Many users have been reporting massive packet loss & ping spikes on Virgin Media consistently, preventing them from accessing the internet.
While in most cases, the issue seems to be on the end of Virgin Media due to an overloaded and congested network, there could be external issues as well.
Why am I having packet loss on Virgin Media? These are some of the factors to consider:
Network connection issues due to power lines, cameras, wireless speakers, and wireless phones
Link congestion to high traffic
Faulty network hardware problems
When the network is operating at a higher capacity than it was designed for
Incorrect configuration
Security risks and software bugs
So, if you suffer from huge packet loss on Virgin Media, we recommend you try the below troubleshooting methods to fix the issue.
How do I fix packet loss on Virgin Media?
Before we head to the slightly complex fixes, here are some tips for basic troubleshooting:
Restart the router.
Check the cable connections, and if any are loose, reconnect them and make sure they are firmly plugged in.
In case you are using a wireless connection, switch to a wired one to improve the Internet speed.
Make sure the hardware is not damaged. Check for cracks or sounds from within the router, and in case there are any, replace it.
If these don’t work, head to the solutions listed next.
1. Use a VPN
One of the safest options to solve packet loss is using a reliable VPN service. ExpressVPN is a top-notch software with a strong set of core features. Even though Virgin Media blocks some VPN providers, Express VPN is still compatible.
It helps you browse the internet without sacrificing your security or privacy. You can stream or download any content thanks to its unlimited bandwidth. You can also access any applications securely from anywhere.
Furthermore, ExpressVPN can improve your connection and streaming speeds if your ISP has been throttling traffic. It also keeps your online activity secure and more private because your connection is protected with tunneling and encryption. Thus, ISPs are incapable of inspecting your data packets.
This VPN can reduce ping and lower latency so you can get the most out of the streaming experience. To make sure your internet connection performs maximally, try to connect to a server location closest to your geographic location.
ExpressVPN
Boost your connection and fix packet loss with ExpressVPN’s impressive features.
Open the Run console by pressing the Win + R hotkeys.
In the search box, type ncpa.cpland hit Enter.
Now, under Network Connections, go to your WiFi, right-click on it, and select Properties.
In the WiFi Properties dialog, go to the Networking tab, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP4), and click on Properties.
In the next dialog, go to the General tab, select Use the following DNS server addresses, and enter these DNS addresses in the respective fields: Preferred DNS server:8.8.8.8and Alternate DNS server:8.8.4.4.
Press OK to save the changes and exit.
4. Update your router’s software
Type the router address in your browser’s address bar (find it in the router’s manual), and sign in.
Next, locate the Firmware update, Software update, or Router Upgrade option on the left. It’s usually under Administration, Utilities, or Maintenance.
Now, on the right, click on Check to check for updates and install them.
The router will now restart, and the packet loss issue on Virgin Media should be resolved.
NOTE
You can also visit the manufacturer’s website, download the latest firmware update, and save it on your desktop. You can then browse the saved file and finish installing the update.
Is Virgin Media Internet good for gaming?
Though Virgin Media is good for gaming in general, a lot depends on the location and its services there. So, you must identify how Virgin Media Internet performs in a particular locality.
There are forums where some seem content with the services while others had ping at 7000 ms, which would make competitive gaming next to impossible. If the connection benefits others, try using a Virgin gaming broadband for better performance.
How do I test my packet loss?
You can follow the below instructions to test for packet loss on a Windows PC:
Press the Win + R keys simultaneously on your PC to launch the Run console.
In the search field, type cmd and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys together to open the elevated Command Prompt window.
Now, run the below commands in the Command Prompt (Admin) window and hit Enter: ping -n 100 1.1.1.1
NOTE
Here, ping = the command to ping. Leave it as it is. -n XXX = allows you to set the number of times it runs the test. The default is 4. X.X.X.X = the IP address you are testing the connection to. You can use Google (8.8.8.8).
Once done, you can now check the results for the percentage of packet loss.
How can I improve my virgin media quality?
To improve the signal quality of the Virgin Media network, you can follow the below methods:
Unplug the router, wait for a couple of seconds, and then plug it back in
Check if your router is capable of delivering faster broadband speeds
Test each device to identify the one that’s causing the packet loss
Remove any physical interferences like cordless phones or microwaves
Place your router in an elevated space that has no obstruction
Replace older Ethernet cables with new and shorter ones
Make sure that your router has the latest updated firmware
Some users prefer to change NTFS permissions for certain folders in Windows 11, so they can access them better.
However, tinkering with permission settings can generate issues. One of our readers said that he accidentally stopped the Change task permission for a user, and his system became unstable.
Moreover, he couldn’t change the permission because he was denied access to certain folders.
Has something similar happened on your PC? If so, you’re in the same boat as the quoted user above. You can reset all NTFS permissions to default with the methods in this guide below.
What are NTFS Permissions?
NTFS stands for New Technology File System and is a type of file system for Windows PCs. However, NTFS isn’t anything new since it replaced the FAT file system for older platforms in ‘93.
The NTFS permissions control (manage) folder and file access for its filing system. You can select several permission options for folders from their Security tabs.
What is the icacls tool?
Icacls is a command-line utility with which you can modify folder and file permissions. You can input icacls commands to reset NTFS permissions for specific folders or all directories.
The icacls.exe command specified in the first method resets permissions for all subfolders and files in a directory. This Microsoft page details the icacls command syntax and its parameters.
How do I reset permissions in Windows 11?
1. Use the icacls.exe command
1. Press the Search button on the Taskbar, type cmd, and select Run as administrator.
2. Then open a folder you want to reset all permissions for in Windows 11 with the Command Prompt’s Cd\(folder path) command. You can open the root directory by executing this command:Cd\
3. To take ownership of an open directory tree, input the following text and hit Enter:takeown /R /F *
4. Input this command and press Return:icacls * /t /q /c /reset
5. Alternatively, you can reset a folder tree’s permissions to default by including its directory path in the command. Execute this command with a real folder location included within the brachets:icacls [full folder path] /reset /t /c /l
In order to reset all permissions to default on Windows 11 using the icals command, you need to use the built-in command-line tool Command Prompt.
Cmd allows you to take ownership of an open directory tree and then reset it with the icals.exe command.
Double-click the downloaded file to install it to the following path (If your system is installed on another drive then C:, replace the letter accordingly): C:\Windows\System32
Now, open Notepad and type or paste the following commands:
Click File from the menu, select Save As, and then name the file reset.cmd.
Click on Save as type, and then select All Files (*.*), save the file to any location you want, and close Notepad.
Go to the location of the file and double-click it to reset the permissions. The procedure will take a few minutes, so be patient.
That’s it! This will restore default security permissions for the hard disk partitions.
How can I back up and restore NTFS permissions in Windows?
It’s a good idea to back up NTFS permissions before messing around with folder and file permission settings. Then you’ll easily be able to restore backed-up permissions when required.
You can back up and restore NTFS permissions with the same icacls command-line tool needed for resetting them. This is how to back up and restore folder and file permissions with two commands:
Open Command Prompt with admin user rights as specified in steps one to four for method one.
Navigate to a folder tree for which to back up permissions in the Command Prompt.
To back up permissions, input and execute this icacls command: icacls c:data /save ntfs-permissions-folder.txt /t /c
You can restore permissions by executing this icacls command: icacls c: /restore ntfs-permissions-folder.txt
How do I remove administrator permission from external hard drive?
Right-click on the external hard drive, and select Properties.
Head to the Security tab, and click Advanced.
Now, click on Change.
Enter Everyone in the text field, click on Check names, and then on OK on all windows to save the changes.
Again, head to the Security tab in Properties, and click on Edit.
Make sure everyone has all the permissions, and then save the changes.
This should stop administrator permission prompts on external drives from now on, and you can easily transfer files. Also, if you were wondering how to change the read & write permissions on external hard drive, untick the suitable checkbox in the last step.
You can discuss resetting NTFS permissions in this page’s comment section. If you know of any other good way to reset NTFS permissions in Windows 11, let us know about it below.
Zoom not connecting to earphones or headphones is a real problem if you rely on this video calling app. Luckily, the underlying causes aren’t too critical to fix.
From muted headphones to audio settings, USB port settings, and conflicting apps, we’ll address all possible culprits below.
What can I do if my headphones are not working on Zoom?
Before jumping to the advanced solutions, try restarting your device. Also, make sure the mute button isn’t ON, and that your headphones are set as the default output device.
Let’s now check out more troubleshooting tips:
1. Check audio settings in Zoom
Launch Zoom.
Click on the gear icon to open Settings.
Select Audio from the left side.
Click on the drop-down menu for Speakers and select your headphones.
Click on the drop-down menu for Microphone and select your headphones. Here you can test if the app is picking up audio from your headphones or not.
Close Settings and check if this resolves the headphones are not working on Zoom problem.
2. Ensure Zoom is not muted by your PC
Right-click on the Sound icon at the bottom-left taskbar menu.
Select the Open volume mixer option.
Make sure the levels for Zoom are set to 100.
3. Make sure the correct device is selected
LaunchZoom.
Connectto your meeting.
Click on the upward arrow next to the Microphone icon labeled Mute.
Ensure that your headphones are selected under the Speakers section.
4. Turn off Hands-free Telephony
Open the Start menu by pressing the Windows button.
Search for Control Panel and open it.
Click on View by and select Large or Small icons.
Right-click on Devices and Printers and select Open in a new window.
Right-click on your Bluetooth headphone and select Properties.
Switch to the Services tab.
Under the Bluetooth Services section, uncheck the Hands-free Telephony option.
Click Apply and OK.
This solution was suggested by one of Zoom’s users who contacted us. Notably, disabling handsfree telephony has helped several users fix the headphones not working on Zoom issues.
Following simple tweaks like the ones above should help you fix Zoom when it’s not connecting to earphones. Leave a comment below letting us know which method helped you.
Typing and editing on your PC are easy because you can use several functions to create your documents and other written files.
However, it can be a nightmare when users encounter problems with backspace only deleting one letter when holding it down.
Why does my backspace key only delete one letter at a time?
The backspace key only deleting one letter at a time on Windows 11 causes a tiring delay in work time because of the hold at intervals. Holding down the delete key should delete letters sporadically, breaking only when the key is released.
However, the issue can be due to several underlying factors affecting the keyboard and your computer. Some of these factors are:
Enabled Filter Keys feature – If the Filter key feature is enabled, your system ignores or slows down repeated keystrokes and adjusts keyboard repeat rates and holding down the delete key becomes ineffective.
Outdated keyboard device driver – You may encounter this issue if you don’t update your keyboard driver on Windows 11.
Outdated Windows and other issues with the PC – System-related issues like outdated OS can affect the functionality of peripherals connected to the PC. It can cause the backspace key to malfunction and other keys not to work on Windows 11.
So, if you have the same problem as our readers who said, my backspace key will not delete continuously as I hold it down, we’ll discuss some fixes for the problem and get your keyboard working.
What can I do if my backspace key only deletes one letter at a time?
Before proceeding with any troubleshooting steps, try the following preliminary checks:
Press Windows + R keys to prompt the Run window, type devmgmt.msc, and click OK to open the Device Manager.
Expand the Keyboards entry, right-click on the keyboard devices, then select Update driver from the drop-down menu.
Click on Search Automatically for drivers option.
Repeat the procedure for other drivers on your PC.
Updating the keyboard driver will fix bugs affecting the device and install the latest features to improve its performance. Read our guide for other steps for updating drivers on Windows if you have any issues.
Besides this manual method of updating your keyboard driver, you can try using a dedicated program to help you accomplish this task automatically.
4. Reinstall the keyboard device
Press Windows + R keys to prompt the Run window, type devmgmt.msc, and click OK to open the Device Manager.
Select the Keyboards entry, right-click on your Keyboard device and then select Uninstall device from the drop-down menu.
Click Uninstall in the confirmation box and wait for the process to complete.
Restart your PC. It will automatically install the missing driver.
Uninstalling the keyboard device will resolve corrupt device files, settings issues, and other keyboard-felted issues.
In conclusion, after applying these fixes, backspace should cease to delete one letter at a time, and all the other keys should work smoothly. If you have further questions or suggestions, kindly use the comments section.
Many users like to keep their desktops looking fresh and tidy. However, some people report that their desktop icons won’t stay in place.
This can be frustrating, as you must repeat the changes to keep your icons organized. Thankfully, this issue can be fixed easily by following the steps in this guide.
Why are my desktop icons not staying in place?
Below are some of the factors that can cause your desktop icons not to stay in place:
Wrong settings: Some PC desktop and theme settings can rearrange your desktop icons after reboot. You need to ensure your settings are correct to fix the issue.
Outdated driver: Sometimes, your desktop icons rearrange after connecting to a monitor because your graphics driver is outdated. Updating your drivers to the latest version should fix this issue.
Faulty icon cache: Another potential cause of this issue is a corrupt icon cache. You must delete it and let your PC rebuild the cache to fix this.
What can I do if desktop icons won’t stay in place?
1. Change theme settings
Right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize.
Click on the Themes option.
Now, click on Desktop icon settings.
Uncheck the box for Allow themes to change desktop icons.
Finally, click the Apply button, followed by OK to save the changes.
One of the reasons your desktop icons won’t stay in place is because of your settings. The solution is to change your theme settings to prevent it from reversing your changes.
2. Disable auto-arrange
Right-click on your desktop and select the View option.
Now, uncheck the box for Auto-arrange icons to disable it.
Uncheck the box for Align Icons To Grid to disable it too.
Finally, restart your PC.
Your desktop has a setting that allows it to auto-arrange your icons, which can lead to them not staying in one place. It would be best if you deselected the option to make your icons stay fixed.
3. Delete the IconCache folder
Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer and follow the path below: C:/Users/<username>/App Data/Local/IconCache
If you can’t find the App Data folder, click the View tab and check Hidden items.
Now, right-click the IconCache file and select the Delete option.
Finally, arrange your icons again and restart your PC.
Another excellent solution if your desktop icons won’t stay in place is to delete the IconCache folder. This will allow your PC to rebuild the cache and eliminate the files causing this issue.
4. Change screen resolution
Right-click the space on your desktop and select Display settings.
Click the dropdown under Display resolution and select the recommended value. If it is already set to the recommended value, switch to another option.
Now, click the Change the size of text, apps, and other items dropdown and select the recommended value.
Click the Advanced scaling settings option.
Finally, tweak the scaling percentage, try with different values, and click the Apply button.
Sometimes, your display settings might be why your desktop icons won’t stay in place. For example, if you recently changed your resolution, scaling percentage, or other display settings, you need to switch back to the default to fix this issue.
Press the Windows key + X and select the Device Manager option.
Double-click the Display adapters option to expand it and right-click the device there.
Now, select Update driver.
Finally, choose Search automatically for drivers option.
If your desktop icons keep moving on multiple Windows 10 monitors, it might be because of outdated drivers. The solution to this is to update your driver to the latest version.
Besides using the manual method, you can also try specialized applications to proceed with this task automatically.
With this, we can conclude this detailed guide on keeping your desktop icons in place. All that is left is for you to follow the instructions carefully, and you should be able to get rid of the issue.
You might have encountered many error messages the hdaudsbus.sys latency error on your Windows device and looking for a fix to it.
In the tutorial below, you will find out why the high-definition audio bus driver reacts like that. And no matter the error, this article will show you how to fix it in a few steps.
What causes the hdaudbus.sys latency?
Below are some of the potential causes of the hdaudbus.sys latency issue on your PC:
Faulty update: The primary cause of this issue, as reported by many users, is a faulty Windows update. If you started noticing the error message after updating your PC, you need to remove the update.
Outdated driver: This hdaudbus.sys error might also be because your driver is outdated or not digitally signed. The solution to this is to update your driver to the latest version.
Before making changes to your PC in a bid to fix this error, below are some preliminary troubleshooting steps:
Unplug peripherals
Check the device for overheating
If this does not fix the issue, you can now proceed to the solutions below:
1. Uninstall updates
Press the Windows key + I to open theSettings app and select Update & Security.
Click the View update history option.
Now, select Uninstall updates.
Right-click the faulty update and select the Uninstall option.
Finally, follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
One of the major causes of this issue is an incompatible Windows update. Hence, to fix the problem, you need to uninstall the update to fix the hdaudbus.sys latency issue.
2. Repair system files
Press the Windows key + S, type cmd, and select Run as administrator under Command Prompt.
Type the command below and hit Enter to run it: sfc /scannow
Now, wait for the scan to complete and restart your PC.
If you’re still getting this error code, maybe some system files are missing or have become corrupted.
Fortunately, you can quickly fix the hdaudbus.sys latency problem with the System File Checker. It will correct any issues found in the Registry.
3. Troubleshoot regsvr32 hdaudbus.sys in Command Prompt
Press the Windows key, type cmd, and select Run as Administrator under Command Prompt.
Type the command below and hit Enter: regsvr32 hdaudbus.sys
Finally, wait for the scan to complete and restart your PC.
Sometimes, running a few commands should fix the hdaudbus.sys latency issue. After running the command, make sure you restart your PC to effect the changes.
4. Download the latest audio/ display drivers
Go to your audio/display driver manufacturer’s website and download the latest driver versions for your Windows device.
Extract the downloaded file if it is a zipped file.
Now, right-click the driver file and select Properties.
Select the Compatibility tab.
Check the box next to Run this program in Compatibility mode.
Next, select the operating system with which the driver is compatible from the drop-down menu.
Click the Apply button, followed by OK, to confirm the action.
Finally, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the installation of the driver and restart your PC.
In some cases, this issue might be due to outdated driver display or audio drivers. In this case, you need to update your drivers to the latest version to solve the problem.
Alternatively, you fix the hdaudbus.sys latency issue by using Outbyte Driver Updater to automatically detect all the outdated drivers on your PC and download new ones. With this tool, you don’t have to go through the stress of installing the drivers one after the other.
5. Perform a System Restore
Press the Windows key + R, type rstrui.exe, and click OK.
Click the Next button on the page that pops up.
Now, select a restore point and click the Next button.
Finally, click the Finish button to confirm the action and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
If you uninstall your updates and it does not fix the hdaudbus.sys latency issue, you need to perform a system restore. This will restore your PC to a time when everything is working well.
Press the Windows key, type virus, and select Virus & threat protection.
Click Scan options.
Now, select the Full Scan option and click the Scan now button.
In some cases, viruses can be the cause of this issue. Performing a full scan should eliminate these viruses and restore normalcy on your PC.
Alternatively, you can fix the hdaudbus.sys latency issue using one of the best antivirus tools, like ESET NOD32. This tool runs a deep scan and eliminates even the most hidden malware on your PC.
With this, you can scan your system files and uproot all viruses.
7. Reinstall Windows 10
If the steps above did not work, you would need to reinstall Windows 10 completely. This will give you a fresh installation of the OS that is bereft of the changes you made to your PC that might be causing the hdaudbus.sys latency error.
There you go. With the information in this guide, you should be able to fix the hduadbus.sys latency issue in the shortest time possible.
We all know the meaning of the word popular, but what is a web app? If you want to know what are some common web applications, this is your lucky day.
A web app is a type of program that runs natively on an operating system. You can download it or access it online with the help of your everyday browser.
And this could be anything. In fact, there are so many different kinds of apps on the internet that it would be impossible to count them all.
Communication apps, social media, music, streaming, education, desktop monitoring web apps, etc. There’s an open for every single thing that you can think of. Our lives would be unrecognizable without web apps.
What kind of web apps are in demand?
With so many of them ruling everyone’s lives, this begs the question of what is the most popular web app. Which apps take the spot of being the kings of the hill? That’s exactly what we shall try to establish.
Here’s what to expect from this guide:
More than 20 examples of web applications:
Most popular web design apps
Also, the most popular database apps for storage
Most popular Java web apps
Top 10 most popular web apps
Progressive web apps examples (PWA): progressive web app vs native, best progressive web apps, etc.
In addition, there will be an explanation for each of the categories. Make no mistake, though, by no means does this means these apps are the greatest.
Credit: LoboStudioHamburg/Pixabay
Whether or not an app is good is subjective and open to discussion. This guide will list what people consider essential for their phones and computers. Obviously, our web apps list will cover a wide variety of types.
But first, let’s start with what are the most popular apps of the year.
?? Top 10 most popular web apps in 2023
TikTok – massive force in social media
Instagram – change-driving social app
Facebook – post & share with the world
WhatsApp – popular communication web app
Telegram – fine-tuned for large groups chats
Shopee – best website application for e-commerce
Snapchat – the original Stories creator
Messenger – perfect for video calls
CapCut – excellent video editing app
Spotify – the ultimate app for music streaming
The following information comes from Sensor Tower, a company specializing in providing marketing data on the app industry. The data from a recent study where the company looked at data from the Google Play and Apple App Store.
These are the biggest platforms for downloading apps, and it’s an excellent barometer to start. The data only covers the topmost downloaded worldwide in Q1 2022, so these numbers might change.
Credit: Daria Shevtsova/Pexels
As the guide goes through the most downloaded apps worldwide, keep that in mind. There will also be a brief explanation of why these apps are so popular. There were 36.9 billion downloads in the first three months of 2022.
This is a 1.4 percent increase from the same time in 2021. It’s also interesting that most apps are social media platforms.
As of May 2022, the most downloaded app is TikTok, with 3.5 billion all-time downloads. This is a record that SensorTower claims TikTok has held since 2018. And this isn’t a surprise.
Since it came out, TikTok has been a massive force in social media. It’s allowed people new ways to express themselves through song, dance, or other means. Many new celebrities have come up through this platform.
TikTok is all about making short-form videos initially set to a few seconds and have grown to several minutes. Mainstream celebrities like Gordon Ramsay are on TikTok with millions of views per video.
The app is free to download like everything else on this list, and it’s easy to set up an account there. New features are constantly being rolled out, with the latest being a new way to credit creators on the platform.
The first of several Meta-owned apps is Instagram. This app sitting at number one is the beginning of a social media app pattern on this list. During Q1 2022, it saw over 150 million downloads.
This is amazing for an app that’s been around for over a decade. The driving force behind its success is its ability to change with the times and adds new features. Some might argue that Instagram steals parts from other social media platforms.
And it’s not entirely wrong to think this. Instagram Reels is basically what TikTok does, just not as well. But, on the other hand, Stories is something that it ripped off Snapchat and sees a top of usage.
For better or for worse, Instagram has been the driving factor of many movements and changes in society. It has shaped the world around it, and that’s difficult to say about many things.
Third place goes to Facebook, yet another Meta-owned app. It trails behind Instagram with just a little over 150 million downloads. The story behind Facebook’s creation is an interesting one.
They made an entire movie made out of it. Then, a group of students at Harvard College came together to create what would ultimately be a website with 2.8 billion active users a month.
It’s a platform where people can post text, videos, and other media to share with their friends or the world. In addition, you can talk to each other on Facebook Messenger or join interest groups.
Recently, Facebook has gone through massive changes. It’s been a part of significant controversies involving user privacy, fake news, and political problems, but none seems to have slowed Facebook too much.
Nowadays, the company is working on improving virtual worlds with its Metaverse concept and virtual reality headsets. It’ll be interesting to see how Facebook morphs in the future.
Next up is WhatsApp, the first app on this list that isn’t a social media platform and the first to be a communications app. However, it is the third of the Meta-owned apps, so that trend continues.
Interestingly enough, WhatsApp is much more popular outside of the United States and much more significant in regions such as Latin America, Africa, and Europe. For example, 93 percent of Brazilian mobile phone users actively use WhatsApp.
There are several reasons why WhatsApp is so popular. First, many telecommunication services are costly in those regions and offer little protection if someone gets a hold of their number.
WhatsApp is free to use and can be used over Wi-Fi. Plus, it encrypts user data and messages, so their information is safe. Plus, the app is very user-friendly so that people of all ages can use it without a problem.
Telegram is another communications app similar to WhatsApp that has recent explosive growth in the last few years. It’s gotten trendy among developers and regular consumers alike. So what gives?
Why is Telegram so popular? There are many different reasons for this, but the main one is public outcry. There was concern that WhatsApp and other similar apps were censoring people by banning them from the app.
Others were looking for ways to engage in conversations with large groups. Telegram came in and filled that niche people were looking for. They have large rooms where people can come in and discuss various topics.
Plus, Telegram has end-to-end encryption for chat rooms. Those same rooms feature stickers, video notes, voice notes, etc. It even has a self-destruct that automatically deletes messages after a specific time.
Telegram came through for a lot of people when discrete messaging was needed.
You probably have never heard of Shopee before and for a good reason. It’s an e-commerce website that focuses on Southeast Asia and Latin America markets. Think of it like Amazon, but in those specific countries.
Countries like the United States and Europe offer little room for competition, so commerce apps have had to get creative. For example, Shopee is a pretty unique e-commerce website in that it incorporates aspects of social media.
You can leave comments with images underneath postings. In addition, you can contact vendors directly in chat rooms, like items, and share them on other social media apps.
The developers behind Shopee understood the power of mobile devices. As a result, Shopee is specialized in phone usage and has a user interface that provides a personalized experience.
It also does a great job at localizing its app to the country that it’s focusing on. Mexican users will have a different experience than users in Thailand or Vietnam. You can’t underestimate what an effective marketing campaign can do.
Next is Snapchat, with a little under 100 million dollars at the beginning of 2022. Snapchat is an old-school app, and the originator of the Stories features that you see so many social media apps rip off.
The whole point of Stories is that you must be there in person to experience them. They’re short-form pictures or videos that disappear after 24 hours, and this has proved so popular that you had every other app install its version.
Instagram and YouTube renditions have proven to be pretty popular. But unfortunately, lately, others like Twitter and LinkedIn proved to be disastrous and cost the company money.
Snap Inc has expanded to other avenues and is constantly rolling out new features. For example, recently, it was revealed that the company is working on a new drone called the Pixy.
The last of the Meta-owned apps is Messenger, which has a similar download amount of under 100 million in the first three months of 2022. It used to be known as Facebook Chat way back when.
Eventually, Meta released it as a standalone app back in 2010. It’s such a massively used app that 7 percent of the world population has it on their phone.
Messenger is closely tied with Facebook, and it’s the primary way to message people on the platform. And since it’s attached to such a huge social media site, Messenger’s growth came naturally.
But it’s still a decent app regardless of the boost from Facebook. It supported video calling way before Android had that capability natively. You can play games there, and it has end-to-end encryption for added privacy.
People have criticized the app for not being super secure. However, meta is always working on improving it with new security features.
The weirdest inclusion on Sensor Tower’s list is CapCut because it’s the only app that isn’t a social media platform or a messaging app. But it is connected to a world-famous developer.
You see, Bytedance, the developer behind TikTok, created CapCut. And Bytedance took to its world-famous platform to promote CapCut, which saw it shoot up in popularity.
At this writing, CapCut has a little under 100 million downloads globally. So you may be asking what’s CapCut is and what it does. It’s an excellent video editing app.
You can add cool effects, overlays photos on top of videos, place music, and change the background. It’s a pretty engaging and robust app. It’s pretty cool to use. People can download it and express their creativity.
Admittedly, if it wasn’t for TikTok promoting, it’s doubtful that CapCut would’ve gotten so big with all the other editing apps out there. But still a decent one.
And number 10 of the most prominent apps is Spotify, with a little over 75 million downloads in the first three months of 2022. So what is there to say about Spotify that has already been said?
Spotify is a giant music streaming platform from Sweden that has all of the biggest songs on the radio from all over the world and many indie musicians just waiting to be discovered.
Recently, Spotify has made huge pushes into the podcast world, having bought the rights to big names like The Joe Rogan Experience. In addition, the platform is constantly rolling out new updates specifically for podcasts.
Spotify is so aggressive on this front that it’s eclipsing the likes of Apple and its podcast features. The former is so much better. And like Snapchat, they’re coming with new gadgets like Car Thing.
It’s a small screen that serves as an exclusive Spotify player.
Which are the most popular web design apps?
Web design apps have grown a lot in recent years. You must choose the best one to create the best possible website for you and your audience.
There are many different kinds of web design apps, and they all tackle the topic differently. Here’s a collection of the most popular ones that you will see.
Kicking things off is Wix. an easy-to-use website creator that requires no coding experience. The best creators are user-friendly and offer numerous templates that you can choose from.
As of this writing, Wix has over 500 individual templates that you can choose from for easy website creation. In addition, it offers a drag and drops editing tool with all kinds of features.
You have an image editor, social media buttons, video implementation, animations, etc. And to help you narrow down what you’re looking for, Wix will ask you a series of questions to bring up the best template for you.
Wix has multiple subscription tiers; a free one and several that you have to pay. So you can create a website for free, but you’ll have ads strewn throughout your page and have limited bandwidth.
Premium plans remove the ads while also increasing the bandwidth and storage capacity so you can add as much as you want. And if you partake in Wix Turbo, your websites will load faster.
Like Wix, WordPress is a free website-creating service that’s open-source and used by online communities worldwide. In addition, windows Report itself runs on WordPress.
It’s also important to point out that WordPress runs 43 percent of all websites worldwide and makes up 65 percent of all content management systems. That’s how widely used it is. It’s hard to imagine another service this widespread.
WordPress is so popular; on top of its free service is how easy it is to use and all of the add-ons available. It has the same drag and drops interface and template for quick website creation as Wix.
As for the add-ons, you have things like Yoast SEO for better search engine placement and Jetpack for backing up software while also protecting against malware.
Above all else, WordPress takes full advantage of SEO. Search engines tend to prefer WordPress websites, so that’s a big bonus.
And the final website creator on this list is Dreamweaver. The most significant difference between Dreamweaver and the others is that it requires some coding knowledge, and it is a pretty expensive service to use.
Dreamweaver gives you total control over how you want your website to look. You can use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build your web page. In addition, its addition, it offers shortcuts and multi-line editing for quick work.
On top of the programming capability, Dreamweaver also has access to Adobe’s vast media library with tons of images and videos that you can add to your webpage.
You can also optimize your page to be used on mobile and keep its design specifications.
And if you don’t feel like building from scratch, Dreamweaver has support with GitHub, so you can grab source code from there and work on it in the app.
Most popular Java web apps to bump up your creativity
Java is a programming language that gives you a ton of control over designing a website or app. It’s been around for over 25 years and sees no sign of slowing down.
As a result, developers still frequently adopt it for their software. Nevertheless, Java is pretty hard to use. This is why there are several frameworks (essentially templates) that you can pick up to make programming easier.
If you’re thinking of getting into programming, try these out.
If you’re barely starting, you give Grails a whirl. It’s a framework written in the Groovy programming language but runs on the Java platform and is compatible with other Java syntaxes.
The purpose of Grails is to make web apps quickly. If you’re skilled enough, you can make a new app from scratch in just a few minutes.
It follows the idea of coding by convention, which aims to lower the amount of work you have to do and decrease decision-making.
Grails is beginner-friendly as it comes with extensive training documents and step-by-step guides that are easy to read. It also comes with a pretty extensive plug-in library.
Next up is Spring which has a similar philosophy to Grails. It’s all about making Java easier to use and increasing productivity. And it’s because of these factors Spring has seen wide usage among programmers.
You can create business-level web apps pretty quickly and in very little time. It has two other sub-frameworks, Spring MVC and Spring Boot, that have seen wide usage by several tech industry giants.
These include Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, to name a few. Spring also allows you to test your project to see if it works and backward compatibility for older apps.
And then, we have Google Web Toolkit, a framework created by the tech giant. This framework, also known as GWT lets you quickly create a Java-based app but sees optimal usage with Google services.
This includes services like AdWords, AdSense, Blogger, and Google Wallet. Say you created an app you want to make money from, and GWT can help you implement ads.
It is a complicated service, so GWT comes with various tutorials and guides to help you. In addition, GWT offers features like compatibility with different web browsers, code optimization, and debugging so you can test it.
Most popular database web apps to keep your info organized
A database web app is an online service where you can store data. These apps also let you create and edit information as necessary. It’s pretty straightforward.
If you’re looking for a good database app, you will need one with many exemplary features and something that allows for more remarkable company growth. But, on the other hand, you don’t want to be stifled in reach.
Starting one of the more popular databases web apps is MySQL. This particular app focuses more on speed and providing a reliable service rather than having many features. Plus, it has a free version.
MySQL does see frequent updates that bring new features and improvements to its security. In addition, it runs on different platforms in addition to Windows. So if you work on Linux and Mac software, this is a handy tool.
It has an easy-to-follow user interface and allows you to process many data. However, some have complained that it takes a while to set up. And if you run into trouble, MySQL has support.
But you will have to pay for that support. To give a few examples, you will also have to pay for security features and management tools.
Microsoft SQL as a database management app can be set up to work on cloud servers and local ones simultaneously. It’s also available on Linux computers for increased compatibility.
Users have commended how fast and reliable Microsoft SQL is. It offers the ability to track changes and the performance of projects so you can see how things progress in real-time.
You can then adjust these performances to lower resource hogging. Microsoft SQL even has a mobile app you can see your projects on your mobile phone.
Plus, you can protect your data with advanced security features. if you want to step up your game, there is also the latest SQL Server 2022, up for grabs.
In the past, people have complained about difficulties importing files and how much resources Microsoft SQL takes up. It is also pretty expensive.
And the last noteworthy database app is Oracle’s service. More specifically, it is Oracle RDBMS. It pays to be the first in the market as Oracle’s service has been around since 1979, almost 50 years ago.
And in that time, Oracle RDBMS has gotten the reputation and status as the best and most widely used database. Like Microsoft, Oracle RDBMS can be hosted on the cloud or on a server.
Without getting too complicated, Oracle’s service is known for its high-performance level, flexibility, and how well it can grow with a company. As you use it more, Oracle RDBMS becomes an integral part of your business.
And because of all these features, Oracle RDBMS is a rather expensive service.
What are some popular progressive web apps?
You guessed, let’s see what are progressive Web apps, to begin with. A progressive web app is one that looks and acts like a mobile app on a desktop.
That’s the main difference between progressive web apps vs native ones and developers do this to ensure an equal experience for all users and that no one is missing out.
Plus, you don’t have to learn a whole new app when you’ve gotten used to the mobile version. It’s a nice quality of life standard. Check out some nifty mobile web app examples. Or should we say progressive web apps examples?
Making another appearance in this guide is Spotify with its PWA (progressive web app) version. There isn’t anything extra that you can say about Spotify that hasn’t already been said earlier.
The most important aspect of Spotify PWA is its user interface. It’s exactly the same as the desktop and mobile versions, so if you have a computer with little space on it, this is a great option.
All of the features and playlists that you’ve come to know and love are on PWA.
And the other noteworthy progressive web app is Twitter. Again, the developers did an excellent job unifying the desktop and browser apps. As a result, the user experience is precisely in the two versions.
You can argue that the desktop PWA version of Twitter is superior to the mobile app because it has the settings menu right in the front and what’s trending alongside.
Whichever you prefer, Twitter managed to hit a home run on two platforms.
And with that, these are all the most popular web apps on the internet. Let us know which ones are your favorites.
If the issue persists after the preliminary checks, observe the following steps.
1. Update your Graphics driver
Press Windows + R keys to launch the Run dialog box, type devmgmt.msc, and click OK.
Click the Display Adapters, then right-click the driver, and click the Update driver.
Select the Search automatically for drivers option.
Restart your PC and launch Valorant to check if the issue persists.
Updating the graphics driver will improve its performance and fix bugs affecting it. Read our detailed article on updating graphics drivers on Windows 11 if you have any issues.
2. Disable Windows Firewall
Left-lick the Start button and type control panel, then open it.
Click on the Windows Defender Firewall option.
Select the Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off option.
Go to the Private and Public network settings, then click the radio buttons for the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) option.
Restart your PC.
Disabling the settings above will resolve any Windows Defender Firewall interference it’s causing the Valorant game. You can read about how to disable windows defender if you encounter issues with it.
Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type msconfig, and click OK.
Go to the Services tab and check the box for the Hide all Microsoft services option, and then click the Disable all button.
Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
Click on the startup programs and tap the Disable button.
Restart your PC and check if Valorant’s continues to freeze.
Performing a PC clean boot will stop all startup running programs that can cause Valorant freezing at startup.
4. Set Valorant as a priority
Right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager to open it.
Navigate to the Processes tab and locate Valorant, then right-click on it and select Set Priority.
Set the Valorant priority as High.
Click on Change priority to confirm your choice in the dialog box.
Setting the game app as a high priority will boost the game performance preventing Valorant freezing and crashing. Check out our complete guide on how to set priority in Task Manager for more insight.
5. Uninstall and reinstall Valorant
Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box, and type in control /name Microsoft.ProgramsAndFeatures and click on OK.
Select Valorant and Riot Vanguard and click Uninstall.
Download the Valorant game file. Run the Valorant file installer and follow the Windows prompt to reinstall Valorant on your PC.
Conclusively, these are the best ways to fix Valorant if it keeps freezing on your PC. Should you have further questions on this guide or other queries entirely, kindly use the comments section.
Today we’ll show you how to uninstall a printer port in Windows 10. When you change printers, unused ports may remain on your system. It’s important to remove these to avoid interference with new printers.
Let’s get started.
How do I remove a printer port in Windows 10?
1. Stop and restart the Printer Spooler
Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type services.msc, and click on OK to open the Service Manager.
Double-click on the Print Spooler service, select Stop from the new window, and click OK.
Right-click on Print Spooler again, select Start from the new window, and click OK.
Restarting the Printer Spooler will break any impediments that may prevent you from deleting the Printer port. Check our article on what to do if the Local print spooler service is not running on your PC.
2. Uninstall Printer using the Control Panel
Left-click the Start button, type Control Panel, then select it from the result.
Navigate to Hardware and Sound.
Click on Devices and Printers and select the printer device you want to remove.
Right-click on the printer, select Remove device from the drop-down and click Yes to confirm the action.
So, this is how to remove a printer in Windows 10. Read our guide on fixing the Windows driver not available error on your PC if you cannot access the printer driver.
3. Delete the Printer port from Control Panel
Left-click the Start button, type Control Panel, then select it from the result.
Navigate to Hardware and Sound and click on Devices and Printers.
Tap on any listed printer devices, then select Printer server properties.
Click on the Ports tab, select the port you want to delete, and then click Delete port.
The above steps will remove the Printer port from your PC. However, there’s a possibility that you will run into an error saying delete printer port access denied.
In conclusion, follow all the solutions to find the best way to delete the printer port. If you have any questions on this guide or other queries in general, kindly leave them in the comments section.
Large files around your PC will consume a lot of memory space. So, compressing the files on your computer can help free some memory space. However, users complain about missing the Send to compressed folder option on their PC.
The Send to compressed folder option missing means the folder not compressing to Zip on your PC and can sometimes influence your PC not to open Zip files.
Hence, this guide will provide possible solutions to access the Send to compressed back on your PC.
Why is Send to compressed folder missing?
Furthermore, many factors can cause the compressed folder to be missing on your PC. Some are:
Corrupt .ZFSendToTarget file extension setting – The .ZFSendToTarget file extension is responsible for storing compressed files on your PC. So, If the Zip file association is not working, it can cause the Send to compressed folder option to be missing.
A Bluetooth file existing in the SendTo folder – If a 0-byte Bluetooth file exists in the SendTo folder, it can cause issues with the SendTo process for other options like the Compressed folder. It can prevent the SendTo items from being displayed in the menu.
Malware and viruses – The Send to compressed folder missing on your PC can be due to malware infection. It may impede the process of the SendTo folder, causing it to exclude the send to Compressed folder option.
These causes are liable to vary on different devices. Nonetheless, we’ll take you through some fixes to get the Send to compressed folder option to appear again.
Proceed with the steps below if you can’t fix the issue.
NOTE
These solutions apply to Windows 10 & Windows 11.
1. Unhide the Compressed (zipped) folder
Press Windows + E to launch File Explorer.
Navigate to the following path and replace your_username with your actual user name: C:\Users\your_username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Go to the Compressed (zipped) folder item, right-click on it, and select Properties from the drop-down.
Navigate to Attributes and uncheck the box for Hidden. Click Apply and OK buttons.
Restart your PC and check if the send to compressed folder shows.
Unhiding the Compressed folder will prompt its option on the SendTo folder to appear.
2. Restore the Compressed folder shortcut manually
Launch the File Explorer and go to This PC.
Click on the View tab and check the box for Hidden items.
Navigate to the following location and make sure to replace the User profile in the path with the name of your profile: C:\Users\User Profile\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Press Ctrl + A to highlight all the available items, then copy and paste them into the SendTo folder in your User Profile.
Go to the file you want to compress and check if the Send to compressed folder option is available.
Restoring the compressed folder shortcut manually will add it to the SendTo folder and resolve the missing options.
3. Remove the 0-byte Bluetooth shortcut from the Send To folder
Press Windows + E to launch File Explorer.
Click on the View tab and select the Hidden Items option to prompt the hidden files and folders on your computer.
Navigate to the following location and replace the Username in the path with your actual user name: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Right-click on the Bluetooth device File and select Delete from the drop-down.
Restart your PC and check if the compressed folder option is available.
Deleting the Bluetooth folder in the SendTo folder will remove the Bluetooth file conflicting with the Compressed folder option. It doesn’t delete the Bluetooth device.
In conclusion, if Send to compressed folder goes missing, this guide should help you troubleshoot it easily. However, if you have further questions or suggestions, kindly drop them in the comments section.
iTunes is a music program that comes as default for Apple products but is also cross-platform.
Sadly, users report that they encounter The file itunes library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes, causing the app to crash or not work.
Why do I get iTunes Library.itl cannot be read error?
The iTunes Library.itl cannot be read error can occur on Mac and Windows devices after installing Mac updates and updating the iTunes app on Windows.
However, some notable factors that may be responsible are:
Playing old content on the new version of iTunes – The error may occur when you try to play old content on a newer version of iTunes than the one it plays on.
iTunes app update issues – Many users complain about getting errors after updating and using their iTunes app. The error can be due to corrupt or pending updates on your system. Also, it may be a builder’s error caused when the update was deployed for iTunes.
Mismatch of library files during update – Updating iTunes will add new patches and files to its library and can cause errors if the process is compromised. iTunes library files must be intact and ordered before it can read them.
These causes may vary on different devices. Nonetheless, we’ll take you through some basic fixes to resolve the error.
How to fix the file iTunes library.itl cannot be read error?
Before proceeding with any advanced troubleshooting, try the following:
Click on the Go option at the top bar and select the Go To Folder option in the drop-down menu.
Type the following in the Go to Folder window, and click on Go: /Users/your username/Music
In the Music folder, select the iTunes Folder, right-click on iTunes Library.itl file, and click Rename from the drop-down. Rename the file as iTunes Library.old.
Click the previous iTunes Libraries folder, select the most recent iTunes Library.itl file, and copy the file to iTunes Folder.
Right-click the copied iTunes Library file and rename it to iTunes Library.itl.
Restart iTunes and check if the error appears.
Renaming the file will help iTunes read and recover your recent iTunes Library. Hence, fixing the file itunes library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of itunes problem.
Reinstalling the iTunes app can fix update issues and corrupt installation files causing the error. Read our guide on what to do if iTunes does not install on Windows 11.
Conclusively, these steps should help you fix the file itunes library.itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of itunes whenever you encounter it. For further questions or suggestions, kindly drop them in the comments section.
Microsoft Windows 7 update error 80072efe means that there is a connection interruption when downloading the Windows Update.
When your PC fails to connect with the Windows servers, you will not be able to download the update and get the Windows 7 update error 80072efe.
Apart from failed communication with the servers, there are a few other common reasons that could trigger this error code.
The Windows Update database is corrupted.
The update wasn’t installed correctly earlier.
Antivirus software is configured to block the Windows Update service.
The Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) service does not receive a content link header.
There are some issues in the registry files.
An important system file related to Windows Update is missing on your PC.
How do I fix the Windows 7 update error 80072efe?
1. Run a malware scan
The first step is to determine if the issue is caused by viruses, intrusive apps, or other malicious attacks. We recommend you run a full PC scan with an antivirus with a high detection rate, such as ESET Antivirus.
ESET Antivirus has a strong firewall and network inspector to ensure you always have a safe connection. It uses multi-layered protection which means it has multiple ways of detecting all sorts of threats.
To run a scan, you just have to open the main window, click on the Computer scan button in the sidebar, then select Scan your computer. Wait for the process to complete and let the antivirus remove all threats found.
Restart your PC and see if the issue is solved.
Other notable features of ESET Antivirus include:
Network and smart devices security
Protection against malware, ransomware, and phishing
Banking and online payment protection
This is a subscription-based antivirus, but you can use the 30-day free trial to try it out first.
On top of that, if you need a full PC scan as soon as possible, you should know that offers a free, one-time full PC scan.
ESET Antivirus
Make sure all your devices are secure and your online activity is private with malware, ransomware, and anti-phishing protection!
Then click the Download the package link there for your Windows 7 platform.
Click the Download button to save the KB3138612 update to your PC.
Open the folder you downloaded the KB3138612 update to.
Install the KB3138612 standalone installer file.
This is a quick and easy workaround, but it should help you fix the Windows 7 update error 80072efe with ease.
7. Disable third-party firewall and antivirus software
It’s also recommended to disable any third-party firewalls installed before trying to update Windows.
Zone Alarm, McAfee, AVG, and Panda firewalls are known to generate issues for Windows updates. So, have a look through the settings for any installed firewall to disable it.
How do I fix Windows 7 not updating?
Check your internet connection.
Make sure that the Windows Update service is running.
Run the Windows Update troubleshooter.
Disable the Firewall.
Ensure the storage space is sufficient.
Run SFC Scan and DISM command to fix corrupt or missing system files.
Users have confirmed some of the above fixes can resolve the Windows 7 Update error 80072efe.
If you have fixed the same issue with different solutions you’re welcome to share them in the comments below.
While Microsoft will purport that Windows is best on a PC designed for it, the company realizes there is money to be made from Apple users and is extending support for running Windows on M1 and M2 powered Mac computers.
Starting off with the more enterprise scenario, Mac users looking to run Windows 11 on a M-series powered processor can do so with Microsoft’s Windows 365 service which runs as a Cloud PC platform and delivers the software-as-service solution to devices.
Organizations can purchase the Windows 365 SaaS option in bulk or on a per-user, per-month basis with various pricing options available that start at $31 a month. Typically, the Windows 365 route is toured by businesses looking to run emulators, test different platform or operating system apps or capability through nested virtualization but it can be used as a simple OS replacement for workers who use Apple computers but are more familiar with 40 years of Windows workflows.
There is a second, more consumer-friendly way to get Windows on a new Mac and that’s through Parallels Desktop which is now in its 18 iteration and was recently authorized for running ARM versions of Windows 11 Pro and 11 Enterprise on Apple M-silicon.
By all accounts Parallels 18 runs Windows 11 pretty well but does buttresses against the native hardware of a ARM powered Mac. Windows specific apps that rely on DirectX 12 or OpenGL3.3 or higher will suffer performance issues, if not immediately rejected from download or installation.
Microsoft warns that multilayer virtualization workflows will also see some performance issues and there are a handful of examples that are simply not support such as the following:
▪ Windows Subsystem for Android, which enables your Windows 11 device to run Android applications that are available in the Amazon Appstore
▪ Windows Sandbox, a lightweight desktop environment to safely run applications in isolation
▪ Virtualization-based Security (VBS), which enables customers to create and isolate a secure region of memory from the normal operating system
As with Apple’s OS development, Microsoft is also deprecating its support for 32-bit apps which also includes 32-bit ARM ones, and the company suggest seeking out 64-bit ARM developed applications when running this version of Parallels. Users can also simply use apps designed with x64 or x86 architectures in emulation as intended with Parallels for M1 and M2 Macs.
Dealing with a Chrome icon missing from the taskbar, desktop, or task manager? You’re not alone.
Despite being the most popular browser, Google Chrome isn’t a perfect app. Many users deal with errors and bugs, and today we’ll show you how to fix the icon gone missing or changing.
How can I restore a missing Google Chrome icon?
1. Clear out the browser cache
Start by clicking the three dots in the upper right-hand corner.
In the menu that appears, hover over More tools and select Clear browsing data.
Check the boxes next to Cookies and other site data, as well as Cache images and files.
Set the time range to All time.
Click Clear data to empty the data cache.
Before doing any of the other solutions, clearing out the browser cache should be the first thing that you do. In some cases, this is all you need to do.
2. Google Chrome icon missing from the desktop
Bring up Chrome in the Windows Search bar. Right-click and select Open file location.
Right-click Chrome and select Show more options.
In this new menu, choose Create shortcut, which is found near the bottom.
A window may appear asking if you want to create a shortcut on the desktop. Select Yes.
In the Windows Search bar, bring up ChromeSetup.exe.
Click it to run it. Your computer will begin downloading and installing any new updates available.
Give Google Chrome enough time to finish up.
After it’s done, the browser will launch automatically. Both the desktop and taskbar icons should work now.
4. Restore the Chrome icon
Sometimes the Google Chrome icon gets replaced with a white sheet of paper. Right-click it and select Properties.
In the new window, go to the Shortcut tab.
Select the Change Icon button at the bottom.
Select a new icon for Chrome, then click OK.
Click Apply on the last page, then OK to close the window.
5. Pin Chrome icon to taskbar
In the Windows 11 Search bar, locate Google Chrome.
Right-click the entry, and in the menu that appears, select Pin to taskbar.
If Chrome on your taskbar turns into a white page icon, right-click it and select Unpin from taskbar.
Pin it again from the Start menu.
6. Reset Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three dots in the upper right-hand corner.
Go to Settings and select Reset settings.
Click Restore settings to their original defaults.
Confirm by selecting Reset settings.
Feel free to comment below if you have questions about other Windows 11 errors. And please tell us if there’s a specific guide for any Google Chrome or browser issue you’d like to see.
There’s a lot to check out with this new Dev build as well, so let’s get right into it and go through the changelog together.
What changed with Windows 11 build 25300?
Just as you’ve heard, Microsoft has just released a new Windows 11 Insider build (25300) to the Dev Channel today.
This new release brings new Snap Layouts, Live Captions in more languages, and a rendering bug fix related to WinRE, among others.
Live captions, after it was first released through the Windows 11 2022 Update (22H2), only provided captions in English, with a focus on English (United States).
However, starting with this build, live captions will gain the ability to also provide captions in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish and other English dialects.
That being said, certain languages shown on the Language & Region settings page will indicate speech recognition support, but don’t yet have support for Live Captions.
If you aren’t familiar with the feature, know that live captions can be turned on with the Win + Ctrl + L keyboard shortcut, or from the quick settings accessibility flyout via Quick Settings.
Currently, Microsoft is looking for new ways to improve the discoverability and usage of the snap layouts such as decreasing the hover time required to invoke the flyout.
And, in addition to a few other tweaks, you’ll notice some treatments will also pull in the icon of the app window you are working in and adding a descriptive title.
Let’s also look at the rest of the changelog and see what other goodies, or known issues, Microsoft has in store for us.
Changes and improvements
[Voice typing]
The change to sync voice typing settings, Automatic punctuation and Voice typing launcher, across all devices signed in using the same Microsoft account that began rolling out with Build 25227 is now available to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. You can toggle this feature via Settings > Accounts > Windows backup > Remember my preferences > Accessibility This currently only works with Microsoft accounts today with AAD support coming later.
[Settings]
Updated Settings > Apps > Startup to make it easier to access more information about the apps listed.
Right-clicking on a Win32 app in Start, or searching for the app, and choosing “Uninstall” will now take you to the Settings to uninstall the app.
[WSL]
Improved the upgrade experience to the new Windows Subsystem for Linux Store app (mentioned in Build 25272), so it now prompts for installation if wsl.exe is invoked.
Fixes
[General]
We fixed the underlying issue related to combase.dll, causing crashes with multiple apps using GetKnownFolder APIs after upgrading to Build 25290, including Notepad and Windows Terminal for IME users. This issue is also believed to be the root cause of some Insiders finding that certain actions in File Explorer were taking minutes to complete in these builds.
We fixed the issue causing rendering issues and difficulty using Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
Fixed an issue where some users experienced issues authenticating into enterprise websites that require windows integrated authentication.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
The ability to show seconds in the clock on the system tray, first introduced with Build 25247, should return after updating to Build 25300 if it had disappeared for you after updating to Build 25295 last week.
Fixed an issue that was causing taskbar to be cut off after resolution changes.
We fixed an issue where when hovering over app icons on the taskbar could switch window focus unexpectedly.
[Widgets]
As a result of fixing the issue causing third-party widgets to get unpinned when signed in with a Microsoft account across multiple Windows 11 devices, the most recent Widgets update in the Dev Channel will unpin third-party widgets. Insiders will need to go back to their widgets board and re-pin these widgets again. If you still see issues where widgets are being unpinned unexpectedly – please file feedback.
The link for “Find more widgets” in the widgets picker currently is no longer broke and will point to the Store collection here.
[Input]
Beginning to roll out a fix for an issue where the IME candidate window and IME toolbar weren’t shown or cropped sometimes.
[File Explorer]
Drag and dropping files and folders across tabs should work again.
[Task Manager]
Process names typed into the search box should no longer unexpectedly get spellchecked.
Fixed a couple of issues with how Narrator was reading out content in Task Manager.
Fixed an issue where the dropdowns in settings might not match your currently selected theme.
When using search on the App History page, results should no longer suddenly disappear.
If you open the Default Start Page dropdown in settings, clicking the Task Manager window should make the dropdown disappear now.
Dragging the window using the search box area should work now (like other areas of the title bar).
Fixed an issue where ending processes in the Details tab wasn’t showing a confirmation dialog.
Increasing the text scaling should no longer result in a “see more” button appearing with no contents.
If you do a search and then press the down arrow, keyboard focus should now move from the search box into the results.
If you have a contrast theme enabled and select one of the rows in the Processes page, that row should now show that it’s selected.
Fixed an issue where focus might not get set properly to search, leading to Narrator not saying that focus was on the search box.
[Other]
Fixed an issue where Narrator’s focus wasn’t going back to the Quick Settings’ window correctly when using the back button in the Cast page.
Known issues
[General]
Investigating an issue where some users are experiencing longer than expected update times installing recent builds. If you experienced this issue, please submit a new feedback item with logs in Feedback Hub.
Some AAD (Azure Active Directory joined users are now seeing “Getting ready for you” screens when signing into Windows after updating the latest builds. We are investigating the issue.
Launching Group Policy Editor may show an error about a displayName attribute not being found.
Using Windows Hello to sign in with facial recognition may not work on Arm64 PCs. A workaround for this is to use the Hello PIN path.
Investigating reports that the Windows Insider Program settings page is showing that a newer build is available in Windows Update even though they are on the latest available build in the Dev Channel.
[NEW] We’re investigating reports that the New button in Snipping Tool isn’t working for some Insiders after upgrading to Build 25295. If you are impacted by this, going to Settings > Apps > Default apps, and setting screen snipping as the default for ms-screenclip, it should resolve the issue.
[Widgets]
Investigating an issue where under certain circumstances third-party widgets may not load as expected.
[Taskbar & System Tray]
App icons on the taskbar may appear on the wrong monitor for some Insiders with multiple monitors.
[Windows Spotlight]
Clicking on a secondary monitor does not dismiss the full screen experience.
[Live captions]
On Arm64 devices, enhanced speech recognition support will install incorrectly through the Language & Region settings page. Arm64 users who don’t have support for speech recognition with live captions in their preferred language can use this work-around: (1) Uninstall all “Speech Pack – ” app entries in Settings > Apps > Installed apps; (2) Temporarily set the first language in their preferred language list in Settings > Time & language > Language & region to an acceptable alternative language; (3) Launch live captions.
Live captions for Chinese Traditional currently does not work on Arm64 devices.
Certain languages shown on the Language & Region settings page will indicate speech recognition support (e.g., Korean) but don’t yet have support for live captions.
When adding a language through the Language & Region settings page, language feature installation progress may become hidden, and you may not see install completion of “Enhanced speech recognition” (required by Live Captions). (You can use the language’s “Language options” to monitor progress.) If this happens, there may be an unexpected delay before the live captions setup experience detects this and lets you continue.
The Language & Region settings page may not offer the necessary speech recognition language support for live captions for up to an hour after first login.
Captioning performance may be degraded in non-English languages and missing out-of-language filtering in non-English (United States) languages which means that incorrect captions will be shown for speech not in the caption language.
What can I do if I can’t install build 25300?
Press Win+ I to access Settings.
Select the System category and click on Troubleshoot.
Press the Other troubleshooters button.
Press the Run button next to Windows Update.
Also, make sure to report any other issues you might come across, in order for Microsoft to address and improve the overall OS experience for us all.
This is everything you can expect if you are a Windows 11 user. Leave a comment below if you found any issues since installing this build.
While sharing of preferred pronouns has probably unneccessarily been the subject of controversy, for some it’s an important part of identity. Recognizing that, Microsoft is bringing support for pronoun sharing to profile cards in Microsoft 365, starting in March.
In a post on LinkedIn, CVP Ashok Kuppusamy laid out both the demand for expression of preferred pronouns, and some of the challenges in implementing the feature in a safe and thoughtful way.
When determining how best to implement this functionality, we were guided by our commitment to prioritize user safety. The unique challenges of building this out for a global, enterprise customer base required us to embrace our growth mindset, challenge our assumptions, and proceed with care. We evaluated the varied legal landscape globally, knowing that this is not a feature that can be used safely in all regions, company cultures or contexts. As a result, we made the intentional choice not to launch this sooner in order to design it in a way that would provide individuals with greater choice in usage.
For organizations, pronoun sharing will be off by default and IT administrators will be able to enable the feature. For individual users within orgs with the feature turned on, adoption is completely voluntary, with options to determine use based on the situation and update pronouns in real time.
Later this year, Microsoft will add pronoun sharing capabilities to Teams meetings.
An average home computer stores many files, sometimes in millions. Some are a part of Windows, while others are manually added. And when trying to run the latter, users often come across the Operation did not complete successfully error.
The complete error message reads Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted software.
While the error does put you in a fix, there’s a high chance that the concerned file is completely safe and has been incorrectly identified as a virus or PUS by the built-in Windows Defender. So, let’s find out all about the problem and the solutions that work.
Why does Windows say Operation did not complete successfully?
Here are a few reasons you might be getting the error:
File behavior matches a known malware: You often get the error when a file similar to the one you are trying to run is malware.
File downloaded from an unreliable source: If the file has been downloaded from an unreliable source, it could rightly be flagged, and you should not run it without verifying the same.
Issues with Windows Defender: Often, the problem arises due to corrupt system files, which leads to issues with Windows Defender and, thus, the error.
How do I fix the Operation did not complete successfully error?
Before we head to the slightly complex solutions, try these:
Your primary approach, when faced with the error, should be to verify if the file is indeed safe. A quick way would be to scan it using a reliable third-party antivirus or check the Internet.
If there are any Windows updates available, install them. Maybe Microsoft Defender has a bug and needs a patch.
If the error appears only when running files of a particular program, update it.
Disable all third-party antivirus installed on the PC and, for a while, just rely on Windows Defender. If you don’t get the Operation did not complete successfully error anymore, your antivirus was responsible for it.
If these don’t work, head to the fixes listed next.
1. Add an exclusion
Press Windows + S to open Search, type Windows Security in the text field, and then click on the relevant search result.
Click on Virus & threat protection.
Now, click on Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings.
Scroll down and click on Add or remove exclusions under Exclusions.
Click Yes in the UAC prompt that appears.
Click on the Add an exclusion button, and choose File from the menu.
Browse to locate the file, select it, and click on Open.
That’s it! After the file has been added as an exclusion, you shouldn’t see the Operation did not complete successfully error message again for it.
2. Disable Windows Defender
Press Windows + R to open Run, type regedit in the text field, and hit Enter.
Click Yes in the UAC prompt.
Paste the following path in the address bar and hit Enter:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
Right-click on the empty portion, hover the cursor over new, select DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it DisableAntiSpyware.
Now, double-click on the newly created entry.
Enter 1 under Value data and click on OK.
Once done, restart the computer for the changes to come into effect.
If you are facing the Operation did not complete successfully error with several files, manually adding exclusions would be time-consuming. Instead, an easier option is to temporarily disable Windows Defender. Just make sure not to download any files in the meanwhile.
Press Windows + R to open Run, type cmd, and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
Click Yes in the prompt.
Now, paste the following commands individually and hit Enter after each:sfc /SCANFILE=C:windowsexplorer.exesfc /SCANFILE=C:WindowsSysWow64explorer.exe
If this scanning method doesn’t seem to solve the issue, you should consider an advanced antivirus like TotalAV.
It has an advanced machine learning AI feature that continuously scans for signatures and blocks them the moment they look suspicious, besides providing security over the network.
Press Windows + S to open Search, type Disk Cleanup, and click on Run as administrator.
Select C: from the Drives dropdown menu, and click on OK to proceed.
Now, tick the checkboxes for all the temporary files here, and click OK.
Finally, click Delete Files in the confirmation prompt and wait for the process to complete.
In many cases, the Operation did not complete successfully error appeared due to problematic temporary files on the PC, so clear them to fix things. And make sure to delete the Temporary Windows installation files.
5. Perform an in-place upgrade
Go to Microsoft’s official website, select Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices) under Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices, and click Download.
Choose English from the dropdown menu, and click Confirm.
Click on the link presented here.
After the ISO file is downloaded, double-click on it, and choose Open.
Now, run the setup.exe file.
Click Yes in the UAC prompt.
On the Install Windows 11 page, click Next to proceed.
Click Accept to agree to the notices and license terms.
Verify that the setup reads Keep personal files and apps, and click on Install.
That’s it! An in-place upgrade should help you fix the Operation did not complete successfully error for good. But how do you ensure that it doesn’t appear again?
Xbox Free Play Days is back with another round of games for subscribers of Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to try out free of charge. The lineup for this week features two games instead of the usual three, both selections are real doozies. Let’s check them out below.
Welcome to Yara, a tropical paradise frozen in time. As the dictator of Yara, Antón Castillo is intent on restoring his nation to its former glory by any means necessary, with his son, Diego, following in his bloody footsteps. Their oppressive rule has ignited a revolution.
Xbox Free Play Days—NBA 2K23 (Xbox One & Series X|S)
Rise to the occasion and realize your full potential in NBA 2K23. Prove yourself against the best players in the world and showcase your talent in MyCAREER. Pair today’s All-Stars with timeless legends in MyTEAM. Build a dynasty of your own in MyGM or take the NBA in a new direction with MyLEAGUE. Take on NBA or WNBA teams in PLAY NOW and experience true-to-life gameplay. How will you Answer the Call?
Wrap up
These Xbox Free Play Days games will be available from Thursday, February 16th through Sunday, February 19th. To learn more, head on over to the Xbox Free Play Days FAQ page.
Below, you’ll find the best solutions to keep your Teams status green, avoid idle detection, and ensure your availability looks uninterrupted to colleagues or clients.
Microsoft Teams automatically sets your status to Away if you’re idle too long. While there’s no official setting to make your status stay green forever, there are indirect and safe ways to achieve it, without constantly touching your mouse or hosting fake meetings.
Press Windows + I key to open the Windows Settings app.
Click on System and then click on Power & battery.
Navigate to the Power tab, click the drop-down button for Screen and sleep, then choose how long the system should stay awake before going to sleep.
You can change the above settings after the Teams meeting or work. Also, moving your mouse from time to time can help keep your computer awake during the meeting. This is the simplest hack to keep Teams status green.
Go to the top-right corner of your screen, then click on the Profile icon.
On the Availability status, click on the marked green Available.
Click on Duration and set how long you want to appear as Available.
Setting your Availability Status allows others to see you as available even when you’re not actively working on Teams. It will keep Teams status green when away from the computer.
Navigate to the top-right corner, then click on the Profile icon.
Go to the Set status message, type a note you want to send when someone messages you, then tick the box for Show when people message me.
Go to the Clear status message after and set the duration for it to appear.
A status message will appear whenever a message is delivered to you and can also appear on your profile.
4. Host a Private Meeting
Open the Microsoft Teams app.
Select the Calendar option and click on the New Meeting button.
Input the information to create a meeting and join the meeting.
Creating a private meeting space allows you to stay active by pretending to host a meeting. It prevents Teams from being inactive until the fake meeting is live, and this will also show your status as green on the phone.
5. Update Microsoft Teams
Launch the Microsoft Teams app. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner to open the Menu.
Click on the Check for updates option from the drop-down. If there are any updates available, Teams will check and automatically install them.
Updating Microsoft Teams will fix bugs affecting its processes, causing it to malfunction.
6. Use a Script to Prevent Idle Detection
If you’re comfortable running a script, a PowerShell loop can simulate minimal mouse movement every few minutes.
PowerShell Activity Simulation Script
Press Windows + X and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).
This simulates a tiny mouse jiggle every 4 minutes, keeping your Teams status green without interfering with your workflow.
Note: Close PowerShell to stop the script when you’re back at your desk.
7. Use a Mouse Jiggler (Hardware or Software)
Microsoft Teams uses system activity to determine presence. A simple solution is to simulate activity even when you’re away.
Option 1: USB Mouse Jiggler (Hardware)
A physical USB device mimics tiny mouse movements.
Plug it into your PC and it works in the background.
It’s OS-independent and doesn’t trigger security alerts.
Top Pick:
Vaydeer Undetectable Mouse Mover – Plugs into your USB port and physically rotates the mouse subtly, bypassing all software detection.
Option 2: Software-Based Mouse Jigglers
Tools like Move Mouse or Caffeine simulate minimal input without you doing anything.
Most tools let you:
Set custom activity intervals.
Define inactive hours to pause simulation.
Automatically launch with Windows.
⚠️ Important: Always verify with your organization’s policy before using software solutions, especially if working under enterprise IT restrictions.
Why does Microsoft Teams keep showing away?
Users can experience Microsoft Teams showing their status as away for many reasons. It makes the green dot disappear, indicating that you’re unavailable. Some of them are:
Network connection issues – You may experience Teams not showing the green light if your network connection is unstable. It means you can’t connect to the servers.
Problems with your Display settings – If your PC enters Sleep mode while on Teams, it can affect your status.
Outdated Teams app – Microsoft Teams operation may fail, which can cause problems with its user status if it is not updated. Consequently, Microsoft Teams can keep showing away even when you’re active.
However, the cause of Teams frequently showing away can vary depending on the circumstances. We’ll take you through some easy fixes to get it green again.
Razer Synapse is hardware configuration software with which users can configure Razer peripherals, but many users reported that Razer Synapse isn’t opening.
And in today’s article, we’re going to address these problems once and for all, so read on!
Why is Razer Synapse not launching?
It can happen because of your Windows Firewall, or simply because the application’s files might have become corrupted.
Other expired Razer processes and various third-party applications could also get in the way of your Razer Synapse not working.
According to users, they experienced unexpected errors in Razer Synapse, among other issues, such as:
Razer Synapse not loading profile/not switching profiles – This can happen if your profile is corrupted. The best course of action would be to recreate the damaged profile.
Razer Synapse not loading opening on startup – Your settings most likely cause the issue, so adjust them.
Razer Synapse not working in-game – It’s possible that the game doesn’t fully support Synapse. Updating both the game and the software should help.
Razer Synapse not working after update – A bad update can cause this problem, so reinstalling the software should help.
Razer Synapse not downloading from the website – If this happens, check your antivirus settings and make sure the download isn’t blocked.
Razer Synapse not showing devices – Updating or reinstalling the driver, or installing the latest version of Razer Synapse fixed things for many.
Razer Synapse not detecting mouse and keyboard – This particular problem is quite common, and reinstalling Razer Synapse did the trick.
Does Razer Synapse reduce performance?
Some people say that experience reduces performance after installing and using Razer Synapse, while others say everything is fine.
The software is a little resource-hungrier than you might expect, but it shouldn’t cause performance issues.
However, if it does, uninstall it and continue gaming at optimal performance, enhancing and improving your experience.
How do I fix my Razer Synapse?
1. Reinstall Razer Synapse and Razer device drivers
If Synapse 3 or X won’t open on your PC, the issue might be related to Razer device drivers. Thus, you can simply reinstall both Razer device drivers and the Synapse software as shown in the guide below.
1. Right-click the Start button, and select the Device Manager.
2. Double-click the Mice and other pointing devices,Keyboards, and Human Interface Devicescategories on theDevice Managerwindow.
3. Right-click all the Razer devices listed in those categories, and select the Uninstall device options on their context menus.
4. Select the Delete the driver software for this device option on the dialog box window that pops up for each Razer device then press the Uninstall button to confirm.
5. Unplug all the connected Razer devices for a few minutes. Then restart your desktop or laptop.
6. Plug the Razer devices back in after restarting Windows. Windows will automatically reinstall the drivers for the devices.
7. Download the latest Razer Synapse software. Then reinstall Razer Synapse with its setup wizard.
Make sure you have the most up-to-date versions of your drivers. There are third-party programs that can do this for you automatically, such as Outbyte Driver Updater, which can detect and repair any outdated drivers.
This tool has a huge daily-updated driver database, so it will suggest the most recent drivers available after scanning your system. If you believe it is a tedious task to do this manually, try Outbyte Driver Updater and give us feedback.
Outbyte Driver Updater
A perfect tool that helps you keep your drivers updated with its automatic scans.
4. Turn off third-party antivirus/ Windows Defender Firewall
Open Run by pressing the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.
Enter firewall.cpl in Run, and press the OK button. That will open the Windows Defender Firewall Control Panel applet.
Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
Then select both the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall radio buttons, and click the OK button.
Third-party antivirus software and the Windows Defender Firewall can also cause Razer Synapse freezing and other issues. So turning third-party antivirus utilities and the Windows Defender Firewall off might also fix Razer Synapse.
You can temporarily disable most third-party antivirus utilities by selecting disable options on their system tray icon context menus. Follow the guidelines above to turn off the Windows Defender Firewall.
Alternatively, you can consider using an antivirus with firewall to avoid these types of issues.
5. Close Razer processes
Right-click the Taskbar, and select Task Manager.
Then select any Razer processes listed under background processes, and click End task to close them.
Thereafter, close the Task Manager and run Synapse as an administrator.
Some Synapse users have confirmed that closing Razer processes before opening Synapse 3.0 can help if Razer Synapse is not working. To do that, follow the above steps.
6. Check for Windows Updates
Open the Cortana app by clicking the Type here to search button on Windows 10’s taskbar.
Enter the keyword update in Cortana’s search box. Then click Check for updates.
There you can press the Check for updates button to see if there are any available updates.
Restart the OS after updating Windows.
Windows updates might also help if Razer Synapse won’t open. The updates are usually automatic unless you’ve adjusted Windows Update settings, but you might still miss a few.
Can I use Razer products without Synapse?
Keep in mind that basically all devices that have at least 4 onboard memory profiles are able to store macros on the onboard memory, but it’s still done only via Synapse.
Thus, on devices such as the Huntsman TKL, you’ll be able to save macros into the keyboard, then use your macros on other PC without Synapse.
Why does Razer Synapse take so long to open?
Razer Synapse may take a long to open when the RAM usage is high, or the CPU is at 100%. Here, the PC’s performance is usually to blame for the problem. Also, if you are running low on storage, apps may take longer to load.
Besides, running an outdated version of the OS or the PC not meeting the requirements for Razer Synapse could be the underlying cause here.
Can I uninstall Razer Synapse?
Yes, you can easily uninstall Razer Synapse. If not using a Razer device, there’s also no harm in doing so, and it shouldn’t take much time, either.
You can uninstall Razer Synapse from the Programs and Features window, followed by some software setup prompts to complete the process. Besides, if Razer Synapse is not opening in Windows 11, removing it and reinstalling the software often helps.
What can I do if Razer Synapse won’t open on Windows 11?
If you’re having problems with Razer Synapse on the latest version of Windows, you’ll be pleased to hear that all the solutions from this guide can be applied to Windows 11.
The two operating systems share many similarities, so the solutions are universal, and they will work on both systems, with some minor alternations.
Those are some of the resolutions that will probably fix Razer Synapse when it doesn’t open. This isn’t the only issue, and many reported that Razer Synapse won’t change lighting, but there’s a way to fix that.
If you have any other solutions for Razer Synapse, feel free to share them below.
If your screen goes black for a second then comes back, don’t rush to assume it’s a hardware failure. In most cases, it’s caused by system settings, outdated drivers, or loose connections, things you can fix yourself.
This also applies if your second monitor is going black randomly, your screen intermittently goes black, or your HDMI screen goes black randomly.
Here’s what you have to do.
How can I fix a monitor that randomly goes black?
Before trying these fixes, you should:
Ensure that all your cables are properly fitted, especially if you use a desktop.
Reset your monitor, so open its on-screen display (OSD) menu. Then look for a Factory Reset option on that menu. If you can’t find such an option, check your monitor’s manual for further details about how you can reset your VDU.
1. Update your graphics card’s driver
Press Windows Key + X to open the Power User Menu. Select Device Manager from the list.
Expand Display adapters, double-click your graphics card, go to the Driver tab and click the Update Driver.
Click Search automatically for drivers.
Alternatively, try scanning your PC with specialized driver updater software to tell you if your GPU has an outdated driver. Assuming it does, you can install the latest GPU driver with the driver updater utility.
2. Roll back your graphics card’s driver
Press Windows Key + X to open the Power User Menu. Select Device Manager from the list.
When Device Manager opens, locate your graphic card driver, double-click it, and click the Roll Back Driver button to go to the Driver tab.
Wait for the process to complete.
NOTE
This resolution is recommended for users who don’t need to update their GPU drivers or have had recent graphics card driver updates.
1. Open the Windows search tool, which you can do by pressing the Windows and S keys simultaneously.
2. Type the keyword Control Panel within the search tool’s text box, then click Control Panel to open that window.
3. Click the View by menu and select the Category option on it.
4. SelectHardware andSound.
5. Choose Power Options.
6. Select either the High Performance or Balanced setting. It doesn’t matter which, but the Power Saver option must not be selected.
7. Then click to Change plan settings for your preferred plan.
8. Select Never on the Turn off the display drop-down menu, and click the Never option for the Put computer to sleep drop-down menu.
9. Press the Save changes button.
If you experience issues with your computer screen going black by itself from time to time, you should tweak your Power Settings.
It is likely that the Power Saver option is causing you this problem. Therefore, choosing another Power Plan and configuring it to never turn off the display should get your PC working properly again.
If you’ve applied any CPU or GPU overclocking, restore your PC to its default settings with your overclocking software. Then uninstall your overclocking software for good measure.
Why does my monitor keep going black for a few seconds?
The reasons why your computer screen briefly goes black frequently are as follows:
Corrupt or outdated display adapters – Corrupted drivers could hinder how the OS relates with your monitor and result in this black screen issue.
Wrongly configured power settings – Power settings may affect your computer’s operations and could lead to erratic blackouts.
Loose connection cables – You may only be experiencing the blackout because you have not properly fitted some of your wires.
Screen goes black for a second in Windows 10/11 – Follow the solutions below, then check the health of your monitor if nothing works.
Laptop screen goes black for a second then comes back, monitor keeps going black for a second – Update your graphics card drivers as we have shown below, then adjust your PC’s power plan.
Screen goes black for a second laptop – You can also roll back your drivers, if updating them caused your screen to go black.
Screen goes black for a second when opening programs – This indicates there is no issue with the actual monitor itself, but with the software side.
Those are some of the most likely fixes for a monitor that keeps going black. However, if the fixes do nothing for you, it might be an issue with the monitor itself.
Try catch is a control flow statement that is used within PowerShell to catch errors and exceptions. It can be used when you want to handle errors in your script and stop it from proceeding further.
Although PowerShell is a powerful Windows command-line tool, sometimes, it can be hard to interpret if it returns an error. You might be stuck for days trying to figure out where you went wrong. That’s where the try-catch command comes in, and we show you how to use it in this article.
Is there a try catch in PowerShell?
Try Catch statements are a powerful way of handling errors and exceptions in PowerShell. They can handle all kinds of errors, from system exceptions to user-generated errors.
Before you understand how they work, you first need to know what they mean and what they can do.
Try Block
A try block is the first block of code that executes when an error occurs. It can run any code, but it doesn’t do anything special for errors. If an error occurs, PowerShell will continue executing the rest of the script without waiting for you to deal with the error.
A Try Catch statement is comprised of one or more Try blocks. These blocks must be placed in a specific order for the code to execute properly.
This block begins executing immediately if no error has occurred. If an error occurs during this block, it will exit that block immediately and continue executing the code within the matching Catch block(s).
Catch Block
The catch block is a part of the PowerShell pipeline that can handle errors and other exceptions. The catch block does not return any value, but it does allow you to handle the error condition in your script.
This block contains the code that handles errors while executing code within the Try block(s). It will execute if an error occurs during any Try block within the script.
The try-catch construct allows you to handle different errors in your script. For instance, if you have a function that does not return a value, you can use the try-catch construct to check for an error condition and then perform some action if there was one.
How do you write try catch in PowerShell?
It is important to note that during this scripting test, we shall be using the Windows PowerShell ISE (Integrated Scripting Environment). This is the Windows PowerShell interactive shell experience.
ISE provides an excellent development environment for writing, debugging, and testing scripts with an interactive command prompt. It includes a full suite of integrated scripting, debugging, and editing tools that enable you to rapidly develop, test and debug PowerShell scripts.
The ISE also includes script debugging features that allow you to step through your code interactively.
Hit the Windows key, type Powershell ISE and click Run as administrator.
Come up with a code that will give a positive error. The syntax for a try-catch block is:
Try { // Code that might cause an error } catch { // Code to execute if an error occurs during execution of the try block }
As an example, we can use the following:
Try { Write-Host "This will not throw any exception." } Catch [System.Exception] { Write-Host "This will throw an exception." }
While the two blocks can run and catch errors, you need another block to clean up the error. The Finally block is used to clean up the environment after the execution of the try block.
How do I try catch if there’s no error in PowerShell?
An error is a condition that occurs while the PowerShell script is running and prevents the script from continuing to the next line of code. It can be caused by something external (like a missing file or invalid variable) or internal (a syntax error).
PowerShell has two types of errors: terminating and nonterminating. A terminating error stops the execution of the script. On the other hand, a nonterminating error is one that doesn’t stop the execution of the script but does generate output to the console.
The try/catch block allows us to handle errors by catching them with the try keyword and then providing an action block that will be executed if an error occurs. When an error occurs, PowerShell executes the code in the Catch block.
If no error occurs, the catch block will not execute, and the script will continue as normal. If the try catch in Powershell is not working, check out our detailed article on how to fix it.
Let us know how you use the try catch command line in the comment section below.
Why won’t Outlook open unless I restart my computer?
Outlook should open on your computer without demanding that you restart your computer. If it does otherwise, it is due to unknown errors affecting Outlook. Some of them are:
Outdated Outlook app – It means the app can’t access updates and patches needed for fixing bugs, causing it to crash or malfunction. Also, Outlook may often freeze when the app is outdated.
Windows Startup issues – When the system runs into some errors during startup, it may impede the activities of services responsible for running Outlook on your PC. Hence, you must force Outlook to open on startup by tweaking some settings.
Corrupt system files – Outlook may not open unless you restart your PC due to the effect of corrupt system files blocking its performance. Also, it can cause Outlook data files error when using the app.
Issues with Outlook services – You can encounter problems that require you to restart your PC before the Outlook app launches its services. Outlook depends on some essential services that help power its activities, so it may be impossible to run Outlook if they are not intact.
These factors may vary on different PCs. Regardless, users can fix them by troubleshooting their computers. Also, we have a detailed guide on the unknown error that occurred on Outlook and fixes.
Conclusively, these are the easy ways to open Outlook on startup. We hope this guide has enlightened and worked for you. Should you have further questions or suggestions, kindly leave them in the comments section.
Yesterday, Microsoft released a Windows 11 Insider build for the Dev Channel bumping it to 25300. The build featured Live Captions as well as a new suggestions feature for Snap layouts.
For those unfamiliar with Snap Assist, it’s a neat tool that allows users to drag a window to the Assist tool and have Windows resize it automatically to fill the space. The cool comes in handy, especially for users that handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
Microsoft is reportedly working towards enhancing the snapping experience for users by integrating it with AI, thus making it smarter. This integration will change how users interact with the feature.
Windows Central’s Zac Bowden reports that this integration will introduce “new smart snapping features.” Here’s what you can expect if and when Microsoft makes the release.
First up, Snap Assist will be able to recall snap layouts. This feature will promote efficiency and effectiveness, especially for users who interact with technical applications on a daily basis as they’ll now have one less thing to worry about, ultimately promoting productivity.
Unlike the current setup where the users need to configure their snap layouts each time they close their apps or restart their PCs, with this new approach, users can power their devices and start working immediately since their preferred snap layouts would’ve already been configured. Besides, users will be able to restore their preferred snapping layouts using a single click.
Additionally, Microsoft will be incorporating OCR technology into Snap Assist’s suggestions interface, thus making it easier for users to find a running app that they want to snap side by side. Bowden further highlights that, “you’ll be able to search for a word, phrase, or image you remember seeing in a webpage or app, even if said word, phrase, or image isn’t mentioned in its title.”
What’s more, Microsoft is also said to be testing out a feature that will allow snap layouts to dynamically adjust and have the app in focus take up the bigger part of the screen’s real estate. It s not yet clear when Microsoft intends to start rolling out these features to Snap Assist in Windows 11.
Recently, we’ve seen Microsoft start to incorporate AI technology across its products and services after making a $10 billion dollar investment further enhancing its partnership with OpenAI which is behind the famous ChatGPT bot. Microsoft also recently launched a new Edge browser and Bing search featuring an AI copilot and chat.
We’re likely to see Microsoft making more AI entries across its products? Share your interactions and experiences with us below.
Windows computers have a vast and diverse range of security features that protects users from external threats. Facial recognition and biometrics allow users to access the PC with Face ID.
However, many users ask how to turn off face recognition in Windows 11 for many reasons and this guide will show you how to do that.
Why should I disable Facial Recognition on Windows 11?
The Facial Recognition feature on Windows PC is quite resourceful and, at the same time, can be dangerous to use. Here are some factors that may warrant disabling the feature on your PC:
Threatens User privacy – Intruders may use and control this feature in your absence.
Difficult to use with glasses – The Facial Recognition System in Windows computers can’t detect your face when you have glasses on.
Scars to the face can lock you out – It can be tricky to get around the Facial Recognition system after a trauma or face alteration. It can lock you out of your device if you don’t have another login option enabled.
Let’s explore the possible ways to perform this on Windows 11. Also, these steps might be effective in blocking facial recognition software on PCs as they can sometimes monitor the user’s privacy.
How do I turn off facial recognition in Windows 11?
1. Disable Biometric Devices in Device Manager
Left-click the Start button, type Device Manager, then open it.
Scroll through the list of devices and select Biometrics Devices. Right-click on the device and select Disable from the drop-down.
Disabling the Biometric Device on your computer will halt every Biometric scanning option running on your PC, including the Facial Recognition System.
2. Turn off Face Recognition in Windows Hello login
Press Windows + I key to open the Windows Settings app.
Select Accounts, then click on Sign-in options in the left pane of the screen.
Go to the Face Recognition tab on the right pane and click the Remove button.
Disabling the Face Recognition option in Windows Hello Login stops you from signing into your PC with your Face ID. Moreso, it removes the choice to use Facial Recognition on the Login page.
Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box, type regedit, and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
Navigate to the following directory: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Biometrics
If Biometrics is not present in the folder, right-click on a space on the left lane, select New from the drop-down, click on Key, then name the New Key as Biometrics.
Click on the New key, right-click on the right lane of the page, select New, click on DWORD 32-bit value, and name the new DWORD as Enabled.
Double-click the newly created Enabled DWORD and set its Data Value to 0.
The above Registry Editing process will disable every Biometric sensing on your PC. It prevents Face Detection, Fingerprint, and Iris scans from making changes on your PC.
In conclusion, these steps should help you disable facial recognition on Windows 11. Should you have further questions or comments regarding the process to turn off facial recognition, kindly leave them in the section below.
Updating the Windows operating system helps it fix bugs in the previous version that affects its performance. However, many users report the error 0x80070103 in Windows Update.
Read on to find out how to fix this issue and get back to downloading your updates without issues.
Why do I get the Windows Update failed 0x80070103 error message?
The Windows update error 0x80070103 mostly happens when you try to run an already installed driver update with a Windows update. It indicates that an existing driver update on your computer is trying to install alongside Windows updates.
Furthermore, other factors can prompt the error 0x80070103 on your PC. Some are:
Driver update compatibility issues – The error 0x80070103 can occur if the driver update trying to install is not compatible with the version of the Windows operating system on your PC.
Driver under use – Sometimes, you can experience difficulty updating drivers when they are under use. So, the error 0x80070103 may occur if other programs use the driver you want to install.
Corrupt system files – The error 0x80070103 can appear if there’s an issue with the update process due to a corrupt system file. You can check ways to troubleshoot corrupt system files here.
The causes of Windows update error 0x80070103 on your PC may differ from other users. Nonetheless, you can fix the error by troubleshooting your PC.
How do I fix the install error – 0x80070103?
Before proceeding with any troubleshooting steps for the error, try the following preliminary checks:
Press Windows + R key to prompt the Run window type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch an elevated Command Prompt.
Input the following commands consecutively, and press Enter after each: net stop wuauservnet stop cryptSvcnet stop bitsnet stop msiserver
Type the command below to rename the SoftwareDistribution and press Enter after each: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.oldren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old
Run the command below: net start wuauservnet start cryptSvcnet start bitsnet start msiserver
Restart your PC and check if the error persists.
Restarting the Windows Update service can fix issues and corrupt files affecting its processes.
Left-click on Start and type Control Panel to launch the app.
Go to System and click on the Advanced system settings link.
Navigate to the Hardware tab, then click on the Device Installation Settings button.
Select the No option and click on Save settings.
Restart your PC and check if the issue persists.
The above process will prevent Windows from reinstalling driver updates already on your system and should fix the 0x80070103 error code in Windows Update.
4. Delete the Windows temporary files
Press Windows + R keys to open the Run window, type %temp% in the search space, and press Enter.
Press Ctrl + A to highlight all the files and right-click, then click on Delete from the drop-down.
Restart the PC and check if the error persists.
Deleting Windows temp files will clear up corrupt files that may affect your Windows update and fix the error.
5. Update device drivers manually
Go to the driver manufacturer’s website to download the latest update.
Press Windows + R to open the Run window, type devmgmt.msc, and click OK to open the Device Manager.
Navigate to the device you want to update, right-click on the driver, and select Update driver.
Select Browse my computer for driver software to open where the downloaded driver is saved. Then, follow the onscreen prompt to install the driver.
Restart your PC and check if the error appears.
Manual updates will help you update single drivers in isolation without including the rest. Otherwise, you can always use an alternative tool such as Outbyte Driver Updater, which helps you automatically update specific drivers and the whole drivers’ environment.
Some of our readers stumbled upon the Conexant Media installation error 0x80070103. It is an update error connected to the audio driver, mostly from HP laptops. In this case, make sure you get the correct driver from the manufacturer.
It’s no secret, technology is advancing at a rapid pace and creating new opportunities daily. It’s changing how we communicate, how we learn, how we work, and how we access the essential services needed in our communities. These services often remain out of reach for our rural and underserved metropolitan areas. Five years ago Microsoft launched TechSpark, a program designed to accelerate economic growth in six communities across the United States and Mexico to change that.
Techspark works with local community organizations and nonprofits to create opportunities. Today Microsoft is announcing that the TechSpark program is available in all 50 states via the TechSpark Fellows model. Microsoft will provide funding and hands-on training through a local partnership with each state in a partner-driven model. The TechSpark program will focus on four key areas in each community.
Digital access: Building the infrastructure needed to provide online access to services and materials
Computer Science Education: Building computer Science programs in local schools
Digital Skills: Helping people learn the skills needed for the jobs of the future
Digital Transformation: Helping the local communities and nonprofits use technology to face problems and compete in the industry
To make sure everyone benefits from what Microsoft has learned over the last five years they are releasing a playbook and a resource hub to help communities replicate some of the scenarios they encountered. As the TechSpark Fellows program unfolds Microsoft will continue to share regular public updates so organizations outside of the program can learn from what worked and what didn’t. Microsoft remains hopeful that the community-driven model will bring success across the country. An information session is being held on March 1, to learn more you can sign up here.
Microsoft Outlook is a platform that brings all your email accounts and calendars into one convenient spot. However, it uses the status feature to indicate whether or not you’re active on the platform.
So, knowing how to keep Outlook status active in the Outlook status settings can help you work better.
Why is my Outlook status showing away?
Many factors may be responsible for your status showing away on Outlook or status on Outlook not showing. It can be due to issues with Outlook app settings or your PC’s display settings.
Some factors liable to cause the Outlook status to show away are:
The PC has been idle for a long time – The most common reason for seeing away on your Outlook status is that you haven’t used your PC for a while, and that changes the live status for the app.
Internet connection issues – If your network connection isn’t stable or there’s network congestion, it can log you off the service, showing you’re away.
Outdated Microsoft Outlook client – Running an outdated Outlook client on your PC can make the app malfunction and impede its functionality. Also, it can leave your Outlook account settings out of date.
The reason for Outlook status showing away can vary on different devices. Nonetheless, this guide will help you understand how to keep Outlook status active.
How do I keep my Outlook status always active?
Try the following preliminary steps:
Power cycle and reconnect your router to enable a stable Internet connection.
Close and relaunch the Outlook app.
Restart Outlook in Safe Mode to concentrate all the PC’s resources on it.
If you can’t get around the problem, follow the solutions below:
1. Ensure your PC doesn’t go to Sleep mode
Press Windows + I key to launch the Settings app.
Select System and then click on Power & battery.
Go to the Power window, click the Screen and sleep drop-down button, and then set how long the computer should stay awake before going to sleep mode.
Launch Microsoft Outlook and check if your status stays Active.
We recommend you set a longer period that covers the time you need to appear active on Outlook. If Windows is going to sleep too quickly, then read what to do here to fix it.
2. Enable online status next to name in Outlook
Launch Outlook on your PC.
Click on File, then select Options.
Click on People, and then check the box for the Display online status next to the name option.
Navigate to the top-right corner of the page, then click on the Profile icon.
On the Availability status, click on the marked green Available.
Tap on Duration and choose how long you want to appear as Available.
Manually setting your Availability Status on Teams allows you to be active on other users’ Office. It should reflect on Outlook that you’re active as it is on Teams.
In conclusion, this guide has given the necessary tweaks in learning how to keep Outlook status active. Should you have further questions or suggestions, kindly drop them in the comments below.
If you’re using Windows 11, you’ll want to install the latest updates as soon as possible. However, some users have reported issues installing the cumulative update on their PCs.
To help you troubleshoot these issues, we’ve put together this guide on what to do if the Windows 11 cumulative update fails.
Why is the cumulative update not downloading in Windows 11?
Sometimes the cumulative update (CU) is not available to download through the Windows Update or Microsoft Update. This can be caused by a myriad of issues, as listed below:
The cumulative update is not available – The first reason your cumulative update is not downloading is that the cumulative updates are not available in your region yet. A reliable VPN should suffice in such a case.
An issue with Microsoft’s servers – If there are any server issues or connectivity problems between Microsoft and your PC, then the Windows 11 cumulative update will not be downloaded at all.
Internet connection – Your computer’s Internet connection may be the issue. If you have a slow Internet connection, then it will affect the downloading process.
Bandwidth limits – Some ISPs have bandwidth limits on their subscriptions, which could prevent you from downloading a large file like an OS update in one go.
Insufficient RAM – If your computer does not have enough RAM memory, it will not be able to accommodate any downloads. This includes the Windows cumulative update or any other tasks without crashing.
How do I fix Windows 11 not updating?
As always, it is important to start with some preliminary checks before jumping to the advanced solutions:
Make sure that your PC meets the minimum requirements for installing the update.
Locate Windows Update service, double click on it and select Properties.
Navigate to the General tab, under Startup type select Automatic from the drop-down options and click on the Start button.
Next, click Apply and then OK.
5. Rename the software distribution folders
Hit the Windows key, type cmd in the search bar and click Run as administrator.
Type the following commands and press Enter after each one: net stop bitsnet stop wuauservnet stop cryptsvcren %systemroot%\softwaredistribution softwaredistribution.bakren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.baknet start bitsnet start wuauservnet start cryptsvc
Search for the problematic cumulative update and hit the Download button.
Click on the downloaded file and follow the on-screen prompts to install the update.
Is a cumulative update for Windows 11 necessary?
Cumulative updates are released on a regular schedule and contain fixes for any issues that may have been found since the previous update was released.
In most cases, Microsoft recommends installing cumulative updates as soon as they become available. Installing them ensures your computer is protected from all known vulnerabilities. In case you are not able to install the latest CU update KB5029263, refer to this guide.
However, if you’re running an older version of Windows 11, it’s worth checking with your IT department before installing the latest CU, as some updates tend to bring up more problems instead of solving them.
If all else fails and the Windows 11 cumulative update failed message is still present, consider performing a clean install of Windows. To prevent future cumulative update install issues, refer to our detailed article for some tips.
That’s all for this article, but keep the conversation going in the comment section below.
Many encountered Your browser is not supported, use the latest version of the browser to access the web interface with Hikvision cameras, and today we’ll show you how to bypass this error.
How can I fix Your browser is not supported in Hikvision?
Before trying anything else, make sure you update your camera’s firmware to the latest version. Version 5.5.53 or newer usually offers better support for browsers.
1. Enable IE Mode in Edge
Launch Edge, then click on the three dots (…) on the upper right.
Now, select Settings from the menu.
Click on Default Browser on the left.
Next, go to Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer mode and select Allow from the drop-down.
Next, click the Add button next to Internet Explorer mode pages.
Add the IP address of your camera, but before the address make sure you use http protocol like this.
This depends on the camera, and some cameras with older firmware require Internet Explorer. Cameras with newer firmware are compatible modern browsers, but if you can’t decide which to use, our best web browsers for Hikvision article will help you decide.
Many users reported that Pale Moon 32-version worked for them, so feel free to try it.
However, if you are looking for alternatives, we have a good list of some of the best video surveillance software for an uninterrupted experience.
We hope that this guide helped you fix the Your browser is not supported, use the latest version of the browser to access the web interface error with Hikvision.
For more queries on Hikvision or supported browsers, you can leave a message in the comments box below.
Driver software is crucial for every PC, but sometimes driver download can fail on your Windows PC. Outdated drivers can cause many issues, which makes this issue frustrating.
Knowing the gravity of this issue, we have prepared this guide to help you rectify it and get back to updating your drivers quickly.
Why are my driver downloads failing?
Below are some of the reasons your driver download might fail:
Failed integrity checks: Windows usually tests drivers for authenticity during installation. Drivers failing these tests may be prevented from downloading.
Third-party applications: Some third-party software sometimes conflicts with the drivers being downloaded, resulting in the issue. So, you might need to remove these apps using uninstaller software to push the download through.
Corrupt driver files: The driver’s package could be corrupt/incomplete at the source. The solution to this is to redownload the file from the source.
Antivirus software: Drivers are typically in .exe format, so your antivirus might mistake them for malware. You might need to disable the antivirus software to solve the problem.
What can I do if the driver download has failed?
Before exploring the fixes in this section, below are some preliminary checks you should perform:
Restart your PC
Check your internet connection
If the issue persists, you can now delve into the solutions below:
1. Disable driver signature checks
Press the Windows key, type cmd, and select Run as administrator under Command Prompt.
Type the command below and hit Enter to run it: bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks on
Now, try to download the stubborn driver anew.
After downloading and installing the driver, type the command below and hit Enter to restore driver verification: bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks off
As mentioned earlier, Windows is default programmed to permit only signed (verified) drivers. Therefore, the download will fail if your driver is not signed.
The solution to this is to disable the integrity check temporarily. Note that you should only do this for drivers downloaded from trusted sources. Lastly, ensure you enable the feature after installing the driver to protect your PC from faulty drivers.
2. Use third-party tools
Downloading the driver manually can be a tedious task, especially if you don’t know where and which drivers to download. You can always try using third-party solutions if Windows cannot download drivers.
An automatic driver updater such as Outbyte Driver Updater can also repair damaged drivers and detect whether your PC has any missing drivers.
It is also a safer option because they always match your hardware with its corresponding driver version. If you update manually, you may install the wrong driver, which can cause significant issues.
Click the Windows icon on the taskbar, type security, and select the Windows Security option.
Click the App & browser control option.
Now, click the Reputation-based protection settings link.
Finally, toggle the switches for Check apps and files and SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge backward to disable them.
The Windows SmartScreen filter scans the driver’s download, files, applications, and websites and automatically blocks unrecognized content. If the driver download fails, try disabling this feature.
4. Perform disk cleanup
Press the Windows key, type cleanmgr, and select Disk Cleanup.
Select the drive partition you want to create space in and click OK.
Wait briefly as the tool calculates available space, then check all the file types you want to remove.
Finally, click the OK button and wait for the process to complete.
Some significant drivers will cause issues if you lack sufficient disk space. So, if your driver download is missing, you should free up some space by performing Disk Cleanup.
Press the Windows key + S, type virus, and select Virus & threat protection.
Click the Manage settings option.
Finally, toggle the switch under Real-time protection backward to disable it.
Antivirus software protects your computer against countless security threats. However, it can also be why your driver download failed, as it might flag it as a potentially dangerous file.
Knowing the driver’s legitimacy, you can temporarily disable your antivirus to complete the download. For example, if you are using a third-party antivirus, you can right-click the icon on your taskbar and select the option to turn it off.
Similarly, turning off the firewall may help. Remember to re-enable all your protection systems as soon as possible to reduce your PC’s vulnerability.
If the issue persists, you might want to consider switching to different antivirus software that offers excellent protection. You won’t interfere with your system in any way, so feel free to try it out.
With this, we can conclude this guide on pushing your driver download through if it keeps failing. However, you should be able to fix the issue for good now by following the steps therein.
Google Analytics is a web analytics service that tracks and manages website traffic for search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing purposes.
Users report that analytics.google.com refused to connect when accessing it on their browsers.
Why is Google Analytics not connecting?
Users can run into issues connecting Google Analytics for many reasons, preventing it from accessing its other components. Some common factors that can cause the problem are:
Issues with your network connection – When your network connection is weak or unstable, it can prevent Google Analytics from communicating with the components needed for its processes.
Corrupt cache and cookies – It is possible to encounter problems using Google Analytics due to corrupt cache and cookies of your browser.
Interference from addons and extensions – When you have interfering add-ons and extensions installed on your browser, they can impede Analytics activities.
Issues with the Google Analytics connector – Analytics.google.com refusing to connect can occur when the connector is not correctly set.
Other factors are liable to cause analytics.google.com not to connect on your PC. Fortunately, there are some fixes you can follow to resolve the problem.
What can I do if Analytics.google.com refused to connect?
Click the Google Analytics icon at the top right-hand of your browser bar to switch to it.
Right-click on the Tag Assistant icon and then select Options.
Reset the Level of Details for all Google tags to Detailed Information.
Click on the Google Tag Assistant extension icon, then click on the Menu button.
Ensure you turn on the Auto Validation and GA Debug settings.
Check if Google Analytics connects.
Google Tag Assistant indicates whether your Google Analytics tracking code is firing correctly on your website. Also, it’ll detect and notify you when there’s an error with your Google Analytics setup.
2. Disable Chrome extensions
Launch the Google Chrome browser and click the three dots to open the Menu. Navigate to More tools and then click on Extensions.
Disable all extensions by toggling off the switch for each.
Relaunch your browser and check if you can fix the connection problem with Google Analytics.
Disabling the extensions on your browser will fix any interference causing the Google Analytics activities. Check how to back up Google Chrome extensions on your PC.
We hope you managed to fix the issue of analytics.google.com refused to connect and that you can use the service without any more problems. In the comments section below, let us know which method worked for you.
It’s been a whirlwind week since Microsoft’s surprise announcement that it was incorporating a version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Bing and Edge. Since then, there’s been lots of interest, some well reported quirks and failings. Microsoft’s new “Copilot for the web” has shown that it’s definitely in its early days, but has also shown a lot of promise.
In a report on the Bing Blog after a week of limited testing in over 169 countries, Microsoft has both been expecting that it has work to do, but also pleasantly surprised an the levels of engagement. The company reports at 71% positive rating based on the thumbs up / thumbs down rankings built into the Chat, and have seen Bing Chat used not only for searching the web, but for “more general discovery of the world, and for social entertainment. This is a great example of where new technology is finding product-market-fit for something we didn’t fully envision.”
Sometimes those long engaging sessions lead to problems, though. Microsoft reports that sometimes “Bing can become repetitive or be prompted/provoked to give responses that are not necessarily helpful or in line with our designed tone.” Because of this, the company plans to make it easier to refresh the context or start from scratch. Microsoft also indirectly addresses some of the reported issues with Bing Chat sort of going off the rails, offering sometimes nonsensical, angst-ridden, or generally out of character answers:
The model at times tries to respond or reflect in the tone in which it is being asked to provide responses that can lead to a style we didn’t intend.This is a non-trivial scenario that requires a lot of prompting so most of you won’t run into it, but we are looking at how to give you more fine-tuned control.
Microsoft also has found that it faces challenges in providing both up to the minute and also direct factual answers:
You are giving good marks on the citations and references that underly the answers in Bing. It makes it easier to fact check and it provides a nice starting point to discover more. On the other hand, we are finding our share of challenges with answers that need very timely data like live sports scores. For queries where you are looking for a more direct and factual answers such as numbers from financial reports, we’re planning to 4x increase the grounding data we send to the model. Lastly, we’re considering adding a toggle that gives you more control on the precision vs creativity of the answer to tailor to your query.
Microsoft fully acknowledges that this Copilot for the web is in its very early stages, and that there’s a lot of work yet to do:
The only way to improve a product like this, where the user experience is so much different than anything anyone has seen before, is to have people like you using the product and doing exactly what you all are doing. We know we must build this in the open with the community; this can’t be done solely in the lab. Your feedback about what you’re finding valuable and what you aren’t, and what your preferences are for how the product should behave, are so critical at this nascent stage of development.
We’ve been using Bing Chat here, not in full testing mode, but just as casual users like many of you will be. First, it is engaging! It’s fun and somewhat addicting to start a chat with Bing and go down some pretty fun and interesting rabbit holes. These chats aren’t meant to find “10 blue link” answers to begin with, but it’s fascinating to chat with a bot that is personable and fun. Next, the Bing Chat Sidebar for Edge (I’m using Edge Dev, it is apparently rolling out to some with production Edge if you’ve been accepted into the preview) is becoming a very useful tool. I just asked Bing Chat for the spelling of a word, and got a straight simple answer without leaving the editor and wading through links or navigating to a search page. I’ve done this for more complex searches too, and it’s a very useful way to gather information.
Bing Chat needs to get better at what it does, but at the same time it has the potential to be game changing. We’re very intrigued so far. Have you been interacting with Bing’s Copilot for the web? Let us know in the comments below.
There are some instances when you would like to connect a Bluetooth device, perhaps a mouse, headphones, or speaker, to your Windows 11 device but can’t. This is because while it might appear to be connected, the device is not connected.
Essentially, the main purpose of having Bluetooth is the ability to connect a secondary device to your PC wirelessly.
Why is my Bluetooth not working on Windows 11?
If you are facing the Windows 11 Bluetooth paired but not connected issue, there are a couple of plausible reasons that can be attributed to this among them:
Corrupt drivers – Missing or corrupted Bluetooth drivers could be why you get the Windows 11 Bluetooth paired but not connected error. This can be resolved by installing them.
Faulty device – In some instances, the device you are trying to link to your PC might be the problem, thus causing the issue.
Problematic Windows update – Windows 11 updates are essential, but they may be problematic at times. You can uninstall the update to patch this issue before a permanent fix is rolled out.
Interference from nearby devices – It is possible that another device is already connected to your Windows 11 Bluetooth.
What can I do if a paired Bluetooth device is not connecting with my Windows 11 PC?
Before rushing to more technical solutions, you should start with some of these quick fixes:
Disconnect any other peripherals using the Bluetooth connection to prevent interference.
Try connecting your secondary device with another Bluetooth device (if available) to ensure it is not faulty.
Restart your Windows 11 device.
1. Update Bluetooth drivers
Press the Windows key, type Device Manager in the search bar, and click Open.
Expand the Bluetooth section, right-click on the one you need, and select Update driver.
Select Search automatically for drivers.
If the system doesn’t find a new driver you can click on Search for updated drivers in Windows Update.
Now, click the Check for updates button. If there are any updates, the system will download and install them.
Whereas this method of updating drivers manually works well, it may not be the most suitable one, especially for those who don’t like multiple steps. This is where third-party driver updating tools come in.
2. Uninstall and reinstall the Bluetooth driver
Hit the Windows key, type Device Manager in the search bar, and click Open.
Expand the Bluetooth section, right-click on the one you need, and select Uninstall device.
Click the Start button, then select the Power icon and choose Restart.
After the reboot, your PC will automatically install a new related driver and clear the Bluetooth cache in Windows 11.
3. Restart the Bluetooth Support Service
Press the Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the Run window.
Type services.msc in the Run dialog box.
Find the Bluetooth Support Service section, then right-click on it and select Restart.
Right-click again and selectProperties.
Click on the Startup Type section, select Automatic from the drop-down menu and then click on Applyand hit OK.
This solution will help you counter any issues affecting the normal functioning of the Bluetooth Support Service. In most cases, if it is disabled, then installed Bluetooth devices might, in turn, malfunction.
From the left window pane, select System, then look at the right side and click on Troubleshoot.
Select Other troubleshooters.
Scroll down to Bluetooth, then click on the Run button.
If you are still experiencing this issue even after applying the above fixes, then it might be a proximity issue. Your PC may not be detecting Bluetooth devices. It is important to remember that you need to be as close as possible to your Windows 11 device for your Bluetooth device to pair successfully.
How do I reset Bluetooth on Windows 11?
While there’s no way to explicitly reset the Bluetooth in Windows 11, you could re-enable the Bluetooth adapter from the Network Connections window. For some, restarting the Radio Management Service also did the trick.
If you are facing issues connecting to devices, a simple fix is to remove the device from the list of saved ones and then reconnect to it. Make sure to put the device in pairing mode when connecting to it.
Microsoft deeply integrated Adobe Acrobat in Edge, with the aim of enhancing the PDF experience for users. The company further indicated that:
This will give users a unique PDF experience that includes higher fidelity for more accurate colors and graphics, improved performance, strong security for PDF handling, and greater accessibility—including better text selection and read-aloud narration. These capabilities will continue to be free of cost.
However, if you are looking to access more sophisticated features like the conversion of PDFs to other formats or combining files, you’ll need to purchase an Adobe Acrobat subscription. The Pro version will cost you $19.99/month, whereas the Standard one will cost you $12.99/month. The Pro version currently offers a 7-day free trial.
Once you get your subscription, you’ll be able to Adobe Acrobat’s features and tools within the Edge browser via an extension. You don’t need to have the standalone app installed to leverage these features. This opens up more capabilities, ultimately redefining how Edge users interact with PDF files.
Lori DeFurio, Principal Evangelist at Adobe shared with OnMSFT neat tips and tricks that will help Edge users elevate their PDF experience with Adobe Acrobat. Here’s everything you need to know:
1. Protect Your PDF Using a Password
While it is possible to password protect a file or folder on Windows 11, this new integration further builds upon this premise. It allows users to create password-protected PDFs to protect their sensitive credentials. DeFurio further highlighted that:
According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft is the most reported form of fraud in the United States, with more than 1.4 million reports in 2020 alone.
To ensure that your PDFs are secure, you can use the built-in Adobe Acrobat tools to add a password to your documents. This will prevent unauthorized users from opening, editing, or printing your documents unless they have the correct password.
2. Convert Your Screenshots Into a PDF
Did you know that you can convert screenshots in Edge to PDF? Well, with the new Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Edge integration this is possible. To achieve this, use the ‘print’ function to save your screenshots as a PDF.
This will help you save time since you don’t need to start typing again and then converting the text to PDF, ultimately enhancing productivity. What’s more, this useful hack facilitates the conversion of screenshots into “a universally accepted and viewable format.”
3. Edit Your PDF by Converting It to a Word Document
If you’re looking for a way to convert your PDF files into Word documents, then Adobe Acrobat is the perfect tool for you. The program lets you convert and edit PDFs, as well as create them from scratch.
With Acrobat in Edge, you can convert PDF files into editable Word documents so that you can make changes or additions to the information they contain. This is useful if you want to edit text or make other changes that aren’t possible with PDFs.
4. Convert a PDF Into an Audio Book
If you have a document that contains lots of text, it can be challenging to read. You might have your reading glasses on hand and still need to squint to read the text. Or maybe you don’t have your glasses, but you still want to make sure the words are clear and easy to understand.
Thankfully, there is an easy way for anyone with a computer and Adobe Acrobat Reader to convert their PDF file into an audiobook. This method is especially useful for those who find it difficult or impossible to read text on a computer screen or printed page due to poor eyesight or other factors.
5. Combine Your Files Into a Single PDF
When you’re working with large amounts of data, it’s often necessary to create a single document that includes all the relevant information. For instance, you might have one document that’s a draft of a report for your boss and another that contains potential new hires for the company. In this situation, it would be helpful to merge these documents into one PDF file so you can easily share them with others.
Fortunately, Adobe Acrobat makes this process incredibly simple. The program can merge multiple documents into a single PDF file automatically or manually if you prefer to do it yourself. We also invite you to check our separate post that details how to delete a page from a PDF file.
Do More With Edge’s New Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader
With the tips and trickles highlighted above, you’ll end up saving a lot of time. The more mastery you gain over the program, the less time you’ll have to spend on each document, and therefore your work efficiency increases.
Since the website contains numerous error codes and flaws, this is not the only problem troubling the users to the point that a list of error codes and their causes is included on the website.
Anyways, we will examine the top five fixes for one specific error: IRS website error code 2099.
Why am I getting error codes while visiting websites?
Geo-blocking: If you are getting an error when accessing a website, it could be geo-blocking in play. Either the website does not permit access in your location or it’s been limited by the authorities.
Issues with the Internet connection: An unstable or slow Internet connection can lead to errors in accessing websites.
The website is down: The problem could also be at the website’s end. It usually happens when the servers are down.
Before moving to the slightly more time-consuming solutions, here are a few quick ones to try:
Use a service like Downdetector to determine whether the IRS website is down. If that’s the case, try again in a few hours.
If the website throws an error or won’t load completely, press Ctrl + Shift + R to perform a hard refresh.
Check the Internet speed using SpeedTest, and if it’s too slow, switch to a wired connection.
For those using a VPN when opening the IRS website, disable it and try again.
Restart or reset the router.
If these don’t work, head to the fixes listed next.
1. Change your browser
If you try a different browser, the issue might be browser-specific and go away. Try installing Opera from the official website if you do not already use it. Try one of the browsers on the list below if the one you’re using now is Chrome:
The steps listed here are for Google Chrome, though the concept remains the same for all. So, you should have much difficulty disabling extensions on other browsers as well.
Open the browser, click on the ellipsis near the top-right, hover the cursor over More tools, and choose Extensions.
Now, turn off the toggle for each extension here.
After disabling all the extensions, you should be able to access the IRS website.
What should I do if I cannot access IRS at all?
Your browser may be unable to open the IRS website due to specific extensions. To access the website, you should disable any recently downloaded extensions or completely reset your browser.
It’s also important to note that your VPN service might bring on this problem; therefore, turn it off and give it another shot.
While we typically assume that a website’s coding is to blame for any bugs or flaws, your internet connection or the browser you’re utilizing to view the website can also cause issues for you and the website.
How do I get in touch with the IRS?
You can contact IRS for tax-related issues or about the refund using one of the numbers provided on the official website.
Call the number that best suits your case within working hours, and you should be patched with an IRS representative. Besides, you could visit a Taxpayer Assistance Center Office. It’s easy to find an Assistance Center near you.
As previously stated, some websites will not accept browsers with a heavy load of installed extensions. That can also cause the IRS website error code 2099 error.
In the comment section below, let us know if you could fix the IRS website error code 2099 issue.
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