FIFA 20 is the latest installment in the critically-acclaimed football-themed game series.
As you may already know, it is available on PC, Xbox and PS4, so pretty much everyone gets to enjoy it.
Those of you that play FIFA 20 on PC know that you can choose to play either using a mouse and keyboard or using a controller attached to your PC.
The problem with those using console controllers is that users have been reporting issues when trying to control their in-game players using the d-pad.
Seems there are problems for certain skill moves, especially for the fake shot… this worked well for years and years. Hopefully it is a demo-thing and will be fixed with ea access and full launch. I know d-pad users are a minority, but we most let EA know that we want a fix.
Why use the D-Pad and not joystick instead?
The first reactions regarding the issue were why was it even treated as an issue.
Users argued that a far better control alternative already existed in the form of the joystick.
As you all know, FIFA started out with their first game back in 1995.
Back then, the d-pad was your go-to solution when it came to omnidirectional character control.
Many of the players from that era continue playing today.
Subsequently, many of them prefer the good old-fashioned d-pad over the joystick.
I am 37y i grew up with the d-pad…. but the point is…. don’t mess with what is good…
Apparently the issue is most visible when trying to perform special moves, such as penalties and free kicks.
More so, the issue seems to extend to keyboard users as well.
Apparently, they seem to be having the exact same issues with the arrow keys.
Curiously enough, what seems to bug users, even more, is not the severity of the issue itself.
It is the fact that it was reported during the beta, during the demo, and during the EA access.
This leaves players rather pessimistic whether the issue will be solved any time soon, or will they just have to learn how to play using the joystick.
Speaking of which, you must remember that if you have FIFA 20 on PC, and don’t want to play it using a mouse and keyboard, you need to have an official Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller if you wish to play it.
DEFENDING, it’s broke to the point it is embarrassing .
More so, they go into further detail explaining the issue:
[…]team mates will proceed to break shape and leave gaps they just go opposite directions from what your wanting them to do they take up spaces so there not going to be involved in defending[…]
Apparently, the main problems seem to stem from the game’s faulty AI.
The FIFA 20 goalkeepers are apparently facing the worst issues
I would seem that the goalkeeper is also suffering from a faulty AI:
goalkeepers don’t have good games anymore because they don’t make saves anymore lol 4 shots on target 4 goals , shot hit straight at goal keeper parried into net or underneath him etc
As Smart TVs become more and more popular, people use all sorts of apps on them. However, many reported that their Sony TV have apps disappeared.
In case you’re not familiar with how apps work, we have a great guide on how to add or delete apps on Sony TV, so be sure to check it out.
Why is my smart TV not showing apps?
Network issues can interfere with apps on your TV.
Outdated TV firmware can cause issues at times.
Your TV settings or glitches can cause this problem to appear.
DNS settings can prevent apps from working properly.
What can I do if my Sony TV apps have disappeared?
1. General troubleshooting steps
Make sure that your TV is connected to the Internet. If there’s any problem with your Internet connection, app icons might not be visible.
If your Sony Smart TV is connected to a wireless network, restart your router. If possible, try to use a wired connection.
Update your TV to the latest firmware version.
Perform a Power reset. If that doesn’t fix the issue, try a Factory reset. The Factory reset will delete all the data, apps, and saved changes, so you may want to try this option only if the other solutions from this article fail.
2. Refresh the Internet Content
Press the Home button on your remote control.
Now go to Settings and choose System Settings.
Choose Set-up and then Network.
Select Refresh Internet Content.
Apps might disappear from your Sony Smart TV after a reset, a system update, or just after the purchase because of content changes.
Refreshing the Internet content might help you get them back, so it’s worth the try.
Now go to Settings and then Network. Lastly, choose Network Settings/Set-up.
Select Set-up Network connection.
After that, choose Custom/Expert.
Select Wired/Wireless Set-up. Connect your TV to a wireless network.
Find the Manual IP Address and select it.
Don’t make any changes to the IP address. Instead, for Primary DNS enter 8.8.8.8 and for Secondary DNS enter 8.8.4.4.
If prompted to use a proxy server, choose NO.
After that, choose Save and Connect and you should be able to establish a network connection.
Usually, the DNS address is automatically assigned by your ISP, but if it doesn’t work properly, you can change it to solve any server-related problems.
Keep in mind that if your Internet connection becomes unstable or slower, you can change your DNS again by searching for other Public DNS servers.
After changing your DNS, make sure to Refresh the Internet content again and your apps should now appear on your Sony Smart TV.
We hope that this guide helped to fix the issue with disappeared apps on Sony TV. In case the problem is still there, we have a guide on Sony TV not working that might help.
If you have any other suggestions or questions, feel free to reach for the comments section below.
With a lot of new and exciting features, FIFA 20 promises to be one of the biggest releases of the year.
The great majority of FIFA fans were waiting for the official release for some time. Others enjoyed an early access period through EA Access.
If you didn’t know, EA Access is the console version of Origin Access. It can be used on the Xbox One and PS4 to get access to games published by Electronic Arts.
Recently, a lot of FIFA 20 players reported that the EA Access app doesn’t work, making them loose the trial for FIFA 20. For some, the game won’t work or download:
Hi I had started my EA access trial with FIFA 20 (10 hours) and downloaded the trial game. After 2 hours the console shutdown and now I am unable to access the trial again
While for others, the EA Access app won’t even start:
Anyone else’s ea access app not working ? Mine just freezes on the main screen and won’t let me do anything.
This can be a pretty annoying problem, especially with the FIFA 20 trial being only 10 hours. Let’s see what you can do to fix the problem.
What can I do if FIFA 20 is not working in the EA Access app?
1. Access the 10 hour trial
Go to the Microsoft Store on your PC.
Now go to the FIFA 20 page. Make sure to go to the base game page, not the Deluxe Edition or Standard Edition.
In the top-right, near the Play button, you’ll see three dots. Click on them.
After that, click on Free trial.
Wait for a couple of minutes for the change to take effect. Then, your game should work on your console without any problems.
Alternatively, you can do the same thing directly on your Xbox One console. Go to the Xbox store and follow the same steps as above.
You can also try to uninstall and reinstall the EA Access app. Make sure that you have a valid EA subscription and you membership is valid.
Press the Xbox button on your console to turn it off.
After the console completely shuts down, unplug the power cable from the wall outlet.
Wait for a minute or two for the power supply to reset.
Press the Xbox button again to power up your console and then check the EA Access app.
Even though this solution seems pretty simple, it solved the problem for a lot of Xbox One users, so give it a try as it might work for you too.
3. Reset the Xbox One
Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
Navigate to System > Settings > System > Console info.
Select Reset console.
You’ll see two options: Reset and remove everything and Reset and keep my games & apps. Choose Reset and keep my games & apps.
Wait for the process to finish.
After the console resets itself, it will load the default settings. Then, you’re EA Access app and FIFA 20 should work without any problems. This solution was confirmed as working by some Xbox One users.
After following all the steps from this article, you should be able to use the EA Access app to play FIFA 20.
If you have any more suggestions or questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below.
Microsoft is pushing out new features to Office 365, primarily PowerPoint, giving users more tools to help them with their presentations. Probably one of the most useful is what Microsoft is touting as “Presenter Coach”, a tool that was announced last month and is currently in public preview. It improves publish speaking skills by providing feedback on reversion in areas such as filler words and speech pacing. Microsoft is rolling the feature out to English speakers first, but promises to “add new capabilities and improve performance in the coming months.”
PowerPoint in Office for the web is also gaining Inking capabilities, allowing users to add annotations to their slides in real time. The new feature lets individuals to animate process flows and diagrams in Slide Show, allowing them to interpret ideas in a more effective way.
Microsoft is also bringing templates to the Whiteboard app for desktop and iOS devices, including those used for brainstorming, KANBAN sprint planning, SWOT analysis, project planning, learning, and others. The templates are currently in public preview for users on Windows 10, but will make its way to iOS and iPadOS devices “within a few days.”
Microsoft has also added 23 education-based 3D models created by Lifeliqe to Office as well, allowing teachers and students to use them within Powerpoint presentations. These models are available now to Office 365 subscribers in Windows now, although no word has been provided on them coming to other platforms.
What do you think of these new features? What else do you think Microsoft can do to improve its Office 365 services? Let us know what you think in the comments area below.
Microsoft released yesterday a new preview of Windows Terminal, the new command-line tool that it introduced at its Build developer conference earlier this year. Windows Terminal Preview 1909, now available on both the Microsoft Store and GitHub, introduces many new features including support for the new Cascadia Code monospaced font that Microsoft is developing along Windows Terminal.
Other new additions in this latest release include a Settings Schema providing auto-fill suggestions when editing your profiles.json file, Stylus selection support, as well as a new “closeWindow” key binding option for the Terminal. This latest preview also includes a fix for a bug causing the app to sometimes crash when copying items, and you’ll see that copying text from the Terminal will now respect newline characters.
Microsoft plans to have a feature complete version Windows Terminal by the end of the year. Windows Terminal 1.0 is expected to be released in April 2020, and the team plans to release updates every four weeks once the app goes out of preview. You can learn more about all the features planned for Windows Terminal 1.0 on GitHub.
Everyone remembers their first Surface, and for me, that was the Surface RT. I carried it as a daily driver for two years of community college. I then traded up to a newer Surface 3. Eventually, I finally upgraded to the Surface Pro 4 when I headed to a four-year school to study Journalism, and landed my job here at OnMSFT.
Well, it wasn’t a first only for me. The Surface RT was also part of Microsoft’s first venture into PC hardware. At a time when OEMs like Dell were known for making the best laptops, it was unexpected for Microsoft to launch its own device.
Though Surface RT flopped and never sold well — and caused big internal shakeups at Microsoft — it marked a big moment for the company. With iPads being dominant, Microsoft was looking to ship an operating system and device that satisfies the needs of both desktop and tablet users.
That’s part of the reason why RT flopped, but it’s also why there were many lessons learned — and why the Surface lineup is where it is at today.
Now, over four years later, and the week before a Surface event, I dug up my Surface RT from my closet, and feel the need to talk about it in retrospect. This little device really started a revolution at Microsoft.
The kickstand
To begin, I’ll mention the thing that started it all — the kickstand. It’s something that Microsoft really played up when it first marketed the Surface. You might recall it, but a commercial for Surface RT featured dancers snapping the keyboard into the device, and pulling the kickstand up and down to the tunes of a very catchy rhythm.
So, yeah, we get it. Surface RT features a kickstand that makes using the tablet on a lap easy and without the need for a case. But, compared to modern Surface devices, I see a big difference and evolution here.
The kickstand on the RT is really thin and fragile. As I pull it, I feel like it can bend. It also only opens up to one position and one angle, making it hard to get the tablet in the right position in your lap.
Over seven years later, the Surface Pro kickstand is much different. It’s so much more sturdy and can take pressure from my hands when using the Surface Pen on the screen. The modern Surface Pro kickstand also opens up to a near-endless angle, almost allowing you to press it flat to the table and open it to any comfortable angle.
While many say you can’t reinvent the wheel, the kickstand is an area that Microsoft really has paid attention to between Surface generations.
Slide content
The bezels
Something else I noticed was bezels. This is often a topic that many people bring up when talking about the Surface, but Microsoft has made major progress over the years.
Older Surface devices feature a capacitive Windows button under the keyboard and thick side bezels. Those bezels on Surface RT gives the device an ugly bottom border around the 10.6-inch screen, with a 16:10 aspect ratio. So, for productivity, a low resolution 1,366 x 768 screen on the RT, really takes away from the immersive experience. Everything is cramped and squished.
Compared to a modern Surface, which ups the size to a 12.3-inch screen, the difference is night and day. While the capacitive button is gone, and bezels still there, the screen is just so much bigger and more immersive. Combined with the 3:2 aspect ratio on newer Surface devices, stacking windows side by side Surface Pro or Surface Go, is just so much easier than it was for me on my Surface RT. It’s nice to see advancement in this area.
Overall design
Finally, there is the overall design. As the critics often say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” We’ve never seen Microsoft make significant design changes to the Surface between generations. The screen has gotten bigger, bezels a little less thick, and ports have changed, but the build and design have stayed the same.
Visually, the only difference between Surface RT and modern devices is its black color. But, when it comes to the overall design, the devices are almost the same. There are a few exceptions, such as the addition of Windows Hello on the Surface Pro, a magnet on the side for the Surface Pen, and the Surface Connect Port.
But, we still have the kickstand and the POGO detachable keyboard. That same cool to the touch magnesium material also wraps both devices, making it feel light. At 1.7 pounds vs 1.5 pounds on the RT, It’s hard to argue that the Surface Pro is much heavier than the RT. Microsoft has always kept its devices slim and light.
Wrapping things up, Microsoft has paid much attention to three core design areas of the Surface over the years. Bezels, screen, and kickstand. With rumors of a dual-screen Surface spreading like mad, I wonder where it can go next.
Performance, and Windows RT vs Windows 10
When Surface RT launched, Windows RT was the operating system you were trapped with. Based on Windows 8, but locked down to only running apps from the Microsoft Store, I initially remember quite hating the operating system.
It also should be noted that the Surface RT sported an Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and 2 GB of RAM, which means that drivers, programs, and everything on the device was proprietary. You couldn’t install apps like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. You were stuck with what Microsoft loaded to the device, or what you can find in the store.
Coming from a Windows 7 desktop PC, the Live Tiles and Start Screen, Charms Bar of Windows RT were oh so confusing for me. But, switching the tablet to desktop mode didn’t prove too bad. Since Surface RT included Office 2013, I was able to type up my school assignments, get work done in Internet Explorer and more.
Over time, I grew used to Windows RT’s weird touch gestures, and I appreciated the Start screen which gave me info at a quick glance. Microsoft even brought back the regular Windows 7 style Start Menu with the Windows 8.1 Update 3. But it was too late, Surface RT already flopped.
Anyway, with modern Surface devices, like the Surface Pro, I think Microsoft learned its lesson from Windows RT. Microsoft recently launched the Surface Go, which shipped with Windows 10 S, an operating system similar to Windows RT that’s locked to the Microsoft Store only apps. However, it allows consumers to switch to regular Windows 10 if needed.
While some modern Surface devices shipped with Windows 8, users could have upgraded to Windows 10 for free. That operating system itself is also more optimized for those more familiar with Windows 7, but it also keeps the option for live tiles, and a tablet mode if needed.
At the end of the day, compared to what I had with Windows RT, things have come a long way. Today, on my Surface Pro, I am using apps like Spotify, Instagram, Twitter, Slack, and more.
Microsoft really learned its lesson and invested in its store. Despite the constant bugs, it also developed a more efficient operating system for its hardware that doesn’t make users feel violated as Windows 8 did.
A whole different Type Cover
Now, I can’t compare Surface RT and Surface Pro without mentioning the keyboard. This is something that Microsoft has invested heavily in over the past few Surface generations. It’s also one of the first things that I noticed when picking back up my Surface RT.
With its small 10 inch screen, the Surface RT feels more like an iPad — and so does its Type Cover. The keys don’t have any spacing between them, and barely any room for key travel. The trackpad is also tiny and features a weird felt material, that makes dragging my fingers hard.
Pulling out my Surface Pro Type Cover, the differences are amazing. With a bigger screen, the TouchPad is larger, but it’s made of glass and is so much more accurate. The keys on the Type Cover are so much more spaced out, and I can actually type out sentences, without touching more than one key at a time. There’s also the benefit of having the convenience of the Type Cover on the Surface Pro “snapping” to the screen. That raises it up for a more comfortable typing experience. With the Surface RT, the cover stays flat to the lap or a table, making it harder to type.
Where’s the pen?
Finally, there is support for pens. While the original Surface sported a Wacom stylus, the Surface RT doesn’t. This wasn’t something that didn’t really bother me, as I used a capacitive stylus in place to ink on the screen and take notes. It isn’t as convenient as a physical Wacom stylus, but it worked.
But, moving between Surface generations, I can see that Microsoft realized pen support is important. Not only does the modern Surface Pro still support pens, but so does the Surface Laptop, Book, and Studio. You might not get the pen with the Surface anymore, but there’s quite a bit to miss out when it comes to inking and annotating without it.
Come a far way, but more places to go
At the end of the day, the Surface lineup has come a very far way. The screen, kickstand, keyboard, and operating systems on the devices have all evolved over the years — but there are still more places the Surface lineup can go.
Sure, critics have has bad things to say about the reliability of the Surface Lineup (especially Consumer Reports.) But, they’re lessons that Microsoft can, and actually has, learned from.
We best saw that with the Surface Pro 3, which addressed complaints saying the original Surface was too heavy and the battery life was horrible. The Pro 3 was not only lighter but also sported a bigger display, as well as an improved kickstand. However, even that model too faced reliability and WiFi issues.
The follow-up, the Surface Pro 4, also suffered from an issue with the display, known as flickergate. And, Microsoft’s then-new take on the convertible laptop, the Surface Book, suffered problems where the battery would drain when the device is in sleep mode.
Despite what Consumer Reports have said about Surface devices not being reliable, newer Surface devices build on the failures and feedback of Surface past. Microsoft is always working to improve its products.
In fact, the introduction of the Surface lineup and Surface RT invented an entirely new form factor for PCs — the Windows 2 in 1. This eventually lead many Microsoft OEMs to imitate the Surface, best seen with devices like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet.
With the news that a dual-screen PC codenamed Centaurus could be on the way, there are only more places the Surface lineup can go. But, as my coworker told me while I was writing this piece: Let us hope that Microsoft learned from its lesson and that Centarus won’t be another Surface RT.
Storage drives need regular maintenance to ensure peak performance. Modern SSDs are less susceptible to performance degradation than spinning hard disks but regular optimisation still contributes to long-term drive health.
Windows 10 has a built-in drive maintenance utility. You can find it by searching for “optimise drives” in the Start menu – it will display as “Defragment and Optimise Drives.”
The app’s main interface will display an overview of all the storage devices on your system. Check the “Current status” property to see whether a drive needs optimisation. For mechanical hard disks, a high fragmentation percentage indicates the drive should be optimised. Solid state drives will display whether they need optimisation based on usage and drive health.
You can optimise a drive by selecting it and pressing “Optimise.” Depending on the drive’s capacity, this process may take considerable time. You can keep using your PC while it’s ongoing. The “Analyse” button will cause Windows to reassess whether a drive needs optimisation, giving you an accurate indication of the current fragmentation level.
Defragmentation consolidates fragmented files to improve drive performance. Files are fragmented if there isn’t enough contiguous space to store the entire file in one place when it’s written to the drive. When the file is accessed in the future, the hard drive has to read from multiple locations, reducing performance.
Under “Scheduled optimisation”, you can configure Windows to optimise your drives automatically. It’s generally advisable to enable this. Click “Change settings” to configure your optimisation schedule. Use the popup to choose a frequency for the schedule (daily, weekly or monthly) and select the drives to optimise. Regular optimisation will ensure your storage performs at its best throughout its life.
(Editor’s note: it’s “optimise” in the UK and “optimize” in the US ? )
Some users of the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (build 1903) may see a new “PortableBaseLayer” virtual hard drive appear in Disk Management. When it shows up, this drive cannot be changed or removed.
Posts across various online support forums suggest that plenty of people have concerns about “PortableBaseLayer.” Although not acknowledged by Microsoft, the drive does however have a simple explanation.
Microsoft appears to be using this approach as a way to guarantee the integrity of the Sandbox environment. As Sandbox is meant to provide you with a clean virtual desktop, Microsoft needs to ensure users and programs can’t modify the “base image” which hosts the feature.
Using a locked virtual hard drive gives Microsoft a way to seal Sandbox off from your wider system. Unfortunately, the mysteriously-named drive ends up visible in Disk Management, even though users can’t interact with it.
Evidence from Windows Insiders (via Winhelponline) suggests this issue has been resolved in current insider builds of Windows 10. The next major update should hide PortableBaseLayer, even if Windows Sandbox is enabled. In the meantime, Sandbox users will appear to have an invisible virtual hard drive attached to their machine.
Microsoft announced earlier today that the video games, Bad North, Cities: Skylines, Dirt Rally 2.0, and Saints Row IV would soon be coming to the Xbox Game Pass for PC subscription service.
No dates or times have been released just yet but it’s assumed that they’ll be joining the library of playable titles by the end of October at the latest.
Xbox Game Pass is kind of like a Netflix for video games. Users pay a recurring monthly subscription fee and in exchange are given full access to around 100 video games on Xbox One as part of Xbox Game Pass for Console and around 100 games on PC with Xbox Game Pass for PC.
The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription plan gives subscribers full access to both the PC and Console plans in addition to an Xbox Live Gold membership.
Build 79.0.279.0 is now available to download for Edge Insiders within the Dev Channel. The main focus of this build is the addition of a new keyboard shortcut for Mac users for muting tabs, the enabling of the static certificate pinning feature, and increased stability but there are a host of minor fixes and improvements as well.
Here’s the full release notes for build 79.0.279.0:
New Features:
Enabled the static certificate pinning feature that was originally available in Chrome.
Added a keyboard shortcut to mute tabs on Mac.
Added support for hyphenated words when performing single-word intranet searches.
Increased Stability:
Fixed an issue where watching DRM video like Netflix causes some devices to freeze.
Fixed an issue where webpages sometimes crash when watching certain videos.
Fixed a crash when using Read Aloud.
Fixed an issue where using ctrl+F to find something on a webpage while certain things on the page are highlighted leads to a crash.
Fixed some issues with Application Guard sessions not starting.
Fixed an issue where navigation in Application Guard windows doesn’t work.
Improved Behavior:
Fixed an issue where context menus sometimes don’t show all contents properly.
Fixed an issue where the autosuggest popup appears on fields where it shouldn’t.
Fixed an issue where a collection that’s deleted in one browser window isn’t immediately deleted from other browser windows.
Fixed an issue where the translation popup didn’t have a button to close it.
Fixed some issues when adding or deleting words in the spellcheck dictionary.
Fixed an issue where using the keyboard shortcut to open the downloads page on an IE mode tab opens Edge’s downloads, not IE’s.
Fixed an issue where opening the downloads page on an IE mode tab sometimes doesn’t open it in the foreground.
Fixed an issue where installing IE mode sites as apps doesn’t properly show the site’s icon.
Fixed an issue where the new tab button is invisible on Windows 7 if the Aero theme is used.
Fixed an issue where the loading spinner shows up unexpectedly on items in collections.
Edge Insiders are passionate users who have volunteered to test in-development versions of Microsoft’s upcoming revamp of their Microsoft Edge web browser. The Dev Channel receives a new test build on around a weekly basis with previous builds adding Collections and mobile syncing.
PowerShell is a great tool for Windows system administration created by Microsoft. You can run command lines to automate the operating system.
This is a new tool that comes with Windows 10 and has many functionalities. However, these features come with several issues.
Many users encountered the error message “running of scripts is disabled on this system”.
Therefore, the PowerShell execution policy doesn’t allow running scripts. Also, the same error appears when trying to run a PowerShell script.
This is a major issue that makes the PowerShell unusable. Fortunately, there are some solutions available and today we will show you what to do if you encounter the “running of scripts is disabled on this system” error in PowerShell.
Can’t run scripts in PowerShell? Here’s the fix
Change the PowerShell execution policy
By default, the PowerShell execution policy is set to Restricted. You can change that by setting policy to RemoteSigned.
So, change the execution policies with Set-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet. It should be like this:
PS C:> Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
Also, you can use the following command:
PS C:> get-executionpolicy
You can bypass the command above by adding this script:
As you can see, by typing some commands you can fix the “running of scripts is disabled on this system” error in PowerShell.
It is worth mentioning that PowerShell has four different execution policies:
Restricted – you can’t run scripts. AllSigned – you can run only the scripts signed by a trusted publisher. RemoteSigned – you can run downloaded scripts that a trusted publisher signed. Unrestricted – you can run all Windows PowerShell scripts.
Also, keep in mind that PowerShell has the Restricted execution policy set as default. The reason is to stop people from executing commands found on the Internet. As we all know, some scripts can damage your computer.
So, before you change the execution policy, check your script and search for additional information about it. This way, you will make sure everything is safe before running the command in PowerShell.
Did our solution help you? What scripts do you run in PowerShell? Do let us know in the comments section below!
The friend list is not loading anymore and wont show up. It´s just loading and loading but no friends showing up. How do we fix this problem?
Other players are stating on other forums that while they can see their friends list, all of them appear offline despite being online.
Uplay says my friends are offline but they are online. I can send them private messages they can send me a private messages but I dont see them online.
Friends from Steam can’t be added to Uplay either
More so , players are reporting that they cannot import their friends from other gaming platforms, such as Steam.
I can manually add someone on uplay who has a uplay account but when trying to import friends from steam it gives the error of “Something went wrong. Your steam friends could not be imported.”
While not officially confirmed that the two problems may be linked, it is a well known fact that Uplay has some compatibility issues with Steam.
What to do if your Uplay friends are not showing up
These solutions were proposed by users on the forums, and most of them state that this a solution that indeed works.
1. If you are using both Steam and Uplay
Log out of Uplay
Log out of Steam
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc
Look for the Steam and the Uplay entries
Select them and press End Task for each of them
Log back onto Steam
Log back onto Uplay
Check your friends list.
It should be working now, and if not, follow the solution bellow.
2. If you only use Uplay
Go to Uplay desktop menu and click Go Offline
Afterwards while in offline mode, go to the menu and click Go Online
Check your friends list.
3. Check to see if the problem is at Ubisoft’s end
If you and some of your friends are having the same problems at around the same time, go to Ubisoft‘s website and check to see if there is a server-related problem.
Ubisoft performs frequent server maintenance which they usually announce beforehand.
Additionally, their servers have been the subject of plenty of cyber attacks, so unexpected server shutdowns may also be a possible explanation.
Some utilize Task Scheduler to set up scheduled tasks that open software and files. However, those scheduled tasks might not always work for users. That is often because the files the tasks need to open include spaces in their file titles.
Consequently, a scheduled task might not open the software or a file it’s supposed to. However, it’s relatively easy to fix scheduled tasks that don’t open files with spaces.
How can I fix scheduled tasks that include files with spaces?
1. Add quote marks to the file paths
Users can fix the scheduled tasks by adding quotation marks around the paths that include file (or folder) spaces. To do that, press the Windows key + S hotkey to open the search utility.
Enter ‘Task Scheduler’ in the search box.
Click Task Scheduler to open the window shown directly below.
Double-click Task Scheduler Library on the left of the window to expand it.
Select the folder that includes the scheduled task that needs fixing.
Then right-click the scheduled task and select Properties.
Select the Actions tab in the snapshot directly below.
Select Start a program, and then press the Edit button. The Edit Action window will then open.
If the Program/script path does not include quotation marks around it, add them to the beginning and end of the path.
Then add quotation marks at the beginning and end of the file path in the Add arguments box.
Click the OK button.
Then press the OK button on the properties window.
2. Delete spaces from file titles
Alternatively, try deleting spaces from file and folder titles within the paths included for the scheduled task. To do that, open File Explorer with the Windows key + E hotkey.
Then open the folder that includes the task file with spaces in it.
Right-click the file and click the Rename option.
Delete all the spaces from the file title.
Then press the Enter key.
If any of the folder titles within the software or file paths include spaces, remove the spaces from the folder titles.
3. Add backslash and quote marks to file paths in the Command Prompt
Users who utilize the Schtasks.exe Command Prompt utility to schedule tasks need to include additional backslash (\) and quote (“) marks around the file path with spaces (excluding arguments or switches) within the command. For example, a file path with arguments in the schtasks /create command would look something like this:
“\”c:\foldername with spaces\file.bat\” arguments”
Instead of this:
“c:\foldername with spaces\file.bat arguments”
The example above encloses the first file path within “\ and \” character combinations. However, arguments is left outside the character combinations, but it is still enclosed within the quote marks. With those character combinations included around the path, the task will run at the time scheduled within the command. A full command might look like the one in the snapshot below.
So, users can add quotation marks to the file paths in the Edit Action window, remove spaces from file paths, or add character combinations around file paths that include spaces in Schtasks commands. Then, the scheduled tasks should work.
Many people use Virtual machines to run multiple operating systems on their PCs. However, there are times when you need to do some changes. It is better to keep a backup of your virtual machine so that you can use it in case of any issues.
If you are wondering how you can export your virtual machine in VMware, this article explains the process to export a virtual machine in OVF format. The OVF format to get a complete specification of the VM that is helpful for the administrators.
Carefully follow the below-mentioned steps in order to avoid any unnecessary complications later at any stages.
How do I export Virtual Machine in VMware?
1. Power off your Virtual Machine
First and foremost, select the virtual machine you want to export.
Right-click on the virtual machine go to Power and click Shut Down Guest.
Wait until the Shutdown process is complete and proceed to the next step.
2. Export To OVF Format
To export your virtual machine to OVF format, select your virtual machine and navigate to File >> Export >> Export OVF Template.
Once the Export OVF Template window opens on your screen, specify the Name of OVF.
Choose the Directory where you want to save the OVF file and select OVF from the list of formats.
Click the OK button to begin the export process.
You can see the progress of the export process in the Exporting dialoge box. Wait until your system displays the Completed Successfully message.
Open the directory where you have saved the exported OVF file.
In this article, we have explored how we can export a Virtual Machine in VMware. We hope that this method helped you to export your VM. You can now import the OVF file as per your requirement. Feel free to leave your questions in the comments section below.
Microsoft’s Project xCloud game streaming service will be available for public testing next month, and the company revealed today during its latest Inside Xbox webcast that it has just opened registrations for consumers in the US, UK, and South Korea on this page. “We’ll begin to send invites in the coming weeks,” the company said today.
The company expects to receive a lot of applications starting today, and not everyone will get early access to Project xCloud. “It is our intention to accommodate as many eligible players as possible and we’ll continue to invite more gamers into the preview over time,” the blog post on Xbox Wire reads.
Kareem Choudhry, CVP of Gaming cloud at Microsoft was on stage during today’s Inside Xbox to share more details about the service. Four games will be available when the public beta kicks off next month: Halo: 5 Guardians, Gears 5, Sea of Thieves, and Killer Instinct. “This is just the beginning as our content library will continue to grow as the preview progresses,” the Xbox team announced today. Importantly, all these games will be free to play even if you don’t purchase them on your Xbox One.
As for the console streaming feature that Microsoft announced back at E3 2019, it still being developed and will ship to Xbox Insiders first, but the company didn’t share an ETA today. Unlike Project xCloud, this feature will just stream Xbox games you own from your own console to mobile devices, and it should be a nice extension to Microsoft’s full-fledged cloud gaming service.
To try Project xCloud, you’ll just need a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox Wireless Controller and an Android phone or tablet. The service will work on both Wifi and mobile networks, and Microsoft has also teamed up with T-Mobile in the US, Vodafone in the UK, and SK Telekom in South Korea to optimize the experience for gamers on these networks, but xCloud will/should work with any cellular network within the US, UK, or Korea.
Project xCloud content will be available through a dedicated Microsoft Game Streaming app that will be released on Android in the coming weeks. Microsoft didn’t share a launch date for the Project xCloud public beta next month, and it’s also not clear how long the beta test will last. “The preview will continue until customers are consistently reporting a great, fun experience and the technology meets our internal quality standards. As is typical of our preview programs, we plan to begin with focused groups in the early stages for stability purposes and then to expand over time,” the company said today.
As Microsoft’s first 20H1 Bug Bash will kick off tomorrow, September 25, the Windows Insider team has just announced the release of Windows 10 20H1 build 18990 for Fast Ring Insiders. This latest build is a minor update that brings more control over restarting apps at sign-in. In the build 18965, a new setting allowed registered desktop apps from your previous sign-in session to automatically restart when signing back in to Windows, and Microsoft is now enabling automatic restart for UWP apps in the build 18990.
This new build also includes minor improvements for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and the team also mentioned today that an FPS counter and achievement overlay has started rolling to the Xbox Game Bar app. You can learn more about new features and other updates for Insiders below.
Enabling automatic restart for UWP apps
Last month, we introduced a new separate setting to control if registered desktop appsfrom your previous sign-in session are restarted when signing back in to Windows. In the latest Insider Preview builds, in addition to registered desktop apps, when you opt into this setting, the majority of open UWP apps are now also automatically restarted as well! To reduce sign-in time, UWP apps are restarted minimized, in a suspended state, giving Windows and other apps more resources to get started. To try it out:
Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and turn on “Automatically save my restartable apps when I sign out and restart them after I sign in.” under “Restart apps”.
Start one or more UWP apps, such as Feedback Hub.
Sign out and then sign back into Windows.
UWP apps that were started, such as Feedback Hub, should restart minimized with a taskbar button.
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) improvements
Improved the performance for directory listings in \\wsl$
[WSL2] Fixed Windows interop when using su / sudo commands [Github issue 4465]
For the full details of changes in this latest Insider Preview build, please see the WSL release notes.
Other updates for Insiders
Xbox Game Bar Updates
In case you hadn’t seen, we’re starting to roll out an FPS counter and achievement overlay! Thanks to everyone who shared feedback about this. The update will come via the Microsoft Store. Just set focus to your favorite game and press WIN + G to get started.
NOTE: You may have to be joined to receive Game Bar updates via the Xbox Insider Hub app (under Insider Content) from the Microsoft Store to see this update.
Reset your PC from the cloud
Earlier today in our Windows Insider webcast, we had the Deployment Team as guests to talk about the new feature that is coming with 20H1 that allows you to reset your PC using the cloud. For more information, check out this article from Program Manager Aaron Lower. You can also watch the on-demand video of this morning’s webcast by visiting our Mixer channel!
As usual, this new build also comes with bug fixes and quality improvements, and the release notes mention a fix for an issue impacting Action Center reliability. You can learn more about other fixes and known issues in our separate post.
Lastly, if you want to participate to the first 20H1 Bug Bash, you can check out the Windows 10 Feedback Hub app at midnight(PDT) to start completing the firstBug Bash Quests. The event will last through October 2, and more quests will be added in the coming days.
We were hoping to get a new Windows 10 20H1 build ahead of the first 20H1 Bug Bash, but that’s apparently not happening. The Bug Bash will run from September 25th to Oct 2nd, and those of you interested in participating can get ready to check out new quests in the Windows 10 Feedback Hub.
DTS:X is now officially available for all Windows 10 users running on the May 2019 Update (via Windows Latest). The audio company has released an app on the Microsoft Store to allow users to take advantage of full panoramic audio experiences for movies on DTS:X and DTS Headphone:X capable devices.
As per the app’s description, the app works with Microsoft’s 3D spacial audio to bring surround sound to Windows 10 devices with capable speaker systems or headphones. And since it’s all powered by an app, this potentially means it could make its way to the Xbox One devices later.
In addition to bringing surround sound to movies, the app can also bring these 3D audio experiences to games as well. It’s description notes a handful of titles, including Gears 5, Borderlands 3, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Forza Horizon 4, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, just to name a few.
While the app can be downloaded for free, there’s still a premium to pay to fully use the service. DTS is offering a free trial to those who download the app, but you’ll still need to shell out a one time payment to keep the service.
Would you pay for a surround sound experience for your PC? Share your thoughts in the comments area below.
The Windows Insider team will be back today at 10AM PDT for a new episode of the Windows Insider webcast. This time, the team will discuss deployment and the upcoming 20H1 Bug Bash, which will run from September 25th to Oct 2nd.
Broadcasting all episodes of the webcast on Mixer allows the team to interact live with Windows Insiders, and you’ll be able to ask your questions later today when the stream kicks off. It’s not clear yet if this first 20H1 bug bash will be focused on the preview build 18985 released last week, unless Microsoft plans to flight a fresh new 20H1 build later today
Anyway, you probably don’t want to miss this latest webcast if you want to learn more about Windows 10 and the latest 20H1 builds. We may also hear more about the latest 19H2 builds, especially since Microsoft released the 19H2 Build 18363.329 for Windows Insiders on the Release Preview ring yesterday.
Seems Samsung is refusing to take comedian and writer W.C. Fields’ infamous quote to heart regarding the Galaxy Fold, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try and try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.”
Shortly following Samsung’s unveiling of its foldable smartphone aptly named the Galaxy Fold, the company was mired with bad press as the review units seeded to prominent tech journalists began breaking and suffering issues related to its signature foldable mechanism. Samsung quickly retrieved the devices from reviewers but maintained the original release schedule with retailers until it became clear not only was the manufacture not going to have a viable device to sell at that time, but that the issue with the hinge was a deeper construction problem than previously thought.
Samsung is re-announcing the release of the Galaxy Fold in the US on September 27, 2019.
Earlier this month, Samsung announced it intended to ship the Galaxy Fold soon, but didn’t offer a concrete date for the US as it seemed the company was still fine-tuning the hinge. Since its September announcement, Samsung began shipping the Galaxy Fold to Korea on September 6, 2019, with France, Germany, and Singapore getting theirs September 18, 2019.
Presumably, Samsung has worked out the kinks that plagued the original Galaxy Fold that included debris getting caught in the hinge, and a protective coating that was too easily removed by reviewers. Speaking of reviewers, a select handful of journalists have recently gotten some hands-on time with the re-jiggered Galaxy Fold as it makes it way through international release dates and the overall sentiment is cautious optimism as many of the issues have been addressed to some degree.
Perhaps, not fully confident in their changes, Samsung has also created a Galaxy Fold Premier Service which will allow owners a chance to speak with “Fold Concierge” to go through the ins and outs of the device as well as spot-check issues that may arise.
Samsung showed off the Galaxy Fold roughly the same time as its Galaxy S10 device and I would wager that they plan to show off an updated version again around the same time, which give the company about a four-month window to get whatever stock of the original Galaxy Fold off the shelf and into consumer’s hands.
Shut down your virtual machines and close the VMware Workstation.
Navigate to the following path C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware Workstation
Open the config.ini file.
Scroll down to the end of the file and add the line vmmon.disableHostParameters = “TRUE”
Save the file and restart your system to apply the new changes.
4. Modify VMware settings
Open your VMware Workstation and go to Edit and choose Preferences.
Click the Memory option from the left pane and navigate to the Additional memory section.
If you want to use some virtual machines with the best performance, select Fit all virtual machine memory into reserved host RAM.
Alternatively, click Allow most virtual machine memory to be swapped if you want to choose multiple VMs at the same time.
Click OK to save the changes.
If you have properly followed the steps, you should no longer see the error. However, you need to install the latest version of VMware if the problem still persists.
Today we have discussed some quick troubleshooting steps to fix the error Not enough physical memory is available to power this virtual machine with its configured settings.
Some users have reported that they are having problems when trying to log in to their Uplay client.
Apparently, they receive an error message that looks like the following:
Players on the forums are rather furious at the matter
[…] since Yesterday I have not been able to log into Uplay even though I never Changed my Password. I tried to recover my Password, and even though I do get the recovery email and make a new password It keeps on saying that the link is either invalid or expired despite me clicking seconds after it appears.
Apparently, the problem is not random, and it also happens to users who have allegedly never changed their Ubisoft password.
More so, the problem also seems to be linked to Ubisoft’s password recovery system.
Uplay states that either your login email or password is incorrect
The same users on the forums reported that eventually the problem sorted itself out.
Apparently, the passwords they already tried suddenly became valid again.
The only explanation for why a password may not work now but may work later is one of the following:
Ask them whether or not they’ve made changes to the Internet or network settings around your area.
If they did, ask what exactly did they change, so that you can take the appropriate measures.
2. Check your PC for malware
Install a third-party antivirus tool and run a complete system scan to see if your PC is infected.
Once all threats are detected, add them to your virus vault and try logging in again.
Make sure to use an up-to-date antivirus with a high detection rate, such as ESET HOME Security Essential.
It is one of the most appreciated tools in the cybersecurity industry because it offers complete protection against malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, spyware, and any other emerging threats.
Microsoft is inviting you to share your feedback regarding the Windows touch keyboard with the engineers who are directly responsible for designing and developing it. This will be a perfect opportunity to share your thoughts on the touch keyboard, and offer suggestions on improvement.
During the feedback session, which is basically a live chat, Microsoft will take notes on your experiences when its your time to participate in the one-on-one talk. The company might even ask you for your thoughts on new design ideas for other Microsoft products and features.
You won’t have to provide any personal data, such as name, birth date, phone number, etc.
“Our engineers are excited to hear from you! As we’ve seen with previous research sessions, the insights and suggestions you provide have an important impact on future development for Windows users around the world,” Microsoft says.
This is a pretty cool way to gather feedback directly from users. Let us know in the comments below if you plan on participating, and/or if you have any feedback regarding the touch keyboard in Windows.
“Now, with the ability to add an organization as a first-class entity, organizations can map leads and contacts to buying groups, accounts and account hierarchies, giving them the ability to build segments and measure the relationship between an account and contact. Any organization—in any industry, from amusement parks to retailers and manufacturers— can effortlessly connect data from every source of interaction and arm employees with a single source of truth right within the external business applications they use every day,”
explained Alysa Taylor, CVP of Business Applications & Global Industry at Microsoft.
The company also introduced today two new retail-focused apps named Dynamics 365 Commerce and Dynamics 365 Connected Store. The first one is a solution that unifies back office, in-store, call center and digital experiences in a single interface with intelligent features, while the second one will help companies improve the retail experience by analyzing data from video cameras and IoT sensors.
This “wave 2” rollout of Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 suite will also include Dynamics 365 Product Insights, a new app which will use product telemetry to help companies “build richer relationships and improve engagement.” To learn more about these latest Dynamics 365 updates, make sure the watch the free Microsoft Business Applications Virtual Launch Event that the company will hold October 10.
Amidst the growing global concern regarding climate change, 14 CEOs of some of the biggest game franchises in the industry are getting together to form the Playing for the Planet Alliance to combat CO2 emissions.
The Alliance’s announcement was made during a UN Secretary-General led Climate Action Summit at UN Headquarters today, September 23,2 2019 and included representatives from Microsoft, Rovio, Google, Sony Interactive, Ubisoft, Sybo and more have made a pledge to combat a growing climate crisis making changes in game design, energy management, packaging, and device recycling to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 million tons.
Microsoft executive vice president of gaming, Phil Spencer spoke to the new commitments, “Climate change is impacting each industry and every sector, and we believe technology can play a critical role in enabling and empowering the response to this challenge. Initiatives like our Minecraft Build a Better World Campaign and CarbonNeutral Xbox pilot provide a great opportunity to tap into Microsoft’s technology sustainability and gaming community to make a difference in this key area of our business.”
Perhaps, in an effort to be transparent and accountable, various commitments were created and facilitated by UNEP with support by Playmob and following the GRID-Arendal study Playing For the Planet. The combined efforts help detail and outline what each company plans to do to reach a united goal of reducing CO2 emissions.
Microsoft will announce the expansion of its existing operational commitment to carbon neutrality, established in 2012, into its devices and gaming work. It will set a new target to reduce its supply chain emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 – including end-of-life for devices – and to certify 825,000 Xbox consoles as carbon neutral in a pilot program. In addition, Microsoft will engage gamers in sustainability efforts in real life through the Minecraft its ‘Build a Better World’ initiative, which has seen players take more than 20 million in-game actions.
Sony Interactive Entertainment will unveil new progress and plans to utilize energy-efficient technology (on-track to avoid 29 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030), to introduce low power suspend mode for next-generation PlayStation, to assess and report their carbon footprint and to educate and inspire the gaming community to take action on climate change.
Google Stadia, which is set to launch later in the year, will produce a new Sustainable Game Development Guide as well as funding research into how “green nudges” can be effectively incorporated into gameplay.
Supercell (Clash of Clans) will offset the entire footprint of their community, Rovio (Angry Birds) has offset the carbon impact from their players charging their devices, and Sybo (Subway Surfer) and Space Ape (Fastlane) will offset 200 per cent of their studio and their gamers mobile energy use. Guidance documents will assist other companies to take similar actions.
Wild Works (Animal Jam) will integrate restoration elements in games and, like Green Man Gaming, they will focus on restoring some of the world’s forests with major tree-planting initiatives
Ubisoft will develop in-game green themes and will source materials from eco-friendly factories and Sports Interactive will eliminate 20 tonnes of packaging by switching from plastic to a recycled alternative for all future Football Manager releases.
Creative Mobile’s ZooCraft will evolve into a conservation-focused game with Reliance Games (Little Singham)generating awareness in the fastest growing mobile gaming market by creating awareness with kids to make them ambassadors for climate change with in-game events and initiatives across India. The biggest independent gaming platform in China, iDreamSky has committed to putting green nudges into its games.
E-Line Media (Never Alone, Beyond Blue), Strange Loop (Eco) and Internet of Elephants (Safari Central) will share their expertise of making high impact environmentally-oriented games into the Alliance
Finally, Twitch has committed to utilizing their platform to spread this message to the global gaming community with Niantic Inc (Pokemon Go) committing to engage their community to act around sustainability issues.
On the face of it, the video game industry stepping in and making changes to combat further irreparable climate change seems tangential at best, several franchise CEO’s highlight the reach gaming has with a combined audience of up to 2 billion people playing games. With an audience of close to a quarter fo the population, the gaming industry’s lead in altering practices to address a global crisis could go a long way to exacting change.
The Xbox app got a new update that adds voice chat, and other new features for Android and iOS users. As noted in a post on WIndowsBlogItalia, here’s a look at the new features included in the update.
You can now upload images from your phone into messages! Press the “+” button in a chat to send photos from your gallery or camera.
We have added voice channel support to conversations. Tap the headset icon when in a chat to get started.
On Android and iOS, OneGuide is disabled while the Xbox team works on improving OneGuide for mobile users. OneGuide will come back in a future update. The Xbox app is gaining more helpful features for mobile users in each update. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft plans to bring the ability to play Xbox games on Android and iOS. We’ll have to wait and see if Microsoft will release Xbox games to mobile users.
Microsoft has shared the program for its next Inside Xbox livestream that will air tomorrow, September 24 at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET. The hour-long episode will include “the latest on Project xCloud,” news about the X019 event in London (tickets will be available for purchase tomorrow), as well as various video games news including new Xbox Game Pass additions.
#InsideXbox is back with a ???? BOOM ???? this month!
With huge updates on: ???? Project xCloud ???????????????????????????? X019 ???? Xbox Game Pass ???? Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint ???? AND MORE!
As Google has already revealed pricing details for its competing Stadia game streaming service coming in November, it’s time for Microsoft to do the same for Project xCloud. The service is expected to enter public testing in select markets next month, and it’s still not clear if it will require a special subscription and what games will be available on mobile devices. We had the chance to test both Project xCloud and Google Stadia last month at gamescom, and we learned back then that Project xCloud may only work on select Android phones at launch.
We also hope to learn more about the console streaming to mobile devices feature during this Inside Xbox episode. We heard first about this feature during Microsoft’s E3 press briefing, but it hasn’t been mentioned among the features coming in the October 2019 Update for the Xbox One. However, we saw in leaked screenshots last month how the set up process will work on the console.
As usual, you’ll be able to follow this new Inside Xbox episode on Mixer, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. We’ll also be covering the event live, so keep an eye on OnMSFT tomorrow after it airs. Coincidentally, this latest Inside Xbox episode tomorrow will be preceded by a “State of Play” livestream from Sony at 1PM PDT.
Last week, we learned that traces of Windows 10 build 19480 had been found in languages pack available from the Microsoft Store. Serial leaker WalkingCat confirmed the original scoop from Italian blog Aggiornamenti Lumia, adding in a tweet that Windows 10 Sets, the organizational feature that Microsoft briefly tested in previous Insider builds last year could make a come back in the Windows 10 build 19481.
Well, Brandon LeBlanc from the Windows Insider team has now answered to that tweet to say that the rumor was wrong: Windows Sets isn’t coming back anytime soon, though LeBlanc confirmed the existence of these internal builds mentioned by Aggiornamenti Lumia and WalkingCat. According to LeBlanc, these internal builds “are largely the same as what Insiders are seeing.”
Back at Build 2018, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore said that Windows Sets would make a comeback “when we think it’s great,” and we didn’t really hear anything about the feature from the Windows Insider team since then. According to WalkingCat, the feature could still be present in some ways in the internal Windows 10 builds from the separate development branch that LeBlanc mentioned, though we have no way to confirm this for now.
Windows 10 Sets, which allowed Windows 10 users to group together Edge tabs, Windows 10 apps and more in a single window sounded like an interesting feature when it was still in testing, though at the time the the execution wasn’t that intuitive, and it’s possible that the majority of Windows 10 users would have found it confusing to use. We still don’t know if Windows Sets will make a come back at some point, but Microsoft may well prefer to focus on incremental changes for now, such as the better tablet experience for 2-in-1 PCs that recently appeared in 20H1 builds.
As part of its Defending Democracy Program, Microsoft recently announced that it would extend Windows 7 security updates for free for voting systems in 2020. As you may know, the 10 years old operating system is finally reaching end of support in January 2020, and it turns out that there are still a not so insignificant amount of voting machines that are still using it a year ahead of the next US presidential election.
“As a next step in protecting the 2020 elections, the Defending Democracy Program will make extended security updates available for free to federally certified voting systems running Windows 7. We will do this through the end of 2020, both in the United States and in other democratic countries, as defined by the EIU Democracy Index, that have national elections in 2020 and express interest. We are also working with major manufacturers that have sold voting machines running Windows 7 to ensure any security updates provided to these systems are successful,” explained Tom Burt, CVP of Customer Security & Trust at Microsoft.
In addition to providing extended security updates for free for voting machines still running Windows 7, the company will also offer special technical assistance to election authorities that are Microsoft Azure customers. Government official overseeing 2020 elections can get more details by contacting the Defending Democracy team directly at [email protected].
Uplay is an amazing game distribution platform created by Ubisoft. It can be used to buy and download games as well as DLCs.
It can also be used to chat, read news about games, and manage your game library and achievements. The problem is that some players have reported that they are having problems with their achievements.
Why won’t Ubisoft synchronize achievements?
Below are some of the reasons your Ubisoft Connect achievements are not showing:
Issues with the app: Sometimes, this problem might be due to an issue with the Ubisoft app. In this case, you need to create a backup of the app and reinstall it.
Server issues: At times, this issue might be due to server problems from the provider’s side. You can only wait for it to be resolved.
What can I do if Ubisoft Connect achievements is not showing?
1. Make a backup of your Achievements folder
Normally, Uplay should upload the achievements file of all of your games to the cloud.
However, it doesn’t seem to do this with all of the games, such as with some Assassin’s Creed titles.
Because of this, you have to do it manually.
You’ll first need to complete the game with some of the Achievements for testing purposes.
Navigate to where your achievements are locally stored: C:\Users\%USER%\AppData\Local\Ubisoft Game Launcher\spool\%manynumbers%
After that, you’ll just have to uninstall and re-install Uplay and your game:
Press Windows + R, type in appwiz.cpl, and click OK.
Right-click on the Uplay entry.
Select Uninstall/Change.
Finally, follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
If you Uninstall Uplay, it will delete the Ubisoft Game Launcher folder.
If you install Uplay again, you’ll notice many Achievements will be reset, but if you also restore the .spool file, the Achievements will be back.
2. Wait it out
Sometimes achievements won’t be granted the exact moment you’ve met all the prerequisites.
In fact, some reports state that it may take up to 48 hours until you may receive them.
If all solutions listed above fail to yield results, you should consider contacting Ubisoft customer support.
While this is indeed a serious problem, the only thing players could hope for is a patch to be released in the near future. Until then, players will just have to back up their own files.
One such bug is an error message some players have been receiving:
Players aren’t exactly pleased about the matter, and they aren’t shy to express themselves on the public forums:
[…]it shows “A Ubisoft service is currently unavailable. You can try again later or switch to offline mode.” in Uplay on starting. I cannot login Uplay and cannot play […]
This error seems to prevent users from being able to log in with their accounts.
More so, you can’t play a Ubisoft game without it running in the background.
Consequentially, this means that the error also prevents you from playing anything, single-player or not.
Ubisoft servers are online, but Uplay says otherwise
1. Make sure the Ubisoft servers are actually up to date when you receive this error.
They usually go through periodic maintenance from time to time, during which most services will be unavailable.
2. Modify your PC’s system date
While a strange solution indeed, this solution seems to have worked for many users.
Hover over the Date and time in the taskbar on the right
Right-click it
Select Date and time setting
Disable the automatic setting of the date and time
Click on Change and set an earlier date
Save the changes made
Pres Ctrl+ Shift + Esc
Select the Uplay entry
Press End Task (Bottom-right corner)
Re-launch the client with administrator rights
3. Uninstall and re-install Uplay
Press Windows + R
Type in appwiz.cpl
Look for the Uplay entry
Right-click it
Select Uninstall
Once that is finished, hear over to Ubisoft‘s official website and download a fresh new Uplay client
Install it
Keep note that when you uninstall Uplay, you need to back-up the save files for your locally stored single-player games.
4. Disable your antivirus program while running a Uplay title
Generally, most antivirus programs should be active in the system tray.
Right-clicking it and looking for a Disable for…… message will usually do the trick.
However, this procedure varies depending on the antivirus client you are using.
Head over to your antivirus manufacturer’s homepage to see the exact steps.
Microsoft regularly releases updates for Windows to add new features and deliver patches for known bugs, and every few years, we have a new iteration with several upgrades and a different UI. But the transition to a newer version or iteration may sometimes throw the 0xe0000100 error.
The error has long been present in Windows, with numerous reports affecting Vista too. The Windows Update error is tricky to troubleshoot, so here we are with everything you need to know and the solutions for it.
What is error code 0xe0000100?
The error code 0xe0000100 appears both while updating Windows or installing a fresh copy of it. For the installation part, the error message reads, Windows installation encountered an unexpected error. Verify that the installation sources are accessible, and restart the installation.
Here are a few reasons you might be getting the Windows update or install error:
Corrupt Windows Update Components: The primary reason users get the update error is due to corrupt Windows Update Components, but these are easy to fix.
Corrupt system files: Corrupt system files, too, can trigger a range of issues, ranging from basic functions in the OS to the ability to install updates.
Firewall or antivirus blocking the update: Several third-party security software can block Windows Updates from downloading the latest version.
Faulty installation setup: If you get the 0xe0000100 error while installing Windows, it’s likely that the setup has not been created properly.
Malfunctioning USB port: Another reason for the Windows installation error is a malfunctioning USB port when installing the OS from a bootable USB drive.
How can I fix error 0xe0000100?
Before we head to the slightly complex solutions, here are a few quick checks to perform:
If you install Windows on a clean drive, ensure it’s working and can be accessed from other PCs.
For those running a third-party antivirus or firewall, disable it or uninstall the program and check whether the 0xe0000100 error is fixed. If so, we recommend you switch to a more reliable antivirus with a built-in firewall.
Your PC needs to meet the minimum system requirements for the iteration you are trying to install. So check that and make sure it does.
Make sure the USB port or CD drive is fully functional, depending on whether you use a bootable or Windows CD.
Check for RAM issues and ensure it’s plugged in properly.
If none work, move to the fixes listed next.
NOTE
The solutions listed here that use Command Prompt require booting the OS. If you cannot install Windows, plug in the bootable drive or CD and then access the Recovery Environment to open Command Prompt.
1. Run DISM and SFC scan
Press Windows + R to open Run, type cmd, hold Ctrl + Shift and click OK.
Click Yes in the UAC prompt.
Paste the following three commands individually and hit Enter after each:DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealthDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealthDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Once done, execute the following command to run the SFC scan:sfc /scannow
If it’s the corrupt system files triggering the 0xe0000100 Windows Update error, running the DISM tool and SFC scan would help repair or replace them in time.
2. Use third-party software for Windows errors
The most convenient solution is to use professional third-party software that aims to address every Windows error and fix damaged registry files instantly.
With strong automated support, you can repair serious Windows issues that may occur out of nowhere, including updating issues on your PC.
Such dedicated tools are highly capable of fixing system malfunctions or virus damages with powerful restoring options. Besides, it will completely scan potential problems and repair them accordingly with intelligent technology.
3. Run the Check Disk utility
Press Windows + S to open Search, type Command Prompt, and click on Run as administrator.
Click Yes in the prompt that appears.
Paste the following command and hit Enter:chkdsk /r
If asked to schedule a scan the next your PC restarts, press Y and then hit Enter.
Finally, restart the computer and let the CheckDisk utility identify and fix issues with the drive.
When you face the 0xe0000100 error in Windows 11 due to bad sectors or some corrupt nature of the drive, the Check Disk utility will aid and eliminate all such problems.
4. Reset Windows Update Components
Press Windows + R to open Run, type cmd, and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
Click Yes in the prompt.
Now, paste the following commands individually and hit Enter after each to stop the BITS and Windows Update services:net stop bitsnet stop wuauserv
Next, run this command:Del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Downloader\qmgr*.dat"
Execute this command next:cd /d %windir%\system32
Now, you will have to run all the commands here individually to register the critical files:regsvr32.exe atl.dllregsvr32.exe urlmon.dllregsvr32.exe mshtml.dllregsvr32.exe shdocvw.dllregsvr32.exe browseui.dllregsvr32.exe jscript.dllregsvr32.exe vbscript.dllregsvr32.exe scrrun.dllregsvr32.exe msxml.dllregsvr32.exe msxml3.dllregsvr32.exe msxml6.dllregsvr32.exe actxprxy.dllregsvr32.exe softpub.dllregsvr32.exe wintrust.dllregsvr32.exe dssenh.dllregsvr32.exe rsaenh.dllregsvr32.exe gpkcsp.dllregsvr32.exe sccbase.dllregsvr32.exe slbcsp.dllregsvr32.exe cryptdlg.dllregsvr32.exe oleaut32.dllregsvr32.exe ole32.dllregsvr32.exe shell32.dllregsvr32.exe initpki.dllregsvr32.exe wuapi.dllregsvr32.exe wuaueng.dllregsvr32.exe wuaueng1.dllregsvr32.exe wucltui.dllregsvr32.exe wups.dllregsvr32.exe wups2.dllregsvr32.exe wuweb.dllregsvr32.exe qmgr.dllregsvr32.exe qmgrprxy.dllregsvr32.exe wucltux.dllregsvr32.exe muweb.dllregsvr32.exe wuwebv.dll
Once done, run this command to reset Winsock:netsh winsock reset
Finally, execute these two commands to restart the services you disabled initially:net start bitsnet start wuauserv
After you have reset the Windows Update components, check whether the 0xe0000100 update error is fixed. If not, the next option is to install the update manually.
Click on the Download button for the option that matches the system architecture, i.e., 32-bit or 64-bit.
Click on the listed link to start the download.
Run the setup and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
Microsoft offers every update for manual download on the Update Catalog, accessible via the dedicated website. So, anytime you receive the 0xe0000100 or any other update error, try installing it manually.
6. Run Diskpart (for installation issues)
NOTE
We recommend following this method when you are unable to install Windows. In that case, you can run Command Prompt from Recovery Menu.
Plug in the bootable USB drive, boot the PC using it, and click on Repair the computer in the setup.
Choose Troubleshoot, followed by Advanced options.
Now, select Command Prompt.
Paste the following command and press Enter:diskpart
Now, run this command:list disk
Next, execute the following command while replacing X with the number assigned to the system drive:select disk X
Run this command:list partition
To choose a partition, run:select partitionX
Use this command to delete the partition while replacing X with the assigned partition number:delete partition X
Once done, close the command prompt, and try reinstalling Windows using the bootable drive.
If the problem lies with the partition, running the DISKPART utility via the Command Prompt should fix the 0xe0000100 error in no time.
7. Perform an in-place upgrade
Go to Microsoft’s official website, select the correct version from the dropdown menu, and click on Download to get the ISO file for Windows 11.
Choose the desired language, and click Confirm.
Click on the provided button to start the download.
Double-click on the downloaded ISO file, and choose Open in the prompt that appears.
Run the setup.exe file.
Click Yes in the UAC prompt.
Click Next to proceed.
Now, click on Accept to agree to the license terms.
Verify that the setup reads, Keep personal files and apps, and click on Install.
Wait for the in-place upgrade to complete. It may take a few hours.
An in-place upgrade eliminates a host of problems in Windows, including the 0xe0000100 update error, without affecting the files or apps stored on the PC. But it’s a time taking process, so we recommend you go with it as a last resort.
Once done with the error, check some quick and simple tricks to speed up Windows in no time.
Tell us which fix worked for you in the comments section below.
No PC gamer alive can call himself a true PC gamer if they haven’t tried a game from Ubisoft. Of course, trends continue and the market for distributing games digitally is ever-changing.
That’s how game distribution platforms like Uplay, Origin, Steam, Epic Games Store or GOG came to be. Uplay is Ubisoft‘s digital distribution platform for all content related to Ubisoft.
Here, you can download games and DLCs, check Ubisoft-related news, and chat with other Uplay users. However, no game distribution platform is perfect, and Uplay has its own fair share of issues. One such issue is an error message some players receive when trying to launch a game from Uplay.
What can I do if Uplay is installed, but PC says it’s not?
1. Uninstall Uplay and Re-install Uplay
Press Windows + R
Type in appwiz.cpl
Look for the Uplay entry
Right-click it
Select Uninstall
Once that is finished, head over to Ubisoft‘s official website and download a fresh new Uplay client
Install it
Please note that when you uninstall Uplay, you need to back up the save files for your locally stored single-player games.
2. Disable your antivirus program while running a Uplay title
How you do this varies depending on the antivirus client you are using. Head over to your antivirus manufacturer’s homepage to see the exact steps.
Many people using an SSD drive have reported that their SSD won’t format, or if the process starts, it will stop at offset. If you are in the same situation, we understand how frustrating that can be.
Using an SSD should be much easier than with a normal hard drive, but errors are prone to happen occasionally, no matter what type of drive you’re using.
It is recommended that you only buy and use branded SSDs, as the generic ones can cause you a lot of trouble, and there is no support available for them. This would imply that if your drive fails for whatever reason, you will need to replace it.
Now, let’s explore some of the best methods to fix things when you can format the SSD drive.
What can I do if the SSD won’t format?
1. Remove write protection from your SSD drive
Press Windows + R to open Run, type diskpart, and hit Enter.
Paste the following command and hit Enter:list disk
Identify the SSD in the list, type the following command, and press Enter (where X is the name of your SSD):select disk X
Run the command: attributes disk clear readonly
Wait for the process to complete and then close the Command Prompt.
Try formatting your SSD drive again.
If your SSD is write-protected, you will not be able to write any new information on it or change the information stored already. To remove the write protection, you can use the Diskpart tool.
2. Format the raw SSD
Tip
It is recommended that you open Disk Management to check the status of your SSD. When the item is shown as Raw inside the Disk Management window, you should format the SSD
Run Diskpart in an elevated Command Prompt with the following command:diskpart
Execute the following commands individually and replace X in the second one with the number currently allotted to the SSD, and m is the letter you want to assign it later:list diskselect disk Xcleancreate partition primaryformat fs=ntfs quickassign letter=m
If you want to format your external SSD drive to FAT32 or exFAT, you should replace NTFS with FAT32 or exFAT.
In this fix article, we explored the fastest and easiest steps to take if your SSD drive won’t format, even a new one, or if a format error occurred at the offset of the formatting process.
You will first need to make sure that your SSD drive is not write-protected and change it if that’s the case. Then, you will need to format your SSD using some Diskpart commands.
Please let us know if this guide was helpful using the comment section below.
Slide content
![Execution of scripts is disabled on this system [FIX]](https://windowsreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/powershell-error.jpg)
