Laptop locking software: Best tools for theft protection

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic
Keeping your laptop safe from unauthorized access is quite important. There are several ways to do that, but one of the best ways is to use a laptop locker software. There are many applications that can lock your laptop and keep it safe from unauthorized access, and today we’re going to show you the very best options currently available on the market.

What is the best laptop locker software for your PC?

Windows Shutdown Assistant

Windows Shutdown Assistant Apowersoft

Windows Shutdown Assistant is not your ordinary laptop security lock software. Of course, it can shut down your PC when it enters idle mode or when you set it to, but it can also turn it off in case of excessive CPU usage or low battery.

Besides, this tool is highly versatile and seamlessly works with all Windows OS from Vista or XP (a rare commodity these days!) to the latest v2004 of Windows 10.

You can use Windows Shutdown Assistant to schedule tasks, perform specified actions like opening files and URLs, and even launch programs automatically.

Speaking about tasks, you can use this robust software for more than just scheduling Windows shutdown time.

You can also set it to log off, restart, power on, or hibernate your computer and it even notifies you via a pop-up countdown window before carrying out the tasks.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Password-lock your PC to secure files and data
  • Break Reminder software (edit prompting words and sentences, use images with colors or sounds)
  • Automatically turns off your PC in different scenarios
  • Lock, restart, hibernate and log off computer at a specific time
  • Run and stop programs on schedule
  • Set reminders et generate notes
  • Full compatibility with Windows running devices, all versions
Windows Shutdown Assistant

Windows Shutdown Assistant

The Apowersoft-powered Shutdown Assistant is your trusted Windows guardian.
$19.95 Buy now

Chris PC-Lock

laptop locker software

This simple application will lock your desktop, prevent unauthorized users from accessing your PC, block all keyboard shortcuts, Task Manager, and even the Windows Key, so there’s no way to close the login screen.

The application has a built-in timer that you can configure and set your PC to lock itself after a certain time period. Of course, you can assign a keyboard shortcut and use it to instantly lock your PC if you want.

Chris PC-Lock will create an icon in your tray bar allowing you to easily lock your PC with just a couple of clicks. You can even hide the tray icon and make your PC lockable only by using the keyboard shortcut.

As for the lock screen, you can customize it with various wallpapers or slideshows, and you can even use your own pictures or make the screen wallpaper transparent.

Chris PC-Lock is a simple application, with humble features and a humble user interface. Unfortunately, the application isn’t free, but it comes with a trial period of 21 days.

Chris PC-Lock

Chris PC-Lock

Block fast the access to your PC and secure your work with Chris PC-Lock!
Trial Try now

Keep your protection on 24/7 – Here’s how to password lock .exe files.

Lock My PC 4

 

Lock My PC 4

Another solid laptop locker software that we want to show you is Lock My PC 4. This application is available in two versions, Free and Business, and the two share many features.

The first feature is the keyboard lock that will prevent unauthorized users from using your PC. The application also allows you to lock your PC with a hotkey, or by clicking the lock icon.

Of course, the auto-lock feature is also available if your PC has been idle for some time. The app can also lock your PC right after user login or after startup.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Lock your DVD drive (prevent users to insert any discs and try to unlock the PC)
  •  Works with multiple monitors
  • App self-protected by a password so users won’t be able to change settings or quit
  • Supports command line settings (useful to advanced users)
  • Customization options (custom lock screens, screen saving effects, slideshows, and transparency)

Overall, Lock My PC 4 is solid laptop locker software. The Free version is solid if you want to protect your PC from less tech-savvy users, but if you want full protection, you’ll have to purchase the Business version.

Lock My PC 4

Lock My PC 4

Lock your PC and unlock peace of mind with Lock My PC 4!
Free Try now

Predator

 

windows boot error 0xc000000f

If you’re looking for a laptop locker software that offers additional protection, then Predator might be just what you need.

Unlike previous entries on our list, this application requires a USB flash drive in order to work, and as long as the USB device is connected to your PC, your PC will be unlocked.

As soon as you remove your flash drive, the screen will go dark and your keyboard and mouse will become disabled. There are two versions available: Home and Professional.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Protects several PCs with the same USB flash drive and works with multiple user accounts
  • Detailed logs plus an alarm feature that will activate after an unsuccessful login attempt
  • Can even disable CD/DVD autorun
  • Integrated scheduler feature (to limit computer usage easily)
  • Safe Mode protection feature (to prevent users from accessing your PC in Safe Mode)

Predator is a great laptop locker software and all you need to use it is a spare USB flash drive.

The application is available for a free trial, but since the price difference between Home and Professional versions is almost negligible, we recommend you to go pro for maximum protection.

⇒ Download Predator Professional Edition

Desktop Lock

laptop locker software

Another laptop locker software that we want to show you is Desktop Lock. This application will completely lock your system and block your keyboard and mouse making unauthorized users unable to use your PC at all.

It’s worth mentioning that this application can’t be stopped in Task Manager, so there’s no way to disable it, except for entering the correct password or keyboard shortcut.

The tool allows you to lock your PC while keeping a single application open. For example, you can lock your PC with your media player open, and users won’t be able to use any other application except the media player.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Open programs and documents in read-only mode
  • Lock screen customization options (show your screensaver, your desktop, picture, or even a video or audio file)
  • Scheduling feature that allows you to lock your PC at a specific time automatically
  • Unlock your PC using a password/keyboard shortcut/sequence of mouse clicks/USB flash drive

⇒ Download Desktop Lock

Check out these best email privacy software to keep your correspondence confidential.

Laptop locker software can easily protect your PC from unauthorized access, but additional features might also help you make up your mind in one direction or another.

Which tool on this list works best for you? Do share your thoughts via the comments section below.

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What is port forwarding: is it safe? How to forward ports?

Posted on by Vlad Constantinescu

Port forwarding can be a great tool in the right hands, as it can unblock your private home network in a broad variety of ways. Using this technique, you can enable external access to your network devices.

However, it can be risky if you don’t know what you’re doing. Therefore, you’ll need to understand three things: what is port forwarding, is it safe, and how to perform this operation without jeopardizing your network. We’ll tell you all about it.

What is port forwarding?

The explanation is quite technical, but we’ll try to simplify it. If you access the Internet through a router on your network, you will need to forward ports so that external traffic could access your network.

For instance, if you want to host a public game server, you will need to open some ports on your network, so that other players (clients) that are not on your LAN (Local Area Network) can connect to it.

Since your router is configured by default not to allow any external connections, you will need to perform these operations manually. Your router acts as a firewall and only permits access to a few services.

Essentially, port forwarding is enabling external devices to connect to a certain device or service within a private LAN.

Is port forwarding safe?

The short answer is yes; port forwarding is not inherently unsafe. The safety of this procedure depends on a variety of factors. For instance, if you run a service that’s out of support and has a lot of unpatched vulnerabilities, then you’re putting your PC and network at risk.

On the other hand, if you just want to host a public game server, you should be fine. However, you should make sure that there’s no other software/service that acquires the ports you previously assigned whenever the game server is not up and running.

You can increase your security by setting up restrictions. For example, you can limit traffic by country or even by IP address (whitelisting). Additionally, it would be good practice to limit bandwidth, so that you don’t receive DDoS attacks.

The bottom line is that port forwarding is not inherently unsafe as long as you’re careful about what you run through those ports. Last, but not least, one of the safest practices would be closing the port whenever you’re not using it.

Assuming that you know what you’re doing and the risks involved, let’s see how to open ports on your router. Performing this operation is different from one router to another.

For obvious reasons, we won’t show you how to do this on every router. Instead, we’ll give you the know-how, so you can manage in any given situation, with any router.

It’s worth mentioning that we’ll be using a TP-Link router in our demonstration.

How to port forward?

  1. Log into your router by using your default gateway address
  2. Type your credentials (usually located at the bottom of your router)Login TP-Link router
  3. Click the Advanced tabAdvanced tab TP-Link router
  4. Access the Virtual Servers option from the NAT Forwarding menuVirtual servers menu TP-Link
  5. Click the Add button
  6. Customize the Service Type field (choose a name for the service)
  7. Enter the port you want to open in the External Port field
  8. Type the Internal IP and Port in the fields (for the device or service you want to access externally)
  9. Select the protocol (TCP/UDP) from the combo menu or choose ALL if you’re unsure
  10. Click the Save buttonHow to port forward TP-Link

Can’t forward ports because of a double NAT situation? Our extensive guide will teach you how to fix it quickly.

That’s it. If you want to test if you’ve done everything correctly, you can use the PortCheckTool website. Type your desired port in the field and hit the check button.

VPN port forwarding

Many users rely on VPNs to maintain their network security and online privacy. In time, users wanted a way to perform port forwarding while using a VPN, so a few providers have implemented this feature in their services.

For instance, PIA is one of the best VPN providers that has native support for dynamic port forwarding. It has passed all of our security, speed and flexibility tests with flying colors.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access

Your VPN doesn't allow you to forward ports? PIA supports dynamic port forwarding and is easy to set up.
$2.85/mo. Buy it now

Performing this operation through VPNs can come in very handy in some cases. For instance, it can help increase torrent download/upload speed values and multimedia streaming speeds.

Additionally, you can use it to access your PC remotely when you’re not physically around it.

Default router credentials

Router brandDefault router IP addressDefault router usernameDefault router password
3Comhttps://192.168.1.1adminAdmin
Belkinhttps://192.168.2.1admin admin
D-Linkhttps://192.168.0.1adminAdmin
Linksyshttps://192.168.1.1adminAdmin
Netgearhttps://192.168.0.1adminpassword
Netstarhttps://192.168.0.1adminpassword
Asushttps://192.168.1.1adminadmin
Synologyhttps://192.168.1.1adminAdmin
TP-Linkhttps://192.168.0.1adminadmin
TENDAhttps://192.168.0.1adminadmin

Safe and useful operation if done right

To sum it up, if you want to make a local service/device accessible from outside your network, port forwarding is usually the answer. It’s not risky as long as the service you run on that port is safe.

How to forward ports highly depends on the model and brand of your router. Some devices might use different names for this operation. For instance, TP-Link uses Virtual Servers.

You can even forward ports while using a VPN, but for that, you’ll need a port-forwarding-friendly VPN.

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Windows 10/11 64-bit closer to ARM

Posted on by Claudiu Andone
Originally, Windows 10 (not the mobile version) could run only on PCs that were powered by x86 and x64 processors. From 2018, Windows 10 desktop could run on machines that are powered by ARM64 processors with the Fall Creators Update or newer.

Microsoft will bring 64-bit code to ARM devices

Well, now it seems like Windows 10 is going to take another step in the ARM lore. Recently, we have been provided with evidence to suggest that Microsoft is close to enabling the execution of Windows 10 64-bit code on ARM laptops.
Right now, ARM laptops use the WoW emulator for running Win32 code on x64 computers to run Win32 code on ARM64 code. It’s a way to go around the fact that 64bit Windows applications are not supported on Windows 10 ARM laptops.

ARM64EC will emulate on ARM64 machines

M_ARM64EC

The evidence explicitly mentions support for x64 code emulation on ARM64 from a recent GitHub commit.

It seems like the architecture will be named ARM64EC, for x64_64 on ARM64 machine types. The commit was made by Kenny Kerr, Engineer on the Windows team at Microsoft.

Although the name can be changed ten times before release and we don’t have even an approximate launch date, this is great news for ARM computers, low voltage computing in general, and, why not, Windows 10 to be adopted in full swing even on low powered devices.

Drop us a line in the comments if you have any significant insights.

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Raspberry Pi audio jack not working? Try these fixes

Posted on by Vlad Turiceanu

Raspberry Pi users all over the world complain about the same problem. They cannot get the sound to come out of their device.

To be more precise, the Raspberry Pi audio jack is simply not working. Some of them run Ubuntu MATE and tried to listen to online radio stations.

The proper sound items are installed, but no sound ever comes out of the phone jack. Others have upgraded their Raspberry Pi and they can no longer play audio either.

One case or another, we’ll show you how to bypass this issue in no time.

What can I do if Raspberry Pi audio jack is not working?

1. Try out some other jack plugs

try out other jack plugs

First of all, don’t hesitate to try enjoying Raspberry Pi audio with some other jack plugs. Many users describe theirs as being a bit shorter.

Therefore, the contact isn’t always closed perfectly at the right point. After a couple of tries, they’ve managed to find one that works with no issues.

2. Run a helpful test code

Raspberry Pi audio jack is not working test code

You’ll definitely like this part if you’re tech-savvy. Plenty of Raspberry Pi users claim that they were able to solve the problem by running this quick test code:

$ cd /opt/vc/src/hello_pi/
$ ./rebuild.sh 
$ cd hello_audio
$ ./hello_audio.bin

There’s though a major downside to consider. This helps you get audio out of the 3.5mm jack, but you cannot play any WAV files from your Raspberry Pi.

3. Overwrite dtoverlay

try to overwrite dtoverlay

The Raspberry Pi audio driver most likely changed when upgrading to a different OS and that prevents playing audio through the headphone jack.

However, if you use the resin dashboard, there’s a quick tip you may apply. For that, go to the section called Device Configuration.

While there, modify the existing RESIN_HOST_CONFIG_dtoverlay variable to vc4-fkms-v3d. This should make the audio work again.

4. Update your Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi

Chances are the software you are running on your device contains more bugs that affect the desired functionality.

That’s why you shouldn’t postpone the inevitable. Upgrade all your Raspberry Pi installed packages to their latest versions and correct the audio jack error with ease.

Have you successfully applied the above solutions for the Raspberry Pi audio jack not working? Let us know which one worked for you in the comments area below.

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Driver updates will no longer cause compatibility issues

Posted on by Claudiu Andone

Unfortunately, drivers are one of the top causes of problems, even if you installed them through a Windows Update. Some number of driver issues interfered with the installation of major feature updates in 2019 but that can be expected as Microsoft needs to work with so many manufacturers and devices.

No more drivers compatibility issues in Windows 10

However, this isn’t an implacable issue, and Microsoft has been working on changes to avoid situations when a driver update causes compatibility issues.

The Optional Updates screen from to Windows Update was a big step and another idea was that hardware manufacturers would able to block updates when incompatible drivers when you try to install incompatible updates.

Analyzing cohorts might be a solution

For those who are not familiar with the term, cohorts are basically insiders and everyone who offers feedback.

Well, Microsoft says that they will evaluate better the quality and reliability of a Windows 10 driver update by analyzing the data coming from cohorts. In this case, the cohorts refer to a set of systems and devices that share the same targeting attributes including HWID, CHID, and OS version.

This way, Microsoft will be able to identify any driver that fails to meet the requirements.

In the reverse method, if a driver causes problems, they will be able to find out which are the affected devices. The final measure will be to block the problematic driver update only for the affected devices, judging by their hardware ID, revisions, and OS version of Windows 10.

Looking forward, during that period, Windows 10 will not offer the drivers to any PC with the known incompatibility, thus protecting them.

Other data sources for measures

Microsoft says that the measures will incorporate data from machines running in two distinct customer groups: Windows Insider Program (WIP) and Retail.

The reasons are somehow obvious. The WIP data comes from users who willingly want to provide this data with increased levels of detail and the retail data is collected from the general Windows ecosystem and allows Microsoft to monitor the quality issues on released drivers right away.

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FIX: Arduino was not declared in this scope error

Posted on by Vlad Turiceanu

Arduino users often face the same error – was not declared in this scope – when trying a code they’ve made.

Let us help you out if you happen to be new to Arduino coding as well. When you get this annoying error while compiling your code, there are a few quick fixes to apply.

How can I fix Arduino error was not declared in this scope?

1. Always declare a variable before assigning a value to it

remember to declare a variable

Are you seeing the number was not declared in this scope error? Then, the problem most likely resides in not declaring the number variable to begin with.

A variable in Arduino is a place to store a piece of data, with a name, a value, and a type. Most people tend to use the variable number in their loop function.

However, they need to define a variable before they use it elsewhere.

2. Make sure the loop is not missing its closing brace

was not declared in this scope

If the same error keeps coming up even after creating a variable and giving it a value, pay more attention to the little things.

Even without a simple accolade, the compiler gets mixed signals since the loop is not closed and may give you these errors in return.

Things are no different for extra semicolons or functions that are not defined properly.

3. Comment the Serial1 if you use Arduino Uno

using Arduino Uno

In case of getting the Serial1 was not declared in this scope error, chances are your Arduino has no Serial1.

Assuming that you use Arduino Uno, you need to comment the Serial1 and un-comment the SoftwareSerial part in order to solve the problem.

Have you tried to apply the above tricks? Let us know if they proved to be helpful in solving the Arduino error was not declared in this scope.

If you know any other working solutions, feel free to share them by using the comments area below.

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Hackers can now grab your personal info through PNG files

Posted on by Claudiu Andone

If you’re more than a vampire and you avoid even the excessive light coming from your computer screen, you’re probably using a dark theme.

The Dark Reader extension is a pretty popular dark theme extension for your browser. However, extensions can sometimes be more than you bargained for.

How can I avoid malware extensions?

The latest period was all about keeping yourself safe from a pouring onslaught of malware attacks.

In this rush storm, the developer of Dark Reader recently found out that copycat extensions made their appearance on the Microsoft Store and Mozilla AMO.

He took the matter seriously and analyzed the extensions that proved to be infected with malware.

The wrongdoers included malicious code that was hidden inside a png file. According to his own blog post:

A malicious code was hidden and encoded in a *.png file. In 5 days it downloaded and executed another code, that was collecting data from web pages using fake forms, and later sent this data to a remote server.

Of course, he solved the problem by contacting Microsoft who took down the extensions from its Extensions Store.

If you have the new Edge browser and you installed the extension prior to this fix, you should see it flagged when you try to open the list of installed extensions in the Microsoft browser.

this extension contains malware

You’re going to see a warning saying that This extension contains malware.

How can I stay away from potentially harmful extensions?

The developer also includes a list of things you should do to stay safe from malware extensions.

Using extensions made by Trusted Companies or using recommended Extensions for Firefox are among his top recommendations.

Other solutions to stay safe also include using open-source extensions or paid ones.

Of course, if you want to make sure that your personal data remains untouched, you can always check the extension’s name manually, read the reviews for each of them, and always protect your accounts.

However, to add another layer of security to your PC you can always count on anti-malware tools. Check out this handy list to find the best ones on the market right now.

If you have any questions or suggestions, make sure you write us a line in the comments section below.

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Microsoft Teams is getting suggested replies and contextual search features

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft is working on suggested replies and contextual search for Microsoft Teams, two new features that should help you save a little bit of time and effort. According to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap document, the contextual search is timed for roll out beginning in June, and suggested replies to follow late in the fourth quarter.

With contextual search, Microsoft Teams will be able to anticipate what you really want to search on a channel or chat, which should eliminate the need to go through multiple pages of search results as people currently do. “Users will now have the ability to search for content in a specific channel or chat by pressing CTRL + F,” the company explained on the Microsoft 365 roadmap.

Suggested replies is the other new feature coming to Microsoft Teams later this year. With this feature, Microsoft Teams will provide three related options for select messages that can be addressed with a short response. Users will be able to quickly respond to a particular message simply by tapping on a suggested reply. In case you missed it, we remind you that Outlook on the web is also getting a similar “Suggested replies” feature, so it’s nice to see Microsoft finally adding it to its Teams collaboration app too.

Do you think that contextual search and suggested replies can be pretty handy to improve your productivity? Let us know in the comments down below.

FedEx partners with Microsoft to bring FedEx Surround shipment tracking to businesses

Posted on by davew

FedEx is partnering with Microsoft to share FedEx Surround shipment tracking with other organizations with the help of Microsoft Azure and Dynamics 365. FedEx Surround was the product of the collaboration between FedEx and Microsoft.

As noted in a press release, FedEx Surround is a new platform designed for any enterprise organization to visualize their supply chain digitally. Organizations can utilize FedEx Surround by leveraging its own inventory data to provide real-time inventory tracking and logistics management.

In this video, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and FedEx Chairman and CEO Frederick W. Smith explain how Microsoft and FedEx worked together to create FedEx Surround.


Microsoft and FedEx hope to be able to offer Dynamics 365 subscribers early access in the next few months and the general availability of FedEx Surround rolling out in Summer 2020. Microsoft and FedEx plan to announce additional products as part of their collaboration to help organizations offer customers more integrated ways to shop. Stay tuned.

How to get iMessage on Windows 10

Posted on by Teodor Nechita

Apple fans out there know by heart what iMessage is. For those that have been die-hard Windows users from the dawn of time, suffice it to know that it is an instant messaging service developed by Apple Inc.

The service has been available for years now, and it is supported by the Messages application in iOS 5 and later and OS X Mountain Lion and later.

Many users love the design of the product and the way it handles messaging, so it goes without saying that many have attempted to bring it to Windows 10 as well.

These attempts come in the form of browser extensions that access web services or using emulators. However, these came with their own share of limitations.

Zen, the iMessage client for Windows 10

Zen is the first cross-platform, amnesic-secure iMessage client and server for Windows 10 will soon be available for Windows 10 users.

The developers described the program as:

[…] the server, Zen Bridge, runs perfectly on old, outdated Apple laptops and Mac Minis collecting dust. For a more ‘cloud’ approach, we’ve also had success with visualized Macs running on genuine Apple servers (which would not break Apple’s TOS, your iCloud will happily sign into it). Some VPS providers offer this for as low as $12 a month

As you can see for yourself, the selling point of this new client and the server support that comes with it is the extremely low cost. This comes from both low-maintenance costs and the fact that you can even run it on otherwise dated hardware.

Developers were kind enough to share some screenshots of the app, and it looks extremely lean and minimalist, in keeping with iMessage’s traditional design.

zen imessage

Additionally, everyone is free to visit their website and test out the product, as well as see it developed.

Some users expect a backlash from Apple

Unfortunately, not everyone is as enthusiastic, as some Reddit users believe that Apple will soon shut down the product:

Sadly, probably going to be shut down by Apple, just like every product of similar nature.

This is mostly because Apple has a history of shutting down any project that seems derivative of Apple’s own work. Whichever the case, the idea is bold.

More so, the fact that it is available to users of all major OSes gives it great potential and availability.

If you want to know more about Zen and would like us to cover its development, leave us a message in the comments section below.

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Need background images for your Microsoft Teams meeting? Try this Nintendo collection featuring Animal Crossing and more

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Nintendo has recently released a bunch of background options on its official site. The video game company is trying to add fun to your personal or professional video calls with virtual backgrounds from its iconic game series like Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, Super Mario, Pokemon, Splatoon, Super Smash Bros, Xenoblade Chronicles, Fire Emblem and more. Thanks to this collection of backgrounds, you can enjoy an eternal vibe of Nintendo games even during Microsoft Teams meetings.

If your organization uses Microsoft Teams as a go-to tool for daily meetings or remote work, download these virtual backdrops to bring these popular Nintendo games to your next meeting:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal crossing Microsoft Teams backgrounds

These Animal Crossing backgrounds allow you to enjoy your favorite game even when you are chatting with colleagues. The Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans would be pretty much excited to see you delivering your weekly presentations each morning from the town square and Resident Services tent. Then there are more backdrops where some characters in Timmy and Tommy or Nook costumes will welcome your team.

ARMS

ARMS Microsoft Teams backgrounds

Similarly, the ARMS collection released by Nintendo contains both location-based and character-focused options. A character-focused background features Mechanica, Master Mummy, Ninjara, Ribbon Girl, and Spring Man. Whereas, the locations based options include two scenes from Spring Man’s Spring Stadium.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Fire Emblem Microsoft Teams backgrounds

With this collection of Microsoft Teams backgrounds, Nintendo has focused on the Garreg Mach along with some major characters from the game. For those unfamiliar, Garreg Mach is basically the monastery that is used as the headquarter of players. First, we have a virtual background that features Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, along with both Byleth’s versions. There is another one with Sothis appearing on the title screen of the game.

Kirby Star Allies

Kirb Microsoft Teams

The Kirby Star Allies backdrops will likely take you to the world of his potential allies such as Taranza, Marx, and Magolor. Some other background images tend to show off the group attacking Whispy Woods.

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Luigi mansion Microsoft Teams backgrounds

The Luigi’s Mansion 3 virtual backgrounds make you land on The Last Resort during Teams meetings. The collection contains the cover art image featuring Gooigi and Luigi. In addition, you will find more showing Luigi in its lobby, Polterpup in the portable laboratory of E. Gadd, and the outside of the hotel.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legends of Zelda Super Microsoft Teams backgrounds

This virtual Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild background will definitely force your colleagues to think that you just found Master Sword. Moreover, the three other options touch official art.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario kart Microsoft Teams backgrounds

You can find different iconic tracks including Mario Kart Stadium, Mario Circuit, Rainbow Road from these Mario Kart 8 Deluxe backgrounds. Moreover, people will see you getting your self prepared before the final race in the garage area image.

Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee

Pokémon Microsoft Teams backgrounds

Nintendo has released an array of Pokemon images that can be used when talking to your friends and colleagues online. Two of these images are specifically inspired by title characters from the Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! game. While others bring a glimpse of the stadium and the Wild Area.

Splatoon 2

Splatoon Microsoft Teams backgrounds

Nintendo has got a little creative with the Splatoon 2 background options. You can see an array of in-universe logos, cover art inspired image, and Off the Hook’s studio. With the last one, you can appear in your Microsoft Teams meetings right from the DJ Octavio’s booth.

Super Mario Maker 2

Super Mario Maker 2 Microsoft Teams backgrounds

The selection of Super Mario Maker 2 background images will take you and your coworkers to the world of Super Mario. Give your colleagues an announcement from the Super Mario world with this set of official wallpapers.

Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Microsoft Teams backgrounds

Use these Super Mario Odyssey if you want to make people think like you are visiting various kingdoms. They would love to have a conversation with someone virtually appearing from the Luncheon Kingdom, Metro Kingdom, Wooded Kingdom, or the Sand Kingdom.

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition & Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Xenoblade 2 Microsoft Teams backgrounds

For those who are missing the landscape, there are four unique backdrops from both Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This collection of Microsoft Teams background images offers the scenic landscapes to bring a fresh coat of paint on the plain wall behind you.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Super Smash Bros Microsoft Teams backgrounds

Finally, the collection for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is comparatively subtle than other options on our listing. Two of them feature the Smash logo, while the rest of the backgrounds will take you to the Battlefield stage and Final Destination.

To use these virtual backgrounds in Microsoft Teams, we invite you to check out our official guides on how to upload custom Teams backgrounds on Windows and macOS.  To spice things up a bit. consider mixing things up with virtual backdrops from Michael Gillett’s Wallpaper.hub, Xbox video game backgrounds, or these from Star Wars, the Simpsons, and more.

Windows 10/11 installation error 0x800700d [Easy Solutions]

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Although upgrading to Windows 10 might not seem like a hard task to complete, many users reported issues through the process.

Windows 10 error 0x800700d is the cause of users not being able to use their OS. The error occurs while upgrading Windows, or when trying to activate the OS.

To fix this issue, we’ll offer you a series of fixes that you can try out. These fixes that should allow you to use the upgraded Windows version without any problems.

How can I fix Windows 10 error 0x800700d?

  1. Run Windows Update troubleshooter
  2. Run System File Checker
  3. Try the DISM tool
  4. Change the language settings
  5. Clear the SoftwareDistribution folder
  6. Use Group Policy Editor

1. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

The first thing that we recommend is trying to run the Windows Update troubleshooter. This simple task is performed by doing the following steps:

  • Press the Start button, type troubleshoot in the search bar and hit the Enter button on the keyboard
  • Look for Windows Update and click Run the troubleshooterwindows update troubleshooter

After completing this task, try updating Windows again.

2. Run System File Checker

Running the System File Checker requires you to do the following steps:

  • Open Command Prompt by typing cmd in the Windows search bar and hit Enter
  • Right click on the first result and choose Run as administrator 
  • Next, you will need to input the following command and then hit Enter:
    • sfc /scannowsfc scannow
  • Restart your computer after finishing this process

3. Try the DISM tool

Open the Command Prompt, as described earlier, using the administrator rights.

Enter the commands listed below, hitting Enter after each one:

  • DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
  • DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

4. Change the language settings

The OS language and the keyboard language need to be in sync. To make sure that this is the case, you need to go to the Control Panel and click Language.add language keyboard layout windows 10

If the languages do not match, make sure to adjust them accordingly and apply the new changes.

5. Clear the SoftwareDistribution folder

Clearing the SoftwareDistribution folder requires you to do the following:

  • Open the Command Prompt
  • Type in services.msc and press Enter
  • Next you have to right-click the Windows Update Service and then press Stop
  • Delete all the files and folders in the WindowsSoftwareDistribution directorywindows 10 SoftwareDistribution folder
  • After completing all these steps you can start the Windows Service Update and try to update again

6. Use Group Policy Editor

Using the Group Policy Editor requires you to open the Run box, by pressing the Windows button + R on the keyboard

  • Type in gpedit.msc and hit Enter
  • Select Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates and then select SystemGroup Policy Editor administrative templates system
  • Next you have to double click Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair
  • Then select Enabled and Contact Windows Update directly…
  • Click OK and then restart the update

Be very careful when typing the commands in the Command Prompt. A simple mistake can bring a whole different outcome.

We hope our solutions helped you out. If you have any suggestions or ideas, leave them in the comment section below.

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Windows Network Discovery not Showing all Computers

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

In the Windows operating system, Network Discovery is a network setting that lets you set the communication between connected devices and systems on your network – so you decide whether or not this is allowed.

When enabled, it becomes easier to share files and printers and connect through a private network. In this article, we will show you how to fix Network Discovery if it’s not showing all the computers.

Why can’t I see all the computers in Network Discovery?

If your computer cannot view other devices on your network, it could be caused by a few issues listed below:

  • Network Discovery is turned off – This feature must be activated if you want to see another computer on the network.
  • Incorrect network profile – If the computer doesn’t set up the necessary network profile, you will stumble across this issue in Network Discovery.
  • The computer is not active – If you are looking for a computer that is not turned on or not accessible, you won’t be able to see it within the network.

To resolve the problem, try the solutions listed below.

What can I do if Network Discovery is turned off in Windows 10?

1. Enable Network discovery

  1. Click Start and select Settings
  2. Click Network and Internet.
  3. Click Wi-Fi or Ethernet from the left panel, depending on the connection you’re using.
  4. Find the Change Advanced Sharing option.
  5. Click to expand Private (Current Profile) network.
  6. Go to Network Discovery section and select Turn on network discovery.
  7. Check the Turn on automatic setup of network connected devices box.
  8. Click Save Changes and exit the window.

2. Activate the dependency services

  1. Press the Windows + R key combination to start the Run console.
  2. Type services.msc and press Enter to open Services Manager.
  3. Check if each of the four services is started, and set them to automatic

Check that dependency services such as DNS Client, Function Discovery Resource Publication, SSDP Discovery, and UPnP Device Host are started.

3. Configure the firewall settings

  1. Click Start, type control panel, and select Control Panel from the results.
  2. Select System and Security.
  3. Click Windows Firewall.
  4. Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall on the left panel (or Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall).
  5. Click Change settings and give required admin permissions if requested to.
  6. Click Network Discovery then OK.
  7. Configure any other firewalls on your Windows 10 computer to allow Network Discovery.
  8. Turn on Network Discovery from the Network and Sharing Center.

You can’t open Control Panel? Take a look at this step-by-step guide to find a solution.

4. Use Command Prompt to turn Network Discovery on

  1. Click Start and type cmd in the search bar and open Command Prompt as an administrator.
  2. In the elevated command prompt, type the following command and press Enter to run it: netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=Yes
  3. To turn off Network Discovery for all your network profiles, go back to the elevated command prompt, type the following command, and press Enter: netsh advfirewall firewall set rule group="Network Discovery" new enable=No

Did any of these solutions help? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also, leave any other questions or suggestions, and we will surely check them out.

An error occurred while partitioning the disk in Boot Camp [SAFE FIX]

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Many Mac OS users try to install Windows 10 on their computer by using a tool called Boot Camp. Although running Windows 10 with Boot Camp is relatively simple, sometimes certain errors can occur.

One error that users reported is An error occurred while partitioning the disk, and today we’re going to show you how to fix it.

But first, here are some more issues you can resolve with the same solutions as presented below:

  • Boot Camp an error occurred while partitioning the disk High Sierra – Users have reported that this issue usually occurs in Mac OS High Sierra.
  • Your disk could not be partitioned an error occurred while partitioning the disk – This is another partitioning disk error message you may encounter.
  • Boot Camp partition error – You can resolve most Boot Camp partitioning errors with the following solutions.

We’ve written extensively about Boot Camp issues before. Bookmark this page in case you need it later.

Steps to fix disk partitioning errors on PC

Table of contents:

  1. Turn off FileVault
  2. Repair your disk
  3. Restore your Mac from a backup
  4. Perform a complete reinstall

Fix – An error occurred while partitioning the disk

Solution 1 – Turn off FileVault

FileVault is a useful feature that encrypts your hard drive and protects your data, but this feature can sometimes interfere with Boot Camp and cause this error to appear.

To see if the FileVault is turned on, you need to go to Disk Utility and click on Macintosh HD. In the Properties, you should see Format: Encrypted Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

To disable FileVault go to System Preferences > Security and Privacy > FileVault.

Click the padlock and then disable FileVault. After disabling FileVault, you should be able to install Windows 10 by using Boot Camp without any problems.

Few users reported that FileVault was paused on their system and unable to resume for some unknown reason, therefore the only solution was to reinstall Mac OS.

FileVault not working as expected? See this quick guide to get FileVault back up and running again.

Solution 2 – Repair your disk

Users reported that this error was caused by directory problems, but you should be able to fix these problems simply by repairing your disk.

Before repairing your disk, we advise you to create a backup just in case anything goes wrong. After creating a backup, follow these steps:

  1. Launch Disk Utility by going to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
  2. In the left-hand panel select your hard drive and click Verify Disk.
  3. Disk scan will start and check your disk. Wait for the scan to complete.
  4. If there are any reported errors, click the Repair Disk button.
  5. After repairing the disk, try to start Boot Camp again.

Looking for the best backup software for Windows 10? Here are our top picks.

There’s one more way to do this. The following process is a bit more advanced, but you should be able to do it by following these steps:

  1. Start your Mac in Single User Mode. You can do that by holding Command + S during the boot process. When command line shows, enter /sbin/fsck -fy.
  2. Wait while the scan repairs your disk.
  3. After the process is completed, enter exit or reboot.
  4. After your Mac boots, go to Boot Camp and try to install Windows 10 again.

As you can see, repairing your disk is simple, but before you do it, be sure to create a backup just in case.

Users reported that the second method fixed this issue for them, but if you’re not an advanced user, use the second method only if the first one doesn’t fix your problem.

Some users are also suggesting to boot to Recovery disk by holding Command + R during the boot. Now just select Disk Utility, select your hard drive and click on Repair Disk.

After your disk is repaired, you should be able to install Windows 10 using Boot Camp.

Solution 3 – Restore your Mac from a backup

Several users are suggesting to restore your Mac from a backup and check if that fixes the problem.

To do that, boot to the Recovery partition by pressing Command + R during the boot. After entering the Recovery partition, restore your Mac and check if the problem is resolved.

Solution 4 – Perform a complete reinstall

According to users, this problem can occur if your Apple_HFS partition is transformed into Logical Volume Group. If that’s the case, you’ll have to perform a complete reinstall.

Before doing that, back up all your data and disconnect all external hard drives. After you did all that, follow these steps:

  1. Restart into Internet Recovery Mode by pressing Alt + Cmd + R. You can also access this mode by using a bootable thumb drive.
  2. After entering Internet Recovery Mode start the Terminal.
  3. Enter diskutil cs list.
  4. Look for Logical Volume Group UUID. It should be represented by an array of numbers and letters that looks like this: 832B0A5F-2C8E-4AF1-81CF-6EDFDD326105. Keep in mind that this is just an example that we used, so be sure to use Logical Volume Group UUID from your Mac and not the one that we used in our example.
  5. Enter diskutil cs delete UUID. Be sure to replace UUID with the UUID that you got in Step 4. In our example, the command would look like this: diskutil cs delete 312C0A5B-AC3E-4008-895F-6EDFDD386825. This command will delete your CoreStorage volume and Recovery HD and reformat it as HFS+ volume.
  6. Close Terminal.
  7. Choose Disk Utility and partition the internal drive. Choose 1 Partition, Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and GUID partition table. Close Disk Utility.
  8. Choose the option to Reinstall Mac OS.
  9. Download the necessary updates and upgrade your system.
  10. Now start Boot Camp and try to install Windows 10 again.

This is a drastic solution that can take a while to complete, and you should use it only if other solutions are unable to fix this problem.

Use Windows Refresh Tool to clean install Windows 10 safely!

An error occurred while partitioning the disk is one of the common errors while installing Windows 10 using Boot Camp, but in most cases, you should be able to fix it by starting your computer in Single User Mode and running /sbin/fsck -fy command.

If that solution doesn’t work, feel free to try any other solution from this article.

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Posted in Mac

5 Best VPN Router To Buy [2026 Guide]

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

In order to protect your privacy online, VPN is the best choice, but what if you want to protect your entire network? If that’s the case, the best choice would be a router that supports VPN.

There are many great routers on the market, so we compiled a list of the best routers with VPN support that you should check out.

Note icon NOTE
Deals are subject to change. Keep in mind that the price tag often varies. We recommend going to the vendor’s website to check the price. Some of the products may be out of stock by the time you’ve made your purchasing decision. So, hurry up and hit the buy button.

What are the best VPN router deals?

TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router

TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router best vpn router

This is a dual-band router, and it supports speed up to 450Mbps on 2.4GHz networks and up to 1300Mbps on 5GHz networks. The router comes with 3 external antennas and four Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Additional features include a dedicated app that is used for network setup and management.  Regarding the range, this device covers up to 2500 square feet. The device supports PPTP, L2TP, and IPSec protocols, so you’ll have no problems using it with your VPN.

Pros:

  • Dual-band device
  • Support for PPTP, L2TP, and IPSec
  • 450Mbps on 2.4GHz and 1300Mbps on 5GHz

Cons:

  • Some setup issues with multiple devices

⇒ Check price

NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R6700)

NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R6700) best vpn router

NETGEAR Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R6700) has a range of up to 1500 feet. This is a dual-band device and it offers speeds up to 450/1300 Mbps.

The device has 3 amplified antennas, and it supports Dynamic QoS, Smart Connect, Firewall, Guest Wi-Fi, and VPN.

Pros:

  • 1500 range and speeds up to 450/1300 Mbps
  • WPA2, Guest Wi-Fi access, Firewall
  • VPN
  • Easy to set up with a dedicated app

Cons:

  • Few users reported that third-party is firmware is required in order to use VPN properly

⇒ Check price

ASUS AC1900 Dual Band

ASUS AC1900 Dual Band best vpn router

ASUS AC1900 Dual Band is a dual-band router, and it offers combined speeds up to 1900Mbps. The device uses the ASUSWRT web interface, so it’s rather simple to set up and configure.

The device has four Gigabit Ethernet ports and there’s support for a VPN server with MPPE encryption.

Pros:

  • Up to 1300Mbps on 5GHz band and up to 600Mbps on 2.4GHz band
  • AirProtection feature that gives you parental control
  • VPN support

Cons:

  • Connection drops on larger networks

⇒ Check price

Linksys WRT AC3200

Linksys WRT AC3200 best vpn router

This router comes with open-source firmware so it offers advanced features to all its users. This is a dual-band device and it supports speeds up to 600Mbps on 2.4GHz and up to 2600Mbps on 5GHz networks.

WRT AC3200 has Tri-Stream 160 technology that delivers extreme Wi-Fi speed without lag. As previously mentioned, the router uses open-source software so you can easily set up a VPN, manage hotspots, and change advanced features.

Pros:

  • Open-source software that gives access to advanced features
  • 600Mbps on 2.4GHz band and up to 2600Mbps on 5GHz band

Cons:

  • Intended for advanced users

⇒ Check price

Synology RT2600ac

Synology RT2600ac best vpn

Synology RT2600ac is a great router you should consider if you’re an advanced user. This device has a range of up to 3000 square feet and it can deliver speeds of up to 2.53Gbps. VPN support is also available, with all the required protocols.

In addition, there’s a parental control feature that allows you to easily filter content.

Pros:

  • 4×4 MIMO Omni-directional high-gain dipole antenna
  • Up to 800Mbps on 2.4GHz and up to 1.73Gbps on 5GHz
  • MU-MIMO, VPN support

Cons:

  • Minor firmware issues

⇒ Check price

Protecting your privacy online is crucial, and if you want to protect all your network devices with a VPN, these are the best routers to buy.

These tools will allow you to configure a VPN in just a few simple steps. Additionally, you can use them to create a passthrough to install VPN on routers like Eero that don’t have native support.

Windows Error Message Generator to display fake error alerts

Posted on by Matthew Adams

Windows error messages (or dialog boxes) usually tell you about system errors. However, you can also set up fake error messages with and without additional software. This is how you can set up a fake error message to pull a prank in Windows.

Fake Windows 10 error message generators

1. Set up a Fake Error Dialog Box With Error Message Generator

Error Message Generator is a program that generates customized error dialog boxes. You can save the program’s ZIP file to Windows by clicking Download Error Message Generator on this page. Open the ZIP file in File Explorer, and press the Extract all button to open the window shown directly below. Then enter a path to extract the ZIP to, and press the Extract button.

Thereafter, click ErrorGen.exe in the software’s extracted folder to open the Error Message Generator window shown directly below. You can enter text for the error message in the text box on the Basics tab. The Basics tab also includes numerous icons for you to choose from. Enter button text in the Button 1, 2 and 3 text boxes.

When you’ve set up the error message, you can select Go to display the error message alongside the software’s window. Alternatively, click Hide Main Window & Go to close the program’s window and display the error message as below. However, the Error Message Generator icon remains on the taskbar.

— RELATED: Microsoft’s SetupDiag finds and fixes Windows 10 upgrade errors

2. Set up a Fake Error Message With Notepad

As the Error Message Generator icon stays on the taskbar, its fake error message might not be especially convincing. You can set up a more convincing fake error message that opens when a user clicks a disguised program shortcut without any third-party software. This is how you can set up a fake error dialog box by entering VBS script in Notepad.

  • Open Run by pressing the Windows key + R.
  • Enter Notepad in Run and click OK to open Notepad.

  • Press the Ctrl + C hotkey to copy this script: x=msgbox(“A fatal error has occurred. Please restart your computer.”,0+16,”Fatal Error”).
  • Press Ctrl + V to paste the VBS script into Notepad as below.

  • Now click File > Save as to open the window in the snapshot directly below.

  • Select All Files from the Save as type drop-down menu.
  • Enter a title for the file with .vbs at the end. You can enter any file title, but it must have the .vbs extension at the end of it.

  • Select to save the file to the Windows desktop.
  • Press the Save button.
  • Now click the VBS file on your desktop to open its fake error dialog box as in the snapshot below.

  • To adjust the error message‘s text, you can right-click the VBS and select Edit. Then you can delete the text within the quote marks and enter some alternative lines.
  • You can now turn that VBS file into a fake software shortcut by right-clicking the desktop and selecting New > Shortcut.

  • Press the Browse button, and select the VBS fake error message file.
  • Then click the Next button, and enter a genuine software package installed on your desktop or laptop as the shortcut’s title. For example, you could enter Google Chrome as the shortcut title.
  • Press the Finish button to add the new shortcut to the desktop.
  • Delete the original VBS file by right-clicking it and selecting Delete.

  • Now you’ll need to add a program icon to the VBS fake error message file to fully disguise it as a software shortcut. Open the IconArchive website shown in the snapshot directly below.

  • You can download a software icon from IconArchive by selecting it and clicking ICO.
  • Right-click the VBS file on the desktop and select Properties to open the window below.

  • Press the Change icon button on the Shortcut tab to open the window below.

  • You can select a system icon from the default System32 folder. To select a downloaded program icon, press the Browse button.
  • Select the new icon from the folder you saved it to, and click Open to add it to the VBS shortcut as shown directly below.

Now the fake error message VBS file will be fully disguised as a Windows software shortcut. The fake error dialog box will still pop up when you click the shortcut. That might fool anybody who clicks the shortcut that there’s a genuine error with the program you’ve disguised the VBS file as.

If you want to take it to the next level you can generate some BSoDs as well. Check out the guide to create a fake blue screen of death error.

So that’s how you can have a few laughs with fake error messages. All joking aside, fake error dialog boxes might also come in handy for anyone who needs to include error messages in screenshots.

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NewsGuard and Microsoft team up to make NewsGuard free for Microsoft Edge users, Bing integration

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

NewsGuard, a service that rates journalism to separate reliable journalism from those who publish false or misleading content, has announced that it has reached a new partnership with Microsoft.

As part of the new partnership, Microsoft has agreed to continue to sponsor NewsGuard’s news literacy program, which allows more than 700 libraries to provide NewsGuard to their patrons across multiple countries around the world.

This partnership benefits Microsoft Edge users. The partnership will mean that users of Microsoft’s web browser, Microsoft Edge, will be able to access NewsGuard’s ratings for free from within Microsoft Edge on mobile and desktop, avoiding the normal $2.95 per month fee that applies to other web browsers.

Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, will now receive a “real-time feed of NewsGuard data”.

Finally, departments across Microsoft will now be able to make use of and implement NewsGuard in their products and services. Some examples of projects that are underway include Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program, and those who work in Microsoft Research to fight misinformation.

New Lenovo ThinkCentre desktops and laptops with 10th Gen processors unveiled as more people work from home

Posted on by Kareem Anderson

Despite several states beginning to roll out phase one of reopening areas amid an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses are allowing its employees to choose their safest work environment and for some, that means continuing to work-from-home, fortunately, Lenovo is rolling out new ThinkPad devices to help build-out home offices or help update reopening ones.

Unveiled late last week, was the ThinkPad P-14 and P-15 laptops and updates to the ThinkCentre desktop portfolio with 10th Gen Intel Core vPro Processors.

Today, Lenovo announced the latest ThinkCentre desktop portfolio featuring a blend of powerful technologies including high-performance 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processors with optional 10th Gen Intel® Core™ vPro® processors available in selected models. Offering businesses full flexibility for their desktop needs with Tower, Small Form Factor (SFF), All-in-One (AIO), and Tiny form factors, the updated ThinkCentre M70, M80, and M90 series are designed to meet the complex computing and business continuity needs in today’s changing world. Lenovo is also updating the Tiny-in-One solution (TIO) with the 4th generation TIO22 and TIO24. These solutions offer innovative display plus optional Tiny desktop models for a versatile modular all-in-one PC.

The new ThinkCentre’s are designed for modulation, allowing customers to buy either a PC tower or a “Tiny” desktop that can be attached to the back of a 21.5-inch monitor for a minimalistic workspace.

Each form factor comes with the updated 10th Gen Intel Core vPro processor, refined standby technology, USB Type-C, HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA port options. Beyond the hardware, the ThinkCentre’s will also sport Lenovo’s ThinkShield compliance software to offer state-of-the-art digital security solutions that run alongside any proprietary business options your company may want to apply.

For those, a bit more mobile or pressed for space at home, the ThinkPad P14 and P15 (updates to the P43 and P53 lineup) will also usher in 10th gen processors and configurations up to Core i7-10810u chips for boosted clock speed work of up to 4.9GHz. The P14 and P15, like its predecessors, offer performance suited best for designers using AEC or CAD applications which is why Lenovo is also stuffing an NVIDIA Quadro graphics card in them as well as up to 2TB of onboard storage to quickly access medium to large renders for clients or managers.

Projects, workbooks, presentations, and demonstrations built with the P14 and P15 can all be viewed on their 4K UHD displays calibrated with X-Rite Pantone Factory color calibration and enhanced with Dolby Vision HDR.

For those interested, some of last week’s updates will be available for purchase as early as later this month.

  • ThinkCentre M70 series is expected to be available from June 2020, starting at $649 for M70t Tower, $629 for M70s SFF and $499 for M70q Tiny
  • ThinkCentre M70a AIO is expected to be available from June 2020, starting at $749.
  • ThinkCentre M80 series is expected to be available from June 2020, starting at $759 for M80t Tower, $739 for M80s SFF and $879 for M80q Tiny.
  • ThinkCentre M90 series is expected to be available from June 2020, starting at $839 for M90t Tower, $819 for M90s SFF and $909 for M90q Tiny.
  • ThinkCentre M90a AIO is expected to be available from June 2020, starting at $1029.
  • ThinkPad P14s is expected to be available from May 2020, starting at $1599.
  • ThinkPad P15s is expected to be available from May 2020, starting at $1579.

While Lenovo isn’t sharing the details just yet, the company is priming its customer audience with a hint at X1 Carbon Gen 8, X1 Yoga Gen 5, and new T, X, and L-Series laptops updates planned for later in the year.

Windows 10 news recap: 32-bit Windows 10 will no longer ship to OEMs, firmware updates galore, and more

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Welcome back to our Windows 10 news recap, where we go over the top stories of the past week in the world of Microsoft’s flagship operating system.

Microsoft will no longer ship 32-bit versions of Windows 10 to PC OEMs starting with the May 2020 Update

Starting with the May 2020 Update for Windows 10, Microsoft will no longer be shipping 32-bit versions of Windows 10 to OEMs.

Surface Pro 4 gets new firmware updates to improve system stability

A new firmware update is available for the Surface Pro 4 to improve system stability.

Surface Book 2 and Surface Go/LTE devices get new firmware updates

On the back of the Surface Pro 4 firmware update, the Surface Book 2 and Surface Go have also received new firmware updates.

That’s it for this week. We will be back next week with more Windows 10 news.

Microsoft news recap: Swiftkey gets rebranded, Outlook getting suggested replies, and more

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft news recap is a weekly feature highlighting the top Microsoft news stories of the past week. Sit back, grab some coffee, and enjoy the read!

New report shows all game streaming platforms except Microsoft’s Mixer saw massive growth in April

In April, all game streaming platforms except Microsoft’s Mixer saw a large jump in growth, according to a new report. Whilst the majority of game streaming platforms saw growth during the pandemic, Mixer is lagging behind with the smallest level of growth.

Microsoft's Mixer website
Microsoft’s Mixer website

Swiftkey rebrands to Microsoft Swiftkey keyboard on Android and gets Emoji 12.0 support

Microsoft’s Android keyboard app, Swiftkey, has been rebranded as Microsoft Swiftkey keyboard. At the same time, it has also received an update to add support for Emoji 12.0.

SwiftKey keyboard on Android
SwiftKey keyboard on Android

Outlook on the web is getting suggested replies and text predictions features

Following in the footsteps of Google’s Gmail suggested replies to emails, Microsoft is now adding suggested replies and text predictions to Outlook on the web, helping you compose emails quickly.

Microsoft publishes full Build 2020 session catalog

The full schedule for Build 2020 has now been published. This year, Build 2020 will be digital and is free to attend.

That’s it for this week. We’ll be back next week with more Microsoft news.

What is NativeDropBoxAgent and what does it do?

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

NativeDropBoxAgent is a preinstalled app on Motorola devices running on Android. It has no practical function or use.

Since it comes with the main software, it can’t be uninstalled or deactivated. 

Note that there is no connection between NativeDropBoxAgent and the well-know cloud storage app Dropbox.

Actually, issues with NativeDropBoxAgent occur even when the users don’t have Dropbox installed and are not using it on a regular basis.

Commonly reported problems with NativeDropBoxAgent are short battery life, general slowdown, and reduced memory space.  

Also, if you have an antivirus installed, it oftentimes finds NativeDropBoxAgent as potentially harmful, marking it as an unwanted application.

How can I stop NativeDropBoxAgent from running?

Force-stop the application

motorola phone with android

  1. Open the Settings menu.
  2. In the Apps menu, find NativeDropBoxAgent and open it.
  3. Click on Force Stop.

The system will warn you that it might misbehave or the action might affect other apps. Reactivation is possible, nevertheless.

Additionally, after performing this step, users mentioned visible improvement in their devices’ system performance as well as a positive adjustment in the device memory space.

It seems that there are no negative consequences of not actually using this app.

We hope that this article has answered your question about what is NativeDropBoxAgent and what it does on your system.

If you have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact us by using the comment section below.

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How to install Dropbox using the offline installer

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

The Dropbox desktop application is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows operating systems, and allows you to use cloud storage space to either share files, or store backups. That being said, many users have reported issues when installing it.

You don’t have to worry about any issues as in this article we provide the steps for an easy offline installation.

How do I download and install the Dropbox desktop app?

1. Actions needed to install Dropbox with admin rights

dropbox features

The Dropbox desktop app requires admin privileges to run with full functionality on your computer. This enables multiple different core features of Dropbox, including:

  • Sync icons that show the sync status of files and folders.
  • Right-click context menus for taking quick actions in Dropbox.
  • Access to Smart Sync.

For the vast majority of users, the desktop app is automatically installed with admin privileges. However, if you didn’t install with admin privileges you can follow the instructions below to do so.

2. Install the Dropbox desktop app with admin privileges

dropbox install

  1. Download the Dropbox application.
  2. Open the installer.
  3. Follow the instructions in the install wizard.
    • If you’re asked for an administrative username and password, enter them or contact your administrator to sign in.
    • If you’re not asked for an administrative username and password, you’re already an admin on your computer.
  4. Complete the installation and sign in to Dropbox.

3. Smart Sync and admin privileges

smart sync

Some Dropbox users will have access to Smart Sync. If you have access to this feature, check that Dropbox is installed with admin privileges on each computer where the feature will be used.

If you’re the admin on a Dropbox Business team, you can see which team members installed Dropbox with admin privileges. However, you can only do this before you enable Smart Sync.

Depending on the policies at your company, your team members may be able to install Dropbox with admin privileges on their own. If not, they may need the assistance of your IT team.

In today’s article, we compiled the simplest installation method with some other useful information that will enable you to use Dropbox without any issues in the future.

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FIX: Nexus Mod Manager is not set up to work with Skyrim

Posted on by Vladimir Popescu

The Nexus Mod Manager (NMM), as the name suggests, is a software that allows you to effectively manage your Nexus game mods from a user-friendly hub.

A large number of users have reported encountering the error Nexus mod manager is not set up to work with Skyrim. This issue can cause a lot of frustration, especially for die-hard fans of the game series.

Here is what one user had to say about this issue on the Nexus Mods forum:

I want to strangle someone because the error message Nexus Mod Manager is not set up to work with Skyrim. If Skyrim is installed, rescan for installed games from the change games toolbar item. keeps popping up whenever I try to download a mod from Nexus with the Mod Manager. Whenever I try to download mods the damned error keeps popping up. Please help.

This issue seems to have appeared on a variety of system configurations, so a problem with the capability of your PC is out of the question. That being said, we took the time to find the most probable causes, and the best methods to apply in this case.

Read on to find out more details.

What can I do if the Nexus Mod Manager doesn’t work with Skyrim?

1. Rescan for installed games

  1. Open the Nexus Mod Manager app.
  2. Click on the Change Game toolbar.
  3. Select Skyrim from the list.
  4. Press Ok to rescan the caches from your installed Skyrim game.Nexus game rescan - nexus mod manager is not set up to work with skyrim

2. Make sure you’re using the right mods for your version of Skyrim

Skyrim versions - nexus mod manager is not set up to work with skyrim

Even though it might seem to be an obvious step, some users have simply solved their problem by using the appropriate mods for the version of Skyrim they have installed.

If you installed the older version of the game, download the mods from this Skyrim webpage.

In case you are using the newer version of the game, try downloading the mods you want from the official Skyrim Special Edition webpage.

Note: Skyrim and Skyrim Legendary Edition are the same game, while the latter comes bundled with all three DLC’s available for the classic release.

3. Remove the Nexus Mod Manager user configurations

Nexus mods screenshot - nexus mod manager is not set up to work with skyrim

  1. Open the Windows Explorer.
  2. Navigate to the following location on your hard drive: C:Users -> your username ->appdata -> local -> Black Tree Gaming ->somefolder ->mod ->version number
  3. In this folder, you will be able to find either one or multiple files.
  4. Delete all of them.
  5. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
  6. Open the Nexus Mod Manager app, and re-create your user based on personal preferences.
  7. Check to see if the mods work.

Is your Windows File Explorer crashing in Windows 10? Try these fixes

4. Make sure your firewall is not blocking Nexus Mod Manager

Allow application through Windows Defender Firewall:

  1. Press the Win+X keys on your keyboard and select Settings.
  2. Click the Update and Security button.Update and security - nexus mod manager is not set up to work with skyrim
  3. Select the Windows Security option from the menu to the left of your screen.
  4. Click the Firewall and network security option.
  5. Choose the option Allow an app through the firewall.
  6. Search for the Nexus Mod Manager in the list and allow both incoming and outgoing connections.
  7. Restart your PC and try running the mods again.

If you can’t access the Windows Firewall settings, it means you don’t have administrator rights. To find out how you can enable your Administrator account, have a look at this simple guide.

5. Reinstall the Nexus Mod Manager

To remove:

  1. Press the Win+X keys and choose Apps and features.
  2. Select the Nexus Mod Manager from the list.
  3. Press the Uninstall button.Uninstall Nexus Mod Manager - nexus mod manager is not set up to work with skyrim
  4. Click the Uninstall button again to confirm.
  5. Wait for the process to complete.

To reinstall:

  1. Download the Nexus Mod Manager by clicking the Manual button on the website.Download Nexus mode manager - nexus mod manager is not set up to work with skyrim
  2. Wait for the download process to complete.
  3. Open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

6. Use the Vortex app to manage your Nexus game mods

Vortex download page - nexus mod manager is not set up to work with skyrim

  1. Download the Vortex application.
  2. Install it by following the on-screen instructions.
  3. Try to manage your faulty Skyrim mods and check to see if the issue is resolved.

In today’s guide, we had a look at the most efficient methods to try out if you see the Nexus Mod Manager is not set up to work with Skyrim error message.

Don’t hesitate to share your experience with us, and also give us any suggestions as to how you managed to solve this problem.

To contact us, you can simply use the comment section found below this article.

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VS Code 1.45 brings UI accessibility updates and more

Posted on by Don Sharpe

VS Code 1.45 comes with a host of feature enhancements that make life for programmers a lot easier. It includes GitHub integration, remote coding, and UI accessibility updates.

Some of the latest changes to one of the most popular code editors are a reflection of feedback that Microsoft has been gathering from users on GitHub.

VS Code 1.45 key highlights

UI accessibility and code readability

A few of the updates, such as better accessibility, are a quality of life boost.

The platform’s user interface is now a little easier to navigate. Partly, that is due to the ability to switch between tabs by simply scrolling the mouse wheel.

When you use the mouse wheel to scroll over editor tabs, you currently cannot switch tabs, only reveal tabs that are out of view. Now with a new setting workbench.editor.scrollToSwitchTabs, you can change the behavior to switch the active editor tab.

Also, coders can move across the workbench by pressing F6 to invoke the Focus Next Part command. The Shift+F6 command calls the Focus Previous Part function.

There is also some good news for fans of semantic code highlighting. They can now personalize the semantic colorization of codes in the latest version of VS Code editor. This feature enhances code readability.

GitHub authentication

VS Code 1.45 comes with automatic GitHub authentication.

Usually, GitHub Pull Requests and Issues make it possible for programmers to work  with the software development platform in VS Code.

With the update, it is now easier for them to share their source code to both private and public GitHub repositories. They do not need to set up credential management to get started.

Remote code development

VS Code remote development extensions are still a work in progress. Their purpose is to enable programmers to access all VS Code features in any container.

The feature is particularly useful when you are building an application in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) or on a remote device.

Feel free to leave any suggestions or questions in the comments section below.

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How to use Ideas in Excel 

Posted on by Claudiu Andone

Ideas in Excel helps you to understand your data through natural language queries that allow you to ask questions about your data without writing formulas that are, pretty complicated. Ideas also analyzes and provides high-level visual summaries, trends, and patterns.

How can I use Ideas for Excel?

Excel has a pretty high learning curve because anybody can master its basic features pretty fast. Things get a little bit tricky when you get to formulas, right? And you have to become a little Excel master to know them by heart.

In the Ideas tool, you can use Natural Language Queries which is self-explanatory. You are able to ask complicated information like data questions with formulas, charts, or pivot tables in a very easy and common way.

To put it even more lightly, it’s like the Google search in Office.

Using the Ideas in Excel

Microsoft developers explain the exact process in the release notes:

Simply click a cell in a data range, and then click the Ideas button. Enter a question in the query box at the top of the pane, and press Enter. Ideas will provide answers that you can insert into the workbook in the form of charts, tables, PivotTables, and formulas answers.

How to use Ideas in Excel

Try the suggested questions

If you click the text box at the top of the Ideas windows, you will see a list of suggestions based on your data.

Ideas in Excel will give you suggested questions based on an analysis of your data.

You can ask your own question

You can also write a specific question about your data.

Ideas in Excel answering a question about how many Locks or Helmets were sold.

You can save time and narrow down your Ideas by selecting only the fields you want to see. When you choose fields and how to summarize them, Ideas analyze just that data – speeding up the process and presenting fewer, more targeted suggestions.

In this example, you might only want to see the sum of sales by year. Or you can ask Ideas to display average sales by year. It’s very simple to do that:

1. Click on Which fields interest you the most?Ideas pane with the link to the Preferences pane highlighted

2. Select the fields and how to summarize their data.

Preferences Pane with several fields selected

3. Ideas now offers fewer, more focused suggestions.

Ideas pane showing customized suggestions

We hope that this little guide will help you understand how to use Ideas in Excel.

If you have any questions or ideas, go ahead and leave us a line in the comments section below.

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How to change League of Legends name in 2 simple steps

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

League of Legends (LoL) is a super-popular multiplayer online battle arena(MOBA) game created by Riot Games for Microsoft Windows and macOS. As popular as it may be LOL doesn’t come without issues. 

Name changing in League of Legends on Windows 10 can sometimes be a difficult task, however, in the following article, we have all the details you need to perform this change.

How can I change my League of Legends name?

1. Pre-requisites if you have the same username on multiple servers

league of legends name change pre-reqs

  1. Check all of the accounts that might be blocking each other. If they are all attached to the same email account, you should have received an email listing them out for you.
  2. Log into your alternate accounts/PBE first on the website, and update them.
  3. Once all of your primary and secondary accounts are updated (again, don’t forget PBE), log back to your primary account. If you were the only person worldwide with that account name, you should be unblocked, so you shouldn’t get the pop-up anymore.

If you have signed up for League of Legends on multiple servers (including PBE), you will need to make sure that each account has a unique name. By completing the steps above you should be now able to change your Summoner Name.

2. Change the name from Store

change the name in lol

  1. Open the Store and click on the Account button (the profile with gear icon behind it).
  2. At the bottom of the displayed items list select Summoner Name Change.
  3. Type in your name and click the button Check Name.
  4. If your new name is available, select the purchase method (Riot point or Influence points) to complete the name change.
  5. Your new name will take effect once you log back into PVP.net and the forums.

Note: Any names deemed offensive will be altered by Player Support without a refund.

That is it. You should have a brand new name in the game. In case you know more about this topic or you encounter any other LOL issues,  please let us know in the comments below. Many of your fellow players will be grateful.

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FIX: Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working

Posted on by Vlad Turiceanu

Windows 10 is known for encountering various update errors on computers with a variety of configurations. In this article, we’re going to talk about one particular problem – Shell Infrastructure Host has stopped working.

In some situations, you might be able to simply close the program, but it doesn’t help with this issue, as the dialog will just pop up again whenever it is clicked.

What is the Shell Infrastructure Host?

The Shell Infrastructure Host, also known as SIHost, is a core component of a Windows operating system (OS). The SIHost is required for coping with several graphical elements of your OS interface, such as Start menu visuals and taskbar transparency.

Main functions of Shell Infrastructure Host include:

  • It displays the applications in the Windows interface for you
  • It has control over some functions of the background behavior (such as wallpaper changing)

In today’s fix guide we will explore some of the best solutions to fix the SIHost issue. Read on for more details.

How can I fix Shell Infrastructure host has stopped working?

1. Run a System File Checker (SFC) scan to check for any file corruption

  1. From the desktop, press the Win+X hotkey combination and from the menu select Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. Click Yes on the User Account Control (UAC) prompt that appears, and once the blinking cursor appears, type SFC /scannow and press the Enter key.
    sfc scan
  3. System File Checker starts and checks the integrity of system files.

If this doesn’t fix the issue, try the next solution.

System file checker doesn’t work on your PC? Check out this simple guide

2.  Create a new user account and check if the SIHost issue persists

shell infrastructure host not working

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Choose Accounts and then select Other User Accounts towards the left.
  3. Select Add an Account.
  4. Enter a user name and hit Next.
  5. Click on Finish.
  6. Sign out from the current Account and Log into the new account.
  7. Check if the issue is still affecting your system

3. Repair Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015

  1. To repair the Visual Studio package, press the Win key + R hotkey.
  2. Enter appwiz.cpl in Run, and press the OK button.
    appwizcpl command
  3. Select the latest Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio package listed on the Programs and Features tab.
  4. Press the Change button to open the window in the snapshot directly below. (or right-click and select Change)
  5. Press the Repair button on that window.
  6. After the repair is complete just reset the PC.

Technically, this should solve the issue, if not proceed with the next method.

4. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Update 3 RC

  1. Download Microsoft Visual C++ 2015.
  2. Press the Download button on that page.
  3. Select either vc_redist.x64.exe (the 64-bit version) or vc_redist.x86.exe (for 32-bit systems), and press the Next button.
  4. If you’re not sure which installer to download, enter System in the Cortana search box. Click About your PC to open the window below, which includes system type details.
  5. Open the Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015 setup wizard to install the package.
  6. Then reboot the Windows OS.

If the Visual C++ repair didn’t fix the issue, reinstall Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015. That will most likely fix this issue. You can reinstall the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio package as described above.

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New browser and calculator inside Xbox Game Bar

Posted on by Claudiu Andone

If you’re a gamer, you probably use Xbox Game Bar, just because it’s really simple to access by pressing Windows + G keys, and it gives you access to some awesome features. Microsoft wants to expand the Xbox Game Bar, and the proof is the Widget Store inside.

The first widgets to populate the store were a streaming tool from XSplit, and Razer Cortex features. Of course, as you read this, developers are probably into making new ones.

Xbox Game Bar has new widgets: calculator and browser

Well, have you ever wanted to browse for something really quick while playing a game? Maybe just to make a point or settle a bet? How about a short calculus on how to make the perfect headshot in an FPS game?

Microsoft thought that you need those right away because they were included in the Widget store.

New browser and calculator in Xbox Game Bar

Browsing during games

Of course, the more useful of the two is the simple browser. It’s powered by Bing, of course, and it doesn’t have tabs or fancy features but you’re just looking for a chea…walkthrough or helpful solutions, or just a little bit of webchat, the basic browser is perfect. And it only uses a fraction of the resources of a full-fledged one.

Useful calculus

Aside from any light jokes about computing during games, a calculator may be really useful in MMOs and especially strategy games. Again, this calculator is very handy, and doesn’t really get in the way of your play.

You can get the widgets from the Widget Store (Beta) inside Xbox Game Bar app, or directly from the Microsoft Store. Hit the links below.

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Microsoft’s Brad Smith says company was “on the wrong side of history” regarding Linux

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft has gone a long way since former CEO Steve Ballmer infamously called Linux “a cancer”. Actually, Microsoft has embraced Linux in a pretty big way in recent years, helping the company attract more of the developers that Ballmer chased back in the day.

During a recent chat hosted by MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (via The Register), Microsoft President Brad Smith acknowledged that the company “was on the wrong side of history when open source exploded at the beginning of the century and I can say that about me personally.” The Microsoft veteran, who joined the company before it was hit by antitrust litigations in the nineties added that “The good news is that, if life is long enough, you can learn… that you need to change.”

Indeed, Microsoft did change: Azure, the company’s cloud computing platform has been supporting various Linux distributions for many years. Microsoft also used a Linux-based OS for its Azure Sphere platform for IoT app development. In recent years, Build 2016 was another big “Microsoft loves Linux” moment with the introduction of the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

If 2020 is still not the “Year of Linux on the desktop,” Microsoft did the right thing by embracing Linux, which really helped to make Azure and even Windows more relevant than ever. The Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2), which Microsoft announced last year, is actually one of the big new features coming in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update later this month.

DirectX 12 Ultimate on Windows 10: 2 new amazing features

Posted on by Claudiu Andone

DirectX 12 Ultimate is here, and it’s the culmination of the best graphics technology for PC and Xbox Series X.

And if you a PC graphics hardware with the DX12 Ultimate logo or an Xbox Series X, you can be sure that your hardware is guaranteed to support all the next generation graphics hardware features, including DirectX Raytracing, Variable Rate Shading, Mesh Shaders, and Sampler Feedback.

DirectX 12 Ultimate comes with major new features

Apart from enhanced features for the DirectX Raytracing and Variable Rate Shading, Microsoft added new major features such as Mesh Shaders and Sampler Feedback.

Microsoft also announced that its PIX graphics optimization tool and the open-source HLSL compiler will provide game developers with the ability to get the peak performance out of the entire ecosystem of DX12 Ultimate hardware.

Next-gen games will still run on older hardware

DX12 Ultimate will not impact game compatibility with existing hardware which does not support all the features of DX12 Ultimate. In other words, the next-generation games that use DX12 Ultimate features will still run on non-DX12 Ultimate hardware.

DX12 Ultimate makes the PC ecosystem strictly better with no adverse effect on hardware that doesn’t support DX12 Ultimate.

DX12 Ultimate will unify graphics platform for PX and Xbox

By unifying the graphics platform across PC and Xbox Series X, DX12 Ultimate serves as a force multiplier for the entire gaming ecosystem. Microsoft anticipates that when Xbox Series X releases, there will already be many millions of DX12 Ultimate PC graphics cards in the world, setting a rapid adoption of the new features.

And when Xbox Series X will bring a wave of new console gamers, PC will likewise benefit from this.

What’s new in DirectX Ultimate?

DirectX Raytracing 1.1

DXR traces paths of light with true-to-life physics calculations, which is a far more accurate simulation than the heuristics-based calculations used previously.

DXR 1.1 adds three major new capabilities:

  • GPU Work Creation now allows Raytracing.
  • Streaming engines can more efficiently load new raytracing shaders as needed when the player moves around the world and new objects become visible.
  • Inline raytracing is an alternative form of raytracing that gives developers the option to drive more of the raytracing process, as opposed to handling work scheduling entirely to the system (dynamic-shading).

Mesh Shaders

Mesh shaders allow developers to build more detailed and dynamic worlds than ever before.

Sampler Feedback

Sampler Feedback enables better visual quality, shorter load time, and less stuttering by providing detailed information to enable developers to only load in textures when needed.

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Raise your hand feature starts rolling out in Microsoft Teams

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft has started rolling the new “Raise your hand” feature for Microsoft Teams meetings, which allows participants to notify the meeting organizer and other attendees that you would like to speak or add to the ongoing conversation. Microsoft confirmed that the feature is now live for Mac, Windows as well as the Web clients:

We are happy to announce that this feature has started rolling out to the general public. We plan to complete the rollout by end of this week. This feature is available for Windows, Mac and Web clients. Mobile (iOS/Android) will be coming soon.

As soon as you raise your hand, an icon will appear next to your name beside the mute icon. The meeting organizer can then address your question at their convenience. It is worth noting that Microsoft Teams allows both the presenter or the attendee to lower individual hands in the meeting.

The functionality is pretty much useful for educational institutions and large companies that deal with hundreds of participants in a single meeting. Due to the nature of remote classes or webinars, teachers and hosts have to mute the meeting participants to concentrate without being distracted by the background noises. Previously, there was no way for the meeting attendees to notify their hosts about a question without interrupting the whole session for everyone else. The ‘Raise hand’ feature now offers a seamless way to raise your doubts or questions during Microsoft Teams meetings.

Do you think that the new Raise hand feature will make it easier for everyone to keep up with the discussion without getting disturbed? Sound off in the comments section below.

Xbox co-founder J Allard gets back into gaming with a new $249 console, the Intellivision Amico

Posted on by davew

Xbox co-founder J Allard is joining Intellivision as a Global Managing Director. As noted in a post on GeekWire, Allard will join the team to help launch the Intellivision Amico, a $249 family-friendly console set to be released in October 2020. For those unfamiliar, Intellivision was a console released by toy company Mattel in 1979. At Microsoft, Allard co-founded the original Xbox, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, and the Xbox 360.

In a press release, Intellivision CEO Tommy Tallarico announced the addition of Allard and his role with the Intellivision Amico team.

“In his new role at Intellivision Entertainment, Allard will provide invaluable insights to support the final development of Amico – the new console designed to make video gaming accessible to all. His expertise and deep knowledge in user experience, operating systems, game certification, and building ecosystems will help Amico stay true to its mission to bring family and friends together again with fun games that everyone can play.”

Here is a look at a gameplay trailer for the upcoming Intellivision Amico console.

Since leaving Microsoft in 2010, Allard has been hard at work at Project 529, a Vancouver community-powered bike anti-theft company. The Intellivision Amico is planned to be released in October 2020 with pricing for the system starting at $249 with games for the console being priced at under $10 each.

Microsoft Surface Earbuds unboxing and quick impressions: Comfy and unique

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

When Microsoft first revealed the Surface Earbuds in October 2019, I was a bit skeptical. After all, there were tons of alternatives from Apple, Samsung, and Sony. But, deep inside, I had hope. Microsoft was taking a different route with Surface Earbuds.

Instead of copying and pasting Apple’s Airpods, Microsoft came up with a unique design for its wireless earbuds and added some unique integrations with Microsoft 365, too. Now finally available (and priced cheaper at $200) I am glad I held off and waited for Surface Earbuds. In my brief day with the buds, they seem to have everything I longed for. Here are my quick impressions as to why.

Attention to detail

The minute I unboxed my Surface Earbuds, I was excited. Microsoft paid a lot of attention to detail with the packaging. Everything is bundled together in the box in a careful and thoughtful way. It’s something I normally won’t mention this at all in a quick impressions review, but I think deserves a section just for the way things are bundled in the box.

Lifting the lid of the Surface Earbuds reveals the Surface Earbuds charging case wrapped in plastic and a message in the tray that reads, “everyone’s ear is as unique as their fingerprint.” I found that cute, as I remember that Microsoft mentioned to me at the October Surface event that the Surface Earbuds can fit 95% of all human ears.

Anyway, putting that charging case to the side and lifting the housing up then reveals a leaflet that is folded in a way that will show you step-by-step quick-start directions. There’s then the USB-C charging cable, and the replacement ear tips underneath, with an additional manual bundled together with legal terms. There’s no charging brick, as Microsoft probably assumes you already have one with your PC or phone.

For the price that they are, the unboxing experience is quite satisfying. I’ve never been this happy opening up a Microsoft Product before, be it the Surface Pro X, the Surface Laptop 3, or even the Surface Go.

Charging case

But going back to the actual product, the highlight has got to be the Surface Earbuds charging case. Unlike Google’s Pixelbuds or Apple’s AirPods, this charging case has a unique look. It isn’t really that compact and takes on what I like to call an oval-like “traffic light” shape. There’s a good reason why.

While this shape makes it larger and a bit heavier than most charging cases for wireless earbuds on the market, I think it’s all about battery life. Microsoft says this case can hold up to 24 hours of battery, which is enough to charge the Surface Earbuds (that hold 8 hours of battery) three times.

That’s really appreciated, as since these are intended for productivity and Office use, you don’t want to be constantly attached to a charger. You can use the Surface Earbuds in confidence knowing it will always have a charge when you need it. It’s something I experienced myself, as in two days of use, I haven’t yet charged the case since I initially received the product.

Elsewhere, the case is thoughtfully designed. While the top lid is a bit thin, it still makes a satisfying click noise when you push it closed. The Earbuds also pull right into the case when you rest them above their enclosure, thanks to magnets, making another small satisfying clicking noise.

There’s a LED light inside the case which lets you know when you’re pairing, or when you need to charge the case. You also have USB-C connectivity for charging, and a pairing button on the bottom. It’s a nice clean design that fits just right with the rest of the Surface lineup.

Fit, look, and feel

The most important thing of all, though, is how the Surface Earbuds fit, feel, and look. This has been one of the most controversial areas of the Surface Earbuds, being mocked for a “bad 90’s like earrings design,” but in my time so far, I do think this is where they are best.

Included in the box installed on the Earbuds are the “medium” tips, but I swapped it out for the small to create a better fit in my ear. Swapping it out is as easy as pulling the tip out, and pulling them back on top of the buds, sort of like a pair of rubber gloves. You’ll know when the fit right as you’ll hear a “click” noise when it snaps right.  Fitting the buds in your ears, meanwhile, is as easy as placing it in your ear canal, and then “screwing” it upwards to secure it. This makes it so that they won’t fall out.

With the right silicone ear tips in place, the Surface Earbuds feel will feel really natural in the ears. I’ve tried Apple’s Airpods before and they always create a “pain” sensation on the insides of my ear canal after an hour of use. With the Surface earbuds silicone tips, I never experienced this feeling. It slots right into my ears and just feels so natural. I’ve worn them for a full 5-hour writing shift without feeling any pain, and it felt like a natural part of my ears.

The looks, though, while being called ridiculous by some, has a good purpose. When in your ears, the large “earring” like touch surface gives you quick access to controlling music. While busy typing away on my keyboard, I was easily able to move my hands upwards to the earbuds and stop, pause, or play music. The gestures are quite intuitive, with each side of the buds having unique controls.

On Android, triple tapping even summons Spotify by default. And, long-tapping with summon your digital assistant of choice (So far in my testing, that’s Cortana on Windows, Google Assitant on Android.) It’s quite the experience as the Earbuds play nice with any product you own, regardless if it’s from Microsoft or not.

Pairing and audio is great

Finally, there’s is the audio quality and pairing process. This is just as you expect it from a Surface product. On compatible Windows 10 PCs, pairing on Windows is seamless. Out of the box, just open the lid of the Earbuds charging case, and when Bluetooth turned on, Windows 10 will Swiftpair to it, asking you to accept and connect. You can also download the Surface Audio app, too, to update the Earbuds, and enjoy the equalizer and other settings.

Without going into too many details, I’ll also say the audio quality is great. Most of my EDM, pop, and electropop music sounded great, even at low volumes. The bass isn’t as strong as I had hoped, but the Earbuds do have good quality when it comes to songs with lyrics.

Just keep in mind, the Surface Earbuds is NOT noise canceling like Apple’s Airpods Pro, and there’s a reason why. As I’ve said before, these are not meant to be noise canceling. They just rest in your ears and don’t go directly into your ear canals to cancel out sounds around you. If you want that experience, you should buy the Surface Headphones 2.  Essentially, Microsoft envisions you wearing the Surface Earbuds all day, out and about in the office or at home so you can still hear the world around you.

But, I did find that some of the ear tips do create somewhat of a “tight” seal around your ears to lock out just a tiny bit of the sounds around you. Overall, though, when wearing the Earbuds, you’ll still hear some of the outside world. Be it your own voice when talking on a call, or the chatter in the room you’re in, and even typing on your keyboard.

Full review soon

I’ve only spent two days with Surface Earbuds so far, so there’s a lot that I did not get to play with yet. I’ll be looking into the Microsoft 365 integrations, listening to more music, and testing the Earbuds out on Skype and Teams calls later this week, so be sure to keep tuned to OnMSFT for an in-depth review soon!

Here are 10 great Microsoft Garage projects you probably didn’t know about

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft highlighted this week 20 Microsoft Garage projects that have been honoured in the company’s “Garage Wall of Fame“. Over the years, several Microsoft Garage projects have turned into real success stories, with one recent example being the Microsoft Launcher on Android. But several Microsoft Garage projects have also focused on improving accessibility, such as the Seeing AI mobile app that helps the visually-impaired navigate the real world.

For those unfamiliar with Microsoft Garage, this is basically an initiative to encourage problem-solving and experimentation among Microsoft employees and interns. The company is inviting its workforce to find creative solutions to small or big problems, and the results are often interesting.

Because it’s a bit hard to keep up with all the creative projects born in the Microsoft Garage in recent years, here’s a list of 10 interesting Microsoft Garage projects that we think you should definitely know about.

3D Models in Office

If you like to play 3D content in the Office apps, you may be familiar with the feature called 3D Models in Office. Starting with the Windows 10 Creators Update, this project introduced the ability to add 3D models into PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, and makes it easier for you to rotate, animate, resize, and morph the 3D objects.

Azure Quickstart Center

Azure has become one of Microsoft’s most important products in recent years, but getting started with it may not be that easy. Fortunately, this step-by-step guide has been built into the Azure Portal to help customers create, configure, and manage cloud workloads. The Azure Quickstart Center improves customers’ onboarding experience with various guides, and it also offers online courses to help customers with the cloud deployment process.

Eye Control for Windows 10

People with disabilities can use an eye-tracking technology called Eye Control for Windows 10, which has been created in collaboration with the ALS Association and the nonprofit Team Gleason to improve accessibility on Windows 10. Eye Control allows everyone to use their eyes for operating an on-screen mouse, keyboard, and text-to-speech experience with a compatible eye-tracker, and you can see how it works in the video below.

FindTime

FindTime is basically an add-in for Outlook that eliminates the need to check calendar availabilities to schedule meetings across companies. Microsoft says that it helped thousands of professionals to streamline and automate the scheduling process since launch.

 

Mobile Sharing and Companion Experiences for Microsoft Teams Meetings

Mobile Sharing and Companion Experiences for Microsoft Teams Meetings enables meeting participants to seamlessly use their PCs and phones together. The companion mode allows you to join Microsoft Teams meetings from two devices (desktop and mobile). It allows attendees to control PowerPoint presentations, share photos, a live video stream, or their screens from their mobile phones.

Presentation Translator for PowerPoint

The Presentation Translator PowerPoint add-in offers multi-language support for displaying live subtitles in PowerPoint presentations. It serves as a vital tool for deaf or hard of hearing people within a classroom or meeting, and encourages the participation of audiences in discussions.

Mouse Without Borders

For people who like to control multiple PCs with a single mouse and keyboard, the Mouse Without Borders app is the solution for your needs. The free app allows users to control up to four computers at once with a single mouse and keyboard, making it possible to copy text or drag and drop files across PCs. It has been downloaded by millions of users since launch and continues to be one of the popular projects in the developer community.

Watch For

This AI-powered computer vision system makes it possible to discover and analyze live video content with the ability to surface interesting parts of a livestream in real-time. It’s worth mentioning that the livestream esports search results on Bing, as well as Mixer’s HypeZone channels are powered by this tool.

Microsoft Launcher

The Microsoft Launcher is an Android launcher that enables cross-device experiences between your Windows 10 PC and Android phone. What started as the Arrow Launcher went to become an essential app for Android users living in the Microsoft ecosystem, and even though the UI looks nothing like Windows Phone, the design and UX are very good overall. The card-based view provides quick access to your mails, calendar, recently opened web pages and documents. And with built-in support for Microsoft tools like Office and Sticky Notes, it’s a good alternative to other Android launchers.

Seeing AI

Seeing AI is a free iOS application that helps low vision and blind people by narrating the world around them. The application leverages the power of AI to provide an audio description of people, objects, scenes, and text to people with visual impairments. The project was unveiled back at Build 2016 by Saqib Shaikh, a Microsoft employee who appears in the above video to explaining how Seeing AI helps blind people to understand who is around them.

Almost all tech companies today claim to value innovative ideas, but Microsoft encourages its employees to take it to another level by providing them technological resources and physical space to experiment. A lot of great products came from the Microsoft Garage over the years, if you’re interested to learn more, we invite you to check out the company’s recent celebration of the Garage Hall of Fame.

Xbox’s Killer Instinct fighting game given new life after EVO esports event moves online

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

This year’s Evo esports fighting game event may have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it’s now been replaced by a purely digital version called Evo Online.

The announcement was made via the official Evo Twitter account earlier today where it was also revealed that Xbox Game Studios’ Killer Instinct would be returning to the tournament for the first time in four years.

The Killer Instinct fandom has always been extremely passionate and active, even though the title hasn’t received any content updates in several years, so this isn’t exactly a resurrection of a dead game as some would assume.

Its sudden inclusion is interesting though with a likely explanation probably being Killer Instinct’s strong support for online matches, something that’s definitely needed now that Evo is moving online, at least for this year.

Lending credence to this theory is the fact that Super Smash Bros Ultimate was planned to be a part of the original Evo 2020 event but is not part of Evo Online at all. Nintendo’s fighter is very popular with real-world esports events but is notorious for its lag and connectivity issues when played online due to Nintendo’s online service which are significantly behind those offered by Microsoft and other companies. Killer Instinct’s online matches are powered by Microsoft’s cloud services which are much more reliable.

Killer Instinct was a Day One launch title for Microsoft’s Xbox One console back in 2016. It’s a free-to-play fighting game loosely based on the two original Killer Instinct games with a mix of returning and original characters, 4K visuals when played on an Xbox One X console, Xbox Achievements, a powerful music score, a large number of unlockables, and guest fighters from franchises such as Halo and Battletoads.

Unfortunately, Windows’ Clippy never made it to the game.

The game is available on both Xbox One consoles and PCs via either Windows 10 or Steam and can be played with all content unlocked for free as part of an active Xbox Game Pass subscription. Killer Instinct is also one of the first video games to be playable via Project xCloud, Microsoft’s cloud streaming platform.

Are you a Killer Instinct fan? Let us know if you’re hyped for its return to Evo in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest and Facebook for more Xbox gaming news.

Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct
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Killer Instinct
Developer:
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Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition
Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition
Download
QR-Code

Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition
Developer:
Xbox Game Studios
Price:
Free

FIX: Microphone not working in Windows 10

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

You’re probably using Skype on your computer almost on a daily basis, or at least one other application that requires a microphone.

Many users are complaining that their microphone isn’t working on Windows 10, so if you’re one of those unfortunate users, we might have a solution for you.

What can I do if microphone stops working in Windows 10, 7?

Table of contents:

  1. Check if your microphone isn’t disabled
  2. Check if your microphone isn’t muted
  3. Uninstall and reinstall the default driver
  4. Boost the sensitivity of your microphone
  5. Run Hardware troubleshooter
  6. Change the default format of your microphone
  7. Run the SFC scan

Fix: Microphone not recording in Windows 10, 8.1, 7

1. Check if your microphone isn’t disabled

Sometimes these issues occur if your microphone isn’t set as default or if it’s disabled, and here’s a way how can you quickly enable your microphone and set it as default.

  1. Make sure your microphone is connected to your computer.
  2. Right-click the volume icon in the bottom right of the screen and select Recording devices.
  3. Click on empty space in the window and then click on Show disconnected devices and Show disabled devices.
  4. To check if your microphone is enabled select Microphone and click on Properties, and you’ll be able to see if it’s enabled or not. If it’s not enabled, enable it.
  5. From there you can also check if your microphone is set as a default audio input device.

2. Check if your microphone isn’t muted

Right-click on the Sound icon in the bottom right of your screen and choose Volume Mixer from the menu.
When Volume Mixer opens, find the Microphone slider and raise it up to 100%. Also, make sure that nothing is muted.
Close Volume Mixer and click on the Sound icon again and choose Recording devices and test your microphone.

If there’s no activity in the volume level indicator, you might need to boost the sensitivity of your microphone.

3. Uninstall and reinstall the default driver

  1. Open the Device Manager. You can do this by clicking Start and typing devmgmt.msc in the search field.
  2. In Device manager find Sound, video and game controllers, and double-click the entry of your sound card.
  3. Click the Driver tab and then click Uninstall.
  4. Restart your computer and your Windows should load with default drivers.
  5. If the problem persists, download the latest drivers for your sound card/motherboard.

3.1 Update drivers automatically

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of updating your microphone drivers manually, there is a tool that will do the work for you automatically.

Utilizing advanced software will quick the job in total safety and will prevent any PC damage caused by updating the wrong version of the driver.

The software will check your PC’s hardware and peripherals for possible driver upgrades with only a few clicks. The utility will start operating automatically after installation, so you won’t have to look for a shortcut or the source folder.

In just a few seconds, Fortect Driver Updater will scan your system for any faults or missing drivers and generate a report. Use one to save yourself some valuable time.

⇒ Get Fortect Driver Updater

4. Boost the sensitivity of your microphone

  1. Right-click the Sound icon in the bottom right of your screen and choose Recording.
  2. Double click on the Microphone.
  3. Microphone Properties window should open, and you’ll need to go to the Levels tab and move the microphone slider to 100%. Also, check if your microphone isn’t muted while you’re there.
  4. Slowly move Microphone Boost slider to the right and test the microphone by gently tapping on it.
  5. Click OK and test your microphone.
  6. If your microphone still isn’t working open Microphone Properties and click on the Enhancements tab.
  7. Check the Disable all sound effect.
  8. Press Apply and then OK and test your microphone again.

5. Run Hardware troubleshooter

If you’re still having problems with your microphone, let’s try the hardware troubleshooter that’s built-in inside Windows 10. Here’s how to run it:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Head over to Updates & Security > Troubleshoot. 
  3. Select Hardware & Devices, and go to Run the Troubleshooter. Troubleshooting hardware
  4. Follow further on-screen instructions and let the process finish.
  5. Restart your computer.

6. Change the default format of your microphone

  1. To do this right-click the Sound icon in the bottom right of your screen.
  2. Then select Recording.
  3. Double click the Microphone to open Microphone Properties.
  4. In Microphone Properties window go to Advanced.
  5. Under the Default Format choose any of the 16-bit options.
  6. Click Apply, then OK.

7. Run the SFC scan

And finally, if none of the previous solutions resolved the microphone issue, let’s put your computer through a (not so) quick SFC scan. This tool will scan your computer for potential problems and interferences, and solve them if possible.

Here’s how to run the SFC scan:

  1. Go to Search, type cmd, and open the Command Prompt as Administrator.
  2. Type in the following command, and press Enter: sfc/scannow
  3. Wait for the process to finish.
  4. Restart your computer.

If your microphone isn’t working on Windows 10 we hope that at least one of these solutions was helpful to you. As you can see, most of the issues can be fixed by playing with Recording settings.

This issue is rather similar to the one covered in our microphone is not showing up in Device Manager guide, so don’t hesitate to check it out.

If the problem is caused by the sound driver then the best solution is to use the default Windows driver or to wait for the manufacturer to release a specific Windows 10 driver for your audio device.