Tag: nircmd

How to Run a Program as SYSTEM (LocalSystem) Account in Windows

Last Updated on: May 18, 2021 by Ramesh

Many Windows system files, registry keys, and services are owned by the SYSTEM (a.k.a LocalSystem) account, which has a high privilege level. If you need to modify a registry key owned by the SYSTEM account, there are at least two options.

The first option that comes to your mind is to take ownership of the corresponding registry key, assign yourself Full Control permissions. Once the registry key or the values are updated, revert the permissions and ownership to SYSTEM.

There is, however, an easier option. You can run the program — e.g., the Command Prompt or the Registry Editor under the SYSTEM account directly and update the registry values.

This article lists 7 different methods using which you can run programs under the SYSTEM or LocalSystem account in any version of Windows, including Windows 10. You can also add a Run as SYSTEM right-click menu option for .exe files.

Clear all notifications in Action Center using Keyboard or Shortcut

Last Updated on: August 8, 2023 by Ramesh

The Action Center in Windows 10 is a slide-out pane where all system notifications are displayed and it has quick action buttons to various Windows settings. Any notification shown on your taskbar will be added to the Action Center. The unread (new) notifications count is also displayed on the Action Center notification area icon.

The Action Center may accumulate too many messages over time. To clear them simply click on the Clear all notifications link at the bottom of the Action Center slide-out pane. This article tells you how to clear specific notifications using a shortcut.Read more

Automatically Turn off Monitor when you Lock your Computer

Last Updated on: August 2, 2023 by Ramesh

We saw how to turn off your monitor or put your computer to sleep mode using shortcuts. Also, we explained how to automatically lock the workstation immediately after automatic login to your account.

By default, after you lock your workstation (computer), the display turns off automatically in 1 minute, and the lock screen display off timeout can only be increased. For some users, the 1-minute interval is not sufficient, and they need a mechanism to automatically turn off the monitor immediately after the computer is locked.

In this article, we’ll see how to automatically turn off the monitor automatically when you lock your computer (Win + L). Read more

Turn Off Monitor Using Shortcut or Command-line in Windows

Last Updated on: July 31, 2023 by Ramesh

My new Samsung Curved monitor has the power button on the rear end, perhaps for aesthetic purposes. I have been using monitors that have controls on the front or underneath the bezel all these years. Now, with the new monitor, I find it a little bit inconvenient to reach out to the button on the backside every time I need to turn off or turn on the display.Read more

How to Restart Explorer Cleanly Using Shortcut or Command-line

Last Updated on: May 12, 2019 by Ramesh

When you make changes to the Windows registry using the Registry Editor, script or any other automation tool, you may have to logoff and login back for the changes to take effect.

That’s especially true if you’re altering the UI element metrics or changing the shell namespace folder icons etc. — as Explorer caches these settings when you log in.Read more

Create Shortcut to Launch the Alt-Tab Switcher (for Mouse users)

Last Updated on: May 12, 2019 by Ramesh

The most useful and frequently used Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut has been there since the Windows 3.1 era. If you’re are primarily a mouse user and want to open the Alt + Tab switcher screen using shortcut or script, this post tells you how to do that in Windows 7 and higher, which includes Windows 10.Read more

Take Screenshot in Windows 10 Using Different Ways

Last Updated on: September 20, 2021 by Ramesh

In any version of Windows, the PrintScreen key captures the screen to the clipboard, which can then be pasted in Paint or any image editor and saved to a file. However, Windows 8 and Windows 10 save you that additional step, making it very easy to capture your screen and saving to a file in a single keystroke. This article discusses various methods to take screenshots in Windows.Read more

How to Hide the Taskbar Completely using Shortcut in Windows

Last Updated on: January 30, 2021 by Ramesh

When you’re playing a game or using an application that’s better optimized for full-screen mode, the taskbar can be a distraction. You can set the taskbar to auto-hide using taskbar Properties or Settings window in Windows 10, by enabling “Auto-hide the taskbar” checkbox.Read more

Wrong icon for file type; how to refresh the icons quickly

Last Updated on: June 4, 2021 by Ramesh

Summary: Incorrect icon shown for a file type, desktop shortcut, or taskbar icons in Windows. This article tells you how to fix it.

Recently I received a query wherein the user has installed Foxit Reader. Later, he set accidentally associated the .zip file type with Foxit Reader via the Open with dialog. They got the association problem straightened out by running the .zip association fix from the File association fixes page.

However, the .zip file type was still showing the Foxit Reader icon, although the association settings were correct.

Whenever the file association settings are changed or a new association is created via the registry or script, the system might not be aware of the change. Programs use the SHChangeNotify API call specifying the SHCNE_ASSOCCHANGED event, in order to refresh the icons without requiring a reboot.

This article explains the different ways to quickly refresh the icons in Windows 7, 8, and 10 without rebuilding the Windows icon cache or restarting Windows.Read more

Empty the Recycle Bin Without the Confirmation Window Showing Up

Last Updated on: May 12, 2019 by Ramesh

When emptying the contents of your Recycle Bin, you’ll be asked for confirmation as below. Here is a registry edit to turn off the prompt in Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10, using NirCmd. This registry edit replaces the Empty Recycle Bin command in the right-click menu and the ribbon button action with NirCmd, so that the Recycle Bin can be emptied silently.Read more