Windows Tech Helper files

I’ve put an archive of helpful files on my GitHub which simplify tasks or add features such as creating a Windows Image backup under special conditions and adding new options to the right-click menu.

Setup

  1. download the zip file from HERE.
  2. Once downloaded, go to your download directory then right-click and select Properties, select the Unblock checkbox and click OK. (This indicates to Windows that the batch files are OK to run on your system.)
  3. Right-click the zip file again and select **Extract All**

I’ll maintain a list of all files here along with a brief description. Further information will be referenced where available.

IMPORTANT!! Make a current backup!

Windows Image Backup

  • Image_Backup.bat
    Copy this file to the external backup drive, then right-click and select **Run As Administrator**. Will not work on a flash drive. This creates a full Windows Image Backup on the drive. Usage is discussed HERE
  • Image Backup to flash.bat
    Same as above, but this defeats the windows limitation of not working on a flash drive by mapping the drive as a network drive first. Expect 8-10 hours or overnight for the backup to complete.
  • Image Backup to VHDX.bat
    Image Backup to VHDX.ps1
    If you have less than half of the C drive used, either of these will: 1. Create a virtual hard disk on the C drive. 2. Mount the VHD and perform the backup to it, then dismount. - The VHD can then be copied to OneDrive, flash drive, etc.
    - Useful as another way of taking a snapshot of the system before making risky changes when you don’t have external storage available - Since the virtual drive is located on the system disk, it will be lost as well if the system disk fails. The C:\backup.vhdx should be copied to external storage so you’ll still have a backup in the event of a catatrophic failure.

Registry Tweaks

  • Add new .ps1 to right_click.ps1
    Remove_ps1_from_New_context_menu.reg
    Add/remove “new Powershell Script” to the right-click context menu.
  • Add new markdown to right_click.reg
    Adds “new README.md” to the right-click context menu. Useful if you work with GitHub/Markdown a lot.
  • Add Take Ownership to Context menu.reg
    Remove Take Ownership from Context Menu
    Add/remove “Take Ownership” to the right-click context menu. Useful if you frequently need to access locked files/dirs.
  • Add VSCode to context menu.reg
    Adds “Edit with VSCode” to the right-click context menu, although the preferred way is to select this option during VSCode installation.
  • Add_Open_PowerShell_window_here_as_administrator_context_menu.reg Remove_Open_PowerShell_window_here_as_administrator_context_menu.reg
    Adds “Open Powershell Window here as Administrator” to the right-click context menu. Useful to get an elevated command prompt in a directory from the File Explorer.
  • localaccounttokenfilterpolicy.reg
    allows you to access drives as C$, D$, etc. on computers you can reach on your network

Other

  • Enable Sandbox on Windows Home.bat
    Adds Sandox to Windows Home Edition. See the BLOG on this item.
  • Flush SoftwareDistribution folder.bat
    Flushes the SoftwareDistribution folder. Make a backup first.
  • Get Computername of VHD file.ps1
    If you have a VHD file of a disk but forgot what computer it came from.
  • reset permissions.bat
    Run from a CMD prompt as **reset permissions <path>**. Takes ownership and resets permissions for things like WindowsImageBackkup directories.
  • unpin all items in start menu.bat
    Unpins everything from the start menu