PureVpn Review

PureVPN allows you to securely browse the web with anonymity. PureVPN has several benefits, like dedicated streaming, secure hotspot transmission, IP address masking and Wi-Fi security. You also have the ability to logon to servers in several countries. You are able to logon to a total of 5 simultaneous devices. In addition, you can switch to a new server on any device at any time.

Currently (2016), 1 month of service is $9.95, there is also an option to select service for 1 year or 6 months. In keeping with anonymity, the service allows you to pay with BitPay or gift cards from major retailers. However, there is an additional charge added to gift cards payments, to which I could not find the specifics. There was no way to obtain the total amount until after entering the gift card information. After you enter your gift card information, then you will magically receive a final total on the checkout page. Next, submit your payment. Since Pure VPN is a Hong Kong based company, if you pay with a credit card or via Pay Pal, your purchase will be subject to a foreign transaction fee. I did not try any other methods of payment.

Although device support is limited, you can also configure PureVpn on your router. However all routers are not supported, so check the site support for more info. I read reviews of users in China not being able to fully obtain anonymity, because access to certain websites were still inaccessible. I experienced no such issues. When I verified my IP address on a handful of sites it remained hidden.

Install and setup time was around 5 minutes. The service was very easy to use and exactly what it claimed: secure, reliable with a reasonable connection speed. I used the service to optimize my bandwidth for media streaming. They offer the option to choose an optimal server, in order to best meet your needs. I did not notice a significant lack of speed between servers and video transmission was great. I also liked the fact that your ISP cant throttle your download speed based on caps because of anonymity. So check it out at purevpn.com.

Boot to CD Fix on HP x64bit - UEFI PC

My Windows 10 PC would not go into restore or repair mode. So I decided to reinstall the OS. I had a repair disc for Windows 10 and a Windows 10 system image. Neither of them worked. Every time I attempted an install, repair or restore, the computer would restart normally.

I searched the Internet and the findings were roundabout, because instructions differed depending on the model of computer. I determined that how your primary disc is partitioned, governs whether you boot into BIOS or UEFI. The Microsoft article, “Boot to UEFI or Legacy Mode”¹ explained that if your hard drive is GPT you should boot using UEFI. In contrast, if your hard drive is partitioned to use MBR you should use BIOS. Choosing the wrong option could cause installation or boot failures.  I also found some posts of users that experienced issues with Secure Boot and installation. Secure boot protects your computer from manipulation by allowing only trusted software to load at startup.

So I began to troubleshoot the Secure Boot scenario. First, I disabled Secure Boot and enabled Legacy Support, however my installation failed. Next, I disabled Secure Boot, enabled Legacy Support then booted into UEFI. However my installation failed. Finally, I enabled Secure Boot, disabled Legacy Support, restarted and booted directly into UEFI using the F9 button. I knew I was successful when I got press any key to boot screen.

So if you are experiencing issues booting to a CD, first determine if you are booting to UEFI or BIOS.  The “Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy Bios Mode”² article has the best set of instructions I found to change the boot mode. Since the function key varies depending on your model, you’ll either have to guess or consult your manufacturer’s website for more information.

  

1https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825112.aspx

2 https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825112.aspx