Descenders joins Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass video game library

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

The downhill freeriding video game, Descenders, is now available to play in full for all Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

The game is streamlined yet feature-packed concept tasks the player with navigating downhill courses, avoiding obstacles, and outlasting the opponents to rank higher in the leaderboards. All courses are procedurally generated before each playthrough so there’s no way to learn a track. The emphasis is on reaction times and speed.

Here’s the official feature list:

  • Procedurally generated worlds: Take on different jumps, slopes and hillbombs every time you play
  • Freestyle bike controls: Control every subtle movement of your rider, with an in-depth physics system made for slick whips and scrubs
  • Risk vs reward: Push your rider for massive scores and combos — but bail too many times and you might lose it all
  • Build your Rep: A fully-featured online Rep system lets you show off your worth, and earn new bikes and threads
  • Become the next Descender: Can you survive the game in a single run, and reach the ranks of the legendary Descenders?
  • Wear your team’s colors and apparel with pride, and receive exclusive team gear
  • Your Rep points go towards your team’s total Rep, and exclusive prizes are awarded to the top team
  • Gain access to your team’s exclusive channel on the Descenders Discord server

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s monthly subscription service that gives members full access to around 100 video games on Xbox One consoles.

Other games coming to Xbox Game Pass this month include Surviving Mars, Tacoma, Black Desert, For The King, The Surge, and Lego Batman 3.

Are you an Xbox Game Pass subscriber and will you play Descenders? Let us know why or why not in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more Xbox gaming content.

Descenders
Descenders
Download
QR-Code

Descenders
Developer:
No More Robots
Price:
Free

Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PS4 Fortnite players can no longer merge their accounts

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Back in February, Epic Games launched an official method for merging Fortnite accounts so that players with game saves on multiple platforms could bring all of the items and in-game currency under one username.

As of yesterday, this functionality has been completely discontinued, though, so those that were unable to merge their accounts before the deadline, or had completely forgotten to do so, will now have to choose which of their accounts to abandon and which to play under.

The account merging feature was created in response to PlayStation 4 players who were forced to create new Fortnite accounts when playing the popular game on other platforms due to Sony’s hard stance against crossplay and cross saves with rival consoles. When cross-platform functionality was eventually enabled on the PS4, Fortnite players could then use the one Fortnite account and a need for bringing all of their purchases and unlocked items under one system was needed.

Fortnite is currently one of the most-popular video games in the world and is playable on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PS4 consoles in addition to Windows, iOS, and Android devices.

Did you manage to merge your Fortnite accounts in time or were you caught out? Share your experience with the community in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more Xbox gaming content.

Fortnite
Fortnite
Download
QR-Code

Fortnite
Developer:
Epic Games Inc.
Price:
Free

How to fix NSIS error when installing AMD driver

Posted on by Tashreef Shareef

NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) Error usually occurs when the user tries to install a driver on their Windows system. The error is caused when the user tries to install a corrupt or incomplete application that fails to initiate the installer.

The Error reads NSIS error; installer integrity check has failed. Common causes include incomplete download and damaged media and clicking on OK closes the launcher. If you are facing this error as well, here are a couple of troubleshooting tips you can try to fix the error.

How do I fix Nullsoft Scriptable Install System error on AMD driver

  1. Move the Installer to a Different Folder
  2. Rename the Installer
  3. Run the Installer from the Command Prompt
  4. Download the Installer from Another Source
  5. Scan your Computer for Malware
  6. Install Pending Windows Updates
  7. Run System File Checker

1. Move the Installer to a Different Folder

As strange it may sound, moving the installer to a different folder has worked for many users. Folder-related errors are not uncommon, so it should not be surprising.

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the location where the installer is located.
  2. Right-click on the Installer and select Copy.
    Rename Folder Windows 10
  3. Create a new folder containing only English letter and move the installer to the new folder.
  4. Run the Installer from the new folder and check if that resolves the error.

2. Rename the Installer

The simplest working fix for the NSIS error is to rename the installer. Users have reported that renaming the installer has allowed the installation to complete successfully.

  1. Open, File Explorer and navigate the directory where the NSIS installer is located.
  2. Right-click on the Installer and select the Rename option.
    Rename AMD Installer
  3. Enter a single word name for the installer.
  4. Try to rerun the installer and check for any improvements.

3. Run the Installer from the Command Prompt

You can install the NSIS installer using the Command Prompt. Windows requires all the executable files to pass the corruption test. However, using the NCRC command, you can skip this test and proceed with the installation without any error. Here is how to do it.

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type “cmd” and hit enter. It will open the Command Prompt.
  3. Open File Explorer and navigate to the directory where the NSIS installer is located.
  4. Drag and drop the installer onto the Command Prompt. Doing so will add the installer path in the Command Prompt.
    NCRC - AMD NSIS Installer
  5. Press the Space key and type /NCRC. Hit enter to execute the file.
  6. This should open the NSIS installer installation window. Proceed with the installation.

4. Download the Installer from Another Source

If the installer is corrupted at the source end then no matter how many times you download the file, it will show NSIS error. In this case, you need to download the installer from other sources or find an updated version of the driver.

The best way to download any installer is by the official source. In this case, visit AMD’s website and download the latest driver. If not, wait for developers to release a new version with the bug fix.

5. Scan your Computer for Malware

If your computer is infected with malware or virus, it may also affect other programs and installers resulting in corruption or malfunction. Some adware is known to cause such errors where the user is prevented from installing any new driver or software on their system. We recommend scanning your PC for malware with dedicated anti-malware software for a threat-free PC.

6. Install Pending Windows Updates

If you have downloaded the latest version of the NSIS driver and your Windows OS does not have the latest build installed, it may cause compatibility issues.

To fix this, check if any updates are pending to be installed for Windows.

  1. Click on Start and select Settings.
  2. Open Update and Security.
  3. Click on Windows Update and click on Check for Updates.
    Windows Update Download - Pending - Ready to Download
  4. Windows will check for updates and notify if updates are ready to download. Click on the Download button to download and install the updates.

7. Run System File Checker

Windows OS comes with a built-in System File Checker. It is a command line-based tool that allows you to scan the system for corrupt or missing system files and replace it with new files.

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type cmd and hit enter.
    Sfc scannow
  3. In the Command Prompt, type the following command and hit enter.
    Sfc /scannow
  4. Wait for the System File Checker to complete the scan and fix any problems.

Reboot the system and check for any improvements.

How to fix frequent Mortal Kombat 11 issues on Xbox

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Choose your destiny! The newest installment of the Mortal Kombat series is out. Brought to us by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive.

Test your skills out on the platform of your choice, warrior, the game is available on Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and other platforms.

As we all know, no game launch is truly without some hiccups. And the newest installment from the Mortal Kombat series makes no exception, with certain issues related to connectivity, game progression and save games. But there are instances of graphical and audio bugs occurring.

But fear not, we’ve got a list of fixes that will help you to fix some of the most frequent Mortal Kombat 11 game bugs on the Xbox One.

How can I fix Mortal Kombat 11 issues?

  1. Game freezes
  2. Connectivity issues
  3. Update won’t install
  4. Controller won’t work
  5. Reset your Xbox
  6. Reinstall your game

1. Fix game freezes

This nifty solution helps out in the event the game the game freezes up, or it fails to launch too. In order to do this, follow these steps:

  1. Firstly, Press your Xbox button on the controller to open up the guide.
  2. Now press the Menu button on the controller and quit the game.
  3. You can now restart your game.

2. Connectivity fix

You should check if either your console or network adapter is running into issues or not. In order to fix your connection, follow these steps:

To test your network connection:

  1. Press your Xbox button to open up the guide.
  2. Now you’re going to select System, and then Settings.
  3. Next, select Network, and Network settings.
  4. Select Test network connection.test network connection xbox one

Check data usage:

  1. Open the Settings menu on your Xbox One.
  2. Go to the Network
  3. Open Network settings.
  4. Now select Bandwidth usage on right side of the screen.

To fix your connection:

  1. Firstly, unplug your Ethernet cable, if one is connected at the moment.
  2. Open the Settings app on your Xbox One console.
  3. Go to the Network
  4. Now select Network settings.
  5. Then select Set up wireless network.
  6. Choose your wireless network from the list of available networks.
  7. Don’t forget to enter your network password.
  8. Click Continue to finish the setup process.

3. Fix update issues

Sometimes you might facing issues with outdated patches on your console or game. In order to solve this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Firstly, press the Xbox button to open up the guide.
  2. Now select System and go to Settings.
  3. Select System and now press Updates & downloads.
  4. Select Keep my console up to date for console and Keep my games and apps up to date for Mortal Kombat 11.

4. Controller fix

If you’re running across controller problems, this solution can help you out. Just follow these steps:

  1. Turn on your Xbox One.
  2. Next, turn on your controller by pressing the Xbox button.
  3. Press and release the Connect button on your console.
  4. Press and hold the Connect button on your controller.
  5. The Xbox button should flash a couple of times, but your connection should be stable afterwards.

5. Reset your Xbox

In order to perform this action, simply press and hold the power button for more than 10 seconds, until your Xbox One is on. Next, you’re gonna unplug everything from the console, wait for 10 seconds or more till you plug everything back in. Or alternatively, you can follow these steps:

  1. From your Menu, go to System.
  2. Now select Settings, and select Console Info.
  3. Next, you’re going to select Reset Your Console.Console info & updates xbox one
  4. Select one of the three options and proceed.
  5. This should restore your default settings.

6. Reinstall Mortal Kombat 11

If everything else failed, and you’re still running into problems, the best solution is to uninstall and reinstall your game. In order to do this, follow these steps:

  1. From the Home menu and select My Games and Apps.
  2. Select the Games
  3. Select Mortal Kombat 11 and press the Menu button on your controller.
  4. Choose Manage Game, and select
  5. Once this is completed, reinsert your game disk into your Xbox, and reinstall your game.

QUICK TIP FOR SMOOTH MORTAL KOMBAT GAMING SESSIONS ON XBOX

Always remember to check whether or not the Xbox Live service is working, then proceed with the steps at hand.

We hope that these solutions were of help to you, and you’re able to complete your journey in Mortal Kombat 11.

In the meantime, let us know in the comment section down below on what other issues have you faced while playing the game on your Xbox One.

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

Download Tencent Gaming Buddy for Windows

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

PUBG is still one of the most popular games on the planet. Millions of players compete daily in this tough environment. They all have the same purpose in mind: to be the last man standing.

The mobile version of the game is very addictive but it also brings some disadvantages due to hardware and software limitations.

If you want to enjoy a smooth PUBG Mobile gaming experience, we suggest you download Tencent Gaming Buddy emulator on your Windows PC. 

In this manner, you can emulate PUBG Mobile on the screen of your computer.

Tencent developed this emulator specially for PUBG Mobile. 

The controls are fully optimized and properly mapped on your keypad and mouse. Various layout are available to choose from.

How do I install Tencent Gaming Buddy PUBG Mobile emulator on PC?

The steps to follow are very simple and intuitive:

  1. Follow the download link above.
  2. Hit the install button to download and install the emulator.Tencent Gaming Buddy PUBG Mobile emulator
  3. Now, hit the Start button .
  4. The download process continues with the game engine.
  5. After a couple of minutes, the emulator will download PUBG Mobile on your PC.
  6. Once the process is finished, you can hit the Play button.

Enjoy the game!

Over to you now: How has your Tencent Gaming Buddy PUBG Mobile been so far? Let us know in the comments below.

Office 365 lets you better control what data you share with Microsoft

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

After the GDPR was officially adopted, Microsoft promised to make the necessary changes to the way it collects data from users. The company is now introducing two new categories (Required and Optional) to the data collected from Office 365 Enterprise users.

Microsoft faced criticism for GDPR violations on multiple occasions. These violations were mostly related to how Office apps collected user data and shared with their parent company.

Microsoft didn’t bother about users’ privacy concerns during the process. Neither had they the option to disable the data collection process itself.

Office 365 becomes GDPR compliant

Microsoft says that these changes are made to address the concerns of European clients. The company is of the view that the “Required data” will be the one that is required to ensure your account’s security or to make your products work.

The big M plans to roll out both these features in the next few months for Office 365 Pro Plus and Windows 10 users. Moreover, products like Dynamics 365 and Xbox will get additional changes and features in the next few months.

The company is planning to list down details regarding these changes into a report. The published report will include details when the company steps back from collecting specific user data.

Microsoft claims it does not collect details of your personal files, your email or other personal data. IT administrators will now have the option to enable or disable privacy controls for other users on the same Office 365 account.

In case you want to be secure while surfing the internet, you will need to get a full-dedicated tool to secure your network.  Install now Cyberghost VPN and secure yourself. It protects your PC from attacks while browsing, masks your IP address and blocks all unwanted access.

Data breach scandals on the rise

Users were not concerned about data privacy a few years ago. The ever growing number of data breach scandals affecting major tech companies pushed users to focus more on their privacy and how companies user their data.

Microsoft is now addressing some of users’ concerns. The recent changes to Microsoft’s data collection policy are really impressive. Now it’s up to Microsoft to put in the efforts necessary to keep its promises.

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What is RtHDVCpl.exe And Should You Remove it?

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Many users encountered unknown RtHDVCpl.exe file in the list of running processes, and they are rightfully concerned.

Unknown exe files should make every user suspicious, and many users reported that exe files aren’t opening on their PC.

So join us while we take a closer look at this file and see what it does and whether should you remove it from your PC.

What is process RtHDVCpl?

RtHDVCp means Realtek High Definition Volume Control Panel. The real RtHDVCpl.exe file is associated with Realtek High Definition Audio Driver, and it does the following:

  • Works as an interface between your OS and Realtek sound card.
  • Allows you to configure volume settings.

Is RtHDVCpl.exe malware?

No, this process isn’t malware, but if you want to make sure, do the following:

Is RtHDVCpl.exe needed?

This software isn’t needed, but you might want to keep it for the following reasons:

  • You configure your sound settings using Realtek software.
  • There might be some potential issues with Realtek software if you delete it.

If, by some chance, this file is affected by malware, you should consider removing it.

How can I remove RtHDVCpl from startup?

Use Task Manager

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Navigate to the Startup tab.
     
  3. Locate this file, right-click it, and choose Disable.

After doing that, the software will be disabled, and it won’t start with your PC anymore. Disabling is usually a better option since you won’t get any messages regarding missing files.

As you can see, the Realtek audio HDA rthdvcpl.exe file is harmless, so you shouldn’t remove it. If it’s causing you any problems, you might want to consider disabling it instead.

To learn more about this software and whether you need it on your PC, read our guide on Realtek HD Audio Manager.

Have you ever encountered this file before? Let us know in the comments below.

Imperator: Rome may trigger all these bugs on your PC

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

The grand strategy wargame formula is back in the mix, this time with Imperator: Rome. Brought to us by Paradox Interactive, the game serves as a sequel to the well-known Europa Universalis: Rome game.

In terms of timeline, the action is set between the foundation of the Roman Empire, till onset of the Diadochi Wars. The map is set in the Iberian peninsula, featuring more than 7000 cities, with this many terrain to go by, all nations present in the game are playable.

As we’re more and more familiar, no game launch can be deemed flawless. And Imperator:Rome is no exception to this. With unrest amonst the gaming legionaries on Steam threads, pointing out to game crashes, black screens, save issues, map problems and the game not synch-ing properly with Steam.

With all this being said and done, we’ve compiled a list of common bugs reported by users.

Common Imperator: Rome issues:

  1. Black screen
  2. Savegame problems
  3. Connection issues
  4. Game crashes
  5. Game freezing up
  6. Multiplayer problems
  7. No sound
  8. Endless validation

1. Black screen

Sometimes when you’re launching the game, the only thing you’ll see is a black screen.

I’m having an issue that whenever i launch this game, i get a black screen, cursor show that it’s loading, but if you click on it, it goes white, then pop up the not responding with the option to close or wait for it to respond.

2. Savegame problems

Numerous players have reported having troubled with saving their progress, requiring that they start a new game. With problems carrying over when they load a previously saved game.

So I have a problem, my savegame got somehow corrupted. When I want to load and continue playing (unpause) the game freezes. It doesn’t work with other savegasmes also

3. Connection issues

There have been reports of legionaries facing connectivity problems with their accounts. Mostly being related to their Steam accounts not synch-ing with their game.

I can login inside the game…but when I try to bind the account to Steam, I get a POP_error

4. Game crashing

Some people have experienced the game crashing at various points in the game, with no particular pattern.

The game keeps crashing at random intervals and I get a CrashReporter.exe – Application Error that says: The Application was unableto start correctly (0x000007b). The game usually crashes after a few minutes. Any known fixes for this?

5. Game freezing up

There are instances of players who weren’t able to play due to it freezing up, the occurrence taking place when they start playing the actual game.

My computers specs are perfectly fine and the game loads great all the way until I start to actually play. Within a couple of minutes of gameplay the entire thing just freezes. The audio is still in tact and makes noises when I hover the cursor over objects in the game, however visually everything just freezes

6. Multiplayer problems

Forming an alliance with a friend is part of the great aspects of the game. But when this isn’t possible, we’re bound to exile.

Almost every time when I want to load a MP game that i play with a friend, i get the message that the alliance is broken with him (When i’m in the server lobby!!!!). When i start the game i get the message a second time and the alliance is gone. I can form the alliance directly after that.

7. No sound

We all love to immerse ourselves in the world pictured in Imperator, but some users have reported the game having no sound whatsoever.

There is no sound at all. That can’t be right. Is it? Even in Settings, you can select ‘Audio’, but there is nothing in that selection. Any ideas??

8. Endless validation

It’s all fun and games when you get the game in your Steam library, but when the game is stuck in an andless validation loop, there’s no laughing matter here.

Downloaded the game late last night, opened it up and set all the settings to max graphics. Opened it this morning and said exe was invalid. I then validated the game, it said 1 file had issues and after validating would stop and then begin to validate again. It has been doing this for over 5 minutes; each loop is about 30 seconds.

How do you like the game so far? Do you rule your empire with iron fist or do you run vouch for peace? Let us know in the comment section down below.

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FIX: Windows 10 is not giving focus to gamebar

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Windows 10 users encounter Game bar focus issues quite frequently. More specifically, they can’t select the menu options using both an Xbox controller and mouse.

Here’s a guide on how to fix this Game bar issue in Windows 10.

What to do if Windows 10 is not giving focus to gamebar

  1. Make sure Game bar is granted permission to work
  2. Have your Xbox app up to date
  3. Terminate Game Bar
  4. Try turning Game Bar off and on
  5. Reinstall the Xbox app
  6. Disable Gamebar Presence Writer

1. Make sure Game bar is granted permission to work

Verifying Game Bar’s activity permission status should be the first thing you should check. To do so, follow these steps:

  • Press the Start button > open Settings
  • Click Gaming > make sure to have Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game Bar set to On.Record game clips using Game Bar

2. Have your Xbox app up to date

Having the latest version of the Xbox app minimizes the potential of errors occurring.

To find the latest updates you, follow the next steps:

  • Press the Start button > type microsoft store in the search box and open Microsoft Store
  • Press the three dots on the right side of the store > click Downloads and updates > Get updatesupdate microsoft store app
  • Restart the app and try to see if Game Bar works

3. Terminate Game Bar

Another solution that reportedly worked for some users involves terminating the Game Bar process and rebooting the PC. To complete this task, you need to:

  • Press the Start button > open Settings 
  • Click on Apps > Apps & Featuresapps & features windows 10
  • Find Game Bar > click Advanced Options > press Terminate
  • Restart your computer and see if it works

4. Try turning Game Bar off and on

Disabling and enabling Game Barback is another solution worth trying. To enable/disable it follow these steps:

  • Press Start button > open Settings
  • Click Game Bar > turn off
  • Restart your PC
  • Go back to the PC settings > Game Bar > turn on

5. Reinstall the Xbox app

Game Bar is integrated into the Xbox app, so try uninstalling the Xbox app first.

Reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store, then check to see if the issue has been solved.

6. Disable Gamebar Presence Writer

The Gamebar Presence Writer is a process that enables in-game video recording. Stopping this process proved to fix the issue from some users.

To disable Gamebar Presence Writer you need to follow these steps:

  • Open the Xbox app > click the Settings icon
  • Click Game DVR > select to turn off Record game clips and screenshots using Game DVR

These were the best solutions we could find for fixing the Game Bar lack of focus issue. If you have any other fixes for this issue, feel free to list them in the comment section below.

How to set a timer with Cortana on Windows 10

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

The latest Windows 10 Preview build 14352 introduces the ability to set a timer with Cortana.

This is useful if you need to be reminded of something in a short period of time and don’t want to bother with regular reminders.

Simply tell Cortana to set a timer and for how long, and you’re good to go.

Commands to set a timer with Cortana in Windows 10

If the “Hey Cortana” option is enabled, you basically just need to say it, but you can also write the command in the Search bar and Cortana will set up a quick timer for you that way.

Besides setting up a timer, you can also manage it by checking how much time is left or completely cancel it.

Here’s what you need to say to Cortana to be able to manage your current timer.

  • “Hey Cortana, set a timer for 10 minutes”
  • “Hey Cortana, how much time is left?”
  • “Hey Cortana, cancel my timer.”

So, open Cortana. You can do this by clicking the Start button and typing “Cortana”.

cortana timer windows 10

After the timer expires, Cortana will notify you with a pop up and a buzzer sound. If you are playing music or watching a video with sound, the volume of the alarm will be lowered.

It was already possible to set up a timer in Windows 10 before, but it required using the built-in Timer app.

With the introduction of this feature, the Timer app is not needed anymore.

This feature is only available for Windows 10 Insiders running the latest Preview build on PC.

We expect it to also arrive on Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview with one of the upcoming builds, and to the general public with the upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update in July.

What do you think about the ability to set a timer in Windows 10 with Cortana?

Do you find this addition useful, or will you not even pay attention to it? Tell us your opinion in the comments below!

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Import Outlook Express mail to Outlook 2010 [How To]

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Outlook Express was one of the most used email clients in the past, long before Windows 10 was released. However, Microsoft made a few changes and made Outlook a part of its Office suite.

If you used Outlook Express in previous versions of Windows, you probably have some emails on your hard drive, and speaking of which, today we’re going to show you how to import Outlook Express mail to Outlook 2010.

Outlook Express was a default email client on older versions of Windows, and many people used it on daily basis. This application was simple, and with its user-friendly design and basic functionality, it became a favorite.

Although Outlook Express isn’t available anymore, you can still import your Outlook emails to a Outlook 2010 by following our instructions.

How can I Import Outlook Express mail to Outlook 2010?

1. Outlook Express and Outlook 2010 are on different computers

Before you move your emails, you need to open Outlook Express and find out the location of your emails on your hard drive. To do that, you need follow these steps:

  1. Open Outlook Express and choose Tools > Options.
  2. Navigate to the Maintenance tab.
  3. Click the Store Folder. Store Location window should open showing you where your email messages are stored. Copy the folder address or write it down, because you’ll need it for future steps.

Before you can find your email messages, you have to turn on the option to show hidden files and folders. You can do that by following these steps:

  1. Navigate to My Computer and choose Tools > Folder Options.view tab
  2. Go to the View tab and find Hidden files and folders section. Click on Show hidden files and folders option.show hidden files and folders
  3. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

With hidden files and folder enabled, you can easily locate your emails on your hard drive by doing the following:

  1. Navigate to the folder where your emails are stored. If you remember, we got its location from Maintenance tab in Outlook Express.
  2. After you’ve found the folder, copy it to a removable media, such as USB flash drive for an example.
  3. Connect the USB to a different computer that has Outlook 2010 installed and copy these files to your Desktop or any other folder you can easily access.
  4. Open Outlook 2010 and choose Open > Import.
  5. Select Import from another program or file and click Next.
  6. Select Outlook Express 4x, 5x, 6x or Windows Mail and click Next.
  7. Locate the files you transferred from the USB flash drive and select them in order to import them.

In case you are looking for a way to import your Outlook emails to iPhone, check out this guide to find the easy steps.

2. Outlook Express and Outlook 2010 are on the same computer

  1. Open Outlook 2010.
  2. On the File tab choose Open, and then Import.
  3. From the list that appears, click Import Internet Mail and Addresses, and then Next.
  4. Then click on Outlook Express and check Import mail.
  5. Click Next, then Finish.

3. Import only the account name and account settings

  1. Open Outlook 2010.
  2. On the File tab choose Open, and then Import.
  3. Click Import Internet Mail Account Settings, and then click Next.
  4. Click on Outlook Express and then hit Next.
  5. Follow the instructions in the wizard to finish.

As you can see, transferring emails from Outlook Express to Outlook 2010 might not be the simplest process, but since Outlook Express isn’t being developed anymore, the only solution is to migrate your email messages to a new computer.

Even though Outlook Express and Windows Live Mail aren’t being developed anymore, there are many great alternatives available and OE Classic might be a perfect Windows Live Mail alternative for you.

If you’re looking for a similar email client to Outlook Express in Windows, we recommend you to check out our Best Windows 10 Email Clients and Apps to Use right now.

If you have any more questions about Outlook Express or Outlook 2010, don’t hesitate to reach for the comments section below.

Asphalt 9: Legends and two other Gameloft mobile games to gain Xbox Live functionality

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

A little less than two months ago, Microsoft made its Xbox Live infrastructure available to all developers creating iOS and Android games. The initiative is already having some good results as Gameloft, the company behind popular mobile games such as the Asphalt series will soon make three of its games Xbox Live-enabled (via Gameindustry.biz).

Asphalt 9: Legends, Asphalt 8: Airborne, and Dragon Mania Legends will all get Xbox Live functionality later this year, with support for Achievements, Friends Lists, and leader boards. All three games are currently available on iOS, Android and Windows 10, and they’re also all free to play.

There used to be many Xbox-Live enabled on Windows Phone back in the day, but it remains to be seen if more developers will embrace Microsoft’s new mobile SDK. Xbox Live monthly active users rose to 63 million in the last quarter, but Microsoft is now looking at the millions of users playing games on mobile devices to find new sources of growth.

Fix: Experience Index missing on Windows 10

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Microsoft introduced the Windows Experience Index in Windows Vista. It was a way to measure your computer’s performance and give it a simple solid score.

The WEI wasn’t very popular, and was hardly used professionally. Still, it was useful for the bragging rights after spending all of your savings on a brand new PC.

While the WEI is not a very practical way of measuring your computer’s performance, it is very simple to understand.

Unfortunately, Microsoft abandoned it in Windows 8 and did not bring it back in Windows 10.

As it is with Microsoft though, the actual code for the index is still in Windows 10. You can run the Windows System Assessment Tool via a simple command in the command prompt.

It is not unusual for Microsoft to keep around code of depreciated features from Windows.

It could be for legacy or it could just be laziness.

Also, maybe some other component of Windows still depends on the Windows System Assessment Tool and might stop working if it is not found.

Whatever the reason is, the point is that it is available and can be used via commands if not by the normal graphical interface.

Experience Index missing on Windows 10, how to fix it?

To see what your WEI score is, all you have to do is follow these steps. Note that this works on both Windows 8 and 10.

  • On your keyboard, press and hold the Windows Key and then press R to open the Run command box.Screenshot_3
  • In the Run command box, type shell:Games and press Enter.Screenshot_4
  • You should now be able to see the Windows Experience Index score on the right sidebar.

Checking your score is as easy as it can get. However, reevaluating it takes a bit more effort.

The Windows System Assessment Tool is the utility that gives your PC the WEI score. Still, any way to trigger it has been removed from the normal Windows GUI.

There is however still remnants of it left around Windows so you can still trigger it in Windows 10 for now. It is not every hard to do, simply follow these steps:

  • Open your Start Menu and type “cmd”, and open the Command Prompt.Screenshot_5
  • In the Command Prompt, type winsat formal and press Enter – this will launch the WinSAT in a separate window and start running the tests. You will have to wait for it to finish and it can take however long it might take.Screenshot_6
  • After the WinSAT tool has finished running successfully, just repeat the steps given earlier to see your new score.

While this works, it is not exactly the best solution because of all the hoops you have to jump through to get to it.

Since the UI is disabled or removed from the latest Windows iteration, the community decided to build its own UI for the WinSAT service.

One of such tools is called WinAero WEI Tool. Here’s how to get it:

  • Go to this link and simply scroll to the bottom to click “Download”.
  • Once downloaded, extract the files and simply run the program – there is no installation required.

weiui[1]

WinAero WEI Tool is best of both worlds. Also, it doesn’t require you to install anything new to your system.

It works on top of existing Windows features and it provides a full fledged UI for the whole Windows Experience Index platform.

It also has some nice features such as the ability to save results as an HTML file,something by default was not present in previous Windows versions.

Windows adds and removes features with every iteration. However, the actual code for it sticks around within the operating system for much longer.

Sometimes this is useable, like this in case, but most of the time it is not and just takes up space without doing much.

WinSAT and WEI were a nice feature to be introduced in Windows Vista at a time when computers were not that powerful.

Also, Microsoft needed a push for hardware makers to up their game and make better consumer products to run more complicated operating systems.

It served its purpose for Windows Vista and 7 but today, WEI fulfills no purpose except for giving you bragging rights.

Moreover, there are much better options for benchmarking and scoring that are operating system agnostic and are support across devices.

These tools are also much more accurate and are generally more specific instead of giving you a general overall score.

READ ALSO:

Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore opens up about difficult Edge decisions

Posted on by Kareem Anderson

In an interview with The Verge, Corporate Vice President in the Experiences and Devices division at Microsoft, Joe Belfiore opened up about how the company came to the decision to shutter its in-house web browsing development for an off-the-shelf approach to its new one. While it may seem pretty self-explanatory to anyone with a cursory understanding of the competitive web browsing landscape, Belfiore elaborated on some of the reasons Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pushed the company to replace its own rendering engine with that of an open-sourced one.

“Google is doing well with web-based collaborative experiences, the Office team is investing more to improve ours, we want the web browser to be better.”

Not only was Google doing well, but they have arguably also become the de facto web browsing experience for most people which highlighted one of EdgeHTML’s shortcomings in distribution. With EdgeHMTL development handcuffed to Windows 10 releases, there just wasn’t enough overall users despite its comparatively large install base.

In addition, being locked to just a Windows 10 powered desktop, the company couldn’t iterate quick enough to offer a competitive alternative to Chrome, as features, security and patchwork were all tied to the update release cycle of Windows 10. While adoption remains a huge issue to tackle for Microsoft, the other was a developer-imposed injury that involved its original rendering engine. Since Chrome and Safari used far more similar rendering engines and EdgeHTML didn’t have the user base to command developer attention, testing against it usually became a low-to-no priority for most web developers. The end result were quirky page renderings that usually left a less than desired experience amongst Edge users.

One of the other big issues Microsoft had to contend with was the stagnant UWP platform development to which EdgeHTML was an integral part. Without the ambitious adoption of UWP development Microsoft had hoped for, shackling Edge advancements to UWP updates was becoming an exercise in futility for the company as it continued to watch Google run away with and solidify large swaths of former IE and Edge users.

When enough was enough and annoying user-facing prompts or pop requests for default app status weren’t netting the results the company had hoped for, it came time for drastic change. First, the company commissioned to side projects called “Blade” and “Septagon”: the former would incorporate the Blink engine in the background of the existing Edge application, while the latter would fully implement Chromium.

During Microsoft’s high-level Friday meetings that include a “Research of the Amazing” overview, the top executives reviewed the Septagon project and were pleased with the results. The positive feedback from the RoTA meeting was only the beginning: Belfiore and team then had to shop the project around for further feedback and assessment that included a demo to former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, board member Reid Hoffman, and the CEO of popular open source repository GitHub, Nat Friedman.

After deliberating on the pros and cons of going down the Chromium path, the company made the final decision to switch in September 2018 roughly a year after the journey began.

“We were a bit nervous,” admits Jatinder Mann, a Microsoft Edge program manager. “The fortunate thing is, as soon as we made the announcement, we got a lot of positive responses from Chromium engineers, from other Chromium browser vendors that were pretty excited to see us join this community.”

With the cat out of the bag, though, it was now time for Microsoft and Google to become even closer development partners. With Chrome engineers well-versed in contributing to the Chromium project, Microsoft sought their counsel and have been working closely with Chrome developers on projects such as scrolling, accessibility features, and touch controls, all of which Edge arguably had the advantage over Chrome.

Seven months removed from the big announcement, Chromium development on Edge had sped it way closer to feature parity with Chrome, with the occasional hiccup here and there resulting in conspiracy theorist invoking the bad blood between Microsoft and Google as an explanation for some early developmental issues. While at face value Microsoft’s adoption of Chromium appears like a great move, there are still linger questions that remain, including how the company plans to market/remarket and push its revitalized browser. Additionally, it’s still not clear how Google plans to cooperate long term with Microsoft, or potentially sabotage the company’s efforts in the name of competition.

As Insiders become further steeped in using the new Chromium-based Edge browser, a side-by-side comparison of Microsoft’s EdgeHTML development and that of its new browser quickly shines a light on the “headwinds” the former development path was going to take the company through. Ultimately, that’s why the move to Chromium feels less earth-shattering and more evolutionary than anything.

Samsung Galaxy S6 / Edge can’t connect to Windows 10/11 [FIX]

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Many of us transfer files from PC to smartphones frequently, and usually this is a simple and straightforward process. Unfortunately, a number of Windows 10 users reported that Samsung Galaxy S6 / Edge can’t connect to Windows 10.

How can I fix Samsung Galaxy S6 / Edge can’t connect to Windows 10? You can resolve connection issues easily by using an original Samsung cable. Many connection problems involve defective cables and USB ports. If this doesn’t fix your problem, uninstall Samsung composite device and change the USB Power settings.Samsung galaxy s6/edge connection problem windows 10

What to do if Samsung Galaxy S6 / Edge can’t connect to Windows 10:

  1. Install Media Feature Pack for Windows N
  2. Use an original Samsung cable
  3. Connect your smartphone to the USB port on the back
  4. Uninstall Samsung composite device
  5. Change the USB options of your phone
  6. Download Samsung Smart Switch
  7. Install Smart Switch and change the registry
  8. Use Command Prompt
  9. Change USB Power settings
  10. Enable Developer mode and USB debugging on your phone

1. Install Media Feature Pack for Windows N

There are two versions of Windows available, a standard one, and a N version for European market. The N version of Windows 10 doesn’t come with Windows Media Player, Music, Video, Voice Recorder and Skype preinstalled.

In addition, certain media technologies are also missing from the N version of Windows 10. The lack of these technologies can cause issues with certain devices and one of these devices is Samsung Galaxy S6.

According to users, their smartphone isn’t recognized after connecting to Windows 10 PC, but you can easily fix that after downloading and installing Media Feature Pack for Windows 10.

2. Use an original Samsung cable

check USB cable Samsung Galaxy S6 can't connect Windows 10

According to the users, their smartphone wasn’t recognized by the PC unless they were using an original Samsung USB cable from a different Samsung’s device.

Certain USB cables are just designed for charging and not for file transfer, and that can often cause all sorts of problems with your smartphone.

To fix this issue, be sure that you’re using an original Samsung cable that you got with your device.

PC can’t recognize your Android phone? Here’s how to quickly fix that!

3. Connect your smartphone to the USB port on the back

Front USB ports might be easier to access, but they are often slower when it comes to the transfer speed. In order to fix this issue, users are suggesting that you connect Samsung Galaxy S6 to the USB 3.0 port on the back of your PC.

These ports might not be as easy to access, but they offer better transfer speed. If you don’t have a USB 3.0 port on your PC, try connecting your smartphone to different USB ports on the back until you find the one that is working for you.

4. Uninstall Samsung composite device

Users reported that you can fix the connection problem with Windows 10 and Samsung Galaxy S6 by removing the Samsung composite device from your PC. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Connect your Samsung Galaxy S6 to your PC.
  2. Press Windows Key + X to open Power User Menu and choose Device Manager from the list.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge device manager
  3. When Device Manager opens locate the Samsung composite device, right click it, and choose Uninstall from the menu.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge uninstall driver
  4. Reconnect your smartphone to the PC.

Want to uninstall applications permanently from your PC? Here’s how to do that like a pro!

5. Change the USB options of your phone

According to Samsung’s support, you can fix this issue by connecting your phone to your PC, opening the notification menu and tapping the Connected for charging, touch for other USB options.

Select MTP from the list and your phone should be now recognised by Windows 10. If you don’t have MTP option, select Transferring Data Files option.

You can also change this option by going to the Settings > Developer Options > USB Configuration on your phone.

Bear in mind that this method works for all Android devices, therefore even if you don’t own Samsung Galaxy S6 you can try this solution if you have problems connecting your smartphone to your PC.

6. Download Samsung Smart Switch

Few users reported that this problem can be fixed by downloading and installing Samsung Smart Switch.

According to them, after installing the tool you just need to change your USB mode to MTP like we explained in the previous solution.

7. Install Smart Switch and change the registry

Users reported that they fixed the problem with Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge after installing Smart Switch. According to them, you need to install Smart Switch and make certain changes to the registry.

To edit your registry do the following:

  1. Press Windows Key + R and enter regedit. Click OK or press Enter on your keyboard.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge regedit
  2. Once Registry Editor opens, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{eec5ad98-8080-425f-922a-dabf3de3f69a} key in the left pane.
  3. In the right pane, locate UpperFilter and delete it.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge not connecting delete registry

We have to mention that modifying registry can lead to system instability, therefore be extra cautious and be sure to create a backup of your registry in case anything goes wrong.

You can’t access Registry Editor on your PC? Don’t worry, there’s a fix available!

8. Use Command Prompt

According to users, you can fix this issue by using Command Prompt. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Press Windows Key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge cmd admin
  2. Enter net localgroup administrators local service /add and press Enter on your keyboard to run the command.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge can't connect command prompt

Now you just need to connect your Samsung Galaxy S6 and everything should be working without any problems. If the problem still appears, try to change USB options like in Solution 5.

9. Change USB Power settings

Users reported that this problem is caused by your USB power settings, but you can easily fix this problem by doing the following:

  1. Press Windows Key + S and enter power options. Select Power Options from the menu.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge power options
  2. Once the Power Options window opens, locate your currently active plan and click the Change plan settings.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge won't connect Windows 10 change plan settings
  3. Now click on Change advanced power settings.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge change advanced
  4. Go to USB settings > USB selective suspend setting and set it to Disabled.
    samsung galaxy s6 edge USB selective suspend setting
  5. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

10. Enable Developer mode and USB debugging on your phone

Few users reported that this problem was fixed after enabling Developer mode and USB debugging on their phone. To see how to enable these features, be sure to check your phone’s manual for detailed instructions.

Usually on Android, you’ll have to go your phone’s Settings > About phone > Build number and click 7 times on your build number. Now, in the System tab a new option called Developer Options should appear. Click on it, scroll down and check USB Debugging.

Not being able to connect Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge to Windows 10 PC can be a big problem, but we hope that one of our solutions helped you fix this issue.

If you’re looking for a full and updated guide on newer Samsung Galaxy products, check out these links:

Don’t forget to tell us in the comments section below what other issues with Samsung Galaxy s6/Edge have you encountered and we will be sure to take a look.

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Fix: Nokia 1520 battery drain

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Many Lumia phone models are unfortunately infamous for their battery drain issues. Although users have been complaining for years about fast battery drain, only recently has Microsoft officially acknowledged the problem.

Microsoft officially admitted there was a battery drain problem on certain Lumia models only when the Windows 10 build 14379 was released.

The tech giant then rolled out battery improvements for mobile devices with build 14385 and build 14393.

While these fixes and improvements have reduced the intensity of the battery drain, many users are still experiencing battery issue on their phones. More specifically, it appears that only certain phone models are concerned: Lumia Icon, 930, 830, and Lumia 1520.

Here’s how users describe the problem:

hi gang i have the same problem when i updated from 8.1 to win 10 on my nokia 1520

the battery lasts a couple of minutes if u r taking vid or pics […] my wife has a 1520 still using 8.1 no prob my daughter has 930 using 8. no prob

so do not update to win 10do

microsoft read these posts because it is all over the internet […] i have to take a battery back up to use it but the battery drain s in a flash

As far as the root cause of this issue is concerned, users’ comments point to one main culprit: Cortana.

Many users noticed the battery drain and overheating issues began when they turned on Cortana and pinned it to the Start screen. Users then turned off Cortana and unpinned it from the Start screen, and it appears this solved the problem.

They repeated the process to see if their hypothesis was right, and it turned out to be accurate.

However, it is absolutely necessary to unpin Cortana from the Start screen, because if you simply turn it off, the battery drain problem persists.

Yes, I have tried all variations of Cortana on/off and pinned/unpinned. The only combination that prevents the overheating and battery drain is Cortana OFF and UNPINNED. I’ve even tried removing some seldom used live tiles from the start screen to eliminate the possibility of overtasking the CPU.

How can i solve battery drain with Nokia 1520? You can fix the problem simply by turning Cortana off and unpin it from the Start screen. In most of the cases, Cortana is the main reason of the battery drain. If this doesn’t help you, try using the Battery saver and turn off idle apps and services.fix battery drain on nokia 1520

For more information on how to do these things, follow the steps below.

What can I do if I have battery drain and overheating issues on Lumia 1520?

Particular solution – Unpin and Disable Cortana:

  1. Unpin CORTANA from the Start screen
  2.  Go to Settings > Applications > open Cortana
  3.  Turn off Cortana
  4. Reset the phone
  5. Go to Settings > Applications > Cortana
  6.  Turn on Cortana but don’t choose to pin it to the Start screen
  7. Go to the app list > select CORTANA and allow it to set itself up.
  8. You can access Cortana using the Search icon or from the app menu.

Of course, it’s possible that this workaround only diminishes the battery issue on Lumia 1520 running Windows 10 Mobile builds. If this problem prevents you from properly using your phone, you should also consider rolling back to the production OS.

Other general solutions you can apply:

Use the Battery Saver:

  1. Go to Start > All apps list > Settings > System > Battery saver.
  2. To turn on the Battery Saver when the battery falls below a certain level, go to > Battery saver settings >select  Turn battery saver on automatically if my battery falls below > set the battery threshold.

Set a shorter duration before your screen times out:

  1. Go to Start > All apps list > Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
  2. In Screen times out after, select the box to change the screen’s time out duration.

Reduce your screen’s brightness:

  1. Go to Start > All apps list > Settings > System > Display.
  2. Turn Automatically adjust display brightness off .
  3. Select the Brightness level that you want to use instead.

Use a dark background:

Go to Start > All apps list > Settings > > Personalization > Colors > select Dark.

Turn off idle apps and services:

  1. Go to Start > All apps list > Settings > System > Battery saver > Battery use
  2. Select an app from the list > select Details >  turn off Allow this app to run in the background.

Battery drain is a passive problem but overheating is an active problem that can cause serious damage to your hardware if you don’t take any action. Our solutions cover both issues and can improve your Lumia 1520 usability and lifespan.

Share your experience with the Lumia 1520 as well as how you solved your problems with it in the comments section below.

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New Microsoft patent shows Xbox controller with haptic Braille output

Posted on by Kareem Anderson

Microsoft is expanding its gaming accessibility efforts with a new patent intended to support Braille in a cool new way. According to reporting from Windows Central and a patent discovery by LetsGoDigital, Microsoft’s Xbox division has a patent to design an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller that incorporates a panel on the back of the controller that houses a shifting Braille setup.

Supposing this design makes it to market, visually impaired gamers will be able to use the Braille panel to read texts by way of the back of the controller. The patent also expounds on the possibility of the new controller converting speech to Braille so that users can keep up and communicate with their favorite game streamers.

A follow-up to the widely praised Xbox Adaptive Controller was always going to be an uphill task, but if the newly found controller patent is an actual work in development, Microsoft may have another great accessory that could really help to make gaming more inclusive.

Microsoft Build 2019 Overview: Clouds, AI Services and Open Ecosystems

Posted on by Kareem Anderson

The winds of change have arrived and the days of reporting solely on Windows and Office developments are becoming few and far between for Microsoft observers, journalists, and fans.

Over the past few years, Microsoft has seemingly been drawing developer attention away from what used to be its mainstay business products to investments in future endeavors and at this year’s Microsoft developer’s conference BUILD 2019, the company is full steam ahead with a cloud and open ecosystem focus and Windows in the rear view.

With over 6,000 attendees covering 200,000 square feet of conference area consisting of 2,600 customers and partners  and 500 student-age-developers, Microsoft is taking the time this week to cover, among other things, Microsoft education Cloud ecosystem, Microsoft 365 Platform, AI Services, evolved developer toolkits, Power Apps, Blockchain technology and more.

At some point over the past 18 months, Microsoft has covered in great lengths the above list of technologies but will be putting an emphasis on how developers can use the tools to create cross-platform future-leaning economies at scale.

Other notable areas of interest for Microsoft developers this year appear to be adding convenience to the world of IoT with more Plug and Play modeling language and utilizing Azure IoT Edge integration with Kubernetes clusters to intelligently manage scale and spikes in demand.

Beyond just offering its own custom services and tools, Microsoft is also making a concerted effort to envelop OSS and an Open Ecosystem.

Microsoft has already stated its plans to open source its Q# compiler and quantum simulators as a way to make Quantum computing development more transparent and accessible. In addition to giving developers more access to quantum computing technologies, Microsoft is also planning to bring academic institutions that leverage OSS into the fold with its sharing of Q#.

As it is a developer conference, a focus on the evolution of developer tools is also on display with advancements in Visual Studios as its mixes subscriptions with GitHub Enterprise, adds more code support to its IntelliCode platform and Code Remote development extensions. Microsoft also hinted at .NET 5 arriving in 2020 with a .NET Core 3.0 preview 5 rolling out this month.

With much of the focus on how developers can create ecosystems around Microsoft’s new and updated technologies, the company has also set aside some time to discuss protection of these new tools as well as protecting democracies in which they thrive.

On the heels of the 2018 mid-term election and just a year out from the 2020 Presidential election, Microsoft is plunging itself into the arbiter role of election safeguard by offering campaigns and developers new tools to thwart attempts at election tampering.

A new ElectionGuard SDK should be rolling out to developers via open source channels as well as Microsoft CampaignGuard.

 

There will be much to cover in the comings days, but it seems Microsoft’s tangential focus on Windows continues to wane while the future of Azure, IoT, AI, and even blockchain are becoming bright stars in the company’s portfolio.

Shipments of official Xbox Hooded Union suits (onesies) have apparently been cancelled

Posted on by davew

Apparently, the official Xbox Hooded Union onesies are being cancelled and no longer shipped out to customers. As noted in a tweet, William Bailey posted his displeasure with a screenshot of an email he received from the Microsoft Store regarding the issue.

Personally, I had a similar issue. I pre-ordered the Xbox Hooded Union Onesie, but never received the item. Microsoft Store said the Xbox Hooded Union Onesie was shipped out to me, however I never received a tracking number, just a confirmation that the item was delivered. Upon further inspection, Microsoft found that no item was actually shipped to me and refunded me my purchase amount. Interestingly enough, you can find the item available through Ebay for double the purchase price.

Microsoft has yet to make an official comment on the matter, but it is frustrating to see how Microsoft dropped the ball on an item like this. Major Nelson touted these suits as being a must-have for Xbox fans, but I imagine many other customers faced similar situations when ordering this item.

What is CryptnetUrlCache directory and how do I remove it?

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

This tutorial is designed to get you enlightened on what the CryptnetUrlCache is all about. Is it a security threat? What purpose does it serve? How can I remove it? We will be providing credible answers to all these and more in this guide. Read on!

What do I need to know about CryptnetUrlCache?

What is CryptnetUrlCache on Windows 10?

what is CryptnetUrlCache how to remove it

CryptnetUrlCache is a folder associated with the storage of information or files that are automatically acquired (often without your knowledge) from the Internet.

Basically, while navigating through various sites on the Internet, your computer automatically scraps off certain information from these sites, usually to improve your browsing experience. These sets of information are in varying degrees and types and are thus stored in various folders. One of such folders is CryptnetUrlCache.

CryptnetCache can be found on your computer in the following directory: %USERPROFILE% > AppData > LocalLow > Microsoft. With the cryptic nature of this folder, it is widely viewed as a security risk.

Hence, one of the commonly asked questions concerning this folder is: does it pose a security risk? We’ll be providing an answer to this question in the subsection below.

UR Browser CryptnetUrlCache

If you’re concerned that CryptnetUrlCache might host some malicious content, you might want to consider switching to a more secure browser. UR Browser blocks third-party cookies and invisible trackers, so you can rest assured that no malicious cache files will be stored on your PC or in CryptnetUrlCache directory.

Is CrytnetUrlCache a malware or ransomware?

This claim – that CryptnetUrlCache is a malicious folder – is strengthened by the fact certain security programs often fail to detect it while running full system scans. For some reason, the folder is able to hide from the searchlight of certain third-party scanners, including standard security programs like AVG and the likes.

However, if you’ve discovered this folder on your PC, and an AV scan does not reveal it, you can run a manual scan on the folder itself, to check for malicious content. In most cases, you would find no trace of ransomware, malware or any form of malicious content.

In a nutshell, the CryptnetUrlCache is NOT ransomware, neither is it a virus or bug. And, in the event that you notice any malicious content, it is probably introduced by a third-party tool and not the CryptnetUrlCache directory.

While the folder has been ascertained as safe and secure, the question now is: what purpose does it serve?

What purpose does CryptnetUrlCache serve?

The folder location of CryptnetUrlCache indicates a certain level of confidence, regarding the safety of the folder. As a cryptic folder, it is designed to improve and protect access to certain websites on the Internet. This is especially related to websites that are encrypted with the SSL protocol or other encryption protocols.

The folder is usually associated with computers that use Internet Explorer and Google Chrome to navigate the Internet; although it is encountered on virtually all PCs, including those running different browsers.

Essentially, the CryptnetUrlCache folder is there to store certain sets of information that have the role to protect the access on the Internet. It does not contain any sensitive file that can compromise system functionality.

How do I remove CryptnetUrlCache?

Despite the fact that CryptnetUrlCache poses no threat to your computer, many computer users still want to remove this directory. If you fall within this category, you can easily remove the folder, without having to worry about any form of file loss or damage.

However, it is important to note that removing this folder might expose you to certain irregularities and attacks, especially if you perform online transactions frequently. To remove CryptnetUrlCache from your PC follow the step-by-step guidelines below:

  1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows Key + R keys.
  2. Type the folder’s path: 
    %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft
    run window CryptnetUrlCache

    and click on OK.

  3. On the displayed window, find and right-click on the CryptnetUrlCache folder.
  4. Select Delete on the list of options.
    CryptnetUrlCache folder delete
  5. In the pop-up confirmation window, confirm the action to erase the folder from your PC.

The CryptnetUrlCache folder, as described in this article, is not a security threat to Windows 10 (or any other Windows version). In fact, it is more of a “security-enhancer”, reinforcing your security and improving accessibility on the Internet.

However, if you feel the need to remove this folder, we have outlined a short guide for you, to safely remove it.

READ ALSO:

What to do if you can’t add a user to friends list on Xbox?

Posted on by Tashreef Shareef

Xbox allows you to add your friends on Xbox Live to play together. However, some Xbox users have reported that they are unable to add friends on Xbox Live.

Whenever the user tries to add a friend on Xbox live the Sorry, we can’t add this friend at the moment. Try again later. You want to check your privacy settings error is displayed.

In this guide, we take a look at the best fixes to resolve this error for Xbox users.

Can’t add a friend to Friends list on Xbox? Here’s the fix

  1. Check your Internet Connection
  2. Add Friends Online
  3. Check for Active Gold Membership
  4. Check Privacy Setting for Child Account
  5. Perform a Power Cycle
  6. Reset Xbox Console

1. Check your Internet Connection

A slow internet connection can cause some issues with your console and may result in an error while performing actions like adding friends etc.

Slow-loading

If you have a slowinternet connection and using a Wi-Fi connection, try to connect using a wired internet connection. Another way to check if the error is due to a slow internet connection is to try and add friends online through the Xbox website. Check the second solution to know how to do it.

2. Add Friends Online

Microsoft allows you to add friends to your Xbox Live account online in case you are unable to add a friend through the app. Here is how to do it.

  1. Launch the browser on your Xbox console or PC.
  2. Go to Xbox.com and sign in with your Xbox credential.
  3. Select your Profile (gamerpic) and select Friends.
    Xbox Online Add friends
  4. In the Search box, type the Gamertag (of your friend) and hit enter. Make sure the gamertag’s spelling and spacing are correct.
  5. From the search result, select Add friend to add the person’s gamertag to your friend list.

That’s it. Now login to your Xbox Live account and check your friend list. The friend should be added to your friend list successfully.

3. Check for Active Gold Membership

Xbox Live Gold

To play multiplayer games online, an Xbox user needs to have an active Gold membership tied to their account.

You can check whether you have an active Gold membership or if it is expired by logging into your Xbox Live account.

4. Check Privacy Setting for Child Account

If you have a child account or the friend has a child account with age restrictions, you may not be able to add a friend to your Xbox live account.

To fix this, sign into your adult Xbox account and change the privacy setting. Here is how to do it:

  1. On your Xbox console, sign into your Adult account.
  2. Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
  3. Go to System > Settings and click on Account.Xbox Live Privacy
  4. Under Privacy & online safety, select Xbox Live Privacy.
  5. Here you can either select a default profile or customize the settings as per your settings.
  6. Click on view details and customize to make the necessary changes to the privacy setting.

5. Perform a Power Cycle

You can perform a power cycle to fix common problems on your Xbox One console. The process does not erase any of your game data.

  1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
  2. Select Settings and then choose Restart Console.
  3. Select Yes to confirm the restart.Restart xbox

Alternatively, if you can’t access the guide by pressing the Xbox button, press and hold the Power button on the Console until the console is turned off.

If your Xbox friend list disappeared, we have a quick fixing guide for you.

6. Reset Xbox Console

As a last resort, you can try to hard reset your Xbox console to fix this issue on your device. Resetting the device to factory default can help you fix major problems with the device.  Here is how to do it:

  1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
  2. Select System > Settings.
  3. Select System > Console Info.
    Xbox Reset
  4. Select Reset Console option. Here you have two reset options:
  • Select Reset and keep my games and apps – This option will reset the setting but will not delete game data. Try this option first and if that does not work, go with Reset Everything option.
  • Select Reset and Remove everything – Selecting this option will reset the console to factory setting and will delete all the stored data including accounts, saved games, setting and home Xbox associations — your game data although will stored on the cloud and can be restored after the reset is complete.

The resetting process may take some time, so wait for it to reset normally and the Console will restart after it is reset to factory default. Sign in using your Xbox account and check if the error is resolved.

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Windows 10 news recap: Windows Lite may not be announced until 2020, Facebook is working on a faster Messenger app for Windows, 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.

MSN apps will be retired on Windows 8.1 next month

Next month, Microsoft’s MSN apps on Windows 8 and 8.1 will be deprecated. After 3rd June 2019, the MSN News app will not function on Windows 8 and 8.1 devices, according to a notification.

Windows 10 Your Phone app can now save photos on your PC and display contacts pictures

Those making use of Microsoft’s Windows 10 app to link their phone to their PC can now save photos on their PC and display contact pictures, thanks to a new update to the Your Phone app. The update is initially available for Windows Insiders.

Windows Lite reportedly may not be publicly announced until 2020

Microsoft’s new lightweight operating system, Windows Lite, that is reportedly aimed at competing with the rise of Google’s Chromebook offering, apparently won’t be publicly announced at Build this year, and may not be announced until 2020.

Laptops on a table

Facebook is building a new faster, smaller Messenger app for Windows and MacOS

As Facebook works to improve its platform as a whole following a number of privacy scandals, the company is now working on a new app for Windows and MacOS, the company is expected to launch a new faster, smaller app for Messenger.

That’s it for this week – we’ll be back next week with more Windows 10 news.

Microsoft news recap: HoloLens 2 Development Edition announced, Outlook hackers stole Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from users, 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!

Microsoft announces HoloLens 2 Development Edition: $3500 or $99/mo, includes Azure credits and Unity trial offers

The HoloLens 2 Development Edition has been announced, along with pricing and finance details. The price for Microsoft’s mixed reality headset will set you back $3500, whilst it can also be purchased for $99/mo. It’s available in a bundle that brings $500 in Azure credit, 3-month trial of Unity Pro, amongst other goodies.

Outlook hackers stole Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from users

Following the recent security blunder affecting Outlook.com, where hackers were able to view certain details of emails from users’ accounts, has come at a cost to some users. According to a report, multiple victims have had cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, stolen from them as a result of the attack on Microsoft’s web-based email service.

Microsoft’s Office apps are getting new privacy controls

Microsoft is set to make it easier for users to control what data is collected by Microsoft’s suite of Office apps. New privacy controls will allow users to enable or disable certain bits of data from being collected, however, some data which is required for running the service will still be collected, such as diagnostic data.

Xbox’s xCloud streaming service reaches “takehome” milestone

Microsoft’s cloud game streaming service, xCloud, is taking strides in getting closer to being publicly available later this year. According to Microsoft’s Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, xCloud has now reached its “takehome” milestone, meaning that it can now be used by employees and the general public outside of Microsoft, such as at their home addresses.

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

Here’s how to disable GameBarPresenceWriter.exe once and for all

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

In this article, we are going to be looking into what GameBarPresenceWriter.exe is about, and how you can safely disable it on your PC.

Basically, we will be showing you what the .exe file does on your system, as well as how to turn off its function, if and when required.

What is GameBarPresenceWriter.exe?

GameBarPresenceWriter.exe is an executable file that is associated with the Xbox app and Game Bar. While this feature can be useful, the GameBarPresenceWriter.exe (Game Box) feature can cause certain problems and use more resources that it should.

Furthermore, various degrees and types of errors have been recorded with regards to this feature. And despite its relative importance, most people find it too cumbersome or not cost-effective to use.

Hence, they prefer to disable it while running Xbox games on their PCs.

To assist you in disabling this feature, we have come up with a set of solutions, any of which can easily be employed to safely disable GameBarPresenceWriter.exe, and thus allow you to run Xbox games at optimum capacity, while also conserving your resources.

How to get rid of GameBarPresenceWriter?

There are several methods that can be employed to disable this function on Windows PCs. However, we will be limiting our article to only three that have been proven, beyond doubt, to be effective in safely disabling GameBarPresenceWriter.exe.

These methods have been described in the three subsequent subsections.

  1. Disable Xbox DVR
  2. Disable it in Settings
  3. Disable via regedit

1. Disable Xbox DVR

As emphasized above, GameBarPresenceWriter.exe is a built-in feature of the Xbox app. And there is a simple and straightforward avenue to disable it directly on the app.

To do this, follow the guidelines below:

  1. Go to Start and then type Xbox.
  2. From the list of options, click on Xbox to launch the gaming app.gamebarpresencewriter exe xbox app
  3. In the  Xbox window, navigate to the lower left-hand side; locate and click on the Settings icon.xbox app settings gamebarpresencewriter exe
  4. On the Settings window, locate and click on Game DVR.
  5. Uncheck the Record game clips and screenshots using Game DVR.share clips and screenshots gamebarpresencewriter exe
  6. Exit program and restart your PC.

This process should disable GameBarPresenceWriter.exe. If you feel this process is too cumbersome or in the event that it could not resolve the issue, you can try the next method.

2. Disable it in Settings

To disable the Game Bar function in Settings, and any issues with GameBarPresenceWriter.exe, do the following:

  1. Press the Windows key.
  2. In the lower left position, locate the Settings icon and click on it.settings icon gamebarpresencewriter exe
  3. On the Settings window, locate and select Gaming > Game bar.gamebarpresencewriter exe
  4. Uncheck the Record games clips, screenshots and broadcast using the Game bar.gamebarpresencewriter exe
  5. Exit and restart PC.

Once this is done, you can then run your Xbox game(s) to see if the GameBarPresenceWriter.exe has been disabled.

If the feature remains enabled, you can try the next method to disable it.

3. Disable via regedit

You can also disable the GameBarPresenceWriter.exe (and other related functions) using the Registry Editor (Regedit). To do this, follow the steps below:

  1. Open the Run dialog box: press Windows Key + R.
  2. In the box, type in regedit and press Enter.gamebarpresencewriter exe regedit
  3. On the displayed window (Registry Editor), locate the entry:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GameDVR
  4. Locate the key: AppCaptureEnabled, and set its value to 0 (off).gamebarpresencewriter exe GameDVR
  5. Locate the key: GameDVR_Enabled, and set its value to 0 (off).
  6. Click on OK.
  7. Exit program and restart PC.

In rare cases, where none of the solutions outlined herein could disable the GameBoxPresenceWriter.exe, you might have to uninstall and reinstall the Xbox app.

There you go, these are just a few solutions that might help you fix the problems with GameBarPresenceWriter.exe. Be sure to let us know if you found our solutions helpful.

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Connection to Google is Temporarily Unavailable on my PC [2026 Fix]

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Google Apps Sync errors do occur, preventing users from connecting to Google servers. Usually, when this issue occurs, the following error message pops on the screen: Connection to Google is temporarily unavailable.

It is worth mentioning that this error often prevents Outlook from connecting to the servers, even when having a working internet connection.

To fix this common issue, we share a series of solutions below. This is a general troubleshooting guide you can use whenever you get this error, irrespective of the programs it affects.

What to do if Google connection is temporarily unavailable?

1. Restart Outlook/Reboot computer

As simple as it may sound, restarting Outlook and rebooting your computer could solve your issue.

First, close Outlook, re-open it, and see if it works. If this does not work, restart Windows and try opening Outlook again.

2. Make sure Date & Time is accurate

Making sure that your date and time are correct is imperative. Inaccurate date and time settings may mess up the internet encryption mechanisms.

To change Date & Time, follow these simple steps:

  • Press R + the Windows key at the same time
  • Type timedate.cpl in the Run box
  • In the Date and Time window that pops up, first click the button under Set the time automatically off, if you initially had it on
  • Click under the Change the date and time section > Change
  • If the date and time are not correct, modify the settings
  • Click OK > Apply > OK

3. Enable contact sharing in the Google Apps control panel

To enable contact sharing, follow these steps:

  • Go to the Google Apps control panel > Settings > click Contacts on the left side
  • Click Enable contact sharing > Save changes

4. Disable antivirus and firewall

Your firewall or antivirus tools could be the culprits behind Google Apps Sync‘s inability to connect to the servers.

Different antiviruses have different way of being turned off. You should be able to find the way of disabling your antivirus easily though.

To disable the firewall, you need to follow the next steps:

  • Press the Start button > open Control Panel
  • Click System and Security > Click Windows Firewall / Windows Defender Firewall
windows firewall
  • In the left side, select Turn Windows Firewall on or off
  • Select Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended) > Click OK
turn off windows firewall pc

Check to see if Outlook can connect to the servers now. If it still does not work, we recommend you turn the antivirus and the Windows Firewall back on.

We hope that our solutions proved helpful. If this guide helped you out, or you have other solutions to fix this error, please leave us a comment in the comment section below.

PC can’t be upgraded although you are enrolled in the Insider Program [FIX]

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Upgrading to the new built of Windows 10 isn’t always simple, and many users reported This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10. Although you are enrolled in the Windows Insider Program this device isn’t yet eligible for this build error message.

Not the most ideal of circumstances and the causes might vary from machine to machine. But we have a few solutions that might help you. So let’s begin, shall we?

My device isn’t yet eligible for new Windows 10 builds

  1. Uninstall BattlEye
  2. Use the Troubleshooter Tool
  3. Free up disk space
  4. Update drivers
  5. Check your Firewall

1. Uninstall BattlEye

We know that BattlEye is an anti-cheat solution used in various multi-player games. It is used by game developers to keep the game fair and competitive, but it can also lead to This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10 error.

The best solution would be to temporarily uninstall it, and get back to it when you’re done with the update. To uninstall BattlEye follow these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. Now click on Programs and Features.
    programs and features This PC can't be upgraded to Windows 10
  3. Select BattlEye and uninstall it.

Additionally, you can try deleting the BattlEye folder:

  1. Close all the games you’re running;
  2. Then, go to C: > Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common and delete the BattlEye folder.

Another method you can use to uninstall BattlEye is to use efficient uninstaller software. These programs will remove the desired application, along with all of its files and registry entries, thus ensuring that the application is completely removed from your PC.

Consequently, you can rely on uninstaller tools to completely remove unwanted programs or automatically erase leftover files from your PC.

2. Use the Troubleshooter Tool

If you’re still having a tough time with This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10 error, you might want to run the built-in troubleshooter.

  1. Open the Settings app and go to the Update & Security section.
  2. Select Troubleshoot from the left pane.
  3. In the right pane, select Windows Update and click Run the troubleshooter button.
    windows update troubleshoot This PC can't be upgraded to Windows 10

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the troubleshooting process.

3. Free up disk space

You can free up some space by removing any unnecessary files. This can sometimes help with the This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10 error. To free up space, follow these steps:

  1. Open your Start Menu, and then select Settings.
  2. Now click on System, and then Storage.
  3. In Storage sense, select Free up space now.
    free up space can't upgrade to Windows 10
  4. Windows will take a few moments to determine what files and apps are taking up the most space on your machine.
  5. Now you can select all the items you want to delete, and then select Remove files.

4. Update drivers

This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10 error can appear if you have some drivers that are not up to date. To fix this, follow these steps:

  1. Open Device Manager.
  2. Now expand the category with the hardware you want to update.
  3. Right-click the device, and select Update driver.
    update driver
  4. Click the Search automatically for updated driver software.
    search automatically for driver software This PC can't be upgraded to Windows 10 Insiders program

Additionally, you can download the latest drivers using third-party tools. By using this tool, you can automatically update all your drivers with just a couple of clicks.

⇒ Get Fortect Driver Updater

5. Check your Firewall

You can temporarily disable your Windows Firewall if it’s causing any connections issues. This solution can help in issues related to driver updates. To add any program to a whitelist, follow these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. Click on Windows Firewall.
  3. Now, click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.
    allow app through firewall This PC can't be upgraded to Windows 10
  4. Now, the Allowed App windows will open.
  5. Click on the Change Settings button.
    change settings This PC can't be upgraded to Windows 10
  6. Check the boxes next to the apps or programs you want to allow through Windows Firewall or network connections.
  7. Click to save your new settings.

We hope that these solutions were able to help you fix This PC can’t be upgraded to Windows 10. Although you are enrolled in the Windows Insider Program this device isn’t yet eligible for this build error. In the meantime let us know what other issues you’re facing with the newest Windows update.

The printer driver package could not be installed [Fix]

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

You’ve gotten your hands on a new printer, but The printer driver package could not be installed error just keeps showing up.

There are many causes for this error, be it a faulty port, or incorrect driver management, but there’s a way to fix this problem. So let’s get to work, shall we?

What to do if I can’t install printer driver on Windows 10?

  1. Disable Spooler Service
  2. Change printer port
  3. Reinstall drivers
  4. Use a different machine

1. Disable Spooler Service

The Spooler Service is responsible for the management of processes that have been sent to the printer. This feature works just fine in most cases, but if there’s a problem with it, you might get The printer driver package could not be installed error. You can fix that by doing the following:

  1. In your Start Menu, open the Run box.
  2. Now type services.msc and press Enter.
    services The printer driver package could not be installed
  3. Now look for the Spooler Service in the list, and double click on it.
  4. Once the Properties tab is open, click on Stop, and then press OK.

After doing that, wait for a few moments and start the service again.

2. Change printer port

If you’re using a USB connection, chances are that some of your ports might be unresponsive. We suggest you try using a different port for your printer in order to fix The printer driver package could not be installed error. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. In the Start Menu select the Control Panel.
  2. Next, select Devices and Printers.
    devices and printers The printer driver package could not be installed
  3. In the top area of the window, select Add a Printer.
  4. Select Add a Local Printer.
  5. In the Choose a Printer Port section, now select Use an existing port.
  6. In the drop-down menu, select the USB001.
  7. Click the Next button.
  8. In the Manufacturers section, select your printer manufacturer.
  9. In the Printers section, look for your printer model and select it.

3. Reinstall drivers

This solution can sometimes help with The printer driver package could not be installed error. In order to reinstall the driver, simply follow these steps:

  1. Open your Control Panel.
  2. Click on Hardware and Sound.
  3. Select Printers.
  4. Right-click on the printer whose driver you need to install, and then select Run as administrator.
  5. Click on Properties.
  6. Now click on Advanced.
  7. Click on the New Driver tab, and then follow the onscreen instructions to install the driver.

If you wish to uninstall it, follow these steps:

  1. In the Start Menu, open up your Run box.
  2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter.
  3. Look for your printer and click on Uninstall Device.
    uninstall device The printer driver package could not be installed
  4. Restart your machine.

Another way to install printer drivers is to use a third-party application. By using this tool you can easily update all your drivers automatically with just a couple of clicks.

⇒ Get Fortect Driver Updater

4. Use a different machine

Try running the printer on a different machine, so you can narrow down the culprit. If The printer driver package could not be installed error appears on other PC as well, it’s possible that your printer is faulty.

We hope that these fixes were of help. In the meantime, let us know in the comment section down below on what type of printers do you use at the moment.

What to do if Windows was unable to format Micro SD card

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

This tutorial brings you a comprehensive guide on how to fix the Windows was unable to format the Micro SD error. At times, while trying to format Micro SD on your PC, the operation continuously fails. If this happens, what do you do? We have a solution for you in this tutorial. Read on!

How can I fix Windows was unable to complete the format SD card error?

  1. Force-format Micro SD
  2. Format Micro SD using Disk Management
  3. Fix and Format Micro SD using Command Prompt [CMD]

1. Force-format Micro SD

Windows PC, by default, automatically formats any Micro SD that is inserted in it (via a card reader). On certain occasions, you might get Windows was unable to format the Micro SD error. And to format such SD card, you might have to run the process manually.

To force format (manually format) Micro SD, follow the guidelines below:

  1. Insert your Micro SD card.
  2. Navigate to My Computer.
  3. On the displayed window, locate the Removable icon associated with the Micro SD.this PC windows was unable to format micro sd
  4. Right-click on the Micro SD icon and select Format.format drive windows was unable to format micro sd
  5. Under the Format Type drop-down menu select Quick or Full (for a complete format).start format can't format micro sd
  6. In the second drop-down menu, select Off.
  7. Click OK to finish up the format process.

This process typically takes a few minutes or even seconds, depending on the size of the Micro SD card.

If the “manual format” could not resolve the error, it is recommended you try the built-in Windows solution (Windows Disk Management), to fix the error and format the card.

2. Format Micro SD using Disk Management

This is an inbuilt solution (on Windows PCs), specially designed to serve as the first line of action for fixing Windows was unable to format the Micro SD error. To run this tool, follow the guidelines below:

  1. Insert the Micro SD card,
  2. On your PC’s desktop window, right-click on the Start icon and then select Disk Management.disk management windows was unable to format micro sd
  3. In the Disk Management window, locate the Micro SD icon (Removable storage).
  4. Right-click on the Micro SD and select Format.format disk windows was unable to format micro sd
  5. Select a file system and follow the on-screen commands to finish up the process.

In the event of more severe damage, the Disk Management tool might be ineffective in resolving the issue. If such happens, we recommend you try the next solution.

3. Fix and Format Micro SD using Command Prompt [CMD]

Formatting corrupt or damaged external storage media is basically done using the Disk Management tool. However, if and when this fails, the more advanced Command Prompt solution is often employed. To format Micro SD via the CMD, run the Command Prompt as outlined below:

  1. Insert the Micro SD card.
  2. Start the Command Prompt as administrator.
  3. Type in diskpart in the designated box and click Enter.diskpart can't format micro sd
  4. Type list disk to bring up all the disks/removable drives on your system (all disks are listed with numbers).list disk windows was unable to format micro sd
  5. Locate the number associated with the Micro SD and type in the corresponding number: select disk X and click the Enter button. Replace the X with the number that represents your disk. Be extra cautious and be sure to select the correct disk. If you select the wrong disk, you’ll cause permanent data loss, so be extra cautious.
  6. Type in clean and click Enter.
  7. Type in create primary partition and press Enter.
  8. Type in format fs: FAT32 and press Enter.
  9. Exit the program to finish up the process.

Note: This procedure is somewhat technical, and might not be ideal for less advanced users. Nevertheless, it is an effective solution for formatting Micro SD and other external storage media.

If Windows was unable to format the Micro SD error, the above-outlined procedures are the recommended solutions for you, provided the damage is not too severe or physical.

In case of physical damage and/or severe corruption, the ultimate solution might be to replace the Micro SD.

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Windows 7 users still not ready to upgrade to Windows 10

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

The recent April 2019 report by NetMarketShare revealed that Windows 7 users are not giving up on their favourite operating system.

The latest figures show that only 0.09% of Windows 7 users upgraded to Windows 10 after Microsoft officially announced the end of support deadline.

As a quick reminder, Microsoft is all set to end official support for Windows 7 in just around 8 months’ time. The company will no longer release security updates and patches after January 2020.

The tech giant is trying very hard to upgrade to convince its users to make the transition to Windows 10. However, despite all its efforts, the market share of Windows 10 increased from 43.62% to only 44.10%. 

Windows 7 is very popular in the business environment

However, it should be noticed that there are thousands of businesses around the world that are still operating on a Windows 7 environment.

Upgrading to Windows 10 overnight is not a feasible option for them. Alternatively, they will have to pay thousands of dollars to receive extended security updates beyond that period.

As a matter of fact, the upgrade is crucial for them to avoid malicious attacks.

A similar situation was faced by Windows XP users back in 2017. Although Microsoft ended official support for the OS, it had to release an update after a devastating WannaCry malware attack.

This time, Microsoft wants to avoid falling into the same trap again. The tech giant is highly encouraging its users to upgrade to the latest version of Windows.

Interestingly, if you have a Microsoft 365 Business license, you can enjoy a free upgrade to Windows 10.

Upgrade your PC ASAP

Apparently, Windows 7 users are not yet ready to give up on their OS. The upgrade is a real mess for large organisations that are comfortable on a Windows 7 environment.

Furthermore, individual Windows 7 users find it as extremely simple and user-friendly. Windows 10 can turn out to be a nightmare for some of them. Many users want to avoid the bugs that come along with Windows 10.

However, the upgrade seems to be a viable option if we dive deep into the details. You can not afford to lose your sensitive information just because of your favorite operating system.

Once Windows 7 retires, more and more attackers will try to take advantage of the situation. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you should plan to take the leap as soon as possible.

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The Password for This Account Has Expired: 2 Fixes

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Is your user account expired on Windows 10? In this guide, we’ll be showing you what to do if and when you see, The password for this account has expired in Windows 10.

Basically, a local user account on Windows 10 is accompanied by a password, which, by default, is designed to expire after a specific period of time (usually 30 days).

When this happens, you would have to change or reset your password to regain access to your PC. And for convenience, you can even set your password to Never expire.

However, if a user account expires, what do you do? We’ll be bringing you some proven solutions in this article.

How do I fix an expired Windows password?

1. Disable password expiration

1.1 Via Local Users and Groups

  1. On the desktop window, press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Enter lusrmgr.msc and press Enter to open the Local Users and Groups Manager.lusrmgr.msc user account expired windows 10
  3. Locate and select Users.
  4. Click on the user account you want to disable its password expiration.
  5. On the Properties window of the selected user account, go to the General.
  6. Locate the Password never expires option and check the box next to it.
    password never expires user account expired
  7. Save changes and restart the PC.

1.2 Via Command Prompt

  1. Open the Start menu and select All Apps.
  2. Go under Windows System and click on it (to expand it).
  3. On the displayed options, right-click on Command Prompt.
  4. Select Run as administrator.run as administrator user account expired windows 10
  5. In the Command Prompt, type the following command and hit Enter: wmic UserAccount where Name='username' set PasswordExpires=Falsewmic user account user account expired windows 10
  6. Once you get a confirmation, you are all set!

This action will ensure the user account‘s password is never expired and you shouldn’t receive The password for this account has expired error anymore.

2. Disable user account expiration

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Locate and then select Administrative Tools.
  3. On the displayed window, select Active Directory Users and Computers.
  4. Locate and expand your user account (domain) name.
  5. Go under the Users tab, and then right-click on the user name.
  6. On the list of options, select Properties.
  7. Navigate to the Account tab, and select Never under Account Expires.
  8. Click Apply and then OK.
  9. Exit the window.

While password expiration requires you only to reset/change the password to access your PC, user account expiration wholly restricts your access. Once this process is complete, your user account can now run unhindered (without expiring).

If your user account is expired, you might have some issues logging in to your user account and using your PC. But you should be able to fix The password for this account has expired by using one of these solutions.

Before you leave, do check the best password recovery tools and get one today!

Tell us which fix worked for you in the comments section below.

How to change offline Outlook Data File (.ost) location in Microsoft Outlook on Windows 10

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

If you tried to change the location of the offline Outlook Data File (.ost) in Microsoft Outlook, you have seen that the browse button is disabled.

This is due to the deprecation of the classic offline mode in Outlook, which is an online mode connection to Microsoft Exchange Server.

This is what happens when you try to do something offline using a tool designed for online use.

But the good news is that there is a fix for this.

Users have also described this issue on Microsoft’s forum:

My current default location for my OST file is C:Users…*** Email address is removed for privacy ***
I have been trying to change the location to D:Users…*** Email address is removed for privacy ***, but nothing I try seems to work.
In Outlook, I go to change the location of the data file, but it doesn’t allow me to edit or change the file. […]
How can I change the location in which outlook points to the data file for my email? It is pulling the emails off of the exchange server, but caching them to my OST file on my local C drive, instead of my other local D drive?

Here’s how to change the location of the offline Outlook Data File:

1. Create a new Outlook Profile and change the location of the .ost file

  1. Go to Control Panel > type mail to search for the Mail item > open it.
  2. Click on Show Profiles > click Add and type a name for the profile > click OK.
  3. Click on Next and wait for the setup to complete.account settings mail change offline Outlook Data File (.ost) location
  4. Select the Change account settings check case > click on Next.
  5. In the Server Settings windows, select More Settings.add account mail change offline Outlook Data File location
  6. In the Microsoft Exchange Windows, click on the Advanced tab and then on Outlook Data File Settings.account server settings mail change offline Outlook Data File location
  7. In the new windows that appears on the screen, click on Browse and then on Open.
  8. Click on Finish to complete the email account setup.
  9. Return to the profile list >Control Panel > type mail to search for the Mail item > open it> Click Show Profiles.
  10. Select the optimized profile> check the Always use this profile box > click OK.

 Need to sync your files? Here’s the best software to help you with that!

2. Change the location via the ForceOSTPath registry entry

We suggest you to back up the registry before you change the settings. If you modify the registry incorrectly, you can use the back up to restore the registry.

If you also want to monitor registry changes, this tool can help you.

  1. Type regedit in the search box > click OK.
  2. Locate the following registry subkey: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOfficexx.0Outlook
    ( xx.0 represents your Office version (14.0 = Office 2010).outlook registry editor mail how to change offline Outlook Data File location
  3. Right-click Outlook > New > click on Expandable String Value.
    expandable string value registry editor change offline Outlook Data File (.ost) location
  4.  Type ForceOSTPath> press Enter.
  5. Right-click ForceOSTPath, and then click on Modify.
  6. In the Value data box, type the path where you want to store the .ost file (C:MyOSTfiles) > click OK. edit string registry mail change offline Outlook Data File location
  7. Remove and re-add your account. Setting the Registry value does not affect existing accounts. You can also use Microsoft FixIt tool if you don’t want to use the regedit path.

If the following solutions were helpful, please let us know in the comment section below.

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How to delete all data from a Surface tablet or PC

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

If you want to sell your Surface device, you’ll probably want to wipe its hard drive. Microsoft has you covered on that one as it recently released a new tool that will help you do just that.

The tool is called Surface Data Eraser and is developed by Microsoft. Surface Data Eraser is available for free, and you can download it from Microsoft’s site. But you need to keep in mind that this tool isn’t compatible with all Surface devices.

Only newer ones — the Surface Pro 2, Surface 3 and Surface 3 LTE, Surface Pro 3 , 4, 5, 6 and Surface Book — are compatible with Surface Data Eraser. It won’t work on the Surface RT, Surface 2, and Surface Pro.

How to use Surface Data Eraser

Before you can use Surface Data Eraser to completely clean your Surface device, you need to set it up first (just like you do with Windows 10 itself). Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Download Surface Data Eraser from Microsoft’s official download center.
  2. Install Surface Data Eraser on your device.
  3. Plug in a USB stick with at least 4GB of storage.
  4. Start Microsoft Surface Data Eraser, and click Build to begin the media creation process.
  5. Click Start when the Guidance screen shows up.erase surface data
  6. Choose the USB drive you want to install Surface Data Eraser on, and click Start.erase surface data 1
  7. Wait for the process to finish.
  8. Once the creation process is done, you’ll be notified, and you can close the creation tool.

Now that you’ve created the installation media, you can use the tool to wipe your Surface’s hard drive. Here’s how to delete all data from your surface with Surface Data Eraser:

  1. Plug in the bootable Microsoft Surface Data Eraser USB stick into your Surface device.
  2. Ensure your system firmware is set to boot to USB.
    • Turn off your Surface device.
    • Press and hold the Volume Up button.
    • Press and release the Power button.
    • Release the Volume Up button.)
  3. A SoftwareLicenseTerms text file will show up. Close the file and type accept into the Command prompt to accept the terms.erase surface data 2
  4. Now, enter one of the following commands and press Enter.
    • S to start Data Erase – Select this option to begin the data erase process. You will have a chance to confirm in the next step.
    • D to perform Diskpart – Select this option to use diskpart.exe to manage partitions on your disk.
    • X to shut device down – Select this option to perform no action and shut down the device.erase surface data 3
  5. Once the process is done, type S, and press Enter to restart your device.

After running this tool, all the data from your Surface device will be deleted. If you have some questions about the tool or the process of deleting the data, you can let us know in the comments section below or you can visit Microsoft’s official TechNet page for more details.

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How to send and receive SMS text in Windows 10 [QUICK GUIDE]

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

When you were young, rocking your brand new Windows XP, you probably wanted to send SMS texts from your computer, at least once.

Well, Microsoft finally fulfilled your old wish in Windows 10. You’re now able to actually send text messages from your computer, courtesy of Windows 10‘s virtual assistant, Cortana.

With Cortana, you can easily send text messages from your computer to anyone in your contacts list. So, if you need to send a message quickly, but you’re not by your phone, just let Cortana do the job for you.

Note: This ability came with the Threshold 2 update fromWindows 10 . Therefore, you need to run at least that version of the system to be able to send SMS messages from your computer.

How can I send and receive text messages with Cortana in Windows 10?

This option currently works with Windows 10 Mobile devices only. Although Microsoft constantly works on improving Cortana for Android, we don’t know when this feature will arrive to Google’s OS.

First thing you need to do to be able to receive and send messages from your Windows 10 computer is to make sure you connect your devices.

To make sure you PC and Windows 10 Mobile devices are connected, do the following (of course, we assume you already set up Cortana on both devices):

  1. Open Cortana on your Windows 10 PC
  2. Expand the hamburger menu, and go to Settings
  3. Make sure ‘Send notifications between devices’ is enabledsend sms cortana windows 10
  4. Now, open Cortana on your Windows 10 Mobile device
  5. Go to Notebook > Settings
  6. Make sure ‘Send phone notifications’ is enabled

Cortana disappears when you click on it? Let’s solve this weird problem with the help of this amazing guide.

Once you make sure your devices are connected, you’re good to start sending and receiving text messages from your Windows 10 PC. Cortana send text sms

Let’s start with receiving messages.

When your Windows 10 devices are connected, you will automatically receive notifications about a missed call or a received SMS message from your Windows 10 Mobile phone to your Windows 10 PC.

Microsoft introduced this ability with some of the previous Windows 10 Preview builds.

Once you receive a notification about the text message you received on your phone, you can reply directly from that notification banner. Just hit ‘Reply’ button.

Sending messages is as easy as receiving them. Here’s how to send text messages from your Windows 10 computer with Cortana:

  1. If ‘Hey Cortana’ is enabled, just say “Hey Cortana, send a message to..”
  2. She will automatically open the window where you can customize your message (write text, add recipients,…)
  3. If you don’t have ‘Hey Cortana’ feature enabled, just open Cortana, and write ‘send text message‘
  4. The same window will open, and you’ll be able to customize your messagesend sms messages cortana windows 10
  5. Once you click Send, Cortana will connect with your phone, and a message will be sent

Need more options? Check out these software tools that allow you to send SMS messages from your Windows 10 PC!

There you go, sending text messages from your computer have never been easier.

Just keep in mind that you can only send text messages to contacts in your People app, as you can’t add recipient’s number manually, so make sure a person you’re sending a message to is in your contacts list.

We hope that this article was helpful, and that sending messages now appears easier for you. If you have any comments or questions, just let us know in the comments below.

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Useful Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Windows 10 has been available for some time, and users are getting quite familiar with it and most of its features.

Speaking of which, if you’re an advanced user you probably use keyboard shortcuts on daily basis, and speaking of shortcuts.

windows 10 keyboard shortcuts

Today we want to show you some of the most useful Windows 10 keyboard shortcuts.

Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts You Need to Know

  1. Window snapping
  2. Virtual desktops
  3. Task View and Window management
  4. Cortana and settings
  5. Command prompt
  6. Navigation
  7. Some advanced shortcuts

Window snapping

Just like Windows 7, Windows 10 supports window snapping, but with Windows 10 you can snap windows in 2×2 grid by using your mouse, or by using the following keyboard shortcuts:

  • Windows Key + Left arrow key – Snap current window to the left side.
  • Windows Key + Right arrow key – Snap current window the the right side.
  • Windows Key + Up arrow key – Snap current window to the top.
  • Windows Key + Down arrow key – Snap current window to the bottom.

Virtual desktops

Windows 10 brings support for virtual desktops, so if you want to keep your workspace neat and organized you might want to use some of these shortcuts:

  1. Windows Key+Ctrl+D — creates a new virtual desktop.
  2. Windows Key+Ctrl+Left — go to virtual desktop to the left.
  3. Windows Key+Ctrl+Right — go to virtual desktop to the right.
  4. Windows Key+Ctrl+F4 — close the current virtual desktop.

Task View and Window management

Windows Key + Tab – opens a new Task View interface that shows you all current windows on this virtual desktop. There are also virtual desktops available on the bottom of the screen so you can easily switch.

One great thing about this shortcut is that you only have to press it once, there’s no need to hold the buttons down.

Alt+Tab – This keyboard shortcut has been present for a long time, and it works the same in Windows 10, but unlike Windows Key + Tab, it allows you to switch through all windows on all virtual desktops.

Cortana and settings

  • Windows Key+Q — open Cortana for voice input.
  • Windows Key+S — open Cortana for typed input.
  • Windows Key+I — open up the Windows 10 settings.
  • Windows Key+A — open up Windows 10 notifications, also known as Action Center.
  • Windows Key+X — open the Start button context menu that let’s you access some advanced features.

Command prompt

Command Prompt just got support for keyboard shortcuts in Windows 10, but before you use them make sure that you’ve enabled them.

To enable shortcuts in Command Prompt right click the Command Prompt and choose Properties.

Go to Options tab and uncheck Use legacy console, enable Ctrl key shortcuts and two text section options.

CHECK OUT: Fix Bluetooth Keyboard Problems in Windows 10

As for the shortcuts, the following are available:

  • Shift+Left — select text to the left of the cursor.
  • Shift+Right — select text to the left of the cursor.
  • Ctrl+Shift+Left (or Right) — select blocks of text instead of just characters at a time.
  • Ctrl+C — copy selected text.
  • Ctrl+V — paste the selected.
  • Ctrl+A — select all text after the prompt.

All of these shortcuts are available in text editors, but they are now available in Command Prompt for the first time.

Navigation

Most of these are available in older versions of Windows, but they are also present in Windows 10, so we’ll mention them as well in case you’re not familiar with them:

  • Windows Key+, — temporarily hide windows to show desktop for a moment.
  • Windows Key+D — minimize all windows and go to the desktop.
  • Ctrl+Shift+M — restore all minimized windows.
  • Windows Key+Home — minimize all windows except the one you’re using.
  • Windows Key+L — lock your PC and go to the lock screen.
  • Windows Key+E — open File Explorer.
  • Alt+Up — go up one level in File Explorer.
  • Alt+Left — go to the previous folder in File Explorer.
  • Alt+Right — go to the next folder in File Explorer.
  • Alt+F4 — close the current window.
  • Windows Key+Shift+Left (or Right) — move a window to another display.
  • Windows Key+T — cycle through taskbar items. In addition, you can press Enter while doing this to launch an application.
  • Windows Key+Any Number Key — open app from your taskbar. For example Windows Key + 1 will open first item on your taskbar.

Some advanced shortcuts

  • Ctrl+Shift+Esc — open the Task Manager.
  • Windows Key+R — open the Run dialog box.
  • Shift+Delete — delete files without sending them to Recycle Bin first.
  • Alt+Enter — show the properties of the selected file.
  • Windows Key+U — open the Ease of Access Center.
  • Windows Key+Space — switch input language and keyboard.
  • Windows Key+PrtScr — take a screenshot of your desktop and save it to Pictures folder.


Using Windows 11 instead? Grab the full cheat sheet for Snap layouts, virtual desktops, Task View, screenshots, and more here: Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts.

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Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse Windows App: Manage Your Mouse Settings

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

In case you didn’t know, there’s a dedicated Windows app on the Microsoft Store called Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse that allows owners of Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse and Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition to manage the settings of their devices.
Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse and Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition app
With Microsoft’s official ‘Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse‘ app for Windows 10 devices, user can get configuration settings for Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse and Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition.

Manage settings of your Microsoft Mouse with this Windows app

Manage settings with Arc Touch Mouse App

You should know that this app is designed for Windows 8.1+, so it will not work with Windows 7 or previous versions. Being available for quite a while on the Store, the app allows user to perform the following:

  • Flick to scroll quickly (on/off)
  • Tap to page up / page down (on/off)
  • Vibration/sound (on/off)
  • Intensity of vibration/sound
  • Flip scrolling direction (on/off)
  • Reassign middle tap

The app is available in the following languages – English (United States), Chinese (China), German (Germany), Spanish (Spain), Japanese (Japan), French (France), Russian (Russia), French (Canada), Finnish (Finland), Italian (Italy), Korean (Korea), Dutch (Netherlands), Norwegian (Bokmål) (Norway), Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish (Sweden), Chinese (Taiwan), Thai (Thailand) and can be downloaded for free from the Microsoft Store.

The Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse app is a free software and you can download it from this official link. It’s designed for Windows 10 but will also work on mobile devices.

The latest version of the software includes general bug fixes, bug fix for Windows 10 Creators Update and now Middle tap can be reassigned to Windows 10 commands and customized key combinations. 

Although the app is still getting updates, many users complain about not connecting properly their Arc Mouse, bugs, bluetooth connection or lack of feature support.

That’s why we, along other users, are recommending to download Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center. This app seems to be more stable and useful, and  it can offer the same functionality as the Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse app and more.

That’s about it. Hope that this was helpful. If you have any more questions or you want to share your experience with Arc Touch Bluetooth Mouse Windows App, feel free to do so in the comments section below.

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