How to Rearrange the App Icons on Apple Watch | Dramel Notes

As you install apps on your iPhone that have Apple Watch companion apps, the Home screen on your Apple Watch may get a bit disorganized, making it hard to find your apps. It’s easy to rearrange the app icons on your watch’s Home screen.

However, you need to use your phone to rearrange the app icons on your watch. So, tap the “Watch” icon on the phone’s Home screen.

Make sure the “My Watch” screen is active. If not, tap the “My Watch” icon at the bottom of the screen.

Tap “App Layout” on the “My Watch” screen.

All the icons for the apps installed on your watch display on the “Layout” screen. Tap and hold an icon and move it to another location. Drag the icons around into whatever pattern you want.

NOTE: You can move all the icons except for the Watch face, which must stay in the center of the layout.

Here we have a neater diamond-shaped layout. You can arrange your icons into whatever shape you want to make it easier for you to find your apps and open them.

By the way, if you don’t like how the app icons on the Apple Watch Home screen change size as you move around the screen, you can make all the app icons the same size.

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How to Install Apps to an SD Card (or Another Drive) on Windows 10 | Dramel Notes

Windows 10’s big November update added the ability to install apps from the Store onto an SD card, a USB drive, or another type of external or internal drive. This will be extremely useful on tablets and other devices with a small amount of storage. Just plug in an SD card and you can install apps to it.

This was possible in the initial version of Windows 8 with a geeky trick, but the feature was removed in Windows 8.1. Now, it’s back in Windows 10. You can also have Windows 10 save offline maps and other files to another drive, too.

Insert an SD Card

First, you’ll need to get an SD card that fits your device. Depending on your device, you may need a larger SD card or a smaller Micro SD card. (Micro SD cards are often sold with adapters that allow them to function as larger SD cards, too.)

If the SD card sticks out of the side of your laptop or tablet when you insert it, you may want to consider a “low-profile” Micro SD card. These are a bit shorter than standard SD cards, and they will sit flush with the edge of tablets and laptops where a standard-size SD card sticks out. This makes it more convenient to leave the SD card inserted for the permanent storage boost.

When buying an SD card, remember that it’s not all about price, either. Storage classes matter. You wouldn’t want to use the slowest class of SD card for an app, as that will just slow down the app unnecessarily.

Install New Apps to the SD Card (or Another Drive)

After you’ve inserted an SD card, USB drive, or another storage device, open the Settings app from your Start menu or Start screen.

Navigate to System > Storage in the Settings app. If you have an SD card inserted, you should see it in the list of drives at the top of the screen.

Scroll down and click or tap the “New apps will save to” option under Save locations. Select your SD card or another drive here and click “Apply”.

Other options on this screen allow you to select the drive where new documents, music, pictures, and videos are stored, too.

Now, go to the Windows Store and install an app like you normally would. Windows will install that app to the SD card, saving space on your internal drive and making it possible to install apps that just wouldn’t fit on the small internal storage included with many less-expensive Windows 10 tablets and laptops.

How to Move Installed Apps to the New Drive

Enable this setting and apps you install in the future will be stored on your SD card. However, apps you already have installed won’t be moved to the SD card.

While it may be possible to move apps to the SD card in a hacky, unsupported way, this method wouldn’t be reliable in the future. Instead, you should do what Microsoft recommends. Simply uninstall the app and it will be removed from your internal storage. Reinstall the app afterwards and Windows 10 will download it to your SD card and store it there.

To uninstall an app, locate it in your Start menu or Start screen and right-click it or long-press it. Select “Uninstall”.

Afterwards, go back to the Windows Store, search for that app, and install it normally. Your Windows 10 system will re-download it and place it on the SD card.

What if You Unplug the Drive?

Remove the SD card, USB drive, or another external drive with apps on it and the apps won’t function. You can click or tap the tile to launch the app, but nothing will happen. Reconnect the storage to the computer and everything will work normally again.

How to Undo This Change

If you want to stop using the external storage location in the future, return to the System > Storage screen in the Settings app and select “This PC” for “New apps installed to”. New apps will then install to your internal storage, as normal. However, apps you’ve installed to the SD card or another external drive won’t be migrated, so you’ll have to use the uninstall-and-reinstall trick if you want to move them.

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Traditional desktop programs can be installed the SD card or another drive in the usual way, of course. When installing an application like you normally would, select the SD card, USB drive, or other drive as its installation location in the installation wizard.

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5 Best Free Internet Security Suites for Windows | Dramel Notes

As a Windows user, you have three possible paths when it comes to system security: use the built-in Windows Defender, install third-party security software, or ignore security altogether (the last option isn’t possible on Home versions of Windows 10). The path you take is crucial.

In our piece on important facts about Windows Defender, we noted that Windows Defender is good enough for most users — but do you really want to settle for “good enough” when your security is at stake? Seems like an unnecessary risk to take…

So here are five of the best free security suites for Windows, all of which offer anti-virus, anti-malware, and real-time protection features. Some of these lack firewall functionality, but you can always supplement with a free third-party Windows firewall.

1. 360 Total Security

360 Total Security is a free security suite provided by the leading Chinese security company, Qihoo. I know that some folks are hesitant to use China-based software, but if you’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, you’ll find that 360 Total Security exceeds your expectations.

Qihoo’s software is available in two forms: the full package (360 Total Security) and a pared-down, lighter-weight version (360 Total Security Essential).

The Essential version includes anti-virus, anti-malware, sandboxing, secure online shopping, and real-time protection against privacy invasions, downloaded files, infected external drives, registry hijacks, and more. In addition, the full version includes system optimizers and junk cleaners.

What’s particularly nice about 360 Total Security is its sleek interface. Easy to navigate, nice on the eyes, and modern enough that it has a professional feel to it. That’s more than can be said about most security suites, even premium ones.

360 Total Security is also available for Android and is one of the best tools for guarding against and removing mobile malware infections.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-virus and anti-malware protection with multiple engines.
• Run programs and files in a protected sandbox environment.
• Real-time protection against keyloggers, external drives, malicious websites, registry hijacks, and webcam spies.

2. Avira Free Antivirus

Avira Free Antivirus (not to be confused with AVG or Avast) is one of the best free options currently available. In consistently outperforms the big-name kings of security — including Kaspersky, Norton, and McAfee — in controlled comparisons of real-world effectiveness from sites like AV-Comparatives.

You get what you’d expect and more. The anti-virus/anti-malware scanner provides manual and real-time protection against all kinds of hazards, and the real-time scans use a cloud database to stay up-to-date and guard you against new and emerging threats.

What’s nice about Avira is that it also detects and blocks potentially unwanted applications — those bundled programs that hitch rides within installers and end up on your system without your knowledge.

If you install the free Avira browser extension (available on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and IE) then you can also take advantage of features like harmful website detection and the ad-tracker blocker.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-virus blocks malware, Trojans, worms, and spyware.
• Real-time protection based on up-to-date cloud database.
• Blocks unwanted applications bundled inside installers.
• Browser extension offers even more protective features.

3. Outpost Security Suite

What impresses me about Outpost Security Suite is how comprehensive it is in terms of features offered. And while there is a Pro version of the software, it isn’t that much better (it has identity theft protection). The Free version isn’t otherwise crippled or limited. It’s the real deal.

The anti-virus feature ranks better than most free alternatives, both in terms of detection rates and performance speed. The real-time protection keeps you safe from files, photos, videos, and emails (which is aided by the mail scanning feature). It even comes with its own configurable firewall.

Outpost Security Suite also has something called Auto-Learn Mode, which isn’t as useful as it sounds. Best to keep it off, but beware that you may be inundated with notifications whenever you want to install or run programs. Learn more in our review of Outpost Security Suite.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-virus protection with top-rate detection and speed.
• Built-in firewall that guards against unauthorized access.
• Proactive protection against viruses and installers.
• Mail Scanner checks inbox and attachments for viruses.

Note: As of this writing, Outpost Security Suite is only available up to Windows 8.1. They are working on Windows 10 compatibility, but it’s not yet known when a compatible release will arrive.

4. Comodo Internet Security

As a company, Comodo is deeply invested in the security world. Internet security software makes up a good chunk of their offerings, but they also have their hands in PC maintenance, DNS hosting, SSL certificates, data backups, and even secured versions of both Firefox and Chrome.

These guys are security experts who have been around for more than just a few years, so you can rest assured that their products are worthwhile and that they won’t disappear overnight without you knowing.

Comodo Internet Security is pretty darn good for free software. It can eliminate existing malware infections (including spyware, rootkits, and even zombies that make you complicit in botnet attacks), has sandboxing capabilities, and a memory firewall that guards against buffer overflow attacks.

It’s not the fastest or most resource-friendly security suite, but it gets the job done and does it well. The interface could use some improvements, but compared to what it looked like years ago, it has certainly come a long way.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-rootkit protection.
• Memory firewall for buffer overflow attack protection.
• Run programs and files in a protected sandbox environment.
• Filters dangerous websites and untrusted software publishers.
• Game Mode suppresses operations while gaming.

5. Panda Free Antivirus

Panda Free Antivirus is an up-and-coming solution (relatively speaking) that’s gaining a lot of attention and traction. Silly name aside, it nails the trifecta of security software: light on resources, easy to learn and use, and effective at keeping your system secure.

Panda Free Antivirus is as simple as they come. It was designed with the phrase “install and forget” in mind, with few settings to fiddle with. It stays out of the way, making it great for those who aren’t tech-savvy. If you want a simple solution that’s better than Windows Defender, this is it.

Compared to their premium products, Panda Free Antivirus might seem a bit limited — no online shopping protection, no data backups, no file encryption, no system optimizations — but what it does do, it does well, and that’s real-time protection against malware and spyware.

Features at a glance:

• Anti-malware, anti-spyware, and external device protection.
• Up-to-date malware definitions using a cloud database.
• Internet protection through URL/Web filtering and analysis.
• Advertisement popups asking to upgrade every once in a while.

Which Security Suite Do You Use?

My personal choice is 360 Total Security, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the ones listed above. It all depends on what you need, what you can live without, and how much you trust the companies behind said products.

Now you tell us: which security suite do you trust the most? Share your reasons and experiences with us down in the comments below! We’d love to hear what you have to say.

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How to Block Users from Installing Software on Your Windows Computer | Dramel Notes

Whether you have a company network, or simply a computer used by various household members, it can be really annoying — or a huge security risk — if anyone is allowed to install software on the computer. All it takes is for one virus-ridden program to get onto a network-linked computer, and suddenly you will have multiple botnets chanting “Resistance is futile….prepare to be assimilated!” at anyone who tries to destroy it.

Another scenario where blocking software from being installed is essential is personal security. Imagine if somebody tried to install key-logging software on your computer to see what you have been typing, or to capture your login details for various sites? Pre-blocking new software from being installed will stop those attempts in their tracks.

Since the best treatment is prevention, we are going to take a look at some ways in which you can stop people from installing onlinesexystrippoker.exe. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

Native Windows Solutions

The following methods look intimidating to anyone who dislikes fiddling around under the hood with their Windows setup. But quite honestly, it is really easy. Just follow along with me here. I won’t lead you astray.

Local Group Policy Editor

Go to your Start Menu and type in:

gpedit.msc

This brings up something called the Local Group Policy Editor. Now go to Computer Configurations > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Installer.

In the list in the right-hand window, scroll down until you find Turn off Windows Installer. The information window next to it will inform you that enabling this will “prevent users from installing software on their systems”. That’s the one we’re looking for.

When you double-click that option, another box will pop up, and you just have to choose Enabled, then press OK. All done. To reverse the process, just double-click the option again and choose “Disabled”.

Don’t Run Specified Windows Applications

Another way to block the Windows Installer from being used can be found in another area of the Local Group Policy Editor.

Go back to the main menu in the Policy Editor window, and now go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System. In the right-hand window which now appears with options, scroll down until you find Don’t Run Specified Windows Applications. As the title implies, this is used for blocking certain programs from being run, but we can also use it to block the Windows Installer.

Double-click that and another window appears. When you click Enabled, a new option appears called List of Disallowed Applications. Click Show and a third window appears where you type in the path of the program to be blocked.

Now note I said “path”. That means it is not sufficient to just say “Windows Installer”. You have to lay out the route to the location of the Windows Installer, so the Policy Editor can find it. The Windows Installer Program is called msiexec.exe and is located at:

C:WindowsSystem32msiexec.exe

Copy/paste that into the space provided in the box and click OK. The Windows Installer should now be blocked.

Restrict via the Registry Editor

Aaggh! The Registry! The one Windows word which is guaranteed to send shivers down peoples spines. Nobody likes going in here, as it’s got things going on that I can’t rightly explain. Things that go bump in the night, and all that.

But we need to embrace our fears, so hang on. We’ll get through this together.

The first step (after arming ourselves with crucifixes and garlic cloves) is to do the key combination Windows key + R. In the Run box, type:

regedit

This will bring up the Registry Editor. Calm down and stop screaming. It won’t bite you.

Now use your mouse to navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareClassesMsi.PackageDefaultIcon

In the right-hand window which now appears, you’ll see the path to the Windows Installer, with a zero on the end. That zero implies that the Installer is allowed. To disable the Installer, just click on that line, and in the box that now pops up, change that 0 to a 1. Save and close. Installer blocked.

Well done. You survived the Registry!

Software Options

I know there are other Windows options, such as elevated privileges or using the Local Security Policy. But I decided I would focus on the 3 easiest options instead, and not overload you. But if you still don’t feel comfortable messing around with your Windows settings, then another option would be to install software that gets the job done for you. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it ironic that you need to install software to block software!

Here are three options which I tried – one free and two paid (with free trial periods) – and which lock your system down tighter than a baby’s bottom.

WinGuard Pro

Plan: Paid, 30 Days Free Trial

From what I can see, WinGuard Pro is more geared towards locking down areas of the computer to other users. So for example, if you are the system administrator at work, you may want to block access to the Registry Editor by other users in the network. Or blocking “Programs & Features” would stop people from getting into the list of installed apps and uninstalling anything.

To block something, you would bring it up on the screen, then click Lock Program. A list of open apps will then appear in a box and you would choose the one you want locked. Obviously “Unlock Program” reverses that.

Install-Block

Plan: Paid, Free Trial Period

This stops anything from being installed by looking out for certain keywords in apps running on your system. So if someone tries to install something, and a keyword is noticed, Install-Block automatically blocks it from going any further.

So as you can see in the screenshot, keywords can include “install”, “setup” or “license agreement”. What other words could we add? “Terms & Conditions”, maybe? “Freeware”?

InstallGuard

Plan: Free

InstallGuard does its job really well — to the point where I couldn’t figure out how to shut it down and uninstall it afterwards! I finally figured out that you have to sign into the app with the administrator password, then click File >Exit. That shuts it down and you can then uninstall it if you want.

If you are looking for somethingreally effective that works right out of the box, this is the one. For me, it blocked EVERYTHING from being installed — and I was logged in as the administrator! You can’t argue with the price, either.

Deep Freeze

One final intriguing option is one proposed by Joe back in January, i.e. “deep freezing” your computer, which resets your system back to a previous state every time you reboot it. This way, any changes made to your computer will be wiped out when rebooted. So if someone dares to install something, it will be deleted when you switch the computer off.

The only downside to this of course is that it will also wipe out your changes. So it is not perfect.

Which Option Do You Prefer?

Let’s not forget that a Standard User account cannot install software without providing an administrator password. Hence the above options are best used to restrict your administrator account from accidents.

Which option would you prefer to use? Have you ever had to deal with someone installing something on your system without your permission?

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How to Share Files and Folders from OneDrive in Windows 10 | Dramel Notes

With OneDrive, it’s easy to share files and folders securely and easily with other people. They won’t need to install any special applications or sign up for a new account. In fact, they can use any web browser to get to the files you share with them. And you have a complete control in your hand—your files will only be shared with the people you choose. In this article, we’ll show you how to share files and folders from your OneDrive, and different permissions you might want to know about before sharing.

Share a File or Folder from the Desktop

In Windows 8.1, OneDrive was integrated into the operating system through an app that you couldn’t uninstall, and settings were easily accessible from PC settings. Through the modern app, users were able to upload their files and folders easily, and even share them without having to use the web interface of OneDrive all the time. OneDrive for Windows 10 brings better integration with the File Explorer. You’re just a click away to share a link of file or folder.

Sharing a file as a link has many advantages, particularly when sending them through email. Email can be rejected by servers when attachments are too large, and even if a large email makes it to your recipient, the recipient might not be happy for having big attachment in their mailbox. OneDrive makes it easy to share a link to a file that can be sent by email, Facebook, or as a text message.

Open OneDrive in File Explorer and locate the file or folder you want to share. Right-click the file or folder to reveal the context menu and select “Share a OneDrive Link”.

After a few seconds a notification will appear letting you know that a link has been prepared.

Open Mail client and enter the email address of the recipient of the file. Right-click and choose “Paste” in the body of the email message to paste the shared OneDrive Link. Upon receipt of the message, the recipient simply has to click the link to have access to your shared file.

Even though this link grants access to only the document or folder it was generated for, there is nothing to identify who used the link, and it could be shared with anyone. If you want a greater control, you might want to share from the web interface, which will allow you to share with specific email addresses and grant limited access to the file.

Share a File or Folder from OneDrive.com

Open OneDrive in File Explorer and locate the file or folder you want to share. Right-click the file or folder to reveal the context menu and select “More OneDrive sharing options”.

Once you click this option, your default web browser will open OneDrive to the sharing options of the particular shared folder. Then choose any one from the following share options.

Invite People

Choose this option if you want to give specific individuals or group permissions to an item. This lets you remove permission for specific individuals or groups later if you need to. In the “To” box, enter email addresses or contact names from the list. Add a note to recipients if you want. To change the permission level, tap or click “Recipients can only view” or “Recipients can edit”.

• If you choose “Recipients can only view”, then recipients you invite can view, download or copy the files you share.
• If you choose “Recipients can edit”, then recipients can use Office Online to edit office documents without signing in. To make other changes (like adding or deleting files in a folder), recipients need to sign in with a Microsoft account.
• If you pick “Recipients can edit” and a recipient forwards the message, anyone who receives it will also be able to edit the item you’re sharing. People with edit permissions can also invite others to have edit permissions to the item. This can be a security concern for some users. However, you can always go back to the “Share” settings to remove anyone you do not want to access the shared folder.

If you always want recipients to sign in with a Microsoft account (to even view the item you’re sharing), choose “Recipients need to sign in with a Microsoft account”. This helps prevent other people from accessing the shared item if a recipient forwards your message. Tap or click “Share” to save the permission settings and send a message with a link to the item. If you share an item with people who don’t have a Microsoft account, they can create one for free.

Get Link

Choose this option to share items with lots of people you might not even know personally. You can use these links to post to Facebook, LinkedIn, email, or text message. Anyone who gets the link can view, copy, and download the item. The recipients can even forward the message. Choose the type of link you want. The permissions for the item are automatically updated when you create the link.

• View only — When you share an item with this type of link, then recipients can view, copy, or download the items without signing in. They can also forward the link to other people.
• Edit — When you share an item with this type of link, the recipients can edit specific files, and can add, copy, move, rename, or even delete files in a shared folder. Recipients can forward the link, change the list of people sharing the files or folder, and even change permissions for their recipients.

Finally tap or click “Create Link”.

To post the link on a social network site, tap or click the icon for the social network. If you want to include the link in a text message, or in a printed document then you might want to shorten the link. Tap or click “Shorten link” to make the URL shorter.

Stop Sharing File or a Folder

You cannot stop sharing or control permissions through a desktop. You have to do it through the OneDrive website. To see all the items you have shared, tap or click “Shared” in the left pane, and then tap or click “Shared by me”.

If you are the owner of the item or have edit permissions then you can stop sharing an item or change the permissions others have to it. Select the checkbox of the shared item, and then tap or click “Share” on the bar at the top of the page.

Under “Shared with”, select the permissions you want to change. You can switch the permissions between editing and only viewing, and stop sharing through any links you created.

Concluding this article, it’s quite easy share file and folder. And you have a complete control in your hand—your files will only be shared with the people you choose. Just be extra cautious with the permissions.

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