Microsoft To-Do app’s new Planned feature rolls out to all users on Windows 10

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

The Windows 10 version of the Microsoft To-Do app updated today on Windows 10 Mobile smartphones and Windows 10 PCs. This latest update adds the new Planned feature, which had been tested with Insiders recently, and also improves the appearance of content when displayed on a LiveTile with better font size and spacing.

The new Planned feature displays all upcoming tasks from all lists and displays them chronologically based on their due date. This is a particularly useful for power users who create multiple lists for different projects.

Here’s the full release notes for the Microsoft To-Do app update:

  • The Planned smart list is now available on Windows! Just open Planned for an overview of your scheduled tasks for today, tomorrow, the next 5 days and beyond.
  • We’ve made our tiles a bit tidier with better formatting when the small size is selected.

Microsoft To-Do is a free task management app available on the web, Windows 10 Mobile and PC, iOS, and Android. Do you use To-Do on your device? Let us know in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more app content.

Microsoft To Do: Lists, Tasks & Reminders
Microsoft To Do: Lists, Tasks & Reminders
Download
QR-Code

Microsoft To Do: Lists, Tasks & Reminders
Developer:
Microsoft Corporation
Price:
Free

Warface free-to-play video game now available on Xbox One consoles

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

The free-to-play first-person shooter, Warface, is now available to play on Microsoft’s Xbox One consoles.

The game is fairly popular already on PC with millions of players partaking in online matches every day. The Xbox One version of Warface supports online games with up to 16 players and Xbox Achievements.

Here’s the full game description and store link:

Warface is a contemporary first person shooter with millions of fans around the world. Four unique classes with special skills, teamwork, exciting PVE missions and raids, various PVP modes, hundreds of realistic weapons, modules, equipment and camo items. Play for free!

  • PVP. A range of modes with dozens of maps – from time proven classics to fresh experiments as well as the elaborated system of ranked matches await its heroes!
  • PVE. Play with your friends in short exciting PVE missions or try yourselves in full-scale raids with several difficulty levels.
  • Teamwork. Four classes with unique skills. Assault the defenses of your enemies with a heavy machinegun, revive your teammates, mine the corridors or take down the foes with precise shots – here you decide how to act!
  • Plenty of rewards and trophies. Hundreds of achievements with interesting and unusual obtain conditions. Can you collect them all?

Are you a Warface fan and will you play it on Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more Xbox One gaming content.

Warface: Clutch
Warface: Clutch
Download
QR-Code

Warface: Clutch
Developer:
MY.GAMES
Price:
Free

How to fix email error 0x80048802 on Windows 10/11

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Steps to fix email error 0x80048802

  1. Run the Windows built in troubleshooter
  2. Run SFC
  3. Perform a clean boot
  4. Update the Mail & Calendar app in Windows Store
  5. Reinstall the Mail & Calendar app
  6. Check if the proxy connection is enabled
  7. Install Windows updates
  8. Perform a system restore

There are thousands of different error codes that may occur in hundreds of places throughout your computer. This article is about the 0x80048802 email error. If you encounter this error and want to find a solution to your problem, here are a few ways that can help you fix this problem.

How can I fix error 0x80048802?

Solution 1: Run the App Troubleshooter

Because Windows 10 comes with a series of built-in troubleshooters that allow you to quickly fix some problems related to your operating system or the apps you are using, this is the first thing you can try. In order to verify if this solution works for you:

  1. Go to Settings and click on Update & Security
  2. Click on Troubleshoot
  3. Launch the Windows Apps troubleshooter

windows apps troubleshooter

In case the Windows app troubleshooter stopped working, you can use this guide to fix it.

Solution 2: Run SFC

Error 0x80048802 may be caused by Windows system file issues. That is why you can also use Microsoft’s System File Checker to check for system file corruption. This utility verifies the integrity of all system files and repairs the problematic ones:

  1. Go to Start and type cmd
  2. Right click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  3. Type sfc /scannow and wait for the scanning process to completesfc scannow
  4. Restart your computer

— RELATED: Full Fix: eM Client not receiving emails

Solution 3: Perform a clean boot

Performing a clean boot can be useful in identifying the cause behind error code. Disabling all start up processes and then re-enabling them one at a time can help you find the source of the error:

  1. Click on Start and type msconfig in the search bar
  2. Select System Configuration and open the Services tab
  3. Check the Hide all Microsoft services check box and click on Disable allhide all microsoft services
  4. Open the Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager button
  5. Right-click on all start-up items and click on Disable to disable themdisable startup programs
  6. Close Task Manager and save the changes
  7. Restart your computer

Note: If the error does not persist, you will have to start each application/ services at a time to see what is causing the error.

Solution 4: Update the Mail & Calendar app in Windows Store

Another suggestion is to check an update for Mail & Calendar app in Windows Store as many users reported that updating the app to the latest version can fix this issue:

  1. Launch Windows Store and click on your Profile on top right of Windows Store
  2. Select Download and Updates
  3. Click Check for updates to see if any update available for Mail & Calendar app.

update windows store apps

Note: If the problem still persists, you can uninstall and reinstall the Mail & Calendar app. You can find more datiled information in the next solution.

— RELATED: Antivirus blocking email: How to fix it in less than 5 minutes

Solution 5: Reinstall the Mail & Calendar app

If the above solution did not work for you, the next thing you can try is uninstalling and reinstalling the Mail & Calendar app to see if this fixes your issue:

  1. Press Windows + X keys and select Command prompt (Admin)
  2. Copy and paste the below command lines one by one and press Enter
  • Powershell
  • Get-AppxPackage *windowscommunicationsapps* | Remove-AppxPackage
  1. Go back to Store and try to install the app again

Note: When you open the store to install the Mail & Calendar app, if it says the product is already installed, then press Windows key + R, type WSReset.exe and hit Enter. Now check if it allows you install again. If the problem persists, try to restart your PC, post complete shutdown and then check the issue.

Solution 6: Check if the proxy connection is enabled

There could be various reasons behind this error. We suggest you to check if the proxy connection is enabled. In order to do this:

  1. Go to Settings and click on Network and Internet
  2. Click on Proxy and ensure that Automatically detect connection is turned ON and the rest are OFF

automatically detect proxy

Along with this, follow the steps below:

  1. Press Windows + R keys
  2. Type inetcpl.cpl and click on OK
  3. From the Internet Options dialog box, go to the Connections tab and click on LAN Setting
  4. Uncheck the Use a proxy server for your LAN (These settings will not apply to dial-up or VPN connections) checkbox
  5. check Automatically detect settings and apply changes

— RELATED: FIX:There is no internet connection, there is something wrong with the proxy server

Solution 7: Install Windows updates

Some users reported that they succeeded to fix this problem simply by installing the latest Windows updates. Normally, Windows 10 installs automatically the updates in the background, but sometimes it can happen that you skip an important update. In order to check the updates, please follow the below steps:

  1. Press Windows + I keys in order to open Settings app
  2. Navigate to Update and security
  3. click on Check for updates button

check for updates

Solution 8: Perform a system restore

You can always try to revert your computer to its previous settings if you face a stubborn error that will not go away even though you tried all of the methods described above. In order to do this:

  1. Go to Start and type system restore
  2. In the System Properties window, click on System Restore button
  3. Click Next and you will see a list of all available restore pointsSystem restore Windows 10
  4. Check Show more restore points option and select the desired restore point
  5. Follow the instructions to complete the process

We hope that at least one of the described solutions helped you fix the 0x80048802 email error. If you found other solutions to this problem, we would be more than glad if you shared them with us.

RELATED GUIDES:

Sorry, You Don’t Have Access to This Page [Fix]

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

The Sorry, you don’t have access to this page message can appear in OneDrive, Office 365, and SharePoint and cause many issues.

Usually encountered due to a mismatch between the signed-in account and the one for the OneDrive Business service, the error affects a large number of users. However, you should be able to fix this issue using one of our solutions.

How do I fix Sorry, you don’t have access to this page OneDrive error?

1. Check the user’s settings

  1. Go to the SharePoint Admin Center.
  2. Select User profiles, choose Manage User Profiles, and click on Find profiles.
  3. Enter the user account name in the search field and click Find.
  4. Choose the Manage site collection owners option.
  5. Now enter the user’s account name into Site Collection Administrators field and click OK.

According to a few, sometimes your user’s settings aren’t correct, and that can cause the Sorry, you don’t have access to this page message to appear. So, it’s advised that you check user settings and make sure that the user can access OneDrive for Business.

2. Obtain design permission level

Many users reported Sorry you don’t have access to this page message in SharePoint while trying to Save List as a template. To fix this issue, you need to have at least the Design permission level in the List Template Gallery.

To access these settings, just navigate to Site Settings, select List templates and you should have the necessary permissions.

3. Reset the default site owner group

  1. Open your web browser, paste the following path in the address bar, and hit Enter:/_layouts/15/permsetup.aspx
  2. Now, you’ll be asked to select an existing group or create a new group.
  3. Select the current site owner group and click OK.
  4. After doing that, restart your browser, and the issue should be resolved.

Sorry you don’t have access to this page message can appear in SharePoint if you’re having issues with the default site owner group. However, you can always fix this issue by resetting the default owner group.

4. Give owwners group the required permissions

Sorry you don’t have access to this page message can sometimes appear if the Owners group doesn’t have the necessary permissions. However, you can fix this issue simply by giving the Owners group permissions to the Access Requests list.

After making these changes, the issue should be completely resolved, and everything will start working again.

5. Create a new project and share it

  1. Login to the PWA site with admin access.
  2. Now create a new project in PWA.
  3. Select Projects from the Home page.
  4. Click the dots icon next to the project name and choose Share.
  5. Enter the name of the user with whom you want to share the project, and then click Share.

According to users, the Sorry, you don’t have access to this page message can appear if the project isn’t properly shared. To fix this issue, you need to create a new project and share it.

6. Make sure that Custom Script option is enabled

  1. Go to the SharePoint Admin Center.
  2. Now go to Settings, and enable Custom Script.

According to users, Sorry you don’t have access to this page message can appear if Custom Scripts aren’t enabled in SharePoint.

Now check if the prevent option is enabled. If so, you’ll need to disable it by following these steps:

  1. Download SharePoint Online Management Shell.download
  2. Once you start the management shell, run this command:set-sposite https://your_website.sharepoint.com -denyaddandcustomizepages 0

This solution is a bit advanced, and it’s intended for advanced users that are familiar with the command line. If you don’t know how to work with the command line, perhaps you should skip this solution.

Several users reported that you can change the Custom Script options from the SharePoint Admin Center. Alternatively, you can just visit the following URL: https://sitename-admin.sharepoint.com/_layouts/15/online/TenantSettings.aspx

Now select Allow users to run custom script on personal sites and Allow users to run custom script on self-service created sites options. After doing that, save the changes. Keep in mind that it might take up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect.

7. Change your SharePoint settings

When the Sorry, you don’t have access to this page message appears in SharePoint, you just need to change a couple of settings. These are suggested workarounds from Microsoft, so you might want to try them out.

  • The first workaround is to Grant access to the whole Document Library instead of the folder. Alternatively, you can use a different Document Library instead of a folder.
  • You can also fix this issue by setting Content Approval to No.
  • Lastly, you can set Document Version History to any other setting except Create major and minor (draft) versions.

After making one of these changes, the problem with SharePoint should be resolved.

8. Run the commands from the command line

Sometimes the best way to fix the Sorry you don’t have access to this page message is to run a couple of commands from the command line.

This solution is intended for advanced users that are familiar with the command line. If you never used the command line along with SharePoint before, you might want to skip this solution.

As for the commands, you just need to run these three to fix the issue:Connect-SPOService https://sitename-admin.sharepoint.com Get-SPOSite -Identity "https://sitename.sharepoint.com" | fl * Set-SPOSite -Identity "https://sitename.sharepoint.com" -DenyAddAndCustomizePages $false

After the commands are executed, the issue should be resolved, and everything should start working again.

9. Enable anonymous access

  1. Go to Central Administration, select Application Management, and click on Manage Web Applications.
  2. Now select the web application that is giving you this message.
  3. Go to the Web Applications tab and click on Authentication providers in the Security section.
  4. In the Anonymous Access section, check the Enable anonymous access checkbox.

If you keep getting Sorry you don’t have access to this page message in SharePoint, you might be able to fix the issue by enabling anonymous access.

In case the problem persists, get one of the best personal cloud storage services for an error-free experience.

We hope that you managed to solve this problem using our solutions. Do share which method worked for you in the comments section below.

FIX: Via HD Audio Driver Doesn’t Work on Windows 10/11

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Steps to fix Via HD Audio Driver bugs

  1. Restart to the previous version
  2. Enable Playback devices
  3. Install the latest Via HD Audio driver
  4. Scan your PC for malware
  5. Run SFC scan
  6. Change to High Definition Audio Device

Windows 10 passed the testing phase a long time ago and it supports more software than previous operating systems did. However, many users users are complaining about Via HD Audio driver issues. In most cases, users complain about the VIA high definition audio driver microphone not working, but this is not the only problem they experienced.

In this guide, we’ll tell you exactly what are the steps to follow in order to solve the problem with this software.

Solutions to fix Via HD Audio Driver issues

Solution 1: Restart to the previous version

Windows 10 still doesn’t support (well, at least not yet) some drivers and other additional software for older devices. Until your audio card driver is supported by Windows 10, you can install an older version of the driver software and your problem with sound in Windows 10 could be solved.

Some users who reported that they had problems with Via HD said that they managed to solve it by installing an older version of the driver. But you also should check if your playback devices are enabled, just in case.

Solution 2: Enable Playback devices

Maybe your driver is actually supported, but just isn’t enabled. When the driver is updated, it generally resets the audio settings, and your playback devices might get disabled. All you have to do is to enable it and set it as a default playback device. If your Via HD Audio device is not set as default playback device, you should follow these steps to check if the device has been set as default playback device:

  1. Right-click on the speaker icon in the task bar (right bottom corner of the Desktop)
  2. Click on Playback devices to see a list of devices connected to the system
  3. If your Via HD Audio device is not listed, it is possible that the device has been disabled by accident. Right click and select Show disabled devices
  4. If your device is listed after this, right click on it and select enable
  5. After this, right click on the speaker and click Set as default option from the same window

If something doesn’t work for you, or you have some other solution, don’t hesitate to leave your comment below.

Solution 3: Install the latest Via HD Audio driver

via driver update windows 10

If the first solution didn’t work and rolling back to a previous driver didn’t solve the problem, then maybe installing the newest Via HD driver version will. Go to ViaTech’s official website, fill in all the information required and download the appropriate driver updates for your system.

Alternatively, you could use an all-in-one tool that scans your device and installs the most suitable drivers for your PC. We recommend this type of program because it is a safe and fast way to ensure you’ll install the right version of the HD Audio driver.

A computer cannot manage video cards, computer programs, sound cards, or other hardware; they must be managed by a driver. You can manually update drivers if you have a thorough understanding of the drivers your PC requires. The driver updater utility is the best alternative.

⇒ Get Fortect Driver Updater

Solution 4: Scan your PC for malware

Virus and malware infections may trigger various driver issues. To make sure your computer is malware-free, run an in-depth antivirus scan using Windows Defender or a third-party antivirus tool. Then restart your machine and check if the problem persists.

Solution 5: Run SFC scan

sfc scannow

The System File Checker Tool is a very useful troubleshooting solution that can fix a bunch of Windows 10 issues. Basically, it works by scanning your system files for missing or corrupted files and then replacing or fixing them automatically.

To run an SFC scan, simply launch Command Prompt as administrator and then enter sfc /scannow. Hit Enter and wait until the process completes. Then restart your computer and check if this solved the issue.

Solution 6: Change to High Definition Audio Device

If nothing worked, maybe this solution will:

  1. Open Device Manager > Go to Sound, Video, and Game Controllers
  2. Navigate to the VIA HD Audio entry > right click on it >click on ‘Update Driver Software’
  3. Select the option ‘Browse my computer for driver software’
  4. Click on ‘Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer’
  5. Now, select High Definition Audio Device
  6. Restart your computer and check if this solved the problem.

There you have six solutions to fix Via HD Audio Driver issues on Windows 10. Let us know which method worked for you.

FIX: Error 80188301 When Installing Windows 10 Mobile

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Windows 10 for phones is finally here (but only for some Windows Phone devices)! Even though the OS is no longer in its  early, testing phase, users are still reporting problems. This time we have a problem of getting an error 80188301 when trying to install Windows Phone 10.
install windows 10 for phones on non-supported devices

Solution to fix Windows 10 Mobile error 80188301

The problem occurs because of the missing base package on the phone, but there’s a solution for it. You just need to rollback your system to a clean and working version of Windows Phone 8.1 and then install Windows 10 once again. You can do this in two ways, by performing a hard reset of the phone and by using Microsoft’s official Windows Phone Recovery Tool. It is completely up to you, because both ways proved to be effective.

In order to perform a hard reset on your Windows Phone device, follow these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Volume down and Power  buttons at the same time until your phone starts vibrating
  2. When you feel the vibration of your phone, immediately press and hold the Volume down button until a large exclamation mark appears
  3. Once you see the exclamation mark, press the following four buttons in this order: Volume up, Volume down, Power Power button, Volume down
  4. Your phone should now reset and restart itself, and you’ll have a fresh, new copy of your operating system

The other way to get your old Windows Phone 8.1 back is with Microsoft Windows Phone Recovery Tool:

  1. Connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable
  2. Wait for your computer to detect the connected phone and follow the on-screen instructions
  3. Press Install software to and Windows Phone Recovery Tool will do all the work for you

After you rolled your OS back to Windows Phone 8.1, you just need to re-install the Windows Insider App and install Windows 10 Technical Preview again.

You can download the Windows Insider App from this link.

Additionally, some users also suggested that setting time and date information manually helped them fix this issue. Give it a try as this simple method may be the solution you’ve been waiting for.

Microsoft abandoned Windows 10 Mobile

Windows 10 Mobile is no longer a priority for Microsoft. The company prefers to focus on the Windows 10 desktop version and other essential projects such as the HoloLens project.

There are fewer and fewer Windows 10 Mobile users in the world. It’s safe to say that in just a few years’ time, Windows 10 Mobile will be history. Switching to another mobile platform is a must.

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

Microsoft Store stopped working after Windows 10/11 update

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Some users have reported on Microsoft’s forum that they’re facing an issue with the App Store after they switched to a new version of Windows 10. Apparently, the App Store won’t load, or even shows an error message. But luckily, we have a couple of solutions here.
windows store doesn't work wind8apps

What to do if Microsoft Store won’t load after update

Solution 1: Solve the problem with PowerShell

The one way to solve the ‘not working App Store‘ problem is through PowerShell, but this method is only checked on Windows 8.1, so we’re not sure if it works properly on Windows 10 Technical Preview or the full version of Windows 10, as well. Anyway, here’s what you should do in order to fix the Store problem through PowerShell:

  • Open PowerShell as Administrator: type powershell on the Start screen. The PowerShell icon will appear in the search results on the right. Right click it and choose “Run as Administrator”
  • Add the following command into the PowerShell console:
    Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $Env:SystemRootWinStoreAppxManifest.XML
  • Press Enter and wait until the command is finished (It should last a couple seconds)
  • Reboot your PC

— RELATED: How to Show or Hide Windows Store Apps on the Taskbar

Solution 2: Fix the problem with Command Prompt

If somehow the PowerShell solution didn’t help, you will need to enter a few command lines in the Command Prompt, and your problems with App Store will probably be solved. Just follow these steps:

  1. Go to Search and type cmd
  2. Right click on Command Prompt and open it as Administrator
  3. In the Command Prompt, copy the following line: powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $Env:SystemRootWinStoreAppxManifest.xml
  4. Hit Enter.
  5. Now in the same Administrator Command Prompt add: start “” “ms-windows-store:”
  6. Press Enter again

Solution 3: Additional solutions

We already covered Windows Store App issues extensively on this website. We published quite a few troubleshooting guides to help you get the app up and running after installing the latest Windows 10 updates.

So, if these two quick solutions failed to fix the problem, you need to use some more advanced troubleshooting methods. We already compiled exhaustive solution lists for this issue and you can find them in the guides below:

You should be able to run your App Store without any problems after applying one of these solutions. But if you have some comments, suggestions, or something just doesn’t work for you, feel free to express yourself in the comments section below.

FIX: Surface Pro 3 Pen Won’t Open OneNote in Windows 10/11

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

What to do if Surface Pen fails to open OneNote

  1. Check Surface Pen drivers
  2. Pair the Surface Pen manually
  3. Change the coin cell batteries
  4. Contact Enterprise Support
  5. Wait For New Updates/ The Next Build
  6. Run the Surface Software Repair Tool
  7. Install the Surface app

Windows 10 has a lot of bugs, and one of these bugs is bothering Surface Pro 3 users. Reportedly, they’re unable to run OneOne when the they press the top button of the pen. This problem occurs in technical preview builds, as well as in the full version of the OS. If you’re experiencing this problem, here are some methods that you can use to fix it.
surface 3 pro onenote wind8apps

Surface Pen top button is not opening OneNote

Solution 1: Check Surface Pen drivers

First thing you’ll need to check is if your Surface Pro 3 drivers and firmware are compatible with the current version of Windows 10 Technical Preview or the latest Windows 10 version for the general public that you’re using. If there are some drivers issues, just update your drivers to the latest version, and your problem should be solved. If this didn’t help, try some of the following solutions.

Solution 2: Pair the Surface Pen manually

  • Go to Start Menu and click on Settings.
  • Click on Change PC settings, tap or click on Devices, and then tap or click Bluetooth. Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on.bluetooth other devices
  • If Surface Pen appears in the list of discovered devices, tap or click it and then tap or click Remove device.
  • Hold down the top button for seven seconds, until the light in the middle of the pen clip starts to flash.
  • When the pen appears in the list of Bluetooth devices, tap or click it, and then tap or click Pair.

If manual connection between the Surface Pen and Surface 3 Pro didn’t help, you might try to change the batteries.

Solution 3: Change the coin cell batteries

To change the coin cell batteries, you’ll need two size 319 coin cell batteries and a jewelers’ Phillips screwdriver. Here’s how to change the coin cell batteries:

  • Unscrew the top of the pen from the bottom leaving the paper label in the top in place.
  • Insert a jeweler’s Phillips screwdriver into the battery case, through the middle of the spring, and unscrew battery case.
  • Remove the battery case, and replace the old batteries with new ones. Insert the batteries into the battery case with the negative (—) side facing the pen tip.
  • Slide the top of the pen down over the battery case. Tighten the case just until you feel resistance. Do not over-tighten
  • Screw the bottom and top of the pen back together

You may need to pair the pen to your Surface again after you change the batteries

Solution 4 : Contact Enterprise Support

If manual connection and changing batteries didn’t help, you may try to contact Microsoft Enterprise support. Contacting the Enterprise Support could be useful not just for solving this problem, but for solving any Windows-related problem you can’t find online. You can ask Microsoft Enterprise support for help on this link.

Solution 5: Wait For New Updates/ The Next Build

As you know Windows 10 is work in progress with various, improving builds coming out once in a while. Every new build of Windows 10 improves some aspect of the system, so if your pen doesn’t launch OneNote when the top button is pressed, there’s a possibility that this problem will be solved in the next OS version. Windows 8 and 8.1 users had similar problem, which was solved in one of the system updates. You can of course report this bug with Windows Feedback Tool, but you should know that the tool doesn’t work as expected. You can read more about it in our Windows Feedback Tool article.

Solution 6: Run the software repair tool

If the problem persists after following the solutions listed above, you can also try to use Microsoft’s software repair tool. The Surface Disgnostic Toolkit allows you to fix a wide array of Surface issues provided that your device runs Windows 10, Windows 10 Pro, or Windows 10 in S mode.

Once you’ve downloaded it, install the tool and run it. Follow the on-screen instruction to run a quick diagnosis and repair of your Surface device. The whole process should take about 15 to 20 minutes.

Solution 7: Install the Surface app

If yo want to get the most of your Surface device, you can install the Surface app from the Microsoft Store – if you haven’t already. This app helps you to better optimize your Surface Pen experience and set up particular settings for your device.

Some users said they fixed their Surface Pro 3 Pen and OneNote issues after installing this app. You can download it from the Store.

We hope that the solutions listed in this guide helped you to fix your Surface Pen OneNote issues. Let us know which method worked for you.

RELATED GUIDES TO CHECK OUT:

Fix: Netflix.com is Not Responding in Browser

Posted on by Matthew Adams

Netflix.com is a great video-streaming service for watching movies. However, Netflix doesn’t always stream movies entirely smoothly. Some Netflix users have stated that movies freeze and get stuck loading when they try to play them in their browsers.

One Chrome user stated, “I get no error message, all I get is a constant loading screen any time I try to watch a movie or show on Netflix.” Thus, Netflix.com stops responding in their browsers. These are some of the potential resolutions that might fix Netflix.com when its playback freezes and stops responding in browsers.

What to do if Netflix stopped responding?

1. Update Your Browser

Netflix.com’s supported browsers need to be reasonably updated versions to stream its movies. For example, Google Chrome must be version 37 or higher for HTML 5 playback in Windows 10. As such, make sure that the browser you’re utilizing is the most updated version to ensure it’s optimized for Netflix’s web player.

You can download the latest version from the browser’s website or check for updates. This is how you can check for Google Chrome updates.

  • Click the Customize Google Chrome button to open the browser’s menu.
  • Select Help > About Google Chrome to open the tab in the snapshot directly below.
  • Chrome will then update the browser.
  • Press the Relaunch button to close and reopen Chrome.

— RELATED: Free* VPNs that work with Netflix [2018 Guide]

2. Clear Browser Data

  • Clearing corrupted and outdated cookie files can fix Netflix playback. To clear browser data in Chrome, enter ‘chrome://settings/clearBrowserData’ in the URL bar and press Return.
  • Select the Cookies and other site data check box.
  • Select the Cached images and files option.
  • Then press the Clear data button.

3. Switch to an Alternative Browser

This isn’t exactly a fix, but you might find that Netflix.com streams movies ok in an alternative browser. Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, and Opera are the six supported browsers you can utilize with Netflix.

If you’re browsing Chrome, try playing Netflix.com movies in Edge (which can stream movies at higher resolutions) or Opera.

⇒ Get Opera

4. Reset the Browser

Resetting your browser will also clear browser data, restoring the software to its default settings and disabling (or removing) extensions. That will ensure there aren’t any extensions undermining Netflix playback. You can reset Google Chrome as follows.

  • Enter ‘chrome://settings/’ in the URL bar and press the Return button to open the Settings tab.
  • Click Advanced to further extend the Settings tab.
  • Scroll down to the Restore settings to their original defaults option.
  • Click Restore settings to their original defaults to open the Reset settings option in the snapshot directly below.
  • Press Reset settings button to restore Chrome to its default configuration.

5. Set Up a new Browser Profile

  • Some Chrome users have confirmed that setting up a new browser profile to stream movies in fixes Netflix freezing. To set up a new profile in Google Chrome, enter ‘chrome://settings/’ in the browser’s URL bar and press the Return key.
  • Click Manage other people to open the window shown in the snapshot directly below.
  • Press the Add person button.
  • Then enter a user profile name in the text box, and click the Add button.
  • Click the user profile button at the top right of Chrome’s window to open the menu shown directly below.
  • Select the new profile you set up.
  • Then log in to Netflix to play a movie in the new user profile.

6. Adjust Netflix Playback Settings

Netflix includes three video-quality playback settings. Video streams might freeze if the Netflix playback setting is too high for your internet speed. You can adjust the playback setting by logging in to Netflix, clicking Your Account and selecting Playback settings in Your Profile.

Then, you can select Low, Medium, or High video quality options for playback. Select the Low or Medium option for your playback.

7. Turn Off Third-Party Antivirus Software

Antivirus utilities can also have an impact on Netflix playback. They might even block videos playing. So turning third-party antivirus software off might fix Netflix.com freezes. Right-click your antivirus utility’s system tray icon to select a disable option that will temporarily turn off the software.

If you can’t find a disable option on the context menu, open the utility’s primary window to select a disable or turn off option on its settings menu or tab.

— RELATED: 9 ways to fix Netflix black screen on your computer

8. Update the Silverlight Plug-in

Netflix’s video streams depend on the Silverlight plug-in and HTML 5. Silverlight is more essential in older browser versions. Netflix freezing can often be due to an outdated or corrupted Silverlight plug-in. So updating Silverlight might ensure more responsive movie playback in your browser.

  • Press Run’s Windows key + R hotkey.
  • Input ‘appwiz.cpl’ in Run and click OK to open the Programs and Features applet.
  • Then select your current Microsoft Silverlight version, and click the Uninstall button.
  • To update Silverlight, open this page in your browser.
  • Click Install for Windows to download the Silverlight installer.
  • Open the folder you downloaded Silverlight.exe to in File Explorer.
  • Click the Silverlight.exe to open the installer’s window.
  • Deselect the Make Bing my search engine and MSN my homepage options.
  • Press the Install now button.

9. Close Background Software and Tabs

Netflix.com video streams might also freeze when you’re overextending your system’s resources. Don’t play Netflix movies with other third-party software open on your taskbar and within the system tray. Browser tabs and extensions also hog RAM. So make sure that there’s only one tab open in your browser when you play Netflix movies and turn off all browser extensions. That will maximize system resources for Netflix.com. You can close background third-party software with Task Manager as follows.

  • Press the Windows key + X hotkey.
  • Select Task Manager on the menu to open the Processes tab shown directly below.
  • Select each program under Apps and press the End Task button to close them.
  • Background processes lists third-party software services. You can also terminate third-party software services to free up RAM by selecting them and pressing the End Task button.

If it’s still not working, consider switching to another provider such as Disney+, one of the biggest streaming services in the US, offering its users a wide range of original movies and exclusive content for one monthly subscription fee.

⇒ Get Disney+

Those are a few of the resolutions that might fix movie playback freezing within Netflix.com. Remember, however, that a browser isn’t essential for Net’s movies, and you may encounter another variation of the same error in code m7362 1269. You can also play movies within the Netflix app for Windows 10 and 11, which you can download from this webpage.

The EU is set to approve Microsoft’s GitHub deal, Reuters says

Posted on by Kareem Anderson

While it may seem as though Microsoft’s GitHub acquisition is old news, the formality of the deal was still under legislative scrutiny in the EU.

A report from Reuters confirms the EU is set to bless the union of Microsoft and GitHub as soon as this week.

Not only is Microsoft about to receive the EU’s stamp of approval on the deal but the $7.5 billion acquisition is planned to happen with “unconditional” EU antitrust approval.

The EU’s decision should become official by October 19, 2018, but the commission and Microsoft have yet to respond to comments or questions publicly.

The unconditional nature of the EU’s decisions comes after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addressed concerns about the path of integration the largely open-sourced community of GitHub would undergo if Microsoft were to be its owner. Nadella, to his credit, proclaimed GitHub to remain an open platform that will continue to work with its current public clouds and its 28 million developers.

However, as one of the largest contributors to the open source community, Microsoft does have plans to eventually use GitHub to push its Intelligent Cloud efforts forward.

Microsoft Support is working to recover deleted Windows 10 October Update documents, says users should stop using affected PCs

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Just a couple days after announcing the general availability of the Windows 10 October 2018 update, Microsoft had to stop the public rollout over the weekend after acknowledging that installing the update could erase personal files. It’s still not clear how widespread the issue is, but Head of the Windows Insider Program Dona Sarkar has since explained that Microsoft “has the tools” to recover lost personal data.

https://twitter.com/donasarkar/status/1048612272287834112

Windows 10 users who have encountered the issue are invited to contact Microsoft Support asap, but as spotted by Bleeping Computer, the company is also inviting consumers to stop using affected PCs. This recommendation was quietly added to the Windows 10 update history support page, with a new statement asking users to “please minimize your use of the affected device and contact us directly.”

Image credit: Bleeping Computer.

Presumably, this recommendation has been made to avoid making deleted files unrecoverable. According to a Reddit user who contacted Microsoft Support, the technicians may invite affected customers to run System Restore to go back to Windows 10 version 1803, but that may not be possible if System Restore has been disabled in Settings. In that case, tech support will be able to take control of the PC remotely and try other ways to recover lost data.

Xbox’s 1810 update nears as all RS5 Insider Preview rings are now on the same build

Posted on by davew

Xbox Insiders on Xbox One Preview Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omega Rings are all getting the same 1810 Xbox One system update (181005-1705), pointing to a final release coming soon. As noted on Xbox Wire, here’s what’s coming in the 1810 system update:

Fixes

Audio
We have fixed an issue when users experienced audio to stop playback or hang entirely when a headset was attached or detached during media playback with such apps as YouTube, Hulu, Twitch Beta, Spotify.

Known Issues:

Avatars
It can take up to 10 seconds to view an Avatar on the profile screen after creating a new Avatar.
My Games & Apps
We are aware that some users are experiencing crashing of a game or the Youtube app when you are either launching or resuming the Youtube app.
If you are in the Youtube app and then Resume to a Game the app/game and console may hang or crash.
We are aware that some users are experiencing challenges navigating the Ready to Install Filter options in My Games and Apps. Some users are unable to select the filter options at all and we are investigating.
Power
We are tracking an issue in which the console is fully powering off when it is placed into Instant On mode.
Profile Color
Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.

It should be noted that Skip Ahead Insiders are already on 19H1.

Microsoft formally announces Project xCloud, bringing Xbox gaming to tablets and phones

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

The video games streaming service that Xbox head Phil Spencer announced back at E3 2018 now has an official name, Project xCloud. Kareem Choudhry, Corporate Vice President, Gaming Cloud at Microsoft shared today the first details about the company’s “state-of-the-art global game-streaming technology,” which will go in public preview next year.

First of all, Project xCloud will be a “multi-year journey” for the company, and Microsoft aims to leverage its 54 Azure regions across the world to deliver a great experience to all gamers, regardless of location. The cloud service will be powered by custom blades that will combine the components of multiple Xbox One consoles, as seen in the video below:

Microsoft is well aware that a lot of consumers don’t have a fast Internet connection today, and that’s why the Redmond giant is currently experimenting with some unique things to improve latency on average connections. The good new is that you apparently won’t need to have fiber optics Internet to enjoy Project xCloud:

Developers and researchers at Microsoft Research are creating ways to combat latency through advances in networking topology, and video encoding and decoding. Project xCloud will have the capability to make game streaming possible on 4G networks and will dynamically scale to push against the outer limits of what’s possible on 5G networks as they roll out globally. Currently, the test experience is running at 10 megabits per second. Our goal is to deliver high-quality experiences at the lowest possible bitrate that work across the widest possible networks, taking into consideration the uniqueness of every device and network.

As Phil Spencer previously said during E3, Project xCloud will also work on mobile devices including phones and tablets, and Kareem Choundry revealed today that an Xbox wireless controller won’t be mandatory on those devices. “We are developing a new, game-specific touch input overlay that provides maximum response in a minimal footprint for players who choose to play without a controller,” he explained.

As for the content that will be available on Protect xCloud, Choundry said that Microsoft has “enabled compatibility with existing and future Xbox games,” and that the company is already inviting game developers to get on board. “Developers of the more than 3,000 games available on Xbox One today, and those building the thousands that are coming in the future, will be able to deploy and dramatically scale access to their games across all devices on Project xCloud with no additional work,” the exec explained.

Microsoft isn’t the first company to launch a video games streaming service, but Project xCloud being available on phones and tablets is quite unprecentended. “Project xCloud is about providing gamers — whether they prefer console or PC — new  choices in when and where they play, while giving mobile-only players access to worlds, characters and  immersive stories they haven’t been able to experience before,” said Choundry. This is a pretty ambitious project, to say the least, and it’s still not clear yet if there will be minimum specs to access the service on mobile. Anyway, the public preview won’t launch until next year and we should learn details more about Project xCloud in the coming months.

Windows 10 hangs on initial startup but here’s how to fix that

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

What to do if Windows 10 hangs on startup screen on my PC/laptop?

  1. Disable Fast Startup
  2. Check your Hardware
  3. Disconnect your USB devices
  4. Use third-party software for Windows 10

Today we’re going to solve another Windows 10 Technical Preview issue. This time, one user complained on Microsoft Forum about how he wasn’t able to start his PC because Windows 10 was hanging on startup.

Reportedly, when he tried to turn on his machine, the system just showed the blue Windows pane and circling dots weren’t shown. When he rebooted the machine, everything was back to normal, but this problem appeared again after some time.

Fortunately, this is not a serious issue, and the solution for this problem is very simple. It is caused by the Windows 10 feature called Fast Startup, and disabling this feature will solve everything.

How to fix Windows 10 if it hangs on startup?

Fast Startup is the feature introduced in Windows 8 and is still present in Windows 10 Technical Preview.

Fast Startup allows your computer to start faster than normal by logging the user session and saving system-related files and drivers to a special hibernation file.

Although this feature helps your computer to boot faster, it can also cause some problems with booting, like it did in this case.

Fast Startup only works when the computer is shut down, as it doesn’t affect restart, which explains why things were back to normal after restarting a computer.

1. Disable Fast Startup

To disable the Fast Startup feature in Windows 10, follow these instructions:

  • Go to Search
  • Type po bu (short for power buttons) in the search box. It will bring you directly to the ‘Change what the power buttons do’ applet in search results. Click it.
  • System Settings window will appear
  • Click on the ‘Change settings that are currently unavailable’ link to see the available Shutdown options
  • Untick the Turn on fast startup (enabled) option

Disabling Fast Startup should solve your problem with Windows 10 hanging out on the initial startup, but in case you have some questions or maybe this solution does not fix your issue, please check the solutions below.

2. Check your hardware

Many users reported that this may be caused by faulty hardware. Some of them said that the internal SD card reader was faulty and caused this issue. They fixed it by disconnecting the device.

We also suggest you check your HDD and its connections. In case you cannot check it on your PC, try to check it on somebody’s PC that works.

3. Disconnect your USB devices

According to some users, devices that connect via USB to your PC may cause Windows 10 to hang. Disconnecting your mouse, keyboard, or any other USB device before starting your system might help you.

4. Use third-party software for Windows errors

Windows freezes are quite common, but having a stable OS and healthy registry files will minimize the risk of experiencing them.

We recommend using trustworthy third-party software that has powerful built-in tools designed to address these issues and optimize your OS.

If this does not work, try to check our article which explains to you how to fix Windows 10 stuck on the start screen.

Font Rendering Problems in Windows 10: How to Fix Them

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Many users reported various font rendering issues on Windows 10. These types of problems can make reading information harder.

In some cases, you won’t be able to use some of these applications at all, so you must fix this issue, and this guide will show you how to do that.

Why do font rendering problems appear on Windows 10?

  • Sometimes, missing updates can cause glitches with fonts to appear.
  • Problems with your GPU driver can cause this and many other issues.

How do I fix font rendering issues on my Windows 10 PC?

1. Install the latest update

  1. Ensure your PC is plugged in and connected to the Internet using a non-metered connection. Don’t disconnect, unplug, or turn off your PC while the update is installed.
  2. Go to Start Menu, click Settings.
  3. Go to Update and Security.
  4. Click on Check for updates.
  5. System will now download the updates in the background.
  6. After the download is complete, restart your PC and sign in.

2. Reinstall display drivers

  1. Press Windows key and X key together.
  2.  Select Device Manager.
     
  3.  Locate and expand Display adapter.
  4.  Right-click on the Display adapter that is listed and click Uninstall device.
  5.  Restart the computer and download, install the latest drivers from the manufacturer website.

For more information, check our guide on how to update outdated drivers.

We also recommend a driver updater tool to automatically download all the outdated drivers on your PC.

You can also try reinstalling the font you’re having problems with or disabling scaling on high DPI settings. Another action you can take is to modify your registry.

You will find detailed information on how to perform these actions in our step-by-step guide on how to fix font bugs in Windows 10.

If this solution didn’t help, or you have some comments and suggestions, please leave your opinion in the comments section below.

Firefox to add support for Windows 10’s Action Centre for notifications

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Windows 10’s Action Centre is a great way of having all your notifications in one place on your computer, but unfortunately, not everything makes use of it. This means that you’ll often find yourself actioning some notifications from the Action Centre, while still relying on other notification methods in other apps and software – such as e-mails, in-software notifications, and more.

While Windows 10 has been around for some time now, developers are taking their time to implement Windows 10’s Action Centre. Google’s Chrome recently added support for the Action Centre. Now, Firefox is working on implementing support, with the feature set to arrive in Firefox 64, as confirmed by a comment on Mozilla’s Bugzilla (via Windows Latest).

As a result of this feature enhancement, Firefox will stop delivering notifications from within the browser itself, instead feeding all notifications to the Action Centre, providing a consistent notification experience.

Microsoft stops public rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 update to investigate deleted files issue

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Earlier this week, we learned that some early adopters for the Windows 10 October 2018 have been reporting lost data after updating, and the issue is apparently serious enough for Microsoft to stop the public rollout via Windows Update (via Windows Central).

On its Windows 10 update history page, the company now explains that “We have paused the rollout of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) for all users as we investigate isolated reports of users missing some files after updating.” Microsoft also recommends users who have manually downloaded the installation media to wait until new media is available.

It’s still not clear how widespread this deleted files issue is, but Microsoft can’t afford to put personal files of Windows 10 users in danger any longer. Not everyone makes sure to back up their data in the cloud or external hard drives, and the October 2018 update being responsible for erasing users’ personal documents folder is definitely something serious enough that could lead to class-action lawsuits.

This week, Microsoft used its October 2 Surface event in New York to announce the public availability of the October 2018 update, and the announcement came a bit earlier than usual. Indeed, the company usually takes the time to test new major Windows 10 updates with all Windows Insiders before announcing the public rollout, and this time Insiders on the Release Preview ring didn’t receive the update before the general public.

We hope Microsoft won’t do the same mistake in the future, but in the meantime the company says that it will provide an update when it’s ready to resume the rollout of the October 2018 Update to customers. If you have encountered any issues after installing the update, you can contact the company’s global customer service on this page.

How to Install Windows Media Center on Windows 10

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Windows 10 Technical Preview comes with a lot of new features, but besides that, some features from the previous versions of Windows have been removed, and Windows Media Center is one of them. Eventually, you can install this feature in Windows 10, but it is not recommendable.

[DISCONTINUED] Microsoft confirmed in 2015 that Media Center, with its TV receiver and PVR functionality, would not be updated for or included with Windows 10, thus the product would be discontinued.

As a replacement, the paid Windows DVD Player app was received for free to all those upgradings to Windows 10 from a version of Windows that included the Media Center application.

You can find the best media software alternative to Windows Media Center in these articles:

“We do not recommend adding Media Center to Windows 10 Technical Preview as using a purchased product key will also prevent you from getting updates and future builds for Windows 10 Technical Preview,” says Winston M, a Microsoft Support Engineer.

On the other hand, if you just can’t use your system without Windows Media Center, you can add it to the system, but think about the facts you’ve read above. Here’s how to add Windows Media Center to Windows 10 Technical Preview using Windows 8 Media Center key:

  • Go to Search box, type add features and go to Add Features to Windows Technical Preview
  • After that, you will be asked whether you have a product key or you want to purchase one. Since you can’t purchase the product key, for now, you should use the Windows 8 Media Center key. Click on I already have a product key and enter your product key
  • To add Windows Media Center just go to Add Features and you’re good to go

Now you have Windows Media Center in your Windows 10 Technical Preview. But I personally don’t see the point in doing this, because the main purpose of Windows 10 Technical Preview is testing, and you won’t be able to do that anymore after you install Windows Media Center. So I think that it is a much better idea to use regular Windows 8/8.1 if you want this feature.

RELATED ARTICLES TO CHECK OUT NOW:

FIX: Windows 10 Technical Preview Key is Not Working

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

The Microsoft Insider Program has been available for quite some time and a lot of people are interested in it. It is a great way to determine what users would like to see in the final version of Windows 10. But even the Technical Preview of the new system has issues, and one of them is not working CD key.

Some participants of Windows Insider Programs have reported that after they downloaded Windows 10 Technical Preview, the system requires a CD key. After they type the key, an error occurs. The cause of this issue is a bug that is present in some copies of Windows 10 Enterprise Technical Preview.

Solutions to fix Windows 10 Technical Preview Key issues

  1. Use the SLUI 3 command
  2. Disable VPN software
  3. Reset your license

Solution 1: Use the SLUI 3 command

To solve this issue, you just need to do a couple of simple steps in the Command Prompt. Here’s what you should do:

  1. Go to Search and type cmd
  2. Right-click on Command Prompt and go to Run As Administrator
  3. Type SLUI 3 and hit Enter
  4. And type Microsoft’s recovery key: PBHCJ-Q2NYD-2PX34-T2TD6-233PK

Now you should be able to install your copy of Windows 10 Technical Preview without any problems and participate in Microsoft’s Insider Program in order to help Microsoft to create as good a system as possible. But remember, you should use Windows 10 Technical Preview just for testing purposes, and not as your everyday system because Microsoft is following every your step, and risking your privacy is probably something you wouldn’t like to do.

If the problem persists, here are some additional methods that you can use.

Solution 2: Disable VPN software

We noticed that many Windows 10 key issues occur on computers running VPN software. In many cases, simply disabling the VPN tool fixed the problem. So, if you rely on a VPN to keep your online activity anonymous, temporarily turn off the tool and check if the problem persists.

Solution 3: Reset your license

Another quick solution to fix Windows 10 key issues is to reset the license status.

  1. Go to Start > open Choose Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
    Windows 10 not activated after upgrade
  2. Enter the slmgr.vbs -rearm command > hit Enter
    Windows 10 product key doesn't work

Restart your PC and test if the key issue is still there.

Just as a reminder, Microsoft further improved Cortana and many other Windows components in the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview. The new build also features different interface than the previous build, which convinced us once more that Windows 10 is not just Windows 8.2, but if you want to know the full story about this discussion, you should read our “Debate: Should Windows 10 be Called Windows 8.2?” article.

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

Loud Fan Noise in New Laptop [Fix]

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

You just got a new laptop, but something doesn’t feel right. Even though it’s new, your laptop’s fan makes noise and is louder than it should be, which is very annoying.

But don’t worry, a noisy fan isn’t as big a problem as you would imagine! We have a few solutions if your brand-new laptop fan is too loud.

Is it normal for a new laptop fan to make noise?

Though it shouldn’t be the case, a loud fan noise on a new laptop could be due to running it beyond its capacity. Say, running far, too many processes and programs on it.

When this happens, the fan runs at full throttle to keep the interiors clean. As a result, you get that loud noise. But, simply because it’s new, you can’t ignore the possibility of malfunctioning hardware or dust accumulation when the laptop is not kept in a well-ventilated environment.

How do I stop my laptop fan from making noise?

1. Use a fan speed software

Sometimes the solution is to keep your fan speed under control with software. And SpeedFan is probably the best program for that.

SpeedFan allows you to set the speed limits of your fan because default hardware drivers often tend to use it more than necessary, which can cause additional noise. So with this software, you’ll be able to keep your laptop quieter under safe temperatures.

But remember, it is a bad idea to overheat your computer to make it quieter. It is recommended to keep your fan speed to acceptable levels, but extremely forcing your fan to work faster can affect the lifespan of your system.

So, the best thing you can do is to let SpeedFan keep your fan at its default speed.

2. Clean your hardware regularly

Your laptop can and definitely will pick up some dust over time. The presence of dust and other particles will affect the performance of your fan, even if it’s new.

So take your time to clean your hardware completely. This will be good for your fan and the whole computer.

But be careful! Any lapses while cleaning the hardware could be dangerous sometimes because you may damage the fragile components. So here’s a video that will show you how to properly clean your laptop, without any damaging actions.

3. Kill Unnecessary Tasks

  1. Press Windows + R to open Run, type msconfig in the text field, and hit Enter.
  2. Go to Services tab, tick the checkbox for Hide all Microsoft services, and uncheck the ones that don’t seem critical, particularly services run by third-party apps.disable services
  3. Click OK.

It is also possible that your laptop‘s fan is too loud because you’re forcing it to work more than it can. So try to slow it down and kill some unnecessary processes.

If you’re running more tasks than you should, your CPU will get hotter and hotter, and this will definitely will affect the work of your fan. If you kill unnecessary tasks, you will do a huge favor to your system fan and your ears, as well.

Besides disabling the non-critical services, the next thing you can do is disable unnecessary programs at startup. This will eliminate all programs that you may not even notice running and overloading the CPU.

4. Buy a laptop cooler

It seems that laptops are getting hotter and hotter. While older models of laptops needed more than a year to start heating, it looks like the new ones require a laptop cooler from the first day.

This solution might require some extra money, but if there’s no other choice, you should consider it.

Coolers will control your laptop’s temperature, providing you with a nice, working, stable computer for everyday use. Coolers are not a good idea if you use your laptop on the go. But if you use it for doing long-lasting work at home, these will be a great choice.

5. Update your computer

  1. Press Windows + I to open Settings, and click on Update & Security.
  2. Click on Check for updates on the right.check for updates
  3. If an update is available, download it.

Sometimes, loud fan noise issues may be triggered by software-related problems. For example, Microsoft may release an update that’s not so well optimized, which may strain your computer resources.

As a result, your machine will try to keep the temperature under control by increasing the fan speed.

The tech giant usually fixes this kind of technical issue quite quickly with the help of hotfixes. So, maybe the pending updates focus on this exact issue. Installing the latest patches may help you fix abnormal fan noise issues.

By now, you should have gotten rid of the loud fan noise on a new laptop. And before you leave, do check how to manually control the CPU fan speed to keep the temperatures under check.

If you have any other solutions for a noisy fan problem, we would love to hear them, so please share them with us in the comment section.

How to install Windows 10 October Update from an ISO file

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Microsoft has announced the launch of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update which is now available for download for all. The update is also crucial in that it comes with a whole host of bug fixes and enhancements. It also does away with several features which have either been replaced with new improved versions or are being worked upon for a future release sometime soon.

However, irrespective of whether there are new exciting features accompanying any new update being launched, installing the latest updates is always recommended as it contains all the fixes and protections against all of the newest and emerging threats. Mentioned below are the steps to install the update on your PC using an ISO file.

Install the Windows 10 October 2018 Update using ISO

  • Head over to the official Microsoft page that is offering the Windows 10 download. With the update now officially launched, the link Windows 10 October 2018 Update now available is there right at the top. However, we would prefer downloading the same via an ISO file as this would allow for a clean installation of Windows 10 with the October update instead of upgrading the current system.
  • So, scroll over to the Create Windows 10 installation media section right below it and click on the Download tool now
  • This will download the .exe file on your device. Click on it to open the file. Also, allow it to make changes to your PC when prompted for the same.
  • The Windows 10 Setup window will show up which will perform a few necessary verifications before the Microsoft Software License Of course you have to Accept the terms to proceed.
  • You will next be asked What do you want to do? Among the options provided include Upgrade this PC now and Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.Create installation media for another PC
  • Select the second option and click on Next.
  • You will be led to a window where you will be asked to select the Language, Edition and Architecture The recommended values relevant for your PC should already be filled in though you can always enter your own choices. To do that, uncheck the Use the recommended options for this PC and enter your preferred values. Make sure you enter the right values so as not to end up downloading the wrong version.
  • You will next be asked, Choose which media to use. Opt for the ISO file option and not USB flash drive. Click on Next.
  • Next, you will be asked where you want to save the ISO file. The default here is My Documents though you sure can enter your choice here. Once you have done that, click on the Save
  • Here, you will have some waiting to do until the ISO file gets downloaded. The waiting time varies depending on your system and internet speed.
  • Once the ISO file has been downloaded you can transfer it to a USB flash drive, or for that matter, any storage medium.
  • Open the ISO file. You will be shown the Get important updates Select the Download and install updates (recommended) option and click on Next.
  • Follow on-screen instructions to complete the installation process. Once that is done, your PC should be upgraded to include the latest Windows 10 October 2018 update.

That’s it. Let us know if you managed to install Windows 10 v1809 on your PC. How has your upgrade experience been so far?

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

FIX: AMD Driver Update Display Issues in Windows 10/11

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

What you’ll find in this guide:

  1. Increase the GPU processing time
  2. Check if the driver is updated
  3. Check visual effects or background programs
  4. Disable background programs
  5. Additional solutions

Some users have reported that they are facing some display issues after they updated their AMD display driver in Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Various factors could cause this problem. We found a few solutions and as we hope that they will help you with your display issues so that you can use your computer normally again.

How to fix AMD driver update display issues?

There are three main problems that may occur after you update your AMD-powered computer:

  • AMD driver update black screen
  • AMD driver update Blue Screen of Death errors
  • AMD driver update blank screen issues

Follow the instructions listed below to fix these problems.

1. Increase GPU processing time

Timeout Detection and Recovery is a Windows feature that detects if video adapter hardware or driver software on your PC needs more time to complete the operation than it should. When it happens, Windows tries to recover and reset the graphics card in order to solve the problem.

If somehow Windows doesn’t manage to recover the graphics hardware, your system may become unresponsive, and the “Display driver stopped responding and has recovered” error message may show up.

Giving the Timeout Detection and Recovery more time to detect the problem may solve the issue. But this is a registry-related operation, and you should not perform it if you’re not sure what you’re doing. Here’s the fix:

  1. Exit all Windows based programs.
  2. Click Start, type regedit in the Search box, and then double-click regedit.exe from the results above. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
  3. Browse to and then click the following registry subkey:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlGraphicsDrivers
  4. On the Edit menu, click New, and then select the following registry value from the drop-down menu specific to your version of Windows (32 bit, or 64 bit):

For 32 bit Windows

  • Select DWORD (32-bit) value.
  • Type TdrDelay as the Name and click Enter.
  • Double-click TdrDelay and add 8 for the Value data and click OK.

For 64 bit Windows

  • Select QWORD (64-bit) value.
  • Type TdrDelay as the Name and click Enter.
  • Double-click TdrDelay and add 8 for the Value data and clickOK.
  • Close the registry editor and then restart your computer for the changes to take affect.

2. Check if the driver is updated

This is always one of the solutions for any video card problem, and everyone is going to tell you to check if your AMD drivers are up to date. But this method works sometimes, and that’s why we mentioned it. Sometimes, although everything may indicate that your AMD driver got updates, actually the update process may have stopped or failed.

You probably know how to update your AMD graphic driver, but just in case, here’s a step-by-step solution:

  1. Right click on This PC and go to Properties
  2. On the left side of the window, click on Device Manager
  3. Find your AMD graphics device under Display Adapters, right click on it and go to Update Driver Software

We also recommend a third-party tool (100% safe and tested by us) to automatically download all the outdated drivers on your PC.

So, you just made sure that your AMD driver updates were installed successfully but this didn’t solve your problem. In this case, you’ll have used a method a little bit more difficult.

You should always use the most recent versions of your drivers. There are third-party tools like Fortect Driver Updater that can perform this for you automatically.

With a few clicks, the program will scan your PC’s hardware and peripherals for potential driver upgrades. The driver updater program is handy for automatically upgrading Windows drivers.

Otherwise, doing it manually takes time and needs vast knowledge of the drivers you’re looking for.

3. Check visual effects

If these two steps didn’t help you, you can try to disable Windows visual effects for better performance. This might sacrifice the aesthetics of your system, but it could solve the problem. Here’s how to disable Windows visual effects:

  1. Go to Search and type appearance and performance in the search box
  2. Go to Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows
  3. Go to Visual Effects tab
  4. Under the Visual Effects tab, click Adjust for best performance, and then click OK.

On newer Windows 10 versions, the path to follow is a bit different. Here it is:

  1. Go to Start > type ‘sysdm.cpl’ to open System Properties
  2. Now, click on the Advanced tab and go to Performance Settings
    performance settings windows
  3. In the new windows, go to the Visual Effects tab > select Adjust for better performance and hit Apply.adjust for best performance visual effects

4. Disable background programs

task manager

In rare cases, certain apps and programs may be incompatible with the latest GPU driver update. To avoid this issue, try to disable any background programs that you don’t need. You can quickly do this by going to Task Manager. Select the programs that you don’t need right now and end the task.

Additional solutions

As we stated at the beginning of this post, most AMD driver issues translate into black, blue or blank screen issues. We already compiled extensive troubleshooting guides for these problems. You can check them out below, maybe some of the solutions listed in these guides hold the answer for you:

That would be all, we hope that at least one of these steps helped you solve your display issues. Hopefully, your display runs normally now. If you have any questions, suggestions, or remarks, let us know in the comment section below.

Xbox Insiders can start testing 10 new FastStart-enabled Xbox One and Xbox 360 games

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Three months ago, the July update for the Xbox One brought a new AI-powered feature to the OS called FastStart. This new technology uses machine-learning to identify which game files need to be downloaded first to allow to gamers to launch their games up to 50% faster.

For now, FastStart only works with select Xbox One and Xbox 360 games such as ScreamRide, The Flame in the Flood, Borderlands 2, or Left 4 Dead, but Xbox Insiders can start testing 10 new FastStart-enabled games included in the Xbox Games Pass catalog. The list includes five Xbox 360 games (BattleBlock Theater, Fallout 3, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 1 and 2) and five Xbox One games (Costume Quest 2, Guacamelee!, Kingdom New Lands, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 and State of Decay: Year One).

As of today, FastStart only works with English language versions of titles on consoles running in English, but Microsoft is working to support more languages in the future. Be aware that you also need to have a at least a 20Mbps download speed to take advantage of FastStart on your console.

 

Windows 10 for IoT gets its own October 2018 update

Posted on by Kip Kniskern

For consumer enthusiasts like the readers of this website, it’s sometimes hard to get too worked up about IoT and AI and machine learning. But building out a safe, fast, manageable, and upgradeable system for a new world of connected devices is important and will affect us, even if it’s not as approachable as a new Surface.

With the release of Windows 10 October 2018 Update, Microsoft has also announced a “major step forward” for Windows 10 IoT, bringing with it some new servicing choices, better integration with Azure IoT Edge, more choices for hardware including NXP processors, improvements to special purpose connections such as to kiosks or digital signs, and better Azure IoT Device and Intune support.

Builders on the edge can now choose one of two servicing paths, to either keep their IoT devices updated with the latest innovations at a semi-annual pace, just like Windows 10, or as a long-term servicing channel, with 10 years of security and quality updates but no new features, useful for devices in the field that need to “just work.”

Microsoft is committed to bringing safe and robust computing to “the edge,” that place where smart devices connect us to information coming from all sorts of sensors and monitors, and it’s building out a system, with Windows 10, with Azure, and with an emphasis on that edge, including IoT, AI, and machine learning. How we build the connected world we’re destined to live in will be important, and Microsoft is working to make it as safe and robust as it can. For more information on building IoT solutions, you can visit windowsondevices.com

Windows 10 Line app updates with new features & disappears from the Start Menu

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

The official Line app for Windows 10 computers updated this week with a rather dramatic update that unpinned it from the Start Menu, causing users to manually repin it again.

Interestingly, this update, which brings Line to Version 5.10.0, features two completely different release notes that mention different changes made to the app.

Here’s the release notes from the Microsoft Store app listing:

  • Added the ability to unsend messages.
  • Reply directly to specific messages in chats.
  • Use paid emoji in chats.
  • Minor bug fixes and other small improvements

And here’s the release notes from within the app itself:

  • We’ve made some improvements to the video player.
  • Increased the max character limit for group names to 50.
  • Added an option to receive notifications when you are mentioned in a chat.
  • Minor bug fixes and other small improvements.

Line is a one of the most-popular messaging apps in Japan and Taiwan but also has a growing userbase internationally as well. An official Line app is also available for Windows phone users.

Do you use Line on your Windows device? Let us know why or why not in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more Windows 10 content.

(Old)LINE
(Old)LINE
Download
QR-Code

(Old)LINE
Developer:
LINE Corporation
Price:
Free

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey video game is now live for all Xbox One gamers

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is now live on Xbox One consoles for all players after being available in early access for several days for those who pre-ordered the Ultimate and Gold editions.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is the latest major entry in the popular Assassin’s Creed video game franchise and takes the player to Greece. Players can choose to play as either a male or female protagonist and the game features a variety of custom options to make the gameplay experience more personal. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will also play in 4K resolution when played on an Xbox One X console.

Here’s the official game description and launch trailer:

Write your own epic odyssey and become a legendary Spartan hero. Forge your destiny in a world on the brink of tearing itself apart. Influence how history unfolds in an ever-changing world shaped by your choices. LEGENDARY SPARTAN HERO

  • Embark on your journey from outcast to legendary Spartan hero. ANCIENT GREECE AWAITS
  • Explore an entire country full of unexpected encounters in untamed environments and bustling ancient cities. CHOOSE YOUR PATH
  • Your choices shape the world around you. Play in a living world that constantly reacts to your every decision. FIGHT EPIC BATTLES
  • Charge into epic clashes between Sparta and Athens in battles pitting 150v150 soldiers against each other.SAIL THE AEGEAN SEA
  • Recruit crewmembers and customize your ship as you explore and battle your way on the open seas.

Have you had a chance to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey yet on your Xbox One? Let us know if you like it in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more Assassin’s Creed content.

Assassin's Creed® Odyssey
Assassin's Creed® Odyssey
Download
QR-Code

Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey
Developer:
Ubisoft
Price:
Free

Fix: DVD Player not Working After Windows 10/11 Upgrade

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

My DVD drive is not Working on my Windows PC/laptop. What to do?

  1. Check if your DVD drive is turned on
  2. Check if all necessary drivers are installed
  3. Manually fix corrupted registry entries
  4. Create a registry subkey
  5. Uninstall your PC’s CD/DVD drive
  6. DVD drive-related issues

Some Windows users have reported that their DVD drive has stopped working after upgrading the system from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. Various factors could affect this issue, and we’ll try to cover all the possible solutions and help you solve this annoying problem.

How to fix your DVD-ROM if it is not reading disks after Windows 10 update?

1. Check if your DVD drive is turned on

Installing or updating software on your computer, in this case updating from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 could sometimes disable some system features. This is because something happens during the installation process, and it may turn off your DVD drive without you noticing it. To check if your device is turned on properly, do the following:

  1. Open the DVD drive properties by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Computer, right-clicking the DVD drive, and then clicking Properties.
  2. Click the Hardware tab, and then click the DVD drive.
  3. Under Device Properties, click Properties, click the Driver tab, click Enable, and then click OK.

If your DVD drive is turned on, you might want to check if your drivers are up to date.

2. Check if all necessary drivers are installed

One of the first solutions for this problem you’re going to find anywhere is definitely to check if your drivers are up to date. You probably already know how to check if your drivers are updated, but if you don’t here’s what you should do:

  1. Go to Device Manager
  2. Find your DVD drive under DVD/CD-ROM drives
  3. Double-click on your DVD device and go to Drivers tab
  4. Go to Update Driver and if your driver is not up to date, your computer will update it, otherwise, your driver version will stay the same

We often forget to update our drivers and that may cause a lot of confusion not only with DVD drive but with other parts of our computer or system, especially when the new system is installed. We recommend a third-party utility to automatically download all the outdated drivers on your PC.

This is necessary for an important reason: you will keep your PC safe from malfunctioning because of the wrong driver version. With a dedicated tool, you will be able to choose what drivers to install for which component as it will scan the manufacturer’s websites for the good driver versions.

⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater

In case updating your drivers didn’t help, then try some of these other solutions, listed below.

3. Manually fix corrupted registry entries

If the previous two solutions didn’t help, then maybe our problem lays in the registry of the system. In that case we’ll have to manually fix a couple of registry entries, in order to make our DVD drive work again. Here’s what you should do:

  1. Press the Windows key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog box
  2. Type regedit in the Run dialog box, then press Enter. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow
  3. In the navigation pane, locate and then click this registry subkey:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
  4. In the right pane, click UpperFilters
  5. On the Edit menu, click Delete
  6. Click Yes when you’re asked to confirm the deletion
  7. In the right pane, click LowerFilters
  8. On the Edit menu, click Delete
  9. Again, click Yes when you’re asked to confirm the deletion
  10. Exit Registry Editor
  11. Restart the PC

If the problem is still present after this registry tweak, you’ll need to create one registry subkey.

4. Create a registry subkey

To create the registry subkey and enter it into registry, follow these steps:

  1. Press the Windows key and  R to open the Run box.
  2. Type regedit in the Run box, then press Enter. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow
  3. In the navigation pane, locate the following registry subkey:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesatapi
  4. Right-click atapi, point to New, then click Key
  5. Type Controller0, and then press Enter
  6. Right-click Controller0, point to New, and then click DWORD(32-bit) Value .
  7. Type EnumDevice1, and then press Enter
  8. Right-click EnumDevice1, click Modify
  9. Type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
  10. Exit Registry Editor
  11. Restart the computer

5. Uninstall your PC’s CD/DVD drive

This might be an ultimate solution at the first sight, but it isn’t. After uninstalling your CD/DVD drive and restarting your computer, the CD/DVD drive and its drivers will be automatically reinstalled. So, here’s what you need to do in order to perform this ‘hard reset’:

  1. Right-click on the Start Menu
  2. WinX menu will open. Select and click Device Manager
  3. Select DVD/CD-ROM drives and expand it by clicking the arrow at the left of this optionfix dvd not working from device manager
  4. Right-click on your DVD drive and select Uninstalluninstall dvd drive windows 8.1
  5. If a warning pops-up, click OK
  6. After the drive was uninstalled, close all the windows and restart your pc
  7. After the restart, check if it can read CDs and DVDs

6. DVD drive related issues

There are plenty of DVD-ROM issues that we have written about. You can simply have the DVD drive missing on your PC or some specific players simply not working in Windows. You may also encounter a very annoying error that is CD/DVD-ROM eject button not working. If you are facing these issues and cannot play your DVDs, try  to use one of the DVD player apps from this list.

Read Also: Fix: DVD Won’t Play on ASUS Laptop

VirtualBox Can’t Install Windows 10: How to Fix it

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

If you want to try Windows 10 but don’t want to uninstall your old OS, creating a virtual machine is probably the best solution. It’s even the preferred choice to run multiple iterations on the same PC. But many found that VirtualBox can’t install Windows 10.

In some cases, it’s accompanied by the error code 0x0000005D, and a few users reported a VirtualBox fatal error during the installation of Windows 10. No matter the case, the following solutions should help!

What can I do if Virtualbox can’t install Windows 10?

1. Check for the Latest Version of VirtualBox

First, make sure you’re using the latest version of VirtualBox because older versions are probably not compatible with Windows 10, so you won’t be able to run it or even install the OS.

You will find the latest version on the VirtualBox official site. You can also check for updates within the VirtualBox interface; if your version is outdated, download the latest version.

If your version is up to date, then the problem is not with the compatibility between VirtualBox and Windows 10.

2. Disable Floppy Drive and Change The Pointing Device

  1. Go to Settings in VirtualBox.
  2. Go to System and then to Motherboard.
  3. Under Boot Order, uncheck Floppy and Network.
  4. After that, set your pointing device to PS/2 Mouse.
  5. Click OK and restart VirtualBox.
Install Windows 10 on VirtualBox

As you may have noticed, Windows 10 often has touch input and floppy drive issues.

This may be the reason you are getting the error. So disable the floppy drive, change the pointing device, and see if your simulation of Windows 10 works well now.

3. Check the system version in Settings

Go to General and check the system version listed here. If the version is Other Windows, change it to the one you are actually using.

wind8apps virtualbox2

This also could be the cause of your problem because some users have reported on VirtualBox’s forum that they accidentally left their version of the system to Other Windows. And after they changed it, the system usually worked.

4. VirtualBox error after Windows 10 update

Many users have encountered issues installing Windows 10 on a virtual machine or after. Most problems are related to the recently applied Windows updates. To fix these issues, you have to consider the followings:

That’s it! One of the solutions should have helped when VirtualBox can’t install Windows 10, and things should now be up and running fine.

Before you leave, find out how to speed up emulators on the PC and get the best performance.

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

FIX: Start Screen Went Black After Upgrading to Windows 10

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Windows 10 users have reported one unusual problem after the update from Windows 8/8.1 to Windows 10. According to them, after the update and reboot phase, they were left with a black screen. Master Boot Record issues are the main cause of this problem. Fortunately, you can easily fix this if you have Windows 10 Recovery disk.

If you don’t have a Windows 10 Recovery disk, you can use your bootable install media for Windows 10 or you can find a working Windows 8.1 device and create a recovery disk.
black start center in windows

SOLVED: Black screen after Windows 10 update

Solution 1: Use the Media Recovery Tool and bootrec /fixmbr

In order to create a recovery disk from a working Windows 10 device you’ll need to do the following:

  • On the working device, go to Search.
  • In the Search charm type ‘Create a Recovery Drive’.
  • You’ll get a prompt asking you to allow the Recovery Media Creator Wizard to run so make sure that you allow it. Insert a writable USB Key, however, bear in mind that all of your files on this USB key will be deleted.
  • After that, in the Recovery Media Wizard, you need to select your USB key as your Recovery drive.
  • The Recovery Drive Creator will format the USB key and create a bootable partition with the Recovery tools installed. One the process is finished, restart your computer and boot your PC via the new USB Recovery Drive.
  • You might have to hit ESC or F9 during the reboot to select your boot drive. After pressing ESC or F9, you just need to selected the USB key you created during the Recovery Drive Creator.
  • From the Recovery Disk Menu – select Troubleshoot.
  • From the Troubleshoot menu – select Advanced options.
  • From the Advanced options menu select – Command Prompt.
  • After that in the command prompt type ‘bootrec /fixmbr‘ and press Enter. You should see a confirmation like above, so type exit and hit Enter to exit.

— RELATED: Full Fix: Black Screen on the Latest Windows 10, 8.1 and 7 Build

Solution 2: Check external devices

If you keep all your peripherals (mouse, keyboard, external drive) connected to your PC during the update, this may sometimes trigger black screen issues. To avoid this, you need to unplug all the peripherals and use only the touchpad to check for updates.

Solution 3: Use Clean Boot

When you install new updates, the best approach is to simply disable all unnecessary apps and programs. This step is somehow similar to the previous one. The only difference is that now you’re ‘disconnecting’ unnecessary software, not peripherals.

  1. Go to Start > type msconfig > hit Enter
  2. Go to System Configuration > click on the Services tab >  check the Hide all Microsoft services check box > click Disable all.hide all microsoft services
  3. Go to the Startup tab > Open Task Manager.
  4. Select each startup item > click Disable > close Task Manager > restart the computer.

disable startup programs

After doing there you’ll have two options at your screen…you can continue to Windows 8.1/Windows 10 or Turn off your PC and restart it, which we highly advise.

If the problem persists, check out the troubleshooting guides listed below for additional solutions:

Bitcoin Mining Software: Best To Use in 2026

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency in the world. Unlike traditional money systems, this digital payment system is completely decentralized and works without an administrator or intermediary.

Everybody can earn Bitcoins with the help of a Bitcoin mining software. Bitcoins are created by computers as a reward for your mining efforts.

This means allowing the system to use your computer resources in order to solve the complex equations that lead to the creation of new Bitcoins.

You can then use your Bitcoins in real-world transactions. As a quick reminder, one Bitcoin is currently worth around $6,500.

If you want to enter the cryptocurrency world or simply mine more Bitcoins, we strongly suggest you check out some of the best Bitcoin mining tools for your Windows PC.

Bitcoin mining software to install on your PC

1. Bitcoin Miner

Bitcoin Miner app

Bitcoin Miner is perhaps the most popular Bitcoin mining app available in the Microsoft Store. With the help of this tool, your computer earns you virtual money that you can then exchange for real-world currency.

This Bitcoin mining app has a very intuitive, easy to use interface, as well as a series of features that allow you to track your mining progress, such as profitability reports.

Other features include mining pool support, fast share submission, DirectX 10 & 11 GPU mining, and more.

Bitcoin Miner takes good care of your computer, and also includes a night mode and power saving mode that you can turn off to better control CPU and GPU strain.

It is worth mentioning that this tool only runs in an open window, if you minimize or lock screen your PC, the mining process will pause. Bitcoin Miner also includes ads, but that’s the price to pay for downloading the app for free.

You computer may sometimes heat up while running Bitcoin Miner. Make sure to use a cooling pad or install a cooling software.

Download Bitcoin Miner for free from the Microsoft Store.

2. MultiMiner app

multiminer bitcoin mining software

MultiMiner is a free desktop application that you can use for mining and monitoring your Bitcoins.

It also has a very interesting feature that allows you to switch individual devices between cryptocurrencies, meaning that it’s compatible with other cryptocurrencies and well.

MultiMiner has a very simple an straightforward UI. It detects all the available mining hardware and then lists the coins that you can mine.

The software is perfect for both new miners and power users. As a matter of fact, many of the advanced features in require no configuration.

Most importantly, MultiMiner is an open source project, which means that users can help develop the tool with features, bug fixes, and more.

Here are a couple of useful tips when using this free mining app on your PC:

  • Click the Daily column header to toggle between cryptocurrency and USD
  • Click the Pool column header to display the port along with the domain

You can download MultiMiner from the app’s official webpage.

3. BFGMiner

bfgminer bitcoin miner

BFGMiner is an interesting Bitcoin mining software that you should try out.

This multi-threaded and the multi-blockchain tool is a pretty versatile program. It supports dynamic clocking, fan control, crypt mining for both CPU and OpenCL (GPU).

Unlike other cryptocurrency mining tools, BFGMiner doesn’t primarily focus on the GPU.

You can download BFGMiner for free from GitHub.

4. EasyMiner

easyminer bitcoin mining tool

EasyMiner can be used for both solo and pooled mining.

This tool allows you to constantly monitor your mining activity thanks to its configurable performance graphs. It displays hash rate, total shares accepted/invalid, and total shares in the past hour ensuring maximum transparency.

You can use EasyMiner to mine Bitcoin, Litecoin or other cryptocurrencies.

The software is free and open-source, allowing you to customize it according to your needs. It is highly optimized for x86, x86-64 machines and supports the network mining protocol as well as the Stratum mining protocol.

You can download EasyMiner for free from the software’s official webpage.

This brings us to the end of our list. Remember that you can only install one Bitcoin mining software on your computer at a time.

Keep in mind that mining is possible with any old computer. Although, the slower the computer is, the smaller the chances are of actually getting a reward. Therefore, consider pool joining and getting a suitable computer for mining.

Here are 2 best mining computers for beginners.

Cryptocurrency is the money of the future, so investing in such tools is a very good decision. Download the Bitcoin mining program that best suits your needs and start making money today.

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

Windows 10 October Update causes all these bugs

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

You just installed the Windows 10 October 2018 Update but you wish you hadn’t? Well, you’re not the only one. Many users complained about various issues after installing Windows 10 v1809.

In this post, we’re going to list the most common Windows 10 October Update issues reported by users. For some, reading this post this will be some form of therapy.

Knowing that they’re not the only ones experiencing these problems will probably make them feel better. For others, this will be a wake-up call that will determine them to postpone the update.

And now, let’s dive in into the meat of the article.

Looking for the best tools to fix Windows Update issues? Here are the best options.

Windows 10 October Update issues and errors

Issue 1: Install fails

This is an age old problem and it also affects this OS version as well. There are various elements blocking the update process, including download errors, system errors, and so on.

If you’re interested, you can read more about this problem in this report.

Additionally, you can also check out the troubleshooting guides listed below. Hopefully, some of the solutions listed there will help you fix the issue.

Issue 2: Mouse is unusable

Some users reported that certain features are no longer available on their peripherals.

For example, the cut, copy or paste functions no longer work and there is no highlighting.

Yesterday my wireless mouse worked perfectly. Installed the October update today and now the mouse highlights everything except what I want. When I do highlight the words I want, I can’t delete, can’t drag and drop and can’t copy. This is making every office app really hard to use. Please send a fix QUICK. or tell me how to uninstall update

Issue 3: Files and folders get deleted

Another frequent bug regards user files and folders. After the update, some of your files may be gone.

Some users lost all their documents, while others lost only particular files such as photos, music files, etc.

Just had this happen to a client of mine. Laptop with Windows 10 Home. Yesterday, it wanted to update to 1809, so he let it go. It completes and he boots and logs in — and notices that all of his Documents and Pictures are gone. His background image is there. His desktop is there. His iTunes music is there. But all of his Documents and Pictures are gone. And not just moved somewhere else — I scanned through with TreeSize just to make sure. They are gone.

Issue 4: Monitor won’t work on 144 Hz

If you want to setup your monitor to 144 Hz, we’re afraid this may not be possible on the latest Windows 10 version. Here’s how one user describes this problem:

I just updated to Windows 10 October 2018 Update (1809), and I can’t set my main monitor to 144 Hz. It is connected via DisplayPort, and I have no problem setting the refresh rate in my other monitors. Also, if I set the refresh rate to 120 Hz or 60 Hz on my main monitor, it will go down to 59 or 119 Hz. I have clean-installed the latest graphics drivers (NVIDIA 411.70) to no help.

Issue 5: Audio stopped working

This issue was first reported in connection to a Surface Book device.

There is not enough information to conclude whether this affects only Surface devices or occurs on desktop computers, as well.

After Windows 10 October 2018 Update, Surface Book audio stopped working
I think It has something to do Intel’s audio chip. My Surface Book no longer has any sound through the speakers, only headphones. Any suggestion on what I can do to fix the issue?

Issue 6: Controllers are glitchy

Don’t be surprised if your controller no longer responds properly. Some users complained that their controllers aren’t as smooth after installing the update.

i did get a notification from windows about the firmware update, i let it go lights flashed in sequence on the controllers, then went to the normal state, when i got into the cliffhouse i noticed that it wasn’t as smooth as before, and the controllers were very glitchy and twitchy, when they never used to be just before the update.

This pretty much sums up the most common bugs reported by users. We’re sure that Microsoft is listening and a hotfix will be deployed in the shortest time possible.

Let us know if you encountered other bugs. How did you manage to fix them?

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

FIX: Windows 10 October 2018 Update stalled midway

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

What to do if the October Update won’t install

  1. Disconnect the internet
  2. Restart the device
  3. Run the Update Troubleshooter
  4. Check the SoftwareDistribution folder
  5. Reset Windows Update components

Microsoft might have announced the launch of its Windows 10 October 2018 Update during the just concluded Surface event but the update process has already run into issues. No wonder, the company’s support forum has already been flooded with complaints about how the update tends to stop midway and just hangs on there with no progress thereafter.

With that being the case, here are a few things you can do in the unfortunate scenario if you are facing the same.

However, before we start, we also have to keep in mind updates like these can be heavy. As such, downloading all the files can take a toll on performance, especially if the device isn’t able to spare enough memory. In that case, it would be best to wait until the installation is complete.

However, if you feel it’s taking too long for your comfort, here are some things that you might try.

Steps to fix Windows 10 v1809 install bugs

Before we dive in into general fixes, here’s a fix that you can use if you own an Intel-powered device. As Intel explains, the Windows 10 October 2018 Update may be blocked due Intel Display Audio Driver issues.

A fix for these issues is already included in Intel Display Audio Driver version 10.25.0.10, which is bundled with Intel Graphics Driver version 24.20.100.6286 and newer. Intel strongly recommends that all users with 6th Generation (codenamed Skylake) or newer processors confirm that Intel Graphics Driver version 24.20.100.6286 or newer is installed on their computers before attempting to update to Windows 10 October 2018 Update.

Solution 1- Disconnect the internet

Be it a Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection, just shut out the connection. You can also invoke the Airplane mode from the Action Center to cut out internet connection. Next, check to see if there is any progress in the update process.

Solution 2 – Restart the device

Re-establish the internet connection again and restart your PC. Check if things progress. If the issue persists, go to the next solution.

— RELATED: How to fix installation error 0xc000021a on Windows 10

Solution 3 – Run the Update Troubleshooter

  1. Launch Settings App > Update & security.
  2. Select Troubleshoot from the options on the left.
  3. From the option on the left, select Windows Update.
  4. windows update troubleshooter
  5. Select Run the Troubleshooter and follow on-screen instructions.
  6. Re-start your PC and check if this solves the problem.

It is recommended to run the Troubleshooter at least three times if the issue isn’t resolved in the initial steps.

Solution 4 – Check the SoftwareDistribution folder

Open Command Prompt by typing CMD at the taskbar search box, and right clicking on the Command Prompt app that gets listed and selecting Run as administrator.

Type all the commands listed below and press Enter.

  • taskkill /f /fi “SERVICES eq wuauserv” (Do this multiple times)
  • net stop cryptSvc
  • net stop bits
  • net stop msiserver
  • ren C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
  • rmdir C:WindowsSoftwareDistributionDataStore
  • rmdir C:WindowsSoftwareDistributionDownload

Re-start your PC and see if the download resumes again.

Solution 5 – Reset Windows Update components

Open Command Prompt again as before. Run the commands mentioned below and hit Enter.

  • Net Stop bits
  • Net Stop wuauserv
  • Net Stop appidsvc
  • Net Stop cryptsvc
  • Ren %systemroot%SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak
  • Ren %systemroot%system32catroot2 catroot2.bak
  • Net Start bits
  • Net Start wuauserv
  • Net Start appidsvc
  • Net Start cryptsvc

Check if the update is progressing.

However, in the unlikely scenario of the update yet being stalled, you can try and upgrade manually. For more information on how to install the Windows 10 October 2018 update, you can check out this guide.

RELATED GUIDES:

How to fix corrupted FoxPro DBF files once and for all

Posted on by Matthew Adams

DBF is a database file format that you can utilize in FoxPro and other DBMS software, such as dBase and MS Access. The DBF format is one prone to corruption, so it’s worth saving a backup DBF copy. However, if you haven’t kept a backup, you can still fix a corrupted DBF. Below are a few resolutions that might fix corrupted DBF files.

Solutions to fix corrupted FoxPro DBF files

  1. Check if There’s a Previous DBF Version
  2. Fix the DBF at Recovery Toolbox
  3. Fix the DBF with DBF Repair Toolbox

1. Check if There’s a Previous DBF Version

First, check if File History has kept a previous version backup of your DBF. If you’ve enabled File History in Windows 10, you might be in luck. To check for an earlier file version, open the DBF’s folder in Explorer. Then right-click the DBF and select Restore previous versions. Select the Previous Versions tab on the window that opens to see if there’s another file version. If so, you can select the previous DBF file and click Restore to restore it.

— RELATED: How to fix corrupted Microsoft Access databases

2. Fix the DBF at Recovery Toolbox

Recovery Toolbox is a DBF recovery service that you can utilize in your browser. You can fix a FoxPro, dBase and Clipper DBF at Recovery Toolbox. Note that the service charge amounts to $10 per one GB, so it might be more economical to utilize third-party software if you need to repair a three or four GB DBF.

  • To fix a DBF at Recovery Toolbox, open this webpage in your browser.

  • Then you can press the Select File button to select your corrupted DBF.
  • Enter your email address and the captcha code in the email and image text boxes.
  • Click the Next Step button to fix the corrupted file.

3. Fix the DBF with DBF Repair Toolbox

There are numerous third-party software utilities that repair FoxPro DBF files. The DBF Repair Toolbox software fixes most Visual FoxPro DBF file versions. DBF Repair Toolbox is retailing at $27, and you can try out a trial version. This is how you can repair DBFs with DBF Repair Toolbox.

  • Click Download on this page to save the DBF Repair Toolbox setup wizard to a folder.
  • Open the software’s installer to install DBF Repair.
  • Then click DBF Repair Toolbox on the Start menu to open the software’s window.
  • Click the folder button on the right of the Source file name path box to select a corrupted DBF to fix.
  • Click the Analyze button, and select the Yes option on the Confirm dialog box.

  • After fixing a DBF, the software will show you content of the file as below. Click the Yes button to continue.

  • Select a folder path and file title for the fixed DBF in the Repaired file name box.
  • Choose a file version for the DBF from the drop-down menu in the snapshot directly below.

  • Then select the Save option to save the fixed file.
  • Press the Finish button to exit.

So you can repair a corrupted DBF with DBF Repair Toolbox and Recovery Toolbox. DataNumen DBF Repair and SysInfoTools DBF Recovery are also two other utilities worth noting that fix FoxPro DBF files.

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

How to block Windows 10 October Update install

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

The Windows 10 October 2018 Update is here but not all users want to install it on their computers. Their reasons may vary: some fear the notorious Windows update issues, while others simply fell in love with a previous Windows version and prefer to stick to it.

If you want to delay the Windows 10 version 1809 there are a few solutions that you can use. However, it is worth mentioning that some of them won’t work on particular Windows versions. More specifically, Windows 10 Pro users have access to additional options when it comes to blocking updates. We’ll give you all the details below.

Steps to block Windows 10 October Update on Windows 10 Home

Solution 1: Disable the Windows Update Service

  1.  To to Start > type services.msc > hit Enter.
  2. Select the Windows Update service > double click on it to access additional options.stop windows update service
  3. Click on the General tab > go to Startup Type> select Disabled as shown in the screenshot below.disable windows update service
  4. Restart your computer. This should prevent further update installs.

Solution 2: Set up a metered connection

Using a metered connection that limits your bandwidth allows you to block updates:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Network and Internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networksmanage known wifi networks
  2. Select your Wi-Fi network > Properties
  3. Enable the metered connection option as shown in this screenshot.

enabled metered connection windows 10

Steps to block Windows 10 October Update on Windows 10 Pro

If you’re a Windows 10 Pro user, here’s what you can do to defer this update:

Solution 1: Pause updates

For this, you need to follow this path: Settings > Updates & Security > Advanced Options > Pause updates.

pause windows 10 october update

 

This options blocks the update only for a limited period of time. If you want to block Windows 10 v1809 for a year, go to  Settings > Updates & Security > Advanced Settings > click on ‘Choose when updates are installed’ > block feature updates for 365 days.

stop windows 10 spring creators update install

Solution 2:  Block the October Update via Group Policy

  1. Go to Start > type gpedit.msc > hit Enter.
  2. Go to  Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates >Windows Components > select Windows Update > Defer Windows Updates.
  3. Then double-click on ‘Select when Preview Builds and Feature Updates are received’ if you’re an Insider or ‘Select when Feature Updates are received’ if you’re a regular user.block spring creators update group policy
  4. Select ‘Enable’ > select the time frame you want.

We hope these quick tips and tricks helped you.

RELATED GUIDES TO CHECK OUT:

How to download and install Windows 10 October Update

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Well, folks, we have a very good piece of news for you: the Windows 10 October 2018 Update is finally available for download. You can now test the new features and improvements and tell us if Microsoft did a good job with this OS version. We just downloaded this OS and we’re currently testing it.

So, if you want to install it on your computer as well, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’re going to show how you can download and install Windows 10 version 1809 on your PC.

Note: Microsoft will be gradually rolling out the update. As a result, not all of you will be able to download it at the same time. If the update is not available in your region, just have a little patience and check for updates later.

How to download the Windows 10 October Update

You can upgrade to the October 2018 Update automatically using Windows Update. You can also install the new OS version manually.

As always, before you upgrade your computer, check the Windows 10 October Update system requirements. Hit the update button only if your computer meets all of them. Otherwise, you may encounter various technical issues.

Windows 10 October Update system requirements

  • Processor: 1GHz or faster processor or SoC
  • RAM: 1GB for 32-bit or 2GB for 64-bit
  • Hard disk space: 16GB for 32-bit OS or 20GB for 64-bit OS
  • Graphics card: DirectX9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
  • Display: 800×600

It’s always better to go beyond the minimum system requirements in order to enjoy the full advantage of the newest Windows 10 features.

Install Windows 10 version 1809 through Windows Update

The quickest and safest way to download the Windows 10 October Update is through Windows Update. If you’re not a power-user, this is the best method for you.

All you need to do is navigate to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update and check for updates.

windows 10 october update check for updates

If your computer doesn’t detect any updates, this means that the new OS is not available for your machine yet. Wait a few days for Microsoft to deploy the OS to your region.

If the Windows 10 version 1809 is available, start the download process by following the on-screen instructions. It’s as simple as that.

Now, if the update is not available but you don’t want to wait until the Redmond giant finishes deploying it to your region, you can manually download the corresponding ISO file.

How to manually install Windows 10 October Update

The installation files of the update are available on Microsoft’s official website under the Media Creation tool section. You can use it to either download the ISO file and mount it on a USB drive or create the installation media on the spot.

Although the whole process sounds complicated, it really is not. There is a detailed step-by-step guide on the official Microsoft webpage taking through absolutely all the steps you need to follow.

windows 10 october update media creation tool

Well, this is how you can install the October Update OS on your machine. As always, it’s best to wait for a few days before before getting the latest Windows 10 version. Should the OS be affected by severe issues that went under the radar during the test phase, Microsoft will have enough time to fix by the time you install it.

Have your say: Are you going to install the update as soon as it’s available or you prefer to wait? Hit the comment section below.

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

How to Downgrade From Windows 10 to Windows 8.1

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

If you want to upgrade your current system from Windows 8 or 8.1 to the new Windows 10 Technical Preview and try the new features, there’s something important you need to do before you update your system. You’ll need to create a recovery image of your current system in case you want to downgrade it from Windows 10.
wind8apps windows 10

How to go back to Windows 8.1 from Windows 10?

Do a recovery image of your current system by following these steps:

  • Go to Search
  • Enter recovery drive in the search box, and then click on Create a recovery drive. (Administrator permission is required for creating a recovery drive)
  • After the recovery drive tool opens, make sure the Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive check box is selected, and click on Next.
  • Insert a USB flash drive into your PC that is at least as large as the size indicated on the screen.
  • Choose the USB drive you would like to use for your recovery drive, and then go to Next.
  • Click on Create.

The recovery image and all necessary recovery tools will be no stored to your USB drive. After the process is done do some of the following:

  • If you want to keep the recovery partition on your PC, click on Finish.
  • If you want to remove the recovery partition from your PC in order to free some space on your disk, go to Delete the recovery partition. Then choose Delete. When the removal is done, click on Finish.
  • Remove the USB flash drive.

Other Windows downgrading guide you should consider

Even if you have followed all the steps above, you might want to have a more detailed guide on more technical steps. We have this guide and you can find all the details in our detailed guide on how to downgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 8.1, 7. You can also follow our how-to article on how to downgrade Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 S. Even if the article is for Surface users, you can try to apply this on your own PC.

The mobile users are may also be concerned about downgrading their Windows version. The reason is that Windows 10 Mobile was available for a limited number of device models when it was launched. That’s why many users wanted to downgrade back to 8.1 If you are one of this users, try to follow the steps from our guide and downgrade your Windows Phone from Windows 10 to Windows 8.1

Now you have created the recovery image of your current Window 8/8.1 system and you’re good to upgrade it to Windows 10 Technical Preview. And in case you have some reason to downgrade your system after that, all you need to do is to apply the installation of this recovery image and your old system will be back.

Read Also: Windows 10 Preview Gets Fresh Patch Prior to January Launch