Windows Archives - The Thomas Stories

December 6, 2018

How to create a Windows 10 install disk? (USB/DVD)

Thomas has messed up his Windows installation and wants to give his computer a full restart. He wants to delete everything and install Windows 10 from scratch. But, how can it be done? It doesn’t work properly if he tries to re-install Windows from Windows. So, how can he create a Windows 10 install disk with USB or DVD that he can run upon booting, in which he can decide to format his hard-drive and give it all a fresh start?

Thomas didn’t have to look for a long time in order to find a solution to the problem. What he needs is an empty DVD or an empty USB stick. He can then go to the download site for the Windows Media Creation tool. There he can download and start the little application he downloaded. In this, he will get two options. Either he will install Windows over again, or he can create a bootable disk from which he can install Windows.

creating windows 10 media — *Thomas is creating his Windows 10 installation disk*

Thomas chooses the bootable disk option, plugs his Pendrive into the USB port on his computer, and it starts working.

The entire process of creating the bootable USB drive that will install Windows 10 to his computer takes about 20 minutes. Once he is finished, he restarts his computer and he is eagerly waiting for his brand new Windows installation to be ready and set to go.

Hopefully, you will be able to create your own boot-disk from which you can install Windows 10 using these instructions.

Should you have a comment or a question, write them down beneath!

October 8, 2018October 8, 2018

How to send SMS with Skype?

A brand new version of Skype is out. How can I send SMS with Skype?

Thomas has used Skype to send his private SMS messages for a long time. But, then during spring 2018, a new version of Skype was released which had no support for this. It could be done, but it was very advanced and he first had to call the number, cancel the call, and only then he could send an SMS to the recipient.

But, a new version of Skype was released in the start of October 2018, and in this, it was much easier to send SMS. But, how can it be done?

This is how Thomas sends his SMS messages with Skype

Thomas first opens the Skype application, and he clicks the “Use Dialpad” button. Take a look at the screenshot beneath to see which button that is.

How to send SMS with Skype? Use the Dialpad!

You can use the voice call button, but it is much better to use the dialpad, next to the search skype field. Once you have clicked the dialpad, enter the number to which you want to send the SMS.

When you have typed the number, click the SEND SMS button in the lower left corner of the screen. Take a look at the image above to see which button it is.

Once you have clicked the Send SMS logo, you can start typing the message, and once you are ready to send, click enter.

You have now sent an SMS with Skype. Do not forget that you need to add Skype credit to your account in order to send SMS’s with Skype.

Thomas is happy because he doesn’t like typing SMS’s on his cell phone because it takes so much time. That is the reason why he rather writes messages with Skype, and that is why he is very happy right now.

Has Thomas been able to help you out as well? Please write a comment and let Thomas know!

September 14, 2018September 12, 2018

Get rid of the Test Mode Windows 10 text in lower right corner of Windows 10

Just out of the blue, Thomas suddenly saw this annoying text in the lower right corner of Windows 10. It said Test Mode, Windows 10 Home, Build 17134.rs4_release.180410-1804. No matter which background he chose, the text remained there above the clock in the right corner of his Windows desktop.

Thomas is a messy guy, and he normally leaves a great mess wherever he goes. But, his Windows desktop, that is a tidy place, and he likes it to be in order. So, when this Test Mode text appeared in the lower right corner of Windows, Thomas wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Thomas doesn't want the Windows Test mode text in the lower right corner of Windows. What can he do to get rid of it? — Thomas doesn’t want the Windows Test mode text in the lower right corner of Windows. What can he do to get rid of it?

You can see what the error message looked like at the picture above. Are you suffering from a similar Test Mode text or something similar in Windows 10?

Thomas looked for a solution here and there, and luckily, it was quite easy to get rid of the text. This is what Thomas did to fix the problem!

Thomas makes the Test Mode text disappear from Windows 10

To get rid of the text, Thomas did the following thing.

- He enters the Command Prompt in Windows 10.
  You can find it searching for Command Prompt. Make sure to right click the icon and press “Run as administrator” for this to work.
  He has to enter Command mode as an Administrator.
- Thomas copies the following lines and runs them in the Command Prompt.
  First: bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
  Second: bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF
- He closes the command prompt and restarts his computer.

Thomas’ is quite curious to see whether this will get the task done or not. As Windows successfully restarts, he is happy to see that the Test Mode text has been removed from Windows 10, and it is now a beautiful and empty spot (like you can see on the picture beneath).

The test mode has disappeared in Windows 10. Thomas is very happy!

Thomas can now keep on working with peace at heart, knowing that he managed to get rid of the Test Mode Windows 10 error message.

There are quite a lot of other Test Mode build versions, so even if you have another build number, you can still follow these instructions to remove the watermark from Windows 10.

Did you manage to get rid of the Test Mode watermark in Windows 10 after reading this tutorial? Please write a comment and let Thomas know the outcome of his little guide!

September 6, 2018September 5, 2018

Windows is upside-down – What can Thomas do?

Thomas was working with a little explainer video when Windows suddenly turned into something that he calls “upside-down” mode. Everything went upside down, and the menu bar suddenly was on the top of the screen.

Thomas has been through a lot, but this was incredibly annoying. Not long ago Thomas had to fix it when Windows turn black and white, and now this… Maybe he should starting using a Mac instead, or Ubuntu? No, that cannot happen, as Thomas is too much of a Windows guy. But, this was really annoying, and Thomas had to fix the upside-down mode quickly because he was unable to do anything at the moment.

Take a look at the screenshot above. Thomas was sitting there and working on a video explainer, and suddenly his screen moved everything and he had to keep his head in 90 degrees to the right to read anything. Later he discovered that it could just as well have moved in the other direction, or totally upside down, but he didn’t care, all Thomas needed was to find a solution.

How did Thomas make the upside-down mode in Windows disappear?

It wasn’t much that needed to be done to fix the problem. In fact, all he needed to do was to press three buttons at the same time, and the problem was fixed. So, what did Thomas press?

The solution to the problem was to press the following buttons on the keyboard:

Control (CTRL) + ALT + UP (arrow key)

As Thomas pressed these three buttons at the same time, Windows at once jumped back to normal mode, and he could keep on working. For fun, Thomas tried clicking the same combination with the different arrow directions afterward and doing so, Thomas was able to make Windows turn right, turn left, and of course, upside down. But, he quickly returned to the normal Windows mode afterward!

Did the solution Thomas found help you as well? He certainly hopes so!

Want to read more interesting articles from Thomas? Make sure to follow him on Steemit, on Facebook, on Medium, on Twitter, on YouTube, and do not forget to visit www.thethomasstories.com.

September 3, 2018September 5, 2018

Windows turned black and white? How to get the colors back?

Thomas was writing an article when an incredible thing happened. He was just about to copy and paste a text when Windows suddenly went into a black and white mode. Thomas has no clue how it happened, and he has no clue how to fix the problem either.

windows went into black and white mode — Windows suddenly turned black and white. What can Thomas do to make the colors return?

Thomas had to look around the Internet to find a solution, and luckily he didn’t have to search for a very long time in order to find a solution to his problem. There is something about black and white pictures that make them look nice. But, Thomas was very annoyed when Windows went black and white, so he wanted to fix the problem at once.

The solution to his problem was a very easy one. You can take a look at the short YouTube video beneath to see the solution, or just keep reading the article beneath the video.

How Thomas got the Windows colors back?

To get the colors back to Windows, Thomas had to do a very simple thing. You probably know that the copy shortcut in Windows is Control-C. And, if you want to switch back and forth between color-mode and black/white-mode in Windows, you need to press Control-WindowsButton-C. So, they are very close to one another, but they have a very different function.

Get Windows colors back = Control+WindowsButton+C

Are you happy? Thomas is really happy the colors have returned, and he can gladly keep up writing his planned article.

Want to read more interesting articles from Thomas? Make sure to follow him on Steemit, on Facebook, on Medium, on Twitter, on YouTube, and do not forget to visit www.thethomasstories.com.

If you have more trouble getting the Windows colors back, or just want to say thank you to Thomas, use the comment field beneath, give the article a clap or an upvote, or share it with your friends online!