How to Boot to UEFI Firmware Settings from inside Windows 10

Boot to UEFI Firmware Settings from Settings                            

1)  Open Settings, and click/tap on the Update & security icon.
2)  Click/tap on Recovery on the left side, and click/tap on Restart now under Advanced startup. (see screenshot below) 

3)  After the PC restarts, click/tap on Troubleshoot. (see screenshot below)

4)  Click/tap on Advanced options. (see screenshot below)

5)  Click/tap on UEFI Firmware Settings. (see screenshot below)

6)  Click/tap on Restart to boot into your UEFI firmware settings. (see screenshot below)

Another Option: 
Type the command below you want to use into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

(with message)
shutdown /r /fw

OR

(instant without message)
shutdown /r /fw /t 0

How to Fix Ping general failure error on Windows 7 & 10 on the network ??

Ping is a valuable tool for troubleshooting all sorts of network or Internet problems. A ping command sends packets of information to devices on a network or the Internet to find out if they are available for connection. In Windows 7,8,10 the error message "Ping: Transmit Failed. General Failure" appears if the computer doesn't have the proper Internet protocol selected. You may select TCP/IPv4 or TCP/IPv6 in the control panel of your computer.

Solution 01: Disable all IPv4 or IPv6 transition technologies

In order to fix the issue, users are suggesting to disable Pv4 or IPv6 transition technologies. Please follow the next steps in order to disable them:

• Go to Start Menu -> Enter cmd in the Search box.
• Right-click on it -> Press on the Run as administrator.
• Into the Command Prompt run the following commands :
  
  • netsh int ipv6 isatap set state disabled
  • netsh int ipv6 6to4 set state disabled
  • netsh interface teredo set state disable
• After running these commands, close Command Prompt and restart your computer. Check to see if the problem is fixed and if you can run properly ping commands.

---

Solution 02: Reset your computer’s TCP/IP

If getting Ping general failure error, we can try resetting the TCP/IP and Winsock catalog:

• Start Command Prompt as administrator. We showed you how to do that in the previous solution.
• Into the Command Prompt run the following commands :
  
  • netsh i i r r
  • netsh winsock reset
• After doing that, close Command Prompt and restart your computer.

After doing that, check if the problem is resolved.

Solution 03: Flush your computer’s DNS

 A solution that tons of users affected by this problem have found immensely effective in getting rid of it and restoring their computers’ ability to successfully run ping commands is flushing their computers’ DNS. Flushing your computer’s DNS is not only a pretty safe bet when it comes to fixing this problem but is also, in general, good for the health of your computer. To flush your computer’s DNS, you need to:

1. Open the Start Menu.
2. Search for “powershell“.
3. Right-click on the search result titled Windows PowerShell and click on Run as administrator.
4. One by one, type each of the following commands into the elevated instance of Windows PowerShell, pressing Enter after typing in each one:

ipconfig/release
ipconfig/renew
ipconfig /flushdns
netsh int ip reset c:\tcp.txt
netsh winsock reset 

5. Close Windows PowerShell and restart your computer.

When the computer boots up, check to see whether or not the problem has been resolved.

 Solution 04: Reset your computer’s Hosts file

1. Open a fresh instance of Notepad.
2. Paste the following into the fresh instance of Notepad:

# Copyright (c) 1993-2006 Microsoft Corp.

#

# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.

#

# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each

# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should

# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.

# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one

# space.

# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual

# lines or following the machine name denoted by a ‘#’ symbol.

# For example:

#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server

#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

# localhost name resolution is handle within DNS itself.

#       127.0.0.1       localhost

#       ::1             localhost

3. Press Ctrl + S to save the Notepad document.
4. Name the Notepad document “hosts” (including the quotation marks), navigate to the directory you want the file to be saved in and click on OK.
5. Press the Windows Logo key + R to open a Run dialog.
6. 
7. Type the following into the Run dialog and press Enter:

%WinDir%\System32\Drivers\Etc

7. Locate the hosts file, right-click on it, click on Rename, rename the file to old and press Enter.
8. Move over the new “Hosts” file from wherever you saved it to, to %WinDir%\System32\Drivers\Etc.
9. If you are asked to confirm the action while moving the file, do so.

Once the file has been moved, restart your computer and check to see if the problem has been resolved once it boots up.

Solution 5: Enable all of the ICMPv4-In rules in your computer’s Firewall settings

1. Open the Start Menu.
2. Search for “firewall“.
3. Click on the search result titled Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
4. In the left pane of the window, click on Inbound Rules.
5. In the right pane, locate every single Inbound Rule titled File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request – ICMPv4-In), right-click on it and click on Enable Rule.
6. Once done, restart your computer.
7. When the computer boots up, check to see if the issue has been fixed.

How to set up two-factor authentication (2FA) on a Microsoft account for windows 10

You can enable two-step verification on your Microsoft account to an extra layer of security, and in this guide, we'll show how to complete this task.

On a Microsoft account, two-step verification (also known as "two-factor authentication," "2FA," or "multi-factor authentication") is a feature that adds a second step of verification to increase security to make it more difficult for malicious individuals to gain access to your account.

If someone gets ahold of your password, without the second form of authentication, it'll be almost impossible to access your account.

If you're using a Microsoft account, you can use three ways to enable two-step verification, including using an alternative email, phone number, and you can even use the Microsoft Authenticator app. Once the security feature is enabled, every time you sign in from a new location or new device with a password, you'll need to confirm a security code to validate that you're, who you say you are.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to set up two-step verification on your Microsoft account to add an extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized access to Outlook, OneDrive, Office 365, Xbox Live, and other services.

List of Topics:

• How to enable two-step verification on Microsoft account

• How to add security info for two-step verification

• How to set up Authenticator app for two-step verification

• How to create an app password for two-step verification

• How to disable two-step verification on Microsoft account

How to enable two-step verification on Microsoft account

To enable two-step verification on your Microsoft account, use these steps:

Important: Before proceeding, it's crucial to have multiple pieces of contact security information to prevent getting locked out of your account. If you need to update your security information, use the steps below and then continue setting up the feature.

1. Open your Microsoft account online.
2. Sign-in with your credentials.
3. Click the Security tab.
4. Click the Two-step verification option on the top of the page (or click the More security options button on the page).

1. 
2. 5. Under the "Two-step verification" section, click the Set up two-step verification link.
   
3. 6. Click the Next button.
   7. Click the Print code option.
4. 
   Quick tip: It's important to save this recovery code in a secure location. Otherwise, if you're no able to complete the security challenge, if you don't have this code, you won't be able to reaccess the account for a least 30 days.
5. 8. Select the Save as PDF option.
   
6. 9. Click the Save button.
7. 10. Select the folder location.
8. 11. Specify a descriptive name for the file.
9. 12. Click the Save button.
10. 13. Click the Next button.
11. 14. (Optional) If you sync your Outlook.com app with an Android, iPhone, or BlackBerry phone, click on the page to display the steps to set up the device with an app password.
    
12. 15. Click the Next button again.
13. 16. Click the Finish button.
    
14. 17. Specify your password.
15. 18. Click the Sign in button (if applicable).

Once you complete the steps when trying to log in on an unrecognized device, you'll receive a security code in your email account or phone to confirm that you're the one trying to sign-in adding an extra layer of security.

How to add security info for two-step verification

When enabling two-step verification, every time you sign-in, you'll be prompted a second form of authentication. Also, if you forget your password, you'll need two contact methods to regain access to your account. This means that before enabling two-step verification, you have to make sure that you have a least three secondary contact information, which can be a mix of emails or phone numbers.

To add security information to your Microsoft account, use these steps:

1. 1. Open your Microsoft account online.
2. 2. Sign-in with your credentials.
3. 3. Click the Security tab.
4. 4. Click the Update my info button.
   
5. 5. Click the Add security info link.
   
6. 6. Use the "Verify my identity with" drop-down menu, select the An alternative email address option, for example. (Or you can also add a phone number.)
   
7. 7. Click the Next button.
8. 8. Confirm the code you received in the alternate email.
   
9. 9. Click the Next button.

After you complete the steps, every time you try to sign in, when two-step verification is enabled, you can complete the security code using the contact methods you added on the account.

How to set up Authenticator app for two-step verification

In the case that you don't want to deal with emails, phone calls, or text, you can use the Microsoft Authenticator app to sign in without the need to use a password.

The Authenticator app is available for Android and iOS. In the steps below, we'll show you the instructions to set up the app on an Android device, but the process is similar for iOS devices.

To set up the Authenticator app, use these steps:

1. 1. Open Google Play Store.
2. 2. Search for Microsoft Authenticator app.
3. 3. Tap the Install button.
4. 4. Open the app.
5. 5. Tap the Add personal account button.
   
6. 6. Sign in with your Microsoft account details.
7. 7. Click the Next button.
8. 8. Click the Got it button.

After you complete the steps, when signing in to your account, you'll receive a notification on your phone to approve and continue the login automatically.

How to create an app password for two-step verification

If you're using a device or an app that doesn't support two-step verification, then you'll need to create an app password.

To create an app password, use these steps:

1. 1. Open your Microsoft account online.
2. 2. Sign-in with your credentials.
3. 3. Click the Security tab.
4. 4. Click the More security options button on the page.
   
5. 5. Under the "App passwords" section, click the Create a new app password link.
   
6. 7. Use the generated password on the app or device that doesn't support a security code.
   

Once you complete the steps, the app or device should be able to access your account while two-step verification is enabled.

How to disable two-step verification on Microsoft account

In the case that you no longer need to use the security feature, you can disable it to revert the settings to use the less secure one-step verification.

To disable two-step verification, use these steps:

1. 1. Open your Microsoft account online.
2. 2. Sign-in with your credentials.
3. 3. Click the Security tab.
4. 4. Click the More security options button on the page.
   
5. 5. Under the Two-step verification section, click the Turn off two-step verification link.
   
6. 6. Click the Remove option.
   

After you complete the steps, you'll continue to receive security codes from time to time, and when Microsoft detects a security risk on your account.

In addition to disabling the feature, you may also need to update the password on those apps and services you configured with an app password.

>>> Source: Windows Central