Going Further with Advanced Moves - WINDOWS 10 TIPS AND TRICKS (2016)

WINDOWS 10 TIPS AND TRICKS (2016)

14. Going Further with Advanced Moves


In This Chapter

Image Partitioning drives

Image Running multiple operating systems on your computer

Image Making advanced changes in the Registry


In this chapter, you first learn how to split a physical drive into multiple partitions and manage partitions. We then move on to run multiple operating systems on your computer either by dual-booting or by using virtualization technology such as Hyper-V. Finally, we cover how to make changes to the Registry, the vital configuration database of Windows.

Working with Partitions

Windows enables you to divide a physical hard drive into multiple separate areas called partitions. You may want to create multiple partitions so that you can keep your data on a partition separate from your operating system or so that you can install two or more operating systems on your computer.


Image Note

A partition is also called a volume. You’ll find that Windows uses the terms “partition” and “volume” interchangeably to refer to partitions.


Examining the Partitions on Your Computer’s Drive

You can create and edit partitions by using the Disk Management app that comes with Windows. Follow these steps to open Disk Management and see which partitions your computer’s drive currently has:

1. Right-click or long-press Start to display the shortcut menu.

2. Click Disk Management to open the Disk Management window (see Figure 14.1).

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FIGURE 14.1 Open Disk Management to see which partitions your computer currently has and to make changes.


Image Note

To work with partitions, you must be logged in as an administrator.



Your Computer May Already Have Multiple Partitions

A typical Windows computer comes with multiple partitions set up on its internal drive. Of these, one partition is the boot partition, which is the partition from which Windows starts and on which Windows and (usually) your apps are installed.

Another partition is the recovery partition, which contains files you can use to repair or reinstall Windows after your system partition comes to grief.

If your computer is built according to the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) specification, as many current and recent computers are, it will also have an EFI system partition that’s used for initial startup. The EFI system partition is sometimes abbreviated to ESP.



Image Note

A normal drive can contain three primary partitions and an extended partition. The extended partition can contain multiple other partitions.


3. Click the partition about which you want to view information.

Here’s the information the table at the top of the Disk Management window shows:

Image Volume. This column shows any label assigned to the volume, such as Windows (C:) for the boot drive.


Image Note

The recovery partition and the EFI system partition usually have no label.


Image Layout. This column shows the volume type. For most consumer-level computers, you’ll see the Simple volume type. If you’ve configured a pool of drives using the Storage feature in the Settings app, as discussed in Chapter 6, “Sorting Out Your Files, Folders, and Storage,” you’ll see the type you chose: Spanned, Striped, or Mirrored.

Image Type. This column shows the volume type: Basic for a regular volume, such as most individual computers use, or Dynamic for a volume that’s spanned, striped, or mirrored.

Image File System. This column shows the file system used for the volume, such as NTFS (BitLocker Encrypted) for a standard Windows installation.


Image Note

The File System column shows no file system for the recovery partition and the EFI system partition. This is normal.


Image Status. This column shows the volume’s status, which includes an overall description (preferably Healthy), its type (such as Boot or System), essential configuration information (such as Page File and Crash Dump), and the partition type (such as Primary Partition).


Image Note

In the Status column, Page File indicates that the volume has the paging file stored on it. The paging file provides virtual memory to supplement the computer’s physical memory (RAM); see the section “Configuring the Paging File” in Chapter 8 for more information. The Crash Dump status indicates that Windows is configured to dump memory information to the volume following a crash. (In case you’re wondering, “dump” there is the correct technical term!)



Image Caution

If you see any status apart from Healthy, you likely need to take action. If the status is Healthy (At Risk), you’ll know that Windows can read the volume correctly but it has detected input/output (I/O) errors.


Image Capacity. This column shows the volume’s capacity. The readouts mix gigabytes (GB) and megabytes (MB), depending on the volume size, so look closely. You might also see terabytes (TB)—if your computer has enough of them.

Image Free Space. This column shows how much space is free on the volume—again, using gigabytes or megabytes, depending on the volume size.

Image % Free. This column shows the percentage of the volume free.


Image Tip

Look at the % Free column to make sure your boot drive isn’t running low on space, because lack of space can degrade performance.



What Other Statuses Can Volumes Have?

Ideally, when you look at the Status column in Disk Management, you’ll see the Healthy status for each volume. This means that Windows can read the volume correctly and has detected no errors. If you see Healthy (At Risk), Windows can read the volume but has detected I/O errors.

For a dynamic volume, you may see the Initializing status. This means that Windows is getting the volume ready for use. Look again in a while to see whether the status has changed to Healthy.

For a mirrored volume, the Status column shows Resynching when syncing data with the volume’s mirrors. (Look back to the section “Creating Pooled Storage with Storage Spaces” in Chapter 6 for details on mirrored volumes and parity volumes.)

For a parity volume, the Status column shows Regenerating while Windows is regenerating data and parity information. You can access the volume normally while regeneration is occurring.

When a volume has failed, you’ll see a Failed status. For a basic volume, the straightforward Failed status means that Windows cannot start the volume automatically. The Failed Redundancy status means that one of the physical disks used for the mirrored volume is not online. The Failed Redundancy (At Risk) status means that Windows has detected I/O errors on one of the physical disks used for the mirrored volume and that the data is not protected by redundancy.


Now that you know what partitions your computer’s disk has, you can shrink a partition, create a new partition, extend an existing partition, or delete a partition you no longer need. See the following sections for details.

Shrinking a Partition

If you need to create a new partition on your computer’s drive, but the current partitions occupy all the space, you can shrink a partition to make space for the newcomer. You can also shrink a partition so as to leave space you may need in the future.

Follow these steps to shrink a partition:

1. In Disk Management, right-click or long-press the partition you want to extend. The shortcut menu appears.

2. Click Shrink Volume. You’ll see the Querying Shrink Space dialog box while Disk Management analyzes the partition. Then the Shrink dialog box opens (see Figure 14.2).

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FIGURE 14.2 In the Shrink dialog box, specify the amount of space by which to shrink the partition, and then click the Shrink button.

3. Adjust the value in the Enter the Amount of Space to Shrink in MB box as needed. The Shrink dialog box assumes you want to shrink the drive as far as possible, which is not always the case.


Image Caution

Don’t shrink a drive too far. It’s normally best to leave at least several gigabytes free so that you can manipulate files on the drive.


4. Click the Shrink button. Disk Management shrinks the volume by the amount you specified. The Disk Management window shows the volume at its new size, and the amount of space you freed up appears as an Unallocated entry in the diagram in the lower part of the Disk Management window.

Creating a New Partition

When you have unallocated space on a partition, you can either create a new partition in it (as discussed here) or extend an existing partition (as discussed in the next section).


Image Tip

If you’re creating a new partition so that you can install another operating system in a dual-boot configuration, you don’t have to create it now. Instead, you can create a new partition during the installation.


To create a new partition, follow these steps:

1. In Disk Management, right-click or long-press the Unallocated Space box to display the shortcut menu.

2. Click New Simple Volume to launch the New Simple Volume Wizard, which displays its Welcome screen.

3. Click the Next button to display the Specify Volume Size screen (see Figure 14.3).

Image

FIGURE 14.3 On the Specify Volume Size screen of the New Simple Volume Wizard, choose how much space to dedicate to the volume.

4. Adjust the value in the Simple Volume Size in MB box as needed. By default, the wizard suggests using all the available space. Often, this is what you’ll want to do.

5. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Assign Drive Letter or Path screen (see Figure 14.4).

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FIGURE 14.4 On the Assign Drive Letter or Path screen of the New Simple Volume Wizard, choose which drive letter to assign to the new volume. Alternatively, you can mount the new volume in a folder.

6. Select the Assign the Following Drive Letter option button, open the drop-down menu, and choose the letter you want to use for the drive. The wizard suggests the next unused letter after the volumes already in your computer. For example, if your computer has a C: drive on the hard drive and a D: drive that’s the optical drive, the wizard suggests E: for the new volume.


Image Note

Instead of assigning a drive letter to the new volume, you can mount it in a folder. Doing so is useful if you have multiple volumes but want to have all their contents appear to be on a single drive.


7. Click the Next button. The wizard displays the Format Partition screen (see Figure 14.5).

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FIGURE 14.5 On the Format Partition screen of the New Simple Volume Wizard, select the Format This Volume with the Following Settings option button, specify the NTFS file system, and enter the volume label.

8. Select the Format This Volume with the Following Settings option button.

9. Make sure that NTFS is selected in the File System drop-down menu.

10. Select Default in the Allocation Unit Size drop-down menu.

11. Type the name for the volume in the Volume Label box.

12. Check the Perform a Quick Format check box if you want Disk Management to perform a quick format rather than a full format. A quick format is usually adequate.

13. Check the Enable File and Folder Compression check box if you want to turn on compression for the volume.

14. Click the Next button. The Completing the New Simple Volume Wizard screen appears, which summarizes the choices you’ve made.

15. Look through the You Selected the Following Settings box to make sure everything is right. (If not, click the Back button one or more times to go back to where you need to make a change.)

16. Click the Finish button. The wizard creates the partition, and it appears in the Disk Management window.

Extending a Partition

If your computer’s drive has unused space, either because it was there already or because you have made space by deleting or shrinking a partition, you can extend an existing partition to occupy that space. Extending the partition enables you to “make the drive bigger,” which can solve the problem of running out of space on the drive.

Follow these steps to extend a partition:

1. In Disk Management, right-click or long-press the partition you want to extend. The shortcut menu appears.

2. Click Extend Volume to launch the Extend Volume Wizard, which displays its first screen.

3. Click the Next button to display the Select Disks screen (see Figure 14.6).

Image

FIGURE 14.6 On the Select Disks screen, add disks as needed from the Available box to the Selected box, and choose the amount of space by which to extend the partition.

4. Look at the disk or disks that the wizard has placed in the Selected box. If these are not the disks you want to use, select a disk and click the Remove button to move it back to the Available box. If you need to remove all the disks, click the Remove All button.

5. To add a disk, click it in the Available box and then click the Add button. The wizard adds the disk to the Selected box.

6. Use the spin buttons to adjust the value in the Select the Amount of Space in MB box. The wizard suggests using all the space available, but you can use less if necessary—for example, because you want to leave some space for creating a new partition.

7. Click the Next button to display the Completing the Extend Volume Wizard screen, which summarizes the change you’re making.

8. Check the details, and then click the Finish button if they’re correct. The wizard extends the volume, and the Disk Management window shows the result.

Deleting a Partition

If you no longer need a partition, you can delete it. For example, say you have divided your computer’s drive so that you can have a boot partition and a data partition, but your boot partition is now running out of space. You can delete the data partition so that you can extend the boot partition into the space the data partition occupied.


Image Caution

Deleting a partition gets rid of all the data the partition contains, so it’s vital to move any files you want to keep off the partition before you delete it. Even if you’re convinced you don’t need the contents of a partition, you might want to back it up in case you find out you were mistaken.

If you delete a partition by accident, you may be able to recover it by using partition-recovery software. Search online using terms such as Windows 10 recover deleted partition, and read the reviews of those you find. One tool I’ve used in the past is Recuva from Piriform Ltd (www.piriform.com/recuva), which includes a free version.


To delete a partition, follow these steps:

1. Right-click or long-press the partition to display the shortcut menu.

2. Click Delete Volume. The Delete Simple Volume dialog box opens, making sure you understand that deleting the volume will erase all the data it contains and recommending that you back up the data first.

3. Click the Yes button if you’re certain you want to proceed.

4. If a Disk Management dialog box opens telling you that the drive is encrypted with BitLocker (see Figure 14.7), click the Yes button.

Image

FIGURE 14.7 Disk Management may warn you that the drive is encrypted with BitLocker.


Image Note

You cannot delete your computer’s boot partition. If you try to do so, you’ll find that the Delete Volume command is dimmed and unavailable. Similarly, you cannot delete a recovery partition or an EFI system partition.



Changing the Drive Letter Assigned to a Volume

Here’s one other thing you may want to do in Disk Management: Change the drive letter assigned to a volume. To do so, right-click or long-press the volume in Disk Management, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths on the shortcut menu.

In the Change Drive Letter and Paths For dialog box that opens, click the Change button to display the Change Drive Letter or Path dialog box. Select the Assign the Following Drive Letter option button, choose the letter in the drop-down menu, and then click the OK button.

The Change Drive Letter and Paths dialog box also enables you to mount the volume in a folder as well as having it show up as a drive. To do so, click the Add button to display the Add Drive Letter or Path dialog box. Select the Mount in the Following Empty NTFS Folder option button, click the Browse button and use the resulting dialog box to specify the folder, and then click the OK button.


Running Multiple Operating Systems on Your Computer

If you need to run multiple operating systems on your computer, Windows 10 offers you several alternatives:

Image Dual-boot or multi-boot. You can install Windows and one or more other operating systems on your computer. You can then boot (start) your computer into the operating system you want to use.

Image Install and run other operating systems with Hyper-V. If you have the Professional version or the Enterprise version of Windows, you can use the Hyper-V feature to install and run other operating systems on virtual machines.

Image Install and run other operating systems with third-party virtual-machine software. If your version of Windows doesn’t have the Hyper-V feature, you can install third-party virtual-machine software to enable yourself to install and run other operating systems on Windows.

The following sections explain how to use these means of running multiple operating systems.

Dual-Booting or Multi-Booting Windows with Another Operating System

If you need to run both Windows and another operating system on the same computer, you can set up the computer to dual-boot the operating systems. If you need three or more operating systems, you can set up the computer to multi-boot. This section focuses on dual booting.


Image Note

Unless your computer is a test one that contains no data you value, back up the computer before setting up dual booting on it.


To set up dual booting, your computer must have somewhere to put the new operating system. This can be one of the following:

Image A separate partition on the same drive. If you’ve already partitioned your computer’s hard drive, as explained earlier in this chapter, you’re good to go.

Image Free space on the same drive. If the drive has enough free space, you can create a new partition while installing the new operating system. (Or you can create a new partition beforehand by using Disk Management and then use that partition.)

Image A separate drive. If your computer has multiple drives, you can install the new operating system on a separate drive from the existing operating system.

Provided that your computer has a free partition, free space, or a separate drive, launch the operating system you are going to install. How you do this varies depending on the operating system and the media you are using. For example:

Image Optical disc. If you have the new operating system on an optical disc, insert that disc in the optical drive. Depending on the operating system, you may be able to launch the installer by running an app from within Windows. If not, reboot your computer and start it from the optical drive.


Image Note

To start your computer from the optical drive, you may need to press any key (such as the spacebar) when the “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” message appears briefly.


Image Bootable USB drive. If you have the new operating system on a bootable USB drive, connect that drive, reboot your computer, and specify the USB drive as the boot drive.

After the installer is running, you must make sure you install the operating system on the correct partition. For example, if you’re installing recent versions of Windows, choose the option button called “Custom: Install Windows Only (Advanced)” on the Which Type of Installation Do You Want? screen (see Figure 14.8) instead of the option button called “Upgrade: Install Windows and Keep Files, Settings, and Applications,” which will overwrite your current installation of Windows.

Image

FIGURE 14.8 On the Which Type of Installation Do You Want? screen in Windows Setup, choose the “Custom: Install Windows Only (Advanced)” option button.

Then (still on Windows), select the partition or area of unallocated space on the Where Do You Want to Install Windows? screen (see Figure 14.9). If you select unallocated space, you can either simply click the Next button to use all that space—the installer automatically creates a partition for you—or click the New link to create a new partition that uses only part of that space.

Image

FIGURE 14.9 On the Where Do You Want to Install Windows? screen in Windows Setup, select the correct partition or area of unallocated space.


Image Caution

Picking the wrong partition for the new operating system can overwrite your current operating system—so make sure you get the right partition. If you’re dealing with partitions of the same size, or similar sizes, use the Free Space readout to see how much data a partition contains. Checking the free space can help you avoid picking a partition that’s already in use.


After choosing where to install the operating system, follow through the remaining steps of the installation. When it finishes, you can start using the new operating system.

Installing and Running Other Operating Systems with Hyper-V

The Pro and Enterprise versions of Windows include Hyper-V, a virtualization technology that enables you to run virtual machines on your computer. A virtual machine is essentially a computer implemented in software rather than running directly on actual physical hardware. You can use virtual machines for keeping different tasks separate from each other, for developing and testing software, or for any other purposes you find useful.

Enabling the Hyper-V Feature

On most computers, you’ll need to enable Hyper-V—in other words, make it available—before you can use it.

To enable Hyper V, follow these steps:

1. Save any unsaved data in all the apps you’re using. (This is because Windows will need to restart your computer after enabling Hyper-V.)

2. Right-click or long-press Start to display the shortcut menu.

3. Click Programs and Features to open a Control Panel window to the Programs and Features screen.

4. In the left column, click Turn Windows Features On or Off to open the Windows Features dialog box (see Figure 14.10).

Image

FIGURE 14.10 In the Windows Features dialog box, check the Hyper-V check box and then click the OK button.

5. Check the Hyper-V check box. Doing so checks the check boxes for the two components under it, Hyper-V Management Tools and Hyper-V Platform, and the check boxes for their subcomponents.

6. Click the OK button. The Windows Features dialog box closes, and a larger Windows Features dialog box appears while Windows installs the components.

7. When the Windows Completed the Requested Changes screen appears, click the Restart Now button.

After Windows restarts, sign back in to Windows.

Running the Hyper-V Manager and Creating a Virtual Machine

After installing the Hyper-V components, choose Start, All Apps, Windows Administrative Tools, Hyper-V Manager to open the Hyper-V Manager window (see Figure 14.11).

Image

FIGURE 14.11 The Hyper-V Manager window.

Creating a Virtual Switch

Before you create a virtual machine, you’ll probably want to create a virtual switch so that you can connect your virtual machine (or machines) to a network.

To create a virtual switch, follow these steps:

1. In the Actions pane on the right of the Hyper-V Manager window, click Virtual Switch Manager to display the Virtual Switch Manager dialog box. Figure 14.12 shows the top part of this dialog box.

Image

FIGURE 14.12 In the Virtual Switch Manager dialog box, click New Virtual Network Switch, click the switch type (such as External), and then click the Create Virtual Switch button.

2. In the left pane, if the Virtual Switches heading is collapsed, double-click it to expand it, displaying its contents.

3. Under the Virtual Switches heading, click New Virtual Network Switch to display the Create Virtual Switch pane on the right.

4. In the What Type of Virtual Switch Do You Want to Create? list, click External, Internal, or Private, as needed.


Image Note

Create an external switch if you want your virtual machines to be able to connect to your physical network and the Internet. Create an internal switch if you want your virtual machines to be able to communicate only with each other and with the computer on which you’re running Hyper-V. Create a private switch if you want your virtual machines to be able to communicate only with each other and not with the computer on which they’re running.


5. Click the Create Virtual Switch button. The Virtual Switch Properties pane appears (see Figure 14.13).

Image

FIGURE 14.13 Specify the details of the new virtual switch in the Virtual Switch Properties pane in the Virtual Switch Manager dialog box.

6. In the Name box, type a descriptive name for the switch. (The default name is New Virtual Switch, which doesn’t get you far.)

7. In the Notes box, type any notes needed about the switch.

8. If you’re creating an external switch, go to the Connection Type area and make sure the External Network switch option button is selected. Then open the drop-down menu under it and click the network adapter you want the virtual switch to use.


Image Note

If your computer has only a single network adapter, Hyper-V Manager should have already selected it in the drop-down menu. But if your computer has two network adapters, such as a wireless network adapter and an Ethernet adapter for wired networks, make sure you select the right one.


9. Also for an external switch only, check the Allow Management Operating System to Share This Network Adapter check box.

10. Click the Apply button to apply your changes. The Apply Networking Changes dialog box opens (see Figure 14.14).

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FIGURE 14.14 Click the Yes button in the Apply Networking Changes dialog box.

11. Click the Yes button to apply your changes.

12. Click the OK button to close the Virtual Switch Manager dialog box.

Creating a Virtual Machine

You can then create a new virtual machine by following these steps:

1. From the menu bar, choose Action, New, Virtual Machine to launch the New Virtual Machine Wizard. The wizard displays its Before You Begin screen.


Image Note

You can click the Finish button on the Before You Begin screen to create a new virtual machine with default values. But normally it’s best to go through the steps of the wizard to configure the virtual machine the way you want it.


2. Click the Next button to display the Specify Name and Location screen of the wizard.

3. In the Name box, type a descriptive name for the virtual machine.

4. Look at the Location box and see where Hyper-V Manager is going to save the virtual machine. If this location isn’t suitable, check the Store the Virtual Machine in a Different Location check box, click the Browse button, and select the location.

5. Click the Next button to display the Specify Generation screen of the wizard.

6. Select the Generation 1 option button if you plan to install a 32-bit operating system or you need support for older virtual hardware. Select the Generation 2 option button if you want the latest virtualization features and UEFI-based firmware and you will install a 64-bit operating system.

7. Click the Next button to display the Assign Memory screen of the wizard.

8. In the Startup Memory box, adjust the default amount of memory to suit the needs of the operating system you will install. For example, enter 2048 to use 2048MB (2GB) of memory.

9. Check the Use Dynamic Memory for This Virtual Machine check box if you want Hyper-V Manager to be able to adjust the amount of memory allocated to the virtual machine.

10. Click the Next button to display the Configure Networking screen of the wizard.

11. Open the Connection drop-down menu and choose the virtual switch you created in the previo’us section. If you don’t want to connect the virtual machine to a virtual switch, choose Not Connected instead.

12. Click the Next button to display the Connect Virtual Hard Disk screen of the wizard (see Figure 14.15).

Image

FIGURE 14.15 On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk screen of the New Virtual Machine Wizard, specify the details of the virtual hard disk to connect to the new virtual machine.

13. Select the Create a Virtual Hard Disk option button and adjust the details in the Name box, the Location box, and the Size box, as needed.


Image Tip

If you have an existing virtual hard disk you want to use for the virtual machine, select the Use an Existing Virtual Hard Disk option button, click the Browse button below it and to its right, and use the resulting dialog box to select the file for the virtual hard disk.


14. Click the Next button to display the Installation Options screen of the wizard.

15. If you have a bootable image file containing the operating system you want to install, select the Install an Operating System from a Bootable Image File option button, click the Browse button, and then select the file. Otherwise, select the Install an Operating System Later option button.


Image Note

If you have access to an installation server that contains the operating system, select the Install an Operating System from a Network-Based Installation Server option button.


16. Click the Next button to display the Summary screen of the wizard.

17. Make sure the details are correct. If not, click the Previous button one or more times to go back and fix them.

18. Click the Finish button. The wizard closes, and the virtual machine appears in the Hyper-V Manager window.

Installing an Operating System on the Virtual Machine

Assuming you didn’t install an operating system while creating the virtual machine, you can install one afterward.

First, you need to connect the image file or the optical drive from which you will install the operating system. This example uses an image file, which is more typical now that many manufacturers are phasing out optical drives.

After that, you need to set the virtual machine to boot from the image file.

Follow these steps to connect an image file and set the virtual machine to boot from it:

1. In the Virtual Machines list in the Hyper-V Manager window, right-click or long-press the virtual machine you want to affect. The shortcut menu opens.

2. Click Settings to open the Settings dialog box for the virtual machine.

3. In the navigation pane on the left, if the Hardware heading is collapsed, double-click the Hardware heading to expand its contents.

4. Below the Hardware heading, click the SCSI Controller item. The SCSI Controller pane appears in the main part of the window.

5. In the Select the Type of Drive You Want to Attach to the Controller list box, click DVD Drive.

6. Click the Add button. A DVD Drive item appears under the SCSI Controller item in the navigation pane, and the DVD Drive pane appears on the right (see Figure 14.16).

Image

FIGURE 14.16 In the DVD Drive pane, select the Image File option button, click the Browse button, and then locate the image file that contains the operating system.

7. Click the Image File option button.

8. Click the Browse button below the Image File box to display the Open dialog box, navigate to and select the image file, and click the Open button. The file path and filename appear in the Image File text box.

9. Click the Firmware item in the Hardware section of the navigation pane. The Firmware pane appears on the right (see Figure 14.17).

Image

FIGURE 14.17 Use the Firmware pane in the Settings dialog box to move the DVD Drive item up above the Network Adapter item in the Boot Order list.

10. In the Boot Order box, click the DVD Drive item (which represents the image file) and then click the Move Up button to move it up above the Network Adapter item in the list.

11. In the Boot Order box, click the Hard Drive item and then click the Move Up button to move it to the top of the list.


Image Tip

You must rearrange the boot order to prevent the virtual machine from attempting to boot from the network adapter, which it does by default. (This is for installing an operating system from a network installation source.) Put the Hard Drive item at the top of the list so that the virtual machine will boot from it after you have installed the operating system. Put the DVD Drive item next so that the virtual machine will boot from the image file during installation after it finds no operating system on the hard drive.


12. Click the OK button to close the Settings dialog box.

Now that you’ve connected the image file and set the virtual machine to boot from it, open the virtual machine by double-clicking it in the Virtual Machines box in the Hyper-V Manager window. The virtual machine opens in its own window, and you can start it by clicking the Start button on the toolbar (see Figure 14.18).

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FIGURE 14.18 Click the Start button on the toolbar—or choose Action, Start—to start the virtual machine.

The virtual machine boots using the image file, and you can follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Working with Virtual Machines

After creating your virtual machines and installing operating systems in them, you can run and manage them from the Hyper-V Manager window. These are the main moves you need:

Image Start a virtual machine. Right-click or long-press the virtual machine in the Virtual Machines list, and then click Start on the shortcut menu.


Image Tip

You can also take most actions for virtual machines by using the toolbar in the virtual machine’s own window or the Actions pane on the right side of the Hyper-V Manager window. If the toolbar is not displayed, choose View, Toolbar to display it. To use the Actions pane, click the virtual machine’s heading to display the list of actions if the list is collapsed, and then click the appropriate button, such as Start.


Image Save a virtual machine’s state. When you want to stop using a virtual machine for now but don’t want to shut it down, save it by clicking the Save button on the toolbar in the virtual machine’s window or right-clicking or long-pressing the virtual machine in the Virtual Machines list and then clicking Save on the shortcut menu.


Image Note

After saving a virtual machine’s state, you can start the virtual machine as usual. The virtual machine wakes up into the saved state.


Image Shut down a virtual machine. Normally, you shut down a virtual machine’s operating system the usual way—for example, in Windows 10, choose Start, Power, Shut Down. But you can also right-click or long-press the virtual machine in the Virtual Machines list and click Shut Down to shut it down.

Image Pause a virtual machine. Click the Pause button on the toolbar in the virtual machine’s window, or right-click or long-press the virtual machine in the Virtual Machines list in the Hyper-V Manager window and then click Pause on the shortcut menu.

Image Change the settings for a virtual machine. To configure a virtual machine, right-click or long-press it in the Virtual Machines list and then click Settings on the shortcut menu. You can change some settings while the virtual machine is running, but to configure all settings, you must first shut down the virtual machine.

Image Create a checkpoint. To save a snapshot of the virtual machine’s state so that you can return to it later if needed, right-click or long-press the virtual machine in the Virtual Machines list and then click Checkpoint on the shortcut menu.


Image Tip

Create a checkpoint before performing any action that might cause trouble on the virtual machine, such as installing software. If problems occur, you can then revert to the checkpoint to eliminate the problems.


Image Revert to the previous checkpoint. To revert to the previous checkpoint, right-click or long-press the virtual machine in the Virtual Machines list and then click Revert on the shortcut menu. The Revert Virtual Machine dialog box opens to confirm the change; click the Revert button.

Image Delete a virtual machine. If you no longer need a virtual machine, right-click or long-press it in the Virtual Machines list and then click Delete on the shortcut menu. The Delete Select Virtual Machines check box opens; click the Delete button.

Installing and Running Other Operating Systems with Third-Party Virtual-Machine Software

Hyper-V is great—if your version of Windows includes it. But if it doesn’t, you can still install and run other operating systems on Windows, but you need to use third-party virtual-machine software instead.

As of this writing, there are two main virtual-machine apps that you can run on Windows 10:

Image VirtualBox. VirtualBox is a free virtual-machine app available from VirtualBox.org (www.virtualbox.org). VirtualBox is straightforward to use and has plenty of features to get you started.

Image VMware Workstation. VMware Workstation from VMware Inc. (www.vmware.com/products/workstation) is a full-featured virtualization app. VMWare Workstation costs $249.99 for a license, but there’s a 30-day evaluation version that you’ll likely want to try first.

Making Advanced Changes by Editing the Registry

The Registry is a database in which Windows stores configuration settings for Windows itself, the apps installed on your computer, and the user accounts set up on it. Windows maintains the Registry automatically, adding and updating settings as needed without your intervention, but you may sometimes need to make changes in the Registry to resolve problems or to make Windows work in specific ways.


Image Caution

Be extremely careful when editing the Registry, because the Registry is essential to keeping Windows running properly, and making the wrong change can make your computer unstable or even prevent Windows from running. Under normal circumstances, you shouldn’t need to edit the Registry at all—so make changes only if you’re certain that you need to do so.


Opening Registry Editor and Navigating Its Interface

To edit the Registry, you use the Registry Editor app. Registry Editor is included with Windows, but it doesn’t appear on the Start menu. This is because Microsoft doesn’t want most users editing the Registry.

To open Registry Editor, follow these steps:

1. Click Start to open the Start menu.

2. Type regedit.exe. A list of search results appears.

3. Click the result called “regedit.exe: Run Command.” This result normally appears at the top of the list.


Image Note

When you run regedit.exe, the User Account Control dialog box may open, asking if you want to allow the app to make changes to your PC. Make sure that the Program Name readout shows Registry Editor and that the Verified Publisher readout shows Microsoft Windows, and then click the Yes button.


Registry Editor opens. As you can see in Figure 14.19, Registry Editor has a straightforward interface:

Image

FIGURE 14.19 Registry Editor has a navigation pane on the left, a details pane on the right, and a status bar at the bottom.

Image Navigation pane. This pane appears on the left of the Registry Editor window and contains a collapsible tree showing the settings. The tree’s root is your computer, which appears as Computer, and there are five main branches, which we’ll examine in a minute. You can expand or collapse any section by double-clicking its heading or by clicking the arrow to its left.

Image Details pane. This pane appears to the right of the navigation pane and shows the details of the item you’ve selected in the navigation pane.

Image Status bar. Appearing at the bottom of the window as usual, the status bar shows the full path to the currently selected item.


Image Note

This section assumes you’re using Registry Editor to edit the Registry on the computer at which you’re sitting. But you can also use Registry Editor to edit the Registry on another computer that’s connected to the same network. To connect to another computer’s Registry, you use the File, Connect Network Registry command; and when you’re done, you use the File, Disconnect Network Registry command to disconnect from the other computer.


Understanding What’s What in the Registry

The Registry contains a vast number of keys, which are the Registry’s equivalent of files and folders. Any key can contain one or more items called value entries, each of which has a name that’s unique within the key, a specific data type, and a value. We’ll look at an example in a moment.

The Registry organizes all its keys into five root keys, the keys you see in the navigation pane in Figure 14.19. As you can see in Table 14.1, which gives brief details on the root keys, the root key names are mostly long, so each has a three-letter or four-letter abbreviation. So when you see, say, HKCU in online documentation or in this book, you’ll know that it stands for HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

Image

Table 14.1 Root Keys in the Registry


Image Note

Two of the root keys are actually mirrors of (in lay terms, shortcuts to) keys contained within other root keys. The HKCR root key is a mirror of HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes, and the HKCC root key is a mirror of the current key in HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\.


Backing Up and Restoring the Registry

Because having the Registry in good shape is critical to Windows running properly and stably, you should back up the Registry before you make any changes to it. You should also know how to restore the Registry from backup in case you make an unfortunate change or the Registry suffers damage from another source.


Image Note

Registry backups vary in size but are typically 200MB or more—often much more. You might want to store your Registry backups locally on a flash drive and on an online service.


Follow these steps to back up the Registry:

1. In Registry Editor, choose File, Export to open the Export Registry File dialog box (see Figure 14.20).

Image

FIGURE 14.20 In the Export Registry File dialog box, select the All option button or the Selected Branch option button, specify the destination folder and filename, and then click the Save button.

2. Using the navigation pane or the Save In drop-down menu, navigate to the folder in which you want to save the Registry backup. For example, you may want to save the backup in a folder that you sync with an online storage site, or you may simply want to save the backup file directly to a flash drive.

3. In the File Name box, enter the filename for the backup file. You may want to include the date and the computer name in the filename so that you’ll be able to pick the right backup easily when you need it.

4. Make sure that the Save as Type drop-down menu shows Registration Files (*.reg). This is the default setting, so you shouldn’t need to change it.

5. In the Export Range box, make sure the All option button is selected rather than the Selected Branch option button.


Image Note

The Selected Branch option button in the Export Range box in the Export Registry File dialog box enables you to back up a single branch of the Registry, such as HKEY_CURRENT_USER. But usually you’ll want to back up the entire Registry so that you can restore it in full.


6. Click the Save button. Registry Editor saves the backup to the file. This may take a minute or two.

After you’ve backed up the Registry, you can restore it from backup easily. Follow these steps:

1. In Registry Editor, choose File, Import to display the Import Registry File dialog box.

2. Navigate to the folder that contains the backup file.

3. Click the backup file.

4. Click Open. You’ll see the Import Registry File dialog box as Registry Editor imports the Registry from the file.

An Example: Removing an App from the Open With Submenu in File Explorer

Here’s an example of using the Registry. As you saw in Chapter 9, “Installing, Running, and Managing Apps,” you can add apps to the Open With submenu that appears on the shortcut menu for a file in File Explorer, enabling you to choose the app with which you want to open the file. But Windows doesn’t give you a way to remove apps from the Open With submenu. You may want to remove apps if you add the wrong app by mistake or if the Open With submenu contains apps that can handle the file type but that you never want to use.

Follow these steps to use Registry Editor to remove an app from the Open With submenu in File Explorer:

1. In Registry Editor, double-click the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key in the navigation pane to expand the key’s contents.

2. Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER, double-click the SOFTWARE key to expand its contents.

3. Under SOFTWARE, double-click the Microsoft key to expand its contents.

4. Under Microsoft, double-click the Windows key to expand its contents.

5. Under Windows, double-click the CurrentVersion key to expand its contents.

6. Under CurrentVersion, double-click the Explorer key to expand its contents.

7. Under Explorer, double-click the FileExts key to expand its contents.

8. Double-click the file extension you want to affect. This example uses the .png file extension, a widely used picture format.

9. Click the OpenWithList key to display its values in the right pane. You’ll see a list of the default app and the other apps that appear on the Open With submenu.

10. Right-click or long-press the entry for the app you want to remove, and then click Delete on the shortcut menu. The Confirm Value Delete dialog box opens (see Figure 14.21), warning you that deleting certain registry values could cause system instability.

Image

FIGURE 14.21 Click the Yes button in the Confirm Value Delete dialog box to delete the selected value from the Registry.

11. Click the Yes button. Registry Editor deletes the value, and the app disappears from the Open With submenu in File Explorer.