Read more

[Fix] Cannot Add a Program to Open with List in Windows

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cannot add program to open with menu in windows

When you right-click on a file, select “Open with”, click “choose another app” and select a program using the Browse dialog, the program may fail to appear in the “Open With” dialog.

It may appear as if nothing happened after you selected the program in the browse dialog — i.e., the Open with dialog simply ignores your selection. This is a bug that exists since the Windows XP era (at least) and remains in Windows 10 as well. This article shows how to fix the Open with problem.Read more

Stop Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense from Emptying your Downloads folder

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disk cleanup downloads folder

If you use Disk Cleanup, you will want to be aware of a change to its options since the October 2018 feature update (v1809). Disk Cleanup, now also has the option to delete the contents of your Downloads folder.

disk cleanup downloads folder

However, many users like to use the Downloads folder as permanent storage area to preserve their downloaded files. This post tells you how to prevent Disk Cleanup and the modern Storage Sense tools from clearing files in your Downloads folder.Read more

[Fix] PIN Errors 0x8009002d, 0x8007139f, 0x80090030, 0x80090032 and 0x80090016

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PIN login error 0x80090030 in windows 10

When creating or changing the PIN for a user account on a Windows 10 computer, one of the errors 0x8009002d, 0x8007139f, 0x80090030, 0x80090032 or 0x80090016 may appear. Here are the full symptoms:

  • If there is already a PIN configured, you may be able to sign-in using the PIN. When signing in using the PIN, errors “The PIN is incorrect. Try again” or “Something went wrong (code: 0x8009002d). Restart your device to see if that fixes the problem.” may occur.Read more

Error 0x80070424 in Windows Update and Microsoft Store

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windows update error 0x80070424

When you attempt to check for updates from the settings page in Windows 10, the error 0x80070424 may appear. Also, the Windows Update service may be missing from the list when you open the services console. Error encountered There were some problems installing updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and … Read more