1. Create a system repair disc (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Create-a-system-repair-disc  ). You can skip this step if you have a Windows installation media. Is a good measure to reboot and verify you can start your system from this disc.
2. Identify which disk you want to convert (usually is #0). This can be done by looking at the number in the Windows Disk Management.
3. Download gptgen from here http://sourceforge.net/projects/gptgen  . (You could use the Windows Disk Management Tool for this too. (diskmgmt.msc)) This tool will allow you to convert your MBR disc to GPT with the data included. 
4. ATTENTION: After this step, your computer CANNOT BOOT until the whole process is completed. DO NOT Shut Down Unless Instructed to! 

   Unzip gptgen and then run CMD with elevated privileges. (replace the 0 with the identified disk number).

   This *will* result in a BSOD shortly after and it’s to be expected:

   gptgen.exe -w \\.\physicaldrive0

5. Boot using your Windows installation or previously generated system repair disc.
6. Choose language and preferences, and then select Repair Your Computer -> Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Command Prompt
7. We will need the disk partitioning tool. With this, we will recreate the boot partitions. Type:

   diskpart

8. Identify the boot disk where Windows is located, typing:

   list disk 

    Something like this should appear:

    

         Disk ###  Status         Size     Free     Dyn  Gpt

         --------  -------------  -------  -------  ---  ---

       * Disk 0    Online          128 GB      0 B        *

9. Once identified, select the disk (replace with the correct number):

   select disk 0

10. Verify the partitions:

    list partition

11. Something similar at the info below should appear.

           Partition ###  Type              Size     Offset

           -------------  ----------------  -------  -------

           Partition 1    Primary            350 MB  1024 KB

           Partition 2    Primary            126 GB   350 MB

12. Delete the previous system partition:

      select partition 1

      delete partition

13. Create the new boot partition, Microsoft reserved partition:

      create partition EFI size=100 offset=1

      format quick fs=fat32 label="System"

      assign letter=S

      create partition msr size=128 offset=103424

14. If you list the partitions again, you should have ended up with something like this:

           Partition ###  Type              Size     Offset

           -------------  ----------------  -------  -------

           Partition 1    System             100 MB  1024 KB

           Partition 2    Reserved           128 MB   101 MB

           Partition 3    Primary            126 GB   229 MB

15. Ensure that your Windows installation is mounted, replacing 3 with the volume number of the Windows installation (usually 1):

      list volume

      select volume 3

      assign letter=C

16. Exit diskpart:

      exit

17. Generate boot partition data, replacing C: with the letter of the Windows installation (usually C:):

      bcdboot c:\windows /s s: /f UEFI

18. Cross your fingers and then restart your computer!

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Trying to Run Docker on a Windows 10 Desktop VM in Vmware I got the following docker error

Failed to start the virtual machine ‘DockerDesktopVM’ because one of the Hyper-V components is not running.

Shutdown VM and tick this, start it back up

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Install 2019-11 Cumulative Update (either for 1903 or for 1909), this will uninstall the problem KB4517389

The update breaks something on the user profile  , you will need to backup and delete faulty profile from workstation and rebuild

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Either go to a working Windows 10 Machine or download files from here

Take Ownership of C:\programdata\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository ( and Subfolders ) 

Then Open C:\programdata\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository ( Click Continue to add security ) 

Then Open C:\programdata\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\Packages ( Click Continue to add security ) 

Copy the correct ActivationStore.dat from the downloaded Zip or a working PC to the folders in here ( Make sure you copy to each folder ) 

C:\programdata\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost*
C:\programdata\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost*
C:\programdata\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana*
C:\programdata\Microsoft\Windows\AppRepository\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin*

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Recently a user kept getting the above happen on Adobe Acrobat. Turns out its an incompatibility with Intel and Adobe Acrobat to do with Scaling

1. Right Click on an empty space on your Desktop and go to Intel Graphic Settings
2. Go to Display Settings > Advanced display settings
3. Click on “Display adapter properties for Display #” (Choose the affected screen in case you have two monitors or do the following steps for both monitors).
4. In the adapter properties, go to “Intel HD Graphics Control Panel” tab
5. In the “Scaling” setting choose “Maintain Aspect Ratio”
6. Save settings if it gives you the option or just close out.

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If your windows 10 machines get their updates from WSUS then you might get Error 0x800F081F while installing .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows 10. This is probably due to Windows 10 not being able to search your Windows Updates location for the Feature.

Approve these updates

Synchronise Server and try again

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On the login screen click “Other User”

In the Username field enter  .\

It will now show you the PC name as “Sign in to :”

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A user was complaining because whenever they opened Windows Explorer , the window would hang ( go faded out white! ) 

By Default Windows 10 Explorer opens to Quick Access ( You can change this to My Computer ) 

If I opened Windows Explorer to My Computer it was fine.

I removed all the Quick Access Folders and re-added them , which resolved this issue

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'---pin and unpin: taskbarpin.vbs [fullpath]------
'---Example: taskbarpin.vbs "C:\Windows\notepad.exe"
If WScript.Arguments.Count < 1 Then WScript.Quit
'----------------------------------------------------------------------
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
objFile    = WScript.Arguments.Item(0)
sKey1      = "HKCU\Software\Classes\*\shell\{:}\\"
sKey2      = Replace(sKey1, "\\", "\ExplorerCommandHandler")
'----------------------------------------------------------------------
With WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    KeyValue = .RegRead("HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" & _
        "\CommandStore\shell\Windows.taskbarpin\ExplorerCommandHandler")

    .RegWrite sKey2, KeyValue, "REG_SZ"

    With WScript.CreateObject("Shell.Application")
        With .Namespace(objFSO.GetParentFolderName(objFile))
            With .ParseName(objFSO.GetFileName(objFile))
                .InvokeVerb("{:}")
            End With
        End With
    End With

    .Run("Reg.exe delete """ & Replace(sKey1, "\\", "") & """ /F"), 0, True
End With
'----------------------------------------------------------------------

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GPO  Set a default associations configuration file under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templayes > Windows Components > File Explorer

Save the follwing file as an XML and use this

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DefaultAssociations>
  <Association Identifier=".acrobatsecuritysettings" ProgId="AcroExch.acrobatsecuritysettings" ApplicationName="Adobe Reader" />
  <Association Identifier=".fdf" ProgId="AcroExch.FDFDoc" ApplicationName="Adobe Reader" />
  <Association Identifier=".oxps" ProgId="Windows.XPSReachViewer" ApplicationName="XPS Viewer" />
  <Association Identifier=".pdf" ProgId="AcroExch.Document.11" ApplicationName="Adobe Reader" />
  <Association Identifier=".pdfxml" ProgId="AcroExch.pdfxml" ApplicationName="Adobe Reader" />
  <Association Identifier=".pdx" ProgId="PDXFileType" ApplicationName="Adobe Reader" />
  <Association Identifier=".xdp" ProgId="AcroExch.XDPDoc" ApplicationName="Adobe Reader" />
  <Association Identifier=".xfdf" ProgId="AcroExch.XFDFDoc" ApplicationName="Adobe Reader" />
  <Association Identifier="acrobat" ProgId="acrobat" ApplicationName="Adobe Reader" />
  <Association Identifier="http" ProgId="IE.HTTP" ApplicationName="Internet Explorer" />
  <Association Identifier="https" ProgId="IE.HTTPS" ApplicationName="Internet Explorer" />
</DefaultAssociations>

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