Windows switch

Purchased laptop new, with Windows 7, many years ago.

Then Upgraded to 10 a few years later.

Latest 10 update crashed the laptop.

Since my Laptop came brand-new with 7, do I need to re-install 7, before I can get back up to version 10 ?

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You can immediately reinstall Windows 10 without issue.

I assumed that was the case. But it appears as though my partitions are wiped/formatted, because .

I get to 93% download then it kicks out and says:

«Windows cannot install required files. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation«.

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Use the Windows 10 media creation tool on the Software download page

«Start fresh with a clean installation of Windows 10»

Reinstall Windows 10:

» How to Clean Install Windows 10″

This tutorial will show you how to create a bootable USB flash drive that can be used to install Windows 10 with or without UEFI.

To access BIOS/UEFI — UEFI/EFI configuration:

When your free upgrade to 10 was originally activated Microsoft will have kept the Hardware Configuration details of your device on their Servers for recognition purposes if you have to reinstall 10.

» Activation in Windows 10″ (Digital entitlement)

Bill Smithers — Microsoft MVP July 2013 — Dec 2020

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My bad, I’ve already tried several installs from a bootable USB, hence my statement. I get to 93% download then it kicks out and says:
» Windows cannot install required files. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation «.

I believe I might have selected «format» on a couple of partitions. Dunno.

I have tried the BIOS factory reset and have no files/data to lose in this eventual re-install.

I’ve followed a few YouTube tech guys from the far-east and swam around with some DOS commands and it appears that my Hard drives are good, error free.

thx for the patience

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Thx for reading all of the posts.

During a recent lengthy MS windows routine update, my older laptop stopped functioning.

AFTER creating a bootable USB flash drive from my new laptop,

I discovered I was not able to install windows in the older laptop. As I posted, here is what it states when I reach 93% upload:

» Windows cannot install required files. Make sure all files required for installation are available, and restart the installation «.

I believe I might have selected «format» on a couple of partitions. I Dunno.

I have tried the BIOS factory reset and have no files/data to lose or worry about. This is just a music/vid laptop, now.

I’ve followed a few YouTube tech guys from the far-east and swam around with some DOS commands and it appears that my Hard drives are good, error free. It states drives ok

thx for the patience

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Format the USB flash drive that you used for the Win 10 install or get a new one. Check it with one of the tools described here: https://www.raymond.cc/blog/how-to-check-and-test-usb-flash-drive/

Then make a new bootable USB flash drive with a freshly-downloaded ISO file using one of the methods here: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2376-create-bootable-usb-flash-drive-install-windows-10-a.html

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Format the USB flash drive that you used for the Win 10 install or get a new one. Check it with one of the tools described here: https://www.raymond.cc/blog/how-to-check-and-test-usb-flash-drive/

Then make a new bootable USB flash drive with a freshly-downloaded ISO file using one of the methods here: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2376-create-bootable-usb-flash-drive-install-windows-10-a.html

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I’d still check the flash drive using one of the suggested tools and then re-download the Windows 10 ISO file.

I’d suggest using Rufus, as described in «Option 2» of the tenforums tutorial, to create your bootable installer, rather than the Microsoft Media Creation Tool.

A major — and long-standing — problem with downloading Windows ISO files is Microsoft’s inexplicable refusal to supply integrity checksums (MD5, SHA1, SHA256) for its download files. Supposedly the Media Creation Tool performs some integrity check before it offers the chose of creating a bootable installer or an ISO file, but AFAIK, that’s based on anecdotal reports rather than from any definitive Microsoft source.

Although many, many people have successfully downloaded and installed Windows 10 using the Media Creation Tool, given your experience, I’d suggest doing it twice, creating two separate ISO files, and then computing and comparing checksums of the two files. If they match, either the files are OK or you’ve managed to create the same error both times, which seems highly unlikely.

Switch to active window

Meaghan Lewis demonstrates an example of opening a new tab and how to switch to the new tab or window in a WebDriver test. This is helpful knowledge for automating applications that open multiple windows.

— [Narrator] Some applications have multiple windows,…frames, and alerts that open on a page.…Selenium WebDriver assigns each window a unique ID,…so that Selenium can differentiate…when it is switching controls from one window to another.…The switchTo method is provided…by the WebDriver interface and allows the driver…to switch between windows, frames, and alerts.…It offers the following options.…First is the option to switch to a window…by providing the window name as a parameter.…

There’s also the option to switch to a frame…by providing the frame name as a parameter.…And third is the option to switch to a pop-up alert.…Now, keep that in mind as I focus on automating a test…for switching to an active window.…I’ll start by opening the exercise file for this video,…at 02_05 in the start directory.…Once the project opens, I will start by building the project…by selecting Build, Build Project.…

When that finishes, I’ll want to focus now on…filling out the steps of the test.…Now let’s hop over to the test application,…

Windows switch active window

Linux script for quick switching active window using hot keys.

Bind some hot keys in your linux desktop environment to this script with window description (e.g. part of window name) and action for case when no suitable window is found. Switch to specified window using hot key.

Console tools wmctrl and xdotool are required. In Ubuntu they can be installed using apt:

Both scripts showwin and showwinDetach should be in your $PATH dir. Clone repository somewhere and add symlinks to scripts into

Generic usage of script showwin is the following:

Script will search for a windows with $WINDOW_NAME in title and make it active. If no appropriate window is found script will run command $OPEN_WINDOW_COMMAND.

Which $WINDOW_NAME to use

List of opened windows can be got using command wmctrl -l -x:

Parameter $WINDOW_NAME is a grep regex. It’s desirable to use expressions which can describe only one window.

Use case 1: switch to a specific program

Let’s bind hot key Alt+F to command:

This will search for a window with title » — Mozilla Firefox[end_of_string]» and switch to it. If no appropriate window is found then script will launch Firefox. This example will switch to private window (or open new one) in Firefox:

If this script is binded to some other hot key (e.g. Alt+P) then it will be easily to switch to Firefox windows even if Firefox has not been opened yet.

Use case 2: when more than one window is fit to regular expressions

Let’s continue previous example with binded hot keys Alt+F and Alt+P. Assuming user is pressing Alt+F. If multiple windows of Firefox is open, then script will not have possibility to define which window is needed to switch to:

By default window with smaller window id will be used. This window id is stored and will be used to switch to the same window unless it’s closed. It’s possible to attach another matching window to the same hot key. To do it hot key command showwinDetach should be called before pressing the hot key. It will unassign window id from a hot key and assign active window. It’s recommended to bind script showwinDetach to some hot key, e.g. Alt+Backspace.

Here is an example of usage of setup above:

1. Assuming that no Firefox application is run at the moment.
2. Pressing hot key Alt+F will open new Firefox window.
3. While working with other applications pressing Alt+F will switch to Firefox.
4. If second window of Firefox is open, pressing Alt+F will activate first window of Firefox.
5. To assign another Firefox window to hot key Alt+F you have to activate 2nd window, press Alt+Backspace and then Alt+F.
6. Pressing hot key Alt+F will open 2nd Firefox window.

Use case 3: customizable attaching

It’s possible to bind special hot keys which will be assignable to any window. To do this hot key should be bind to script showwin without second $OPEN_WINDOW_COMMAND argument. In this case parameter $WINDOW_NAME will work as hot key identifier. Here is an example of binding customizable hot keys:

This will make hot keys Alt+1 — Alt+0 fully customizable, any window can be selected and attached to a hot key by pressing a hot key. Further pressing of a hot key will switch to attached window. To attach another window to a hot key is done in three steps:

1. Activate desired window.
2. Activate re-attaching script showwinDetach (Alt+Backspace).
3. Assign a new window by pressing a hot key (Alt+1 — Alt+0).

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Linux script for quick switching active window using hot keys

How to Quick-Switch Between Tasks in Windows 10

One of the most frequently done action while working on the computer is switching between apps or tasks. There are numerous options to switch tasks in Windows 10. Moreover, the task-switching process becomes complicated when you have multiple monitors or virtual desktops.

Fortunately, Windows 10 is packed with many more features than its predecessors to support superior multitasking. You only need to learn and use these features to boost productivity.

That is why I am going to cover all its features along with some third-party tools to help you speed up task-switching in Windows 10. Let’s get started.

Guide to Automating Repetitive Tasks on Windows 10

Do you often find yourself deleting old files, cleaning the unrequired data, starting some programs, etc. manually? If. Read more

Task Switcher Shortcuts

First of all, let’s learn about the essential task switcher shortcuts, which everyone must know; no matter you are a beginner or an expert user.

Alt + Tab

When you press Alt + Tab , you can see the task switcher, i.e., thumbnails of all running apps. You can move your selection forward (left to right) by pressing Tab while holding down Alt . Whenever you release the Alt key, the selected app or task gets active, and the task switcher disappears as well.

Meanwhile, if you change your mind, you can press Esc to exit the task switcher without changing the active application.

Also, if you press these keys and release them quickly, you get directly switched to the last app, thus allowing you to quick-jump from active to last active app and vice versa.

Shift + Alt + Tab

You can use Shift + Alt + Tab to open the task switcher and move your selection backward (right to left) in the task switcher. Even if you first press Alt + Tab , you can press Shift in the middle to shift the selection in the other direction in the scenario where you go past a thumbnail.

Ctrl + Alt + Tab

You can use Ctrl + Alt + Tab to open the task switcher in sticky mode, i.e., you can release the keys, and the task switcher will still stay in view. You can use the arrow keys to select an app and press Enter to switch to it.

Win + Tab

Task View opens up on pressing Win + Tab . It lets you switch to a different task, work with virtual desktops, and resume timeline activities, interestingly. You can switch to a virtual desktop or a running application by clicking with the mouse pointer or using the arrow keys and pressing Enter .

More Switcher Shortcuts

After you are comfortable with the essential task-switching shortcuts, let’s get to know about the advanced shortcuts for a superior multi-tasking experience.

Switch b/w pinned apps

If you have some favorite apps that you pinned to the taskbar, then you can press Win + 1 to 9 to open or switch to the pinned apps. If the application is already opened, it becomes active then.

For example, if File Explorer is your first pinned app, then pressing Win + 1 for the first time opens the app if it is not opened and maximizes it if it is already opened. If you press it for the second time, it minimizes it.

Switch b/w same app’s windows

Easy Window Switcher is a tool to switch focus to one of the app’s windows using the keys Alt + ` (backtick). That means you no longer need to use Alt + Tab to surf through several windows of the same application. Please note that you must restart your system after installing it to make it work.

Switch b/w apps on the virtual desktop

Windows brings in a new feature for multitasking — the virtual desktop. I find it useful for grouping apps, for example, you can have office apps and personal apps separately.

You can use Alt + Tab to switch between apps on the same virtual desktop, and Win + Ctrl + Left and Win + Ctrl + Right keys to move an application between virtual desktops without opening the Task View. The first shortcut moves the app to the left virtual desktop and the second to the right desktop. This way you can confine to a few apps on one desktop.

Switch b/w Apps on all Virtual Desktops

If you use multiple virtual desktops, Alt + Tab will not allow you to switch between the apps on various desktops, by default. Fortunately, you can change this behavior. Follow these steps to switch between apps on all desktops:

1. Open the Start menu go to Settings and click on the System tile.
2. Choose Multitasking from the right panel, then under “Virtual desktops“, choose “All desktops” from the dropdown for the setting named “Pressing Alt + Tab shows windows that are open on“.

Switch b/w Apps on the Physical Monitor

If you work in a multi-monitor setup, it becomes complicated to switch between apps as Windows 10 does not provide any good feature for switching apps between multiple monitors. Fortunately, there are a few apps that help in this situation and allow better app-switching between monitors.

Dual Monitor Tools

Dual Monitor Tools is an excellent tool for users having multiple monitors. Its “Swap Screen” options enable you to move apps between monitors and thus confine some apps on one monitor. There are many more features as you will see in its Options. Let’s see how to tweak its settings in “Swap Screen”:

1. Right-click on the icon of Dual Monitor Tools in the notification area and choose Options from the context menu.
2. Under “Swap Screen” on the left, click on “Active Window“.
3. Click Change with the option named “Move active window to next screen“, check “Enable this Hotkey” and set a key combination.
4. Repeat the same for the option “Move active window to previous screen“.
5. Finally click Close to save the changes and exit from its Options.

Finally, you will be able to use the set key combinations to move an active app window to the next or the previous monitor. Although they function similar to Win + Shift + Left and Win + Shift + Right yet I found they perform better as DMT moves a window while preserving its size unlike the latter.

VistaSwitcher

VistaSwitcher is an alternative to the task switcher, which shows a list of thumbnails of the running apps like the other. When you press Alt + Tab , it shows a list of all running tasks along with their previews.

You can press Tab to scroll the application list and release it to choose one of them. You can also change display settings and limit switching of apps between a single or multiple monitors. Follow these steps to set its options:

1. Press Alt + Tab to open the task switcher (VistaSwitcher).
2. Hold down Alt and right-click on its screen > choose Preferences.
3. Switch to the Behavior tab > under Position, select “Monitor #1” (or your choice) for “Show VistaSwitcher on” and click OK.

Switch b/w Apps on all Physical Monitors

By default, when you press Alt + Tab , task switcher is shown, which shows all applications running on all physical monitors. However, if you wish to see the apps running on the current monitor, just press Win + Tab .

Customize Task Switcher

Finally, let’s check out some tools to customize the task switcher. You can use these tools to tweak as well as replace the original task switcher.

Winaero Tweaker

Winaero Tweaker is an all-in-one customization utility as well as a task switcher tool. It helps modify numerous hidden settings of the task switcher. I have compiled some of my favorite customizations below.

Enable Classic Task Switcher

It is possible to get back the classic task switcher, which showed open windows as icons, unlike the modern task switcher that shows app thumbnails. Follow these steps to enable the traditional task switcher using Winaero Tweaker:

1. Under the Appearance menu, select “Alt + Tab Appearance“.
2. In the right panel, check the option “Enable classic Alt+Tab dialog“. Please note that it will commence after logging out and logging back in.

Set Background Transparency

You can adjust the transparency of the task switcher dialog to hide or see its background per your preference. Here are the steps to achieve it:

1. Under the Appearance option, click “Alt + Tab Appearance“.
2. In the right panel, move the slider under the option “Alt+Tab background transparency“. You can set it to 0 for making it transparent (as shown in the below screenshot) and 100 for making it opaque.

Dim Desktop

You can dim the wallpaper and background windows. by setting it to 100 and non-dimmed when 0 (zero). Follow these steps to dim the desktop:

1. Under the Appearance option, choose “Alt + Tab Appearance“.
2. In the right panel, move the slider under “Dim Desktop“. You can set it to 0 to see the desktop and 100 to hide everything else the switcher.

Alt-Tab Terminator

Alt-Tab Terminator is an alternative to the de facto task switcher. It enables switching between apps and brings more features than the task switcher of Windows 10. It shows window previews with task management capabilities to control the running applications, making it a perfect alternative.

You can close a window, terminate, or run the app in focus. It lets you close all open windows in one go. It has a few customization options as given below.

Replace Alt + Tab

You can switch the default task switcher with the Alt-Tab Terminator. You can enable this option by clicking the bar-icon and choosing “Replace Alt-Tab”.

Replace Win + Tab

Alt-Tab Terminator can also replace the Task View (that comes at pressing Win + Tab ) using this application. You can replace it by clicking the bar-icon and selecting the option named “Replace Win-Tab”.

I find this as an awesome option if you wish to like Alt-Tab Terminator but do not want to replace the default task switcher. However, you must note that Task View that comes at pressing Win + Tab provides a unique functionality (virtual desktops) that is not available in the Alt-Tab Terminator.

View it in Full Screen

When you press F11 or click on the full-screen button in the bottom-left corner, the switcher window maximizes to the full screen, making all things big.

Set a custom shortcut

You can enable keyboard shortcuts to take actions inside Alt-Tab Terminator. Please click the bar icon and choose Settings. In the new window, set the required shortcuts under the option named “Hotkeys“, as shown below.

For example, you can also set Alt +

as the hotkey to launch the Alt-Tab Terminator. In this way, you can stick to the task switcher as well as the Task View without compromising on the features of Alt-Tab Terminator.

That is all about the tips and tricks for switching tasks in Windows 10. Did you find them helpful? Please leave a comment or write to me at @aksinghnet.