Can I Upgrade my Computer to Windows 10 for Free?
windows 10, the latest version of Windows, will be released on 29thJuly. The new Windows OS has received rave reviews from people who are currently testing it as part of the Windows Insider program but there has been some confusion around the upgrade path. Will you be eligible to download a free upgrade of Windows 10 or will you have to pay for the license?
Who Can Download Windows 10 for Free?
This quick flowchart breaks it down in simple English.
If you have a computer that is running a genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you will get a free upgrade license of Windows 10. If you are running a pirated copy of Windows, or if you have Windows Vista or XP installed on the machine, you’ll buy a new license for Windows 10 and perform a clean install.
The Windows 10 Home license will be $119.99 while the Windows 10 Pro version would cost $199.99.
If you would like to try Windows 10 but without affecting your existing Windows installation, you can join the Windows Insider program, download the Windows 10 ISO and install it as a Virtual Machine using VirtualBox. These preview builds will however expire after some time and the fresh builds are automatically installed as and when they become available.
You can follow the official Windows blog to learn more about the upcoming Windows 10 release or join the Windows Insider program to download and use the Windows 10 beta before it is generally available.
How to Update Files in Google Drive without Changing the Link
john uploaded a PDF file in Google Drive and shared it with Peter. A week later, John updated the PDF file and uploaded the new version to Google Drive. Peter however still has the link to the old version and John will have to send him another email informing of the new version. Confusing, right?
You’ve probably gone through this situation where you have multiple copies of the same file residing in your Google Drive and, while you would like everyone to use the latest version, they are either not aware that the file has been updated or it takes too much work to locate it in the Drive.
When you have multiple copies of the same file in Drive, it not only creates confusion but the files also take up precious storage space in your Drive. Wouldn’t it be easier if you could simply replace an existing file in Google Drive with the new version instead of uploading it as a separate file? Well, there’s a solution:
Replace Files in Google Drive
- Go to your Google Drive and select any file that you would like to update. This is applicable for files that are not in that native Google Docs format like PDF, images, text files or even videos.
- Right-click the file, choose Manage Versions from the menu and then click the Upload new version button to upload the updated file to your Google Drive.
- That’s it. The file name and the file’s URL won’t change and thus all the old shared links will now automatically point to the new version of your file.
You can use the same method to replace a file in one format with another format. For instance, if you have a video file in Drive that you would like to replace with a GIF animation of smaller file size, the Manage Versionsoption will do the trick. And the shared link won’t change either.
Things are a bit easier for Dropbox users. If you would like to update a shared file in Dropbox but without changing the link, simply upload the new version of the file in the same Dropbox folder.
When you upload a file in Dropbox and another file with a similar name already exists, Dropbox will simply replace the old file with the new one while the shared link will continue to work. In the case of Google Drive, you can can have multiple file with the same name in one folder and hence the confusion.
Also see: Add Files to Multiple Folders in Drive
How to Customize the Facebook Page Plugin for Websites
the old Like box for Facebook Pages has been deprecated and replaced with a new Page Plugin. If you have not manually upgraded the embed code for Like box on your website yet, no worries as Facebook has automatically migrated all the Like boxes using the old embed code to the new Page Plugin.
Unlike the previous Like box that carried too much Facebook branding, the new Facebook Page plugin is cleaner without any branding. You can now display the cover photo of your Facebook Page inside the Like box. You can also add a “Call to Action” button that will redirect people to your email newsletter or prompt them to install your mobile app and so on.
The other difference that you can now only display a single row of fan pictures inside the Page Plugin. Why does this matter? The pile shows profile pictures of mutual friends who have liked your Facebook Page and thus, when a casual visitor sees a familiar face inside that pile, it is likely to increase their interest in your website.
What you see here are a list of customization options now available inside the Facebook Page plugin. You can choose to have a simple Like box with just your logo and like button or you can have a complete box with cover photos as well.
Customizing this Facebook Page plugin is simple as detailed in the official documentation. For instance, if you would not like to show a cover photo, set the HTML5 data attribute data-hide-cover to false in the DIV tag. Setting data-show-facepile to false will hide the row of pictures.
Similarly, you can attach styles to the .fb-page class to customize the outer of the Facebook Plugin. For instance, if you like the steps style I use here with the Facebook box at labnol.org, this is the underlying CSS code.
- <div class="fb-page"
- data-href="https://www.facebook.com/digital.inspiration"
- data-small-header="false"
- data-hide-cover="false"
- data-show-facepile="true"
- data-show-posts="false">
- </div>
- <div id="fb-root"></div>
- <style>
- .fb-page, .fb-page:before, .fb-page:after {
- border: 1px solid #ccc;
- }
- .fb-page:before, .fb-page:after {
- content: "";
- position: absolute;
- bottom: -3px;
- left: 2px;
- right: 2px;
- height: 1px;
- border-top: none
- }
- .fb-page:after {
- left: 4px;
- right: 4px;
- bottom: -5px;
- box-shadow: 0 0 2px #ccc
- }
- </style>
- <script>
- (function(d, s, id) {
- var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
- if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
- js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
- js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.4";
- fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
- }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));
- </script>
Protect your Google Accounts with a USB Security Key
most
big-name web services like Gmail, Microsoft, Evernote, WordPress and
Dropbox now support 2-step authentication to improve the security of
your online accounts. Once you enable two-factor authentication, a
malicious person will not be able to log into your online account even
if they know the password – they’ll need access to your mobile phone as
well to get in.
The verification codes required for logging into a 2-step enabled account can be generated either using a mobile app – like Authy or Google Authenticator
– or you can have them sent to your mobile phone via a text message or a
voice call. The latter option however will not work if the mobile phone
associated with your account is outside the coverage area (like when
you are in a foreign country).
There’s another option that makes the process of logging into a 2-factor enabled account Google less cumbersome. Instead of generating the verification codes on a mobile phone, you can use a hardware based authenticator that can be inserted into a USB port on your computer and you’ll be signed-in automatically without having to hand-type the digits.
The option works for both Google and Google Apps accounts and you don’t even need the mobile phone – watch video demo.
Once registered, you can use your USB security key to log into your Google Account from any other desktop or laptop computer without requiring the mobile phone. Simply open the Google login page, type in your username & password, click the Sign-in button and then insert the USB key. The lights will blink on the device, you need to tap it once and it will instantly log you into the account. Internally, the key generates the codes that are sent to Google servers and you are logged in.
The USB security keys require no software and they are compatible with Windows, Mac, Chrome OS and Linux computers. They need no batteries, they are tiny like a regular USB thumb drive but also rigid. You can also associate multiple Google Accounts with the same USB key which can be a huge timesaver for some users.
USB Security Keys make 2-factor authentication painless but you can only use them inside Google Chrome on desktop and laptop computers. You’ll still have to rely on SMS messages, or the authenticator app, for logging into Google on your mobile phones or in browsers like Firefox and Opera (download video).

There’s another option that makes the process of logging into a 2-factor enabled account Google less cumbersome. Instead of generating the verification codes on a mobile phone, you can use a hardware based authenticator that can be inserted into a USB port on your computer and you’ll be signed-in automatically without having to hand-type the digits.
The option works for both Google and Google Apps accounts and you don’t even need the mobile phone – watch video demo.
Google 2-factor Authentication Simplified
I am using the least-expensive Yubico key though there are more options to choose from. The first stop is to associate the USB security key with your Google Account. Go to myaccount.google.com, click on 2-step verification and then switch to the Security Keys tab. Here click the Register Device button and then insert the USB key into the computer to attach it to your account.Once registered, you can use your USB security key to log into your Google Account from any other desktop or laptop computer without requiring the mobile phone. Simply open the Google login page, type in your username & password, click the Sign-in button and then insert the USB key. The lights will blink on the device, you need to tap it once and it will instantly log you into the account. Internally, the key generates the codes that are sent to Google servers and you are logged in.
The USB security keys require no software and they are compatible with Windows, Mac, Chrome OS and Linux computers. They need no batteries, they are tiny like a regular USB thumb drive but also rigid. You can also associate multiple Google Accounts with the same USB key which can be a huge timesaver for some users.
USB Security Keys make 2-factor authentication painless but you can only use them inside Google Chrome on desktop and laptop computers. You’ll still have to rely on SMS messages, or the authenticator app, for logging into Google on your mobile phones or in browsers like Firefox and Opera (download video).
Home — How-to Guides — Google — security
Amit Agarwal is a web geek and founder of Digital Inspiration, a popular tech & how-to website since 2004. He loves building web apps and has also written for the Wall Street Journal & Lifehacker. Sign-up for the email newsletter for your daily dose of tech tips & tutorials. Email: amit@labnol.org