Microsoft wants to manage your company’s Windows 10 PCs for you with new Managed Desktop service

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Managing a fleet of Windows 10 devices isn’t necessarily an easy or cheap task for businesses both big and small, but Microsoft is now here to help. The firm yesterday announced Microsoft Managed Desktop, a new offering which is aiming to help companies maximize their business by having Microsoft manage their Windows 10 devices.

The new service is a combination of Microsoft 365 Enterprise device as a service, hardware, and Microsoft’s other cloud-based device management tools. It is powered by Microsoft 356 and runs a “consistent, lightweight, reference architecture” which should help companies take advantage of all of Microsoft’s security capabilities. The service also leverages AI and can help determine which of a company’s devices are ready for featured Windows 10 updates, or which apps are causing problems with updates.

At the moment, Microsoft has already deployed Managed Desktop in a “measured approach” with a small early set of its customers. The Redmond giant says this allowed them to make changes to the service to enable a better experience for those around the world. Microsoft is also partnering with key companies like Dell, HP DXC, HCL, Computacenter, and Accenture/Avanade for Managed Desktop, and there is room for the service to grow to other regions in the second half of 2019.

Microsoft Managed Desktop is now live in the UK, and US, and will be going online in Canada, Australia, and New Zeland by early 2019. You can expect for this to be mentioned during Microsoft Ignite next week, so best to keep tuned for more.

Xbox One gamers can now pre-load Forza Horizon 4 ahead of launch

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

The highly anticipated racing game, Forza Horizon 4, is now available to download on Xbox One consoles ahead of its launch on October 2nd.

Anyone who has pre-ordered Forza Horizon 4 should be able to now download the title from the My Games & Apps section of the Xbox One dashboard though, naturally, the game won’t be playable until next month. The one exception to this rule will be those who have early access. These gamers will be able to play next week on September 28th.

Forza Horizon 4 is available to pre-order in three versions. The Standard Edition and the Formula Drift Car Pack while the Deluxe Edition will come with everything in the Standard Edition plus the Car Pass for future car DLC. The Ultimate Edition will feature all of this in addition to two game expansions, the Day One Car Pack, and four-day early access. Those wanting to play early on September 28th will need to buy this version.

Are you excited for Forza Horizon 4? Let us know which version you’ve pre-downloaded on your console in the comments below and then follow us on Pinterest for more Xbox content.

Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition
Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition
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Forza Horizon 4 Standard Edition
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Forza Horizon 4 Deluxe Edition
Forza Horizon 4 Deluxe Edition
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Forza Horizon 4 Deluxe Edition
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Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition
Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition
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Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition
Developer:
Microsoft Studios
Price:
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Control Panel in Windows 10/11 to be Changed into PC Settings

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Control Panel is one of the features that Windows users are most acquainted with but by the looks of it, it seems that it will be ‘rebranded’ once Windows 10 becomes available. Or, who knows, maybe Microsoft will change its mind until then…
control panel windows 10

What you’re seeing above is an early preview build of Windows 10 (courtesy of WinAero), and we can see in it that the Control Panel has been renamed into PC Settings. Most likely, it will be replaced with the modern PC Settings app that has made its way with the release of Windows 8.

The classic Control Panel was in Windows since Windows 3.0, but now it seems that we’ll have to bid it farewell. The button inside This PC folder has been replaced with PC Settings, but this could be a temporary thing and it’s not excluded that Microsoft will keep Control Panel. After all, it’s another feature that desktop users love.

However, most likely, the good old Control Panel will be consolidated inside the modern PC Settings app, and there will probably be some tweaks, as well. What do you think about this?

Control Panel issues in Windows 10

If you are one of the users who opened the Control Panel from the Win+X menu, then you should know how to restore it by following the instructions from this guide. In case you encounter some problems when you want to access the Control Panel, you can use our fix in order to get rid of ‘Control Panel not opening‘ issue. Other problem encountered in Windows 10 that we fixed and share with our readers is the ‘@(windows.immersivecontrolpanel_6.2.c’ error. Let us know in the comment section if these suggestions helped you.

READ ALSO: Hide Control Panel settings on PC to stop other users from changing your settings

Sysprep Error on Windows 10: How to Troubleshoot it

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Sysprep is a System Preparation Tool designed for Windows deployment, but sometimes a Sysprep error on Windows 10 can appear.

If this happens, Sysprep won’t be able to validate installation, or you might get other issues. It’s crucial to fix them, so in today’s guide, we’re going to show you how to do that.

Why is Sysprep failing?

  • Certain packages and provisioning can cause issues with sysprep.
  • Sometimes certain services can prevent this feature from properly running on your PC.
  • In some rare instances, your antivirus might interfere with this feature.
  • Outdated Windows installation can encounter glitches with sysprep.
  • Corruption of system files will cause this and many other errors on your PC.

What do I do if Sysprep fails?

1. Use PowerShell to remove the package and remove provisioning

  1. Start PowerShell as administrator. To do that, press Windows key + S, enter PowerShell, right-click PowerShell from the list of results, and choose Run as administrator.
    powershell-run-as-admin
  2. Once PowerShell starts, enter the following lines, and after each line press Enter to run it:
    Import-Module Appx
    Import-Module Dism
    Get-AppxPackage -AllUser | Where PublisherId -eq 8wekyb3d8bbwe | Format-List -Property PackageFullName,PackageUserInformation
  3. Check the output of the last command to see for which users the package is showing as installed. Delete those users’ accounts or simply log in to the computer by using those accounts and perform the next step.
  4. Run the following command but be sure to replace packagefullname  with name of the actual package: Remove-AppxPackage -Package packagefullname
    powershell-1
  5. Now run the Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName packagefullname
    powershell-2

After performing these steps, issues with Sysprep should be resolved.

It’s worth mentioning that you might want to disable your Internet connection while performing this step in order to stop Windows Store from updating apps.

2. Stop the tiledatamodelsvc service

  1. Press Windows key + R and enter services.msc. Press Enter or click OK to run it.
    run-services
  2. Locate the tiledatamodelsvc (Tile Data model server) service, right click it and choose Stop.
    tiledatamodelsvc-services

Alternatively, you can disable this service by and fix Windows 10 sysprep errors with PowerShell.

  1. Open PowerShell as administrator.
  2. Enter Stop-Service tiledatamodelsvc .
    tiledatamodelsvc-powershell
  3. Press Enter.

If you prefer using Command Prompt, you can use it as well to stop this service by following these steps:

  1. Press Windows key + X and choose Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.
    command-prompt-admin
  2. When Command Prompt starts, enter net stop tiledatamodelsvc and press Enter to run it.
    tiledatamodelsvc-cmd

Users reported that this service sometimes automatically restarts itself, so you might have to stop it a few times before it’s permanently stopped.

3. Use Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows key + R and enter regedit. Press Enter or click OK to start Registry Editor.
    regedit
  2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
  3. Locate Upgrade key in the right pane and delete it.
  4. Close Registry Editor and check if the issue is resolved.

If you cannot find the Upgrade key in Registry Editor, skip this solution and try a different one.

4. Run the SFC scan

  1. Right-click Start and run Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. In the command line, type (or copy-paste) sfc/scannow
  3. Press Enter to start the scanning.
  4. After the process is finished, you’ll be informed of possible errors.

SFC scan can help with Windows 10 sysprep errors, so be sure to try it. In case the sfc scannow is not working, we have a specialized guide that can help you fix it.

In other cases, you could employ a tailored PC repair solution that will fully scan your Windows and detect corrupted files and issues.

5. Uninstall your antivirus software

  1. If you’re getting Sysprep error on Windows 10, ensure your antivirus software is disabled.
  2. Some users even suggest uninstalling your antivirus software completely before trying to run Sysprep.
  3. To avoid any potential problems with sysprep make sure that you’re running Sysprep as an administrator.

In some rare instances, your antivirus software can cause Windows 10 sysprep errors, but that can be fixed easily.

6. Install the latest updates

  1. Open the Settings app and go to Update & Security.
  2. Click on Check for updates.
  3. Wait for the process to finish.

7. Run DISM

  1. Open the Command Prompt as shown above.
  2. Enter the following command and press Enter:
    DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
  3. Wait for the process to finish.
  4. Restart your computer.
  5. In case the DISM can’t obtain files online, try using your installation USB or DVD. Insert media and type the following command:
    DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\PathToYourInstallationMedia /LimitAccess
  6. Follow further on-screen instructions.

For more information, we have a great guide on how to use DISM, so be sure to check it out.

Sysprep Windows 10 errors can cause problems for advanced Windows 10 users, but we hope our solutions helped you fix the problem.

Sadly, this isn’t the only issue, and many reported Fatal error occurred while trying to sysprep the machine, but we covered that issue in a separate guide.

What solution did you use to fix this problem? Let us know in the comments below.

Installing Windows 10/11 on Surface Pro 3: Issues and fixes

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Windows 10 is said to have been installed so far mostly on desktop and laptop devices, but we wonder whether the new Surface Pro 3 is considered a laptop or a tablet. In this piece, we take a look at some problems you might have when trying to install Windows 10.
surface pro 3 windows 10 install
Some Surface Pro 3 owners have decided to give Windows 10 a go and try it out on their devices. However, in doing so, they have encountered plenty of annoying problems, so we’ve decided to round them up, so you could know what you could be possible facing prior to making the upgrade.

What problems can you encounter when installing Windows 10 on Surface Pro 3?

One of the first problems seems to be related with the install process not getting until the end, according to one user:

I’m not having any luck. The install runs up to somewhere near 40%. Then the installer closes, no error message or anything. I’m not sure what is wrong.

READ MORE: Wikipedia App for Windows 8.1 Squashes Bugs in Update, Free Download

Also, what you need to take into account is that if you do a fresh install of Windows 10, don’t expect wireless drivers to be available for the Surface Pro 3, which has already been plagued by a lot of WiFi problems that have been recently fixed.

If you do a fresh install, like the old 8.1 retail install, there are NO wireless drivers for the SP3 built into this preview. Either use winreducer and integrate the driver pack 9/9/14 into the install ISO then do a USB drive install, OR download the driver pack, install windows through USB install, and then from within manually install your wireless driver.

Here are some other bugs related to the Windows 10 install on the Surface Pro 3:

The top button on the pen no longer works (can’t double-click to take a screen shot and can’t single-click to open OneNote) and the display no longer rotates.

Some more problems related to the pen functionality, the rotation and even some issues pertaining to the functionality of the Fitbit App:

Buttons on pen not operating properly. Can’t rotate screen. Can’t bring down menu in FreshPaint with finger or pen, can with mouse. Fitbit App similar problem.

Somebody is complaining about the functionality of Internet Explorer, as well:

On my SP3 i can’t have internet explorer in metro mode. always launch in desktop mode.

More issues related to the swiping down for menus

Swiping down for menus isn’t supported with the new layout of apps on the desktop. There is a menu button in top left of window.

Windows 10 install issues and fixes [2018 update]

After this article was written, there was plenty of other issues reported by users. We will list here common issues encountered when trying to install Windows 10 so you could start to troubleshoot your installation process. Here they are:

There are many other similar problems reported so far, but I think you get a picture of what you could get yourself into. That’s why you need to install Windows 10 on a virtual machine or on a device that you’re not actively using. Have you installed Windows 10 on your Surface Pro 3? If so, how does it perform?

READ ALSO: Fix: Windows 10 cannot be installed to this disk

Kindle Not Connecting to PC: How to Fix it

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Amazon’s Kindle reader began as a simple e-book reader, but it has slowly evolved. Like any tablet, you may encounter trouble with it. Some users reported that Kindle is not connecting to the PC, and there may be times when it does not appear on your PC.

There are several solutions you can try to make your computer access the Kindle device, and we will walk you through each one!

How do I get my Kindle to connect to the computer?

Before we start with the complex ones, here are a few quick solutions:

  • Press the power button on the Kindle for 30 to 60 seconds until the device restarts to perform a hard reset.
  • Make sure the Kindle is charged. Keep it plugged in for an hour before connecting it to the PC.
  • Use a different USB port to connect the Kindle.
  • Use another cable.
  • Connect the Kindle to another computer to verify whether the problem lies with the previous PC or the Kindle itself.
  • When connecting the Kindle, configure it as a camera during the initial setup. Several users reported that this helped when Kindle was not connecting to the PC.
  • Download Calibre and use it to connect the Kindle.

If none work, move to the ones listed next.

1. Enable ADB

A workaround is to enable Android Debug Bridge (ADB) on your Kindle. You can try both (disabling and enabling) and see which fixes the problem.

You can easily change this setting by going to Settings, choosing Device, and then enabling/disabling ADB.

2. Install Kindle driver

  1. Open Device Manager, expand the Portable Devices. And you will see your Kindle or MTP device.
  2. Right-click the Kindle or MTP device and choose Update driver.
  3. Click on Browse my computer for drivers.install driver to fix kindle not connecting to pc
  4. Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
  5. Check Show compatible hardware, and the right model will list. Here choose MTP USB Device and click Next.
  6. Click Yes to confirm.

If your PC cannot detect your Kindle, the cause might be due to the Windows Kindle driver being missing or install failure.

When this happens, you will see a device with a yellow exclamation or an MTP or USB driver with an exclamation under Portable Devices in Device Manager. So, simply install the Kindle driver and have things running in no time.

3. Reinstall the latest Kindle software for Windows 10

  1. Go to Settings, select Installed apps, and then click on Apps and Features
  2. Look for Kindle software and click Uninstall.uninstall
  3. Restart your PC
  4. Go to the Amazon downloads page to download and install the latest Kindle Software for Windows 10.

When Kindle is charging but not connecting to the PC, reinstalling the dedicated software should do the trick!

4. Disable the USB selective suspend

  1. Open the Control Panel, and click on Hardware and Sound.
  2. Click on Power Options.
  3. Select the power plan you are using and click on Change plan settings
  4. Click Change advanced power settings
  5. Search for USB settings from the list of options and click on it to expand
  6. Click on USB selective suspend settings and select Disabled in both cases (On battery and Plugged in)
  7. Click Apply and OK to save the changes.
  8. Restart your Kindle and your computer and check if this has solved the problem

Many users reported that disabling the USB selective suspend feature also fixed their problem when Kindle is not connecting to the PC. The USB selective suspend feature allows the hub driver to suspend an individual port without affecting other ports on the hub.

It is enabled by default in portable computers to help conserve power and help maintain long battery life.

5. Uninstall and reinstall USB controllers

  1. Press Windows + R keys, type devmgmt.msc, and click OK.
  2. Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers, right-click on the affected device, and select Uninstall device.
  3. Perform the same step for other devices. When completed, restart the computer.

Another suggestion users make is to uninstall and reinstall USB controllers when Kindle is not connecting to the PC via USB.

Kindle is a great device, but as you can see, sometimes your computer cannot find it. If you face this situation, please try any of the solutions from this article.

Also, learn how to use Kindle Text to Speech on the PC. Tell us which fix worked for you in the comments section.

How to fix IAStorDataSvc high CPU usage on Windows 10/11

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

IAStorDataSvc using too much CPU on Windows 10. How do I fix it?

  1. Run a full system scan
  2. Uninstall Intel Rapid Storage Technology
  3. Disable IAStorDataSvc in Services
  4. Run Windows Update
  5. Change BIOS settings
  6. Uninstall Antivirus

Have you stumbled upon the IAStorDataSvc process on your Windows Task manager which utilizes between 60 – 85% of your CPU? This process results in high CPU usage which affects the performance of Windows 10 PCs.

The IAStorDataSvc process is associated with Intel Rapid Storage Technology on HP computers. Intel Rapid Storage Technology is an Intel driver package which enhances PC performance.

However, Windows 10 users have reported issues of high CPU usage, overheating, and distorted performance because of this process.

IAStorDataSvc causes high CPU usage on Windows 10: how to solve it?

Method 1: Run a full system scan

First and foremost, consider running a full system scan on your Windows 10 PC to remove viruses, malware, and spyware. The IAStorDataSvc problem may be due to a virus infection on your PC.

However, you can run a full system scan by using Windows Defender or any third-party Antivirus that you have on your PC.

Here’s how to carry out full system scan:

  1. Double click on the Antivirus shortcut to launch the application.
  2. Locate the “Scan” menu and Click on “Full Scan” to commence scanning.iastordatasvc
  3. Wait for the scanning to be complete and follow the prompts to clean your PC.

Method 2: Uninstall Intel Rapid Storage Technology

The Intel Rapid Storage Technology may be outdated or corrupted on your PC resulting in the IAStorDataSvc problem. You can uninstall the application so as to fix this problem. However, if you are not satisfied with the application, you can completely uninstall if you like.

Here’s how to uninstall Intel Rapid Storage Technology.

  1. Press “Windows” and “R” key at the same time, then type appwiz.cpl in the search box and hit “Enter”.iastordatasvc
  2. Locate Intel Rapid Storage Technology, click on it, and then select the “Uninstall” button at the top bar.
  3. Hence, wait for the uninstall process to finish, and then restart your PC.

Method 3: Disable IAStorDataSvc in Services

You can also disable IAStorDataSvc from Service in order to solve the overheating problem. Service is a feature in Windows which starts, stops, and configures Windows services.

Here’s how to disable Intel Rapid Storage Technology in Service:

  1. Press “Windows” and “R” key and the same time, type services.msc, and then click on “OK”.iastordatasvc
  2. Locate Intel Rapid Storage Technology option from the list or services, and then double click it.iastordatasvc
  3. Change “Startup type” to “Disabled”. Click on “Apply” and then “OK” to save the change.
  4. Finally, exit Services window.

ALSO READ: Top 3 best laptop cooling software for Windows 10

Method 4: Run Windows Update

Running Windows Update can fix the IAStorDataSvc problem because your drivers may be obsolete which is resulting in high CPU usage, overheating, and distorted Windows performance.

However, running Windows Update will improve your PC performance and update your drivers most especially Intel drivers which supports Intel Rapid Storage Technology application.iastordatasvc
You can run Windows Update on your PC by typing “Windows Update” in Windows Search bar and click on the Windows Update menu. Ensure you are connected to the Internet before proceeding with Windows Update.

In conclusion, these solutions are applicable in fixing the IAStorDataSvc problem on your Windows 10 PC. Some antivirus programs such as AVG and Norton utilizes high CPU usage resulting in affected Windows performance. However, you may consider uninstalling programs which utilize high CPU usage by using “Method 2” above.

Method 5: Change BIOS settings

This is a method that fixed this problem for some users but beware that if you do not have the necessary computer skills, you may harm your computer. If you know what you do, try to change to AHCI your SATA controller in BIOS. After that, save and restart. If it does not work, re-enter BIOS, and change back to SATA.

Method 6: Uninstall Antivirus

Some users have made their own ‘research’ on the problem and reported that the problem is gone after uninstalling AVG or Norton antiviruses. The root of the problem may be an error between the antivirus engine and your Windows system. If you have a paid version of the antivirus, check how you can safely uninstall it without losing the license. After that,

Do you have any question concerning IAStorDataSvc or Intel Rapid Storage Technology problem? Let us know by commenting below.

RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:

Microsoft to increase its presence in Dublin, Ireland, adding 200 jobs

Posted on by davew

In Dublin, Ireland, Microsoft is adding 200 technical jobs at its One Microsoft Place campus. In a post on Microsoft News Centre Europe, 100 of those jobs are for engineering roles that work on Microsoft’s new and emerging technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). This latest wave of hiring will bring the total number of Microsoft employees in Ireland to 2,200.

In addition, Microsoft is also recruiting 50 people to support the “continued growth of its 700-strong EMEA Digital Sales organisation with vacancies for Technology Solutions Specialists, Solutions Sales Specialists and Account Executives who will join the growing team of talented digital sellers.” Another 50 people  An additional 50 people will be added to the “Data Centre, the Sales subsidiary and positions on the company’s graduate and intern programme.”

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD, said that this is great news for Ireland:

“Ireland has a strong pool of highly skilled workers, a first-class education system, a competitive and transparent taxation regime and a pro-enterprise environment. The Government is working hard to ensure we remain internationally competitive. In this regard, today’s announcement of 200 high skilled jobs is very welcome. It shows the progress we are making in our mission to make this country an innovative, digital economy and a global leader for the tech sector. I would like to congratulate and pay tribute to the existing staff and management at Microsoft Ireland who have allowed the company to go from strength to strength here over the last three decades.”

Microsoft, Ireland, Europe, EU

Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland, adds that the jobs in Ireland will help the company further their growth throughout Europe:

“The broad-based expansion of Microsoft in Ireland reflects the dynamism, energy and continued transformation of our team in Dublin. The team here is working with businesses, governments, organisations and people across the globe to help make our vision a reality – helping them to do and achieve more. Our engineering team is at the centre of this work. With the expansion of our engineering team together with the additional roles in other divisions of the business including EMEA Digital Sales and Data Centre, our new operations in Dublin will play an increasingly important role within the company globally.”

Currently, Microsoft is awaiting the outcome of EU antitrust regulators evaluating the Redmond company’s recent acquisition of GitHub. So, the timing of the announcement may appear questionable. However, there is little concern that Microsoft’s takeover of GitHub will fall through. Microsoft expects to continue adding jobs throughout the EU regardless.

Microsoft To-Do Windows 10 app gets Live Tiles support with new Insider update

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft has started testing Live Tile support for its To-Do Windows 10 app today. If you’re a Windows Insider on the Fast or Skip Ahead Ring, you can download the latest version (1.40.1809.14001) from the Microsoft Store and check out the new Live Tile on your Start screen.

Be aware that the Live Tile for Microsoft To-Do will only display tasks that you’ve added to “My Day.” If you opt for the “Large” square Live Tile, you’ll be able to see up to seven tasks, compared to just three for the Medium and Wide Live Tiles. Once you’ve completed all tasks added to My Day, the Live Tile will also display a congratulations message.

Overall, this is a pretty useful update for the task manager app, especially if you’re used to seeing your upcoming appointments on the Outlook Calendar app. If you’re not a Windows Insider, you should get this new version over the next few weeks.

How to Repair Corrupted docx Files [8 Simple Ways]

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

The docx format has been the default format for saving important Word documents for some time. But like other formats before it, there are times you need to repair your docx file because it got corrupted.

Fortunately, this is easy to do, provided you have the right information. In this guide, we will show you quick and effective ways to achieve this without breaking a sweat. But make sure you create a backup copy of the file before getting started.

How can I repair a corrupted docx file?

1. Use the inbuilt Microsoft Word Repair tool

  1. Open Microsoft Word and click on File.
  2. Click Open and select the .docx file with the problem.
  3. Click the down arrow next to the Open button and choose Open and repair. Open and Repair

Microsoft Word has an inbuilt open and repair tool available since MS Word 2007 that you can use to repair your files. Since it was made by the software manufacturer, it is the safest way to repair a corrupt docx document and file.

2. Use third-party recovery tools

Several third-party applications on the market are designed to recover corrupt documents. Many third-party tools have free demos but we recommend you use Stellar Repair for Word.

This tool can see the text and repair all corrupt, damaged, or simply inaccessible files with original formatting.

The Stellar Repair for Word program is recommended by Microsoft Office experts and IT because it previews the specific repaired Word file in RAW text or machine-readable format.

After that, this file repair application authorizes you to save the repaired document at its original or certain location on your hard disk.

Stellar Repair for Word

Repair your corrupt docx files within minutes with this excellent tool.
Free Trial Visit Website

3. Recover text from any file

  1. Go to the File menu and select Open.
  2. Find the .docx file you want to repair.
  3. From below All word documents, expand it further and find the option of Recover text from any file.
    recover text from any file

If you are unable to recover the corrupted Word file, Microsoft Word also gives you the option to recover text from any file. This will enable you to recover your important data and then reconstruct it in a new Word file.

The feature will try to fetch all the text from your file. If this does not work, please move on to the next solution.

4. Open in Draft Mode

  1. Click on File and go to Options.
  2. Click on Advanced and then scroll down to the Show document content section.
  3. Check the Show picture placeholders box and the Use draft font in Draft and Outline views box.show documents content
  4. Go back to Word, click on View, and then click on Draft under the Document Views section. view draft
  5. Try to open the corrupt file.

Another solution you can try is opening the file in Draft mode. To do this, follow the simple steps described above.

5. Use previous versions

  1. Right-click the file.
  2. Choose Properties and then click on the Previous Versions tab.
  3. Any previously saved versions will show up in the list box below. If you are not able to see the tab, it means System Restore is not turned on.
    previous versions

In Windows 7 and higher, System Restore will automatically make backups of your documents whenever a new restore point is created (usually at least once a day).

System Restore is enabled by default, but if you manually turn it off, you will not be able to recover any data using this feature.

Note that you will lose any data that was added after the last backup was created and before the corruption occurred, but at least you will have at least a part of your .docx file.

6. Open with Notepad

  1. Right-click on your corrupted .docx file and choose Open with.
  2. Click on Choose default program.
  3. On the Other Programs section, click on the arrow pointing downwards to reveal more programs and select Notepad.
  4. Uncheck the box for Always use the selected program to open this kind of file to avoid making Notepad the default program for word files and click OK.open with notepad
  5. Copy and paste the text to a new .docx document and format it all over again.

Opening with Notepad will ignore the document structure and pick only the plain text. You can find this plain text and then copy and paste it to a new Word document, but you will lose all formatting and images.

7. Rebuild the file header

You will have to open several uncorrupted .docx files with a file editor program to identify the header components. By comparing them with the file header of your corrupt file, you may be able to identify corruption in its file header.

You can then replace the corrupt header components with good components from another .docx file in order to fix your problem.

8. Run CHKDSK to check for file system error

  1. Next to the Start menu, in the search box, type cmd.
  2. On the search result, right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.Command-prompt-run-as-administrator
  3. Click Yes on the prompt warning
  4. Insert this command and press Enter to run it: CHKDSK [drive[[path]filename]] [/R]

If file-level corruption exists in the Word document, you can run CHKDSK from the command prompt. You may be able to fix the document and gain accessibility. Or else you would be able to understand the cause behind the issue.

With this, we can conclude this guide on how to repair a corrupt docx file. You should now be able to fix the issue for good, following the steps therein.

If you need a list of the best Word file repair tools to aid you, check our detailed guide for the top options available.

Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you fix this issue in the comments below.

Top 4 Kinect Apps for Windows 8.1 to Get you Started, Free Downloads

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

What are the best free apps to download in order to get started with Kinect?

  1. Kinect Evolution
  2. 3DBuilder
  3. YAKiT
  4. Fusion 4D

As we were telling you in a previous story, Microsoft has made available for download Kinect SDK 2.0, which means that more Kinnect-enabled apps will soon be released on the Windows Store. Here are some to get you started.
kinect apps windows 8
If you’re looking for some Kinect-enabled apps on the Windows Store to get you started with this kind of apps, then we have three proposals that you should definitely check out.

Kinect Evolution

This app demonstrates the core capabilities of the Kinect for Windows v2 technology and helps developers understand the core capabilities of the technology. However, you will need to purchase a Kinect sensor for it to work, obviously.

READ MORE: Kinectimals Unleashed Game Launched for Windows 8, Download Now

3DBuilder

We’ve spoken about this app in the past, as well, and here we’re presenting it as a Kinect-enabled application to try out on Windows 8. Users can scan in 3D color using a Kinect for Windows v2 sensor; load 3MF, STL, OBJ and VRML and save as 3MF or STL; print directly to the 3D printer or order model through 3D Systems. It’s also possible to emboss any model with text or images and you have at your disposal the following features – merge, intersect, or subtract objects from each other, or slice them into pieces.

YAKiT

Perhaps the funniest of them all, this Kinect app allows you to create animated videos by using any photo. You can add expressive animated stickers to customize the photos – including blinking eyes, talking mouths, props, characters, and special effects. It’s even possible to change the pitch of your voice to make it even funnier and create your own mouth from your photo that talks when you talk. By using Kinect, users can fully animate a character.

Fusion 4D

This is my favorite so far because it allows users to manipulate models in 3D using the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor and your body. It’s a really cool educational app for Windows 8 which brings multiple models in biology, engineering, and geography, with even more being added by the developer. You can even get different views including support for 3D glasses and by using the Magic Mirror, you can see yourself holding the model in the virtual world.

You can also check out AhKonCha, but this one is really basic and needs a lot of polishing. We will be constantly updating this list with new apparitions on the Windows Store, so if you know some, do let us know and we’ll include it in the post.

2018 Update: In late 2017, Kinect project was discontinued by Microsoft. Many developers and tech-lovers were disappointed, but after Xbox One has been released, the need in this tool’s sensor started to fade away. Even if it was one of the most sold gadgets ever, Microsoft said STOP! You can find more information about this in our dedicate article about Microsoft discontinuing Kinect.

READ ALSO: Download Avast Free Antivirus 2015 for Windows 8, Windows 10 [Latest Version]

Download now Kinect SDK 2.0 for Free to Develop Windows Apps

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

If you’re a Windows developer, you can now go ahead and download the newest Kinect SDK 2.0 to start creating apps for Windows 8 that support gesture and voice navigation. Most likely, this will be the same Software Development Kit used for building Windows 10 apps, as well.
download kinect sdk 2.0
The latest 2.0 version of the Kinect Software Development Kit has now been made available for a free download. The fact that the SDK 2.0 is now available for the Kinect v2 sensors means that developers can now commercially deploy Kinect apps in the Windows Store for the first time. Which, in other words, should help extend the number of apps.

Where to download Kinect 2.0 SDK to build Windows apps?

READ MORE: AOC’s New 17-inch USB Portable Monitor Launches for Windows Laptops and Computers

Microsoft also introducing a new adapter kit that enables users to take the Kinect for Xbox One you already own and attach it to Windows PCs and tablets. You should know that there are no fees for runtime licenses of commercial applications developed with the SDK. Here’s what Microsoft said about this:

“With over 200 improvements and updates to the SDK since we released the public preview in June, including enhancements to Visual Gesture Builder, Kinect Studio, and Kinect Fusion, we get you coding faster with a substantially more stable and feature-rich product.”

You can follow this link to download Kinect 2.0 SDK, but you should know that registration is required, of course. Let’s have a look at the most recent features, as well.

New features in Kinect for Windows version 2.0 SDK

  • Windows Store Support
  • Unity Support
  • .NET APIs updates
  • Native APIs changes
  • Audio improvements
  • Face APIs
  • Kinect for Windows v2 Hand Pointer Gestures Support
  • Kinect Fusion
  • Kinect Studio
  • Visual Gesture Builder (Preview)

READ ALSO: Microsoft Makes Xbox One Digital TV Tuner Available in Europe for €30


Xbox One | Kinect 2 Tech Demo (Part 2 of 2) [EN] by XboxViewTV

2018 Update: Even if Kinect 2.0 was a great discussion topic for all game enthusiasts and tech-consumers. But all the good things come to an end, as well as Kinect. In late 2017, Microsoft announced the ending of Kinect project. Most probably, once Xbox One released, the importance of Kinect’s sensor feature started to fade away. You can find more information in our dedicated article about Kinect’s ending.

You can write down more thoughts about this project in the comment section.

How to Fix Corrupt CMOS in 4 Easy Steps

Posted on by Aleksandar Ognjanovic

The corruption of CMOS is a relatively common occurrence. Sadly, it mainly points towards the motherboard failure, but that’s not a rule of thumb. The BIOS/UEFI might be the problem, or the CMOS battery is failing. The estimated longevity is around 3 years, so the latter shouldn’t come as a surprise.

You can try to fix corrupt CMOS with the steps we enlisted below. Make sure to tell us whether they helped you later on.

How to fix corrupt CMOS in a few simple steps?

1. Reset BIOS to factory values

The first step you should take when all and any BIOS-related problems like the BIOS ID check error appear is to try and restore the default configuration. If the hardware is broken, this is a long-stretch solution, but it still might help. Since we need to move gradually toward the battery replacement, let’s give it a shot, and hopefully, the CMOS corruption will be addressed.

Booting into the BIOS/UEFI settings is a relatively simple task on previous Windows iterations. However, on Windows 10, due to a Fast boot option, the initial screen will be skipped, and you won’t be able to access any of the menus. That’s why we need you to follow the steps we enlisted below and give it a go:

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open Settings.
  2. Choose Update & Security.
  3. Select Recovery from the left pane.
  4. Under the Advanced startup, click Restart now.fix corrupt cmos
  5. Choose Troubleshoot.
  6. Select Advanced options.
  7. Choose UEFI Firmware Settings and click Restart.
  8. Reset all settings to default and reboot your PC.

2. Flash BIOS

Some errors like the “CMOS checksum” can appear due to an outdated BIOS. On the other hand, they can appear if you flashed the wrong version of BIOS. That’s why we suggest re-flashing the BIOS, thus updating it to the latest version. Even though unaccustomed users see meddling with BIOS as a dangerous task, we wouldn’t say so.

There are only two rules you need to follow when flashing BIOS. Keep the power on throughout the procedure. If your PC suddenly shuts down, chances are you bricked your motherboard. The second rule is double-checking the updated version of your motherboard model. Flashing a wrong version leads to worse errors (read: bricking motherboard).

With those in mind, check your motherboard’s model number and look it up online. If there’s a Flashing tool for your model provided by the OEM, use it. Some OEMs even offer direct updating from the BIOS menu, which is even better.

But this is hardly a rule, so check it before moving to flash BIOS. You can find out more about the procedure in this article.

3. Reset the battery

Resetting the CMOS battery is also quite a simple task. It requires some tools (a small screwdriver) to remove the side casing from your case. The same goes for the notebooks. Power off your PC and unplug the power source cable. Watch for the  Remove the screws to gain access to the motherboard.

Once there, you should be able to see a small jumper next to the CMOS battery tagged with the Reset CMOS description. Remove it and keep it off for approximately 20 seconds. Put it back, plug back the power source, place the casing back, and start your PC.

If you cannot locate the jumper, remove the battery and place it back after 10 minutes. Do it gently to avoid breaking the metal clip which holds it still. We need it to fully discharge before placing it back.

4. Replace the battery

Finally, if the battery dies out, you should replace it by following the steps above. As you can see, the battery most likely holds the model number CR2032. It’s a standard hand watch lithium coin battery cell. So you shouldn’t have difficulty finding a replacement as it’s widely available.

If the issues persist, the faulty hardware is to blame. Either the motherboard is malfunctioning, or the Power Supply Unit is faulty, and the replacement is mandatory. For that, you’ll probably need to contact a PC technician, so prepare to spend some money if you’re out of warranty.

With that said, we can conclude this article. Tell us in the comments section below if you have any alternative solutions for the corrupted CMOS. We’ll be thankful for your effort.

Application Not Found Error on Windows 10 [Fix]

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Many users use optical media or USB flash drives to share files, but some users complained about the Application not found error on Windows 10.

It seems that this error appears whenever a user inserts CD, DVD or any other removable storage. This isn’t the only DVD issue, and many reported that DVD only reads CDs.

However, today we’re going to focus on the application not found issues, so let’s get started.

Why does it say Application not found?

  • Sometimes issues with the AutoPlay settings can cause this and many other errors.
  • In some rare instances, outdated drivers can cause this problem.
  • Problems with file association and default apps can lead to this issue.
  • Sometimes an autorun file on your removable storage causes this error message.

How can I fix the Application not found error in Windows 10?

1. Use the Populate option

  1. Open This PC.
  2. Locate your DVD drive, right-click it and choose Properties from the menu.
  3. Go to Hardware tab and select your DVD drive. Now click the Properties button.
  4. Go to the Volumes tab and click the Populate button.
  5. After doing that, restart your PC and check if that fixes the problem.

2. Change Autoplay settings

  1. Open This PC.
  2. Locate the problematic drive and right-click it. Choose Open Autoplay option.
  3. Select Take No Action from the menu.

After turning off Autoplay for this drive, the problem will be fixed. We have to mention that this isn’t the best solution, so it might be better to use Ask me every time option instead. You can do that by following these steps:

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Go to Devices section and then navigate to AutoPlay tab.
  3. In Choose AutoPlay defaults section set Removable drive and Memory card to Ask me every time.

You can also change AutoPlay settings by using Control Panel. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. When Control Panel opens, select AutoPlay.
  3. When AutoPlay window opens, set Ask me every time for both Removable drive and Memory card.
  4. Optional: If you have this problem with CDs and DVDs, you can also change their autoplay settings from this window.
  5. After you’re done, click the Save button to save changes.

Both methods are similar, but if you need to change Autoplay settings for a DVD drive or you want to set special settings for different types of files, we suggest that you configure Autoplay settings from Control Panel.

After doing that, check if Application not found error on Windows 10 is gone.

3. Update USB drivers

  1. Go to Search, type devicemngr, and open the Device Manager.
  2. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers, and find your device.
  3. Right-click your router and go to Update driver. 

  4. Follow further on-screen instructions and finish installing drivers.
  5. Restart your computer.

3.1 Update drivers automatically

If you don’t want the hassle of searching for drivers on your own, you can use a tool that will do this for you automatically. Of course, as you’re not able to connect to the internet at the moment, this tool won’t be useful.

However, once you get online, it will help you to keep all your drivers up to date, so you won’t be in this situation anymore. Fortect Driver Updater is very easy to use and also very lightweight, being able to take care of the drivers on any device.

Once you install it and let it run its course, and you’ll have the latest drivers installed in no time.

⇒ Get Fortect Driver Updater

4. Edit your registry

  1. Press Windows key + R and enter regedit. Click OK or press Enter.
  2. When Registry Editor opens, in the left pane navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MountPoints2
  3. Right-click the MountPoints2 key and choose Delete from the menu.
  4. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC.
  5. After your PC restarts, check if the DVD drive is working properly.

5. Change the default zip program

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. When the Settings app opens, go to System and select Default apps.
  3. Scroll all the way down and select Choose default apps by file type.
  4. A list of file types and default apps will appear. Locate .zip and choose the desired default application for it.
  5. Close the Settings app and check if the issue is fixed.

If you don’t want to use the Settings app, you can also use Default Programs from Control Panel. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. When Control Panel opens, select Default Programs.
  3. Select Associate a file type or protocol with a program option.
  4. When the list of file extensions opens, locate .zip extension and double-click it.
  5. Select the desired default application for .zip files.

We have to mention that this problem can affect other types of files and not just .zip. If you’re having this issue while opening any other file type, be sure to change the default application for that file type.

This is another way to fix Application not found error on Windows 10, so be sure to try it.

6. Turn off Windows Media Player feature

  1. Press Windows key + S and enter windows features. Select Turn Windows features on or off from the menu.
  2. Once the Windows Features window opens, expand the Media Features folder. Locate the Windows Media Player and uncheck it.
  3. A confirmation menu will appear. Click Yes.
  4. Now click OK to save changes.
  5. Restart your computer.
  6. When your PC restarts, repeat the same steps and turn Windows Media Player back on again.

7. Install VLC player

  1. Visit VLC download page.
  2. Click on Download VLC.
  3. Once the software is downloaded, install it.

This should help if this error occurs while playing multimedia files, such as DVDs.

8. Use Open command to access your files

  1. Open This PC.
  2. When This PC window opens, locate the drive that you can’t access and right-click it.
  3. Choose Open from the menu.

After doing that, you should be able to access your files without any problems. Keep in mind that this is just a workaround, but you should be able to avoid the error message by using this solution.

9. Delete autorun.inf file

  1. Insert the removable storage.
  2. Open the removable storage by following the steps from the previous solution. If the Open option doesn’t work, choose to Explore option instead.
  3. Once you access your removable storage, click the View menu and turn on Hidden items option.
  4. Locate the autorun.inf file and delete it.
  5. Disconnect the removable storage and connect it again.

Few users reported that autorun.inf isn’t available on their removable storage, and if that’s the case, you’ll need to use Command Prompt to fix this problem. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Press Windows key + X and choose Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. When Command Prompt opens, enter the following lines. Keep in mind that you need to replace X with the letter that represents your drive:
    attrib -s -r -h X:\autorun.inf
    del X:\autorun.inf
  3. After running those commands, close Command Prompt and check if your removable storage works.

10. Change the drive letter

  1. Press Windows key + X and choose Disk Management from the menu.
  2. Locate your DVD drive or removable storage and right-click it. Choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.
  3. Click the Change button.
  4. Select the desired letter for the drive and click OK.

After changing the drive letter, your drive should start working again without any problems.

11. Set your current browser as the default browser

  1. Open the Settings app by pressing Windows key + I shortcut.
  2. Go to System section and then navigate to Default apps tab.
  3. Scroll down to the Web browser section and make sure that your current browser is set as default.
  4. Optional: You also need to check if your browser is set to work with certain protocols. To do that click the Choose default apps by protocol.

    Locate FTP, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols and make sure that they are set to work with your default browser.
  5. Optional: If you want, you can also check if your default browser is set to work with necessary file extensions. To see how to assign applications to work with specific file types, be sure to check Solution 4.

You can also change the default browser right from Control Panel. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel and select Default Programs.
  2. Select Set your default programs option.
  3. A list of all installed applications will appear. Select your current web browser and choose Set this program as default option.
  4. Optional: Click on Choose defaults for this program and check if necessary file types and protocols are assigned to it.

    If not, you can assign them by following similar steps like in Solution 4.

12. Use Reset Settings to Default for AutoCAD

Users reported that this issue occurs when trying to open AutoCAD files. According to them, AutoCAD doesn’t start and instead they are getting Application not found error message.

  1. Re-register AutoCAD with the appropriate actions.
  2. This process is fully automatic, and you just need to run Reset Settings to Default AutoCAD application.
  3. This application should be located somewhere in your AutoCAD directory, so be sure to search for it.

After running the application, AutoCAD will start working again, if the problem still persists, you might have to reinstall AutoCAD in order to fix it.

13. Try your USB flash drive on a different computer

  1. Try connecting your removable storage to a different computer.
  2. If you have an extra PC or laptop, try connecting your USB flash drive to it.
  3. If the error doesn’t appear on a different computer, unplug the flash drive and try using it on your PC.

Few users claim that this workaround fixed the error for them, so be sure to try it out.

14. Use CCleaner

  1. Start CCleaner on your PC.
  2. Let it scan your PC.
  3. After scanning their PC and registry, CCleaner should fix all the issues along with the Application not found error.

15. Replace your DVD drive

  1. Turn off your PC and open the computer case.
  2. Carefully remove the DVD drive.
  3. Now insert a new DVD instead.

Boot your PC and check if the solution works.

16. Reinstall your browser

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to the Apps section.
  3. Locate your browser and click on Uninstall.
  4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.

After performing the browser reinstallation, the issue was completely resolved.

Application not found error on Windows 10 can cause various problems, so it’s important to fix it as soon as you can.

In case you’re having additional problems, our Windows 10 apps not opening guide should be able to help you.

Did you find a different method to fix this error? Let us know in the comments below!

Download Free CCleaner for Windows 10/11 [Latest Version]

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

CCleaner is perhaps, if not for sure, the best tool for cleaning junk and useless files on your Windows device. In this continuously updated article, we will be tracking the latest updates that CCleaner gets and will prove you with the safest and easiest ways to download it.

What you’re seeing above is a comparison of CCleaner products that you can get. What most users seem to be opting for is the free version of CCleaner which allows them to have the following features – a faster computer and privacy protection, and they will have to update manually.

The Professional version gets you Complete Cleaning, Real-time Monitoring, and Automatic Update, while Professional Plus brings also Defragmentation, File Recovery, and Hardware Analysis.

Where to download the latest version of CCleaner for Windows?

Since it was released for Windows 8 devices, CCleaner had also been updated to Windows 8.1, and 10 as well. And while at the moment Windows 10 is not yet completely out and this means CCleaner doesn’t have a working version, we will make sure to include the download links to the official version for Windows 10, as well.

download ccleaner windows

⇒ Get CCleaner for Windows

Before proceeding to the download link and description of the latest updates and the date when it was issued, let’s have a quick rundown of the main features of CCleaner for Windows:

  • Most popular freeware cleaner with over 1 billion download
  • CCleaner removes cookies, temporary files and various other unused data that slows down your operating system
  • CCleaner brings a faster computer and solves crashes and system errors
  • CCleaner removes files that advertisers use to track your behavior, thus making you free of online clutter
  • CCleaner Tools and Options tabs allow you to customize cleaning options as you want

CCleaner v5.46.6652 (30 Aug 2018)

  • Separate control to report anonymous usage data added
  • Added a link to a Data Factsheet: explains why the reports have been made and how this data is used
  • Checkboxes reworded: easier for the user to know what he checks
  • When Smart Cleaning disabled, CCleaner’s background process closes and it will not launch on startup
  • Restored previous System Tray and minimize behavior
  • Fixed various stability issues

CCleaner v5.12.5431

  • Improved Firefox 42 Cache cleaning.
  • Improved Google Chrome Download History cleaning.
  • Improved Skip UAC on Windows 10
  • Improved detection and cleaning of portable browsers.
  • Optimized cleaning rules loading routine.
  • Improved localization and language support.
  • Minor GUI Improvements.
  • Minor bug fixes

CCleaner v5.11.5408 

  • Added Windows Store apps to Uninstall tool (Windows 8, 8.1 and 10)
  • Improved Google Chrome Download History cleaning.
  • Improve Firefox 41 cleaning.
  • Optimized Start-up Items detection routine.
  • Improved keyboard navigation and shortcuts.
  • Added Microsoft Office 2016 and Camtasia Studio 8.0 cleaning.
  • Updated various translations.
  • Minor GUI Improvements.
  • Minor bug fixes.

CCleaner v5.10.5373

  • Improved Microsoft Edge Cookie management.
  • Optimized internal architecture for faster start up.
  • Added Chrome extension cache and cookie cleaning.
  • Improved Firefox session cleaning.
  • Added Firefox HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) cookie cleaning.
  • Improved Intelligent Cookie Scan.
  • Improved Window resizing and DPI support.
  • Added Corsican translation. 

Late 2014 update – Windows 10 preview, Opera cache cleaning

  1. Added Windows 10 Preview compatibility
  2. Improved Opera 25 Cache cleaning
  3. Improved exception handling and reporting architecture
  4. Improved Auto-Update checking process
  5. Updated various translations
  6. Minor GUI Improvements
  7. Minor bug fixes

Microsoft Fixes Problems with Power, Sleep Functions in Windows 10

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Windows is already available in its early preview form, but, just as expected, there are plenty annoying problems affecting those who have installed it. But now Microsoft has issued a fix for problems related to power and sleep issues.
fix power sleep issues windows 10
Since it was released, the technical preview of Windows 10 has caused various problems, but now we’ve been informed that a recent update fixes some issues related with the functionality of the power and sleep functions.

READ MORE: Autodesk’s AutoCAD 360 App for Windows Gets Markup Tools and More, Download Now

The Windows team has recently tweeted that the latest update for Windows Technical Preview KB3010668 fixes the power/sleep issue in Windows 10 Technical Preview. Here’s what they said:

“#WindowsInsiders The fix for the #Windows10 power/sleep issue released to WU earlier today. Check for new updates to get it.”

So, since there isn’t a hotfix made available for download, you just need to go ahead and perform the latest update as you can see in the above screenshot and you should be good to go.

2018 Update: Sleep malfunctions in Windows 10 have received some fixes from the users, and we have gathered more information and created guides in order to help users. We will list below some great fix articles so you could get rid of these annoying issues. Here they are:

READ ALSO: Windows 10 Creators Update bug: No power options in the Start Menu [FIX]

Windows 10 Redstone 5 build 17758 makes its way to the Slow ring

Posted on by Kip Kniskern

On Wednesday Microsoft released the latest RS5 build, version 17758, to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring, and today the release has already made its way to the Slow ring. The build, while still marked by the Windows Insider blog post as not yet final, includes a list of changes, improvements and fixes, and a couple of known issues, but no new features, as we’re definitely getting close to a final RS5 build, rumored to be complete by next Friday.

If you’re on the Slow ring, you can download 17758 now, although these slow ring builds are coming pretty fast as we reach the finish line, and you may just want to wait for a final build coming as early as next week.

Fixed: Cannot Print Fax by Using a Fax Modem in Windows 10

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft has recently rolled out some updates that have fixed a bunch of problems – and issues related to fax modems in Windows have also been taken care of.
fax modem windows issues
The issue ‘you cannot print fax by using a fax modem in Windows’ has been recently addressed by Microsoft and fixed with a hotfix that is available for download. Here’s how the error has been described:

When you send a fax job by using a fax modem that is installed in or connected to a computer that is running Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8, or Windows Server 2012, the fax is not in the Windows Fax and Scan outbox. Therefore, the fax is not printed.

How to fix cannot print fax using a fax modem in Windows?

Microsoft says that this issue occurs because calling of the FaxStartPrintJob function works incorrectly. Follow this link to download the hotfix or make sure that you have the latest update roll out-delivered via Windows Update.

In case the hotfix does not solve this issue, you might try to perform some actions on your own. They might get you rid of this problem. First of all, you can try updating our drivers. After that, we recommend you to troubleshoot your system for errors. Maybe it is a conflict that does not let you use the fax modem normally. If you want to see how to perform these steps, try out the instructions from our fix for fax and scan not working in Windows.

READ ALSO: 8 best fax software to use your PC as a fax machine

[wl_navigator title=”Related topics”]

Windows 10 Freezes When Switching Users: 3 Ways to Fix

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

It’s not uncommon to have multiple accounts on a PC; however, many reported that Windows 10 freezes when switching users.

This is a lot different than the computer freezes while idle issue that we covered earlier. Luckily, there’s a way to fix this issue, and we’re going to show you how to do it.

Why does Windows 10 freezes when switching users?

  • Glitches with Windows can sometimes cause this problem, so keep your system up to date.
  • Bad updates can sometimes cause problems such as these, so remove any recent updates.

What can I do if Windows 10 freezes when switching users?

1. Install the missing updates

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Navigate to Update & Security.
  3. Click on Check for updates.

Wait while Windows downloads and installs available updates.

2. Remove problematic update

  1. Press Windows key + S and enter the update history. Select View update history from the list of results.
  2. Now, select Uninstall updates.
  3. Select any recent updates to remove them.

Once you remove the update, check if the problem is gone.

3. Perform a System Restore

  1. Press Windows key + R and enter rstrui. Click OK.
     
  2. Click Next.
  3. Select the restore point you wish to revert back to and click Next.
  4. After that, follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.

These are some general guidelines, but they are easy to follow and should help you fix any issues with freezes.

Unfortunately, Windows 10 is no stranger to freezes, and we already covered Windows 10 freezing randomly issue in one of our guide. Luckily, this error is more straightforward and easier to fix.

Let us know in the comment section how you managed to fix the problem on your PC. We’re looking forward to hearing about any unique solutions you may have found.

Fix: Rotated Images in PowerPoint 2013 are Printed Incorrectly

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

From time to time, Microsoft releases certain hotfix files that are made available for download in order to fix various problems for Windows and Microsoft Office users. This article discusses an error where rotated images in PowerPoint 2013 are printed incorrectly when you use XPS in Windows.
Rotated images in PowerPoint 2013
This problem usually occurs when you have a PowerPoint slide that contains rotated images on a computer that is running Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.
READ MORE: Microsoft Office Not Opening in Windows 8, 8.1 [Fix]

Problems with printed rotated images in PowerPoint fixed by hotfix

Thus, when you open the PowerPoint slide in Microsoft PowerPoint 2013, and then you try to print the file by using Microsoft XPS Document Writer or an XPS printer, you may get the PowerPoint slide printed incorrectly. There is a hotfix made available for download, but Microsoft recommends to opt for the update rollup solution, nonetheless:

The update rollup fixes many other issues in addition to the issue that the hotfix fixes. We recommend that you use the update rollup. The update rollup is larger than the hotfix. Therefore, the update rollup takes longer to download.

PowerPoint related issues you need to be aware of

PowerPoint has other problems that our authors have written about. We mention that because you might encounter some of them and maybe do not know how to get over. We will share here a shortlist that will help you solve the most common PowerPoint issues in Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Here it is:

READ ALSO: How to add Shutterstock images into a PowerPoint presentation

Why is My Computer Saying Everything I do? Here’s The Fix

Posted on by Aleksandar Ognjanovic

As a platform, Windows offers many exciting tools to improve the user experience. We can argue about the value of some of these tools and features, but they’re still there for you to try them. And an abundance of features is rarely a bad thing.

However, some less-accustomed users have struggled with their personal computers. Namely, they had trouble with the computer saying everything they do, and for a newbie, this can be a hurdle.

That’s why we prepared this article to help you and show you how to disable this feature. If you’re not sure what it is or why it does what it does, check the explanation below.

How to disable Windows Narrator?

Windows Ease of Access offers various features that tremendously improve the usage for impaired users. Being that visual or some other kind of disability, there are ways to, to some extent, enhance the user interface.

For example, sight-impaired users can improve their usage with the Windows Narrator, which, by using the text-to-speech feature, reads everything they do. Including whatever you type or click.

However, if you do not need this tool, Windows Narrator can annoy you. And that’s the subject of this article today: how to disable Windows Narrator, which keeps narrating everything you do. And disabling it is a quite simple task, if you know where to look, of course.

Here’s how to disable Windows Narrator in a few simple steps:

  1. Open the Windows Search bar and type Narrator.
  2. Open Narrator from the list of results.
  3. When the Windows pop-ups, click Turn off Narrator.why is my computer saying everything i do

You can also disable the keyboard shortcut by going to Settings > Ease of Access. Under the Narrator section, uncheck the Allow the shortcut key to start Narrator. After that, you won’t hear the narrator saying your every move out loud.

Also, find out how to disable Windows 11 Narrator permanently.

In case you’re still trapped, we suggest telling us in the comments section, and we might be able to help. It’s just below, so feel free to tell us.

Windows 8.1/Windows 10 Takes a Long Time to Hibernate/ Shut Down After Plugging in SD Card

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Oh, SD Cards – there have been reported so many problems with them since Windows 8.1 and Windows 0 have been announced, that it’s hard to count, really. Now we take a look at yet another one that has been recently fixed by Microsoft.
windows 8.1 doesn't go to hibernate shut down sd card
As you can see in the above screenshot, the problem is described like this – ‘device takes a long time to hibernate or shut down after you plug in an SD card in Windows 8.1‘. But if you are already running Windows 10, then it’s the same for you, as well. Microsoft has issued a recent update that takes care of this, and you can get it via the traditional Windows Update functionality.

READ MORE: Windows 8, 8.1 Doesn’t Recognize my Micro SD Card [Fix]

Hibernate/shut down problems related to SD Cards in Windows 8.1 – solved

Here’s how the symptoms for this problem have been described:

You have an Intel Bay Trail-based or an Intel Bay Trail Cost Reduction (CR)-based device that is running Windows 8.1.
You plug in an SD card to the device.
You try to hibernate or shut down the device.
In this scenario, the device takes more time to hibernate or shut down than usual.

The fix has been delivered as part of update rollup 2995388 and it applies to Windows 8.1 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Pro and Windows 8.1.

Windows also can simply not shut down without any SD card interference, and at this moment you might think that the Card is the issue. First of all, you might need to detect the problem’s source. You want to try, first of all, some simple fixes in order to see if that solves your shutdown problem. Here are two guides that will help you with that:

Leave your comment below and let us know if it has solved your problems.

READ ALSO: Your Windows 10 computer won’t go to sleep? Here’s how to fix this

Windows Insiders are also getting invited to Microsoft’s October 2 NYC event

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Members of the media initially received their invites to Microsoft’s October 2nd NYC event last week, but some lucky members of the general public are in on the action now too. Noted by Neowin, Microsoft is inviting select Windows Insiders to a pre-event meet at Tortilla Flats in NYC, and also the main-press event at Industria Studios.

You can check out the full details on the Windows Insider event by checking here, but be aware that the Insider Event looks to be on an RSVP basis only. According to that website, only an “exclusive group” of Windows Insiders are invited, first meeting at 2:00 pm EDT at Tortilla Flats then eventually transitioning to the main press venue at 4:00 pm EDT.

We’ll be attending the main press event on October 2, where it is widely expected for Microsoft to unveil refreshed Surface devices, and even discuss the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. We put together a post of what we expect from this event, so be sure to check it out.

Microsoft re-publishes Windows 10 19H1 Build 18237 after unintentionally releasing it as encrypted

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft released Windows 10 19H1 Build 18237 to Skip Ahead Insiders yesterday, but many users were quick to report high memory usage and installation issues with this release. The Insider team was speedy in investigating the problems, and they’ve since provided an update, saying the build was re-released after unintentionally being pushed out as encrypted.

If you’re still having high memory usage or other issues with the build, the Windows Insider team said that they are still investigating to see if the re-published build resolves the problem. There are no further details beyond that, but Microsoft MVP Rafael Rivera dived deeper into what was causing the problem, explaining the technicalities in a series of tweets.

https://twitter.com/WithinRafael/status/1039986328576831488

Additionally, as noted by Richard Hay on Twitter, a symptom of getting this encrypted build could be the much-longer than normal install time. If that’s happening to you, it’s probably best to cancel the install or pause the update and restart. Did you also have issues installing this build? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft quietly takes controversial Edge “ads” offline, says it’s part of Insider testing

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Yesterday, we noted that Windows Insiders on Redstone 5 builds were getting an Edge app recommendation “ad” when trying to install Chrome or Firefox. Windows users across the internet have since shown major outrage over this, and it quickly became yet another controversy for Microsoft. Well, the company has now come forward on the issue, issuing a statement saying that the pop up is just a part of Insider testing (via ZDNet.):

We’ve tested this functionality with Insiders only – The Windows Insider Program enables Microsoft to test different features, functionality and garner feedback before rolling out broadly. Customers remain in control and can choose the browser of their choice.

In his testing, Ed Bott over at ZDNet found that the “ads” have since been turned off and can’t be reproduced with the latest Redstone 5 Windows Insider build, 17758.1. We also checked on PCs running build Redstone 5 build 17755.1 and 19H1 build 18234 and can confirm we’re not seeing these “ads.” as well.

Many other Windows features have disappeared and re-appeared after testing and a feedback period with Insiders, so it’s not surprising to see Microsoft pull that card here. The best example of this is the Sets feature and even A/B testing of certain features in the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft is obviously now trying to distance itself from the controversy, and the annoying pop up would probably have done very little to boost Microsoft Edge, which is still a decent browser. Do you agree that Microsoft went too far to promote its new web browser? Let us know below.

KB4457128 installs twice and breaks File Explorer

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Patch Tuesday on 11 September was just not meant to be a safe day for Windows 10 users. KB4457128, version OS Build 17134.285, has come with two major issues: duplicated installation and File Explorer crash.

Make sure to read this post before you install this security update. If you already updated your system, definitely check out below find out all the details of issues and fixes that were reported so far.

Read also: Microsoft releases new patches for Windows 10: KB4457138 and KB4457142

KB4457128 improvements and fixes

First, we are going to have a look at what this update includes as key changes. No new operating system features are being introduced since this update only brings quality improvements. Microsoft mentions the following:

  • provides protection against a Spectre Variant 2 vulnerability (CVE-2017-5715) for ARM64 devices.
  • addresses an issue that causes excessive CPU usage from the Program Compatibility Assistant (PCA) service.

KB4457128 brings security updates to:

  • Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Microsoft scripting engine
  • Microsoft Graphics Component
  • Windows media
  • Windows Shell
  • Windows Hyper-V
  • Windows datacenter networking
  • Windows virtualization and kernel
  • Windows Linux
  • Windows kernel
  • Microsoft JET Database Engine
  • Windows MSXML, and Windows Server.

Since this is a cumulative update, only the new fixes in this package will be downloaded and installed on your device, if you installed earlier updates.

KB4457128 issues

Duplicated installation of KB4457128

Early on today, in the Microsoft Answers community there was an issue reported regarding the double installation of KB4457128. Replies came shortly to confirm it is not a single case, but many observed this problem in the Windows Update History.KB4457128 installed twice

Apparently, there is no critical harm yet reported on any computers whatsoever, but a big sign of concern from a few Insiders:

The only issues so far coming from Release are Apps window sizes revert to default on the upgrade and still turns on “Show me suggested content in Settings” after turning this to off in Release. Most of the other issues have cleared up. This build shows promise. Will clean install this one in laptop.

Looks like Microsoft could have prevented this, but omitted to test these Cumulative Updates with the Insiders. Now the whole world has to deal with this, as one of the Insiders claims on the Microsoft Answers community:

This is what happens with MS not giving these CU to Insiders on Just Fixes as they once did prior to releasing. This could have been prevented. Now the whole world has to deal with this.

Other users have confirmed the double install, although observing that computer is running great.

You can also make sure to check your Event Viewer for any warnings or critical issues since signing in after this update. Also, check Security and Maintenance log for any problems.

One of the Microsoft Agents followed this thread and guaranteed that the engineering team knows about the issues now. It might be just a matter of time for the new patch to be released and fix this. Keep an eye on our news category to be informed.

File Explorer freezes after installing KB4457128

We have noticed that File Explorer was running quite slow today and scanning the forums appears that we are not the only one to see some problems. If you also happen to have these issues, do not hesitate to leave us a comment in the box below.

Try to organize your files in the File Explorer, and check its behavior even with few files in a folder. Pay attention to the speed it operates simple commands and if at any time appears to be frozen.

A few users have checked if programs that take lots of CPU/memory resources were run when these problems occurred. Also, reassured that no file transfer or other operations were actioned at that time.

How to fix File Explorer issues after installing the update

We recommend running a SFC/scannow to check and repair system files. Also, perform a refresh or reset for Windows. If you reset your system, you have the option to Keep personal files in the setup process.
Reset Windows 10 - Keep personal files and apps

Read also: 

There are various issues after Windows Updates in the previous builds, and we covered all of them with effective solutions. Let us know about your specific issue in the comments below.

Related stories to check out now:

How to fix YouTube DPI scaling in Windows 10/11

Posted on by Aleksandar Ognjanovic

Steps to fix DPI scaling problems on YouTube

  1. Adjust the System Display DPI settings
  2. Check the browser zoom-in options and disable add-ons
  3. Allow the browser to scale on its own
  4. Clear browser’s cache and browsing data
  5. Add the command parameter while running the browser
  6. Reinstall the browser
  7. Check GPU drivers

Bad DPI scaling is certainly not a novelty on the Windows platform. And it seems that Windows 10 has the most issues concerning high-resolution on small or medium-sized displays. That’s exactly one of the reasons why some users had a hard time with video reproduction on YouTube. Due to the discrepancy between PPI and DPI, videos appear blurry and barely watchable.

For that reason, we prepared a few solutions which should allow you to resolve the problem at hand. If you’re not sure what to do, follow the list we prepared below.

SOLVED: YouTube DPI issues in Windows 10

1: Adjust the System Display DPI settings

If the problem is local in nature or it impacts the DPI scaling in general, your first step should be to change the default value and look for changes. This is a grave problem Microsoft still hasn’t dealt with. The large-scale display will suffer from blurriness and this includes video streaming. Even in some UWP apps which are native. Thus the DPI issue with the YouTube videos reproduction appears.

Follow these steps to change the system DPI settings:

  1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
  2. Choose System.windows 10 dpi fix youtube
  3. Under the Display section, choose the recommended Scaling. Here’s it’s on 100% as it should be on this display configuration.windows 10 dpi fix youtube
  4. Also, you can click on the Advanced scaling settings just under and toggle on the “Let Windows try to fix apps so they are not blurry” option.windows 10 dpi fix youtube

2: Check the browser zoom-in options and disable add-ons

When you stream a video, you’ll probably use a web browser to access YouTube. The negative DPI scaling effect can be a result of various complex shortcomings. However, it can be inflicted by the simplest of errors.

Namely, if you zoomed in (or zoomed out, for that matter) your browser UI, the video streaming might come blurry and with the bad DPI scaling. Of course, this can be avoided by simply resetting Zoom options to default (100%).

In addition, we suggest temporarily disabling all add-ons you have. Some of them, especially the anti-tracking extensions and add-blockers can disrupt video reproduction. And, as a final note in this section, we must suggest checking the network connection. YouTube will automatically reduce the reproduction quality if you have a subpar connection or a slow bandwidth.

3: Allow the browser to scale on its own

The DPI scaling is a grave problem for the UWP apps as they’re programmed to follow the system scaling. However, standard third-party win32 programs have an option to configure the DPI scaling on their own. This might help you overcome the problem with the YouTube DPI scaling on YouTube.

This is applicable to any application, and this includes all web browsers. It’s the part of the Compatibility options which are used to optimize and improve the user experience of older or non-compatible programs.

Follow these steps to allow a web browser to use its own DPI settings:

  1. Right-click on the browser’s desktop shortcut and open Properties.
  2. Choose the Compatibility tab.
  3. Click on the “Change High DPI settings” button.
  4. Check the “Use this setting to fix scaling problems for this program instead of the one in Settings” box.
  5. Check the “Override high DPI scaling behavior” box and choose Application from the drop-down menu.windows 10 dpi fix youtube

4: Clear browser’s cache and browsing data

While we’re at it, let’s continue with the browser-related troubleshooting. Google Chrome is, for example, known to have certain problems on Windows 10 when it comes to DPI scaling. To some extent, this has to do with Windows 10, while sometimes the clogged Chrome is the one to blame.

Cached data can be helpful, with an intention to speed up your browsing and make the experience as seamless as possible. However, over time, it can impact the overall performance. For that reason, we suggest clearing the browser’s cache. Hopefully, that will allow you to watch YouTube videos without blur or a bad case of DPI scaling.

Here’s how to clear browser’s cache on Chrome, Mozilla, and Edge, respectively.

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox

  1. Press Shift + Ctrl + Delete to open the “Clear browsing data” menu.
  2. Select “All time” as the time range.
  3. Focus on deleting ‘Cookies’, ‘Cached Images and Files‘, and other site data.
  4. Click on the Clear Data button.windows 10 dpi fix youtube

Microsoft Edge

  1. Open Edge.
  2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete.
  3. Check all the boxes and click Clear.windows 10 dpi fix youtube

5: Add the command parameter while running the browser

Another way to manipulate the execution of a third-party program in a Windows platform is to add the run parameter. There are various parameters you can use to manually configure the behavior of the application at hand. In this case, we need to set the parameter which forces the High DPI support.

This can be done through the shortcut Properties. If you’re not sure how to do it, follow the steps we enlisted below:

  1. Right-click on the browser’s desktop shortcut and open Properties.
  2. Under the Shortcut tab, focus on the Target tab.
  3. To the installation path, add the following parameter and save changes.
    • dpi-support=1 /force-device-scale-factor=1windows 10 dpi fix youtube

6: Reinstall the browser

If your browser is the only distinctive part that underperforms, reinstallation is a valid option. There are lots of reasons for a browser to start misbehaving. This, of course, can be easily solved by completely wiping out the current installation and downloading the latest iteration of the said browser.

After you’ve done that, you should be able to use YouTube without scaling DPI issues. Just don’t forget to delete all locally stored data the browser created.

7: Check GPU drivers

Finally, the problem might lie in the faulty graphics card driver. We need you to confirm that the proper driver is installed by checking the available resolutions. Your native resolution should be set as the default value. If the values are lower, that means that the GPU driver isn’t installed and that the generic display driver is active. And we don’t want that.

This is especially the case just after the system installation. Windows 10 mostly installs all essential drivers, but it has a hard time obtaining the proper GPU driver most of the time.

What you need to do to fix this is to get the driver manually, from the OEM’s official site. You can find the drivers on one of these 3 websites:

With that said, we can conclude this article. In case you’re still suffering from the DPI scaling issues on YouTube, make sure to post the details here. We might help you with enough information provided. You can do so in the comments section below.

Error 0x8000ffff while installing KB4457144 on Windows 7: what to do?

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Windows 7 patch Tuesday is here and brings some security improvements, but also some issues. The update fails to install for some users because of 0x8000ffff error that will not let you to.

It seems that the cause of ‘install failed’ error while installing the KB4457144 update on your Windows 7 system is the 0x8000ffff error.

While many users cannot install this KB, there are many others that do not have any struggles with that even if the installation runs really slow.

Some users reported on askwoody.com dedicated topic that the ‘Retry’ option will not help this problem.

Well, there is not yet any fix, and we will have to wait a little bit until Microsoft fixes it. Here are the thoughts of an anonymous user about this:

‘Aerosmith you will probably be waiting a few days at least for people to report it, and Microsoft to investigate it. Then they have to fix it.’

Are Windows 7 updates still available? Yes, they are! Find out more about this from our article!

How to avoid Error 0x8000ffff on your Windows 7 PC?

We are afraid that many of you that tried to install this KB,  had no results. You will probably not be able to do it until it will not get fixed.

However, a few days without the newest patch are not critical for your Windows 7 PC and you can wait so you can install the fixed KB4457144 version.

You can also try to perform some steps on your own. First of all, you will find how to fix the 0x8000fff error here.

It is our exhaustive guide that contains seven solutions in order to help you get rid of this error code while downloading Windows updates.

If you do not arrive to follow all the steps from the guide, simply perform the following steps:

  • Stop the update if you already started it (if you have not – do not do it)
  • Hide temporarily this update
  • Open your update center in Windows 7 and set your update options to ‘Never check for updates‘
  • When the update is officially fixed, roll back the setting ‘Never check for updates‘
  • Check for updates, and install KB4457144

This is all that is known about this update at this moment. Keep an eye on our site so you could be the first to know if this problem was fixed. Do not forget to let us know in the comment section if you found a workaround to this annoying issue.

Windows 7 KB4457144, KB4457145 security updates and fixes

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Microsoft released on 11 September 2018 the monthly roll-up and a security-only update for Windows 7 users as part of the cumulative updates.

KB4457145 for Windows 7 includes security updates to Windows media, Windows Shell, Windows Hyper-V, Windows kernel, Windows datacenter networking, Windows virtualization and kernel, Microsoft JET Database Engine, Windows MSXML, and Windows Server.

There were no reported issues with this update. If you encounter any problems, leave us a comment in the box below the article.

KB4457144 changelog

This monthly roll-up that includes improvements and fixes as part of update KB4343894 (released August 30, 2018) and addresses issues related to security updates for:

  • Windows media
  • Windows Shell
  • Windows Hyper-V
  • Windows kernel
  • Windows datacenter networking
  • Windows virtualization and kernel
  • Microsoft JET Database Engine
  • Windows MSXML and Windows Server.

In the released notes, Microsoft team mentioned that the following software also benefits from security updates:

  • Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Services and Web Apps
  • ChakraCore
  • Adobe Flash Player
  • .NET Framework
  • Microsoft.Data.OData
  • ASP.NET

KB4457144 issues

Microsoft warns about the known issues that may occur when applying this update. The network interface controller (NIC) could stop working on some configurations. The exact problematic configurations are currently unknown, but aparently is related to a missing file, oem<number>.inf.

If you encounter this issue, try the suggested workaround and manually locate the network device.

  • Open Device Manager and locate devmgmt.msc

A second solution is to Scan for Hardware Changes from the Action menu on the Device Manager panel. This will automatically rediscover the NIC and install drivers.
Scan for Hardware Changes from Action menu in Device Manager

How to get KB4457144 security update

Windows Update service will automatically download and install this update. However, you can also download the standalone package for this update form the Microsoft Update Catalog.

Related articles to check out:

[Updated] Windows 10 Insider preview 18237 comes with Task Manager fixes and more

Posted on by Kareem Anderson

Microsoft’s Windows team has just dropped its latest Insider preview for the Skip Ahead release ring. With Windows 10 Insider preview build 18237. Insiders are given a hefty list of fixes and improvements.

UPDATE: Microsoft is investigating an issue with this build where some users are getting update failed with error code 0x8007000e or seeing very high RAM usage. You can check this page for more details. Please log your feedback on this RAM usage problem in the Feedback Hub here, and with the 0x800700e error here.

Here’s what’s been fixed and improved upon in build 18237,

  • General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC
    We fixed an issue where Task Manager couldn’t be resized in the previous flight.
  • We fixed and issue resulting in Settings crashing when navigating to Accounts > Sign-in in the previous flight.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in reduced Action Center reliability in recent flights.
  • We fixed an issue where if you opened one of the taskbar flyouts (like network or volume), and then quickly tried to open another, it wouldn’t work.
  • We fixed an issue for people with multiple monitors where if the Open or Save Dialog was moved between monitors some elements might become unexpectedly tiny.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in certain apps crashing recently when setting focus to the in-app search box.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in certain games, like League of Legends, not launching/connecting properly in recent flights.
  • We fixed an issue where clicking on web links in PWAs such as Twitter didn’t open the browser.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in certain PWAs not rendering correctly after the app had been suspended then resumed.
  • We fixed an issue where pasting multi-line text into certain websites using Microsoft Edge might add unexpected empty lines between each line.
  • We fixed a crash in recent flights when using the pen to ink in Microsoft Edge’s web notes.
  • We fixed a high hitting Task Manager crash in recent flights.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in Settings crashing for Insiders with multiple monitors when changing various options under Display Settings in the last few flights.
  • We fixed a crash when clicking the Verify link on the Accounts Settings page in recent flights.
  • We’ve added a new group policy for preventing the use of security questions for local accounts. This can be found under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Credential User Interface.
  • We fixed an issue where the contents of the Apps & Features page wouldn’t load until the apps list was ready, resulting in the page appearing blank for a time.
  • We fixed an issue where the list on Settings of built-in phrases for the Pinyin IME was blank.
  • We fixed an issue in Narrator where activating Microsoft Edge history items would not work in Scan mode.
  • We made some improvements in Narrator Selection when moving forward in Microsoft Edge. Please try this out and use the Feedback hub app to let us know any issues you encounter.
  • We fixed an issue where Narrator would incorrectly report some standard combo boxes as “editable combo box” instead of “combo box”.

However, this wouldn’t be a Skip Ahead preview without a few issues testers need to be aware when downloading this build. Here are some notes for testers and developers.

Known issues

  • Narrator sometimes does not read in the Settings app when you navigate using Tab and arrow keys. Try switching to Narrator Scan mode temporarily. And when you turn Scan mode off again, Narrator will now read when you navigate using Tab and arrows key. Alternatively, you can restart Narrator to work around this issue.
  • You may notice the background of notifications and the Action Center lose color and become transparent (with an acrylic effect). We’re aware that for notifications this can make them difficult to read and appreciate your patience as we work on a fix.

Known issues for Developers

  • If you install any of the recent builds from the Fast ring and switch to the Slow ring – optional content such as enabling developer mode will fail. You will have to remain in the Fast ring to add/install/enable optional content. This is because optional content will only install on builds approved for specific rings.

A lot has been addressed in this build, but I’m sure we’ll see more addressed in upcoming builds as the Windows team preps for a possible October release of the next Windows 10 Update.

 

Why Windows 10 Needs to be Free for Windows 8, 8.1

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Windows 8 is a concept that hasn’t been liked by too many long-time Windows customers, mainly because it took away some features that they were so familiar with. But Windows 10 is said to come and fix these issues and here’s why it needs to be free for Windows 8 owners.
free windows 10 for windows 8
Windows 10 is said to be Microsoft’s operating system that Windows 8 was supposed to be. After millions complained about the absence of the Start Menu and didn’t adopt the Windows Store idea wholeheartedly, Microsoft had issued Windows 8.1, trying to fix some of the problems.

However, even that wasn’t enough, despite the various desktop improvements that were released for mouse and keyboard users. That’s why many rushed to uninstall Windows 8.1, which resulted in a lot of issues and problems.

READ MORE: How to Get Windows 8.1, 10 for Free Without Breaking Laws

But the biggest problem for Microsoft is that Windows 7 and even Windows XP haven’t embraced the Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 concept that easily. And here’s where Windows 10 steps in – not only that it tries to bring familiar desktop features, but it unifies the experience across Windows Phone, desktop, tablet and, why not, even wearable devices.

However, it would be a disaster if Microsoft forced Windows 8 or 8.1 owners to pay for Windows 10. After all, it doesn’t come with groundbreaking new features. And I think that Windows 8 owners should be rewarded for embracing the new vision. Windows 10 is also Microsoft’s way of saying ‘sorry’ to Windows XP, Vista and 7 users that wanted to make an upgrade to something new.

As for Windows 8 users, Windows 10 simply has to be free for them, there really is no other way around.

Windows 10: free or not for 8, 8.1 users? [2018 update]

Even though many Windows users still think about whether upgrading to Windows 10 or not, I have upgraded. Having a paid license on a Windows 8.1 laptop, I have upgraded to Windows 10 whithout paying a single penny. I just used the license key that I have extracted with Magical Jelly Bean KeyFinder, a great tool for not losing your license key.

After the upgrade, my Windows 10 worked like a charm and it still works. I suggest you check your license key if you have bought Windows 8 or 8.1. If you have NOT and you have a free copy or a non-licensed copy then prepare your wallet because this will cost you a Windows 10 license.

READ ALSO: Windows Store Nearing 200,000 Apps Milestone

Microsoft releases Windows 10 SDK Preview Build 17754 and second preview of Visual Studio 2017 version 15.9

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft released yesterday the Windows 10 SDK preview build 17754 as well as the second preview of Visual Studio 2017 version 15.9. After installing the latter, developers will see that the latest Windows 10 Preview SDK is now included as an optional component in the Universal Windows Platform development Workload, which is pretty convenient for accessing the latest Windows 10 APIs right away.

Visual Studio 2017 version 15.9 Preview 2 comes with the following new features for developers (more details are available here):

  • You can now import and export an installation configuration file that specifies which workloads and components should be installed with an instance of Visual Studio.
  • Step back in debugger is now available in C++.
  • We fixed several bugs in the F# compiler when working with byref types.

Visual Studio 2017 version 15.9 Preview 2 shouldn’t be used in a production environment, though you can use this latest preview release alongside other versions of Visual Studio. You can download this latest preview from the Visual Studio website, and the Windows 10 SDK preview build 17754 is available on this page.

Fixed: SD Card Not Recognized After you Wake up Windows 8.1, Windows 10

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

If your SD card is not recognized when you wake up the computer in Windows 8.1 or a version of Windows Server, or even Windows 10, then it seems that Microsoft has already worked out a fix for you. Let’s have a look at some more details after the image.
sd card not recognized windows 8, windows 10
There are various problems link to the SD Card functionality in Windows 8 and Windows 10, and we have previously talked about a bunch of problems, such as the following ones:
READ MORE: Format SD cards on Windows 10 using these software solutions

SD Cards not being recognized by Windows computer – problem solved

Today, however, we won’t be telling you how to fix yet another annoying problem related to the malfunction of your SD card in Windows 8 or Windows 10, but we’ll just inform you that it has been fixed by Microsoft.

So, the problem sounds like this – when you insert an SD card into the SD card reader, the SD card cannot be recognized in one of the following scenarios either immediately after you wake the computer from sleep mode or the computer does not go to sleep but the SD card reader is idle for a long time without an SD card inserted.

This problem has been fixed as part of update rollup 2995388, and unfortunately, there is no hotfix available for download. So, this means that you will have to perform the latest Windows Update to get this fix, as well. This applies to all versions of Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.1 as well as Windows RT 8.1.

Common ‘SD Card not being recognized’ problems

‘SD Card not recognized’ is a common error for Windows 10, 8.1 users. It is important to know that many users managed to fix this type of errors by applying general fixes. We have monitored these issues along the time and have some general fixes for you. Here they are:

The first guide is for general SD Card issues. It can be applied to any SD card out there. The second fix is more for users which use their mobile phones Micro SD cards and have issues with them. We hope that this information will help you and you will let a comment so we could see what solution helped you.

READ ALSO: Fix: Windows Computer Doesn’t Recognize SD Card

How to fix corrupted .NET Framework issues

Posted on by Matthew Adams

How to repair .NET Framework in Windows 10

  1. Run a System File Checker Scan
  2. Open the .NET Framework Repair Tool
  3. Repair .NET Framework via Programs and Features
  4. Reinstall .NET Framework

NET Framework is a runtime environment and programming framework that’s essential for running some software. Thus, a .NET Framework error message might pop up in Windows when you run certain software if .NET gets corrupted. For example, one .NET error message states: Microsoft .NET Framework Error: Unhandled exception has occurred in your application.

If you suspect that .NET Framework is corrupted on your Windows laptop or desktop, check out some of the potential resolutions below.

SOLVED: .NET Framework file corruption problems

1. Run a System File Checker Scan

Some .NET Framework versions are integrated within Windows. Thus, running a System File Checker, which fixes corrupted system files, might also repair .NET Framework. You can run an SFC scan as follows in Windows 10 or 8.1.

  • Open the Win + X menu with the Windows key + X hotkey.
  • Click Command Prompt (Admin) to open an elevated Prompt window.

  • Before you initiate an SFC scan, input ‘DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth’ and press Enter.
  • Next, input ‘sfc /scannow’ in the Command Prompt; and press the Return key.

sfc scannow

  • Wait for the SFC utility to scan, which might take up to 30 minutes. Then restart Windows if the Command Prompt states that Windows Resource Protection repaired system files.

— RELATED: Full Fix: Windows Driver Frameworks uses too much CPU

2. Open the .NET Framework Repair Tool

The Microsoft .NET Framework Repair Tool is a utility for repairing .NET Framework. That’s certainly a utility worth noting for fixing a corrupted .NET Framework. Click Download on this page to save the utility to Windows. Then open NetFxRepairTool from the folder you downloaded it, and click the Next button to initiate the repairs.

3. Repair .NET Framework via Programs and Features

This is a fix more specifically for earlier Windows platforms, such as Windows XP, that don’t include so many built-in .NET versions. The Programs and Features applet lists .NET Framework versions installed via Windows Update in older Windows platforms. If you’ve installed any older .NET Framework version manually, you might also find it listed in Control Panel’s Programs and Features. If so, you can select a Change/Uninstall option to repair corrupted .NET Framework versions.

  • To repair .NET Framework versions via the Control Panel, press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.
  • Enter ‘appwiz.cpl’ in the Open text box, and click the OK button.

  • Select a .NET Framework version listed in the Programs and Features applet if you can anything.
  • Then you can press a Change/Uninstall button to open a window that includes a Repair .NET Framework option on it.
  • Select the Repair .NET Framework to its original state option.
  • Then click the Next button to fix .NET Framework.

— RELATED: Fix: .NET Framework 3.5 is Missing From Windows 10

4. Reinstall .NET Framework

Reinstalling .NET Framework will get rid of the corrupted versions. Then you can replace the corrupted .NET Framework versions by reinstalling them. This is how you can quickly uninstall all .NET versions with the .NET Framework Cleanup Tool and then reinstall them.

  • Open this Softpedia webpage in your browser.
  • Click the Download Now button on that page to save the .NET Framework Cleanup Tool ZIP to a folder.
  • Double-click the dotnetfx_cleanup_tool ZIP in the folder you downloaded it to. Then press the Extract all button.
  • Click Browse to choose a path to extract the ZIP to, and press the Extract button.

  • Open .NET Framework Cleanup Tool from the extracted folder.
  • Click Yes on the dialog box that opens.
  • Then select the .NET Framework – All Versions option on the Product to cleanup drop-down menu.

  • Press the Cleanup Now button.
  • You can quickly reinstall .NET Framework versions with All in One Runtimes, which enables users to reinstall all essential Windows runtimes. To add that software to Windows, click All in One Runtimes on this webpage.

  • When you’ve launched All in One Runtimes, select the .NET Framework check boxes on the Installation tab.
  • Click Install to reinstall .NET Framework.
  • This guide also includes more information on how to download .NET Framework.

So that’s how you can fix corrupted .NET Framework in Windows. In addition, check for Windows updates that might provide .NET updates with the Check for updates button in Settings.

Fixing corrupted .NET Framework will ensure you can run all software that needs it. You may also run into similar issues when a critical DLL file like the mscorlib.dll is missing or damaged.

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Fixed: ‘Taskbar Works Incorrectly, Duplicated’ in Windows 10

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

As part of its most recent updates, the Windows team has provided some working fixed and updates for issues related to the taskbar. So, if the taskbar works incorrectly or is duplicated in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1, 10 the fix is here.
taskbar Works incorrectly or is Duplicated in Windows 8 10Here’s how the official issue has been described – “The taskbar does not work correctly on a computer that is running Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1, or Windows RT 8.1. In some cases, the taskbar remains on the screen for longer than expected or there may be a duplicate taskbar.” But what’s really awesome is that the fix has been provided via the traditional Windows Update.

READ ALSO: How to Clear the Clipboard in Windows 8, Windows 10

Problems fixed with taskbar functionality in Windows 10

So, make sure you install update rollup 2984006 when you perform the latest Windows Update check.  install update rollup 2984006. As always, the update applies to the following operating systems – Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter, Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard, Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Pro, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10.

Common Taskbar functionality solved issues

Many Taskbar issues have not received official fixes at that time, but luckily we have managed to find out how to get rid of them. For our readers, we have listed them below so you could fix various taskbar problems. Here they are:

Let us know in the comment section what solution helped you. Do not forget to add new ones so we could update our guide.

READ ALSO: Fixed: Price Appears Incorrectly for Some Windows Store Apps

Fixed: Price Appears Incorrectly for Some Windows Store Apps

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

As part of its recent updates that got rolled out, Microsoft has issued a bunch of fixes that are affecting Windows 8 and upcoming Windows 10 users. We’re talking now about a fix related to incorrect display of prices on the Windows Store.
incorrect price windows store apps
Sometimes, you might get some annoying problems related to the price of various apps on the Windows Store. Through the Windows Update utility, Microsoft’s dedicated team has taken care of some problems related to promotional items. So, to get rid of these problems yourself, make sure you have installed the latest update.

READ ALSO: Windows Store Error Codes on Windows 8, 8.1: Complete Guide to Fix Them

Problems with incorrect Windows apps price fixed

Here’s how the issue has been described:

Some promotional items are priced at $0.00 but are labeled as 99% off in Windows Store in Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, or Windows Server 2012 R2. These items should be labeled as 100% off.

In order to fix this issue, you will need to make sure that you have installed the update rollup 2984006. Just like pretty much all the updates of this kind, it will apply to Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter, Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard, Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials, Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 Pro, Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 operating systems.

Fix Wrong currency displayed

You also might have the wrong currency displayed and this can be very annoying. Here’s how you can fix this issue:

  1. In the Search bar tap ‘settings’ (For Windows 8 or 8.1 tap Windows Button+C to open charms bar and click on ‘search’)
  2. In ‘Settings’ type ‘location’
  3. Select ‘Change Location’
  4. Change the ‘Home Location’

This might help you to have your country’s currency while entering Windows Store. Let us know in the comment section how have you fixed this issue.

READ ALSO: Fixed: Downloading Stops in Xbox Video App for Windows 8.1, Windows 10