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How do I run Your Phone on Windows 7?
Did you recommend a virus?
QIssue 557’s Cover Feature about Command Prompt was a great article – so thank you for that. However, when I tried to download Nirsoft’s Produkey tool ( www.snipca.com/31883), as recommended in Tip 36, my security software displayed a virus warning. The downloaded file was then deleted. So is this a false alarm, and if so how can I use this tool?
AYes, this is what’s known as a false positive. By its very nature Produkey carries out activities that make it look like a virus, so it is often identified as one by security software. However, the program is a trusted tool that’s been around for well over a decade. Nirsoft is well aware of this annoyance, and explains the problem (and solutions) on the Produkey download page.
The easiest fix is to momentarily disable your antivirus software to allow the download to proceed. Once you’ve installed and run Produkey, just restart your security software. It might once more detect and delete Produkey but by that point the tool will have provided you with the information you need.
How do I run Your Phone on Windows 7?
QI got very excited at the ‘Send and receive text messages using your computer’ Workshop on page 40 of Issue 557. However, I was dismayed to find that I cannot seem to get the Your Phone app on my PC, which is running the 64bit edition of Windows 7 Ultimate. Do you know any way to trick Your Phone into thinking my PC is actually running Windows 10?
David Ashton-reader
AThere are sometimes tricks that can be played along these lines – such as using Windows 10’s Compatibility Mode to fool older programs
into running on the latest operating system. Sadly, here there is no such magic bullet: Microsoft Store apps are designed for and run only on Windows 10 PCS.
Of course, there are sometimes Windows 7 versions of specific apps. You can’t download these from the Microsoft Store – the preserve of Windows 10 – but directly from the developer or another download service, such as www.download.com. Sadly, that’s not the case here: Microsoft developed Your Phone for Windows 10 only, so we’re afraid there’s no workaround.
Where’s my Reserved Storage?
QIn Issue 556 (page 62), you published a feature exploring Windows 10’s 12 most confusing things. The second item referred to Reserved Storage, explaining that new PCS with the May Update (version 1903) installed or those configured from a clean install of 1903 would have Reserved Storage enabled. I performed exactly such a clean install a few weeks ago but, following your instructions, I could find no Reserved Storage. Should I be worried?
AFirst, are you sure your clean install was 1903? The relevant ISO files required for a clean install of 1903 were released towards the end of May. You said you did a clean install a few weeks ago, so this could have been before the 1903 ISO files were actually available. To check, first click Start, the Settings
cog, ‘Update & Security’, Windows Update, then ‘View update history’. If you see an entry here for a Feature Update to 1903, you unwittingly clean-installed 1809, which was later updated to 1903 automatically. That would explain why you see no Reserved Storage now.
However, if you’re certain your clean install was 1903, it could be that Windows 10 determined that your PC was too low on storage to usefully enable the feature. That could mean problems down the line, but it depends on how Microsoft handles the next update. The worst-case scenario is that you’ll have to install the next update via disc or USB stick, rather than automatically via Windows Update.
Regardless of all of the above, it’s possible to manually enable Reserved Storage – but it requires a Registry hack, so do back up first. To do this, press Windows key+r, type regedit and press Enter. Next, use the left-hand page to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\microsoft\windows\ Currentversion\reservemanager. Then, in the right-hand pane, right-click the Shippedwithreserves entry and choose Modify (see screenshot above). Finally, change the ‘Value data’ field from a 0 (zero) to 1 (one), then click OK.
Incidentally, your Reserved Storage won’t actually appear immediately. You’ll need to wait until the next time Windows 10 updates itself, typically meaning with a Quality Update – which appear at least once each month.