Fix: Nikon Camera not Connecting with Phone [SnapBridge]

The Bluetooth feature in your Nikon camera is more than just a gimmick. Using Nikon‘s SnapBrdige app for the Android and iOS device, you can control your camera remotely as well as access pictures from the camera. That said, some Nikon users have reported Nikon camera not pairing with phone issue.

This pairing problem is usually caused by a glitch in the SnapBridge app or problem with Nikon‘s Bluetooth functionality as reported in the Reddit community.

NIKON D3400 not connecting to snapbridge. Please help. I have looked at and tried other posts and nothing has worked. Please read description, all suggestions massively appreciated.

If you are also troubled by this issue, follow this guide to know how to fix the pairing issue with Nikon camera and phone.

How to fix Nikon camera not pairing with the phone?

1. Clear and cache and force close

  1. A bad cache can create issues while pairing your phone with the Nikon camera. Try clearing the cache and check if that resolves the issue.
  2. On your Android phone, tap on Settings from the Home Screen.
  3. Scroll down to Apps section.
  4. Tap on Manage apps. Wait for the installed apps list to load.
  5. Tap on the SnapBridge app to open it.
    SnapBridge Nikon not connecting
  6. Now, tap the Clear Cache button (bottom right).
    SnapBridge Nikon not connecting
  7. Choose Clear cache and then select Yes.
  8. Tap the Force Close button and choose Yes to confirm the action. This will force start the app.
  9. Now Turn on Bluetooth on your phone as well as Camera and try pairing.

5 best software for raw editing Nikon photos on Windows 10


2. Forget and re-pair

  1. At times a simple unpair and pair can fix Bluetooth connection issues.
  2. On your smartphone, tap on Settings.
  3. Open Bluetooth option.
  4. Make sure the Bluetooth is enabled.
    Nikon camera not pairing with the phone 
  5. From the list of paired devices, tap on your Camera Name.
    SnapBridge Nikon not connecting
  6. Select Unpair to forget the device.
  7. Turn off Bluetooth on your Camera and your smartphone.
  8. Turn the Bluetooth back On, on both the device.
  9. Open the SnapBrige app and try pairing.

3. Uninstall and reinstall the app

Nikon camera not pairing with the phone 
  1. If the issue persists, try reinstalling the app. Uninstalling the app should clear any conflict with your phone.
  2. From your phone‘s home screen, tap and hold on the SnapBridge app icon.
  3. Select Uninstall and then tap on Yes to confirm.
  4. Restart the phone after uninstalling the app.
  5. Download the SnapBridge app from the PlayStore and install it.
  6. Now try pairing the device with your phone and see if that helps.

4. Try Camera Connect & Control app

Nikon camera not pairing with the phone 
  1. The Camera Connect & Control is a third-party camera control app and a good alternative to SnapBridge. If the SnapBridge app is not working, try this app until the issue is resolved.
  2. Download Camera Connect & Control from the PlayStore.
  3. After installing the app, make sure to turn on the WiFi on your camera.
  4. Launch the app and proceed with connecting to your phone to Nikon camera.
  5. As mentioned earlier, the Nikon Camera Connect and Control app works over WiFi or USB connection.

Conclusion 

That’s it. By following the tips in this article you can fix Nikon camera not pairing with phone issue.

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Adobe Illustrator Is Not Responding? Check These Solutions

One big issue that arises when trying to use Adobe Illustrator is the responsiveness of the program. You will notice that this happens every time you open a file.

Illustrator is not responding and you have no other chance but to quit the program. The most probable reasons are an outdated Adobe Illustrator version, a corrupt font database, or a bad preference file.

These don’t sound that frightening, that’s true. However, the issue happens again and again, so you need to take action.

If you’re currently struggling to resolve this particular problem, here are a few solutions that will get Adobe Illustrator back on track.

Why is my Adobe Illustrator not responding?

There are many possible culprits that cause an app to not respond but when speaking about Adobe Illustrator specifically, these are the most commonly reported issues that cause your app to crash:

  • Corrupt or outdated GPU drivers may interfere with Illustrator and cause it to crash.
  • Outdated versions of the Adobe Illustrator software
  • Bad preference files
  • Your device does not meet the minimum system requirements

What can I do if Adobe Illustrator is not responding?

1. Uninstall and reinstall Adobe Illustrator

It is possible that files within your current Adobe Illustrator application may have some problems that cause them to be unresponsive.

The simplest way to overcome this is to uninstall the application and reinstall a fresh and updated version.

Uninstall Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Type Creative Cloud in the taskbar and open the Creative Cloud Desktop App.Adobe Illustrator is not responding
  2. Under the All Apps tab, select Adobe Illustrator and choose Uninstall.Adobe Illustrator is not responding
  3. If necessary, click the More options icon to get to Adobe Illustrator and choose Uninstall.
  4. You will get a prompt asking whether you want to keep or remove your preferences, select the option you prefer.

Once the process is complete, you can start with the reinstallation process. If you want a clean reinstallation, is advised to remove the settings and preferences as well, but it is not mandatory.

At this stage, we advise you to make sure that there are no Illustrator files left on your PC. Uninstaller wizards may leave behind registry entries and other unnecessary folders that benefit you with nothing and take up disk space.

They may even prevent you from reinstalling the app because the installer wizard may wrongfully detect that the app is already on your PC and stop the installation. To prevent this from happening, use uninstaller software.

These are safe tools that scan your whole PC for leftover files and registry entries and safely remove them, allowing you to save up precious disk space and have a clean, fresh reinstallation.

Reinstall Adobe Illustrator
You can reinstall the application from the same panel in the Creative Cloud Desktop app:

  1. Open the Creative Cloud Desktop App.
  2. Select Adobe Illustrator from the Apps to try tab. If Illustrator is included in your Creative Cloud plan, then select Install. Otherwise select Try for the free trial or Buy to purchase the product.Adobe Illustrator is not responding
  3. Wait for the process to complete and try to relaunch the app.Adobe Illustrator is not responding

Now the Adobe Illustrator application should work just fine.

Moreover, installing the most recent Adobe Illustrator version will give you the peace of mind that you’ll face no similar errors in the near future.

2. Update your GPU device drivers

Adobe Illustrator users report fixing various malfunctions by updating their GPU drivers.

  1. Type device manager in the Taskbar and open Device Manager.device-manager-search win + x not working windows 11
  2. Select the Display adapters group.
  3. Right-click on your GPU device and select Update driver.

Now Windows will automatically install new driver versions if they are available. Just wait for the process to complete and try to relaunch Illustrator.

We must mention that Windows may not be able to always detect new driver versions, even if they become available, in which case you have the option to look them up manually:

  1. Identify your GPU card manufacturer and version.
  2. Head to the official website of the manufacturer and download the latest driver version
  3. Open the file and follow the installation wizard.

We advise you to double-check the version of the driver you install because a mismatched driver may cause even more errors including frequent app crashes and BSODs.

If you are not sure what driver version you need to install, you can use an automated driver installer such as Outbyte Driver Updater that can determine that by running a quick scan on your machine.

⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater

3. Try forcing Adobe Illustrator to end

Truly forcing your unresponsive Adobe Illustrator to quit is easily accomplished via the Task Manager.

  1. Firstly, close all adobe-related tasks and open your Task Manager by using the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keyboard shortcut.Adobe Illustrator is not responding?
  2. Next, select Adobe Illustrator, choose End Task, and close Task Manager. Adobe Illustrator is not responding
  3. The program should have closed immediately but don’t worry if it takes several seconds to do so.

This option will give the application the chance to reconfigure. Try to start it again and see if the issue is fixed.

Adobe products generally try to save up your work even when the application crashes. When you try to relaunch the app you should get the Auto-recovery dialog box that will ask you if you want to open the autosaved data. Select ok

Finding Illustrator and force to quit the process is no rocket science, and we have the right solution for you if by any chance you can’t open Task Manager.

Moreover, some of you might find it easier to use the ALT + F4 keyboard shortcut for similar results.

4. Turn your computer off and on again

If you tried the previous suggestion to no avail, then maybe it’s time to consider applying a quick restart. Adobe Illustrator may start responding again and the process is a matter of seconds, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

On the contrary, it’s recommended to shut down your computer at least once a week to reduce the possibility of getting errors like this one.

5. Reset your app preferences

Resetting your preferences to default is also proven to solve an unresponsive or crashing Illustrator.

We advise you to create a backup of your current preferences before you start.

  1. In the Edit menu, head to Preferences, then select General.
  2. Click Reset Preferences then click Ok.
  3. Restart Illustrator.

Has any of these tips helped you solve the issue? Let us know by using the comments section below.

If you found these solutions useful, head on over to our Adobe Troubleshooting Hub for more tips on how to turn correct any errors in no time.

If you’re enduring loading issues with Illustrator, force the process to end and try opening it again

5 Ways to Extract Audio From Facebook Video [Quick Guide]

Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world, and its video streaming platform is gaining popularity as well.

While scrolling through your Facebook feed, you may come across a video that has catchy audio.

Facebook, by default, does not allow you to download its video. However, there are third-party sites that can extract the videos from Facebook.

But, what if you only want to extract audio from a Facebook video? You can do that with the help of audio converter software.

Well, again, we turn towards third-party sites that can help you extract audio from any video on the internet, including Facebook.

In this article, we show you the five ways to extract audio from Facebook videos, but in order to do so, you will need to first know how to get the URL from Facebook.

Get a Facebook video URL

  1. On the video that you want to download, click the three dots menu.
  2. Select Copy link.
  3. Now the video URL is on your clipboard. If you have multiple videos to download, copy all the URLs and save it to a Notepad file.

Now let’s take a look at the online services and offline apps that can help you extract audio from a Facebook video.

How can I download audio from Facebook videos?

Save From – Web integration tool

tools to extract audio from Facebook video

Save from is a good and accessible solution because it lets you download Facebook videos directly from your browser, without requiring you to install software to your PC.

Yes, it is a video downloader, but you can always extract audio from the videos using the best MP4 to MP3 converters.

It is very easy to use, as you will see in the instructions below. The platform lets you download MP4 and WEBM, and you can select the mpx quality for each video (up to 1080).

  1. Open Save From on your web browser.
  2. Enter the copied Facebook video URL.
  3. The downloader will process the video link and show the available download options.
  4. Click the Download MP4 button to download the video.

Save From can be safely used on any major browser. It is also available as a Google Chrome extension.

As you download directly from the browser, the video files will go to your designated download folder, or you will have to pick it up on the spot if that’s how your browser is set up.

Another nifty feature provided by Savefrom.net is the web integration tool. It lets you create a download button for a video of your choice and place it on your website. The integration script works with YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and VK.com.

⇒ Get Save From

Getfvid FB Converter – Free and private

software tools websites toextract audio from Facebook video

Getfvid is similar to Save From, but this one allows you to extract audio from the Facebook video and download it in MP3 format.

  1. Open the Getfvid.
  2. Enter the Facebook video URL in the search bar.
  3. Click on Start and wait for the tool to process the URL.
  4. Under Convert To, click the drop-down menu and select MP3.
  5. Select the Quality of the MP3 file.
  6. You can also trim the video by selecting the Start and End times.
  7. Click on Convert.
  8. Click the Download button to save the extracted audio file.

This tool is specifically created to download Facebook videos and does not work with specialized video platforms such as YouTube or DailyMotion.

It lets you download both full video formats (mp4) and audio-only formats (mp3). It offers the option to download in high quality, but also in normal quality, for smaller file sizes.

Just as in the case of Savefrom, Getfvid files will be saved in the location you picked in your browser settings.

Getfvid is free and private. It does not store any user data or place any limit on the amount of media you can download using the tool. The videos you download are not stored anywhere within the platform either.

⇒ Get Getfvid

Apowersoft Online Audio Recorder – Add smart ID3 tags

Apowersoft Online Audio Recorder allows you to record high-quality audio from computer sound cards and microphones. This also removes the hassle of having to convert MP4 into MP3 after downloading the video from Facebook.

  1. Open Apwersoft Online Audio Recorder.
  2. On the home page click on Start Recording.
  3. When prompted to download the launcher, download and run the launcher.
  4. Double-click on the launcher to install and launch it.
  5. Once the launcher is up and running, open a Facebook video.
  6. Click Record on the Apwersoft Online Audio Recorder.
  7. Now play the video on Facebook.
  8. Click on the Stop button to save the audio.
    extract audio from Facebook video
  9. To access the file, click the Open Folder icon.

The tool lets your rip audio from a Facebook video and also fully control when you want the recording to start, pause, resume, and end.

It is compatible with Windows and Mac computers. When it comes to the location of the files, it is dependent on your browser settings.

Apowersoft Online Audio Recorder lets you record from multiple audio inputs, including system sound, and microphone. You can also record both, simultaneously.

Apowersoft lets users save audio files in all major formats, including mp3, wma, aac, flac, and m4a.

It also lets you rename your audio files and add smart ID3 tags to them. You can add pictures, artist name, year, album, and genre. 

This is a very handy feature as it will help you easily find your files when you browse your audio library on your mobile device or from a computer audio application.

⇒ Get Apowersoft Online Audio Recorder

VLC Media Player – Various effects and filters

VLC media player is a popular media player software due to the fact that it is free, light, and works on all major platforms.

  1. Make sure you have downloaded the Facebook video to your computer.
  2. Open the Facebook video on VLC Player.
  3. Click on Media and select Convert/Save.
  4. Click the Add button under the File tab.
  5. Select the Video you want to convert.
  6. Click the Convert/Save button.
    extract audio from Facebook video
  7. Under Settings, make sure to select Audio – MP3 for Profile.
  8. Click the Browse button and select the destination.
  9. Click Start.

That’s it. VLC media player should now convert your Facebook video into an MP3 file.

The player can also be used to download audio from Facebook videos, as you can see in the guide below:

VLC can replay pretty much any media file format, both video, and audio, and can be used to create your own media library.

It can also be used as a video editing tool, incorporating various effects and filters such as distortion, rotation, split, mirror, and more.

It is available as a computer application and as a mobile app for Android, iOs, Windows phones, and other portable devices.

⇒ Get VLC Media Player

So, those are the five ways to extract an audio Facebook video. While some of these are online options, we have also listed some handy offline software for convenience.

Want to learn more interesting tricks? Check out our dedicated How-To Hub.

Want to explore more Facebook-related information? Check out our dedicated Facebook webpage.

FIX: The Sims 3 Keeps Crashing on Windows 10 & 11

Sims 3 is one of the most played games on Windows PC. This is because of its realistic and cool gameplay that makes you always want to come back.

However, users are starting to complain that Sim 3 crashes on Windows 10 and 11. This can be annoying, but it is not an issue without solutions. In this guide, we have gathered the best fixes you can apply to eliminate this frustrating problem.

Why does my Sims 3 game keep crashing?

Below are some of the reasons the Sims 3 game keeps crashing on Windows 10 and 11:

  • Wrong settings: One of the major reasons your game fails to work well is wrong in-game settings. Sometimes, it might be due to the advanced rendering feature, among other settings. The solution to this is to tweak these settings until your game starts working normally.
  • Faulty mods: In some cases, this issue might be due to the mods you recently installed. The quickest way around this is to remove these mods and restart your PC.

How do I stop Sims 3 from crashing and freezing?

We’ve scouted the web and found some working fixes for the annoying Sims 3 crashing issues on your Windows 11 and 10 devices.

Of course, as always, you are advised to get the latest graphical drivers and make sure that you are also playing a completely genuine version of the game. First of all, we will start with a few pieces of advice that you need to follow just to see if they can be of any help.

1. Check your settings

  • You might not have all the required hardware specs for a decent gameplay, so consider downgrading the settings and choosing speed over quality
  • Try to turn off advance rendering
  • Try playing the game in window mode. If there isn’t a setting for enabling this, then choose the alt+enter hotkey combination

2. Uninstall recently installed mods

Uninstall Pets if you have installed it, as this has worked for some. Also, if you recently installed new mods, remove them and check if this workaround fixed the problem.

3. Turn off background apps and programs

Try to turn off background programs which could be eating up virtual memory. The quickest way to do this is to clean and boot your computer. Here are the steps to follow:

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

4. Update your OS

Make sure you upgrade to the latest Windows 10 Update version if you’re still running this OS. Microsoft regularly rolls out new updates to make your system more stable and fix general bugs, so check for updates.

Since Windows 10 is an old version, the best solution is to upgrade to the latest OS: Windows 11. Microsoft has greatly improved your gaming experience on Windows 11 by adding a series of dedicated gaming features such as Game DVR, a new Game Bar, and so on.

Install the latest Windows 11 version to enjoy a smooth gaming experience. For more information on how to download and install the Windows 10 April Update, you can check out this guide.

5. Run the built-in troubleshooting tool

There are two troubleshooting tools that may help you fix game crashes in The Sims 3, namely the Program Compatibility troubleshooter and the Blue Screen troubleshooter (if The Sims 3 crashed with a BSOD error). Here’s how to run these troubleshooters:

  1. Open Control Panel > type ‘troubleshoot’ in the search menu > select Troubleshooting
  2. Click on View All to list all the troubleshootersview all control panel
  3. Select and run the troubleshooters mentioned above > restart your computer and check if you can Play The Sims3.

6. Exclude the game from Data Execution Prevention

  • Right-click on My Computer on Windows 8 or This PC on Windows 10 > select Properties
  • Click on the Advanced System Settings link on the left> click on the Advanced tab > go to Settings under Performance frame
  • Check the Data Execution Prevention tab and then turn on DEP for all programs and services except those you want to add the Sims 3 executable file in the exception list.

7. Additional solutions

  • Try to delete all cache files and thumbnails
  • Run the game in compatibility mode with Windows 7 or even a previous version
  • Turn off firewall, spyware & antivirus programs

There you have everything you need to fix the Sims 3 if it keeps crashing on Windows 10 and 11. If Sims 3 keeps showing there was an error during startup, check our detailed guide to fix it quickly.

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

Stuck at Configuring Windows Updates Screen? Try These Fixes

Performing regular updates on Windows 10 is crucial for your security and system stability.

However, sometimes there might be problems with certain updates and many users reported being stuck with Configuring Windows Updates 100% complete don’t turn off your computer message on their Windows 10 devices.

According to users, Configuring Windows Updates 100% complete don’t turn off your computer is displayed and they cannot access Windows 10 at all, as if the update process is stuck.

This is a rather big problem since you won’t be able to access Windows 10 at all, but there are few solutions available that can help you fix this problem.

There are many problems that can occur with Windows Updates, and in today’s articles we’re going to show you how to fix the following issues:

  • Configuring Windows Updates stuck, frozen, failed, hang, very slow – According to users, the Windows Update process can often get stuck or frozen. This can be a big problem, but you should be able to fix it with one of our solutions.
  • Configuring Windows Updates won’t finish – This is another common problem with Windows Updates. As users claim, it seems that the update process can’t finish at all.
  • Failure configuring Windows Updates endless loop – Several users reported that they were unable to install a specific update. According to them, they were stuck in an endless loop.
  • Configuring Windows Updates every time I turn on the computer – How do I stop my computer from configuring Windows updates? If that’s your question too, you should be able to fix it with one of our solutions.
  • Configuring Windows Updates restart loop – Sometimes users might get this message whenever they restart their PC. This can be a big problem since you won’t be able to use your PC at all.
  • Configuring Windows Updates reverting changes – This message can appear if a certain update can’t be installed. However, sometimes your PC might get stuck while reverting changes.
  • Configuring Windows Updates taking a long time – Many users reported that this process can take a long time. In most cases, it’s best to wait for the process to finish, but if waiting doesn’t help, you might want to try some of our solutions.

How can I get past the stuck Windows Updates screen?

1. Wait for the update process to complete

update process completed

Configuring Windows Updates 100% complete don’t turn off your computer message is a normal part of every Windows update.

Sometimes it can take a while in order for the update to be installed, so it’s no wonder many users assume that the update process is frozen.

The simplest solution to this problem is to wait for the update to install itself. In most cases, the update process isn’t stuck so you’ll just have to patiently wait for a while before the update is completely installed.

2. Remove any USB peripherals

configuring Windows Updates won't finish

If you’re stuck with Configuring Windows Updates 100% complete don’t turn off your computer, you might want to try removing your USB peripherals such as your external hard drive, printer, even your USB mouse and keyboard.

Users reported that disconnecting USB peripherals successfully fixed their problem, so try removing your USB peripherals and wait for a few minutes for the update to finish.

You can read more about how a USB peripheral can block the latest Windows 10 update in this article. In some cases, it applies to other updates as well.

3. Turn off your device and turn it back on again

failure configuring Windows Updates endless loop

Users reported that this solution works with Surface Pro devices, but you can try it with your Windows 10 PC as well. Just hold the power button for a few seconds until your device turns off.

After the device turns off completely, press the power button again to turn it on. If something doesn’t go as expected or you hear weird noises, it’s possible that you experience some power supply issues.

Don’t know how to fix power supply issues in Windows 10? Check this guide and set things right once again.

4. Try accessing Safe Mode

how to access Safe Mode
  1. After you turn on and turn off your computer a few times, you should see the Advanced Startup screen.
  2. Enter into Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings and click the Restart button.
  3. Once your computer restarts again, you’ll see a list of options. Press F5 to access Safe Mode with Networking.
  4. If you manage to install the update in Safe Mode, you can just restart your computer and access Windows 10 normally.

It’s possible that your update process is frozen due to a bad driver or a third-party application, and that’s why it’s always a good idea to try to access Safe Mode. To access Safe Mode, follow the above steps.

5. Use Automatic Repair or System Restore

use System Restore
  1. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.
  2. Select Automatic Repair.
  3. Wait for the process to finish.
  4. If the issue isn’t fixed, you’ll have to repeat the entire process all over again and choose System Restore this time.
  5. Wait for the System Restore to complete and you should be able to go back to Windows 10.

Few users reported that they have managed to fix this problem by performing Automatic Repair or System Restore. After you turn on and turn off your PC a couple of times, you should see the Advanced Startup screen.

Once you see that screen, you’ll need to apply the above steps. If System Restore isn’t working, don’t panic. Check this useful guide and set things right once again.

6. Check your RAM

Configuring Windows Updates every time I turn on computer

If you get stuck at Configuring Windows Updates 100% complete don’t turn off your computer screen, it might be because your RAM is corrupt.

Try swapping your RAM in order to find the faulty module. This is an unlikely cause, therefore you should try this solution if all other previous solutions don’t work.

7. Update your BIOS

how to update your BIOS

If the problem still persists, you might want to try updating your BIOS. We highly doubt that this issue is caused by outdated BIOS, but a number of users are suggesting BIOS update, so you might want to try it if all other solutions fail.

If your PC won’t start after a Windows update, you can take a look at this article to solve the problem easily.

BIOS update is an advanced procedure that can cause permanent damage to your PC if you’re not careful, so make sure to check your motherboard’s instruction manual for detailed instructions.

8. Remove the problematic update

  1. Enter Safe Mode by following steps from Solution 4.
  2. When you enter Safe Mode, press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app.
  3. Navigate to the Update & security section.
    Configuring Windows Updates restart loop
  4. Click on Update history.
    Configuring Windows Updates reverting changes
  5. Now click on Uninstall updates.
    Configuring Windows Updates taking a long time
  6. A list of recent updates will appear. Now simply find and double click the update you wish to remove.
    Configuring Windows Updates stuck

If you’re constantly getting Configuring Windows Updates 100% complete don’t turn off your computer message, the problem might be a problematic update.

Several users reported that they fixed the issue simply by finding and removing the problematic update. To do that, follow these steps.

After removing the update, check if everything is in order. If so, you might want to prevent the update from installing. To see how to do that, be sure to check our article on how to disable Windows 10 automatic updates.

If you’re having trouble opening the Setting app, take a look at this article to solve the issue.

Being stuck on Configuring Windows Updates 100% complete don’t turn off your computer screen can be rather frustrating, but keep in mind that your update probably isn’t stuck, and you’ll just have to wait a while in order for it to complete its installation.

If that doesn’t work, feel free to try any other of our solutions. If you have any more questions, leave them in the comments section below.

How to Set Up VPN MFA to Increase Your Security

Using a VPN is one of the best ways to increase your security and privacy. However, most VPNs don’t provide any additional security features to keep your account secure. That’s why it’s important to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) with your VPN provider.

The best way to stay secure is to ensure your VPN has multi-factor authentication. If a hacker gets a hold of your account credentials, they’ll still need an additional code that only you know to log in and access your data.

What is VPN MFA?

VPN MFA is a technology that allows you to use a second-factor authentication (2FA) with your VPN. This means that when you log in to your VPN, a code will be sent to your phone or email. You’ll need to enter the code before logging in.

Why do I need VPN MFA?

One of the main reasons why people use VPNs is to access the internet anonymously. Other reasons include:

  • Extra protection – It adds another layer of protection against malicious attacks on your devices and data. 
  • Privacy – A VPN hides your real IP address, making it harder for third parties to track your online activities.
  • Prevent fraud – With a VPN MFA, you can also ensure that the person using your VPN is who they say they are.

Now that you understand how important VPN MFA is, you’ll need the help of third-party tools to complete the process. Below, we look at some of the programs that offer these services.

How do I enable MFA on VPN?

  1. Sign in to your AD account (In this case Azure portal).
  2. Navigate to Azure Active Directory and select All users.
  3. Click on Multi-Factor Authentication.
  4. Select the user(s) for whom you wish to enable MFA and click Enable.

It’s important to note that the steps will differ depending on the AD tool you’re using, but with these, you get a rough picture of how it should go.

For Azure users who want to fine-tune the settings and enable MFA on an application basis, you need to upgrade to the premium license that offers conditional access.

What are some of the Active Directory tools that support VPN MFA?

ADSelfService Plus – All-inclusive security tool

ADSelfService Plus is an online service that allows you to manage your account passwords and other important information. It provides a secure way to access your computer and network resources from anywhere.

With ADSelfService Plus, you can use your Windows credentials to connect to your VPN. You don’t need to remember any passwords or follow complex setup instructions. The easy-to-use interface makes it simpler for you to connect to your VPN. 

Other features include:

  • ADSelfService Plus is compatible with the most popular VPN services
  • You can enable multi-factor authentication on a number of services including Gmail, Office 365 and Dropbox, etc
  • Easily manage multiple accounts

ADSelfService Plus

Get the best tool to manage your accounts and passwords and connect yo your VPN!
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ADAudit Plus – Expert monitoring tool

ADAudit Plus tool allows remote VPN control and access to the network. The solution also provides the ability to enforce MFA for users that are logging into their devices using AD credentials.

In order to enable MFA for your VPN users, you need to install the Authentication Activity Monitor module on the ADAudit Plus server and configure it in accordance with your requirements.

The Authentication Activity Monitor module allows you to monitor all authentication activity performed by your users against AD resources.

Other features include:

  • Customizable authentication method
  • Allows remote access
  • Can analyze authentication logs from any VPN solution

ADAudit Plus

Get seamless access to your network and the remote VPN control to get monitor all authentication.
Free trial Visit website

Azure AD – Identity protection tool

Azure AD is built on top of Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) and leverages its multi-tenant capabilities. It provides cloud-based identity management as a service to help you manage users across your IT environment, including in the cloud.

When you enable multi-factor authentication for Azure AD, users can’t sign in unless they have an approved device, such as a phone or tablet, registered with Azure AD.

If a user attempts to sign in from an unknown device or from an unapproved device, especially for virtual machines or RDP connections, they must verify their identity by entering their username and password along with a code provided by an authenticator app.

Other features include:

  • Integration with Microsoft services
  • Passwordless authentication
  • Identity protection feature to detect risky behavior associated with compromised credentials

⇒ Get Azure AD

Is VPN the same as MFA?

No, VPNs are not the same as MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication). Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a technology that allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. 

Companies often use it to allow their employees to access internal resources such as servers, databases, and email servers securely.

MFA stands for Multi-Factor Authentication. This is a security measure that increases the security of your data by requiring more than one method of identification.

In most cases, this means that you will need to use something other than just a password for verification, like a code sent via SMS or an app on your phone.

In the question of whether a VPN is considered an MFA, VPNs are similar to MFA in that they provide an additional layer of security and identity verification. However, they aren’t exactly the same thing.

Most people who use a VPN have it configured to log in automatically. This means that anyone with access to your computer can simply start up the VPN and begin using it for their own purposes, even if you’re not around.

But by setting up MFA on your VPN, you’ll make it much harder for someone else to log in without your permission.

You may also benefit from password managers especially if you easily forget your passwords. Better yet, you can easily set up VPN for Remote Desktop if you have a large team to manage.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you have been able to beef up security while using VPNs in the comment section below.

How to Get Apple Calendar on Windows PC [Step-by-Step Guide]

Apple Calendar is an invaluable app you can utilize via the iCloud service. As Calendar is an iCloud app, you can sync it with Microsoft apps.

You can access your Apple Calendar via the Calendar, Mail, and Outlook Windows 10 apps. This is how to access Apple Calendar on Windows 10.

How can I access Apple Calendar on Windows 10?

1. Sync Apple iCloud Calendar via Settings

  1. Press Windows 10’s Start button, and then click Settings on the menu.
  2. Select Accounts in Settings.
  3. Next, click the Email & accounts tab shown directly below.
  4. Press the Add an account button there.
  5. Next, select iCloud on the window that opens.
  6. Input your iCloud email address and login details within the required text boxes.
  7. Then click the Sign in option.
  8. Press the Done button to confirm
  9. Thereafter, click the Calendar app on your Start menu.
  10. Click Get started on the Calendar app window.
  11. Press the Ready to go button to continue.
  12. You should see an iCloud checkbox on the left of the window. Now you can view and update your Apple iCloud Calendar within the Calendar app.

If you want to access Apple calendar on Windows 10 PC, you can do that by signing it with your iCloud account and the calendar should be added automatically.

2. Install the iCloud software

  1. Open the iCloud MS Store page (linked below) in a web browser.
  2. Press the Get button on that page.
  3. Click the Open Microsoft Store button in the prompt.
  4. Press the Get button within the MS Store app to download and install the app.
  5. Open the iCloud for Windows app.
  6. Then you’ll need to sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID & password.
  7. Thereafter, select the Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Tasks (with Outlook) checkbox within the iCloud window.
  8. Select the Apply option to sync the Apple Calendar.
  9. Next, open your Outlook software.
  10. Click the Calendar button in Outlook.
  11. You should be able to see an iCloud checkbox in Outlook. That checkbox must be checked for you to view your Apple Calendar in Outlook.

⇒ Get iCloud for Windows

3. Log in to iCloud web app

  1. Open the iCloud page in a browser, and sign in with your Apple credentials from there.
  2. Then you can click Calendar within iCloud to view and update it from your Windows 10 browser.

Alternatively, you can log in to the iCloud web app to access Apple Calendar in Windows 10 by following the instructions from above.

So, it’s pretty straightforward to sync and access your Apple Calendar on Windows 10. With the iCloud syncing, you can view and update your Apple Calendar across Windows, iOS, and Android mobile and PC devices.

Did you find this guide helpful? Let us know in the comments section below.

5 Best Software To Change Your Accent [2026 Guide]

You cannot deny it, at least once you have dreamed of modifying your voice or accent. Some just want to make jokes to their friends or funnily imitate some special effects from movies, songs, or cartoons at home.

Others want to protect their privacy. Whatever the motivation, if you want to know how to change your voice accent, you’re in the right place. We reckon the easiest way is to use accent changer software.

So, is there an app that can change your accent? Let’s find out.

Is there a software that changes your accent?

Some users wonder if changing your voice completely is even possible with specific software. So you can try it on your own and see how effectively programs can modify your voice to not be recognized at all.

There are many services and programs that manipulate audio data to turn you into a completely different person. Let’s take a look at the different services that allow users to alter their voices and accents:

  • Adobe Premiere Pro – Get creative with integrated apps & services
  • Voxal Voice Changer – Excellent accent changer for calls
  • AV Voice Changer Software Diamond – Real time accent changer with voice beautifying features
  • MorphVox – Accent stripping software with live vocal visualization
  • Viscom Voice Changer – Best accent voice changer for recordings

Regardless of intention, this capability can be helpful in certain situations. If you truly need to keep your identity protected, there is no better way to do so than by using a voice changer program.

What is the most realistic voice changer?

Adobe Premiere Pro – Get creative with integrated apps & services

Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most popular video editing software with robust audio-oriented features.

The program has AI-driven instruments that allow you to edit your audio files in several ways, even in the post-production phase. With the Mastering tool, you can increase or decrease the ceiling of your sound, while the Lowpass option lets you muffle sounds with a simple click.

Other tools offered by Adobe Premiere Pro you can use to sound like someone else are the Surround Reverb effect, the Balance option, which creates the illusion that sound is coming from multiple directions, as well as DeNoise, a tool designed for noise reduction.

So use the Mastering tool along with other features such as surround reverb effect or balance options to completely change the sound of your input file.

You can even sample music on Adobe Stock and get creative by using other integrated apps and services.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Edit each vibration of your audio file to make voices sound different using Adobe Premiere qualitative services.
Free trial Visit website

Voxal Voice Changer – Excellent accent changer for calls

The second item on the list is Voxal Voice Changer, a software that in the name immediately specifies its goal. This is one of the best applications on the net, also because it is available for free.

The program has a friendly user interface, making use of the software child’s play. In fact, as with any type of application, having a good user interface is crucial, as it will save the user time in learning essential functions.

Voxal Voice Changer is a tool that allows you to change the voice within games, music, or any other platform, allowing you to set the tone and volume of your voice.

The only thing you need to make this application work is a microphone connected to your PC. Once you have opened the program and set your desired tone, all the items played from your computer will have the same change.

The various values ​​that can be changed through the equalizer are volume, tone, bass, frequency, and mono or stereo output.

With Voxal Voice Changer you can have a laugh by playing a prank on one of your contacts. It can also be useful if you want to create a tutorial or publish any video on the Internet while maintaining anonymity.

The program works in real-time, which means you can edit the voice as you speak. This is obviously an excellent aspect that will allow you for example to make live calls with the modified voice. In addition, the app allows you to edit recorded messages.

If you thought this software could only distort the voice or something like that, you’re wrong. Voxal offers a fairly varied list of options for editing the entry.

We find the classic choices of changing the tone, for a slight adjustment of the natural voice, but we can also indulge in advanced options.

Users can, in fact, change their voice from male to female and vice versa, but also take the voice of a robot or an alien.

Voxal Voice Changer

Connect your microphone and change your voice in real time with bass, frequency, tone, equalizer settings, and more.

AV Voice Changer – Real time accent changer with voice beautifying

This accent changer software has many options that allow you to alter voices for all different kinds of purposes. You can change your output voice in real-time, while on an online call, but you can also edit pre-recorded materials.

It can be used for professional audio editing as it is able to improve the audio quality of your files and remove background noises.

On the other hand, depending on the results you want, you can also add background sounds and effects, they have dozens of options you can choose from.

You can cut/split/crop and apply effects and other essential editing operations on your audio files.

The advanced settings allow you to play with pitch and timbre control. For a simpler and faster experience, you can pick one of the preset voice settings. There’s also a voice beautifying feature. 

The software can also be used for less serious purposes, as they provide parodic voice presets that allow you to change your voice into a funnier and less realistic sounding replacement. 

AV Voice Changer Software Diamond comes with a voice recorder option. An interesting thing you can do with your recorded files is voice analysis. The software gives you details about pitch and timbre based on the file provided.

AV Voice Changer Software Diamond

Use advanced voice morphing features like pitch and timbre control to change your voice and create great audio content.
Free trial Visit website

MorphVox – Accent stripping software with live vocal visualization

MorphVox follows a fairly simple principle, the person using this software will usually have three different tones of voice: man, woman, or child.

Based on this small principle, MorphVox provides the same main options for modifying the voice as previously seen, to deceive or induce someone to think of talking to a person of different sex or age.

Morph Vox can be used during live conversations, which makes it a great choice when you need to have a different voice for a particular phone call.

Morph Vox should be used for comic or entertainment purposes compared to professional use, but the software will still do a good job of changing the user’s voice based on the settings chosen.

In addition, the presented solution comes with intelligent features that add extra value. You can try backgrounds to insert traffic noises or mall background noises, performant voice-changing algorithms, live vocal visualization, and so on

On top of that, new functionalities will bring more value due to voice comparison and analyzing pre/post graphic equalizer, or powerful noise reduction.

Thereby, you can use this tool for enjoyment with your friends or for different purposes like identity safety. Either way, such a resourceful solution will deliver your voice-changing needs.

⇒ Get MorphVox

Viscom Voice Changer – Best accent voice changer for recordings

Voice Changer has its pros and cons, its use depends on what you want from your accent changer software. For example, it may not be a bad thing for everyone, but it is possible to change the voice-only on pre-recorded files, so not in real-time.

That being said, Voice Changer integrates a wide range of options and tools for editing pre-recorded files.

Unfortunately, Viscom Voice Changer offers support only for three audio formats: WAV, WMA, and MP3. It is true that these are the most used audio formats. But it would have been nice to have a wider variety of accepted formats.

Viscom Voice Changer allows you to choose from a wide array of voice editing options. The most basic option is to change the tone of the voice.

Nevertheless, this is present in its most advanced form, along with other effects to adjust the speed and frequency of the audio.

As mentioned above, this software only works with pre-recorded audio files. This means that if you need to change the voice during a live call or any type of real-time recording, you’ll have to take a look at the software mentioned above.

However, it is certainly the best choice for voice recording apps.

⇒ Get Viscom Voice Changer

As you can see, you have more than one option if you want to modify your voice. Let us know which one you used from our list or if you have any other suggestions. Feel free to use our Comments section below.

Raspberry Pi HDMI Not Working: Follow These 2 Simple Fixes

The HDMI output port on the Raspberry Pi is compatible with the HDMI port of most modern TVs and computer monitors. But, many reported getting a No signal error or Missing HDMI output message on the monitor when connecting Rasberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi 4 works with either a micro HDMI-to-HDMI cable or a standard HDMI-to-HDMI cable plus a micro HDMI-to-HDMI adapter to connect to a screen. Raspberry Pi 1, 2, and 3 use a standard HDMI-to-HDMI cable.

So, let’s find out what you can do if the Rasberry Pi HDMI is not working.

Why is Rasberry Pi HDMI not working?

Here are a few reasons Rasberry Pi HMDI is not working, and you are facing display issues:

  • Power issues: A common problem that results in the issue is insufficient power. Though it’s enough to run the Rasberry Pi, it won’t power the HMDI connection.
  • Improper connection: In case the cable has not been plugged in properly at both ends, you may encounter issues with the HDMI connection.
  • Problems with the HDMI adaptor: Several users pointed out that their HDMI adaptor triggered the problem.

How do I force my Raspberry Pi to HDMI?

Before trying the slightly complex solutions, here are a few quick ones that did the trick for many:

  • Make sure the HDMI cable is properly plugged in at both ends. A simple trick is to remove the cable, blow air into the port, and then reconnect it.
  • Verify whether the SD card is connected right. Though the lights may turn on, there still might be issues, and you will have to verify that manually.
  • If you are using an HDMI adaptor, check if it works with other devices because often, the problem lies with it, and replacing the adaptor seems to be the only viable solution.

1. Force HDMI display

  1. Insert the SD card into another device and open the boot/config.txt file with a compatible reader (nano or vi).
  2. Look for the following two lines: #hdmi_force_hotplug=1 #hdmi_drive=2
  3. Remove the # at the beginning of each line.
  4. Save and remove the SD card.
  5. Mount the card in the Raspberry Pi, and the monitor should work.

If you’re using a classic monitor, not a TV monitor, you can leave out the line hdmi_drive=2.

Additionally, if the above steps didn’t work, repeat them, also removing the # from the following line: #hdmi_safe=1. This is only an alternative, as this might also affect the display quality.

This second solution can also be done directly on the Raspberry Pi, but you have to connect to the device via SSH. The modifications are the same.

2. Change the HDMI mode

Several users also reported that an incorrect frequency could lead to Rasberry Pi HDMI not working. Choosing a value between 30-60 usually works. There’s a table available in the official Rasberry Pi documentation that helps choose the right HDMI mode.

For some users, choosing 16 worked, while others managed to get things up and running with 75. Check which works for you by editing the boot/config.txt file.

If nothing else works, flash the Raspbian OS on Raspberry PI, and it should fix the problem. Besides, take a look at the best Raspberry Pi emulators in case you want a simpler experience.

If you have any other queries or know of another solution that we may have missed, drop a comment in the section below.

5 Best IPTV Software for Windows 10/11 to Use in 2026

Looking for an easy way to watch live TV on your computer? IPTV software lets you stream channels directly using an internet connection.

Whether you need something simple or fully customizable, there’s a tool for every kind of user. Check our top picks below.

Try these IPTV applications to watch TV on your Windows PC

1. MyIpTV – simple app for Windows 11

MyIPtv - IPTV best IPTV software for Windows 10

MyIpTV is a straightforward app from Microsoft. It will work smoothly on your Windows PC without the need for any third-party software.

If you want a straightforward setup, it’s ideal.

We found it simple to use, though the interface could use a bit of polish. Once set up, you can easily stream channels using an M3U playlist.

Pros:

  • No third-party software required
  • Easy setup with M3U support
  • Clean integration with Windows 10

Cons:

  • Outdated interface
  • Limited customization options

⇒ Get MyIpTV

2. VLC Media Player – the ultimate free media player for IPTV

vlc media player

VLC is a popular open-source media player that supports nearly every file format and can also stream IPTV through M3U links.

We’ve used VLC for years, and it remains a go-to for streaming TV. Setup is easy, and once you enter your IPTV URL, you’ll have access to your channels with minimal fuss.

Its open-source nature ensures regular updates and improvements.

Pros:

  • Completely free and open-source
  • Supports a wide variety of formats
  • Easy-to-use for IPTV

Cons:

  • Interface can feel cluttered
  • Lacks IPTV-specific features like EPG

⇒ Get VLC Media Player

3. ProgDVB/ProgTV – comprehensive IPTV player with advanced features

ProgDVB - IPTV

ProgDVB/ProgTV is another universal and powerful software for watching digital TV and listening to online radio channels.

We like the dual interface one for remote control and the other for mouse-based navigation.

Its support for multiple data sources is great, but new users may need time to get comfortable with the wide range of options.

Pros:

  • Multi-source support (satellite, IPTV, radio)
  • Dual interface (mouse and remote)
  • Advanced TV and radio recording features

Cons:

  • Complex for beginners
  • Setup can be overwhelming

⇒ Get ProgDVB/ProgTV

4. Zoom Player Max – lightweight, customizable IPTV player

zoom player max

Zoom Player Max is a feature-rich media player that’s known for its speed and customization.

We appreciate the simplicity in adding IPTV channels using M3U playlists. The lightweight interface and fast performance make it ideal for those who need a quick solution.

However, it lacks a built-in EPG, which could make channel navigation more difficult.

Pros:

  • Highly customizable interface
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Great for advanced users

Cons:

  • No built-in EPG support
  • May overwhelm new users

⇒ Get Zoomplayer Max

5. Kodi – extremely customizable open-source IPTV player

Kodi is an open-source media hub that supports IPTV through add-ons.

We found it to be one of the most customizable tools, allowing you to tailor everything from the interface to channel management.

Setup takes a bit longer, but with access to hundreds of add-ons, it’s perfect for advanced users who want full control.

Pros:

  • Completely customizable
  • Supports a wide range of add-ons
  • Great community support

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve
  • Requires add-ons for IPTV

⇒ Get Kodi

In this article, we explored some of the best options for watching TV comfortably using your own PC. Remember to protect your privacy while watching your favorite shows with the best VPNs on the market.

Moreover, there are a lot of great tools that will enhance your IPTV experience. We recommended the best products throughout the article. Now that you have the proper software, why not take a look at the best IPTV providers for the UK and pick one for you?

Let us know what you chose from this list in the comment section below, and don’t forget to tell us if we missed anything!

Virtualization Software to Run Different OS on Windows 10/11

If you ever wanted to run another operating system on your computer besides Windows 10, you can do that by using virtualization software.

Virtualization and virtual machines can be extremely useful to any advanced user. As you already know, you can have two or more operating systems on your PC. This is called dual boot and to use it, you need to have a dedicated partition for each operating system.

This isn’t an issue if you’re using two operating systems, but sometimes you need to use multiple operating systems simultaneously. In that case, dual boot isn’t the best option, but you can solve dual boot limitations by using virtualization software.

How does virtualization work?

Instead of creating a new partition and installing a new operating system on it, you can install a new operating system in a virtual environment. By using virtualization software you can create a virtual hard drive and use it to install any operating system or software on it. This can be extremely useful if you’re developing an application and you need to test it on different platforms.

On the other hand, you can also use virtualization software if you simply want to test a new operating system, such as Linux, without fear that you’ll cause any problems with your current Windows installation.

Since this new operating system is stored on a virtual hard drive, it can’t affect your operating system in any way. This means that any changes to the new operating system won’t affect your main system at all.

It must be mentioned that virtualization software can be quite demanding on your PC in terms of hardware since you’ll run two operating systems on the same device.

Now that you’re familiar with virtualization, and how it works, you’re ready to explore the best virtualization software for Windows 10.

What is the best virtualization software for Windows 10?

Parallels Desktop – Smart resizing

Parallels is one great option to switch between various operating systems while using the same device, so without physically switching between devices.

The tool works with OS X, Windows 10, 8.1, and 7, Linux and Unix, and macOS Server; it supports Office 365 integration, and Bluetooth pairing for USB, USB-C, Thunderbolt, and FireWire devices.

If you’re worried about resources, Parallels comes with a CPU usage indicator, to show you exactly where each OS stands. 

However, even with the basic Pallalels Desktop tool, you get some useful features to optimize the use of multiple OS:

  • Automatic Disk Space optimization.
  • Retina display support for smart resizing and independent screen resolutions for separate displays.
  • Real-time virtual disk optimization.
  • Touch Bar support, for instant access and customization.
  • Over 30 one-touch tools with Parallels Toolbox, which is included in the main plan.

Parallels

This app is the easiest way to switch between your PC and Mac without rebooting or changing devices.
Check price Visit Website

VMware Workstation – Simple interface

VMWare is the leader in terms of virtualization software. The company offers various high-quality products, each with a wide range of features.

VMware Workstation Player

If you’re looking for simple virtualization software, you might want to consider VMware Workstation Player. This is free software, and you can download and use it without limitations for personal and non-commercial use.

It has a simple user interface, and you can easily create a virtual environment for your new operating system. VMware Workstation Player offers the most basic options: you can create a new virtual machine or open an existing one, and customize the resources each is using.

With VMware Player, you should be able to run almost any operating system. Unfortunately, this application doesn’t offer any advanced features such as snapshots or virtual network managers in the free version.

VMware Workstation Pro

VMware Workstation Pro fully supports vSphere, ESXi, or Workstation Pro servers. In addition, it allows you to control virtual machines remotely or to transfer virtual machines from and to vSphere environments.

Another great feature of Pro is the snapshots. You can easily revert to the previous version of the virtual machine. This is extremely useful to developers that are testing new drivers or software in a virtual environment. If any issue appears on the virtual machine, simply go back to the previous snapshot and the problem will be fixed.

It’s worth mentioning that the Pro version can work with 4K resolutions and displays. In addition, there’s support for multiple monitors with different DPI settings. You can also protect your virtual machines in the Pro version.

If you’re using a virtual machine for your work, you can encrypt it and protect it with a password. You can also disable certain actions in a virtual environment such as drag-and-drop and copy-paste. In addition, you can also disable support for USB devices thus making your virtual machine safer.

VMware Workstation Pro also supports sharing, and you can use it as a server and allow your colleagues to access virtual machines. If you need to quickly create a copy of your virtual machine, you can do that in just a few steps. The application also offers high-performance 3D graphics, and it supports DirectX 10 and OpenGL 3.3.

All your VMware Workstation Pro virtual machines can work with other VMware products. There’s also support for open standards thus making VMWare Workstation Pro fully compatible with virtual machines made with other tools.

Lastly, VMWare Workstation is simple virtualization software for beginners and home users that comes for free. It doesn’t offer many features, so it’s perfect for first-time users. By comparison, the Pro version offers a wide range of features, so it will be perfect for any professional or advanced user.

VMware Workstation

Try now this top choice for running multiple operating systems as virtual machines on a single Linux or Windows PC.
Check price Visit Website

V2 Cloud – Interesting design

V2 Cloud is a web application that offers distinctive virtualization services, providing cloud desktop services to help everyone manage their desktop remotely at any time.

This software is specifically designed for managers, business owners, or employees to help them create a virtual desktop for more reliability and safety for essential information.

Using this simplified Desktop as a Service platform, you will benefit from a management console dashboard that includes cloud resources, users controls or billing, security settings, and so on

Plus, you have full admin rights within a single pane and manage all your virtual machines in the dashboard without earlier training or knowledge.

In addition, it has multi-user desktops based on Windows Server OS that sustain up to 250 users on each virtual machine. With all users having a private desktop and folders but in the same virtual machine.

Published application features let you show Windows programs to an end-user on their browser without sharing the entire desktop, which can be of great help to coworkers or managers.

It’s worth mentioning that V2 Cloud is available on the web for cloud desktops on the go and directly on your desktop. Plus, you can download it on your mobile for both Android and iOS systems.

V2 Cloud

Achieve maximum freedom with this virtual machine and run your desktop regardless of location using V2 Cloud.
Check price Visit Website

VirtualBox – Completely free

If you’re looking for virtualization software, VirtualBox is a also great place to start. This is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization tool, and it will be perfect for both basic and professional users alike.

Unlike many other virtualization tools, VirtualBox is completely free. As a result, it’s perfect for first-time users that are just getting familiar with virtualization.

It’s worth mentioning that this tool is available on a wide range of platforms, and it will also work on Linux or Mac without any issues. Regarding the supported operating systems, you can run a wide range of operating systems using VirtualBox.

The list of supported operating systems includes almost every version of Windows and Linux. This means that you can create a virtual machine on Mac or Linux and use it on your Windows 10 PC without any problems.
It’s worth mentioning that VirtualBox also supports Open Virtualization Format. As a result, you can run virtual machines created by other virtualization software using VirtualBox.

Unlike some other tools, VirtualBox doesn’t require hardware virtualization, so it can run on older hardware without issues. While some tools require processor features such as Intel VT-x or AMD-V, VirtualBox can work on almost any hardware.

This tool supports various additions that allow seamless integration between your PC and virtual machine. There’s mouse pointer integration, and thanks to this feature, you can use your mouse seamlessly between your PC and virtual machine.

In addition, there’s support for the Shared folders feature that allows you to share files between the virtual machine and host operating system easily.

Another great feature that VirtualBox offers is a seamless window feature. Using this feature you can show open windows in your virtual machine side by side with windows from your host machine.

VirtualBox also supports Time synchronization with the host, automated logins, and a shared clipboard which allows you to copy data between two operating systems easily.

You also get a VirtualBox Remote Desktop Extension feature to remotely access any running virtual machine. This feature also supports various USB devices, which means that you can connect a USB storage device to the host computer and access the files on a remote virtual machine.

As you can see, VirtualBox is perfect for both basic users and professionals. This tool offers a wide range of features, and since it’s completely free, there’s no reason not to try it.

Hyper-V – Easy to use

If you’re looking for virtualization software but you don’t want to download and install any third-party applications, you might want to check Hyper-V.

This virtualization software was made by Microsoft, and in fact, can be used only with Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education.

Hyper-V isn’t enabled by default on Windows 10, and if you want to use it, you need to enable it first. This is rather simple and you can do it by following these steps:

  1. Press Windows Key + S. Select Turn Windows features on or off.
  2. Locate Hyper-V option and enable it.
  3. Click OK to save changes.
  4. Wait for a few moments while Windows installs the necessary components.

Now that Hyper-V is enabled, you can start it and create virtual machines with ease.

Note: If you can’t enable Hype-V for any reason, follow the steps in this helpful guide to fix the situation.

The application requires an x86 or 64-bit processor. More importantly, Hyper-V requires hardware assistant virtualization support. This means that you need to have a processor that supports Intel VT or AMD Virtualization features.

Regarding memory, Hyper-V requires a minimum of 2GB of RAM in order to work.

Hyper-V supports a wide range of operating systems, including both Windows and Linux. However, some Linux operating systems might not run properly on Hyper-V.

In terms of cons, certain audio issues might occur while using Hyper-V. Also, the app doesn’t support optical drives in a virtual environment, which means that you won’t be able to burn or play optical media on the virtual machine.

So these were our recommendations for the best virtual machines. Using one of the software options presented above will allow you to run various operating systems besides the main Windows installation.

Moreover, a lot of interesting recommendations and tutorials can be found in the Virtualization Hub on our website. To make the most of the apps and tools you use in your digital life, you have our Software page.

If you have alternative software suggestions, feel free to comment in the section below.

15 Best Laptop Battery Testing Software

One of the most crucial elements in our laptops is the battery life, and we usually carry our chargers everywhere to avoid something unpleasant.

Most users’ darkest fears revolving around their laptops are the fact that they could remain without battery or that some horrible issue regarding the electricity might come up or that maybe the charging source of their laptop will get broken somehow.

How to become more aware of the laptop’s battery status

We bet that at least once you too may have felt the horrible creeping feeling of fear when you thought that your notebook would run out of battery at crucial times when you really need it the most.

Another annoying issue is the fact that some laptops after you have used them for a year or two, begin to loosen their performance and the battery won’t last longer than two or three hours.

We can, unfortunately, be less informed than we should about how good our laptop’s battery really is. We might assume the fact that it’s working just fine only to end up noticing that it reached the end of its usable life and we must replace it.

Windows doesn’t exactly offer you much info on your battery, and the most you will usually be able to get from the OS is an icon in the system tray, a charge percentage, and the remaining time before it is completely discharged.

Other than these details, the laptop battery status or more advanced and detailed information is pretty much non-existent. Windows is not able to give you any idea on why your battery is not holding a charge for as long as it should, for instance.

It will not be able to tell you if it is starting to show signs of wear. On the other hand, lots of laptop batteries will actually have more info to share than Windows decides to show you, and this means that all the details we told you about above are there, but you can’t reach them.

Fortunately, there are a few solutions that provide us the opportunity to extend our laptop’s battery life so that it will be able to last for more time. So, what you need are these third-party utilities to get a hold of this extra information from your laptop’s battery.

The tools included in the list below will make sure to help you remain on top of your notebook’s battery life. They will make sure to help you avoid having any potential nasty shock by becoming very aware of all the changes of your battery’s capacity over time.

They can also monitor the wear that the battery is bound to endure with any kind of heavy use.

We guarantee you that by taking these parameters into consideration, you will definitely be able to get the most out of your battery and enhance its overall lifetime. Here they are:

What are the best tools to monitor your laptop’s battery?

ReviverSoft Battery Optimizer – Usage reports

All of us want more battery life without having to plug the laptop all the time. This is where Battery Optimizer comes in. Via its advanced scan, battery life is able to be managed through simple optimization techniques.

The Battery Optimizer can also save and load profiles for all given situations. It is critical to get the most battery life when you are away from an outlet, and this tool is developed to do this perfectly.

This is a very easy-to-use and lightweight software that should work with no issues even on lower-end laptops. The user interface is simple and provides information about each feature included in the software, so you won’t have to go elsewhere for further clarification, it’s all in one place. 
Battery capacity decreases over time. Inevitably, at some point, you may have to remove your battery, but you can use this software to make sure that you take good care of your battery.

You can set the battery optimizer to notify you when the usage of your battery increases over a certain level, so you can take action immediately.

On top of that, after each battery scan is complete, you will get personalized recommendations that will help improve your specific battery issues, if any are found.

Other key features include:

  • Accurate estimates of battery life
  • Usage reports 
  • Shows the time left when the operating system doesn’t

This software is compatible with Windows operating systems, starting with Windows Vista. It is available in multiple languages. You can buy a license or use the free trial version.

ReviverSoft Battery Optimizer

ReviverSoft Battery Optimizer

Monitor the work and extend the life of your laptop’s battery with the help of this great software utility!

IObit Advanced System Care – Anti-data theft security features

IObit Advanced System Care is developed by one of the world’s leading software companies when it comes to generally taking care of PCs.

They have great river updaters and uninstallers, and now we will be showcasing their PC optimization tool.

IObit Advanced System Care perfectly balances out an efficient tool with an understandable interface, as all you need to do is click a few buttons to know everything there is to know about your PC, and also take care of it.

The same applies to your battery if you are using a laptop, and the software will also provide you with the necessary tools to also use it in a more efficient manner.

The software has an Economy mode function. When you activate it, it automatically sets your PC for high performance and minimal battery consumption. This can prolong your battery life in the long run and also extend the time it stays charged.

IObit also includes multiple speed optimization features that can help with RAM usage, optimize startup programs, manage your drives, and many more.

Other key features include:

  • Anti-data theft security features
  • PC cleaning utility
  • Browser optimizer for increased speed

IObit has a free trial version that can improve internet and PC speed. It also comes with premium plans that include additional features for maximum protection. 

IObit Advanced System Care

IObit Advanced System Care

Make sure that your PC is running at full capacity while maintaining healthy battery usage.
Free trial Visit Website

AIDA64 – Sensor panel

AIDA64 is the go-to benchmark tool for pretty much anyone using any type of machine, from the common user with a simple laptop to an IT expert that is using a powerful workstation.

However, we will be focusing on the first scenario, since among the many benchmarking and hardware diagnostics tools, all versions of AIDA64 also come with a battery monitor.

This allows you to use in-depth details about your battery’s maxim capacity, current status, use percentage, foreseeable lifespan, and more.

Thus, by adjusting your themes, power plans, and other power-consuming features, you get live feedback on how to extend your battery’s lifespan in the long run.

This software has reportedly one of the most accurate hardware detection rates. It has a hardware database of over 200 000 entries.

It provides very in-depth reports regarding your device’s performance. It offers information about your installed software, security apps, Windows settings, as well as hardware configuration.

Other key features include:

  • 64-bit benchmarks
  • Software audit
  • Sensor panel
  • Supports external displays
  • Available in multiple languages

Aida64 is a licensed software, but it provides a free trial that you can use to test all its features.

Reviver Soft Total PC Care – Disk optimization

laptop battery testing software

The next entry on our list is yet another software tool that has the general purpose of taking care of your PC and laptop so that they can run better for a much longer time.

Besides the common features that you would expect from a PC optimization tool such as the RAM manager and the memory cleaner, Reviver Soft Total PC Care also comes with a battery monitor.

Not only do you get vital information about your battery, but you also get hints, suggestions, and even some tools that can help you extend its lifespan, or at least increase the time that you can work with it on a single charge.

More so, the tool is incredibly easy to use, so you don’t need to worry about not having any prior experience using such tools.

This utility has many additional features besides the battery monitor that can also help you with everything your device needs, including security, disk management, and more.

It can also help with registry problems. It scans your whole Windows registry for issues and has the tools necessary to repair, maintain and optimize your registry.

On top of that, it includes an installer utility that will scan and help safely install any new application. It can detect any suspicious activity in the installation software, and blocks intrusive, unwanted software. 

Other key features include:

  • Driver management and optimization tools
  • Disk optimization
  • Privacy and security features

This is a licensed-based suite that includes all tools you need for a well-optimized and secure machine. 

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense – Drive wiping technology

The first in a long line of PC and laptop optimizers is Iolo System Mechanic.

Just like the following entries, this tool provides you will all the necessary features that you could ever need to either unlock the full potential of your hardware in terms of power or manage it in a way that will give it a long-lasting life.

Since any laptop owner knows that the battery is the Achilles’ heel of the device, it goes without saying that Iolo System Mechanic caters to it as well.

The UI looks very modern and minimalistic, and all you need is basic knowledge of the English language in order to use this tool.

This comprehensive package includes the System Mechanic performance optimization tools that test and optimize PC boot time, your download speed, CPU usage, RAM memory, GPU (graphics card), and drivers. These can improve your PC’s performance and prolong your battery life.

On top of that, when it comes to security, the System Mechanic has you covered with the System Shield function. This is a powerful real-time antivirus and anti-malware utility that detects and removes all threats. 


System Mechanic Ultimate Defense comes with additional protection and privacy features, including the Malware Killer which is an on-demand malware removal tool, the Privacy Guardian which secures your browsing activity, and a file recovery tool.

Other key features include:

  • Password manager
  • Drive wiping technology
  • Identity theft protection
  • Automatic cookie cleaner
System Mechanic Ultimate Defense

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense

Take full control of your system, make it run as if it were brand new, and extend the life of your battery with the help of this reliable tool!
Check Price Visit Website

BatteryInfoView – Search tool

BatteryInfoView is a straightforward tool that provides enough battery information in a very lightweight package. The utility is a tiny freeware that will simply offer you information that is essential about your laptop’s battery.

It will be able to do this is a very simple format, and it’s split into two main components.

The first part of this tool is a screen that presents information such as the current capacity of your battery and also its wear level.

The second component is an ongoing log of the bare essentials including voltage, rate, capacity value, power state, and capacity.

All these parameters are tracked as frequently as you choose them to be and they can be exported as a text file to act as a lasting record of your battery’s performance.

Other key features include:

  • Search tool
  • Save reports in txt, csv, html or xml format
  • Customizable battery settings

This particular tool was definitely designed to focus on function, and the result is a very useful tool that does its job without much fuss.

⇒ Get BatteryInfoView

Battery Status Monitor – Customizable battery optimization settings

Battery Status Monitor works as a little floating widget that you will be able to drag to anywhere on your desktop. It will offer you a bar and the percentage of the charge status of your battery.

All you have to do is to right-click on the widget, and you’ll gain access to more options such as changing the power scheme, hibernating, standby, and a very useful option of quickly turning the laptop screen off.

The tool is very handy to save a bit of your battery’s life when you leave the computer for a minute or two.

This is a very lightweight software that can run in the background without taking a toll on your laptop’s performance. It is compatible with Windows operating systems starting with Windows 2000.

The battery status monitor offers reports about your battery charge level, the remaining time, and charge rate.

When your battery is completely charged, the software will display a notification that lets you know you can unplug the charger.

Other key features include:

  • Critical battery-level notifications
  • Capacity display unit in mWh or mAh
  • Customizable battery optimization settings

This is a free Windows utility with minimum CPU usage.

⇒ Get Battery Status Monitor

BatteryMon – Low CPU usage

BatteryMon will present the battery capacity and its discharge rate as a graph. Over time, it’s only natural that your laptop’s battery will begin to diminish and there are all sorts of factors that are contributing to this process.

This is why it’s imperative that you stay aware of any occurring changes. BatteryMon will do exactly this in the easiest way possible by monitoring your laptop’s battery capacity and its discharge rate and by presenting the results in a graph in real-time.

It’s a very simple way to find out all the necessary info regarding the health of your battery and to track it over time.

You have the opportunity to set this to display as a small widget on your screen, or you can just choose to set up email notifications in case a particular parameter reaches a predetermined milestone.

Other key features include:

  • Keeps a log file of all battery reports
  • Supports systems with multiple batteries
  • Low CPU usage

By using this tool’s logging functionality for keeping records of your battery’s performance, its current capacity will be able to be compared to the data that has been collected in the past.

This is exactly the reason why it’s best if you start using the tool early in your battery’s lifespan.

⇒ Get BatteryMon

Laptop Battery Saver – Easy configuration

Laptop Battery Saver can extend your battery’s life two times, and it performs advanced scans on your system, taking care of the battery’s efficiency.

The Battery Saver is very easy to use, and once you launch the tool, it will automatically manage and optimize the system to get maximum performance with the greatest power.

This software includes RAM optimization features that will help your device run faster. On top of that, it includes laptop temperature optimization that will decrease laptop temperature, thus having a positive impact on your battery as well.

It is very easy to use as it displays all battery-related settings in a minimal window. You can use it to adjust screen lighting, monitor RAM usage, and more. It has an additional info feature that will provide more in-depth information about the status of your device.

Other key features include:

  • Real-time temperature reports
  • Easy configuration
  • Starts automatically when you turn on your laptop

The battery saver is a very lightweight solution that can prolong battery life and also optimize your PC for better speed. It is compatible with Windows operating systems.

⇒ Get Laptop Battery Saver

BatteryCare – Lightweight program

BatteryCare is a free tool that will be able to help you recalibrate your battery gauge through international discharge cycling. In order to keep your battery working at its best possible performance, it is very important to understand the best practices regarding discharge.

More experts suggest the fact that you shouldn’t let your battery drain completely, as this can cause long-term damage. Instead, you’re advised to let it drain only partially and to recharge more frequently.

On the other hand, this kind of cycling might sometimes make it difficult for the battery’s gauge to keep track as accurately as possible of how much energy it’s storing.

This can lead to inaccurate battery readouts. This tool is designed to address this particular problem, and it will also be able to offer more info about the battery and its capacity.

Other key features include:

  • Automatic power plan switching
  • Automatic updates
  • Lightweight
  • Optimizes graphics settings for increased battery life

If you charge your battery completely and then drain it to the lowest safe level, you will be able to recalibrate its gauge and ensure accurate readouts.

⇒ Get BatteryCare

PowerPanel Personal Edition – User-friendly interface

You’ll notice that PowerPanel Personal Edition is included in many CyberPower UPS products. The tool will allow you to control and monitor the use of UPS so that it can keep the system as safe as possible along with all the data, the components, and the peripherals.

The most important features of this particular tool include self-testing, runtime management, event logging, and also scheduled shutdowns.

This utility lets you make customizable power settings. You can use it to configure an automatic shutdown in case there’s a risk of data loss or power events. You can also schedule when you want to shut down or restart your computer.

The reports provided by this software include information about input voltage, runtime, battery charge, and current status.

On top of that, it offers alarm settings, self-testing features, and many more.

Other key features include:

  • User-friendly interface
  • Fast and simple installation
  • Can display system tray notifications

PowerPanel Personal Edition is a free software that is compatible with Windows operating systems.

⇒ Get PowerPanel Personal Edition

BatteryBar – Multiple languages available

BatteryBar is a lightweight toolbar utility that offers fast access to necessary battery info. Your laptop’s battery already contains a battery icon, but this will only share a minimum amount of info.

The tool offers an acceptable compromise by delivering the most significant figures on the spot without taking very much space on your screen and also without hogging your resources.

If you click on the battery icon, you will be presented with valuable data such as the level of wear that your battery has already endured and its overall capacity.

The software displays information regarding the levels of your battery. You get both time remaining and percentage reports.

It can also report on the discharge/charge rates and the capacity of your battery.

The software is highly customizable. You can pick exactly what information you want it to display/hide and what type of notifications you prefer: audio alert, popup notifications, or even both.

The battery bar informs you when your battery is running low and when it is completely charged.

Other key features include:

  • Power saving options
  • Multiple languages
  • Separate battery profiles

The basic version of this tool is free, but you can also pay for the Pro version that is available, and which adds all kinds of customization options. Both variants are great ways of getting the most important battery info quickly and without much hassle.

⇒ Download BatteryBar

MSI Battery Calibration – Specific apps consumption rates

MSI Battery Calibration needs users to have Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 installed on their system to work properly. The MSI Exclusive ECO Engine power management tech provides great flexibility for the laptop’s battery.

The setup package will generally install about three files, and the program is usually about 667,3KB. It is very popular, especially in the U.S. and France. The tool is targeted at increasing the battery’s life.

This software scans and monitors your battery and displays reports about the current power level, overall capacity, and battery condition.

It can detect if your battery has physical damage, and it can also inform you if your charging system doesn’t work properly, thus draining your battery quicker than normal.

MSI Battery Calibration has a simple user interface with easy-to-understand controls. It runs in the background and it can be accessed from the system tray.

Other key features include:

  • Battery consumption rates of specific apps 
  • Highly customizable
  • Power saving settings

Keep in mind that this utility only works on laptops and notebooks manufactured by MSI.

⇒ Get MSI Battery Calibration

Battery Logger – Simple design

Battery Logger logs your battery’s percentage, and it will help you diagnose bad batteries it will also tell you how your laptop responds to battery behavior.

The app is designed to start with the computer and to record the evolution of the battery’s charging level. It’s also able to predict the total amount of supply of your battery. It’s very useful for diagnosing bad batteries.

You can get an overtime graph that shows the progression of your battery level.

The software informs you about the discharge/charge rate, the full capacity of your battery, and more.

Battery logger supports systems with multiple batteries, providing individual reports for each of them.

Other key features include:

  • Lightweight
  • Easy to use
  • Can be installed on 10 devices with 1 account

This software is compatible with Windows 10 version 10230.0 or higher.

⇒ Get Battery Logger

Windows 10 Battery Saver – Automatic brightness adjustment

Windows 10 Battery Saver is a built-in battery tool for the Windows 10 operating system. In case you’re running this latest version of the OS, you will get access to a new battery tool that was amongst the new edition of the OS.

You can access it by opening the Settings app. You will then have to go to System > Battery Saver > Battery Saver Settings and here you have to tick the box and select the desired battery level for the function to start working.

The tool was initially introduced for the Windows Phone, and it limits the background processes on your device in order to make sure that you can get the most out of your battery.

You will be able to turn it on whenever you want to but to make sure that it won’t impede your PC’s performance, it’s best if you save it only for situations when you might run out of power.

This integrated utility helps with basic power settings including screen brightness, battery saver mode, and more.

A very useful feature of this Windows app is that it gives battery usage reports for each app your run. You get a list view that shows the usage percentage of each app, starting with the app that uses your battery the most.

You can get a 24-hour battery usage report or a weekly report. This feature can help you understand what apps take the most out of your resources and help you optimize the way you use your PC for better battery life.

Other key features include:

  • Automatic brightness adjustment on save mode
  • Can automatically turn on saver mode
  • Charge level in percentage and remaining time

If you’re having trouble launching the Setting app, follow our guide on what to do if Windows 10/11 Settings app won’t open.

All these tools will be able to help you get the most out of your laptop’s battery and they’ll also enhance its overall lifetime.

If you have any other questions or suggestions, reach out to the comments section below.

If you are interested in learning more tips and tricks about your laptop, visit our Laptop and PC page.

For more software recommendations for various needs and purposes, check our Software page.

How to Turn Off Protected View in Word/Office [Easy Methods]

First things first – what is a Protected View? Protected View is a read-only mode enabled for Microsoft office documents downloaded from the internet and other potentially unsafe sources.

For instance, when you open the document with an embedded tracker, Protected View will display a message showing the document to be unsafe. The document in View-Only mode will not load or download any images to reduce risk.

Should you choose to enable editing and let the image load from the sender’s server the tracker will leak the following information from your PC: your IP address, browser, as well as OS and MS Office version.

Aside from the Web tracker method, there are also SMB Injection attacks. This time, the attacker will use UNC File path specification instead of HTTP file reference to reduce suspicion.

When Word tries to authenticate the connection, the responder on the attacker’s server will steal your credentials.

Why is my Word document opening in Protected View?

  • The file was opened from an internet location – Your file will open in Protected View if Microsoft Office determines the file to be opened from an internet location.
  • The file was opened from an unsafe location – Even if you have opened a file from a local folder, the file may still open in Protected View if Office determines there is a problem with this file.
  • Outlook file from an unsafe sender – Microsoft Outlook will open an Outlook attachment in Protected View if your computer policy has defined the sender as unsafe.
Disable protected view

Files from the Internet and other potentially unsafe sources can contain viruses or malware that can harm your computer or compromise sensitive data.

To reduce the risk of malware attacks from Internet files, Word opens the document in Protected View. This way you can view the document while reducing the risk.

So, unless you made the necessary modifications, MS Word will (and should) open unsafe documents in Protected View by default.

However, the feature can be bothering. Some users even complained that occasionally, Word gets stuck when opening in Protected View.

Don’t worry, we will show you how to turn off Protected View in Word 2007, 2016, 2019, or 365, without any password.

How do I turn off Protected Mode in Word?

  1. Open Word and click on the File menu.
  2. Next, choose Options and select Trust Center.
  3. Open the Trust Center options and select Protected View.
  4. Uncheck all three options listed to disable Protected View. workbook was opened in read-only mode
  5. Finally, click OK to save the changes.

Next time you open any Word document, Protected View will not screen the document for security issues. However, only disable Protected View if you trust the document and the source.

Alternatively, you can also disable Protected View in Office via the Registry. The process is fairly similar for all the Office apps, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and so on.

  1. To do that, simply open the Registry Editor and navigate to this path: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Word\Security\ProtectedView
  2. In the right pane of the editor, you should see 3 values: DisableAttachementsInPV, DisableInternetFilesInPV, and DisableUnsafeLocationsInPV.
  3. Set each value to 1 to disable Protected View in Word.

⚙️ How to work with Protected View in Microsoft Office

Disable protected view

Protected View for Microsoft Office apps offers three core settings as listed below:

  • Enable Protected View for Files Originating from the Internet
  • Enable Protected View for Files Located in Potentially Unsafe Location
  • Next, enable Protected View for Outlook Attachments

You can click on Enable Editing to make changes and load other content of the document like images from the Internet.

1. Reenable Protected View for Trusted Files

  1. Open File > Options.
  2. Trusted Center > Trusted Center Settings.
  3. Open Trusted Documents.
  4. Click on the Clear button to Clear all Trusted Documents so that they are no longer trusted.
  5. Now all the files that you had enabled editing for will open in read-only mode.

If you want to reenable Protected View for the document that you may have bypassed earlier by enabling editing, follow the above steps.

2. Add Trusted Locations for trusted files

  1. Open File > Options.
  2. Go to Trusted Center > Trusted Center Settings.
  3. Open Trusted Locations. Disable protected view
  4. Here you can add or remove the path to folders that you want to be included in the Trusted Location.

Files and folders from Trusted Location will open without bumping into the Protected View mode.

Protected View in Microsoft Word is a security feature that protects you from accidentally opening potentially harmful files that come embedded with malware or even trackers.

This is how to turn off Protected View in Word. However, make sure that you reenable it once you are done working with the documents.

6 Best Website Builder Software [Most Used in 2026]

Website builder software for Windows enables you to create and design sites. If you are a beginner, these programs provide the tools you’ll need to set up the website.

Some web developers could probably design a basic website by entering HTML into a text editor and then uploading the files to an ISP site host with an FTP program.

Although online web design apps have become increasingly prevalent, there is still plenty of offline freeware website builder software for Windows.

What is the difference between paid and free website builder software?

When popular free website builders for Windows are compared to paid website builders, an intriguing story emerges. Of course, most free builders are less powerful than their paid counterparts, but that doesn’t imply they aren’t helpful.

A free site builder, on the other hand, is an excellent choice if you want to use the site for a personal blog, a portfolio, or another non-monetized purpose.

Paid plans are only worthwhile if the financial benefits from the site surpass the monthly membership price. A free builder can assist you in growing a following for your new blog or starting a personal project.

Whatever you decide, selecting the best website builder for your needs is a critical first step in making your dream website a reality.

There are two types of website builder software for Windows:

  • HTML editors that you can manually enter HTML with and select tag options from their toolbars and menus.
  • WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors are website builders with which you can design sites by dragging and dropping web page elements onto pages without entering HTML.

These are the best website builder software for Windows 10.

What is the best website builder software?

Adobe Dreamweaver – Live view feature

best website building software

Adobe Dreamweaver is the perfect all-in-one choice for creating a website with an intuitive display adapted for each device.

You can have a website with a simple and flexible way of coding that supports web standards like Java, CSS, HTML, and more.

It is not surprising that creating such a responsive tool will allow you to rank in the top positions of Google SERP, as this tool is optimized for SEO.

We think it is an important criterion to take first in mind when you want to develop something purposeful.

Adobe Dreamweaver has some of the best design templates, Fluid Grid Layouts. It will be simple for you to visually build the pages as Adobe improved its design workflow, as well.

This tool gives you the ultimate experience in order to develop modern visual graphics in a single software environment.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Extensive pool of built-in templates for creating HTML emails, About pages, blogs, e-commerce pages, and more.
  • Adobe is included in the Creative Cloud where you can search assets from Adobe Stock in order to improve the design of your website.
  • Live View feature to preview your changes immediately, whether it is about editing the text or changing the image.
  • Free trial available to test its excellent capacities

Adobe offers an extensive set of Dreamweaver tutorials that can help new users adjust to the features of the tool. You can find information about each and every step of website building.

Adobe Dreamweaver

Experience fast and flexible coding with visual aids to build stunning websites.
Check price Visit Website

Webnode – Great domain names

best website builders

Easily create the website of your dreams in just minutes with Webnode. Creating your own personal website has never been easier, and it feels like playing with blocks.

Assemble every part of the UI just the way you want to and make your vision a reality with the help of plenty of features.

You have lots of templates to choose from in order to stand out from the crowd. Uniqueness is key when it comes to Webnode.

Additionally, you can create online stores, where you can sell your products and make presentations for them, including descriptions, images, and much more.

Along with the pre-defined templates, Webnode also offers a wide range of page layouts. If you want to add a new page to your website, just browse the page library as you will probably find something that suits your plan. Besides, you can adjust it precisely to fit your preferences with the drag-and-drop functions.

You can create and edit your website directly from your browser of choice. There’s no need to install anything on your device. On top of that, you can use Webnode on mobile devices, as long as you have an Internet connection. This can be very helpful if you need to make adjustments on the go or add new materials to your website. 

Webnode comes with reliable hosting services providing you with powerful servers that support a large number of visits. You can change your plan as your website grows. This means quick and seamless loading of your website with a smaller risk of crashing.

This software is also a good option if we think of accessibility. You can build your website in over 24 different languages, and you can also translate your website if it is required.

Here are some of Webnode’s key features:

  • Great domain names
  • Full customization
  • Mailbox to communicate with your customers
  • Customer support

One more reason to try Webnode is that it lets you create a free website with the Webnode subdomain. If you just want to experiment and don’t want to make any investments yet, you really don’t have to. Use the toolbox and create a free website to see how it goes for you.

Webnode

Stand out from the crowd with your unique website thanks to Webnode, one of the best website builders.

WordPress – Free hosting choice

WordPress free website builder software for Windows is a one-stop shop for anybody looking to create a personal blog, portfolio, or business website. WordPress has something to meet everyone’s needs.

You may use specialized tools to install a virtual server on your Windows PC. This helps when you want to work offline and launch websites without an internet connection, while ready-made projects can be published later.

You have two options for getting started with WordPress:

  • Create a self-hosted WordPress website (WordPress.org)
  • Create a free WordPress.com account.

WordPress.com may be a good option if you only need to host a tiny personal site. A self-hosted WordPress site, on the other hand, is generally a better alternative if you’re starting a more sophisticated project.

WordPress, unlike many other website builders or web design tools, is free to download, install, and use. It was created for web developers, and there is a strong developer community that has created appealing free themes and templates, making it simple to get started quickly.

Although the WordPress platform is free, hosting and domain names are not. However, the overall cost is still less than a coffee, with a monthly cost of roughly $3 – $5.

WordPress themes are design templates that enable altering the look of your site much faster and easier.
Fortunately, WordPress provides a plethora of themes to select from. The official WordPress theme directory alone has over 8,000 themes that are entirely free to use.

There are around 60,000 plugins in the official WordPress plugin directory alone that may add a variety of additional features and functionality to your site.

Let’s have a look at the main key features of WordPress:

  • Free hosting choice
  • Offline Website Creation
  • 100% Design Customization
  • Professional Blogging Platform
  • 24/7 support on forums and chat
  • Mobile and tablet friendly

WordPress.com makes it simple to put your work out there, with capabilities for practically every content type, from blogging and podcasting to exhibiting a portfolio or business or even delivering seminars or events. Then, share it with your friends and followers, send it as a newsletter, or syndicate it to social media and content sites.

WordPress

An open-source creation tool with thousands of powerful features, scalability, ease of use, and a well-known Content Management System.
Free trial Visit Website

Weebly – Integrated eCommerce

website builder windows 10

Building a website is no walk-in part – or is it? Actually, it’s as easy as a breeze to do so with Weebly. Plus, it’s a free website-building software for Windows.

Weebly provides access to customizable webpage designs and all the tools you need to easily build your website for free. What’s more, you will enjoy extra perks such as starter guides and planning tools.

A fully customizable website builder, eCommerce tools and marketing tools, step-by-step guidance, and more bonus options, this is what you can expect from this incredible app.

Along with the easy website creation process, you get additional support with step-by-step guides that help you create professional-level websites without any hassle.

Whatever you want to integrate into your website, Weebly has you covered. It has built-in picture and video editing features, so you won’t need any additional tools if you want to add this type of media file to your website.

If you are comfortable with building with HTML/CSS and javascript, you can absolutely do that, even though you are not required to.

Weebly also offers useful statistics regarding your website visits and user activity including comments, orders, form entries, and more, depending on how you decide to design your website.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Professional-looking website themes and more design features to choose from
  • Custom domains and a full suite of SEO tools
  • Flexible drag-and-drop blog creation to showcase content
  • Free hosting infrastructure and fast loading times
  • Seamless integration with third-party apps
  • Integrated eCommerce, themes, and branding tools
  • Statistics tools to better understand and track performance

Weebly is available on mobile devices as well. As previously mentioned, it has a free option that comes with a Weebly branding domain, as well as various premium subscription-based plans.

Weebly

Easily build any type of website and use integrated SEO tools to get good traffic in no time.
Free trial Visit Website

Squarespace – Online scheduling feature

Squarespace provides an end-to-end solution for website building and more.

It includes anything from in-built beautifully crafted templates to get you started, a one-year free custom domain name, and highly versatile CMS website builder tools.

Speaking about versatility, you can personalize your website with text, fonts, color palette, and countless stock photo options.

There is even a logo maker included to help you design your own unique logo as well as social media and email marketing tools to help propel your website in the spotlight.

Squarespace comes with email marketing tools, providing a generous set of email templates. You can surely find a template that works for your brand regardless of the industry you work in.

The email builder has easy controls for text editing, as well as image integration, clickable button integration, and much more.

You can also convert your blog posts or product pages into emails for additional consistency. You can also integrate and manage a newsletter to your website to build and grow your email list and promote your services to a larger audience.

As opposed to many other options, Squarespace integrates easy-to-follow, real-time website analytics. you can see how many people view your pages, the number of subscriptions, the number of people on your mailing lists, and much more. 

Squarespace lets you create content that is optimized for social media platforms. Post your pages and listings onto your social accounts without compromising on design and appearance.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Extensive range of templates for every industry
  • Integrated commerce platform
  • In-built logo maker solution
  • CMS website builder tools with fully customizable parameters
  • Browser extensions support to further refining your settings
  • 150+ layouts, designer filters, fonts, stickers, and more
  • Online scheduling feature available

Squarespace is subscription-based with various plans depending on the features you want to integrate. 

Squarespace

Create and manage your online business with an easy website builder and various online marketing tools.
Check price Visit Website

GoDaddy – Professional imagery

GoDaddy Inc. is one of the world’s largest web services companies. It provides a wide range of services from web hosting to free online website builders for Windows and Mac.

GoDaddy’s website builder has a sleek, modern aesthetic with a utilitarian, minimalistic vibe. It starts with a simple website preview to give you a broad idea of the overall layout.

The GoDaddy Website Builder only provides basic options with limited customization. Although you can change the size quite considerably, you may have difficulties if you do things like adding share buttons, inserting picture boxes next to text blocks, or resizing videos.

While assistance is essential when developing a website, we can be honest about this one. It includes a very basic architecture and simple processes.

As a result, you may never require technical assistance. But just in case, there is a technical support phone number on the official website that you may contact during their working hours.

Let’s quickly look at its key features:

  • Professional imagery – add your personal images or Go Daddy’s from the library
  • Swipe-to-style interface – easy to create and update the design of your site
  • Customize every part of your website’s pages by using templates
  • Professionally designed styles and beautifully coordinated color sets
  • Setup for starting an online store
  • Inventory manager – add up to 500 products
  • Support for credit cards
  • Blog creation without plug-ins

GoDaddy is a subscription-based service. You can choose from multiple plans, depending on the features you want to include. Each plan comes with a 30-day free trial that does not require credit card information.

GoDaddy online website builder for Windows goes above and beyond the boundaries of a conventional builder to provide additional features for constructing a good commercial or eCommerce site.

It fulfills the description of a personal site builder as well as a simple online store builder in some ways.

GoDaddy

This website builder caters to small business owners and professionals, with business functionalities.
Check price Visit Website

Wix – AI design

Wix is a hosted software, despite the fact that it is a free website-building software for Windows.

The sole difference between offline software and the online software is that you don’t have to download program files and find a location to host them. You receive an all-in-one solution with pre-hosted files and real-time saving of all modifications.

Wix has also created an artificial design intelligence (Wix ADI) that can create a stunning website for you.
Aside from a plethora of layouts, Wix has a plethora of free and paid applications that you may put on your website.

You may use these applications to add additional features and functionality to your website. Some are made by Wix, while others are made by third-party developers.

Let’s have a look at the key features of Wix:

  • Intuitive interface WYSIWYG
  • Free Wix App Market widget
  • Artificial Design Intelligence
  • Wix Mobile Editor

Wix is a fantastic Website Builder Tool and an all-in-one solution for an online store. It is one of the top online-selling platforms. It offers particularly developed templates and a plethora of sales options, making it an excellent choice for a small company.

Wix provides a free plan with restricted bandwidth and storage space. You may, however, utilize this plan to try out their drag-and-drop website builder.

The website builder has a reasonable price structure, with a free membership option as well as two premium plans: standard and Business/eCommerce.

It does not include a domain name, so if you intend to retain your website, you should consider upgrading to a premium plan. All Wix plans include a free SSL certificate, which you must activate for your website.

Wix

Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder with amazing functionality and designs, as well as App Market and WixADI.
Free trial Visit Website

What are the pros and cons of an offline website builder for Windows?

An offline website builder for Windows is a bundle of downloaded software parts. Every time you need to create a website, you have to download and install the necessary components onto Windows PC. You don’t need an internet connection to modify your website, unlike online platforms.

This aspect provides greater security and a reasonable level of backup. Your PC, on the other hand, is the sole means to access the builder. You will not be able to outsource or edit the website remotely.

Although they are more versatile than online builders, many proprietary offline website builder software products can be costly; nonetheless, there are many open-source website builders available.

There are plenty of website builders, but only a few manage to stand out as viable choices for professionals. If you are planning on investing in a website builder, you might as well get your money’s worth.

What did you think of the software above? Feel free to share your impressions with us by reaching out in the comments section below.

5 Best Automated Checklist Software [Top-Rated]

Are you finding it difficult to manage your team’s checklists? The ultimate solution is to automate your checklists. By doing this, you are able to save time, cost, and effort. This post by Windows Report brings you the best available automated checklist software in the market.

In a conventional business setup, employers (and employees) spend quality time preparing multiple checklists (of tasks, personnel, and clients) on a daily basis. This significantly affects productivity and impedes business growth.

However, with the adoption of a durable automated checklist software, you can easily automate your checklists and workflow.

While there are several automated checklist software (both durable and less durable ones) in the market, this post has shortlisted some of the best-automated checklist software for you, on the basis of durability, flexibility, affordability, and of course, user-friendliness. Read on!

What are the best automated checklist software?

VirtoSoftware – Workflow activities kit

VirtoSoftware is arguably the leading automated checklist software in the market. It is an on-premise suite of tools, specially designed for SharePoint (a prominent collaborative software).

In addition, VirtoSoftware, which is often referred to as Virto SharePoint, hosts a set of SharePoint web parts, which, altogether, ensure your checklists and workflow are conveniently streamlined and automated.

VirtoSoftware’s core features (SharePoint web parts) include Workflow Activities Kit, Forms Designer, Task/Event Calendar, Kanban Board, and Gantt Chart View, and more.

While all the above-highlighted features are essential to the checklist automation process, the workflow activities kit and forms designer take the forefront.

The activities kit is the designated feature (web part) that streamlines and automate all essential tasks, while the Forms designer is the tool for creating digitized forms, list of tasks, items, events, and so on.

VirtoSoftware is a hub of multi-functional suites, and each suite has its specific pricing package. Nevertheless, you can purchase the whole package, to get an optimized checklists/workflow automation experience.

VirtoSoftware

VirtoSoftware is not only an automated checklist but a whole integrated package with productivity tools.
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Process Street – Intuitive tool

Process Street is one of the most used automated checklist software in the market. It is especially known for its intuitive interface, which makes it ideal for anyone with basic tech know-how.

Process Street allows you to capture every relevant data with little or no hassle. From registering new employee(s) to scheduling tasks to setting up new clients, Process Street manages and keeps track of everything.

Some of the key features of Process Street include User-friendly Dashboard, Forms, Templates, Checklists, Conditional Logic, Groups, Activity Feed, Media, Customer Support (Live Chat, Email, and Phone), and more.

The above-outlined features not only facilitate checklist creation and management but also manage (and monitor) the entire workflow of an organization. In fact, there are dedicated features that allow you to keep track of your team’s progress, on a real-time, daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Furthermore, Process Street, as an office utility tool, is flexibly built to integrate seamlessly with a host of other essential offices (collaborative and utility) tools like Dropbox, Gmail, Salesforce CRM, and over 1000 more.

The Zapier integration function enables you to run all work processes on a unified platform, thereby reducing cost and saving time. The end result is increased efficiency and productivity.

Process Street

Increase efficiency and productivity with the most intuitive tool.
Check price Visit Website

Waybook – Universal business playbook

Waybook is a training, onboarding, and learning platform designed to offer the best experience to your employees. Basically, you will have all the procedures and guides in one place.

This robust software is exactly what a business needs, namely a complete service that covers more areas, starting with the training hub where you can add materials or tests, LMS (Learning Management System), handbooks, and so on.

On the same note, you’ll be able to store all your process documents and SOPs, thus creating a universal business playbook to include the company operating procedures.

Moreover, it’s likely to create your books for training and onboarding processes toward new employees and therefore centralize the organization’s essential data in one guide.

This way, the onboarding experience will improve by simply organizing it into simple and easy-to-understand workflows. So using step-by-step guides to explain more complex processes will surely transmit clearer information.

In addition, when you have document updates all your company will see it because of the progress tracking tools, always knowing when improvements are made.

To conclude here, this feature-rich software is strongly capable to help any manager to streamline their work to get more productivity and sustainable results.

Waybook

Increase productivity exponentially while offering a great experience for your employees.
Check price Visit Website

TeamworkIQ – Templates Library

TeamworkIQ is another top-rated automated checklist software. This software is fairly easy to use; designed with the flexibility of managing checklists and workflow with only a few taps, directly from the comforts of your computer or smartphone/tablet.

TeamworkIQ, as the name implies, is specially built to enhance collaboration among team members, and one of its major functions entails checklist streamlining and automation.

The software takes control of your to-do list and ensures every task, date/deadline, progress, and so on are adequately logged and monitored.

Some of the smart features of TeamworkIQ automated checklist software include Reusable Checklists, Step by Step and Approval Workflow, Recurring Processes, Templates Library, Links, Forms, Photo & File attachments, Conditional Logic, and many others.

You can send an email to the TeamworkIQ sales team to get a suitable quote for your enterprise business.

⇒ Get TeamworkIQ

Manifestly – Slack integration

Manifestly is a leading automated checklist software, with thousands of users across the globe. It is equipped with best-in-class tools, which enable you to create tasks/procedures, distribute/assign tasks, streamline and automate workflow, meet deadlines and ultimately improve productivity.

Some key features of Manifestly include: Checklists (unlimited), Slack Integrations, Activity Log, Folders & Tags, Zapier Integrations, Template Editor, Audit trail, and Priority Email Support. Live Chat, Mobile apps, File Upload, and more.

The above-outlined features facilitate the creation of task schedules and workflow automation, thereby ensuring you attain optimum efficiency at work.

Also, Manifestly’s Zapier and Slack integration functions enable you to integrate the software with relevant office apps like GitHub, SalesForce CRM, Zendesk, and more.

Manifestly offers a 30-day free trial to new users. And after the expiration of the trial period, users can subscribe to one of the four basic pricing packages on offer.

⇒ Get Manifestly

Trello – Versatile set of features

Last but not least on our list is Trello! Trello is originally designed as a collaborative/project management tool that enables you to gain control over your team’s workflow. One of the core functions of Trello, however, is checklists automation.

The platform’s API design enables it to integrate with other major office apps, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Process Street, and the like. Its versatile set of features allows you to schedule tasks, assign deadlines and monitor progress.

Furthermore, Trello is flexibly built to support both mobile and desktop devices. In fact, there are dedicated apps for Android, iOS, and Windows devices.

Some of the key features of Trello include Checklists (To-Do lists), Personal Boards, Team Boards, Cards, Power-Ups, Custom Backgrounds & Stickers, and more.

Trello offers freemium pricing plans to its users. The “Free plan” is designed for small teams, albeit with limited features, while the premium plan is designed for medium and large businesses, and it is of two categories – Business Class and Enterprise.

⇒ Get Trello

Checklists are essential to the daily workflow of every business, as they are required to create work schedules, onboard new employees, and/or register new clients.

Managing these recurring checklists could be time-consuming and at times, very expensive. Hence, automation of such checklists becomes essential.

This article has outlined five of the best-automated checklist software to choose from, to facilitate checklists (and workflow) streamlining and automation, toward enhancing productivity.

4 Best Name Generator Software for Original and Catchy Names

Are you a programmer or a new business owner? Do you need a unique and catchy name for your software or new business? If so, this article is for you.

Here, we will be bringing you a review of some of the best software name generators i.e. software that can be used to create unique names for new apps and startup businesses.

It is commonly the case that most programmers are not artistic, and many of them are not good with words. Hence, naming new apps and programs could be a little demanding for them.

The same goes for new business owners who are looking to get perfect names for their new ventures.

If you fall within the aforementioned classes, you need not worry, as there are now durable/reliable software name generators, which you can easily employ to generate a suitable name for your new business or program.

In the next section of this article, we’ll be showing you short reviews on five of the best software name generators out there. Read on!

What are the best software name generator for business?

Namelix – Highly flexible

software name generator

Namelix is another top-class software name generator, and it is specially designed to generate unique names for new businesses and tech startups. It is an online tool that can run on any major OS platform, be it a desktop/laptop or mobile.

Namelix, though mainly developed for the generation of new business names, is highly flexible, and can be tailored to generate unique names for new products (apps) and the like.

With this, you are able to generate suitable names for your new business or app, within seconds.

The software uses a set of AI-enhanced algorithms, which automate the entire process. On your part, you’ll be required to key in certain words (keywords), usually two to four words, that are related to your startup or product(s).

Other key features of Namelix include recommendations (based on preferences), results in filtering, a simple user interface, domains, and more.

Namelix’s services are offered for free. However, certain names are not free. To select a premium name, you’ll be required to pay a token.

Namelix uses a set of advanced algorithms to generate suitable names for businesses, products, and programs.

Basically, all you are required to do is to input desired keywords (words that are related to your new business or product) in the designated box.

⇒ Get Namelix

Fantasy Name Generator – Bilingual support

Fantasy Name Generator software name generator

Fantasy Name Generator is an online name-creation platform, designed to generate unique names for new apps and programming languages.

As an online (web-based) tool, the software can be deployed on any web-enabled platform, most notably Windows PC, Macbook, and smartphones (and tablets) among others.

The tool is an all-around name generator, which can be used to name just about anything. Aside from software name generating, it can also be used to generate business names, artwork names, music titles, names of places, and so on.

To generate a name using this platform, you are provided with a direct and easy-to-use interface. All you need to do is to click on the designated “random names” icon (depending on the category) and voila! 10 to 20 random names will pop up immediately.

If you are not satisfied with the first set of names, you can check through as many names as you want until you get a desired/suitable result.

Other notable features of Fantasy Name Generator include simple UI, no installation, 100+ names (per category), Bilingual support (French & English), custom search (via Google), and more.

The software is a free license tool, and it is available to all and sundry at absolutely no cost.

⇒ Get Fantasy Name Generator

BizNameWiz – Intuitive interface

BizNameWiz software name generator

BizNameWiz is similar to Namelix, in terms of operability. It uses an automated system to generate suitable names after certain keywords must have been inputted.

Also, it runs an in-depth search to check for duplicates, especially of generated domain name(s), to protect you against copyright infractions.

BizNameWiz is a cloud-based tool, so can be used on any web-enabled computer system or mobile device. It offers you a highly intuitive interface, with hundreds of possible keyword (industry-related) ideas, to generate catchy and unique names for your software.

Other notable features of BizNameWiz software name generator include cloud computing, automated name generation, secure database, 99.9% uptime, flexible platform, free domain (.com), multiple generators (up to 8), online resources, and more.

BizNameWiz is available for free. However, third-party services (like BlueHost domain hosting) are offered at varying costs.

⇒ Get BizNameWiz

Anadea – AI-optimized algorithms

Anadea software name generator

Anadea is an all-in-one software name generator, which can be used to generate new business names, application names, and website/domain names. It is an online tool that can be deployed on any OS platform.

Anadea generates unique names that are searchable, catchy, and memorable. And like most online software name generators, it uses an AI-optimized set of algorithms that automatically generate suitable names for businesses, apps, and websites.

To generate a name using this tool, all you need to do is to type in some keywords that are relevant to your business, app, or website. Depending on the keywords provided, you are provided good suggestions within seconds.

The software is flexibly designed to generate names for different categories of businesses, ranging from real estate to healthcare to software development.

Basically, Anadea is very easy to use, and you can generate names (English or Russian) for as many categories of businesses as you want.

Interestingly, Anadea’s software name generator is offered at absolutely no cost. So you can easily navigate to the platform, and generate as many names as you want.

⇒ Get Anadea

Conclusion

Many developers and new business owners often find it difficult to name their inventions and startups respectively. More often than not, they spend days or weeks brainstorming, with no real idea forthcoming.

If you are in this situation, we have proffered a solution for you in this article.

Herein, we have outlined five of the best software name generators in the market, any of which can be employed to generate names for your startup or software/app.

8 Best Photo Correction & Retouching Software to Try Today

Creating breathtaking photography is not all about artistic sense and great talent, it also implies editing tasks that generally happen after you put down the camera.

Just like in cinematography, the hard work truly begins after the shooting is over and done with and professional photographs undertake a complex editing process to supplement their skills.

How can I choose the best photo editing software for retouching?

Ranging from resizing to color adjustments and most importantly photo corrections, the editing can be as basic or as complex, as you want.

There are plenty of dedicated tools to choose from depending on your focus, your skills, and of course, your budget.

The key to choosing the best product is to properly assess the work you’ll be performing on the photos and match it with the tools and features of certain software products.

Whatever you have in mind, make sure to pick out the very best photo correction software to truly elevate your photography with the help of our special guide below.

What software do most photographers use?

Adobe Photoshop – Unlimited layers

Adobe Photoshop is undeniably the world’s best imaging software and the standard when it comes to photo editing.

Professional photography tools make it easy to perform anything from quick edits to total image transformations across all platforms: desktop and mobile.

Crop, retouch, and combine photos or play with color gradients and stunning effects to take your photography to a new level.

The most important features of Photoshop are the possibility to work on layers and export your work in vectorial formats that match professional production technologies.

Also, with this complex app, you will be able to perform actions at an incredible level of detail with an astounding array of built-in tools.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

  • Unlimited layers and masks
  • Lens Blur (for a realistic look when blurring an object in the foreground)
  • Improved Content-Aware (fill multiple areas of an image without leaving the window)
  • Modern presets (new gradients, patterns, layers, styles, and shapes better organized)
  • Object Selection tool (for fast and precise selections)

inPixio Photo Studio – Erase unwanted objects

inPixio Photo Studio Pro is a photo editing and enhancement software that includes innovative automatic image processing technology.

It allows you to quickly and easily cut out or replace items and people and repair any flaws in the picture. Remove any unsightly elements and make imaginative projects with the

You can correct exposure, brightness, red-eye, and dark circles with a single click, as well as modify the color balance, lighting, focus, crop, rotate, and resize your photographs.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

  • Background removal and blur
  • Stickers, items, and backdrops
  • Erase and cut out unwanted objects
  • One-Click Image Correction
  • Til-shift and soft-focus

This photo editing program is not suitable for professional photo editing for a photographer or graphic designer who wants to go the extra mile in the projects.

Although it provides good RAW editing tools, it lacks flexibility and depth of features. In addition, the lack of advanced photo toolsets is a drawback.

inPixio Photo Studio 12 Pro

inPixio Photo Studio 12 Pro

This toolbox helps you to improve the appearance of your photos by applying effects, cropping them, and adjusting their contrast, brightness, and hue.
Check Price Visit Website

Adobe Lightroom – Photo organization

Part of the Adobe Creative suite, Lightroom is a cloud-based service that was built for photography.

Easy-to-use tools like sliders and presets let you edit, organize, store, and share your photos across any device.

Cloud storage starting at 1TB or more ensures you can manage any number of photos from everywhere in the world.

However, it’s also very easy to save presets and profiles, for instance, on Google Drive, and then import them from there anytime.

As a bonus, the tool comes packed with detailed tutorials and inspirational content from professional photographers.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

  • Easily export photos as DNG files (export raw photos to DNG)
  • Import presets and profiles from Google Drive and local storage
  • Support for new cameras and lenses
  • Panorama fill edges (easily fill in the edges of stitched-together panoramic shots)
  • Photo organization (find photos or create albums instantly with machine learning)

PaintShop Pro by Corel – Photography workspace

An all-in-one photo editor and graphic design software, PaintShop Pro 2022 will change the way you edit photos with its new touch-ready workspace, content-aware technology, and selection refinement.

As if its powerful built-in photo editing and design features were not enough, you can even enhance PaintShop’s capabilities with popular third-party plugins that integrate seamlessly.

Its latest version comes with effective features and tools powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning technology for enhanced photodetection.

The all-new Frame tool helps you place raster objects into shapes quickly, easily, and intuitively. Just Draw frames to use as placeholders or draw frames over an object, image, or text for a polished result.

There are also new Scratch Remover and Fade Correction tools to restore and repair old photos and enhance them quickly.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

  • Retouch and restore (crop, straighten, and correct perspectives to create perfect photos)
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • 360° photo editing (straighten a 360° photo with rotation, make it seem leveled, and much more)
  • RAW Lab and HDR effects (combine multiple exposures of the same scene to create a single, stunning, HDR photo)
  • Photography Workspace (touch-ready, highly simplified workspace for quick photo edits)

PhotoPad by NCH Software – Noise-reduction tools

PhotoPad is a photo editing software designed to help you correct your photos fast and easily in any popular image format like JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, or BMP.

It’s stable and easy to use, and it provides powerful editing and retouching tools as well as countless effect combinations and filters.

You can fix your photos instantly and even edit directly from your DSLR Camera which can be extremely convenient for photographers.

It’s also interesting that you will be able to change the aspect ratio of an image without distorting key features using the liquid resize effect.

And if you want to bring B&W photos to life, the app uses machine learning technology and a feature called Super Color to add realistic coloring.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

  • Photo Editing Features (crop, rotate, resize and flip pictures)
  • Retouch photos to remove blemishes and fix color
  • Improve photo quality and focus with blur, sharpening, and noise-reduction tools
  • Adjust the color balance, brightness, contrast, and more
  • Merge multiple exposures to create stunning HDR photographs

InPixio Eclipse HDR – Natural image correction

As the name tells, this software is designed for strong editing processes that imply photo correction, HDR conversion, and more.

Firstly, you must know that such a program is a perfect match for any artist who needs a helping hand. Photo presets and effects, re-expose or natural coloring, it’s all there.

Plus, other features permit RAW image and batch processing for your projects or natural-looking filters to perfect your imagery instantly. Using HDR styles the photos will look sharper, going beyond the eyes.

Another worth mentioning trait is regarding HDR lighting effect which lets you add natural light wherever in the picture.

More, the denoise feature helps to correct grainy photos for your nighttime sessions and restore old images that you just scanned.

Let’s quickly see its key features:

  • Natural image correction
  • One-image HDR
  • Advanced coloring management
  • Usable 40 HDR effects
  • HDR relight effects
  • Full support within the program

InPixio Eclipse HDR

Enjoy superior features and tools to correct your photos to perfection.
Check price Visit Website

PortraitPro 22 – Automatic skin smoothing

The hardest photos to edit are definitely the portraits and if you need a dedicated tool for this complex job, PortraitPro 22 from Anthropics is just what you need.

Mostly because this tool doesn’t work like the ordinary airbrushing and photo editing software you’re used to.

Its AI features are trained in human beauty, so you can edit your photo just as much to turn it into a masterpiece.

And you don’t need to be an expert in photo editing either because you will be able to change any face features by simply moving some sliders around.

PortraitPro has the ClearSkin 5 technology built-in so you can use it to smooth the skin without that plastic Photoshopped finish.

But if you just need to fix a few difficult spots, the Touch-Up brush will help you get rid of them directly, without applying effects to the whole face.

As for the facial features, you have a lot of sculpting tools available that can remodel the eyes, nose, hair, smile, chin, and pretty much anything you can imagine.

The app even has a full range of digital makeup based on years of research into real cosmetics, so you will be able to experiment with a wide variety of styles.

The bottom line is that PortraitPro is a great portrait editing tool but don’t take our word for it because you may test its free trial version and see for yourself.

Let’s review some of its best features:

  • ClearSkin 5 technology for automatic skin smoothing
  • Extremely easy to use by anyone, without any prior training
  • Advanced face sculpting tools
  • Replace background images in seconds
  • Easy to set up presets for portrait editing

Pixlr Photo Editor – AI design tools

Pixlr is a free online photo editor that you can operate in your browser, so you don’t have to install anything on your PC.

Boasting AI-powered tools for quick, but professional edits on the most popular image formats such as PSD, PXD, JPEG, PNG, and SVG, this tool makes photo editing simple and fun.

Remove backgrounds with the bg removal tool or create a transparent image for your design with a single click or tap.

Anyone can use it because it comes with a super-friendly user interface that is organized very intuitively.

Let’s quickly go through its key features:

  • AI design tools (remove backgrounds, cut and crop in just one click)
  • Fast image editing (drag sliders from left to right to edit your photos)
  • Easy content creation (generous library of stickers, overlays, borders, icons, and decorative texts)
  • Edit your photos wherever you are (desktop and mobile compatible)

⇒ Get Pixlr Photo Editor

Perfecting your photos has never been this easy thanks to professional photo correction software. 

Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, editing your photos is paramount to transforming an average picture into something truly stunning.

And if you need more ideas, take a look at our recommendations of the best photo editors for Windows and take your pick.

Which software will you choose to complement your photography? Share your pick with us in the comments section below.

Windows is Stuck on Welcome Screen: How to Fix it

If Windows is stuck on the welcome screen, you won’t be able to access it at all, and this can be a major problem since all your files and apps will remain inaccessible.

This is a major problem especially if you’re on a deadline, but there are a couple of solutions that can help you fix this.

Why is my computer stuck on the starting Windows screen?

  • Problems with Credential Manager or Windows Update service.
  • Fast Startup is another common cause of this issue.
  • Recent Windows updates can also lead to problems.
  • Corrupted installation will often prevent you from starting Windows properly.

What do I do if my computer is stuck on the Welcome screen?

Before we try any complex solutions, we suggest performing the following checks:

  • Disconnect from the Internet by turning off Wi-Fi or by unplugging the Ethernet cable.
  • Remove any hardware that can cause issues. This includes internal SD cards, USB devices, and other hardware that was installed recently.
  • Try removing your laptop battery and starting your PC without it.
  • Remove SmartPass and fingerprint reading software from your PC since it can cause compatibility issues.
  • Disable the WAN adapter in BIOS. For detailed instructions, check your motherboard manual.

1. Use a debugging software

One of the easiest ways to quickly troubleshoot the problem, even if you don’t know the cause, is to use system restoring and optimization software.

2. Disable Credential Manager

  1. Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode.
  2. Press Windows key + R and enter services.msc. Click OK.
  3. In the Services window, locate the Credential Manager service on the list and double-click it to open its properties.
  4. When the Properties window opens, set the Startup type to Disabled and click Apply and OK to save changes.
  5. Restart your PC and check if the problem still appears.

Some users claim that this problem occurred on their PC because Credential Manager was disabled, so try enabling it and check if that helps.

In some cases, Windows Update service can cause this problem, but you can fix it by doing the following:

  1. Open the Services window.
  2. Locate the Windows Update service on the list and double-click it to open its properties.
  3. When the Properties window opens, set the Startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start) and click on Apply and OK to save changes.

After doing that, restart your PC and check if the problem still appears.

3. Disable the Fast Startup feature

  1. Press the Windows key + S and enter control panel. Select Control Panel from the list of results.
  2. When Control Panel opens, select Power Options.
  3. Select Choose what the power button does from the menu on the left.
  4. Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
  5. Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) option and click on Save changes.

After you disable the Fast Startup feature, your PC might start a bit slower but the problem with the Welcome screen should be fixed.

4. Remove recently installed updates

  1. Enter Safe Mode again.
  2. Open the Settings app. The fastest way to do that is to press the Windows key + I.
  3. When the Settings app opens, go to Update & security.
  4. Now click on Update history.

  5. A list of all recently installed updates will appear. Memorize the names of the recent updates. Click on Uninstall updates.
  6. Now you should see the list of recent updates. Locate the problematic updates on the list and double-click them to remove them.

If removing the updates fixes the problem, you might want to temporarily prevent Windows from installing these updates.

5. Delete the Ngc directory

  1. Start your Windows in Safe Mode.
  2. When Safe Mode starts, navigate to this directory:
    C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft Keep in mind that some of these files are hidden so you need to show hidden files and folders. To do that, click the View tab at the top and check Hidden item.
  3. Look for the Ngc folder and try to delete it. By default, this folder is protected by the system, so you’ll need to take ownership of it first. To do that, right-click the directory and choose Properties from the menu.
  4. Go to the Security tab and click on Advanced.
  5. When the Advanced Settings window opens, click on Change in the Owner section.
  6. Enter your user name in the Enter the object name to select and click on the Check Names button. If everything is in order, click on OK to save changes.
  7. Check Replace owner on subcontainers and objects and click on Apply and OK to save changes.
  8. A security warning might appear. Click Yes to continue.
  9. After doing that, you’ll have full control over the Ngc folder. Now you just have to delete it from your PC and restart your PC.

Keep in mind that this solution works if you’re using a PIN number to sign in to Windows 10. If you aren’t using a PIN, this solution might not work for you.

6. Perform an Automatic Repair

  1. Restart your computer a few times during the boot sequence. Click on the Advanced options button once it appears.
    Advanced options
  2. Now select Troubleshoot and then Advanced options. Lastly, select Automatic Repair.
     
  3. Automatic Repair will now start. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the repair.

If you can’t find the Automatic Repair option, you can use Startup Repair instead. After you complete the repair process, the issue should be resolved.

7. Use Command Prompt

  1. Restart your computer a couple of times while your PC boots to start Automatic Repair.
  2. Click on the Advanced options button once it appears.
  3. Now select Troubleshoot, choose Advanced options and then Command Prompt.
    Command Prompt in Advanced options
  4. When Command Prompt opens, enter the following to check for file corruption: sfc /scannow
  5. Some users are suggesting to use the following to check your hard drive: chkdsk c: /f /r
  6. After the scan is completed, restart your PC and check if the problem still appears.

Several users reported that you can fix this problem simply by using bootrec command. To do that, you need to start Command Prompt by using the steps above and run the following commands:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /
rebuildbcd

After the commands are executed, check if the error message still appears. Some users are suggesting to try using these commands instead:

bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
C:
cd boot
attrib bcd -s -h -r
ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
bootrec /RebuildBcd

8. Restart Windows Update service

  1. Enter Safe Mode as explained above.
  2. Press the Windows key + X to open and choose PowerShell (Admin) from the menu.
  3. When PowerShell opens, you need to enter the following commands:
    net stop wuauserv
    cd %systemroot%
    ren SoftwareDistribution SD.old
    net start wuauserv
  4. After doing that, close PowerShell and restart your PC. Now check if the problem is resolved.

9. Use System Restore

  1. Restart your PC a few times during the boot until the Automatic Repair message appears.
  2. Now go to Troubleshoot and then to Advanced options. Lastly, select System Restore.
  3. Select your username and enter your password.
  4. Click on Next, select the desired restore point and follow the instructions on the screen to restore your PC.
    restore point
  5. After your PC is restored, check if the problem still appears.

10. Perform a startup repair from an installation disc

  1. Create Windows 10 installation media.
  2. Insert your installation media and boot your PC from it.
  3. When the setup starts, click on Next.
    choosing time language keyboard windows setup click next
  4. Next, choose Repair your computer.
  5. Next, choose Startup Repair and wait for the process to finish.
    nvhda64v.sys

11. Reset Windows 10

Note icon NOTE
This solution will delete all files from your system drive, so back them up beforehand.
  1. Restart your PC a few times until you start Automatic Repair.
  2. Choose Troubleshoot and select Reset this PC. After that, choose Remove everything.
    remove-everything how to fix corrupted user profile windows 10
  3. For the next step you might be asked to insert Windows 10 installation media, so be sure to have it ready.
  4. Now select your version of Windows and click on Only the drive where Windows is installed and then Just remove my files.
  5. You should now see a list of changes that the reset will perform. If you’re ready to start, click on the Reset button.
  6. Now follow the instructions on the screen to complete the reset.

How do I force restart Windows?

  • Press and hold the Power button for a couple of seconds to turn the PC off. Then press the same button again.
  • Many desktop PCs have a dedicated Restart button that you can use to quickly restart your PC.

If Windows is stuck on the welcome screen, the most likely cause is corrupted files or a bad update, but that can be fixed with our solutions. However, this isn’t the only issue and many reported that Windows is stuck on the login screen.

Many users reported that Windows is stuck after login or that Windows is stuck on spinning circles, but we covered those in separate guides.

Did you find a different solution for this problem? If so, share it with us in the comments section.

6 Quick Fixes for Nvidia Container High Disk, GPU, CPU Usage

The NVDisplay.Container.exe is associated with NVIDIA graphics card drivers. However, many users reported that NVDisplay.Container.exe causes high CPU usage.

This can be a big problem and cause performance drops and extra strain on your PC. Thankfully, it is not the most difficult issue to fix, as we will show in this guide.

What does Nvidia Container mean?

As the name implies, the Nvidia Container is crucial for storing other Nvidia processes. Otherwise known as nvcontainer.exe, it works as an enabler that ensures all other processes run smoothly.

Can I end the Nvidia Container task?

While the Nvidia Container performs some important tasks, especially display-related ones, you can end the process if it is causing problems on your PC.

How do I fix Nvidia Container high disk, GPU and CPU usage?

1. Kill the NVDisplay.Container.exe process in Task Manager

  1. 1. Press the Windows key+ E to open File Explorer and click the Local disk (C) in the left pane.

  2. 2. Now, go to Program Files > NVIDIA Corporation > Display.NVContainer.

    path nvidia container high cpu
  3. 3. Locate and right-click the DisplayDriverRAS.

  4. 4. Select Delete.

    delete
  5. 5. Go back to the NVIDIA Corporation folder and locate and delete the DisplayDriverRAS folder under it.

  6. 6. Exit Windows Explorer and press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.

  7. 7. Go under the Processes tab, right-click the nvdisplay.container.exe process, and click the End task button to terminate it.

    end nvidia container high cpu
  8. 8. Finally, close Task Manager.

2. Install older NVIDIA driver

  1. Open the Run dialog box: click on Windows key + R.
  2. In the dialog box, key in devmgmt.msc and click OK.devmgmt.msc nvdisplay container exe causes high cpu usage
  3. In the next window (Device Manager), locate Display Adapters and click on it to expand underlying options.
  4. Right-click on the NVIDIA graphics driver and select Uninstall device.uninstall device nvdisplay container exe causes high cpu usage
  5. Confirm action as prompted.
  6. After uninstalling the drivers, go to the download website of NVIDIA.
  7. On the displayed window, fill in the required information (driver version and computer OS among others) and click on Search.search driver nvdisplay container exe causes high cpu usage
  8. Select the appropriate option on the list of search results.
  9. Click on Download and follow the prompt commands to save and install the driver.download nvdisplay container exe causes high cpu usage
  10. Restart computer.

3. Use third-party software for drivers

To ensure your drivers function properly and benefit from the latest features, we recommend using a third-party tool that scans your PC and installs the right drivers.

You can optimize your system with a few simple clicks and let the automated tool bring your device to peak performance.

Plus, the software can manage all your drivers efficiently in just a few clicks, so you can safely install or update your PC drivers.

⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater

4. Disable in-game overlay

  1. Press the Windows key, type GeForce, and select the GeForce Experience option.
  2. Click the Settings icon in the top right corner and go to the IN-GAME OVERLAY section.
  3. Now, toggle the switch before it backward to disable it.
    in game

While the in-game overlay feature is important and recording gameplay, it might be the cause of the Nvidia Container high CPU usage. So, you need to disable it to fix the issue.

5. Restart Nvidia services

  1. Press the Windows key + R, type services.msc, and click OK.
    services nvidia container high cpu
  2. Right-click any process that has Nvidia in it and select the Restart option.
    restart
  3. Finally, close the System Services window and check if the problem persists.

Sometimes, the Nvidia Container high CPU usage can be caused by a malfunctioning services. The solution to this is to restart all related services.

6. Uninstall GeForce Experience

  1. Press the Windows key + R, type appwiz.cpl, and click OK.
    appwiz  nvidia container high cpu
  2. Right-click the GeForce Experience option and select Uninstall/Change.
    uninstall nvidia container high cpu
  3. Finally, follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

If all the solutions above prove abortive in solving the Nvidia Container high CPU usage issue, you need to uninstall the GeForce Experience app. This will remove many Nvidia processes that might be using your CPU.

There you go. These are quick and easy solutions that can help you fix NVDisplay.Container.exe high CPU usage. Usually, stopping the problematic process is enough, but if the problem keeps appearing, we advise you to try an older version of Nvidia drivers.

Also, if the Nvidia control panel is not opening, check our detailed guide to force it through.

Feel free to try both of these solutions and let us know in the comments section if these solutions were helpful to you.

Computer Doesn’t Boot But Fan Spins: 7 Tested Fixes

If your CPU is not turning on but the fan is running, keep reading – we’ll show you how to fix it. This signals pretty serious issues, such as RAM card problems, dented CPU pins, overheating, or problems with your power supply.

Follow the steps below to stop the CPU fan from spinning without display:

What can I do if my PC won’t start, yet fans spin?

1. Disconnect external hardware

This involves unplugging or disconnecting any external hardware such as printers, USB drives, and scanners, among others so that you leave only the basic components before trying again.

Of course, we suggest unplugging the power cord and removing, primarily, all external peripherals and then moving to the internal hardware.

2. Reset RAM chips

One of the reasons your computer won’t boot but the fans spin could be bad RAM. In this case, consider:

  • Cleaning your RAM: Use a dry, gentle cloth. Don’t apply any liquid.
  • Switching the positions of your RAM card to different sockets

Ultimately, consider replacing your RAM memory. Using a brand new DDR4 memory module prevents the situation when your computer won’t boot but the fans spin.

There are professional products in this regard that have a 1.2 V operating voltage. Their design will allow you to have low power consumption, and you will also use a product with low generated heat.

3. Check the motherboard

If you see a yellow or amber light on, it could indicate a bad motherboard. Sometimes the motherboard could have bad capacitors, which may cause the computer not to boot but the fans to spin.

If this is the case, you can have a new one installed on your computer.

4. Change the power outlet

If you open your computer, remove all connected devices and expansion cards, then turned it on again and it still won’t boot but the fans spin, then you’re probably looking at an issue with the power supply.

As mentioned earlier, one of the reasons your computer may refuse to boot but the fan’s spin includes a poor power supply.

You can try a different wall outlet and plug into it, then try to boot your computer again. This might also help with PC power issues after the BIOS update.

5. Check with your computer manufacturer

If your computer won’t boot but fans spin, you can also note down the sequence of the beeps or flashing lights your computer shows while trying to boot.

The following step you should take is to check with your computer’s manufacturer what the sequence means.

6. Check the peripherals

If your computer won’t boot, but the fans spin, and you hear a beep sound as if it is booting, then one of your peripherals could be causing the problem.

In this case, you can insert one at a time and then try and confirm which one is problematic.

7. Check with a technician

If all else fails, get a qualified computer repair technician to find out what the problem is and how to get it fixed. This might be (as it usually is) a PSU failure.

You’ll probably need to replace it. Often, it has enough power to run the fan (low-power) and a hard time running anything else.

We’d love to hear from you whether any of these solutions worked. Let us know in the comments section below.

5 Best Blue-Ray Copy & Burn Software for Windows

Do you know that you can now copy Blu-Ray on your computer? Do you want to know how? Follow this article. Herein, we’ll be showing you some of the best Blu-ray copy software, any of which can be employed to copy/burn Blu-ray movies/videos on a computer hard disk or even DVD.

Blu-ray is a powerful video storage medium, which can store hundreds of gigabytes of high definition and ultra high definition videos. And while it is not supported on any default computer media player, there are third-party software that can be used to play its videos.

However, these software, at times, could be highly unreliable or worse, very expensive. Moreover, Blu-ray discs are highly fragile and could easily get scratched or broken. Hence, to prevent all these, the safest and most convenient option is to copy or back them up on a computer hard disk or, the more rugged, DVD.

Copying Blu-ray discs/ISO files/folders is not as easy as “Ctrl + C” and “Ctrl + V”. It requires the use of certain advanced “copy programs”, which are technically tagged Blu-ray copy software.

Therefore, in this article, we’ll be reviewing five of the best Blu-ray copy software.

What are the best Blu-Ray copy software to use?

DVDFab Blu-ray Copy – Multilingual support

DVDFab Blu-ray Copy is one of the most widely used Blu-ray copy software across the globe. It is specially developed for Windows PC and macOS. The program is compatible with all Windows 10/8/1/8/7 models. Also, it supports all three Blu-ray formats, including disc (BD-R), folder, and ISO image file.

This software is able to copy Blu-ray movies to any blank Blu-ray disc or DVD. However, the copied movie will still maintain its original quality, and thus, can only be played with a Blu-ray-supported media player. Hence, for you to copy any Blu-ray movie on your system, you must have a Blu-ray drive (BD).

DVDFab Blu-ray copy software is very easy to use, requiring only a few steps to run a copy. In fact, there is a “How To” guide on their website, which is designed to help you navigate the UI. With this, even a tech illiterate should be able to use the software to copy his/her favorite Blu-ray movies.

Copying Blu-ray with this software requires only five successive steps – initiate copy process, load the source, select copy mode, customize the output, and start copying. There are five major copy modes on offer. These include: Full Disc, Main Movie, Customize, Clone (Burn) and Merge.

Other notable features of DVDFab Blu ray Copy include multilingual support, preview window, lossless (1:1) output, multiformat Blu-ray support, DVD support, 4K format support, reliable technical & customer support, auto-updates, and more.

DVDFab Blu-ray Copy is a subscription-based software that charges yearly.

DVDFab Blu-Ray Copy

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Blue-Cloner – Cross-compatibility

Blue-Cloner is arguably one of the most reliable Blu-ray copy software in the market. It is the ultimate choice, of thousands of users across the globe, for copying Blu-ray discs to blank hard disks or DVD drives.

The software is compatible with all Windows versions, from Windows 7 upwards (up to Windows 10). Also, your computer system must have a minimum RAM of 2GB, free storage (hard disk) space of >500GB, and a Blu-ray disc drive (BD-R supported).

Blue-Cloner is very easy to use, as the whole copy process is executed with only a few clicks, and it is also equipped to run the optimal 1:1 Blu-ray copy. Specifically, Blue-Cloner copies videos in the following modes: Movie-Complete, Movie-Only, Split Copy, and Customized Copy.

Furthermore, if the Blu-ray video you want to copy is copy-protected (with Cinava watermarks), Blue-Cloner is able to work around it.

Other key features of Blue-Cloner include One-Click installation, Cross-compatibility (with multiple Blu-ray burners and drives), Multiple copy creation, No resource-hogging, Blu-ray video playback, 4K UHD support, 24-hour customer feedback (Live Chat and Email), and more.

Blu-ray video copy, with Blue-Cloner, is carried out via two channels – One-click (Express) and Professional (Expert). The former is a swift copy of Blu-ray videos BD, while the latter offers more advanced copy variants. Essentially, virtually all available copy options are supported on Blue-Cloner. This conveniently makes it one of the best Blu-ray copy software out there.

Blue-Cloner offers a free trial (for one week) to new users. The full-feature version is paid.

Blue-Cloner

Use this simple tool to copy Blu-ray media files in 4K UHD.
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BurnAware – Lightweight software

BurnAware is another top-rated Blu-ray copy software, renowned for its relative ease of usage. In copying a Blu-ray movie, every relevant step is explicitly outlined on the software’s UI, notably the “Copy Disc” and the subsequent “Copy” options. BurnAware is compatible with most Windows OS, from Windows 10 all the way down to Windows XP.

It is a multifunctional media copy software, which is able to copy CD, DVD, and Blu-ray (discs and ISO files) movies. Also, it can extract audio files from DVD and Blu-ray videos, recover data and create image files among other functions.

Other notable features of BurnAware Blu-ray copy software include:

  • Clean & intuitive UI
  • Direct copying
  • Byte-byte verification
  • UDF Partitions
  • BOOT settings
  • Audio extraction
  • Data recovery
  • Low CPU usage
  • Disc spanning
  • High DPI support

BurnAware is available in four pricing editions, which include: free for a single user, premium for a single user, professional for a single user, and business for multiple users.

BurnAware

Use this lightweight software to copy Blue Ray, recover data, extract audio, and more.
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Pavtube – Popular option

Pavtube is another popular Blu-ray copy software, specially designed for Windows. It is supported on all Windows OS between Windows 2000 and Windows 7, with a minimum hard disk space of 512MB. Hence. it is very ideal for low-end Windows users. In addition, all three major Blu-ray storage formats – Blu-ray folder, Blu-ray disc, and Blu-ray ISO image – are supported.

Pavtube hosts an easy-to-navigate platform, which is aptly augmented by a “How To” guide on the source website. This is to enable anyone, irrespective of the level of tech proficiency, to use the software with utmost convenience.

Basically, you can copy or back up Blu-ray on your hard drive (or Blu-ray disc), provided you have a Blu-ray drive (BD) attached to your system. The output is in Blu-ray format; hence, you’ll need a special kind of media player (Blu-ray supported) to play the copied movie(s).

Some of the key features of Pavtube Blu-ray Copy include 1:1 (lossless) cloning, multiple hardware compatibility, automatic shutdown option, copyright encryption bypass, multimedia support (DVD, BD-R 25/50, BD-RE 25/50, ISO image, folders, and so on), disc labeling and many more.

Pavtube, as emphasized earlier, works well on low-end Windows PCs. However, it doesn’t come cheap. The Blu-ray copy software is license-based. There is also a free trial version for new users.

Pavtube

Copy Blu-Ray media with this intuitive tool with just a few clicks.
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Leawo Blu-ray Copy – User-friendly interface

Leawo Blu-ray Copy is the most popular Blu-ray copy software for archiving/backing up Blu-ray movies on a PC hard drive. It works perfectly on all modern Windows PC, from Windows Vista to Windows 10.

This Blu-ray copy software is optimized to copy Blu-ray discs (BD50 & BD25), ISO images, and folders, without having to worry about quality loss and the like. In plain words, Leawo Blu-ray Copy copies movies in 1:1 (perfect cloning) format, with every element (subtitle, sound, video quality, dot frame, and so on) intact.

Also, it is enhanced to bypass various forms of copyright encryptions, as well as geo-restrictions on certain Blu-ray movies. With this, you can copy virtually all Blu-ray movies you wish to copy, without hindrance. Copying Blu-ray is in three simple steps: Load, Set, and Copy. That simple!

Leawo Blu-ray Copy offers three basic copy modes – Custom, Full and Main. The Custom mode enables you to copy only desired sections of a particular movie, while the Main mode enables you to copy in “movie-only” mode (without key elements like subtitles, frame, and so on). The third mode, Full mode, allows you to copy a Blu-ray movie in its entirety (encompassing all inherent features).

Other key features of Leawo Blu-ray Copy include 600% faster Blu-ray copy speed, disc reading, a User-friendly interface, a Built-in Blu-ray copy solution, and more. One notable missing piece is a compression tool, which is believed to be in the works.

This Blu-ray copy software charges yearly for its services.

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Conclusion

We have outlined, herein, five of the most reliable Blu-ray copy software in the market. These five programs have been rated based on key comparative factors like compatibility (with Windows OS), affordability, ease of usage, and durability (functionality of features).

Therefore, if you are in need of a durable Blu-ray copy software, you can easily go for any of the above-listed ones.

A Blu ray player allows you to customize plenty of parameters and reproduce high-quality videos.

Check our Video Hub for more top lists and reviews.

How to Open a Folder in Command Prompt [CMD guide]

Microsoft DOS (Disk Operating System) is a command-line platform that was the world’s foremost operating system during the 1980s.

However, DOS declined into irrelevance during the 1990s after Microsoft released Windows 95, which introduced the Start menu.

Nevertheless, Windows has retained a windowed replica of DOS in the form of the Command Prompt. That’s not entirely the same as the 1980s DOS platforms, but it has a similar command set.

You can open folders and files with the Command Prompt instead of File Explorer. This is how you can open folders and files within the Command Prompt.

How can I open files and folders with the Command Prompt?

1. Open the Command Prompt

  1. Open the Type here to search tool by pressing the Windows key + S hotkey.
  2. Enter the keyword Command Prompt in the search utility.
  3. Click Command Prompt to open it.
  4. You can also right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator to open it with admin rights.

2. Opening a folder

  1. First, enter cd / in the Command Prompt, which will return you to the root C: drive.
  2. Then you can open a folder in the Command Prompt by entering this change directory command:
    cd\folder\subfolder\subfolder
    The change directory command open folder in command prompt / cmd

    You’ll need to include the root folder and all its subfolders within the path to open a required folder within the Command Prompt.

  3. Press the Return key after entering the change directory command.
  4. To display a folder’s file content within the Command Prompt, type dir and press Enter. Then, the Command Prompt will display a file and subfolder list for the folder.

3. Opening a file

Alternatively, you can open files in the Command Prompt without moving to their folders first. To do that, you’ll need to enter a command that includes the file’s full folder path and the file title itself.

For example, let’s suppose you need to open a file titled youcam_9.png from the path Users\mav_u\pictures. To do so, you would enter this command:

 "C:\Users\mav_u\pictures\youcam_9.png"

That file-opening command must always include quotation marks.

The full path open command open folder in command prompt / cmd

So, who needs File Explorer when you can open folders and files with the Command Prompt instead?

The Command Prompt may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but some users might still prefer its command-line flexibility.

If interested, read this blog to understand how to boot up your computer straight to Command Prompt on Windows 11.

You can improve your command line workflow by checking this guide to Tasklist and Taskkill commands.

We also have a great guide on how to clear CMD, so be sure to check it out for more useful information. Now that you know how to use the command line, you might be interested in learning what is the root directory on your PC.

How to Remove Pre-installed Apps in Windows 10 [Best Tools]

You just bought yourself that new PC you were longing for, and now you can’t wait to use it. You’re eager to enjoy all those new features your friends have been talking about for so long, and you can’t wait to see how quickly programs load with a single click.

Instead of joy, you get shocked because after your new computer boots up, it greets you with annoying pop-up ads along with loads of shortcuts to useless apps and services that you didn’t ask for.

Before you even get to click on anything, the computer automatically connects to the internet and is already downloading the latest updates for all the trial antivirus and antispyware software installed on it.

You also get all kinds of notifications and alerts about IT dangers that you only hear about in horror stories and weren’t sure they even really existed or not. We’re pretty sure this all sounds like a nightmare.

One of the nastiest things about buying a new PC or laptop is how it usually comes with plenty of useless software and unnecessary extras that have been pre-installed by the manufacturer.

Even big names such as HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus do this, and while some things they add aren’t such a big deal, others are. Some of this software can even be classified as malicious.

All these apps cling to your brand new Windows machine and can affect its performance, causing it to boot or work slowly even when brand new.

Uninstalling these unnecessary apps manually would take time and patience, but fortunately, there are some solutions in the form of programs that are specifically designed to get rid of all the unwanted software automatically.

What is the best software to remove PC bloatware?

IObit Uninstaller PRO – Installation monitoring

iobit uninstaller pro app

This is another free program that shows you a list of all the programs installed on your computer. You simply select which you’d like to get rid of and click Uninstall. It’s very handy because it tells you which add-ons and plugins are trusted and which ones are not.

By choosing such a powerful uninstaller, you can get rid of the most stubborn apps on your PC and get more disk storage. Plus you benefit from in-depth cleaning of any reminiscent files of the uninstalled programs.

Additionally, you are set up regarding malicious internet programs, software permissions, or installation monitoring. Hence with this tool, you have effective support for any uninstallation issues.

IObit Uninstaller PRO

Manage confidently your PC applications by using this powerful uninstaller tool anytime you require.
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CCleaner – Complete PC health check

ccleaner menu

With CCleaner, managing apps feel like breeze. It lists all your installed software in one comprehensive list, allowing you to order them and also search for them by name.

You can find the uninstaller feature of CCleaner by clicking the Tool submenu. You’ll see that the app list includes the software pre-installed by Windows on your PC.

Just select what you want to remove, click the Uninstall button and you’re good to go.

While you’re there, you can also check the Startup option which you can use to disable startup apps. Some of these are also set up by default when you install your OS, and many of them may be unnecessary for you.

Not only can CCleaner remove unwanted apps, but it can also help you delete each and every leftover file related to them.

This PC-cleaning tool can scan your registry and remove unnecessary entries. Not only that, it is also capable to find empty files, temp files, duplicates, and more.

Here are some of its key features:

  • Driver updater (premium)
  • Complete PC health check
  • Browser cleaner
  • Up-to-standard privacy protection
  • Removes trackers (premium)
  • Registry cleaner

CCleaner

Uninstall built-in Windows apps in just a few clicks with this award-winning PC cleaning tool.
Free trial Visit Website

PC Decrapifier – Easy-to-use program

pc decrapifier app

This is a free and easy-to-use program that has been around for a very long time and works perfectly with every version of Windows from Windows 2000 all the way to Windows 10.

The software finds all unwanted apps and programs so that you can choose what you’d like to have uninstalled and then automatically do the job for you.

The program features a large list of trial apps that usually come with new devices. Once installed, it will create a system restore point and from there, you simply have to select the items from the list and click Next.

⇒ Get PC Decrapifier

Decrap My Computer – Simple interface

decrap my computer app

This software is designed to completely remove the unnecessary bloatware that comes with a new computer. Its portability is a bonus.

This tool does not concentrate on finding specific junk items but rather lists everything in a PC including startup software, desktop items, and all-important software.

During the uninstall process, the automatic process will search and remove registry entries and leftover files from your machine.

One thing to look out for, though, is that it doesn’t discriminate between good and bad software since it’s a bulk uninstaller.

⇒ Get Decrap My Computer

Should I Remove It? – Full remover tool

should i remove it app

This is a detector and remover of manufacturer bloatware, trialware, and unwanted programs including toolbars, adware, and other junk. It will scan your computer and then grade everything found.

The higher an item is placed on the list, the more highly recommended it is for removal.

⇒ Get Should I Remove It?

    Remove preinstalled apps Windows 10 using CCleaner

    You can easily remove preinstalled apps on your PC using CCleaner. This PC-cleaning tool can scan your registry and remove unnecessary entries. Moreover, it is also capable to find empty files, temp files, duplicates, and more. Not only can it remove unwanted apps, but it can also help you delete each and every leftover file related to them.

  1. 1. Download and install CCleaner.

  2. 2. Open the app.

    ccleaner menu
  3. 3. Navigate to the Tools menu. You’ll see that the app list here includes the software pre-installed by Windows on your PC.

    ccleaner tools
  4. 4. Select the preinstalled programs you want to remove from your PC.

  5. 5. Click the Uninstall button and wait for the removal process to finish.

While none of these tools provide a perfect one-click solution, they’re all very useful for ridding your computer of unwanted software.

Which one of these tools do you use to free your PC of bloatware? Let us know by leaving us your feedback in the comments section below.

FIX: Cannot Ping Computers on The Same Network on Windows

Being unable to ping other computers in your network can be a big problem for every user who has a home or a business network. Here’s how to make the problem go away:

What can I do if I can’t ping other computers in Windows?

1. Disable IPv6

  1. Click the network icon on your Taskbar and choose your network from the list.
    Windows 10 cannot ping local IP address
  2. Select Change adapter options in the right pane.
    Windows 10 ping request timed out
  3. Right-click your network connection and choose Properties.
    cannot ping computer on network Windows 10
  4. Locate Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and disable it. Click OK to save the changes.
    Windows 10 cannot ping LAN

Note: Keep in mind that you might have to disable IPv6 on other computers in your network in order to fix the problem.

2. Use the netcfg -d command

  1. Type cmd in Windows Search and click on Run as administrator under Command Prompt.
  2. Enter the netcfg -d command and press Enter to run it.

3. Restart the Function Discovery Provider and Function Discovery Host

  1. Press Windows Key + R and enter services.msc. Now press Enter or click OK.
    Windows 10 cannot ping local IP address
  2. Locate Function Discovery Provider Host and double-click it.
    Windows 10 ping request timed out
  3. When the Properties window opens, click the Stop button to stop the service.
  4. Click the Start button to start it and then click Apply and OK to save changes.
    cannot ping computer on network Windows 10
  5. Do the same for the Function Discovery Provider service.

Note: Keep in mind that you need to apply this solution to all PCs in your network. If you want, you could set these services to start automatically with your PC and the problem should be resolved for good.

4. Make sure that the SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support is installed

  1. Press Windows Key + S, type windows features, and click on Turn Windows features on or off from the results.
  2. Check the SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support and then click OK to save changes.
    Can't see my computer on network Windows 10

Note: You might need to enable this feature on all PCs in your network in order to fix the problem.

5. Be sure that the PC is a member of the same domain

  1. Press Windows Key + S, type advanced settings, and select View advanced system settings.
  2. Go to the Computer name tab and click Change.
    Windows 10 ping request timed out
  3. Make sure that the PC is a member of the same domain and click OK.

6. Check your antivirus and firewall

If you’re unable to ping other computers in your network, the issue might be your antivirus or the Windows firewall.

We recommend temporarily disabling them and see if the issue persists. If you’re able to ping your computers once you do this, consider switching to a different antivirus.

7. Disable your VPN

Sometimes your VPN can make you unable to ping other computers in your network.

To fix this problem, users are suggesting disabling your VPN and checking if that helps. If this solves your problem,consider switching to a different one.

This might also be an issue, but if you’re using VPN software that provides private DNS or specific IP addresses, it shouldn’t happen.

8. Install the latest updates

  1. Open the Settings app, go to the Update & Security section.
  2. Click on the Check for updates button.
  3. Any available updates will be downloaded automatically.

After you download the updates, restart your PC in order to install the updates. Once the updates are installed, check if the problem is still there.

Being unable to ping other computers can be a big issue, but we hope that you managed to solve this annoying problem by using the solutions from this article.

Leave us a line in the comments section below if you have any additions or suggestions.

Top PDF Editor Chrome Extensions [Edit, Fill & Sign Online]

Chrome offers various extensions that simplify dealing with PDF documents. Some simplify PDF reading in your Gmail account, for instance.

Others, such as a PDF editor Chrome extension, allow you to write on your PDF, fill it and make it editable, e-sign and save it locally on your hard drive.

Let’s take a closer look at each one. The first set of tools directly adds PDF documents to the Cloud and uses GViewer to display PDF forms so that you don’t have to download and view them.

Other extensions allow you to save a webpage in PDF format after editing. But what extension allows you to write on a PDF? Read on and find out.

What is the best PDF extension for Chrome?

Adobe Acrobat Reader – Collaboration feature

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a great software tool that helps individuals and small businesses to view files that have been stored in Adobe’s Portable Document Format.

Now, we know it’s an actual program that needs downloading and not an add-on but hear us out. By using it, you will also be able to get Adobe PDF Editor Online, free of charge.

In order to view and further manipulate PDFs directly in your Chrome browser, make sure you choose to install the Chrome Extension for Acrobat Reader.

To do this, follow the easy steps described below:

  1. Download Acrobat Reader.
  2. Check the Install Chrome Extension box.
  3. Follow the steps prompted on-screen to complete the installation process.

If Adobe Reader becomes your choice as well, you may also create, reorder, and crop, any of your PDF files with ease. It’s also an excellent PDF encryption program to strengthen the security of your files.

These are some of the Adobe Reader key features that you’ll probably enjoy using:

  • Incredible OCR scan function to convert documents into readable, searchable, and editable text
  • Intuitive Read Out Loud functionality (designed for people with hearing disabilities and not only)
  • You may share documents to collect comments from multiple reviewers
  • It is connected to Adobe Document Cloud, so you may easily access different files from various devices
  • The Acrobat Reader mobile app lets you convert, edit, and sign PDFs on the fly

Kami for Google Chrome – Top-notch Markup features

Kami is a reliable PDF tool that allows users to view, share, annotate, and collaborate on PDFs.

This is an extension for Chrome as well as an app, and you’ll see that this particular tool works well with Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer.

Begin by dragging and dropping a file from your desktop or importing one from Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box.

After that, take advantage of annotation features which include highlighting, strikethrough, underlining, Adding comments, Adding or selecting the text, Drawing and erasing, Split or merging, and Shareexport, or printing.

Kami Chrome extension is a fantastic tool for working with PDF files and offers more features if you upgrade to a premium plan.

The free version of the tool will provide you with all the basics that you need for viewing and editing your PDFs.

⇒ Get Kami PDF

Docs Online Viewer – Lightweight extension

This tool automatically previews PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, and other documents.

With it by your side, you won’t need to download third-party apps to view your documents.

In this manner, you’ll use fewer resources and reduce the risk of downloading malicious documents. Docs Online Viewer is lightweight and tightly packed and doesn’t slow down your browser.

⇒ Get Docs Online Viewer

PDF Buddy – Quick online PDF editor

PDF Buddy is perfect for viewing and editing PDF files online. After you upload a file from your computer, you’ll be presented with editing options similar to Microsoft Word’s editor.

You can change the font size and style, use bold and italics, align your paragraphs, and pick font colors.

It also includes the following features: highlight, whiteout, transform, pen support, customizable shapes and symbols, and more.

With some neat features and a clean workspace, PDF Buddy is an excellent choice for viewing, editing, and annotating your PDFs.

⇒ Get PDF Buddy

PDFescape Free PDF Editor – Free PDF editor option

This tool enables you to open and edit PDF files and forms online without any cost.

You can automatically open PDF files you discover online in PDFescape and to do so, will not need additional software or any kind of registration.

⇒ Get PDFescape

Merge PDF – Split PDF – Easy to use

The Sejda Chrome extension needs no introduction. This impressive add-on allows you to upload files to your machine, Dropbox, or Google Drive.

Then, you can easily combine PDF files at your convenience. To merge files, all you have to do is drag and drop the documents in the order you want them or you can sort them alphabetically.

The tool offers options for bookmarks, pages, and a table of contents based on your documents.

To split, you just have to upload your docs the same way and then choose how to split the files. You can also compress, crop, and rotate the documents.

⇒ Get Merge PDF – Split PDF

PDFSplit! – Easily extract and separate pages

This is the most convenient tool available if you only want to split some PDF files.

You can drop a document on the page or you can upload one from Dropbox, Google Drive, or your PC and either choose a range of pages or extract them to separate files.

You can also customize the name of each file. For more security, you can click the link to enable a more secure connection.

⇒ Get PDFSplit!

Print Friendly & PDF – WordPress Plugin

This easy-to-use tool allows you to download a web page as a PDF. You can then adjust text size, remove images, and select page size between letters or A4.

If you want to eliminate some parts of the page, you can delete them. This Chrome application offers an email feature to send the page digitally that also happens to be print-friendly.

For something as simple as downloading a web page as a PDF, Print Friendly & PDF gets the job done.

⇒ Get Print Friendly & PDF

PDF Compressor – Cloud import support

If you have to compress a PDF before sending or sharing it, this is a great tool for you. To use it, you have to upload a document from your computer, drag and drop it into the box or import it from a cloud service.

You can see the original size and the new size of the document, as well. You can download it just by clicking the button, and you’ll be redirected to Xodo.

You can also use the tool to merge, split, and protect a document.

⇒ Get the PDF Compressor

PDF Viewer – Multicompatibility

This is a popular tool for viewing a PDF on a website without downloading it. You just have to enter the URL of the PDF and it will display within the browser menu without needing to use a reader.

If you also want to download the file after reading it, you can do so as well. PDF Viewer also supports Word and Excel docs, text files, and images that can all be viewed without the need for more software.

This tool also allows you to upload a file from your computer OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box.

But the tool’s convenience mostly comes in when all you need to do is just view an online file.

⇒ Get PDF Viewer

Is there a Chrome extension for editing PDF?

In comes the third category of add-ons, which is also the ones that we will tackle today. You can even use a Chrome extension to edit PDFs directly in your browser.

This is much more convenient in comparison to filling a PDF form offline. And we gathered the best PDF editor Chrome extension options for your convenience.

Here’s a quick preview:

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader – Easily edit & sign PDFs, add notes & remove text or images ?
  • Kami for Google Chrome – Top-notch PDF and Document Markup features ?
  • Docs Online Viewer – Lightweight Chrome extension to edit PDF
  • PDF Buddy – Quick & easy online PDF editor for home use
  • PDFescape Free PDF Editor – Free online PDF editor for Chrome & more
  • Merge PDF – Split PDF – Easy PDF upload to G Drive or Dropbox

There are more interesting categories of PDF-focused extensions for Chrome, with equally exciting capabilities. We made sure to include at least one sample from each section, as follows:

➡️ Bookmarking extensions are essential when you’re reading a lengthy PDF and you have to stop in the middle of it.

You can essentially save the bookmark and later open the PDF in Google Docs from where you left off.

➡️ Extensions that allow you to download web pages in PDF format will save you the trouble of opening the page in your browser.

➡️ Finally, extensions that store the PDF in the Cloud allow you to edit your documents with ease.

Working with PDF files can be pretty difficult if you lack the proper software. If you’re a Chrome user, you can install one of the extensions listed above and your work will be much simpler.

If you’re looking for something different, we have a new guide on the best fill & sign PDF tools you can use, so don’t miss it.

VLC Stuttering, Lagging, or Skipping Video [Full Fix]

VLC media player is one of the best media players in the world. This payer is available on a wide range of platforms, but Windows 10 users reported some issues with it.

According to them, the VLC media player is lagging during video playback.

What can I do if VLC media player is lagging?

VLC media player lagging video

1. Change caching value

If the VLC media player is lagging while playing video, you can fix this problem by changing the caching value. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open VLC player and go to Tools > Preferences. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + P shortcut.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-tools-1
  2. When Preferences window opens, go to the bottom of the page, and under Show settings select All. The look of your Preferences window will now change.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-tools-2
  3. Go to Input / Codes section and locate File caching (ms) option. Change the value from 300 to 600 or 1000 and click Save.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-tools-3

The aforementioned solution works for local files on your PC, but if you’re trying to view a file that is shared on the network, you need to do the following:

  1. Repeat all steps above.
  2. Locate Network caching (ms) value and increase it.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-tools-4
  3. Click Save to apply changes.

To be sure that your problems are not caused by an outdated version of the program, download and install the latest VLC version.

2. Consider using an alternative to VLC

If not of the following solutions manage to fix your issue, then maybe it would be a good time to consider using an alternative to VLC Media Player.

The aims and feature sets of various media players vary. You could choose from general-purpose media players, audio players, video players, and even 3D media players depending on your preferences.

If you’re not sure which is more useful, we’ve got you covered with the best universal media players featuring a variety of functionalities.

Some of these provide advanced features for both audio and video material, such as automatically locating movie subtitles, online radio, audiobook indexing, color correction, recording, and much more.

3. Change Skip the loop filter for H.264 decoding

Users reported that you can fix lagging video issues in VLC by changing the Skip the loop filter for H.264 decoding option. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open all Preferences window in VLC.
  2. Go to Input / Codecs > Video codecs > FFmpeg.
  3. Locate Skip the loop filter for H.264 decoding option and set it to All.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-loop-1
  4. Click the Save button.

Keep in mind that this option will slightly degrade the quality of the video in order to improve your playback. If you want to keep the quality of your video, be sure to try different options first.

Some users are also suggesting checking Allow speed tricks option in FFmpeg settings menu, so you might want to try that as well.

If you are facing other issues, like VLC could not open the MP4a audio encoder issue, we suggest you check out this quick guide to find solutions.

4. Disable Hardware decoding

  1. Open Preferences window.
  2. Go to Input / Codecs.
  3. In Codecs section locate Hardware-accelerated decoding and set it to Disable.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-decoding-1
  4. Click Save.

Users reported that in some cases turning on Hardware decoding can fix this issue, so you might want to try turning it on.

Interested in some more codec options? Read this article to find out how to download more codecs and install them properly.

5. Change the video output module

  1. Open all Preferences.
  2. Go to Video > Output modules.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-output-1
  3. Experiment with different output modules until you find the one that works for you.

If you’re having problems with video lagging in the VLC player, you can fix that issue simply by changing the output module.

VLC media player lagging 1080p

1. Change the power settings

  1. Press Windows Key + S and enter power options. Select Power Options from the menu.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-power-1
  2. Select High performance profile.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-power-2

Sometimes your power settings can cause this issue to appear especially if you’re using Battery Saver or Power Saver profile on your laptop.

These two profiles are designed to lower power consumption by reducing the performance of your hardware. HD video is demanding and it requires hardware power in order to play smoothly.

Keep in mind that using a High-performance power profile will consume more power and drain your battery faster, but the issues with 1080p video should be fixed.

2. Assign the proper GPU to VLC

If you have a laptop that has both an integrated and dedicated graphic card, be sure to assign the right card to VLC. To do that, simply open your graphic card configuration tool such as Nvidia Control Panel or Catalyst Control Center, and assign the appropriate card to VLC.

If you can’t open the GPU configuration tools, check this guide for Nvidia Control Panel or this guide for Catalyst Control Center. Follow the easy steps mentioned there and solve your issues in no time.

Although assigning a dedicated graphics card to VLC is usually better, several users reported that using an integrated graphics card with VLC fixed the problem for them, so you might want to try that.

VLC media player lagging mkv

1. Change FFmpeg threads to 2

If VLC is lagging while playing mkv files, you might want to try changing the number of FFmpeg threads. According to users, you can do that by following these steps:

  1. Open all Preferences window in VLC.
  2. Go to Input / Codecs section > Video codecs > FFmpeg.
  3. Locate Threads setting and change its value to 2.
    vlc-media-player-lagging-threads-1
  4. Click Save and restart VLC to apply changes.

If you’re having trouble playing mkv files on Windows 10, you may want to take a look at this article.

2. Make sure that your drivers are properly installed

VLC uses your GPU for video processing and if you want to properly view mkv videos without any lag, you should install the complete driver package.

Some drivers allow you to choose between full installation or minimal installation, therefore be sure to download and install the full version of graphic card drivers.

In addition, some users recommend that you download the ATI Avivo tool in order to fix mkv lagging issues in VLC.

3. Convert to a different format

Sometimes the best solution is to convert the .mkv file to a different format. Mkv files can be demanding, therefore you might want to use a video converter and convert them to any other less demanding format.

Problems with the VLC media player and lagging can somewhat ruin your multimedia experience, but you should be able to fix this problem by changing VLC settings.

We strongly recommend you to switch your player in case VLC is still lagging as it can cause possible malfunction to your system.

Xbox App Won’t Launch On PC: How to Fix It (2026)

If the Xbox app isn’t working on your PC, it’s most likely due to regional settings, driver problems, or glitches within the app. Nothing that a few simple tweaks can’t fix.

Follow the steps below and get rid of issues like the Xbox app not launching or crashing.

What can I do if my Xbox App doesn’t open in Windows 10?

Before we start fixing this issue, try restarting your PC and updating Windows and the Xbox app. In some instances, it might be necessary to disable third-party antivirus.

1. Reset the Xbox app and Windows Store

  1. Press Windows key + X and select Apps and features.
  2. Select Xbox app on the list and click on Advanced options.
     
  3. Click on the Reset button and then click Reset again to confirm.
  4. Now go back and select Microsoft Store. Now choose Advanced options.
  5. Repeat the steps from Step 3 to reset the app.

2. Change regional settings

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. Next, go to Time & language.

  2. Select a Region and change your country or region to the United States.
  3. Restart your computer and check if the issue persists.

This is a quick and easy way to fix Xbox app launch issues, especially if you’re living outside of United States.

3. Enable the Xbox services

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to start Task Manager. Once it opens, go to the Services tab.
  2. Locate the following services: XblAuthManager, XblGameSave and XboxNetApiSvc.
     
  3. Right-click on each of them and choose Start.
  4. Locate StorSvc, right-click it, and choose Restart.

After starting the necessary services, the Xbox app launch issues will be gone.

You can also explore the new full screen Xbox interface on Windows once your app is working properly by following this guide: how to enable the Xbox full screen experience on Windows 11.

There you go, we hope that these solutions helped you fix the Xbox App issues that you encountered. If you have more problems, our Xbox app closes immediately guide should be able to help you.

We also wrote about the Xbox app stuck on preparing in a different guide, and many reported that the Xbox app is not launching games, but we tackled those issues in another guide.

Also, check out what to do when the Xbox app auto-signs in to your Windows 11 Microsoft account. Many also encountered a different issue and reported that the Xbox app won’t let them sign in, and we covered that in a separate guide.

If you have any more questions, feel free to reach for the comments sections below.

Windows Can’t Find WiFi Network [Step-By-Step Guide]

Problems with WiFi and the internet connection are probably the most common issues Windows 10 users face. And we’ll agree that there’s nothing more annoying for an average user than Wi-Fi issues while browsing the internet.

There are various Wi-Fi errors that can eventually occur, and in this article, we’ll try to address as many as possible.

There are literally tens if not hundreds of various Wi-Fi issues you can encounter while using Windows 10. Here are some of the most common issues:

  • Windows 10 won’t show available networks – This error shows up when a network problem prevents available WiFi networks from showing.
  • Windows 10: No connections are available – This error shows up when no connections are available to connect to. It tends to show up, even if you know there are actually some available connections.
  • Can’t connect to this network in Windows 10 -This error shows up when you cannot connect to a certain WiFi network. We have an article dedicated to this issue so that you can combine solutions from that article with solutions from this article. Hopefully, you’ll find a proper solution.
  • Windows 10: No WiFi icon – This error appears when there’s no WiFi icon in the taskbar at all.
  • Windows 10: WiFi quit working – This error appears when your WiFi connection stops working suddenly.
  • Windows 10: WiFi won’t turn on – This error means you can turn WiFi on from your taskbar.
  • Windows 10: WiFi yellow triangle – This problem tells us there’s something wrong with the connection itself. You can connect to it, but the bandwidth is usually the problem.
  • Windows 10: WiFi freeze greyed out – This problem prevents you from doing anything with your WiFi connection. You can’t turn it on, access settings, etc.

I can’t see my wireless network on the list

This is a rather peculiar case, but not impossible to tackle. While for some users, their Windows 10 laptops can’t find WiFi at all, for others, the issue is contained at their home network level.

One user has reported the following: laptop not detecting my WiFi but detecting others. Don’t worry, the solutions below will also work when Windows 10 does not show all WiFi networks available.

So, let’s get to it, shall we?

What can I do if my computer/laptop can’t find the WiFi network?

1. Update network drivers

Another common solution for various network issues is to update your WiFi driver. In case you don’t know how to do that, follow these instructions:

  1. Right-click the Start button and open the Device Manager.
  2. Locate and expand Network Adapters.
  3. Right-click your network adapters and click Update driver software. Make sure to do it with both LAN and WLAN adapters.device manager realtek wireless drivers
  4. Wait for the process to finish, restart your PC, and try connecting.

If Windows can’t automatically find and download new drivers, read our complete guide on manually doing that.

If the problem is still there, go back to Device Manager > Network Adapters, and do the following:

  1. Right-click Network Adapters and open Properties.
  2. In the driver tab, click Uninstall.
  3. Now, open the Details tab and locate Hardware Ids in the drop-down list.
  4. Copy the first line and paste it into the browser.
  5. Find proper drivers provided by the official hardware manufacturer.
  6. Download and install those drivers for both LAN and WLAN respectively.
  7. Restart your PC and check the connection again.

In addition, another helpful way to resolve driver issues is with the help of specialized programs. You can thus update drivers automatically after scanning your PC and see which drivers are out of date and which are not.

In order to do so, you can rely on a third-party solution that will do it for you in minutes. Driver issues are the perfect task for a powerful solution.

Keeping the network drivers up to date can help you prevent other network connectivity issues like no network connectivity in Safe mode with networking.

2. Reset TCP/IP

  1. Go to Search, type cmd, right-click it and run the Command Prompt (Admin).cmd int ip reset
  2. In the command line, type the following commands and press Enter after each one:
    • netsh int ip reset
    • netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled
    • netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
    • netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled
  3. Reboot your PC and try to connect. If the problem is still there, make sure to try out the remaining steps below.

Can’t access TCP/IP on Windows 10? Check out this quick guide to fix the issue.

The first thing we’re going to try is resetting the TCP/IP stack. This is, indeed, one of the most common solutions for network problems in Windows, and can be helpful with other internet issues.

3. Change the wireless SSID and password on your modem

Another solution that’s quite common when troubleshooting WiFi and network issues are changing the wireless SSID and password of your modem.

Even though we’re talking about resolving the problem with your wireless network, for this workaround you’ll have to connect your computer to the modem using the Ethernet cable.

Since changing the SSID varies from modem to modem, we can’t tell you what to do precisely. Therefore, we recommend you check your modem’s manual or look online for more info.

4. Check for malware

Contrary to the previous workaround, some malware may corrupt your connection. So, it would be a good idea to run your security scan once again.

If your computer has connection-blocking malware, your antivirus will surely eliminate it.

Choosing a powerful antivirus that can eliminate advanced types of malware is highly recommended. Hence, to secure your system more, you can choose from the best antivirus software available for Windows 10 PC.

5. Reset your modem (and more)

Now, let’s switch to more basic solutions, which are probably the first thing you’ll do anyway. Here are some of the actions you need to do to troubleshoot your modem/router:

  • Shut down your router or modem. Wait a minute and power it on.
  • Disable the modem/router’s built-in firewall temporarily.
  • Reset the modem/router to factory settings
  • Make sure your router/modem isn’t overheating. Place it far from temperature sources.

Once again, if you’re not sure how to do any of this, check your router/modem manual for more detailed instructions.

You can also try to update your router’s firmware. If you don’t know how to do that, we’ve prepared a nifty guide that will help you.

6. Use the Internet Connection troubleshooter

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Open Update & Security.
  3. Navigate to Troubleshoot.
  4. Click on the Internet Connection Troubleshooter.network adapter troubleshooter
  5. Now, follow further on-screen instructions, and wait for the wizard to finish
  6. Restart your computer

If you’re on at least Windows 10 version 1703 (Creators Update), you have a new troubleshooting option on the Settings app. This Troubleshooter can be used for resolving various problems within the system, including the WiFi issue we’re talking about.

If you’re having trouble opening the Setting app, take a look at this article to solve the issue.

7. Make sure DHCP is on

Now, let’s talk about DHCP. In short words, DHCP is a Windows process that assigns the IP address to your computer when you connect to a network.

So, if this process is disabled, your computer won’t be able to obtain the IP address, and therefore, you won’t be able to connect to the internet using your WiFi connection.

So, the first thing we’re going to do is make sure if this process is running. And here’s how to do that:

  1. Open Network Connections.
  2. Locate your network adapter, right-click it, and choose Diagnose.
  3. Wait for the process to finish. If the DHCP process was disabled, this will enable it once again.

8. Set your IP address manually

  1. Go to Settings and choose Network Connections.
  2. Right-click your wireless network and choose Properties from the menu
  3. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and go to Properties.
  4. Now, select the Use the following IP address option and enter the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway.
    • We used settings that work for our configuration, but you might have to enter a different number (see the screenshot).
    • In addition, you’ll have to enter the DNS server manually.
    • In our example, we used Google’s Public DNS, but you can also use 192.168.1.1 as your Preferred DNS server.ipv4 properties
  5. After you’re done, click the OK button.

9. Change the number of DHCP users

And finally, the last solution that involves the DHCP process is changing the number of DHCP users. More precisely, you’ll have to increase the number of DHCP users in your router settings. Usually, the limit is 50 DHCP users, and if you go over, WiFi issues may occur. 

Once again, since the process of changing the number of DHCP users varies from router to router, it’s better to check the manual for detailed instructions.

10. Disable Windows Firewall temporarily

Even though Windows Firewall is a useful feature for the overall security of your system, it can cause issues with your network connection. Because of that, we’re going to disable Firewall temporarily and see if there are any changes. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. Go to System and Security.
  3. Click on Windows Firewall.
  4. Select Turn Windows Firewall on or off from the left side.
  5. Turn off Windows Firewall for both Private and Public networks and confirm the selection.
  6. Restart your computer.
  7. Try connecting.

You can’t open Control Panel on Windows 10? Take a look at this step-by-step guide to find a solution.

11. Disable the Airplane mode

As unlikely as it seems, many people have reported that the Airplane mode blocked their WiFi connection. So, make sure the Airplane mode is disabled.

You can find the Airplane mode icon in the Notification panel in the right corner of the taskbar. However, if the icon is missing, there’s an alternative way to disable it:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click the Network & Internet.
  3. Click Airplane mode.
  4. Toggle Airplane mode off.

12. Use ipconfig /release command

  1. Go to Search, type cmd, and open Command Prompt (Administrator)
  2. When Command Prompt starts, enter the following lines and after each line press Enter to run it:cmd ipconfig release
    • ipconfig /release
    • ipconfig /renew
  3. Restart your computer, and try to connect again.

13. Set the channel width to Auto

  1. Right-click the Start Menu button and select Network Connections from the menu.
  2. When Network Connections window opens, right-click your wireless connection and choose Properties from the menu.
  3. Click the Configure button and go to the Advanced tab.
  4. Locate 802.11n Channel Width for band 2.4 and set it to Auto.802.11n Channel Width Auto value
  5. Click OK to save changes.

14. Disable IPv6 on your computer and router

  1. Open Network and Sharing Center.
  2. Go to Connections and click your current connection.
  3. The connection status window will open. Click the Properties button.
  4. Find Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP /IPv6) and uncheck it.ipv6 properties
  5. Click OK button to save the changes.
  6. Restart your computer in order to apply the changes.

In some cases, enabling the IPv6 protocol solves internet issues, but sometimes this protocol can cause problems.

15. Delete your wireless profile

  1. Go to Search, type cmd, right-click it and run the Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. When Command Prompt stats enter netsh wlan delete profile name=WirelessProfileName and press Enter.
    • Be sure to replace WirelessProfileName with the actual name of your wireless connection.netsh wlan cmd
  3. When the process is finished, you need to reconnect and reconfigure your network, in order to establish the connection once again.

If your Wireless Profile got corrupted, the best way to get things back to where they used to be is to simply delete your Wireless Profile, and create it once again.

16. Disable the Family Safety feature

  1. Navigate to https://account.microsoft.com/family.
  2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
  3. Locate the account that you want to remove and click the Remove button. To remove the adult account, be sure to remove all child accounts beforehand.

If there’s a need for the Family Safety feature, we don’t recommend disabling it. However, there’s a chance this very feature blocks your wireless connection. In that case, you have no other choice than to disable it.

17. Disable your antivirus software

You’ve probably heard about this one before. Windows 10 and its components and features don’t get along with third-party antivirus programs.

Because of that interference, various problems may occur. Including our problem with the WiFi network. So, go and temporarily disable your antivirus program and check if the connection is working.

If you’re able to normally connect to your WiFi network with your antivirus program disabled, consider changing your antivirus solution or switching to Windows Defender completely.

If you’re worried about the lack of antivirus, read this article to find out why Windows Defender is the only malware protection you’ll ever need.

18. Change the wireless network mode

  1. Open Network and Sharing Center.
  2. Click Change adapter settings, locate your wireless network adapter, right-click it and choose Properties from the menu.
  3. When the Properties window opens, click the Configure button.
  4. Go to Advanced tab and from the list select Wireless mode.
  5. Now change the value of Wireless mode so it matches the value of Wireless mode on your router. In most cases, 802.11b (or 802.11g) should work, but if not, try experimenting with different options.

Your router and wireless adapter need to be on the same network mode to work seamlessly. If that’s not the case, you’ll experience problems with your WiFi connection.

So, you should check the wireless networking mode on your computer in order to make the connection work again.

19. Change Fiddler settings

This one, obviously, only applies to Fiddler users. Some users suggest that changing Fiddler settings can also resolve this issue. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Click Tools > Fiddler Options.
  2. Navigate to the HTTPS tab.
  3. Make sure that the text says Certificates generated by CertEnroll engine.
  4. Click on Actions > Reset Certificates. Wait for the process to complete.
  5. Accept all prompts.

20. Check that all required services for Internet connection sharing are Enabled

To do so, go to Search > type services.msc > open Services. And now, just make sure these services are running:

  • Plug And Play
  • Application Layer Gateway Service
  • Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
  • Network Connections
  • Network Location Awareness (NLA)
  • Telephony
  • Remote Access Connection Manager
  • Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
  • Windows Firewall

As mentioned in some previous solutions, the WiFi network requires certain services to work properly. So, you need to make sure each one of these services is running.

Users also reported that the laptop won’t connect to Wi-Fi but other devices will, however, we have a guide that tackles this issue.

That’s about it. We certainly hope at least one of these solutions helped you resolve the problem with your WiFi connection. If you have any additional comments, questions, or suggestions, please let us know in the comments below!

8 Best Sketchup Rendering Software to get in 2026

SketchUp is an important 3D program used in modeling a wide range of drawing applications.

This includes architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture which are used to make designs and impressions of idealistic prototypes. It is also used extensively in filming and video game makeup.

However, it is important to use good rendering software to improve the quality of models created from SketchUp. There are various rendering software plugins that are integrated into SketchUp.

This article highlights six of the best software to render SketchUp available in terms of functionality, features, and price.

What are the best software to render SketchUp?

Autodesk 3Ds Max – Create custom workspaces

You might recall this software by its former name: 3D Studio Max. A very popular option back in the day, now it continues to be a very strong performer for all your 3D modeling, animation, and rendering needs.

Under the Autodesk umbrella, 3ds Max features Arnold GPU Renderer which allows you to view changes that you make to the scene in real time.

The good news is that you can import your SketchUp file into 3ds Max even if your scene already has existing content.

They will remain intact, and new ones will appear from the .skp file. The SketchUp importer works with files from version 6 up to SketchUp 2015. Are you using a newer version? Save the file to a 2015 file format and it should work.

Here are the top features of Autodesk 3Ds Max:

  • Use it as a command-line tool to process content in bulk
  • Create custom workspaces
  • Display procedural maps made with OSL using Nitrous viewport
  • Use motion paths to manipulate animations
  • Use real-life camera simulated settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, exposure, and depth of field

If you have only used SketchUp before, don’t feel overwhelmed by the huge differences between them. Make no mistake, this software is very powerful and provides you with many tools. It has a bit of a learning curve, but the results are amazing.

Autodesk 3Ds Max

Give 3ds Max a try to import your SketchUp files and take the rendering to the next level!
Free trial Visit Website

V-Ray 5 – Lighting fine-tune

Chaos V-Ray 5 provides all the tools you need to visualize your SketchUp rendering projects from beginning to end, whether you’re a novice or a professional.

Rendering using V-Ray is as realistic as it gets, with true-to-life lighting, cameras, and materials. You can preview precisely how any project will appear. It’s as close to the genuine thing as you can get before it’s created.

A new function called Chaos Cosmos viewer makes it simple to insert render-ready 3D material into your SketchUp creations.

With a collection of render-ready models and stunning HDR sky, you can quickly stage your architectural and interior ideas. V-Ray, V-Ray GPU, V-Ray Vision, and Vantage assets are all rendered reliably with Cosmos assets.

The Cosmos assets feature automated LODs, and precise scale, and are compatible with 3ds Max, Rhino, and Revit.

Let’s dive into the key features of V-Ray SketchUp:

  • CPU, GPU & Hybrid rendering
  • V-Ray Denoiser used in post-production to denoise each rendered element
  • Fine-tune the lighting and materials and immediately see the effects
  • The V-Ray Render nodes provide an additional speed boost
  • While working in SketchUp, you may use V-Ray Vision to observe your work in real time.

V-Ray has hundreds of ready-to-render materials that can be applied to any scene, as well as access to a large collection of video lessons, free technical support, and helpful forums.

⇒ Get V-Ray 5

Allura GPU for SketchUp – Soft shadows

The rendering plugin utilizes the power of your system GPU to accelerate renderings and is a GPU-based rendering plugin for SketchUp. Allura GPU uses the video GPU to create amazing rendering images with high speed and excellent overall rendering experience

Allura GPU for SketchUp is powered by NVIDIA Iray which gives it all the qualities of an excellent SketchUp renderer.

This software uses computing light paths with simple settings that are automatic. It is one of the best software to render SketchUp on the market.

In addition, some of its features include indirect illumination, color bleeding, reflections, refractions, soft shadows, blurry reflections, reflective and refractive caustics, and volume scattering; users just need to edit the materials and click render for amazing results.

⇒ Get Allura GPU here

Ariel Vision – Transparency controls

This software gives a realistic rendering of objects and models inside SketchUp. It creates wonderfully rendered images without using complex settings which is ideal for designers. The plugin is powerful yet maintains a clean and easy user interface.

Ariel Vision has many unique features that include one-click rendering with great results from pre-defined settings, seamless integration with SketchUp full Reflection, and transparency controls for more realistic materials.

Direct and indirect lighting using both natural and artificial lights. In addition, it also has beautiful HDRi skies and backgrounds to complete the look of your model.

Furthermore, this software has two wizards which are Material and Light wizards. The Material wizard enables easy application reflection and transparency directly to SketchUp materials.

While the Light wizard enables you to complete interior scenes with custom lamps, ceiling lights, and more.

⇒ Get Ariel Vision

IRender nXt – Ideal for landscape designers

IRender nXt is a powerful plugin that creates photorealistic renderings directly inside Trimble SketchUp. The plugin easily turns designs and models into superior images.

This is an ideal tool for architects exhibiting their building plans. This software is ideal to render SketchUp files.

This software is also ideal for landscape designers and set designers needing quality images to showcase their designs by optimizing users’ workflow by saving settings inside the SketchUp model which allows users to post-render updates without beginning over.

IRender nXt is available in both Windows 32-bit and 64-bit. Some of the features include rendering at any resolution and quality. In addition, it packs fine-tuned lighting and transparency in lighting capabilities.

⇒ Get IRender nXT here

Raylectron – HDR maps supporter

If you desire a plugin that gives simplicity in rendering with beautiful photo-like results then Raylectron is the right plugin for you.

Users can edit how the model should be with various lighting settings, from the sun, sky, and other settings. The X-ray vision feature enables you to view the interior render without removing the exterior.

You can also monitor the progress while rendering and change the quality of models. Some of the main features include the ability to stop the render, save it, reopen it later, and resume the render.

Users can rotate, pan, zoom, and modify the materials and lights right from the Raylectron viewer.

Raylectron also supports HDR maps and can save the rendered image as an HDR, it can also save in jpg, png, and many other formats.

Another unique feature is the rendering processes that happen outside of SketchUp in order to allow continuous work on the model being rendered.

⇒ Get Raylectron

Shaderlight – Unique blend feature

This software gives a different more realistic rendering for SketchUp with lots of options via various modes and tools which simplifies and keeps your work models.

Shaderlight gives a unique blend with users having the option to choose between progressive rendering and single-shot rendering.

The plugin also utilizes advanced lightning features to give your models a clean and quality look.

Users can use the default resolution settings or edit this setting to give the right blend of Sharon and concise images which makes it the ideal software for designers, architects, and other landscape designers.

The application plugin is compatible with both Windows 32bit and 64-bit. In addition, Shaderlight Cloud enables you to render on the web at a premium price.

⇒ Get Shaderlight

Thea Renderer – Advanced camera settings

If you need versatile software to render SketchUp files, Thea Renderer is one of the best software around featuring a quality state-of-the-art photorealistic engine.

This is one of the major renderer software with a unique standalone studio and library of editors for materials texture and color which gives for unique rendering.

The software uses a unique engine technique called biased and unbiased render modes to achieve these quality results.

Some of the features of this rendering software include the use of Instancing of External Models (as Proxies), integrated & external Thea material editor, darkroom with multiple controls, advanced camera settings, and render channels. This allows you to create your models with more detailed three-dimensional results.

⇒ Get Thea Render

This is where our best software to render SketchUp lists comes to an end. Make sure to head over to all these programs’ official websites in order to be able to analyze more in-depth details on all these tools before making the right decision for your SketchUp works.

This list will answer all your questions related to:

➡️ SketchUp rendering programs – All of the software recommended here can be used to render SketchUp files.

➡️ If you are interested, visit the design software section on our website for similar articles. 

➡️ Find the perfect tool for your job as a designer, illustrator, graphic artist, and more in our Graphic & Design Hub. 

Editor’s Note: If you’re interested in other 3D modeling software, check out our wide collection of guides.

Solved: WHEA UNCORRECTABLE ERROR BSoD – 7 Tested Solutions

The WHEA UNCORRECTABLE ERROR is a Blue Screen error that can appear on any version of Windows.

This issue, you either have a hardware failure or problems with your driver, or it might be that the service is incompatible with your operating system. However, this could also be caused by overclocking, SSD, RAM or mainboard issues.

Before anything else, go to Settings > Update & Security and install all the latest Windows updates.

How do I fix the WHEA UNCORRECTABLE ERROR BSoD?

    1. Disable overclocking to fix Whea Uncorrectable Error

    WHEA Uncorrectable Error is often caused by overclocking. Here are the steps to disable it from BIOS:

  1. 1. Press Windows key + I to open the Settings app.

  2. 2. Go to Update and Security.

  3. 3. Navigate to the Recovery tab. Click on Restart now in Advanced startup.

  4. 4. On Advanced startup, go to Troubleshoot, then Advanced options.

  5. 5. Select UEFI Firmware Settings. Click Restart.

  6. 6. After the computer is restarted, it should open BIOS automatically, so go to Advanced tab.

  7. 7. Navigate to Performance, and look for Overclocking.

  8. 8. Check if overclocking is disabled. If it is not, disable it.

  9. 9. Save changes to BIOS (by pressing F10 on your keyboard), and start your computer normally.

If you had problems following these solutions, visit our guide on accessing BIOS for detailed instructions and alternative methods.

Also, make sure to disable overclocking software if you have installed one for gaming.

2. Check if there are any hardware issues

  1. Press Windows key + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  2. Now run the following command: chkdsk /f C:
  3. Press Y to schedule a restart.
  4. Restart your PC and wait for the scan to finish.

SSD problems often cause Whea Uncorrectable Error. Therefore we suggest using specialized BSOD repair software to fix it.

3. Run Windows Memory Diagnostics

  1. Press Windows key + S and type memory. Select Windows Memory Diagnostic.
  2. Select Restart now and check for problems.
  3. If you get any stops along the way, like in the hard drive, check with errors, then try to replace the memory.

If you suspect any additional issues with the hardware, we suggest using hardware diagnostic software to pinpoint the cause.

4. Update your drivers

  1. Press the Windows key + X and select Device Manager.
  2. Locate the driver you think is causing the problem, right-click it, and choose Update driver.
  3. Select Search automatically for drivers and wait for the process to finish.
  4. Repeat this for all drivers that you believe are responsible for this issue.

Drivers can lead to BSOD Whea Uncorrectable Error, so keeping them up to date is crucial.

Updating drivers manually can be tedious, especially if you need to update several of them. Still, you can make this process a lot faster by using driver updater software.

Outbyte Driver Updater is a diagnostic application designed to help you download and update Windows drivers automatically.

Unlike security or system optimization programs, this utility is an excellent choice to find and replace corrupted, missing or outdated drivers for graphics cards, controllers, printers and other hardware components.

⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater

5. Uninstall the problematic Windows Updates

  1. Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Now go to the Update & security section.
  3. Click on View update history.
  4. Now click on Uninstall updates.
  5. A list of updates will now appear.
  6. Double-click on a specific update to remove it.

According to users, the Whea Uncorrectable Error can sometimes appear due to problematic Windows updates. For more information, visit our guide on how to remove failed Windows updates.

6. Disable the Turbo Boost feature in BIOS

  1. Restart your PC and keep pressing F2 to enter BIOS.
  2. Once you enter it, look for the Turbo Boost option.
  3. Disable it and save changes.
Note icon NOTE
We suggest checking your motherboard manual to see how to find this feature.

7. Disable additional audio devices

  1. Press Windows key + S and enter sound. Now pick Change system sounds.
  2. When the Sound window opens, go to the Playback tab. Next, right-click each non-default audio device and choose Disable.
  3. Repeat the same steps for all recording devices as well.
  4. After doing that, click on Apply and OK to save changes.

Some users are also recommending disabling additional audio devices from Device Manager. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. First, press Windows key + X and choose Device Manager.
  2. Locate your audio devices and disable all devices except your default one.
  3. To disable a device, right-click it and choose Disable device from the menu.
  4. When the confirmation message appears, click on Yes.
    Whea_Uncorrectable_Error overclock

According to users, the Whea Uncorrectable Error message can appear due to your audio devices. Therefore, you need to find and disable additional audio output and input devices to fix the problem.

After disabling all non-default devices, the problem should be resolved.

How can I fix the Whea Uncorrectable Error on Windows 11?

Use System Restore

  1. Press Windows key + R and type rstui.
  2. Now click Next to proceed.
  3. Select the desired restore point and click Next.
  4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.

If the WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR BSOD in Windows 10 error is still there, here are more solutions to fix the Whea Uncorrectable Error in Windows 11.

Moreover, here are some error variations that you may encounter, but nonetheless, fix with the solutions provided:

  • WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR Windows 10 Sysprep – According to users, sometimes this error can occur while using Sysprep.
  • Overclock WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR – Many users reported that this error started appearing after overclocking. To fix the problem, try changing or removing your overclock settings.
  • WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR hal.dll, ntoskrnl exe, msdn bugcheck – In some cases, this error can be caused by specific files.
  • Overheat WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR – WHEA uncorrectable error overheating – Can WHEA uncorrectable error be caused by overheating? Yes, it can. If your PC overheats, try cleaning it or check if your fan is working correctly.
  • WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR startup – To fix this problem, you’ll need to use one of our solutions above while in Safe Mode.
  • BIOS update WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR – Can BIOS cause WHEA uncorrectable error? Yes, ti can. To fix the problem, you might have to go back to the older version of BIOS.
  • WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR in Windows 11 on MSI – MSI users can attend to all the above solutions to fix this issue.
  • Windows 10 SSD WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR – SSD components can become corrupt or damaged due to lousy laptop handling.
  • WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR in Windows 10 on HP, Dell laptop – This is the general error message our users reported to us. Don’t worry, as one of the above solutions will do the trick.
  • WHEA Uncorrectable Error while gaming, Warzone – While there are many potential culprits ranging from driver conflicts to faulty RAM and everything in between, gamers are a particularly vulnerable category of users.
  • Whea Uncorrectable Error appear on startup – Sometimes this issue will prevent you from booting to Windows. However, there are ways to fix that, and to learn more, visit our guide on the blue screen loop.
  • Whea Uncorrectable Error stuck at 0 – Check for hardware issues before moving on to more complex solutions.

Is WHEA’s uncorrectable error serious?

If you have any physical hardware damage, the error could have catastrophic consequences. If this is the case, you will need to fix or replace your components with new ones.

Aside from that, the problem can be fixed, and we have compiled a list of eight potential alternatives for you to consider.

We also encourage you to check more solutions on how to fix the Whea Internal Error in Windows 10.

Can RAM cause a WHEA error?

The WHEA uncorrectable issue may manifest on your computer if the memory stick is not inserted into the RAM slot in the correct orientation.

When the computer casing is opened, you should be able to gain access to the motherboard. Thereafter, you can remove the RAM sticks from the contact points on your motherboard using alcohol and cotton. Do this as cautiously as possible.

Besides the physical cleaning of your RAM, you should also ensure its software. Thus check out our post with the seven best RAM cleaners and optimizers for Windows 10 & 11.

Let us know which methods worked best for you by leaving us a message in the comments below.

Windows 10 Can’t Connect to This Network [Step-by-Step Guide]

Internet access is crucial for many people today, and there have been reports that users are getting Windows 10 can’t connect to this network message while trying to establish an Internet connection.

This, in turn, can cause a wide range of problems, including not being able to work remotely, stopping you from researching a problem, and even not allowing you to enjoy a relaxing time with your family watching your favorite shows.

No matter which category you fit in, solving network issues as fast and securely as possible is paramount.

In this guide, we will cover every way of dealing with network issues, including the most common solutions for general problems and also step-by-step information for troubleshooting specific issues.

Why is my laptop showing Can’t connect to this network?

This issue can occur if your PC isn’t connected to the Internet there are multiple causes for this issue, but the most common is your adapter settings.

In some instances, it’s possible that Windows can’t find the Wi-Fi network, and that’s usually caused by a problem with your adapter, so you need to check it.

Many reported that their HP laptop is not connecting to Wi-Fi, and if you encounter this problem, then you should update your drivers.

The most common solutions to dealing with network issues

➡ Check for a faulty connection

A problem with your actual network connection is one of the most common issues, and it can be split into two categories:

  • Setup-related issues

As you might expect, not having the correct login details will cause connectivity issues, so it is best to check beforehand that the credentials you used are correct.

If you find that the information you used to log into your network is correct, perhaps your network environment necessitates you to switch from a public to a private network type.

  • Physical problems

Regarding the physical part of this issue, a connection that can not be maintained or used properly can include problems with the router, problems with the network card on your device, and even problems with the cables connected to the router/network card.

To check for physical problems, ensure that the router is running optimally and that all the respective lights are turned on.

Furthermore, it would be recommended that you check if the cables are cut, or have any other damage (both to and from your router/ethernet port, etc.).

➡ Check your drivers

As we all know by now, drivers are an essential element to any hardware that we use, bridging the gap between software and the device itself, and having issues with drivers is not going to help.

If this important element is not fully updated, or if the driver gets corrupted, a full re-install should resolve this issue. (more details about this step in the guide below).

➡ Make sure the ISP has a good connection

In some cases, you might find that even if the above-mentioned elements are all ticked without problems, the ISP might have problems with the distribution of the Internet on their network.

To find out if that is the case, you should contact your ISP by phone and ask if everything is running smoothly on their side.

If they don’t report any issues, then it is safe to assume that the issue is local, so let’s dive into the steps you need to follow in order to resolve this annoying problem once and for all.

How can I fix Windows 10 can’t connect to a wireless network?

1. Modify network adapter settings

  • Change the channel width for your network adapter
  1. Press Win Key + X and choose Settings.
  2. Choose Network & Internet.

  3. Click Change adapter options.
  4. Locate your wireless adapter and right-click it. Choose Properties from the menu.
  5. Click the Configure button.
  6. Choose the Advanced tab.
  7. Select the 802.11d from the Property list and set the value to Enabled.
  8. Click OK to save the changes.
  • Update your network adapter driver manually
  1. Press the Win Key + X, and choose Device Manager from the list.
  2. Under the Network adapters dropped-down, find the wireless network adapter in the list (The exact name will depend on your system configuration).
  3. Right-click it and choose Update Driver Software.
    update-driver-software
  4. Click Browse my computer for driver software.
    browse-my-for-driver-software
  5. Now click on Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
    browse-for-driver-software
  6. Make sure that Show compatible hardware is not checked.
    show-compatible-hardware
  7. Find your network adapter manufacturer and select the driver you wish to install.
  8. After you’ve installed the driver, restart your computer.

Did you know that you can update drivers automatically? Updating drivers manually can be tedious and a bit hard to follow, but there’s a way to automate this process.

By using specialized driver updater software like Outbyte Driver Updater, you can automatically update all drivers on your PC with just a few clicks.

  • Make sure that your adapter and router are using the same security type

In order to protect your data, wireless connections come with certain security types such as WPA2-PSK (AES) or WPA-PSK (AES).

For your network connection to work correctly, your router and computer must use the same security type.

You can set the security type for your router by following the instructions from your router’s instruction manual.

After you’ve set a specific security type on your router, you need to check if the same security type is also being used on your computer.

To do that, you need to follow these steps:

  1. Right-click the network connection icon next to your clock, and choose Open Network & Internet settings.
  2. Choose Network and Sharing Center.
  3. Click on your connection link.
  4. Choose Wireless Properties.
  5. In the Security tab, you should see your connection security type.
  6. After choosing the correct one, simply click OK.
Note icon NOTE
The security type section should show the same security type that your router is using. You might have to try several different security types before you find the right one.
  • Uninstall your network adapter
  1. Press Win Key + X and choose Device Manager from the list.
    device-manager
  2. Locate your network adapter and right-click it.
  3. Choose Uninstall. (If asked, check to Delete the driver software for this device and click OK.)
    uninstall-driver

  4. After the driver has been uninstalled, restart your computer and Windows 10 will automatically install the new driver.

If you find that Windows didn’t install the drivers automatically after the restart process, follow these steps.

  • Change your network adapter

If nothing else works, maybe you should change your network adapter.

Certain USB Wi-Fi adapters aren’t compatible with Windows 10, and if that’s the case, you might have to replace your current adapter with a newer model.

2. Modify Internet properties settings

  • Change the wireless network mode
  1. Right-click the network connection icon from the taskbar and choose Open Network & Internet settings.
  2. Choose Network and Sharing Center.
  3. Click Change adapter settings, locate your wireless network adapter, right-click it and choose Properties from the menu.
  4. When the Properties window opens, click the Configure button.
    configure-network
  5. Go to the Advanced tab.
  6. Select Wireless mode from the Property list and modify its value from the drop-down menu. (In most cases IEEE 802.11b/g should work, but if it doesn’t, try experimenting with different options.)
  7. Press OK.

You can change the wireless network mode for your router and your wireless adapter. In order for your network to work, your router and network adapter need to use the same or similar network mode.

If you want to change the network mode of your router, you’ll need to check the instruction manual, but in most cases, it won’t be necessary to change the wireless network mode on your router.

  • Disable IPv6 on your computer and router
  1. Open Network & Internet settings by right-clicking your network icon in the taskbar.
  2. Click the Network and Sharing Center option.
  3. Click on your current connection.

  4. In the Connection status window, click the Properties button.
    network-connection-properties
  5. Find Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP /IPv6) and uncheck it.
    disable-ipv6
  6. Click OK button to save the changes.
  7. Restart your computer in order to apply the changes.

If the problem still persists, you might have to disable IPv6 on your router.

Disabling IPv6 on your router is a complicated process, and it’s different for every type of router, so before you do that, check your router’s instruction manual.

If you encounter any issues or if your network protocol is missing, be sure to check out this guide that will help you get back on track.

3. Manage wireless connections

  • Disable and enable your wireless connection
  1. Click the search button and input Network.
  2. Choose Settings from the list.
  3. Choose Network & Internet.
  4. Click Change adapter options.
  5. Locate your wireless connection, right-click it and choose Disable.
    disable-network-connection
  6. Right-click the same connection again and choose Enable.
  • Forget the wireless connection
  1. Press Win + X keys and click on Settings.
  2. Navigate to Network & Internet.
  3. Go to Wi-Fi section.
  4. Click on Manage known networks.
  5. Select your Wireless network and click Forget.
  6. After you’ve done that, connect to the same wireless network again.
  • Add the connection manually
  1. Right-click the network icon next to your clock.
  2. Choose Open Network & Internet settings.
  3. Open the Network and Sharing Center.
  4. Click Set up a new connection or network.
    Add the connection manually
  5. Choose Manually connect to a wireless network and click Next.
  6. Enter the requested information such as network name, security key, and security type.
  7. Click Next to finish the process.

After you’ve created a new network connection, everything should be working without any problems. If the issue persists, try changing the security type of your new network.

  • Use ipconfig /release command
  1. Press the Win Key + X and from the list choose Command Prompt (Admin).
    command-prompt-admin
  2. When Command Prompt starts, enter the following lines and after each line press Enter to run it:
    • ipconfig /release
    • ipconfig /renew
  3. Close Command Prompt and try to connect to the network again.

It is possible that in some instances you won’t be able to run Command Prompt with admin rights but the solution for this issue is pretty straightforward.

Windows 10 can’t connect to this network after an update

1. Use Command Prompt

  1. Press Win Key + X and choose Command Prompt (Admin) or the PowerShell (Admin) equivalent.
  2. When Command Prompt starts, type the following and press Enter to run it:
    • reg delete HKCRCLSID{988248f3-a1ad-49bf-9170-676cbbc36ba3} /va /f
      command-prompt-1
  3. Now enter the following line and press Enter to run it:
    • netcfg -v -u dni_dne
      command-prompt-2
  4. Close Command Prompt and restart your computer.

2. Uninstall the antivirus software

  1. Press the Win Key + X and choose Apps and features.
  2. Locate your antivirus software and click Uninstall.
  3. Restart your computer.

For Norton users, there’s this complete guide to uninstall the antivirus. Also, there’s a similar uninstall guide regarding McAfee.

If your network connection starts working, you can install your antivirus software again, making sure to allow the Internet connection through the settings of the app.

3. Check if IPv4 and IPv6 protocols are enabled

  1. Right-click the network icon next to your Windows clock and click Open Network & Internet settings.
  2. Choose the Network and Sharing Center.
  3. Click Change adapter options.
  4. Find your adapter, right-click it and choose Properties.
  5. Make sure that IPv4 and IPv6 protocols are enabled.
  6. Click OK and check if the issue has been resolved.

Some users might find that they can’t access the IPv4 proprieties, but there is a simple fix for this problem.

Windows 10 can’t connect to this network, enter APN and try again

This error occurs when trying to use your Windows 10 device to connect to a cellular network, and will stop you from accessing data altogether.

To eliminate the possibility of having network issues that stem from your PC, follow these steps:

  1. Connect your PC to an Ethernet or Wi-Fi network.
  2. Open a browser and check to see if web pages are loading.
  3. If the Internet is connected, then contact your mobile ISP and ask for APN credentials.
  4. Use the credentials to sign into the mobile network.

If the Internet doesn’t connect through Ethernet or Wi-Fi, then it is safe to assume that your PC is not set up properly. To resolve this, follow the other methods described in this guide.

Windows 10 can’t connect to this network, and WEP problems

We have already covered how to create a wireless connection manually in this article, but to connect to the network that uses WEP security, you have to set the Security type to WEP for your new connection.

Follow these steps to do so:

  1. Right-click the network connection icon and click on Open Network & Internet settings.
  2. Choose Network and Sharing Center from the menu that appears.
  3. Click on the link of your Internet connection.
  4. Click on the Wireless Properties button.
  5. Open the Security tab, and choose WEP as your network security type.
  6. Click OK.

We should also mention that the WEP security type isn’t the safest, and it’s advised that you switch to the WPA2 security type.

Windows 10 can’t connect to the network after waking from Sleep Mode

1. Disable IPv6 / Change Power Management settings

We have already explained how to disable IPv6 in this article, under the Modify internet properties settings solution.

If you’re getting Windows 10 can’t connect to this network message after your computer wakes up from Sleep Mode, you need to do check the Power Management settings for your adapter.

To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Press Win Key + X and open the Device Manager.
  2. Navigate to the Network Adapters section.
  3. Locate your wireless adapter and right-click it. Choose Properties from the menu.
    properties-driver
  4. Navigate to the Power Management tab.
  5. Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power and save the changes.
    power-management

If you use a USB network adapter, you’ll have to repeat this step for all USB devices in Device Manager.

After doing this, if your PC won’t recognize the USB devices, there are a few great solutions to apply.

2. Change Power Options

  1. Press Win Key + S and type Power.
  2. Open the Power & Sleep settings.
  3. Click the Additional power settings link from the Related settings section.
  4. Find your selected power plan and click the Change plan settings.
    power-options
  5. Now click Change advanced power settings.
    changed-advanced-power-settings
  6. Navigate through the list and go to Wireless Adapter Settings, and choose Power Saving Mode.
  7. Change its Setting to Maximum Performance and save the changes.
    wireless-adapter-power-saving

If this solution doesn’t work, you can also try changing your power plan to High Performance. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open Power Options.
  2. Select the High-performance power plan.
  3. Click OK to apply the settings.

Some users have stated that their power plan settings are completely missing, and there are few fixes you can try if that is the case.

3. Turn off the Connect to Wi-Fi hotspots option

  1. Press Win Key + X and open Settings.
  2. Navigate to Network & Internet.
  3. Go to Wi-Fi and click on Manage Wi-Fi settings.
  4. Make sure that Connect to Wi-Fi hotspots and Send information about Wi-Fi connections to help discover nearby Wi-Fi are turned off.

Few users have reported that this solution has worked for them, so you might give it a try.

If Windows doesn’t find your Wi-Fi adapter, check out this article to fix the issue.

5.4. Disable and enable your network connection / turn on and off Airplane mode

In order to fix Windows 10 can’t connect to this network error, you can disable and enable your network connection to fix the problem.

In addition, you can try turning the Airplane mode on and off in order to fix this problem.

For any Airplane mode errors, you may encounter there’s this awesome guide that can be of help.

Windows 10 can’t connect to the network after a password change

If you’ve recently changed your password for the wireless network and now can’t connect to your network, you might want to forget the connection, as shown in a previous solution.

In addition, you need to check if your computer’s security type matches your router’s security type (also described above).

Additionally, toggle the option to connect automatically to your network to Off. This will allow you to input your new password.

Windows 10 can’t connect to this network after password change

What can I do to prevent these issues from occurring again?

➡ Keep your OS updated

Keeping your Windows 10 OS updated at all times not only protects you from encountering network issues but also keeps you safe.

Windows 10 downloading and installing updates

The latest Windows 10 release, updates the security features of your PC that will keep third parties away from your personal data, while also improving and fixing known bugs.

➡ Ensure that all drivers are updated constantly

Update menu for Network drivers in Device Manager

To achieve this, you should either regularly use the Device Manager to manually search for updates for each of the important drivers, or you can use automatic and specialized software to do this job for you.

➡ Keep your network login credentials accessible

Losing your network credentials is not a huge problem, but it is enough to cause you unnecessary stress when dealing with network issues.

If you have this information easily accessible, you can first test out if the credentials were used correctly, and if not, contact your ISP provider for more details.

Dealing with network issues is never pleasant, especially if you were getting ready for a Netflix binge-watch session with your loved ones or require your Internet connection for online gaming.

Following our advice will certainly offer you a fighting chance in solving these issues as fast as possible, and once you do, our recommendations for preventing them from ever bothering you again can also come in very handy,

There can be many causes that can result in your device not being able to connect to the Internet. We truly hope that our solutions have been helpful and that you’ve resolved this issue.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us in the comments section below.

How to Logout Mail From PC: Works for All Windows Mail Versions

If you want to logout from your mail account on your PC, keep reading. Removing an account you no longer use or signing out on a shared computer is helpful if you want to preserve privacy.

Obviously, you can choose to disable the Windows 10 Mail app altogether, but that’s not an option if you share your PC or use other email addresses.

So, let’s see how to sign out of your Windows Mail account:

How do I sign out of the Mail app on my computer?

1. How to sign out of mail on Windows 11

  1. Open the Mail app on your computer and access Settings by clicking on the gear icon.
  2. Select Manage accounts and click the email account from which you want to log out.
  3. Next, choose the Delete account from this device option.
  4. Finally, confirm the action by clicking the Delete button.

2. How to logout from Mail app in Windows 10

  1. Launch the Mail app, and select the Settings icon.
  2. Go to Manage Accounts to see the accounts added to the Mail app.
  3. Select the account that you want to sign out of.
  4. A new Account settings dialog will appear on the screen.
  5. Select Delete account to delete the respective account, signing you out of the Mail App.
  6. Hit the Delete button to confirm your choice.

3. How to sign out of Mail app in Windows 8

  1. Open your email client – it should be located right on your home screen.
  2. Open the Settings by launching the Charms bar (while you are using the email app, swipe the mouse in the bottom right corner of your screen).
  3. From the Charms bar, select Settings, and then choose Account Options.
  4. From that point, you will be able to choose whether to stay logged in or to temporarily disable your Microsoft account.

All you have to do to protect your email account in Windows 8 is to remove (don’t worry, it will be only temporarily) your Microsoft account.

With these simple ways, you get rid of the worries and sign out of the Mail app in Windows 10, 11, or 8. This ensures that you protect and secure your data from others who may have access to your device.

We hope that these recommendations from our list were helpful. For more suggestions or other questions, please access the comments section below.

What Can You Do in Network and Sharing Center in Windows 10?

Today, most of us access the internet on daily basis, and although our internet connections are created automatically by Windows 10, sometimes you need to change your network settings and make certain adjustments.

The simplest way to do that is to use Network and Sharing Center, so today we’re going to explain to you what is Network and Sharing Center and how to use it.

What is Network and Sharing Center and how does it work?

Network and Sharing Center was first introduced in Windows 7, as a part of the Control Panel, and it has remained a part of Windows through Windows 8 and Windows 10.

If you ever used Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7, you should know that it looks almost the same in Windows 10.

The only option that you might miss is the Manage wireless networks option which is now moved to a different place in order to allow users to connect quickly to a certain wireless network or change the wireless settings.

If you never used Network and Sharing Center before, you should know that you can access it with just a few clicks.

How to open the Network and Sharing Center in Windows 10?

1. From the taskbar

The simplest way to open Network and Sharing Center is to right-click your network icon in the bottom right corner and select Open Network and Sharing Center.

network-sharing-center-open-network-and-sharing-center

You can troubleshoot access problems by using the Network and Sharing Center not opening guide, which explains what to do when the panel refuses to launch in Windows 10.

2. Using the Control Panel

Another way to open Network and Sharing Center is to use Control Panel. To access Control Panel and Network and Sharing Center do the following:

  1. Press Windows Key + X to open Power User Menu. Select Control Panel from the list.
    network-sharing-center-control-panel
  2. When Control Panel opens, click on Network and Internet section.
    network-sharing-center-network-and-internet
  3. Now select Network and Sharing Center.
    network-sharing-center-network-and-sharing-center

You can also access Network and Sharing Center by using the Search bar. To do that just press Windows Key + S, enter Network, and select Network and Sharing Center from the list of results.

network-sharing-center-network-search-bar

Most users don’t know what to do when the Windows search box goes missing. Read this article to learn how you can get it back in just a couple of steps.

You can also manage many connection options from the modern Network and Internet settings in Windows 10, which complement the classic Network and Sharing Center.

What are the things that you can do in the network and sharing center?

The first thing that you’ll notice when you open Network and Sharing Center is the View your active networks section.

This section gives you all the important information such as the name of your currently connected network as well as the type of network you’re connected to.

network-sharing-center-network-and-sharing-center-cpanel


From this section, you can also use create your Homegroup by clicking Ready to create a link.

Homegroups allow computers on the same network to quickly and easily share files and printers, so if you have several computers connected to a network, you might want to create a Homegroup.

network-sharing-center-homegroup-create


Next, there’s a Connections section, and you can click the connection that is listed there to see its details. For example, you can see the speed of your network connection and the number of received or sent bytes.

If you want to know more about your connection, there’s a Details section that shows you the name of the network adapter, your current IP address, as well as your MAC address.

If you want to know more about IP addresses, we already answered what is an IP address in one of our previous articles.

Due to privacy and security concerns, we strongly recommend to secure your network with a reliable VPN (Virtual Private Network). Get now Cyberghost VPN, a leader in the VPN market. It protects your PC from attacks while browsing, masks your IP address, and blocks all unwanted access.

network-sharing-center-eternet-status


We should also mention that you can disable your network connection from this window by clicking the Disable button.

Sometimes your network connection might have certain problems, and one of the simplest solutions is to disable your network connection and enable it again.

If disabling the connection doesn’t work, you can always use the Diagnose button that will scan for problems and automatically repair them.

Lastly, there’s a Properties button that allows you to update or remove your network driver and configure your network adapter. In addition, by using this window you can also set your IP address to be dynamic or static in your network.

network-sharing-center-eternet-properties

Next, we have changed your networking settings section. In this section, you can create a new connection by using the Set up a new connection or network link.

When creating a new connection you’ll have three options: Connect to the Internet, Set up a new network, and Connect to a workplace.

Depending on what you need, you just need to click one of the options and follow the instructions in order to create a new connection.

network-sharing-center-set-up-new-connection


If you have issues with your network adapter, there’s a Troubleshoot problems section that allows you to automatically fix various problems.

When you open Troubleshoot problems section you’ll see Internet Connections, Shared Folders, HomeGroup, Network Adapter, Incoming Connections, and Printer options.

By choosing one of these options you’ll run a troubleshooter for a specific option that will automatically scan and fix problems for you.

network-sharing-center-troubleshoot-problems


Does the troubleshooter fail to load with an error? Follow this useful guide and fix it in just a couple of simple steps.

There are also several options available in the sidebar. The change adapter settings option will list all network adapters that you have and allow you to quickly disable them, rename them or change any of their settings.

network-sharing-center-change-adapter-settings


The next option is Change advanced sharing settings, and this option allows you to change how certain network profile works.

For example, you can turn network discovery on or off, thus allowing your computer to see other network devices that are connected to this network.

You can also turn on or off file and printer sharing, and change the way how homegroups work.

network-sharing-center-advanced-sharing-settings


The next option is Internet Options, and from here you can change various settings related to your internet connection and Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer.

network-sharing-center-internet-properties

The last option is Windows Firewall, and by using this option you can turn Windows Firewall on or off, change firewall rules or block a certain application from accessing the Internet.

network-sharing-center-windows-firewall

Network and Sharing Center on Windows 10 allows you to quickly access both basic and advanced options, and we hope that you now better understand how Network and Sharing Center works on Windows 10 after reading this article.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Windows 10 Calculator is Missing? Here’s How to Get it Back

Windows 10’s Calculator app is an invaluable tool that includes scientific and programming modes along with more basic math options.

Yet, some users have said on the Microsoft forum that their Windows 10 Calculator app has disappeared.

The Calculator app can go missing after users upgrade from Windows 7 to 10 or after Windows Updates. These are some of the resolutions that might restore a missing Windows 10 Calculator app.

How do I get my calculator back on Windows 10?

1. Run the Windows 10 app troubleshooter

  1. Press the Windows key + S keyboard shortcut
  2. Input troubleshoot in the search box
  3. Click Troubleshoot Settings to open the window shown directly below
    The Troubleshoot tab windows 10 calculator missing
  4. Then click Windows Store Apps and its Run the troubleshooter button
    Windows Store Apps windows 10 calculator missing
  5. Go through the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter that opens

2. Reinstall the Windows 10 App

  1. Press the Windows + R
  2. Enter PowerShell in Run’s Open box, and click the OK button
  3. Enter this command in PowerShell:
    • get-appxpackage *Microsoft.WindowsCalculator* | remove-appxpackage
      • Press the Enter key after entering that command.
        remove-appxpackage command windows 10 calculator missing
  4. Then open the Windows Calculator page
  5. Click the Get button on that page to download and install the Calculator app

If PowerShell stops working, follow the steps from this guide to get it working again.

3. Turn on Windows Defender Firewall

  1. Open Windows 10’s search utility.
  2. Input Windows Defender as the search keyword
  3. Click Windows Defender Firewall to open the window shown directly below
    Windows Defender Firewall windows 10 calculator missing
  4. Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off on the left of the Control Panel applet
    Turn on Windows Defender Firewall option windows 10 calculator missing
  5. Select both the Turn on Windows Defender Firewall checkboxes if WDF isn’t enabled
  6. Click the OK button

4. Reset Calculator’s data

  1. Open the search box in Windows 10
  2. Enter the keyword apps in the search box
  3. Click Apps & features to open the window shown directly below
    Apps & features tab windows 10 calculator missing
  4. Select the Calculator
  5. Click Advanced options to open the options shown directly below
    Reset button windows 10 calculator missing
  6. Press the Reset button, and click Reset again to confirm
  7. Restart Windows

5. Reset Windows 10

  1. Enter reset in Windows 10’s search utility
  2. Click Reset this PC to open the Settings window as in the snapshot directly below
    The Get started button windows 10 calculator missing
  3. Select the Get started option.
    Reset this PC window windows 10 calculator missing
  4. Select the Keep my files option
  5. Click the Next and Reset buttons to confirm

Need more info on how to factory reset your PC? Read this article and find out everything you need to know.

Note that you’ll need to reinstall third-party software after resetting the OS. You can also reinstall Windows 10 with the Windows Media Creation Tool.

Select the Upgrade this PC Now option in the Media Creation Tool to reinstall Windows 10 with both your own files and apps retained.

So, that’s how users can restore a missing Calculator app in Windows 10. Remember, however, that there are numerous Windows Calculator app alternatives on the MS Store, such as Calculator X8.

So, you don’t necessarily really need to restore the default Calculator app. You can also check how the Calculator works in Windows 11, including standard, scientific, programmer, and converter modes, by reading our full guide on how to use Calculator on Windows 11.

Do you use Windows 10’s Calculator app, or do you have any third-party software? Tell us about your preferences in the comment section below.

RELATED ARTICLES TO CHECK OUT: 

Xbox Developer_Direct runtime to be approx. 43 minutes long

The upcoming Developer_Direct event from Xbox and Bethesda will apparently be a shorter, more focused type of showcase according to a tweet from Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg. Earlier today Greenberg tweeted that the event “is tracking at 43 minutes long.”

Note that this runtime does not include the ESO Chapter Reveal Event, which is considered a standalone show. It also does not include anything from the highly-anticipated Starfield, which will get its own standalone event at some as-yet unannounced time.

While 43 minutes may sound like a short amount of time to show off what Xbox fans have to look forward to in 2023, the Developer_Direct showcase will likely eschew any fluff or talking heads and likely feature nothing but in-depth, developer-curated looks at Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends and, who knows, maybe even a surprise or two.

The Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct will livestream on Wednesday, January 25th at 12pm PST/3pm EST. Watch links are below.

Via Pure Xbox.

Make a Choice Now: 4 Best SOX Compliance Tools to Try

Want to learn about SOX compliance tools? Here is all you should know. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), passed in 2002, set regulations to safeguard the general public against deceptive or exploitative company activities.

The legislation created a system of internal company checks and balances and promoted openness in corporate financial reporting. We shall examine various SOX-compliant tools in this tutorial that you ought to use.

What is a SOX compliance tool?

A SOX compliance tool is a software tool that helps organizations comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). SOX is a federal law passed in the United States in 2002.

The law requires companies to maintain accurate financial records and to have internal controls in place to ensure the integrity of their financial reporting.

A few advantages of using these tools include the following:

  • Automation – These tools automate the process of tracking and reporting financial data, making it easier for companies to maintain accurate records and meet compliance requirements.
  • Improved internal controls – SOX compliance tools provide tools for monitoring and testing internal controls, which can help companies identify and address potential issues before they become significant problems.
  • Increased transparency – SOX compliance tools help companies provide more transparent financial reporting by providing detailed information about their financial data and internal controls.
  • Reduced risk – By using a SOX compliance tool, companies can reduce their risk of non-compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which can result in fines and penalties.
  • Better risk management – These tools also provide features like automated risk management and auditing capabilities, which can help companies better identify, assess, and mitigate risks related to financial reporting.

Now let us introduce you to our favorite SOX compliance tools.

What are good examples of SOX compliance tools?

ADSelfService Plus – Multi-feature password tool

sox compliance tools

ADSelfService Plus is a self-service password management software with features like single sign-on and multi-factor authentication.

It can help organizations comply with certain aspects of SOX compliance, like secure access to the company’s financial data, by enforcing more robust password policies and protecting against unauthorized access.

It isn’t explicitly advertised as a SOX compliance tool, however. Password management is just one aspect of SOX compliance; other aspects include risk management, financial reporting, internal controls,  and regulatory reporting.

Additionally, SOX compliance systems often include built-in reporting capabilities and may assist firms in automating and verifying compliance with the numerous SOX rules. So, we recommend using it in conjunction with other SOX-compliant tools.

Some features that we love include the following:

  • Password policy enforcer
  • Enterprise single sign-on
  • Email group subscription
  • Self Directory Update

ADSelfService Plus

Simplistic Active Directory (AD) password management<br>with self-service.
Free Trial Download

ADAudit Plus – Perfect for AD monitoring and auditing

sox compliance tools

ADAudit Plus is a software tool for monitoring and auditing Active Directory, file servers, and other network resources.

It provides real-time alerts, reporting, forensic analysis of Active Directory user and group activities, and changes to permissions, file access, and other security-related data.

It can help organizations comply with certain aspects of SOX compliance by providing detailed information on user and group activity, password policies, access controls, and other security-related data.

However, it’s not explicitly marketed as a SOX compliance tool. SOX compliance requires organizations to have a robust set of internal controls to ensure the accuracy of financial reporting. This is broader than just monitoring and auditing AD and network resources.

lastly, it can assist with compliance reporting and auditing. Still, to have a complete compliance program, it’s essential to validate that it meets all of the requirements for your organization’s SOX compliance program in conjunction with other tools specifically marketed as SOX compliance solutions.

Some features that we love include the following:

  • Historical reporting
  • Compliance reporting
  • Alerting and notifications
  • Delegated auditing

ADAudit Plus

Meet SOX compliance by providing detailed information on user and group activity and other security-related data.
Free Trial Download

SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM) – Detailed network activity information

sox compliance tools

Firstly, SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM) is a security information and event management (SIEM) solution that provides real-time monitoring, threat detection, and incident response capabilities.

It can help organizations comply with certain aspects of SOX compliance by providing detailed information about network activity, security events, and user activity.

The tool can be a valuable tool for SOX compliance as it provides real-time monitoring and alerts of security-related events, detailed reporting and forensic analysis of user activity, and access to sensitive financial data.

It can also help organizations maintain a comprehensive security audit log, which can be used to demonstrate compliance with SOX regulations.

However, to have a complete compliance program, it’s essential to validate that it meets your organization’s SOX compliance program requirements. Lastly, you can use it with other tools specifically marketed as SOX compliance solutions.

Some features that we love include the following:

  • Forensic Analysis
  • Compliance Reporting
  • Automated Incident Response
  • Cyberthreat Intelligence

⇒ Get SolarWinds Security Event Manager (SEM)

Netwrix Auditor – Robust IT compliance platform

Netwrix Auditor is a platform for IT compliance and risk management that provides a range of features for monitoring, reporting, and alerting on changes to IT systems and data.

It can include auditing and reporting on financial systems and data changes, which can be helpful for organizations trying to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and other regulations.

It’s specifically marketed as a tool that helps organizations to maintain compliance with various regulations, including SOX, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and others.

Also, the tool provides detailed information on changes to financial systems and data to demonstrate compliance with SOX regulations. In addition, it can help identify and track potential regulatory compliance issues before they become significant problems.

Netwrix Auditor also provides automated compliance reporting, which can help organizations save time and resources.

Furthermore, it can be a valuable tool for SOX compliance by helping to automate and verify compliance with SOX regulations and providing built-in reporting capabilities, typically a requirement for SOX compliance.

But as always, it’s essential to confirm that it meets all of the specific requirements for your organization’s SOX compliance program.

Some features that we love include the following:

  • Activity video recording
  • Data remediation workflows
  • IT risk assessment reporting
  • Configuration of best practices

⇒ Get Netwrix Auditor

Please note that we have not made this list in any particular order. So, different users will have varying opinions based on individual needs.

Finally, in the comments below, let us know what you consider the most SOX-compliant tool.