Battlefield 5 packet loss: How to fix it? [3 tested methods]

Posted on by Vlad Constantinescu

Battlefield V is a popular first-person shooter game that many players from all around the world enjoy.

Despite its name, Battlefield V (also called Battlefield 5) is the sixteenth installment in the Battlefield series.

Although it was released more than 2 years ago, in November 2018, players still enjoy it.

So far so good, but occasionally, players may experience connectivity issues.

By far, packet loss in Battlefield 5 is one of the worst things you can encounter as an online player.

But don’t fret; this guide will help you understand the phenomenon better, as well as troubleshoot and fix it with ease.

What causes packet loss in Battlefield 5?

Truth be told, there are a lot of things that could trigger a packet loss episode, regardless of where you encounter it.

To make sure we’re on the same page, packet loss happens when data packets never make it to their destination, whether it’s you or the game server.

As a result, you may experience rubberbanding, unresponsive menus, VoIP interruptions, or even game crashes.

The bad news is that packet loss can be triggered by just about anything that’s not right with your connection.

Check out some examples of things that can cause packet loss:

  • Network congestion (one of the most common causes, by far)
  • Lack of regular connection maintenance
  • Improper ISP traffic management (which leads to network congestion)
  • Using Wi-Fi instead of an Ethernet (wired) connection
  • ISP bandwidth throttling
  • Cheap Internet subscription plan (not enough bandwidth)
  • Battlefield 5 server-side issues
  • Your router may be obsolete or running on an outdated firmware version
  • Outdated drivers on your system
  • Low-quality hardware components (including Ethernet cables)
  • Firewall/antivirus blocking or restricting Battlefield 5

Keep in mind that these are just a few things that could cause packet loss in Battlefield 5.

That’s precisely the reason why packet loss can be such a pain to troubleshoot and fix without significant effort.

How can I fix packet loss in Battlefield 5?

VPN

  1. Buy a VPN subscription plan (we recommend PIA)
  2. Download the VPN installer
  3. Install the VPN client on your PC
  4. Launch the VPN application
  5. Log in to your account
  6. Connect to a nearby server (they are usually faster)
  7. Launch Battlefield 5
  8. Check if you’re still experiencing packet loss

As we mentioned in the previous section of our guide, network congestion is among the most frequent causes of packet loss.

Using a VPN can bypass network congestion by simply re-routing your connection through a secure tunnel.

The same goes for if your ISP is throttling your connection. Using a VPN will re-route your connection, away from your ISP’s restrictions.

However, keep in mind that a VPN won’t solve Battlefield 5 packet loss if the issue is on your side or if the game server has issues.

Private Internet Access is an excellent VPN service that features more than 22,000 high-speed servers.

That way, if you connect to an overcrowded server that’s not quite fast, you can simply connect to another one that might work better.

Check out a brief list of PIA’s main features:

  • Has over 22,000 fast servers in its network
  • Doesn’t log anything you do online (zero-logging)
  • Comes with military-grade 256-bit encryption
  • Includes an effective VPN kill switch
  • Provides you with a private DNS service
  • Can block ads and malware-ridden hosts (PIA MACE)
  • Helps you unblock various geo-restricted content

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Flush your DNS

  1. On your Windows PC, launch CMD with Administrator rights
  2. Type the following commands, one by one, followed by the Enter key:
    • ipconfig /flushdns
    • ipconfig /registerdns
    • ipconfig /release
    • ipconfig /renew
    • netsh winsock reset
  3. Restart your PC

After your PC restarts, simply launch Battlefield 5 once more and connect to your favorite server.

You may notice that the packet loss issue is no longer there.

Sometimes, cached data build-ups can cause all sorts of connectivity issues. Simply removing this data can restore your connection’s functionality.

In this case, you simply release old DNS data on your PC and renew it by running the commands above.

Manual troubleshooting

Manual troubleshooting

  • Restart Battlefield 5
  • Reboot your PC
  • Restart your modem and/or router
  • Change your region by using a VPN
  • Wait for the issue to pass by itself (works great against server-side problems)
  • Make sure you close any bandwidth-consuming apps or services
  • Check that your cables aren’t damaged and replace them if necessary
  • Update your router’s firmware to its latest version
  • Upgrade your Ethernet cables to a higher category (i.e. from CAT 5 to CAT 6)
  • Update your system drivers, especially network adapter drivers
  • Try using a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi packet loss happens more frequently)
  • Avoid peak hours to bypass network congestion (or use a VPN)
  • Check if your firewall/antivirus doesn’t restrict or block Battlefield 5 in any way
  • Upgrade your Internet plan if possible (applies if you have limited bandwidth)
  • Contact your ISP and ask them if they can do anything about your packet loss
  • Switch the channel your wireless router broadcasts on
  • Check if the server you’re playing on doesn’t have any technical issues

Although these are quite a few suggested fixes, they’re not guaranteed to fix packet loss 100% of the time.

In fact, these suggestions apply not only to Battlefield 5 but to every situation where you may encounter packet loss or other connectivity issues.

A well-maintained connection is less likely to encounter connectivity issues, including packet loss.

Our recommendation is that you try as many suggestions from the list above as you can, especially if you haven’t performed any maintenance work on your network for a while now.

Conclusion

All things considered, Battlefield 5 packet loss can be a troublesome issue, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t solve it.

Clearly, if the problem’s on your side, you’ll need to do some light maintenance on your connection.

You can even eliminate packet loss if your ISP throttles your connection by using a VPN. VPNs also work great against network congestion, which is a common cause of packet loss.

However, if the problem is caused by the game server, there’s little you can do about it except wait it out, or contact Battlefield 5’s support team and let them know about it.

Did our guide help you solve your Battlefield 5 packet loss issue? Tell us how you managed to get rid of packet loss in the comments section below:

Fix: An Unexpected Error Has Occurred in Origin

Posted on by Vladimir Popescu

Some users noticed an unexpected error in Origin while trying to download a game. This issue seems to affect all the downloadable content on Origin, and it has caused users a lot of frustration.

Dealing with this issue is not that hard, as you will see in this article. The troubleshooting methods are presented, starting with the least invasive one.

This ensures that the most efficient method for your situation will be used to fix the issue without exposing your system to unnecessary risks. Read on to find out more.

How do I fix the Origin unexpected error?

1. Whitelist the Origin app in your firewall

  1. Open Windows Defender.
  2. Click on Firewall & network protection.
  3. Select Allow an app through firewall then Change settings.allow an app through firewall - origin unexpected error has occured
  4. Select Origin from the list.
  5. Allow both Private and Public for this app by ticking the boxes.
  6. Save the modifications by clicking the OK button.

We used Windows Defender in this example. However, the process is mostly the same in any antivirus firewall program you use.

This method can also help you with similar issues like Origin Error Code 20.403; read this guide to know more.

2. Run Origin with administrator privileges


In order to try this, right-click the Origin launcher and select Run as administrator. Check to see if this fixes the issue.

If it doesn’t, try the next method.

3. Enable Safe Mode Downloading

  1. Open Origin.
  2. Click the Origin button and select Application Settings.
  3. Inside the Diagnostics tab, enable Safe Mode Downloading.

4. Delete the Origin temporary files

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to run the Task Manager.
  2. Search for Origin.exe and OriginWebHelperService.exe in the list.
  3. Click End task for both.
  4. Press Win+R keys to open Run.
  5. Type in %ProgramData%/Origin then hit Enter.run window with command - origin unexpected error has occurred
  6. Delete all the files and folders inside it except for the LocalContent folder.
  7. Open Run again, type %AppData%, and press Enter.
  8. Inside the folder that opens, delete the Origin folder.
  9. Click on the AppData from the link, open Local folder and delete Origin.
  10. Restart PC.

5. Uninstall and reinstall Origin

  1. Press Win+X keys, and select Apps and features.Apps and features - origin unexpected error has occurred
  2. Search for Origin in the list and click Uninstall.
  3. Download the latest Origin app and install it on your PC.

6. Perform a Clean boot of your PC

  1. Click on Cortana search, type msconfig, and press Enter.
  2. Click on Services.
  3. Tick the box next to Hide all Microsoft services.
  4. Click the Disable all button.msconfig - origin unexpected error has occurred
  5. Click the Startup tab -> disable all apps.
  6. Restart your PC and activate each of the applications one by one to identify which is causing the issue (After you found the issue, repeat the steps in this method and activate all apps).

We hope this guide managed to help you solve the unexpected error has occurred message in Origin.

Please let us know if any of these methods worked for you or if you have any suggestions on this topic by using the comment section below.

Black Ops 4 Packet Loss: 3 Ways to Fix it

Posted on by Vlad Constantinescu

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is still played, however, many reported Black Ops 4 packet loss, so in this guide we’ll show you ways to fix it.

What causes packet loss in Black Ops 4?

Issues with the network or your ISP can cause this problem. Using a Wi-Fi connection or outdated drivers can also be a problem.

How can I fix packet loss in Black Ops 4?

1. VPN

  1. Buy a VPN subscription plan (we recommend Private Internet Access)
  2. Download the VPN installer on your PC
  3. Install the VPN client and launch it
  4. Log in to your VPN account
  5. Connect to a fast server (nearby servers are usually the fastest)
  6. Launch Black Ops 4 once more
  7. Check if you still experience packet loss

After installing a VPN, be sure to check Black Ops ping and make sure that it’s low.

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2. Flush your DNS

  1. Launch a CMD instance with Administrator rights
  2. Run the following commands, one by one:
    • ipconfig /flushdns
    • ipconfig /registerdns
    • ipconfig /release
    • ipconfig /renew
    • netsh winsock reset
  3. Restart your PC

It’s common that cached data build-ups can affect a system’s connectivity and cause issues such as packet loss.

The same thing could happen with Black Ops 4, since it requires a stable Internet connection in order to run as intended.

Therefore, you could try flushing your DNS using the steps described above.

This process should clear any faulty DNS records on your system and maybe even solve your Black Ops 4 packet loss issue.

3. Troubleshoot the issue manually

  • Reboot your computer
  • Restart your modem and/or router
  • Check your cables for damage and replace them if necessary
  • Upgrade your cables to a higher category (i.e. CAT 5 to CAT 6)
  • Restart the game
  • Use a VPN to change regions
  • Close any background bandwidth-hungry apps and services
  • Update your router’s firmware to the latest version
  • Make sure your system drivers are up-to-date
  • Call your ISP and ask them if they can look into the matter (if you notice it keeps occurring)
  • Contact Activision’s support team and ask if there’s any technical issue with the servers
  • Avoid peak hours if you suspect network congestion (or use a VPN)
  • Check that your firewall/antivirus isn’t restricting Black Ops 4 in any way
  • Always use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi, if possible (Wi-Fi packet loss occurs more frequently)
  • Change your wireless router’s broadcast channel
  • Upgrade your Internet plan if it’s a cheap one with limited bandwidth

Although these troubleshooting suggestions might not eliminate packet loss 100%, they could definitely improve the quality of your connection.

Packet loss can also occur as a result of poor connection maintenance, so you might get lucky.

With that in mind, we recommend you try as many of our manual troubleshooting suggestions as you can.

All things considered, packet loss is, unfortunately, a common issue among Black Ops 4, but it can be fixed.

Although a VPN is one of the most effective ways to fix packet loss, keep in mind that it might not work all the time.

Did our guide help you eliminate packet loss in Black Ops 4? Tell us all about it in the comments section below.

Microsoft Lists adds support for undo and redo commands

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

In November, we reported that Microsoft Lists would soon allow users to use undo and redo commands to recover information. Today, Norm Young, a Microsoft MVP, took to Twitter to note that the feature is now live in the new Lists app.

Microsoft has released two important changes as a part of this update. First of all, the company has added the ability to perform undo and redo operations while editing lists from the grid view. This should make it easier to recover previously entered information or simply retract unwanted changes made in their lists.

In addition to this, Microsoft Lists has also picked up support for the following keyboard shortcuts on both Windows and Mac devices:

  • Undo for Windows: Control + Z
  • Redo for Windows: Control + Y AND Control + Shift + Z
  • Undo for Mac OS: Command + Z
  • Redo for Mac OS: Command + Shift + Z

According to Microsoft, Lists users will be able to use these commands in the Lists experience in Microsoft Teams, and the Lists app available in Microsoft 365 and SharePoint. In case you missed it, Microsoft Lists for iOS is also dropping its preview tag later this month.

Here’s why Microsoft keeps shipping Xbox controllers with AA batteries

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

If Microsoft recently launched a slightly redesigned Xbox Wireless Controller alongside its next-gen Xbox Series X|S consoles, one thing that didn’t change is the inclusion of two AA replaceable batteries. The Redmond giant has been using AA batteries in its Xbox controller for many years while the competition has moved to rechargeable batteries, though the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller includes a built-in non-removable rechargeable battery.

Over the years, a regular point of criticism from Xbox fans has been that Microsoft should provide rechargeable batteries for free with its Xbox controllers instead of the included AA batteries that will only last for 10 hours or so. As of today, the company is selling its own $24.99 Play and Charge kit that can recharge while you play or afterwards, but Xbox controllers also support rechargeable AA batteries as well as other battery packs from various third-party manufacturers.

While many Xbox players actually like the ability to use different types of batteries with Xbox controllers, it turns out that Microsoft has been in a longtime partnership with Duracell. Luke Anderson, marketing manager for Duracell in the UK discussed the deal between the two companies in an interview with Stealth Optional (via Video Games Chronicle) this week:

“There’s always been this partnership with Duracell and Xbox… It’s a constant agreement that Duracell and Microsoft have in place”.

He added: “[The deal is] for OEM to supply the battery product for the Xbox consoles and also the controllers’ battery. So that [deal is] going to go on for a while… it’s been going on for a while and I think it needs to go for a while [more].”

The inclusion of non-rechargeable AA batteries with every Xbox controller may not be exactly good for the environment, but the option to use rechargeable solutions is definitely nice. It’s also worth reminding that the new Xbox Series X|S controllers are compatible with Microsoft’s Xbox One Play and Charge kits, and they should also work with existing third-party charging accessories.

Do you regret Microsoft not including rechargeable batteries with Xbox controllers, or are you fine with the AA batteries that have been there for years? Sound off in the comments below.

Update 10:30 AM: In a statement shared with Eurogamer, a Microsoft spokesperson explained that shipping AA batteries with its Xbox controllers is all about giving consumers more choice. “We intentionally offer consumers choice in their battery solutions for our standard Xbox Wireless Controllers. This includes the use of AA batteries from any brand, the Xbox Rechargeable Battery, charging solutions from our partners, or a USB-C cable, which can power the controller when plugged in to the console or PC,” the spokesperson said.

Fix Common Steam Errors on Windows 10/11 in a Few Easy Steps

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Steam is one of the biggest distribution platforms that allows gamers to buy games and play them with their friends. This platform allows millions of users to play together.

But sometimes, certain errors with Steam can appear, and today we will show you how to fix Steam errors on Windows 10.

How can I fix Steam errors on Windows 10?

What can I do when getting Could not connect to Steam network error?

1. Delete all files from the Steam folder

  1. Go to the Steam installation directory. By default, it should be C:Program FilesSteam, but it could be different on your computer.
  2. After you enter Steam’s directory, delete all files and folders except the steamapps folder and Steam.exe.
  3. After that, click Steam.exe and wait for Steam to download and install again.

If you encounter Could not connect to Steam network error, you should be able to fix it by removing all files from Steam’s installation directory. To do that, follow the above steps.

By not deleting the steamapps folder all your games will remain on your PC, so you won’t have to download them again.

2. Enter Steam in Offline mode

When you get this error message, you’ll usually have the option to start Steam in Offline mode. To fix this problem start Steam in Offline mode, go to Steam tab, choose Go Online option, and this problem should be fixed.

How long can Steam stay in Offline mode? We’re talking about an extended time frame if there are no Steam client updates involved. So, expect it to stay in Offline mode for up to five days.

3. Change the Internet security settings

  1. Press Windows Key + S, enter Internet options, and select Internet Options from the results.
  2. Go to the Security tab and select the Local intranet option. Lower the security level for this zone to Low.
  3. Click on Trusted sites and lower the security level to Low.
  4. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

Users reported that this problem can be fixed by changing their Internet options. According to them, after changing security settings Could not connect to Steam network error was resolved.

After lowering your security settings to low, the issue with Steam should be resolved. Although this method can fix this error, keep in mind that lowering your security settings poses a slight security risk.

4. End all running Steam processes

  1. Close Steam.
  2. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
  3. Locate all running Steam processes and end them.
  4. Close Task Manager and try to start Steam again.

Sometimes, this problem can be fixed simply by ending all Steam processes. According to users, after closing all running Steam processes and restarting Steam the issue was resolved. To do that, complete the above procedure.

5. Disable/restart your antivirus

According to users, your antivirus software can sometimes interfere with Steam and cause the Could not connect to Steam network error to appear. To fix this problem, you need to disable your antivirus temporarily.

If that doesn’t work, you might have to uninstall your antivirus and check if that helps temporarily. Users reported issues with Norton and AVG antivirus.

Even so, keep in mind that almost any third-party antivirus can cause this problem, so be sure to try disabling all installed antivirus programs. You may check out this list with the best uninstaller software you can use right now.

6. Delete the ClientRegistry.blob file

  1. Go to the Steam installation directory.
  2. Locate ClientRegistry.blob file and delete it. You might have several ClientRegistry.blob files with different names, so delete them all.

After deleting the problematic file, the issue should be completely resolved.

Sometimes ClientRegistry.blob file can interfere with Steam and cause this error to appear, but you should be able to fix it simply by deleting the ClientRegistry.blob file.

7. Check your firewall settings

  1. Start PeerBlock and click on List Manager then select Add.
  2. Enter Steam in the description field.
  3. Click Add URL and enter https://list.iblocklist.com/?list=steam.
  4. Select Allow and click OK.

This error can appear due to a third-party firewall, but you can easily fix this problem by adding Steam to the list of allowed programs.

Users reported issues with a software called PeerBlock, but after allowing Steam to run in PeerBlock, the issue was completely resolved. To do that, complete the above procedure.

Alternatively, you can start PeerBlock and Steam. Go to PeerBlock and look for Valve entry, right-click on all Valve entries and select Allow Permanently.

Close Steam completely. You’re probably wondering: How do I close Steam client? You can do that from Task Manager if you want. Just press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to open the Windows Security, then select Task Manager.

After adding Steam to the list of exclusions, try to start it again. Although PeerBlock is the common cause of this problem, keep in mind that other third-party firewall tools can also cause this issue.

Be sure to add Steam to the allowed list, but if that doesn’t work, try disabling your firewall.

8. Use the -tcp parameter

  1. Locate Steam shortcut, right-click it, and choose Properties.
  2. Go to the Shortcut tab and in Target field add -tcp after the quotes.
  3. Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

Users reported that they managed to fix Could not connect to Steam network error simply using -tcp parameter. You may try doing the same. After adding -tcp parameter, try to start Steam again.

9. Change your registry

  1. Press Windows key + R keyboard shortcut and enter regedit.
  2. When Registry Editor opens, in the left pane navigate to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareValveSteam
  3. In the right pane double click the AlreadyRetriedOfflineMode DWORD to open its properties.
  4. Change the Value data from 0 to 1 and click OK to save changes.
  5. Try to start Steam again.

According to users, you can fix this error by changing a few values in your registry. Editing your registry can lead to system stability issues, therefore it’s always a good idea to create a backup of your registry just in case.

10. Run Steam as administrator

Few users claim that they fixed this issue simply by running Steam as an administrator. To do that, simply locate Steam’s shortcut or .exe file, right-click it and choose Run as administrator from the menu.

11. Disable and enable your network connection

  1. Press Windows Key + X to open Win + X menu and choose Network Connections.
  2. After Network Connections window opens, locate your network connection, right click it and choose Disable from the menu.
  3. After a couple of seconds, right-click your network connection again and choose Enable from the menu.

Alternatively, you can simply unplug your Ethernet cable, wait for a few seconds, and reconnect the cable.

Few users reported that they managed to fix this problem simply by enabling and disabling their network connection.

12. Run flushconfig command

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. When Run dialog opens, enter steam://flushconfig and press Enter or click OK.
  3. Follow instructions on the screen to complete the process.

According to users, you can fix Could not connect to Steam network and the Steam 102 error simply by running flushconfig command. This command will reset Steam’s configuration, and in order to run it you need to follow these instructions.

If that doesn’t work, you might have to try reinstalling Steam.

How can I fix Steam error An error occurred while updating (corrupt download)?

1. Try using a different network

According to users, they managed to fix this problem by connecting to a different network and trying to download the same game again. If you’re on a Wi-Fi network, you can switch to a different wireless network to fix this problem.

But if you’re connected via an Ethernet cable, you might have to switch to a different router.

2. Clear Steam download cache

  1. Open Steam and click on Steam > Settings.
  2. When Settings menu opens, go to Downloads tab and click the Clear Download Cache button.
    After clearing the download cache, click OK and restart Steam.
  3. When Steam starts try to download the game again.

Clearing the download cache can sometimes fix problems with corrupt downloads, and to clear your download cache, you need to follow these steps.

3. Change the download region

  1. Open Steam and go to Steam and select Settings.
  2. Go to Downloads tab, and in the Download Region section choose a different download server. For best performances use the server that is closest to your location.
  3. After you’re done, click OK to save changes.

Sometimes An error occurred while updating can appear if your download server is busy or if it has any issues.

The simplest way to fix this problem is to change your download server. This is pretty easy to do, and you just need to follow the above steps.

4. Make sure that steamapps folder isn’t set to Read-only

  1. Open Steam installation directory.
  2. Locate steamapps folder, right-click it, and choose Properties.
  3. In Attributes section make sure that Read-only (Only applies to files in folder) option isn’t checked.
  4. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

Steamapps folder is the default download location for your games, and if this folder is set to Read-only, you might encounter corrupt download error message. To fix this problem, you need to follow these steps:

5. Close unnecessary applications

Few users reported that this issue was caused by background applications, and after closing these applications the issue was resolved.

According to users, there wasn’t enough memory for Steam to run, and after closing applications such as Fruit Ninja and Xbox Smartglass the error was resolved.

6. Rollback / update the WLAN driver

  1. Press Windows Key + X and select Device Manager.
  2. Locate your wireless adapter and double-click it.
  3. Go to the Driver tab and click the Roll Back Driver button.
  4. Optional: If Roll Back Driver option isn’t available, click the Uninstall button.

You might get An error occurred while updating in Steam if you have any problems with your wireless adapter drivers.

Although it’s usually better to keep your drivers up to date, several users reported that this issue was fixed after rolling back their wireless adapter driver to the older version. To roll back a driver, perform the above procedure.

After rolling back the driver, restart your PC and check if the problem is resolved. If you choose the Uninstall option, the default driver will be installed after you restart your PC.

Several users reported that updating your WLAN driver can also fix this problem, therefore, we strongly suggest that you visit your wireless adapter manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers for your device.

After installing the latest drivers check if the issue is resolved.

7. Verify the game cache

  1. Start Steam.
  2. Go to your Library and right-click the game that is giving you this error. Choose Properties.
  3. Go to Local Files tab and click on Verify integrity of game cache.
  4. The verification process will now start. Wait for it to complete.
  5. After the verification is completed, check if the problem is resolved.

If you’re getting a rrupted download error, you might want to verify the cache of the game that you’re trying to download. To do that, follow these steps.

8. Uninstall Skype

Few users reported that Skype can cause these types of errors to appear, therefore in order to fix the problem you’ll have to uninstall Skype.

According to users, this error appears even if Skype isn’t running in the background, but after uninstalling Skype the issue was resolved.

Before uninstalling Skype, you can try to update both Skype and Steam and check if that fixes the problem.

9. Disable your antivirus

  1. Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to the Update & Security section and go to Windows Defender tab.
  3. Disable Real-time protection and Cloud-based Protection.
  4. After disabling Windows Defender, check if the problem is resolved.

Your antivirus can often interfere with Steam and cause An error occurred while updating message to appear. The simplest way to fix this problem is to disable your antivirus software until the download is completed.

Although third-party antivirus tools usually have issues with Steam, users reported that Windows Defender can also cause this error to appear.

To fix this problem, you need to manually turn off Windows Defender by following these steps. Remember that you can disable Windows Defender only if you don’t have any third-party antivirus software installed.

Some users are also suggesting to uninstall your third-party antivirus tool, so you might want to try that as well.

10. Close Razer Synapse

To fix this problem, you have to completely close Razer Synapse. To do that, close the application and then press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Select Razer Synapse process and click End Task.

After ending this process, you should be able to download and update games without any problems.

How can I fix Steam error code 53?

1. Disable your antivirus

Antivirus programs can interfere with Steam and cause Steam error Code 53 to appear, but you should be able to fix this problem after disabling your antivirus.

Users reported problems with McAfee, and according to them, after disabling Real-time scanning in McAfee the problem was completely resolved. Bear in mind that you can use this method with other antivirus tools as well.

2. Make sure that you have Visual C++ Redistributables installed

Many games rely on Visual C++ Redistributables to run properly, and if you don’t have these tools installed, you might get Steam error Code 53. To fix this problem, install the necessary tools.

You can find these tools in game’s installation directory under _CommonRedistvcredist folder. If you can’t find them on your PC, you can download them from Microsoft’s website.

3. Install the games on your SSD

Few users reported fixing this problem simply by installing their games to SSD. For some unknown reason, the games wouldn’t run from a hard drive, but after installing them to the SSD, the issue was resolved.

4. Reformat your hard drive

  1. Go to My Computer and right click the drive that you want to reformat.
    steam-errors-format-1
  2. Set File System to NTFS and click the Start button.
    steam-errors-format-2
  3. Wait for the process to complete.

Users reported that they had this error while trying to run games from an exFAT hard drive. It seems that Steam has issues with exFAT partitions, and to fix this problem, you might have to reformat your partition to NTFS.

Reformatting your partition will delete all your files from that partition; therefore, be sure to back them up. To reformat a drive, follow the above procedure.

Once again, we must mention that this process will remove all your files from the selected partition; therefore, be sure to back them up before you format.

How can I fix Steam error code 41?

Reinstall the problematic game

Users reported this issue while trying to start a specific game on Steam. To fix error Code 41, you need to reinstall the problematic game, and the issue should be resolved.

In addition to reinstalling the game, users are also suggesting to disable your antivirus software. You can also fix this problem simply by verifying the game cache.

We explained how to verify the game cache in one of our previous solutions, so be sure to check it out.

What can I do when getting Steam error Could not connect Steam service?

1. Uncheck the Remember me option

When starting Steam you’ll be asked to enter your username and password, and it seems that this error occurs if you check the Remember me option while starting Steam.

Few users reported that this error was fixed after unchecking this option, so be sure to try it. If that doesn’t work, delete all files except steamapps folder and Steam.exe from Steam installation directory and try to run Steam again.

2. Remove/move user data folder or localconfig.vdf file

To fix this problem, users are suggesting to remove or move userdata folder. You can find this folder in Steam installation directory. Simply move or remove this folder and check if the problem is resolved.

If the problem still persists, open Steam installation directory, go to config folder, and move or remove localconfig.vdf file. After that, try to start Steam again.

3. Delete the appcache folder

According to users, you can fix this problem by removing the appcache folder. We don’t know why this folder causes this problem, but you can fix it simply by removing it.

To do that, go to Steam installation directory and delete appcache folder from it.

4. Remove or update Advanced System Care

Could not connect Steam service error can appear due to tools such as Advanced System Care. Users reported that this application interferes with Steam.

In order to fix this problem, you’ll need to remove this application from your PC. In addition, you might want to update this application and check if that resolves the problem.

5. Run netsh command

  1. Press Windows Key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. When Command Prompt starts enter netsh int ip reset and press Enter to run it.

One way to fix this problem is to run netsh command. To do that, follow the above steps. After netsh command is executed, try to run Steam again.

How can I fix Steam Disk write error?

1. Check your hard drive

  1. Open My Computer and right click the hard drive partition that has Steam installed on it. Choose Properties from the menu.
    steam-errors-check-1
  2. Go to Tools tab and click the Check button in Error checking section. Keep in mind that you might have to restart your PC in order to check your hard drive.
    steam-errors-check-2

This error can appear if your hard drive has issues, and one of the easiest ways to fix this problem is to scan your hard drive for errors. To do that, follow the above steps.

2. Check the game cache

Sometimes Disk write error can appear if certain game files are corrupt, but you can fix this error simply by checking the game cache.

We already explained how to check game cache in one of our previous solutions, so be sure to check it out.

3. Move your Steam installation

  1. Go to Steam installation directory and remove all files except Steam.exe, Userdata and SteamApps folders.
  2. Move those files to a different location.
  3. After the files are moved, double click the Steam.exe and install Steam again.

To fix Disk write error, you might have to move your Steam installation to a different folder or to a different hard drive partition. To do that, follow these steps.

4. Delete files from steamapps/common folder

Users reported that this error can occur due to certain files in your steamapps/common folder. Open Steam installation directory and go to steamapps/common folder.

You should see a white page file that has the same name as the game you’re trying to download. Delete this file and try to run your game from Steam library again.

5. Make sure that your Steam installation folder isn’t set as Read-only

This problem can occur if your Steam installation folder is set to Read-only, therefore in order to fix this problem go to Program Files, locate your Steam folder, and open its properties.

Make sure that Read-only option isn’t checked. In addition, you can also try running Steam.exe as administrator.

6. Delete the steammanifest files

One way to fix this problem is to remove steammanifest files from your PC. To do that open Steam installation directory and go to steamapps folder.

You should see several steammanifest files available. Delete them and check if the issue is resolved.

7. Be sure that your user account has the necessary privileges

  1. Locate Steam directory. By default it should be in C:Program Files.
  2. Right-click Steam folder and choose Properties.
    steam-errors-properties-1
  3. Go to the Security tab and click the Edit button.
    steam-errors-properties-2
  4. If your user name is not on the list, click the Add button to add it.
    steam-errors-properties-3
  5. In the Enter the object names to select enter your user name and click Check Names. If your user name is correct, click the OK button.
    steam-errors-properties-4
  6. Select your user name in Group or user names section and check Full control in the Allow column. Click Apply and OK to save changes.
    steam-errors-properties-5

Disk write errors can occur if your user account doesn’t have the necessary privileges over the Steam folder. To change that, follow these steps:

8. Delete the downloading folder

Several users reported that they managed to fix this problem by removing the downloading folder. To do that, go to your Steam directory and go to the SteamApps folder.

Locate the downloading folder and remove it. After removing this folder, check if the error is resolved.

How can I fix Steam error Failed to load overlay localization file?

1. Delete files from Steam folder

According to users, you can fix this problem simply by removing specific files from your Steam folder. The files that you need to remove are ClientRegistry.blob, steamclient.dll and SteamUI.dll.

After removing these files, restart Steam and it will download the missing files and fix the problem.

2. Add -clientbeta client_candidate

  1. Right-click Steam shortcut and choose Properties.
  2. Go to Shortcut tab and in the Target field add -clientbeta client_candidate after the quotes.
    steam-errors-param-1
  3. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

According to users, you can fix Failed to load overlay localization file error simply by adding -clientbeta client_candidate parameter. To do that, follow these steps.

3. Reinstall Steam

Few users are suggesting that you can fix this problem by reinstalling Steam. This might not be the fastest solution, but few users reported that reinstalling Steam fixed the problem for them, so be sure to try it out.

4. Delete the cached folder

One way to fix Failed to load overlay localization file error is to remove the cached folder. To delete this folder, you need to open Steam installation directory and go to the Steam folder.

Inside the steam folder, you should see the cached folder. Delete it and try to start Steam again.

These are some of the common errors that you can encounter. Speaking of which, many users reported Steam disk write error, but we tackled this issue in its own guide.

We also have an entire article dedicated to Steam error code E20, so don’t miss it for more information.

Steam errors can prevent you from playing your favorite games, but we hope that you managed to fix Steam errors on your Windows 10 PC by using some of our solutions.

Paint 3D Won’t Open: 4 Ways to Get It to Work Again

Posted on by Matthew Adams

Paint 3D is one of Windows 10’s built-in apps with which you can add 3D shapes and effects to images. However, many reported that Paint 3D won’t open.

Many also reported that Paint 3D crashes after opening, but we covered that in a different guide. Today we’re going to focus on fixing the issues with opening the app.

Why is Paint 3D not working?

  • Temporary glitches with the app can prevent the application from starting.
  • Sometimes its cache or settings might get corrupted, thus causing the problem.
  • Damaged installation can also cause this and many other problems to appear.

What can I do if Paint 3D is not opening?

1. Open the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter

  1. Click the Type here to search button on the taskbar to open Cortana’s search box.
  2. Enter the keyword troubleshooter in the search box.
  3. Then you can click Troubleshoot to open the Settings app’s troubleshooter list shown directly below.
  4. Select Windows Store Apps and click Run the troubleshooter to open the window in the snapshot directly below.
  5. The troubleshooter might then provide a few potential fixes. Press the Next button to go through its suggested resolutions.

The Windows Store Apps troubleshooter can fix numerous error messages for apps that aren’t working. Thus, that troubleshooter might provide a fix for Paint 3D’s 0x803F8001 error.

Troubleshooters don’t always fix things, but they’re worth noting when an error message pops up.

2. Reset the Paint 3D app

  1. Open Cortana’s search box via the taskbar.
  2. Type apps, then click on Apps & features to open the window shown directly below.
  3. Scroll down to and select Paint 3D.
  4. Click Advanced options to open further settings for Paint 3D.
  5. Press the Reset button, and click Reset again, to delete the app’s data.

Resetting apps resets their data. So the Reset button can often fix apps that aren’t working. That option is always worth a shot when an app doesn’t start.

After resetting the app, check if Paint 3D still won’t open.

3. Reinstall Paint 3D

  1. Right-click the Start button and select Run to open that accessory’s window.
  2. Enter this path in Run’s text box and press the OK button: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.MSPaint_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState
  3. Select the Projects folder in File Explorer, and press the Copy to button.
  4. Select a folder to copy the Projects folder to.
  5. To uninstall Paint 3D, open the Run accessory again.
  6. Then enter PowerShell and press the OK button.
  7. Enter the following command and press Enter to uninstall Paint 3D: Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.MSPaint | Remove-AppxPackage
  8. Press the Get button on this Microsoft page to reinstall Paint 3D.

Some Paint 3D users have confirmed that reinstalling the app fixed the 0x803F8001 error for them. Note that reinstalling the app will also erase your Paint 3D Projects folder.

So back up the Projects folder if there’s anything there, you need to keep. This is how you can back up the Projects folder and then reinstall Paint 3D.

4. Clear the Microsoft Store cache

  1. Press Windows key + R and enter wsreset.exe.
  2. Press Enter.
  3. Wait for the process to finish.

Those fixes will help if Paint 3D won’t open on your PC. Sadly, this isn’t the only issue, and many reported that Paint 3D is not saving images.

If you have suggestions or comments, let them out in the open in our comments section below because they might also help other users.

How to Fix Windows When It Keeps Changing Keyboard Language

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Many users reported that Windows 10 changes keyboard language on its own. If you’re experiencing the same problem, read this guide to learn why it occurs and how you can quickly fix it.

This might happen when the Input Language is programmed to be maintained per app or per window through an API that changes the input locale to a different or default keyboard layout is enabled for the user. Here’s how to fix it:

How to fix a keyboard that automatically changes language

Note icon NOTE
Press CTRL+SHIFT to quickly switch to another language.

1. Set a different input method

  1. Type control panel in the Search box and select the app from results.
  2. Select Clock, language and region.
  3. Click on Advanced settings.
  4. Under the Switching input methods section, put a checkmark for Let me set a different input method for each app windows.
  5. Click on Save and see if the problem persists.

2. Make the keyboard layout as default

  1. Click Start and select Settings.
  2. Choose Change PC settings.
  3. Click on Time and language, then select Region and Language.
  4. Select the language that you want to see Windows in.
  5. Click Set as primary. The Will be display language after next sign-in message will appear under the language.
  6. Click Set as primary to move the language to the top. If it can become your Windows display language, the Will be display language after next sign-in will appear under the language.
  7. Sign out and then sign back in.

Note: When you change your primary language, your keyboard layout may change. When signing back into Windows, use the right keyboard layout for entering your password. Otherwise, you might not sign in.

You can also change your keyboard layout on the sign-in screen by clicking the language abbreviation button.

Your keyboard freezes as soon as you sign-in? Don’t worry, we’ve got the right solution for you.

3. Choose only one input language and keyboard layout

  1. Click Start and choose Settings.
  2. Click Time and Language.
    Empty task manager/Task manager is empty/Nothing shows up in task manager
  3. Go to Region and Language and select Advanced Keyboard settings.
  4. Under Override for different input methods, select from the drop-down menu the language you want to use.
  5. Close the window.

4. Disable keyboard actions

  1. Click Start and select Control Panel.
  2. Click Clock, Language, and Region.
  3. Select Language and click on Advanced Settings.
    advanced keyboard language settings
  4. Click on Switching input methods and select Change language bar hotkeys.
  5. Select the Change key sequence.
    Change language bar hotkeys windows 10
  6. Click Switch keyboard layout.
  7. Click Not Assigned.

By default, pressing CTRL+SHIFT or ALT+SHIFT will cycle through any keyboard layouts you may have mapped and it is possible to do this by mistake.

If you keep pressing any of these combinations, you can go back to the correct setting.

5. Use Registry Editor to disable the keyboard layout toggle hotkeys

  1. Right-click Start and select Run.

  2. Type regedit.
  3. Navigate to the following path: HKCU\Keyboard LayoutToggle” /v “Layout Hotkey” /d 3

You might also want to use:

reg add "HKCU\Keyboard LayoutToggle" /v "Language Hotkey" /d 3reg add "HKCU\Keyboard LayoutToggle" /v "Hotkey" /d 3

And for new users, try this (in an elevated Command prompt):

reg load HKEY_USER\Stemp "%USERPROFILE%..DefaultNTUSER.DAT"reg add "HKEY_USERStempKeyboard LayoutToggle" /v "Layout Hotkey" /d 3reg unload HKEY_USERStemp

If you can’t access the Registry Editor, don’t panic because we’ve got a perfectly good guide on fixing this issue.

6. Change the region settings

  1. Go to Control Panel.
  2. Click on Clock, Language, and Region.
  3. Select Region.
  4. Click on the Location
  5. Under Home location, select Japan so that it won’t add any English keyboard layout.
  6. Click Apply, and then OK.
  7. Restart your computer.

7. Change registry settings through policy or login script

  1. Right-click Start and select Run.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter.
  3. Find this key to disable auto-detect keyboard layout: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout]
    “IgnoreRemoteKeyboardLayout”=dword:00000001
  4. To hide the language bar, use this key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\CTF\LangBar]
    “ShowStatus”=dword:00000003
    hide language bar windows 10 registry
  5. Exit registry editor once you’re done

If you can’t edit your registry, follow the steps in this dedicated guide and learn how you can do it like a pro.

Other unusual keyboard issues you can troubleshoot with similar methods include your keyboard automatically typing on its own, making clicking noises but not typing, producing constant beeping sounds, typing backward, refusing to register double letters, or even typing the wrong characters.

Were you able to resolve the Windows 10 switches keyboard language on its own error using any of these solutions? Let us know in the comments section below.

As always, leave there any other suggestions or questions you may have and we’ll check them out.

Fix: Sorry, we’re Having Trouble with the Home Location Hulu

Posted on by Elena Constantinescu

Hulu is an awesome streaming media platform where you can watch popular movies and TV shows, along with Hulu Originals and live television.

Unfortunately, many Hulu users report the Sorry, we’re having trouble loading your home location error.

It prevents them from using Hulu on their computer, smartphone, or smart TV. If you’re one of them, here’s what you need to do to eliminate the home network issue.

How do I repair the Sorry, we’re having trouble loading your home location error on Hulu?

1. Check your home network settings on Hulu

  1. Select a device that you will use to watch Hulu
  2. Make sure your device is supported by Hulu
  3. Connect the device to your home network (Wi-Fi or wired)
  4. Using that device, visit your Hulu account page
  5. Locate the Privacy and Settings section
  6. Click Set or Change Home

It’s impossible to set your home network on Hulu while connected to a mobile network (e.g. 3G/4G data plan) or shared Wi-Fi networks (e.g. public hotspots).

You can change your home network up to 4 times within 12 months. Otherwise, you’ll be locked out of your account and keep getting the we can’t verify your email address error message.

2. Connect to your home network

the WiFi symbol

Your device must be connected to the same home network you registered on Hulu.

For instance, if you’re visiting a friend and want to watch Hulu together using your personal account, it’s technically possible to switch your home network.

But then you have to switch it back to yours. It totals to three home network changes out of the four permitted during one year, so it’s probably not worth it.

If you’re home, however, ensure your device isn’t accidentally connected to another network outside of your home (e.g. a neighbor’s, your mobile data plan).

For example, if your smartphone is connected to both Wi-Fi and data, disable the data plan to eliminate any network connectivity conflicts.

3. Disable your VPN or proxy

don't use free VPN

Hulu is able to identify your home network by your IP address. If you have a VPN or proxy server enabled on your desktop, laptop or tablet, turn it off before attempting to connect to Hulu.

If you have previously installed a VPN client on your router, you have also to deactivate it.

4. Use a VPN with split tunneling for desktop

If you’re living in a country with Hulu access but wish to continue using a VPN for online privacy, get a VPN that supports split tunneling mode.

It allows you to redirect network traffic to the VPN and to the public Internet at the same time.

When it comes to Hulu, you can divert your web browser to the public Internet. And you can use another browser for securely navigating the web through the VPN.

enable PIA split tunneling for Google Chrome
  1. Sign up for PIA VPN subscription.
  2. Download and install the VPN client for desktop
  3. Launch PIA and access the Settings area
  4. Go to Network and enable Split Tunnel
  5. Click Add Application
  6. Select a web browser that you will use to watch Hulu

From this point on, your web browser will not connect to the VPN. But you can use any other web browser and software applications, including torrenting clients.

We recommend Private Internet Access because it has not only split tunneling mode but also other cool features.

More about PIA:

  • Kill switch and exclusive DNS
  • Unblock Netflix US, Peacock, HBO Max, and others
  • No logs or leaks
  • 24/7 live chat support
  • 30-day money-back guarantee (no free trial)
  • Pay with a credit card, PayPal, crypto

Private Internet Access

Set up split tunneling in PIA to protect your online privacy while watching Hulu.
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5. Contact your ISP

If you set your home location on the Hulu account page and then switched Internet service providers, you have a new IP address.

There’s nothing else you can do besides registering a new home network on Hulu.

However, if you have a dynamic IP address, it regularly changes, resulting in the Sorry, we’re having trouble loading your home location error on Hulu.

Sometimes, it’s possible to set a static IP on a Windows PC. Otherwise, contact your ISP to see about using a static IP address.

To recap, you can fix the Sorry, we’re having trouble with your home location error on Hulu by connecting to the home network you registered with the streaming service.

You must also disable any VPN, proxy, or similar tool that changes your IP address, as well as contact your ISP if you have a dynamic IP address to request a static IP.

If you’re a privacy-concerned user uncomfortable with disabling their VPN for any reason, get a VPN service that supports split tunneling mode.

How to open CFG files on Windows 10 computers

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

A CFG file is a configuration file that stores settings and configuration information for programs. CFG is used by developers when writing different programs. There are various CFG files that store data in various formats.

These CFG files are often named config.cfg, with it containing a variable and value per line. Text editors are needed to read or edit CFG files most especially in Windows 10.

Windows Report has compiled some of the best software which can open CFG files in Windows 10 PC.

How can I open CFG files in Windows 10?

File Viewer Plus 4

File Viewer Plus is one of the best tools that helps you to open, edit, and even convert over 400 file formats.

It features an intuitive interface where you can quickly search through your files and view file previews directly in the file browser. Also, for quicker access, you can save file locations.

What makes this software better than other similar tools, is that it can open less common file formats. So, if you have unknown files on your computer, try to open them with File Viewer Plus.

File Viewer Plus 4

File Viewer Plus 4

Open and edit your .CFG files with the best universal file opener software.
Check priceVisit website

Microsoft Notepad

Microsoft Notepad is a popular text editor used by hundreds of millions worldwide. Although it is primarily used for basic coding by developers, Notepad consists of a simple text editor that is available to all Windows operating systems.

The tool allows you to wrap your text while choosing the font, size style, and text. In addition, Notepad supports CFG file formats and over fifteen different text encoding formats. 

Although Notepad is limited to basic formatting features you can still view, edit, and modify CFG source code files. This makes Notepad a simple yet powerful text editor to open CFG files in Windows 10.

Meanwhile, Notepad is already built into Windows 10, hence, you can use it to open CFG files by default.

Microsoft WordPad

Another Microsoft tool for opening CFG files in Windows 10 is WordPad. Microsoft WordPad is a text editor tool that combines features from Microsoft Word and Microsoft Notepad.

It is more of a hybrid text editor with many features than Notepad but fewer capabilities than Microsoft Word.

WordPad enables diverse formatting options where you customize the fonts, line spacing, and text format in your text document. You can also embed links and objects such as shapes and images into your text documents.

The tool also offers advanced options for sending your documents via email through Outlook. WordPad supports CFG files and more file formats than Notepad like .docx format.

If you intend to open CFG files in Windows 10, WordPad is a handy tool to use. Besides, WordPad doesn’t require many graphic details and comes in handy as an advanced option to the popular Microsoft Notepad.

Notepad++

open aspx file

Notepad++ is a text-based editor that has many similar features to Microsoft Notepad. This tool is very popular among web developers as it gives extra code editing features than Notepad.

The editing tool uses a drag and drop function while providing a tabbed document interface.

Since the program is used mainly for source code editing, it supports many popular programming languages such as Java, HTML, and C++.

If you intend to modify and edit program CFG files, Notepad++ gives extra functionality and flexibility. Also, it supports plugins which can be added to CFG files for added functionality.

Besides, being a powerful text editor that excels in coding and supports multiple file formats, Notepad++ is an excellent tool to open CFG files on Windows 10 PC.

⇒ Download Notepad++

NoteTab

NoteTab is a text editor developed by Swiss tech company Fookes Software. The award-winning app is known for its unique Html editor and versatile text editor.

This tool has unique features such as its Search and replace option which allows you to modify the selection of text, a whole document or even unopened files on your drive. The text editor comes with a unique clipboard which contains snippets which can be inserted into your document location.

In addition, NoteTab can also be used to open CFG files. It supports CFG file-formats whereby you can modify your files and edit contents.  It also supports other formats like HTML and CSS and is an excellent tool for coding.

NoteTab is not free to download but there is a 30 day trial period.

⇒ Get NoteTab

PSPad

PSPad is a free handy text editor tool available on Windows OS most especially Windows 10.  This editor allows you to make basic editing of source files with simple drag and drop interface.

PSPad enables diverse text formatting features with its inbuilt code editor making it ideal for programming.

PSPad supports CFG format files and allows for viewing and modification of CFG format files. Hence, you can use PSPad to open CFG files.

Moreover, this tool also supports formats like HTML and CSS and has a converter that converts file formats.

⇒ Download PSPad

Apache OpenOffice

Apache OpenOffice is a popularly used office suite similar to Microsoft office suite. The suite has a writer which is a word processor with lots of advanced features to that of a notepad.

Apache OpenOffice Writer supports many formats such as .doc, .docx, and most especially CFG files. In addition, OpenOffice Writer allows you to perform diverse functions such as text and spell check as well as formatting documents.

The program gives a standard layout with many formatting samples available for you to use. OpenOffice Writer can open CFG files and other popular text formats such as DOCX, RTF, TXT and HTML.

OpenOffice Writer is a good word processor and gives a good option when working with CFG files in Windows 10.

⇒ Download Apache Open Office

In conclusion, there are other software out there that can open CFG format files, but the software we mentioned in the guide provide more features and simplicity in modifying CFG files.

Do you know of any other ways not listed here on how to open CFG files in Windows 10? Share with us in the comments section below.

How to watch The Office without Netflix [Quick Guide]

Posted on by Vlad Constantinescu

It’s a sad moment that we had to live a few days back when The Office was removed from Netflix. This time for good.

But what if we told you that it’s possible to watch The Office without Netflix?

Now we know what you’re thinking, but our method involves absolutely zero sketchy behaviour.

The Office didn’t just vanish from the face of the Earth over night. In fact, it just switched streaming services.

How can I watch The Office without Netflix?

Use NBC’s Peacock

  1. Head over to NBC’s Peacock website
  2. Purchase a Peacock subscription
  3. Search for The Office in Peacock’s library
  4. Enjoy watching The Office without Netflix

Peacock is a cheaper alternative to Netflix, as its most expensive subscription can be purchased for only $9.99.

NBC’s streaming service also offers a $4.99 subscription.

It gives you access to the same library of content as the $9.99 subscription, but it also has ads.

Furthermore, Peacock provides its customers with a free tier. However, you can only watch the first two seasons of The Office using the free tier.

If you sign up for a premium subscription (with ads or ad-free, doesn’t matter), you’ll get access to the full nine seasons of the show plus unreleased extras.

Is Peacock not available in your country?

Unfortunately, Peacock is not available for just about anyone, so you might have to use a VPN to access it.

If you encounter the This service is unavailable in your region error, follow these steps to access Peacock from anywhere in the world:

watch The Office on Peacock with PIA VPN
  1. Purchase a premium VPN subscription (we recommend PIA)
  2. Download and install the VPN client on your PC
  3. Launch the VPN client
  4. Log in to your account
  5. Connect to a US server
  6. Head over to Peacock’s website
  7. Register an account
  8. Enjoy streaming on Peacock without geo-restrictions

Although you might have some luck using a free VPN to access Peacock, it’s not a long-term solution. It will likely get detected and blocked by the streaming service soon (it’s the same case for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and others).

Instead, we suggest investing in a paid VPN service that won’t let you down, like Private Internet Access. As the screenshot above demonstrates, PIA successfully unblocks Peacock and bypasses the This service is unavailable to your region error.

You can also use PIA to watch Netflix US anywhere in the world, HBO Max if it’s not available to your region, and other streaming services.

More about PIA:

  • Exclusive DNS servers
  • A zero-logging privacy policy
  • No IP leaks
  • 24/7 live chat support
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Pay with PayPal, credit card, crypto
Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access

Need a VPN that can unblock Peacock and help you watch The Office? Count on PIA!
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Buy a DVD box set

DVD banner

If you’re not a fan of paying monthly subscription to online services, or you’re just the old-school type of cool, you can buy a DVD box set.

The good part is that you can find them almost everywhere since The Office is a quite popular TV show.

The only things you need to enjoy these DVDs are a DVD player (obviously) and a TV screen. And maybe some popcorn.

Conclusion

All in all, if you’re sad that The Office has been removed from Netflix, cheer up. You can still watch it on Peacock.

You might have to use a VPN, but then again, The Office wasn’t available for non-US Netflix subscribers to begin with.

Peacock is cheaper and also lets you view the first two seasons for free, provided that you’re a US resident.

Last, but not least, if you’re simply not into streaming services, you can just buy the DVD box set and get it over with.

How to open EML files in Windows 10/11 [Best Tools]

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

Are you wondering what an EML file is? And maybe how to open EML files on your Windows 10 PC? Read on as this guide highlights the best software available to open this file format.

EML file is an email file format used to save email messages received from Microsoft Outlook and other email client programs.

It can also be used to store information which is then sent as an email attachment.

How can I open EML files in Windows 10?

File Viewer Plus 4

If you cannot open important .eml files on Windows 10, you can always use third-party solutions.

We recommend FileViewer Plus 4, a universal file viewer for Windows that can open and display over 300 different file types: video, audio, image, text, email, photo editor, etc.

As one of the best tools that we have tested, it will open all email file types and will keep your work secure.

In some rare cases, if FileViewer cannot display the native view of the file, you can use the Text and Hex views to inspect the file contents.

These views let you see inside the file, providing valuable information, especially for unknown file types.

You can even search for content stored in the file. As it is not the case for the .eml file type, you can try it right away.

File Viewer Plus4

File Viewer Plus4

Open hundreds of file format with this fantastic tool, including EML files. Get the best deal now!
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Mozilla SeaMonkey

Mozilla SeaMonkey is a web-based open source suite package which includes an email client, internet browser, and other applications.

The email client allows management of multiple email accounts, address book, and filters incoming messages to your email. 

SeaMonkey allows for added functionality with the HTML editor which supports CSS and the web browser which has an add blocker and a nice user interface.

In addition, this program supports EML files and enables you to open EML files, view, edit, and modify the files. The files can then be exported to another email through the email client program.

Meanwhile, SeaMonkey is a handy internet suite to have on Windows 10 PC as you can customize your web browsing, emailing, and other features.

⇒ Download Mozilla SeaMonkey

Novell GroupWise

Novell GroupWise is an email client software that allows you to manage your email, schedule, and data management tasks.

However, the software has been rebranded as Micro Focus GroupWise and offers numerous features that make it highly rated.

In addition, GroupWise enables users to store email attachments in Filr, rather than sending them through other formats which makes it easy to access and modify. You can also save your email as PDF or convert your email messages to PDF and other formats.

Furthermore, GroupWise supports email formats such as EML, with this program you can open EML files, modify and convert them to other file formats such as PDF or FIR.

GroupWise is a good Email client for small business owners albeit it has fewer features than many of its rivals.

⇒ Download Novell GroupWise

Encryptomatic Message Viewer

Encryptomatic Message Viewer is a lightweight program is used to view email files or Outlook messages.

This program is simple yet powerful as it enables you to view any text file format. The program is easy to install with a simple interface which makes it easy to access messages with a single click.

You can extract messages and save them to your disk drive directly from your email by right-clicking on the attachment after which you drag and drop the file to your system.

In addition, this program supports many file formats such as msg, eml, and winmail. EML files are very easy to access and view on the program.  You can edit the information contained in the file and save on your disk drive easily.

Furthermore, Message Viewer is a simple but amazing program to have as an alternative to other similar viewer programs.

⇒ Download Encryptomatic Message Viewer

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is the most used email client on Windows. The program comes attached as part of the Microsoft suite package but can be purchased individually.

The program keeps track of your schedule and uses filters and commands to set task and intuitively sort out your schedule. The email manager helps to filter your emails and integrate multiple contacts into a single column view where you can access the contacts full information.

You can easily sync your outlook information to your phone this comes handy if you want to keep tabs on your schedule and email anytime.

In addition, the program supports EML file formats as this is the default file formats in which emails are saved, you can import EML files, edit, modify and save or export the file.

Moreover, Microsoft Outlook is the industry standard software email and information client for windows and is a must-have if you want to open EML files in Windows 10 OS.

⇒ Download Microsoft Outlook

Mozilla Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird is an email and news feed client program, developed by Mozilla and is available to download for free.

Thunderbird is widely used as an alternative to outlook as it allows you to create and manage multiple accounts. The program also supports POP3, IMAP and Microsoft Exchange servers.

Thunderbird automatically filters through your email and messages helping you organize your email in order of preferences.

Furthermore, the program supports EML file format and allows you to view and modify the information contained in the file.

There are also add-ons that can be downloaded to increase the functionality of the program and thunderbird gives a wide range of plugins for free.

⇒ Download Mozilla Thunderbird

The programs we mentioned above can be used to open EML files in Windows 10.

While some are free like Thunderbird from Mozilla, others like Microsoft Outlook gives great value for money.

You can also utilize File Explorer as an alternative but your options are limited unlike the software listed in this post.

Share your experience with us in opening EML files in Windows 10. Feel free to comment below.

CSV Software: 7 Best to View Files on Windows

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

CSV file, also known as Comma Separated Value file, is a spreadsheet file format which contains data sets which are separated by commas. Each new line is separated by a comma to represent a new database row. CSV files are important as they help exchange data and are used in many scientific and business programs.

However, CSV files are opened by spreadsheet programs – this enables you to modify the files into cells which transfer data between various databases. Here are the best software that you can use to open CSV files on your Windows 10 computer.

Which is the best software to view CSV files?

Corel Quattro Pro (Now part of WordPerfect)

Corel Quattro Pro is developed by Corel and is a spreadsheet application for managing your accounts and finances.

In addition, Quattro Pro has a nice interface similar to Microsoft Excel this means it would be easier for users to adjust and use the application effectively. Quattro pro also supports CSV format and users can view, and modify formatting options such as the font, cell colour, border, and size.

Meanwhile, this software is easy to use and is now part of the Corel Word Perfect office package. Quattro is an excellent alternative to Microsoft Excel as it has similar features.

Note: Corel Quattro Pro is now part of WordPerfect

File Viewer Plus

File Viewer Plus is a simple tool used to view file formats. The application is a handy application to have on your system as it supports over 1000 different file formats.

However, CSV files can be easily viewed using this software. Although, the application is limited and you cannot manipulate the file easily like other applications mentioned above.

Furthermore, File Viewer is a good handy application to have on your system as it enables you to view a large number of system file formats.

Quicken Deluxe

Quicken Deluxe  is a personal spreadsheet application used to track and manage financial accounts. It has many features which arrange your expenses and allows you to monitor your budget and keep your debt free.

With Quicken Deluxe you can easily import data from other financial management programs and set up your preferred settings easily. The program also supports CSV format and you can view, modify and format the information contained in the CSV format.

In addition, Quicken Deluxe also offers users a reporting tool which allows you to create custom financial reports. The financial tool is a great application for users that want to have more control over their finances and this makes it a handy tool for users that want to access CSV file format.

⇒ Get Quicken Deluxe

Microsoft Excel

One other great choice would be Microsoft Excel, the industry-standard spreadsheet program for organizing and manipulating data. The application enables users to sort data and allows tools for analyzing and gathering data easily.

In addition, Excel has many mathematical functions that let you manipulate data and compute results, users can also download preloaded templates that are set to their preferences for organizing data.

Excel supports a large number of formats including CSV system format. With excel you have more functions when accessing your CSV file; hence, you can edit, manipulate, and visualize the data contained in the file. You can also change the font size and pattern of the information contained in the CSV file format.

Moreover, MS Excel is the best software to open CSV files and is recommended for all fields, as you can easily keep statistical checks and analysis. However, MS Excel is packaged under Microsoft office suite but can be downloaded as a stand-alone application.

⇒ Get Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Notepad

Microsoft Notepad is a popular text editor used for basic programming and editing text format files. It has limited options since it is a text editor unlike a full Word processor although you can modify text, font, size, and script.

The tool supports many file formats including HTML, CFG, and CSV system files. Notepad can view and modify contents stored in CSV file format.

The text editor is a useful editor for coding as it supports HTML and other coding formats. Meanwhile, Notepad is a lightweight but powerful built-in tool on your Windows system.

Note: All Windows versions come with Notepad preinstalled, so you don’t have to worry about downloading it.

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is an open suite which has several applications which allow users to create and modify different types of documents. The suite is free to download and offers similar features to the polar Microsoft Office suite.

Meanwhile, this office suite has a word processor, spreadsheet application, and database management application as part of its suite.

The spreadsheet application called Calc supports CSV file format and you can use this application to view edit, modify and save CSV file format. Calc has many tools that have been organized in an easy to use interface.

LibreOffice can also be used to create presentations and manage a database. It is an excellent alternative to Microsoft Office suite, as it is cheaper and similar in functions to its more expensive rival.

⇒ Get LibreOffice

Apache Open Office

Apache Open Office is an open office suite similar to LibreOffice and is used to create and modify documents the program has many applications that mirror Libre office with a word processor called writer spreadsheet called Calc which is a spreadsheet application.

In addition, this software supports CSV file format; hence, users can open, view, and modify contents contained in the file. It has tools which can be used to organize CSV files and supports may industry standard formats such as DocX and PDF.

Apache open office is free to use and good software to open CSV files.

⇒ Get Apache Open Office

In conclusion, the programs we mentioned above are the best software to open CSV files. Before you leave, you might want to check our guide on how to convert Excel to CSV file.

However, some of the applications are limited in functionality. Hence, Microsoft Excel is the highly recommended software to open CSV files on Windows 10 computers.

How To: File too large for Notepad error on Windows 10/11

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Users work frequently with text files, and on Windows 10 the most used text editor is Notepad. This is a simple tool, but it has its limitations and users reported File too large for Notepad error while trying to open certain files.

The Notepad text editor, just like many others, has a file size limit and it can’t be used to open large text files. For most basic users Notepad will be enough, but advanced users might encounter File too large for Notepad error on their PC.

For example, if you have server logs or any other large files, you might get this error while trying to open those files with Notepad. Unfortunately, you can’t make Notepad open those large files, and the only solution is to use third-party text editors to open those files.

There are different applications that you can use, and today we’re going to show you a couple of them in order to fix the File too large for Notepad error.

How do I fix File too large for Notepad error on Windows 10?

File Viewe Plus

  1. Download File Viewer Plus.
  2. Follow the Setup Wizard.
  3. As soon as the installation is complete click on Activate or opt for Start Trial.
  4. The File Viewer menu will open, click on Open a File tab.

File Viewer is the essential text editing tool you need that will dramatically improve your work-flow. With this intelligent software you can open over 400 file types such as Office doc, PDFs and even image files.

Those uncommon file formats won’t be giving you any headaches because File Viewer can open Microsoft Project, Visio documents and source code files with syntax highlighting.

Thanks to its versatility you’ll benefit from a built in media-player that will allow you to play any type of audio or video file. This editor gives you the possibility to crop a raw image from a digital camera and convert it into a JPEG file.

With File Viewer you can also organize your PC folders more efficiently and have the important documents just one click away thanks to the file browser feature.

File Viewer Plus

File Viewer Plus

Manage over 400 types of documents including multimedia files with this incredibly versatile tool!
Check priceVisit website

Large Text File Reader

Large Text File Reader is a third-party text viewer that allows you to view files that are up to 10GB in size. This application will show you a number of lines at the time and not the entire file.

Even though you’re not able to edit the file, you should be able to view it and copy the necessary information.

⇒ Download Large Text File Reader

Bare Tail

Bare Tail is another software that allows you to view large text files. This software comes in both paid and free version.

The only difference between the two is that the paid version doesn’t have the splash screen when you start the program. This isn’t a major problem, and it doesn’t interfere with the application in any way.

This application supports real-time viewing and it can scroll down to any line in the entire file instantly. In addition, you can use this application to view files over the network and it also has a support for line wrapping.

In addition, you can change the font, spacing, and other font-related settings. If you plan to use real-time viewing, you can easily follow the end of the file no matter how fast it changes.

In addition, you can also view several files at the same time by using tabs, which have visual indicator so you can see the status of the file without actually having to open the tabs.

Of course, you can rearrange tabs both horizontally and vertically. You can also highlight any string you want in order to better notice it throughout the file. This application has a lot of great features, and if you need to view a large text file, this application will be perfect for it.

⇒ Download Bare Tail

EditPad Lite

Another application that can be used to view large text files is EditPad Lite. In addition to viewing large files, this application will store your clipboard, so you can easily access any data that you pasted in the text editor.

There’s a search feature available that allows you to easily search and replace any string. In addition, this application supports extensive configuration and you can even create a portable installation and run it from a USB flash drive.

⇒ Download EditPad Lite

LogExpert

Another useful application for viewing large files is LogExpert. This is a simple application that will allow you to view large files with ease.

It allows you to place bookmarks and navigate through them at any time. There’s also text highlighting, so you can easily find any string that you need.

This smart tool gives you the possibility to monitor files in real-time and use the tail feature to always see the end of a log file.

⇒ Download LogExpert

Universal Viewer Free

Universal Viewer Free is another application that allows you to view large text files. This is a simple application that allows you to switch between several modes such as Text, Binary, Hex, Unicode, etc. It’s a simple application, but it should be perfect for for viewing large text files.

⇒ Download Universal Viewer Free

TopGun

Another application that can be used to view large text files is TopGun. This application allows you to easily view large text files and search for a specific string. TopGun is a lightweight application, and it can work without any problems on almost any PC, but you might encounter some issues with certain larger files.

=> Download TopGun

The File too large for Notepad error can be a big problem especially if you work with large files frequently. You can easily solve this problem by using any of the free tools that we mentioned, so be sure to give them a try.

We’d like to hear more from you on this subject so feel free to drop us a comment in the section bellow.

Enable Cortana on Your PC With These 3 Simple Solutions

Posted on by Milan Stanojevic

Microsoft invested much time and effort into creating Cortana for Windows 10. It is a personal assistant for Windows users capable of doing many things like searching the web, finding things on your PC, keeping track of your calendar, receiving the weather forecast, and many more.

However, some Windows 10 users disliked Cortana to the point where they disabled it. If you are in this situation but have changed your mind and want Cortana back, follow the below steps.

How do I restore Cortana on Windows 10?

You may have the service enabled but not working or disabled Cortana and need it reenabled. Regardless of the situation, it would be best if you restored it, and any of the following may yield results.

  • Restart your computer – While on its own, this may seem generic; if you have the service enabled but not working, a restart may be a helpful first solution in reenabling it.
  • Contact Microsoft Support – Unlike a restart, this may be your last option if nothing else works to restore Cortana.
  • Check the Regions & Language settings – You may need to modify this setting to restore Cortana since the service is unavailable everywhere.
  • Reinstallation – This is an obvious call. A reinstallation would restore a perfectly working Cortanan in most cases.
  • Enable the service – While trying to restore the Cortana service, you will have no success if it is not enabled.

Is Cortana still on Windows 10?

Yes, the service is on Windows 10; however, it has evolved, and its functionality is a bit different from what it was in previous Windows versions.

The service used to be your digital personal assistance, but in Windows 10, it has become more of a productivity Windows feature, helping users manage emails and tasks.

It also is not automatically integrated with the search bar and would need to be enabled.

How do I enable Cortana after disabling it?

1. Re-enable Cortana using Group Policy

  1. Press the Windows + R keys to open Run.
  2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.
  3. Navigate to Local Computer Policy and go to Computer Configuration.
  4. Go to Administrative Templates and click on Windows Components.
  5. Navigate to Search.
  6. Locate the policy named Allow Cortana and double-click on it.
  7. Enable the Allow Cortana local policy by selecting the Enabled radio button.
    enable cortana
  8. Click on Apply and then on OK.
  9. Close the Local Group Policy Editor.
  10. Restart your computer.

2. Re-enable Cortana using the Windows Registry

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open a Run dialog.
  2. Type regedit and hit Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate to the path below:
    Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows SearchHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
  4. Double-click on Allow Cortana, and set the value to 1.
  5. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

3. Rename the program path correctly

  1. Hold Windows key + R.
  2. Type taskmgr and click OK.
  3. In the Task Manager, right-click on Cortana from the Processes tab, and select Open File Location.
    enable cortana
  4. This should take you to the following location: C:\Windows\SystemApps
  5. Locate the folder that is named Microsoft.Windows.Cortana.bak.
  6. Right-click on it, select Rename and remove the .bak from the end of it.
  7. Restart your computer.

We hope that the solutions described above will help you enable Cortana.

There you go; we believe all the methods discussed in this article are straightforward. There is not one that works better than the others; you should try any that seems most convenient for you.

Meanwhile, if you have other ideas or suggestions, share them with us using the comments below.

How to Share a VPN Connection on Windows 10 [4 Methods]

Posted on by Vlad Constantinescu

Having a VPN on your computer can be a great thing for your privacy and connection security.

But did you know that you can share your VPN connection with other PCs on the same network?

You probably had a hunch, since you landed on our guide.

We’re here not only to confirm that VPN connections are shareable but also to teach you how to do it with minimum effort on your Windows 10 laptop, desktop or tablet.

How can I share a VPN connection?

Install a VPN on your router

  1. Make sure your router supports VPN client mode
  2. Buy a premium VPN plan (we recommend Private Internet Access)
  3. Head over to PIA’s website
  4. Log in to your account
  5. Access the Downloads section
  6. Click the Go to OpenVPN Generator hyperlink
  7. Choose the newest OpenVPN version
  8. Select the Windows platform
  9. Click the region you prefer
  10. Choose the recommended UDP port
  11. Click the Generate button
  12. Log in to your router admin panel (the default address is https://192.168.0.1)
  13. Identify the VPN client area
  14. Upload the OVPN file you generated from your VPN’s website
  15. Connect your devices to your VPN-enabled router
  16. Enjoy sharing a VPN connection

Using a router is the most common way to share a VPN connection since you don’t have to keep configuring devices.

You just set it once and it should be good to go for a long time. Unless you decide to choose another region, that is.

Granted, there are a lot of router brands and models on the market, so the steps above are generic ones.

They might not be accurate for your router model, and you should only use them to nudge you in the right direction.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access

Looking for a great VPN to install on your router? Why not try PIA?
Check priceBuy it now

Create a wireless hotspot on Windows 10

  1. Make sure that your PC has Wi-Fi capabilities
  2. Enable your Wi-Fi connection
  3. Press the Win key on your keyboard
  4. Type CMD and right-click the Command Prompt
  5. Select Run as administrator
  6. Type netsh wlan show drivers and press Enter
  7. Check the output text
    • Hosted network supported: Yes – it means that your PC can create a hosted network
    • Hosted network supported: No – you can’t create a hosted network
    • There is no wireless interface on the system – Quite self-explanatory
  8. Type this command in the Command Prompt:
    • netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=YourConnectionName key=Password
    • Make sure to replace the YourConnection Name and Password parameters with your own custom ones
  9. Type netsh wlan start hostednetwork in the Command Prompt
  10. Launch your VPN client and connect to a secure server
  11. Right-click your Start Menu
  12. Select Network Connections from the menuVPN connected but not working
  13. Click the Change adapter settings buttonNetwork configuration Change adapter settings
  14. Right-click your VPN connection and select properties
  15. Head to the Sharing tab
  16. Enable the Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection settingenable Internet connection sharing on Windows 10
  17. Click the Home networking connection dropdown menu
  18. Select your wireless hosted network connection
  19. Restart your VPN connection (right-click + disable, then right-click + enable)

That’s all you need to do to host a shared VPN connection on your PC using Wi-Fi.

We agree that there are a lot of steps and this method might give you a headache.

That’s why we recommend using a hotspot creator tool to replace steps 3-9 of this method.

However, keep in mind that the rest of the steps remain the same.

Use Windows 10’s ICS (wired mode)

ICS
  1. Make sure your PC has double Ethernet support (or buy a dual-Ethernet adapter)
  2. Connect the other device to your PC using an Ethernet cable
  3. Launch your VPN client and connect to a server
  4. Right-click your Start menu and select Network Connections
  5. Click the Change adapter options button
  6. Right-click your active VPN connection and select Properties
  7. Head to the Sharing tab
  8. Click the Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection checkbox
  9. Open the Home network connection dropdown menu
  10. Select your default Internet connection (the one that gives your PC Internet access)
  11. Click the OK button
  12. Right-click your default Ethernet connection
  13. Select Disable
  14. Right-click the same connection once more and select Enable

That’s all you need to do. This method is a bit more complicated, as it involves having a PC with dual Ethernet support.

Not to mention that it limits your VPN sharing capabilities to only one other device.

If you’re experiencing Ethernet issues on your Windows 10 computer, check out our easy troubleshooting guide.

Use a VPN with hotspot features

Windscribe
  1. Purchase a hotspot-ready VPN subscription plan (we recommend Windscribe)
  2. Download the VPN client and install it on your PC
  3. Launch the VPN client
  4. Configure your hotspot by entering an SSID (Wi-Fi display name) and password)
  5. Connect to a secure VPN server
  6. Turn on the Secure Hotspot feature

That’s about it. You can now connect to Windscribe’s secure hotspot using additional devices.

So technically, you’re sharing your VPN connection with other devices, and this is as easy as it gets.

However, you must keep in mind that most VPNs have a limited amount of supported devices.

On the other hand, certain VPNs such as Windscribe, allow you to connect an unlimited number of devices.

How to share a VPN connection from iPhone to PC

Sharing your iPhone’s VPN connection to your PC is an excellent way to provide your computer with secured internet access.

That way, you’ll share the VPN connection from your iPhone to your Windows PC without having to purchase a separate VPN account on your computer.

Just connect to a VPN server on your iPhone and follow the guide below:

  1. Find and open the Settings app on your device.
iphone settings
  1. Tap Personal Hotspot to enter it.
iphone personal hotspot
  1. Turn on the toggle next to Allow Others to Join.
iphone hotspot allow others to join
  1. Select USB Only or Turn on WLAN and Bluetooth, depending on how you want to connect your iPhone to the PC.
iphone hotspot usb only connection
  1. If you chose Turn on WLAN and Bluetooth, go to the network icon at the bottom right corner of your PC and select your iPhone’s hotspot. However, if you selected USB only, connect your iPhone to the PC with a USB cable. 

Your PC should now have access to the web through your iPhone’s VPN connection.

Conclusion

All things considered, if you’ve ever considered sharing your VPN connection, there are several ways you can go about it.

However, as you could see from our guide above, some methods are more time-consuming than others.

We’ve found that using a VPN with hotspot support is the easiest method, followed closely by installing a VPN on your router.

By far, configuring your Windows 10 to share your VPN connection (both wired and wireless) might be a bit difficult to achieve, especially for novices.

A Fatal Error Occurred in Citrix Workspace: How to Fix it

Posted on by Vladimir Popescu

A number of users have reported encountering the following error message on Citrix Workspace on Windows 10: A fatal error occurred. Would you like to restart Citrix Receiver?

The reasons for this issue are varied, but the most common reasons are either faulty receiver settings inside the user’s profile or .NET requirements not being met. The latter option also makes the self-service window crash and shows this error message.

In this article, we will explore some of the best troubleshooting methods to try and solve this issue.

What can I do if a fatal error occurred in Citrix Workspace?

1. Download and install .NET Framework .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1

  1. Type Turn Windows features on and off in your home screen search bar.
  2. Select the first option from the top.
  3. Inside the Windows Features window, deselect the box next to .NET Framework 4.8 Advanced Services.
    deactivate .NET framework 4.8 - citrix receiver a fatal error occurred windows 10
  4. Wait for the process to complete, then click Close.
  5. Download the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1.
  6. After the download is finished, run the installer and select Install this feature.
  7. When the process is completed, click Close.
  8. Reopen Turn Windows features on and off and select the first option from the top.
  9. Inside the Windows Features window, check the box next to .NET Framework 4.8 Advanced Services.
  10. Wait for the process to complete, then click Close.

2. Install .NET 2.0 Service Pack 1

  1. Go to the Microsoft source to download .NET Framework 2.0.
    download net 2 fatal error occurred citrix workplace
  2. Install the software to your PC by following the on-screen instructions.
  3. Restart your PC, and then follow the next method.

3. Get Visual C++ 2008 Service Pack 1 Redistributable

  1. Go to the official Microsoft source for Visual C++ to download the package.Microsoft Visual C++ - citrix receiver a fatal error occurred windows 10
  2. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
  3. Restart your PC, and follow the next step.

4. Install the Citrix offline plugin and Receiver for Windows 4.12

4.1. Citrix offline plugin:

  1. Download the software.
    Offline plug-in - citrix receiver a fatal error occurred windows 10
  2. Run and install on your PC.

4.2. Receiver for Windows 4.12:

  1. Visit the official page and save the installation file on your PC.Citrix auto-update - citrix receiver a fatal error occurred windows 10
  2. Right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
  3. Follow the on-screen instruction to finish installing.

Hopefully, using one of these solutions will eliminate the fatal error during the Citrix installation error message. Similarly, if your Citrix Workspace is not launching at all, check our detailed guide to fix it.

In case you’ve used another method, feel free to use the comment section below and share it with us.

How to download and use Outlook Express in Windows 10/11

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Outlook Express was a popular email client bundled with older Windows versions via Internet Explorer. Microsoft discontinued it starting with Windows Vista, replacing it with Windows Mail and later Windows Live Mail. If you miss its simplicity, there are a few ways in which you can still emulate it in Windows 11.

How can I still run Outlook Express in Windows 11?

Note icon NOTE
Disclaimer: Outlook Express is a discontinued email client and is no longer supported on modern Windows versions. Attempting to run it on current systems poses security and compatibility risks. For a reliable, modern alternative, we recommend Mailbird, a lightweight, user-friendly email client that integrates multiple accounts, contacts, and productivity tools in one place.

Table of contents

1. Use a similar email client

Our first recommendation is to try OE Classic – an almost perfect replica of Outlook Express and a great alternative for Thunderbird.

Indeed, this isn’t the original program, however keep in mind that it’s impossible to run on Windows 10 and use the discontinued email client.

The main perks of installing OE Classic are ease of use, minimal resources, and total security.

The user interface is very much like that of Outlook Express, it comes with a built-in address book where you can import your contacts, plus security updates, comprehensive sets of rules, and no-fuss migration of your old messages and data to the new program.

And, extremely important for many, there’s no size limit to attachments (whereas with Outlook Express there was a 2GB size restriction).

For any trouble with the program, the developers offer direct and fully relevant advice.

Still not convinced? Check out our review and learn why OE Classic is also a better email client than Windows Live Mail.

⇒ Get OE Classic

2. Use a virtual machine

While Microsoft pushed Windows 8 to computers, those who didn’t necessarily have to migrate or buy a new device with the new OS were strongly advised on forums and comments to stick to Windows XP or Windows 7, to still use Outlook Express.

Which is somewhat difficult considering the upgrading pressure.

But with the help of a virtual machine, you install the above-mentioned older systems and use your preferred email client.

3. Migrate your old environment

how to use outlook express on windows 10

This solution was inspired by a couple of user comments, who recommended a third-party program called Zinstall to migrate any old operating system to your newly installed Windows 10.

The interesting part about using Zinstall is that it allows you to use incompatible apps on your latest OS, without compromising system settings or program performance.

The only mandatory condition here is that you still have the old system running on another device – so basically to have two PCs or laptops.

With Zinstall, you can transfer programs, documents, music, pictures, favorites, emails, accounts, settings, and other locally stored files.

The program supports transfers from Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 to Windows 10. Similarly, you can also move files between 32-bit to 64-bit OS or vice-versa.

The whole process is intuitive and should take 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your transferred files/programs.

⇒ Try Zinstall

As you can see, it’s not impossible to still use Outlook Express. If you have any additional suggestions on this topic, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below and we’ll be sure to check them out.

Xbox head Phil Spencer wants to make Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud) games available for purchase without a subscription

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Following a year of public preview, Microsoft’s Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud) finally launched in September as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. As of today, subscribers can access over 100 Xbox Game Pass games on Android devices via Microsoft’s Cloud Gaming technology, and the company keeps adding more compatible games every month.

Integrating the Cloud Gaming service with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a great way to add value to the service and make it more compelling next to Google Stadia Pro, though Microsoft’s Cloud Gaming strategy still leaves a lot to be desired. As of today, you can’t use it to play any game you want via the cloud, as only select Xbox Game Pass games are currently available on Android devices.

As of today, the new Remote Play feature on the Xbox apps for iOS and Android allows owners of Xbox consoles to stream any of their installed games to their mobile devices, but Cloud Gaming could eventually make that unnecessary. In the latest episode of Major Nelson’s podcast, Xbox head Phil Spencer said that he was open to idea of letting customers buy Xbox games, and follow what Google has been doing with its Stadia Store.

Our long-term aspiration is to make xCloud a great way for new gamers to come into the ecosystem. (…) Now, we want to give people the ability to buy. We’ve talked about that. We don’t want to make it just about the subscription because we know certain people want to be able to buy their games and still play them via the cloud. So they get that convenience feature of being connected to their library. There’s so much opportunity as we’re looking at new screens that we can bring xCloud to. It opens up massive device categories that we don’t even really think about today in terms of where these games can show up.

Spencer didn’t go as far as suggesting a “buy once, pay anywhere” scenario where all Xbox games you buy on the Microsoft Store, though that would be the ideal scenario. This is pretty much what Microsoft tried to do with its “Xbox Play Anywhere” initiative, a system that lets customers buy a game once on the Microsoft Store and play it on both Xbox consoles and PC at no additional cost. Adding Cloud Gaming to the mix would really push Xbox Play Anywhere to the next level, though Microsoft will likely need publishers to agree to make their Xbox games available for streaming in the first place.

Google’s Stadia may not be getting a lot of mindshare since launch, though the cloud gaming service remains an easy way to buy and play some of the latest blockbuster games such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on almost any device. Microsoft went a different route by restricting to Android devices and select Xbox Game Pass at launch, but things could change soon.

“We’re going to get to iOS. We’re going to get to PC. We’re going to get to different devices in 2021, continue to expand the regions that we’re in. We’re getting so much learning from just people using the products, using the games, and telling us what they like, areas that we need to improve”, Spencer also said in the interview with Major Nelson. It’s still early days for Cloud Gaming, but Microsoft has the opportunity to become an early leader in that space thanks to its established Xbox ecosystem and cloud expertise with Azure.

Cortana has a new home in Microsoft Teams on mobile — here’s how to use it

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant, and once known by many as Microsoft’s take on Apple’s own Siri, has gone through a bit of a rebrand recently. While you can still find Cortana in Windows 10, the assistant is now much more centered on being part of your work life. This means it’s all about helping you stay productive, rather than delivering quirky facts as it used to.

As a result, Cortana can now be found in Microsoft Teams on iOS and Android, and rumor has it that it will even be coming to the desktop apps too. So, how can you use Cortana in Teams as part of your productivity? Today, we’ll be looking at just that.

What can Cortana do?

Current Windows 10 Insider Rings

Rings Version Name build
Stable 1903 May 2019 Update 18362
Slow 1903 May 2019 Update 18362.10024
Release Preview 1909 November 2019 Update 18363.448
Fast 20H1 ?? 19002.1002
Skip Ahead currently unused

Before jumping into anything, we want to explain what Cortana can do for you in Microsoft Teams. Well, on both the Teams mobile app and dedicated Microsoft Teams displays, you can use Cortana for a variety of things. Some of the most common include calling, joining meetings, checking calendars, chats, files, and more. We’ve included some of the most common ways to use Cortana in Teams on the list above for you, but you can check Microsoft’s full list here.

How to find Cortana in Teams

Corana Ios Teams Setup

So, where can you find Cortana in Microsoft Teams? It’s pretty easy. On Teams on iOS and Android, you can find Cortana by clicking either the Activity or the Chats section of the app. Then, look for the microphone icon at the top of the screen.

When you press the microphone, you’ll summon Cortana. Sometimes, though, the feature might not be turned on. You can check to see if Cortana is turned on in Teams mobile by clicking the hamburger menu on the left of the screen, choosing settings, and then looking for Cortana.

If you’re on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 14, you also can visit this section to add a Cortana shortcut to Siri, too. This will allow you to ask Siri to Open Cortana in Teams, without having to click the microphone icon. Simply follow the instructions on the screen to proceed. You can configure your own “wake word” to summon Cortana in Teams if need be. even if the app is closed.

Tweaking Cortana in Teams

Keep in mind that right now, Cortana is only supported in the Teams mobile app and on Teams Displays in the United States. If you’re from outside the United States, you won’t see this feature. You can enjoy using the phrases we mentioned above for common things like calling, but Cortana can also be used for presenting, too. When a slide is open. you can say things like “Go to the appendix slide” in the Teams mobile app, or “Cortana, go to the appendix slide” when on a Teams Display.

Currently, Cortana also supports two voices. There’s a feminine voice, as well as a masculine voice. You can tweak these from the settings, as we showed above.

Rumor has it that Microsoft is still playing with the idea of bringing Cortana to the desktop. For now, though, Cortana has a new home on Teams on mobile, and it’s a great way to save time during your meetings, and accomplish common tasks.

Microsoft mentions 600 million Edge users in recent job listing

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft Edge has enjoyed some renewed momentum since its release on iOS and Android, before a switch to Chromium made it possible to bring it to older versions of Windows as well as macOS and Linux. If Google Chrome remains the obvious market leader, a recent Microsoft job listing (via Windows Central) mentioned that Edge has now crossed 600 million users.

“With the  general availability Edge has already reached 600 million customers and is taking a fresh approach to browsing by putting the end user at the center and meeting the user where they are, shipping on Windows 10, down level Windows, Mac and Android,” Microsoft said in the job listing for a Principal Software Engineer that will join the Edge team. It’s not exactly clear what this 600 million customers number includes, though keep in mind that Microsoft Edge remains the default browser on Windows 10 PCs and that the OS crossed 1 billion monthly active users last year.

Beyond the Windows ecosystem, Edge now being available macOS, Linux, as well as iOS and Android likely really helped to make the browser more popular, especially with the ability to sync favorites and passwords across platforms. The initial Windows 10 exclusivity made Edge a non-starter for many, as did the fact that new features only came to the web browser every six months with new Windows 10 updates. Fortunately, the new Chromium-based Edge now gets updated just as often as Google Chrome, and Edge Insiders can also test new features before the general public. 

Do you think Microsoft Edge could be the next Microsoft product with 1 billion users this year? Let us know in the comments below.

 

How do I open a WPS file in Windows 10/11 [Best Tools]

Posted on by Ivan Jenic

WPS file is a document created using Microsoft Works word processing software. The file format is similar to .DOC of Microsoft Word but lacks some advanced formatting options that a Word document usually contains.

The default software used to open WPS files was Microsoft Works 9 but the software was discontinued in 2010. However, there are many software programs like MS Word and MS Publisher that can open WPS files but you would need to select an older file format which can be tasking.

Here are some of the best software that you can use to open WPS files today.

How do I open WPS files?

File Viewer Plus

File Viewer Plus is one of the best file viewers available. You can use the software to convert documents, images, and files to other file formats. In addition, you can also modify and save images using the built-in image editor. For every file, you open you can access hidden features as the tool allows access to secured file paths.

Meanwhile, File Viewer supports over 300 file format types and supports WPS file type. With File Viewer Plus you can open, edit, and modify the information contained in your WPS file format. Hence, you can use this software to open WPS files on Windows 10 computer.

Lastly, this tool comes with a user manual that gives you clear tutorials on how to use the software effectively. File viewer supports all Windows operating systems most especially Windows 10.

File Viewer Plus

File Viewer Plus

Convert and edit a plethora of file formats, such as WPS-type files with File Viewer Plus, one of the best software for Windows 10.
Check priceVisit Website

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is an excellent open-source office suite usually used as an alternative to Microsoft office. The suite contains applications similar to Microsoft Office such as Writer which is the word processor, Calc which is similar to Excel, and Impress which is a presentation application.

This software has an easy-to-use graphical user interface and you’ll find it easy to adjust from MS Office as their applications have similar settings to Microsoft Office. The writer application is a good substitute for MS word and can open many file formats including WPS formats.

With the writer application, you can edit, modify, and open WPS files in Windows 10 PC. This makes it ideal software for your WPS file formats as other formatting options such as fonts, table insertion are similar to Microsoft works.

Although the software is limited in overall functions when compared to office, it is still a nice alternative to have as you can open WPS files and it’s free to download as well.

⇒ Check LibreOffice here

Use Microsoft Works

Although Microsoft Works is no longer maintained by Microsoft, it is still available for download on various third-party websites. Microsoft Works is a smaller version of Microsoft Office suite as it is a productivity suite developed for personal use at home.

This office suite contains a word processor for creating resumes, letters, and other documents, a works spreadsheet which is for recording and analyzing data such as inventories, and a works database that is used to store information such as emails and contacts.

In addition, the Works word processor default file format is WPS and users can open, edit and modify WPS files with tools available to customize contents contained in the file. Other format such as Microsoft Word DOCX format is also supported.

However, Works is a great alternative to Microsoft Office suite for your personal use; hence, it combines all the qualities of the office suite in a smaller package. Meanwhile, you can use Microsoft Works to open WPS files on Windows 10 computers.

NCH Doxillion

This software is a free document converter that converts file formats from one format to another. The software enables you to access files before converting them and is a handy software to have on your Windows 10 PC.

NCH Doxillion supports many file formats from DOC, PDF, RTF, HTML, XML, WPD, ODT, and most especially WPS file format. You can open your WPS file formats and view contents in them, although editing tools are limited in this tool. Also, minor adjustments to the WPS documents such as changes of fonts can be made.

Since NCH Doxillion is mainly a file converter, you can convert batches of WPS files into whatever format you want for further use. However, the software uses a simple drag and drop mechanism to convert file formats and is available for Windows 10 operating system.

⇒ Download NCH Doxillion

Have you used any of the software we mentioned above to open WPS files on a Windows 10 PC? Share your experience with us. Feel free to comment in the section below.

How to play DVD Video_TS folder files in Windows 10/11

Posted on by Matthew Adams

Those who have downloaded movies from torrent sites might have spotted Video_TS (video transport stream) folders in File Explorer. Video_TS is a folder that includes DVD data for the downloaded movie.

The folder includes three Video_TS data files within one of its subfolders. Thus, some users might wonder how they can play the DVDTS data after downloading movies.

Users who encountered this issue have also asked the following questions:

  • what is video_ts
  • how do i play video_ts files on my computer
  • playing video_ts files on pc

Here are some easy ways users can play DVD Video_TS folder files in Windows.

How do I play DVD Video_TS Folder Files?

1. Use Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro let’s you do so many things with a video file. First, it can easily playback the video and you can actually see it.

Then, you can use it to simply convert it to a different format that is natively compatible with Windows or other media players and let others enjoy the content.

You can go a bit further actually and edit the video. For example, you can add or edit subtitles and captions. Or you can cut the video and remove unnecessary parts.

Of course, advanced options are available such as making color changes, add slight effects or filters or put together 2 or more video files and combine them into one.

It’s also free to try for 7 full days so that gets you plenty of time to test it out.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro lets you edit, play and access a wide variety of video file formats!
Free trial Visit website

2. Use WinX DVD Ripper

  1. Click the Download Now button on the WinX DVD page.
  2. Click on the setup and install the software.
  3. Open WinX DVD.
  4. Click on +Folder, then select the Video_TS folder you’d like to convert.
  5. Choose To MP4 as the output profile.
  6. Click Browse and select the destination of the converted folder.
  7. Afterward, click Run.

Not all media software supports the Video_TS format. Those users who need to play Video_TS files in media players that don’t support the format can convert the TS folder to MP4 format.

WinX DVD is freeware Windows software with which users can convert Video_TS folders to MP4s. Due to the unique title check mechanism, it supports any types of old and new DVDs, incl. 99-title and damaged DVDs.

In addition, the software is one of the best free ones on the market at the moment, claiming to surpass 95% of its rivals in speed, while also balancing quality at a low CPU usage.

Thus, users can play Video_TS files in VLC, convert them to MP4s, and burn them to DVD for playback in Windows.

This software guide provides further details for some of the best DVD-burning software that you can add video content to DVDs with.

⇒ Download Winx DVD Ripper

3. Burn the Video_TS to a DVD

  1. Click the Download button on the Free DVD Video Burner page to save the software’s installer to a folder.
  2. Then open the software’s setup file to install it.
  3. Insert a blank DVD-RW in the DVD drive.
  4. Click the Browse button to select the Video_TS folder to burn to DVD.
  5. Select the DVD drive from the Drive drop-down menu.
  6. Then press the Burn button.

Users can burn the DVD Video_TS folder to a blank disc. Users will need a blank DVD-RW disc to burn to and DVD burner software.

Free DVD Video Burner is straightforward, if somewhat basic, Windows software to burn a TS folder to disc with. Follow the aforementioned guidelines to burn a Video_TS to DVD with Free DVD Video Burner.

⇒ Download Free DVD Video Burner

4. Use VLC Media Player

  1. Download VLC Media Player.
  2. Open the VLC setup wizard to add the software to Windows.
  3. Next, launch the VLC software.
  4. Click Media at the top left of the VLC window to open that menu.
  5. Select the Open Folder option.
  6. Then select the Video_TS folder to import into VLC.
  7. Press the Select Folder button.
  8. Then click the Play button to playback the video.

VLC users can play Video_TS files without burning them to DVD. The VLC media player supports the Video_TS format so that its users can play TS files without DVD.

⇒ Check VLC Media Player here.

FIX: w32tm /resync Computer did not resync error

Posted on by Matthew Adams

The computer did not resync error arises for some users when they try to sync a Windows Server PC’s time with NTP server. The full error message states:

The computer did not resync because no time data was available.

The Command Prompt displays that error message for some users when they try to sync time with the w32tm /resync command. Check out these resolutions if you need to fix that issue and also the w32tm /resync access denied problem.

How can I fix The computer did not resync error?

1. Reconfigure Windows Time Service Group Policy objects

  1. To do that, launch Run with the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.
  2. Open Group Policy Editor by entering gpedit.msc in Run and clicking OK.
    Group Policy Editor window the computer did not resync because no time data was available
  3. Click Computer Configuration to expand it.
  4. Then double-click Administrative Templates on the left of the window.
  5. Select System and Windows Time Service, which includes a Global Configuration Settings policy.
    Global Configuration Settings policy the computer did not resync because no time data was available
  6. Double-click Global Configuration Settings policy to open further options for it.
  7. Select the Not Configured radio button on the window that opens.
  8. Click OK to confirm.
  9. Then select Time Providers on the left of the window.
    Time Providers the computer did not resync because no time data was available
  10. Double-click Configure Windows NTP Client, Enable Windows NTP Client, and Enable Windows
  11. NTP Server to open those setting windows.
  12. Then select the Not Configured options for Configure Windows NTP Client, Enable Windows NTP Client, and Enable Windows NTP Server.
  13. Click the Apply buttons on the windows to save changes.
  14. Thereafter, you’ll need to restart Windows for changes to come into effect.

Microsoft’s official resolution for The computer did not resync error is to reconfigure Windows Time Service Group Policy objects to Not Configured.

2. Edit the registry

  1. Open Run’s Open text box.
    Registry Editor the computer did not resync because no time data was available
  2. Type regedit the Open box, and click the OK button.
  3. Open this registry key:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/W32Time/Parameters
      Parameters registry key the computer did not resync because no time data was available
  4. Double-click the Type string to open the window in the snapshot below.
  5. If the Type string isn’t there, right-click an empty space on the right of the window and select New, then select String Value. Enter Type in the text box for the new string.
  6. Clear the Value data box. Then enter NT5DS in the Value data box.
  7. Click the OK button.
  8. Thereafter, restart Windows.

3. Run an extended Windows Time (w32tm) command

  1. An extended w32tm command might fix The computer did not resync error. Open the search tool with the Windows key + S hotkey.
  2. Enter the keyword cmd to search for Command Prompt.
  3. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator to open an elevated Prompt.
  4. Type this lengthy command into the Prompt’s window: 
    w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:time.windows.com,0x1/syncfromflags:manual/reliable:yes /update
  5. Press the Enter key to initiate the command.
    w32tm /config command the computer did not resync because no time data was available

You can also review this guide on how to configure an NTP server in Windows to ensure your system uses the correct time source and avoids future sync failures.

So, that’s how you can fix The computer did not resync error so Windows syncs with time server. Those remedies will probably be enough to fix the issue for the majority of users.

However, there might be other resolutions; and users who have fixed the same issue with other methods are welcome to share them below.

PowerDirector 365: Features, Price & Value [Full Review]

Posted on by Teodor Nechita

Nowadays, with the help of powerful PCs and vivid imagination, pretty much anyone can start editing photos and videos as if they were an expert.

However, the difference between a good editor and a great one is the tool they use to create. For those who want to be great, the obvious choice is CyberLink’s PowerDirector 365.

Those unfamiliar with Cyberlink’s PowerDirector 365 think of it as the consumer-friendly versions of professional market software titles Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer.

PowerDirector is loaded with all of the same essential editing tools as peers, and it supports all of the latest formats and technologies.

In addition to being a fraction of the cost, it also includes unlimited access to a royalty-free stock video, image, and music catalog that is powered by the industry-leading Shutterstock.

PowerDirector 365 Features

The latest version of PowerDirector comes packed with exciting new features. With an updated mask designer, dynamic keyframe controls, customizable motion graphic titles, green screen editing, and the ability to add customized shape objects to create text bubbles and callouts within your videos, to name a few.

Whether you’re new to editing or a seasoned pro, there are also instant creation tools to allow you to select templates from a vast library that are pre-designed with titles, transitions, and effects that you can then customize with a few clicks.

PowerDirector 365 is available as a subscription plan for $70/yr – significantly cheaper than its closest competitor Adobe’s Premiere Pro, which costs more than $240/yr.

With PowerDirector 365, you’ll also get much more with its subscription plan.

Here’s a list of the features that you will get with a PowerDirector 365 subscription:

  • Unlimited access to hundreds of thousands of premium and royalty-free stock photos, video footage, and background music from Shutterstock
  • Unlimited access to CyberLink premium plug-ins, templates, cinematic effects, motion graphic titles, LUTs, and pro-level effects for video editing
  • Expansive audio library with a growing collection of sound effects and background music tracks
  • Always up-to-date with the latest features and updates
  • Priority customer support

PowerDirector 365 System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7 (64-bit only)
  • Processor: Intel Core i-series or AMD Phenom II and above
  • Graphics:
    • Standard Video: 128 MB VGA VRAM or higher
    • 360-video: DirectX 11 compatible
    • AI Plugin: 2GB VGA VRAM or higher
  • Memory: 4GB required (6 GB or above recommended)
  • Hard Disk Space: 7 GB
  • Burning Device: Burning drive is required for disc burning purpose
  • Sound Card: Windows compatible sound card is required
  • Internet Connection: Required for initial software and file format activation, downloading software updates (patches), and accessing to DirectorZone services
  • Screen Resolution: 1024 x 768, 16-bit color or above

Installing PowerDirector 365

Once you’ve subscribed to PowerDirector 365, you will be able to access the program through the CyberLink Application Manager. 

The application manager will also manage the software’s updates, as well as manage the additional plug-ins and effects that the PowerDirector 365 subscription provides. 

Note: You will need an Internet connection to access your PowerDirector 365 license.

How do I get CyberLink PowerDirector 365?

Downloading and installing PowerDirector 365 is easy, and it all starts with creating a CyberLink account. Proceed with the following:

  • Go to the official PowerDirector 365 website
  • Select Buy Now
  • Select Annual or a Monthly Plan
  • Create a CyberLink account
  • Make your purchase
  • Open the CyberLink Application manager and download PowerDirector 365

How do I use PowerDirector 365?

The best part of PowerDirector 365 is the powerful core editing software that is not only feature-rich but it’s also easy to handle, even if you’re completely new to the video editing process.

All of the additional content that you can download besides the base program can also be downloaded, updated, and removed with the App Manager, and these include:

  • Effect packs
  • Video packs
  • Audio packs
  • Font packs

Is PowerDirector 365? for professionals?

The great thing about PowerDirector 365 is that it caters to both novice and expert editors alike.

What makes PowerDirector standout is that it packs all of the amazing features of its competitors and more into a substantially more affordable package.

PowerDirector caters to every level of the editor. Advanced editors can go straight into full mode, and the interface will feel familiar with every editing tool that is standard to professional-grade platforms.

If you are new to editing, there are also options for a more approachable introduction to your first project. Additionally, you’ll have full access to their Learning Center, with many video tutorials to guide you at any step in your editing journey.

There’s a wide variety of design packs that the PowerDirector 365 subscription includes that will allow you to expand the horizons of what you can create.

Go from stitching together clips to creating professional-grade cinema just by upgrading to the PowerDirector platform.

Even if you’re unsure about committing to an entire year’s subscription, you can go month-to-month while you explore the platform.

There’s even a free version with limited features that you can try before subscribing.

Professional video editing with an incredible pricing

PowerDirector 365 subscription:

  • Annually – $54.99
  • Monthly – $19.99

PowerDirector 365

Enjoy one of the world’s leading video editing tools, now available as a subscription service with additional benefits!
Free trial Visit website

Closing thoughts on PowerDirector 365

Pros
More plug-ins compared to PowerDirector
New plug-ins and effects added each month
Unlimited access to Plug-ins and Effects
Very cheap annual upgrade option
Automatic product updates
Additional cloud storage
Cons
Internet access is required to use the software

Have you tried Cyberlink’s PowerDirector yet? Let us know what you think about this service by leaving us a message in the comments section below.

Star Wars: Squadrons video game to get free The High Republic content on Xbox and other platforms

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Announced during the Star Wars: The High Republic livestream earlier this morning, the recently released Star Wars: Squadrons video game will be getting a new cosmetic item inspired by a lightsaber from Lucasfilm’s new publishing initiative.

The lightsaber item will unfortunately just be a cockpit flair with which players can decorate their ship with though this does make sense given that the Squadrons game is purely a dogfighting title and has no lightsaber-wielding characters.

This Star Wars: The High Republic item will be added to the game for free, much like the variety of items inspired by The Mandalorian that were added last year.

The High Republic lightsaber in Star Wars Squadrons video game on Xbox One and Xbox Series X

Star Wars: The High Republic is a new set of Star Wars stories set hundreds of years before the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Unlike The Mandalorian which is a live action TV series, all of the High Republic stories will be restricted to novels, children’s books, and comic books. The first books in the High Republic line, Light of the Jedi and A Test of Courage, launched today. The first issue of the Star Wars: The High Republic comic book series launches tomorrow.

Are you interested in the Star Wars: The High Republic? Would you like to see more content from it added to Star Wars video games? Let us know why or why not in the comments and then follow us on Pinterest and Twitter for more Xbox gaming news.

STAR WARS™: Squadrons
STAR WARS™: Squadrons
Download
QR-Code

STAR WARS™: Squadrons
Developer:
Electronic Arts
Price:
Free

How to watch discovery+ outside the US

Posted on by Vlad Constantinescu

Discovery has recently announced the global rollout of its discovery+ streaming service.

However, as you’d expect, there are a few catches. One of the most important ones is that discovery+ isn’t exactly available everywhere.

Furthermore, it seems that, as with many other streaming services, US residents have it best. A question from the FAQ section reads as follows:

Can I access your shows while outside of the US?

Unfortunately, this app is only available in the U.S. and supported territories. However, most of our networks are global and we have apps and sites for each region, depending on your location.

Discovery Plus FAQ

But that shouldn’t stop you from trying to enjoy discovery+, now should it?

No, the truth is that you could still enjoy discovery+ even without being on US soil. And we’ll show you exactly how.

How can I watch discovery+ outside the US?

  1. Buy a VPN subscription (we recommend PIA)
  2. Download and install the VPN client
  3. Launch the VPN client
  4. Log in to your account
  5. Connect to a VPN server*
  6. Head over to the discovery+ website
  7. Enjoy streaming

*Get started by connecting to a VPN server inside the US. For example, we managed to connect with the Texas server. However, don’t be afraid to explore more server options.

Using a VPN is currently the most popular solution to unblock various geo-restricted content.

Given that discovery+ receives the geoblocking treatment much like many other streaming platforms, turning to VPNs makes sense.

Furthermore, you’ll also benefit from increased privacy and security if you choose a VPN.

We recommend Private Internet Access because it has an impressive range of security and privacy features, in addition to an outstanding network of servers (over 22,000 and counting).

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access

Want to watch discovery+ from outside the US? PIA can help you with that.
Check priceBuy it now

Can I watch discovery+ for free?

It may sound weird, but apparently some countries can watch discovery+ for free, at least for now.

India, for instance, lets you access the page and watch discovery+ content without even asking you for an account.

If you try the same for the US or the UK, you’ll most likely face a login prompt, which will stop you in your tracks.

There may be other countries where you could watch discovery+ for free, we just haven’t figured them out yet.

So you may want to experiment with a VPN, try connecting to different countries, and access discovery+. Maybe you’ll hit the jackpot.

In this case, you could also try using a free VPN. However, you shouldn’t expect it to work 100%, as free VPNs are generally easier to detect.

Conclusion

To wrap it up, a VPN is your best course of action if you’re trying to access discovery+ from outside the US.

Furthermore, there are some countries where the service is (still) free, such as India.

Keep in mind that the service has its share of issues, and many have reported Discovery Plus error 400, but we have a guide dedicated to fixing this issue.

You could try and access discovery+ from various countries using a free VPN, just don’t expect it to work 100% of the time.

How to hide browsing history from your ISP [Privacy Guide]

Posted on by Elena Constantinescu

Your ISP sees everything that you do online, including all the websites you visit. Using this information, they can personalize ads based on your location and product preferences.

In a lot of cases, Internet service providers are required by law to collect and store customer data for a limited period of time, so that legal investigation agencies can counteract cybercrime.

An ISP may also throttle network bandwidth if you’re engaged in streaming or torrenting activities.

Throttling can also be used to force you into upgrading to more expensive subscription plans with superior Internet speed.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that most privacy-concerned users are constantly looking for solutions to hide their browsing history from their ISP.

For instance, if you ever tried to use a web browser in incognito or browsing mode, know that it won’t prevent your ISP from monitoring your data.

Google Chrome clear explains this:

But we’re here to guide you on the right path and show you how to improve your online privacy by concealing your browsing activity from your Internet service provider.

How can I hide my browsing history from my ISP?

Use a VPN

PIA

A VPN service offers the easiest way to stop ISP tracking on Windows 10, Mac, Android, iOS, and any other platform.

You can use a virtual private network solution to hide the fact that you’re browsing, torrenting, gaming, or streaming, thanks to encryption.

But we advise against using free VPNs because they usually leak your IP address and compromise your integrity.

Instead, consider investing in a premium VPN service since it will tremendously help you on the long haul.

And we can’t think of a better candidate than Private Internet Access. It provides 256-bit military-grade encryption through OpenVPN.

You can also check out WireGuard, a newer, faster and just as secure protocol if you’re looking to block ISP spying on your computer.

When using a VPN, it’s essential to understand that you’re basically trusting the VPN provider with your data, instead of your ISP. That’s why you must opt for a VPN service that offers a zero-logging privacy policy.

Private Internet Access is a prime example in this case. It’s one of the few VPN services that proved its no-logging claims in court (twice).

More about PIA:

  • Exclusive DNS servers
  • VPN kill switch
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Private Internet Access

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Change your DNS settings

You DNS servers are responsible for translating the domain names you enter in your browser address bar into IP addresses. It’s the way in which computers communicate with each other over the web.

By default, your ISP assigns your DNS servers. So, if your DNS resolver is poisoned, you risk exposing your web navigation details, downloads, torrenting and streaming activity to your ISP.

Here’s how to change your DNS settings on Windows 10:

  1. Right-click the Start button and go to Network Connections
  2. Click Change adapter options
  3. Right-click your Internet connection and select Properties (you need admin rights)
  4. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
  5. Select Use the following DNS server addresses
  6. Set Preferred DNS server to 8.8.8.8
  7. Set Alternate DNS server to 8.8.4.4
  8. Click OK

In our example above, we used the Google Public DNS servers because they’re free, fast, and secure. You can also try CloudFlare or OpenDNS.

If you have IPv6 connectivity, make sure to also modify your IPv6 DNS server addresses.

However, if you’re the owner of a trustworthy VPN service like Private Internet Access (buy here), you don’t have to do anything.

That’s because PIA runs its private DNS servers as soon as you connect to a VPN server. It enhances your online privacy since you’re already encrypting your data traffic with a VPN.

Use Tor (The Onion Router)

The Tor anonymity network amplifies your online privacy and stops your ISP from seeing what you browse or download. It’s particularly great for users looking to defeat government censorship.

Tor encrypts and reroutes your data traffic through multiple nodes all over the world before it reaches its destination. It makes sure that no one can understand who you are or what you’re doing on the Internet.

All you have to do is download the Tor Browser, fire it up, and surf the web as if you’re using a regular browser.

If you’re worried that your VPN provider may not be truthful about its no-logs claim, you can install the Tails operating system, which is based on Tor.

Tails redirects all computer traffic through Tor. So, after installing your VPN service and connecting to a VPN server on Tails, your ISP or VPN provider will not be able to track you down.

Visit only HTTPS websites

HTTPS websites use SSL certificates to provide end-to-end encryption. It’s one of the best ways to protect your computer from eavesdroppers.

Using HTTPS instead of HTTP is also a great way to prevent your ISP from monitoring your data usage. And the simplest way to enforce HTTPS pages is by installing a web browser extension.

For example, Private Internet Access (buy here) has a browser addon with an integrated HTTPS feature. Otherwise, you can set up HTTPS Everywhere.

Keep in mind that an HTTPS browser extension won’t work outside of the web browser, such as torrent clients. A VPN is better in that case.

Use a secure search engine

open source privacy software

In 2019 alone, Google made almost 135 billion US dollars in ad revenue. It made it happening by collecting your data and creating attractive ad opportunities for third-party marketing agencies.

Your ISP also has a big role in this. But you can block IPS and Big Data companies from monitoring you by turning to a secure search engine as an alternative to Google, Yahoo!, and others.

DuckDuckGo is an excellent privacy advocate that ensures private search, tracker blocking, and site encryption. You can also try Startpage or other private search engines.

Conclusion

To recap, you can prevent your ISP from monitoring your downloads, browsing, and other online activities by getting equipped with a dependable VPN service like Private Internet Access (buy here).

You can also change your DNS settings, join the Tor anonymous network, access only HTTPS websites, and resort to a secure search engine like DuckDuckGo.

OneNote app does not sync on Windows 10

Posted on by Madalina Dinita

Microsoft OneNote is a great app for taking notes, compiling data, and organizing information. The best part is, it syncs with the cloud, meaning you can access your notes everywhere.

It is multi-platform, meaning it is available on Android, iOS, macOS, and the Web, besides being available on Windows 10 devices. But this cross-platform design comes with a problem.

Desktop users may frequently face problems when trying to sync data to and from the cloud. This is quite a common problem with the desktop version of OneNote on Windows 10.

In this guide, we look into some of the most common sync errors (notebook/particular section won’t sync, sync conflicts arise, storage issues show up, etc.) and how they can be resolved.

How do I fix OneNote that won’t sync

1. Install the latest updates

Firstly, it is worth noting that whatever problem you may be facing could be a result of an issue with the OneNote application itself. This is why you need to make sure that you have the latest updates installed. Updates will often contain fixes for bugs that may be causing your problems. To check for updates go to File > Account. Click on  Office Options then click on Update Now.

2. Check your Internet connection

Also, a no-brainer, make sure you are actually connected to the Internet before you attempt to troubleshoot OneNote. More often than not, sync issues are a result of bad Internet connections.

You can check your internet connection by looking on the right-down corner, where you should see a Wi-Fi icon or the Ethernet icon. You can also just open an internet page and see if it loads. 

If there are any issues, troubleshoot the problem with the help of your Internet Provider.

3. Manually sync the particular section

  1. Go to File then click on Info.
  2. Click View Sync Status, or right-click on the Notebook you want to sync and click on Notebook Sync Status.
  3. Under Shared Notebook Synchronization, you will find the Sync now button, click on it.

Note: This is a OneNote built-in solution to the problem of a particular section not syncing. 

4. Copy the pages to a new section

  1. Select the + tab or Right-click on the navigation bar,  and select New Section.
  2. Name the new section.
  3. Go to section with the sync problem, right-click on each of its pages and click on Move or Copy.
  4. Select the new section as the destination, and click Copy.

Note: Once you’ve followed through these steps, you can now use the manual sync method described above to sync the new section. Once you’ve synced the section, right-click on the old section and select Delete.

5. Empty the OneNote Recycle Bin

  1. Select the History tab.
  2. Select the Notebook Recycle Bin button.
  3. Right-click on the old section and click on Delete.
  4. You can also select Empty Recycle Bin and delete everything.

Note: The section you’re about the delete may contain important pages. Make sure you copy them before you permanently remove the section from the recycle bin.

Sometimes, when you remove a particular section that isn’t working or that you don’t need anymore, it may end up causing sync problems. For this reason, you need to remove them from the OneNote Recycle Bin. 

6. Fix misplaced sections on OneNote

A section of your notebook could get misplaced when you’re trying to share it with other users. This happens when OneNote tries to sync the changes made to the section but cannot find the section file.

When this happens the notebook gets marked with an icon in the Notebooks list. There are two solutions to this problem, move the misplaced section to another notebook, or delete that section.

Move the misplaced section

OneNote lets you manually resolve the problem of a misplaced section by letting you move the particular section.

  1. Right-click on the tab for the misplaced section.
  2. Select Move or Copy.
  3. Select the target notebook as the destination.
  4. Click on Move or Copy depending on what you would like to do.

Delete the misplaced section

If you’re sure that you do not need the section that has been misplaced, you could simply delete it to resolve the issue. Follow these steps:

  1. Under the Notebooks list, select Misplaced Sections.
  2. Right-click on the misplaced section you would like to remove and click on Delete.

7. Check if the notebook is accessible on the web

  1. Go to File then Info.
  2. You should find the link right below the notebook. Select the link then right-click on it and click Copy.
  3. On the web browser of your choice, enter the link you just copied and hit enter to open the notebook.

Note: If your notebook is accessible via the web browser then this confirms that there is a problem with the desktop app. If not, it could be a service error.

If the problem is with your desktop app, one of the simplest solutions to get your notebook to start syncing again is to close and reopen it. This should reset the connection, and get your notebook to start syncing again.

8. Check the sync status

If you were able to access the notebook online, but the changes you recently made weren’t added to it, you should check the sync status of the notebook to confirm whether or not it was synced. 

To check the status, go to File then Info, and from the right side select  View Sync Status. In the new windows, you will see an error message below the notebook with the issue.

If possible, click on the Get Help button in order to access more troubleshooting steps. If that’s not available,  note the error message and do a quick online research.

10. Check the service status

If you were not able to access the notebook online via a web browser, there could be a problem with the OneDrive service itself. To confirm this, open a web browser of your choice and proceed to the Office portal.

If the services are up and running, you should see a green screen with a tick mark, and the message  In case there is nothing wrong with the services, you should contact Microsoft for further assistance on your issue.

Make sure that you keep OneNote open and signed in during the troubleshooting process. You could potentially lose your data otherwise.

11. Fix content sync conflict on OneNote

When two or more people try and edit the same piece of text simultaneously, this will result in synchronization conflicts. These conflicts are automatically detected by OneNote which then proceeds to create multiple copies of the same page. This will be indicated via a yellow message that appears on the top of the page.

To prevent this issue from showing up in the future, make sure only one user is editing a page at a time. Or you could coordinate who edits which section.

To resolve this issue, you will need to copy the edited content to the main page and then proceed to delete the other page. To do this, click on the yellow message, copy the content from the temporary page, and paste it onto the primary page.

12. Fix storage sync conflicts on OneNote

You may occasionally run across error code 0xE00015E0. What this means is, either your file is too big to sync, or that your local device is low on space. Usually, it’s because OneNote has a lot of backups stored.

Here’s how you can resolve these issues.

Remove unnecessary backups

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue.
  2. Paste the following and hit enter: %localappdata%.
  3. Double click on the Microsoft folder, then OneNote.
  4. Here click on the folder with a name corresponding to the version of your application (16.0 for OneNote 2016, for instance),
  5. Open the Backup folder.
  6. Delete all the backup files that you no longer need.

Optimize files and reduce automatic backups

  1. Go to File then Options.
  2. Select Save & Backup.
  3. Under Optimizing files, select Optimize All Files Now.
  4. Under Backup, reduce the number of backup copies to keep.

All of the above steps should help you out when OneNote is giving you trouble with synchronization.

If you are looking for a great alternative solution to OneNote, we recommend you Evernote. It will help you to store everything from personal moments to business projects, safe, always secure, and ready whenever you need them.

You can use it on multiple devices so your important notes are with you wherever you go. Read more about this excellent software in our Evernote guide.

Posted in Fix

Something went wrong while downloading your template [Fix]

Posted on by Matthew Adams

MS Office 2013 users can utilize templates for preformatted documents. However, some Office users have said that a Something went wrong while downloading your template error message pops when they try to download templates.

Consequently, users can’t get new templates from within Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. These are some of the resolutions that have fixed the Something went wrong while downloading your template error for MS Office users.

How do I fix the downloading template error?

1. Get a template from the Office templates and themes page

download template Something went wrong downloading template

Note that you don’t need to download templates from within Office applications. You can manually download templates from Office templates & themes on Microsoft’s website.

Select a theme there, and click its Download button. That won’t fix the Something went wrong while downloading your template error within Office applications, but you can still get themes nonetheless.

2. Uninstall Visio Viewer

  1. Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to launch Run.
  2. Enter appwiz.cpl in Run and click OK to open the uninstaller Control Panel applet.
    uninstall application Something went wrong
  3. Select the Microsoft Visio Viewer, and press the Uninstall button.
  4. Click Yes on any dialog box window that opens.
  5. Restart Windows after uninstalling Visio Viewer.
  6. Alternatively, users can uninstall Viso with its uninstaller. To do that, press the Windows key + Q hotkey and enter Visio Viewer in Cortana’s search box.
  7. Then right-click Visio Viewer and select Open file location.
  8. Click the Uninstall.exe in Visio Viewer’s folder to remove the software.

Note: Lots of Office users have stated that uninstalling Visio Viewer fixes the error. That’s the software that enables users to preview their Visio pictures within Internet Explorer. 

If you need to keep Visio Viewer, you can try reinstalling it. Click Download on this VV page. Then select either visioviewer64bit.exe or visioviewer32bit.exe and click Next to download the 64 or 32-bit version that matches MS Office’s bit version.

In addition, if you experience problems uninstalling Visio Viewers or other problematic applications on your PC, you can rely on other best uninstaller software that completely removes certain programs.

3. Repair MS Office

  1. Open the Run accessory.
  2. Input appwiz.cpl in the Open text box, and click the OK button.
  3. Next, select the MS Office suite listed within the Programs and Features Control Panel applet.
  4. Then press the Change button.
  5. Select the Repair option.
  6. Users can then select a Quick or Online Repair option.
  7. Press the Repair button.

Note: A better alternative Is to use Stellar File Repair, a tool designed to repair office files. It can fix several corrupt files such as PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, ZIP archives, and Word documents.

4. Deselect the Allow Office to connect to the internet option

  1. Click File and Options in an Office application.
  2. Then click Trust Center on the left of the window.
    word options something went wrong downloading template
  3. Press the Trust Center Settings button.
  4. Click Privacy Options on the left of the Trust Center window.
  5. Deselect the Allow Office to connect to the internet setting.
  6. Click the OK button on the window.

The above solutions are all confirmed resolutions and will fix the Something went wrong while downloading your template error for most MS Office users.

Then you can download the templates you need within Microsoft Office applications again.

Microsoft Edge starts rolling out History and Tabs sync to non-Insiders

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Back in November 2020, Microsoft Edge Canary and Dev channels gained the ability to sync browsing history and open tabs across devices. While the new feature was only available to Edge Insiders until now, it appears that some non-Insiders are also starting to see this in the stable version of the browser.

According to Thurrott.com, the feature was spotted by a Twitter user that had Edge Stable with version 87, though we believe that it has yet to reach all users. The change appears to be a part of the controlled rollout strategy, so you may have to wait for a bit to see it on your machine. Unfortunately, we are not seeing it yet on a couple of Windows 10 PCs we checked.

To use this feature, you need to enable these sync options in Edge manually. To do this, head over to the Settings Settings and more ( … ) > Profiles > Sync. On this page, you should use the toggle buttons to enable Open tabs and History sync options and finally restart the browser.

Needless to say, this is definitely a welcomed change, as makes it easier to access browsing history and web pages across different devices. In case you missed it, the company has listed new Microsoft Edge features that will roll out to users in the stable channel with version 88 later this month. The list includes Vertical tabs, Password Monitor, Sleeping tabs, the ability to reset your sync data, and more. If you’re interested, feel free to check out the Microsoft Edge Roadmap for details.

Microsoft Launcher gets a quality update on the Surface Duo

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Over the holidays, Microsoft Launcher on the Surface Duo was updated to version 6.2.201102.92686. This quality update brings some small changes to the experience for those who own the Microsoft dual-screen Android device (via Windows Central.)

According to the Google Play Store listing, one of the changes includes Improvements for spacing and icon consistency in the app drawer. Other changes include support for keyboard search in the Office apps. Some of the other things that the changelog mentions don’t appear to be new, however, and have been seen in prior releases. The rest of the changelog is below.

  • Improvements on opening feed page in landscape and concurrent with another app on Surface Duo
  • Support overview on single screen of Surface Duo
  • Support screen time on Surface Duo
  • Improvement on app group creation flow via context menu
  • Multi-touch of app icon repositioning supported on home screen
  • Fixed known bugs on app drawer, app icon size, folder swipe up gesture

If you missed your chance to get Surface Duo, and want to experience Microsoft Launcher on the device, the wholesale retailer CDW is currently selling the base-model version of the Surface Duo at almost half the price. It’s selling for the all-time low price of just $740.

Hands on with Text Grab for Windows 10: An app that will make your life easier

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

One of the most common things you might find yourself doing in Windows 10 every day is copying and pasting text. Most often, it’s from a webpage, an email, or a document. But what if you want to copy text from a photo or a video (without selectable text) and paste it on your clipboard?

Usually, doing so would entail using the “search with screenshot” feature of the Windows 10 search box, and going into Bing on the web, and copying the text. Developer Joe Finney, though, has a new app that helps make the process a lot easier, without the use of the internet.

I wrote about the app the day he introduced it, but I’ve also been spending my time with it over the past few days, too. Here’s a hands-on look at the experience.

Using the Text Grab app

Using Text Grab is just as simple as using a screenshot tool. Once it’s downloaded from the Microsoft Store, all you need to do is launch it from the Start Menu, or pin it to your taskbar. Your screen will then change over to a lighter color, and you’ll see a pencil appear in place of your mouse. You can drag the pencil anywhere you want, and it will turn into a green box and will “grab” the text it sees on your screen. That could be text in a video, an excerpt from a PDF, or anything else you want.

Once you select from the part of the image you want, Text Grab will then paste the text to your clipboard. You can paste it anywhere you want, just as if it were always text. Most times, the end result will be pretty accurate. I’ve been using it to copy specs off supplied specs sheets, videos, and PDFs for CES related posts, and it’s been quite a time-saver, compared to having to manually drag my mouse around to copy things into my posts.

Do note that there’s also a functionality built into Text Grab where if you single-click, the app will attempt to copy the word which was clicked on. This is a function of the Windows 10 OCR, as we’ll get into next. It draws a box around each of the words it recognizes.

How Text Grab works

Ocr Joe Finn

So, how does this app work? While it sounds pretty basic, it actually functions using the Windows OCR API. For those unfamiliar, the Windows OCR is Optical Character Recognition. It’s part of the Universal Windows Platform (UWP.) The developer feature lets you extract text and text layout information from images. Unlike most apps that extract text and layout information from images, the OCR doesn’t require an internet connection. It’s also been used in Word, OneNote, OneDrive, and Office Lens. Since Office Lens has been removed from the Microsoft Store on Windows 10, this helps you fill that gap a bit.

Do note that Text Grab is also meant to be simplistic, too. It doesn’t have to run in the background all the time, and it can easily be launched with a keyboard shortcut if you pin the app to your taskbar. There’s also no clunky user interfaces with things such as a history page, or even popups asking for feedback.

Text Grab is open sourced!

The best part of Text Grab is that the app is open sourced. While Joe Finney says that his app is still a work in progress, the code for the app is available on GitHub. This means that it can change over time, with help from the community. You can check the app out here on GitHub if you’re the kind of person that likes to tinker or develop Windows 10 apps. Of course, we also invite you to check out the app via the link below, too. We’ll be having Joe on the OnPodcast this weekend, so be sure to drop us some questions that you might have for him, as well!

Text Grab
Text Grab
Download
QR-Code

Text Grab
Developer:
JoeFinApps
Price:
$9.99

 

Old Windows Core “Polaris” build leaks, confirming that the ex-Microsoft project was a real thing

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

If you’re a close follower of Windows and Microsoft, you might remember the rumors of an operating system known as Polaris. It was believed to be a streamlined flavor of Windows Core OS for new PCs, cutting out legacy features in favor of better battery life, and performance on lower-end hardware. It was eventually canceled in favor of Windows 10X, but an early build of Polaris recently leaked online, confirming the project was actually once a thing at Microsoft (via Windows Central.)

Interestingly enough, this early Polaris build is designed for ARM32 PCs, like the Surface RT. However, it’s not really something to install, as there’s no Windows Shell, and there are no apps in the release. Zac Bowden reports that the leak is an RS3 RTM build, confirming that Microsoft has been working on the project since at least 2017. Again, though, there isn’t anything new or anything most people can play with in this leaked build. It’s rather designed for professionals who are interested in tweaking and exploring an unreleased version of Windows.

While there isn’t much to this leaked build, it’s still something you might want to check out. We don’t endorse or recommend installing it, but it’s available dow download on the Internet Archive.

Windows 10 Office Lens app has been removed from the Microsoft Store

Posted on by Radu Tyrsina

Microsoft has removed Office Lens, the company’s free document scanning tool app for Windows 10, from the Microsoft Store. The app no longer supports certain cloud-based features, and users won’t be able to save their pictures to cloud services including OneDrive, and OneNote (via Aggiornamenti Lumia).

“Certain cloud-based services in Office Lens for Windows, such as saving your pictures to OneDrive, OneNote, Word, PowerPoint, or PDF, will become unavailable after December 31, 2020. You can continue to use other features of the app as installed on your device. In addition, Office Lens for Windows 10 will no longer be available for download from the Microsoft Store as of January 1, 2021,” the company explained.

As a recall, Microsoft launched the Office Lens app for the Windows Phone platform back in 2014. The handy tool allows users to convert their smartphones into a portable scanner for converting physical documents to Word, PowerPoint, or PDF format. The scanned documents can be uploaded to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage and OneNote.

The company announced in October that Office Lens for Windows 10 is losing support by the end of 2020, and the change was detailed in a support document. While the Microsoft Store Office Lens version is no longer available, the app should continue to work on Android and iOS devices. For the best experience, you’ll need to download the latest version of Office Lens from Google Play or the App Store, though.

Microsoft Lens - PDF Scanner
Microsoft Lens - PDF Scanner
Download
QR-Code

Microsoft Lens – PDF Scanner
Developer:
Microsoft Corporation
Price:
Free


‎Microsoft Lens: PDF Scanner
‎Microsoft Lens: PDF Scanner
Download
QR-Code

‎Microsoft Lens: PDF Scanner
Developer:
Microsoft Corporation
Price:
Free

Microsoft’s getting closer to its ‘One Outlook’ vision with Project Monarch

Posted on by Kareem Anderson

According to a report from Windows Central journalist Zac Bowden, sources familiar within Microsoft are talking about a tangible timeline for the final consolidation of Outlook across platforms.

A few years ago, Microsoft spearheaded a project to redesign Outlook on the Web to bring it more in line with its own flagship enterprise email client. The result was a nicer looking web email client that still lacked most of the built-in functionality achieved by the native commercial offering of Outlook for the desktop. On top of its efforts on the web, Microsoft also divided up engineering resources to work on a more consumer-friendly in-box email client for its Windows 10 operating system that split the functionality of Outlook up between two apps simply titled Mail and Calendar. Once again, people were offered a sleeker-looking mail client that still lacked many of the features more flushed out mail services still offered.

It now seems that Microsoft is underway with a project called Monarch that intends to replace the Windows 10 desktop client with a new web app that will function identically across Mac, PCs, and the web. Other details include the web app hosting a much smaller install footprint as well as greater accessibility to users on both free and paid Office accounts while also gaining some native OS integration in the processes. Among some of the native features coming to Project Monarch are offline storage, share targets, and system notifications to start.

Microsoft watcher Tero Alhonen added to the intrigue with a screenshot of what looks to be an early look at Project Monarch:

Unfortunately, Project Monarch is a way off with Bowden reporting that testing of the new client may not happen until the end of 2021 and possible full replacement of the Mail & Calendar app in Windows happening sometime in 2022. Microsoft also wants to tackle its flagship commercial Outlook app through Project Monarch but that undertaking is even further down the road.

In the meantime, the Mail & Calendar app for Windows 10 will receive one more visual update as part of its maintenance upkeep that will showcase some early visions of the next design elements of Windows 10 via the company’s Sun Valley UI overhaul.

Again, it should be noted that Microsoft has not confirmed any of the above information, but Bowden tends to have reliable sources.

Let us know in the comments below what you make of Microsoft’s umpteenth attempt at consolidating its mail efforts.