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Facebook messengers alternatives

People are becoming more and more concerned with their privacy and Facebook's flagship messaging application is caught between it all. While still widely popular it has becoming to lose its ground due to many unanswered questions about privacy encryption.

Lucky for all of us there are alternatives for more secure messaging.

SIGNAL

Arguably the most secure of all well-regarded messaging apps, Signal is the favorite of the European Commission, as well as newsrooms around the world. While Signal doesn’t disclose how many daily or monthly users the app has, Google’s Play Store says it has been installed more than 50 million times. While using Signal, each voice or video call connected through the app includes full end-to-end encryption.

Signal takes an extra step by hiding message metadata so that the location of the original message is missing. While it asks for your mobile number, that number isn’t used with your profile. Instead, it acts as a numeric username. Once registered, you will find 1-1 chat, audio, and video calls, disappearing or “secret” chats, and a privacy lock so nobody can access the app even if they have your phone. Best of all, it’s completely free to use.

TELEGRAM

One of the biggest competitors to Facebook Messenger (and WhatsApp), Telegram is a very strong alternative. With more than 400 million users, it offers an interface that should feel right at home for anyone coming from Messenger. Telegram offers some huge benefits over Messenger, including features like groups that can hold up to 200,000 members for a chat. There is no limit on your media or chat size, and you can share all types of files between users and in groups.

From a privacy standpoint, Telegram has robust security, but it is worth noting that only “secret” messages are end-to-end encrypted and can self-destruct. Non-secret messages can be stored on Telegram’s servers so you can pick them up between your devices quickly. That’s a consideration worth knowing prior to making Telegram your default Messenger replacement. Telegram is free across all platforms.

THREEMA

Rising in popularity, Threema is another privacy-focused alternative that has quickly become a competitor to Facebook Messenger. This paid service ($2.99 on both App Store and Play Store) is a pay-once, use forever option. Once you pay the small fee, you gain all of Threema’s touted privacy options, like open-source end-to-end encryption for both messages and calls.

Like Signal, Threema won’t require you to link any phone numbers or emails to your account. All chats are handled anonymously, and the service generates a random user ID when you first open and register for the app. No data is collected from any of your chats and no ads are shown.

The Swiss-made app does have its own servers hosted in Switzerland, which do not store any chat messages. Another privacy benefit of Threema is the notion that all of your contact lists, groups, and user profiles are hosted on your device, not on the Swiss servers. Because of that, Threema can once again state that none of your personal info is stored anywhere they have access.

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How to Fix Camera app Error code 0xa00f4243
Windows 10 has a UWP app for its Camera that you can use to take pictures and videos. However, if you suddenly encounter an error code 0xa00f4243 while using the Camera UWP app, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will provide some potential fixes that you can use to fix the problem. This kind of error could be due to an outdated or corrupted driver or a third-party program. When this error appears on the Camera UWP app, you will see the following error message:
“Close other apps. It looks as though another app is already using the camera. If you need it, here’s the error code: 0xA00F4243 (0xC00D3704)”
To fix the error code: 0xA00F4243 (0xC00D3704) in the Camera UWP app, you can try to run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter or reset the Camera app or update or reinstall the driver or apply some tweaks in the Registry Editor. In addition, you can also try checking the Windows Services or run the System File Checker.

Option 1 – Try to run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter

The Windows 10 Store Apps Troubleshooter will help you in fixing the Camera UWP app error code: 0xA00F4243 (0xC00D3704). This is a great built-in tool from Microsoft that helps users fix any app installation issues. So this is worth a try to solve the problem. This built-in tool also helps you fix the Windows 10 Store if it isn’t working. To use the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter, follow the steps below.
  • Tap Win + I keys again to open the Windows Settings panel.
  • Go to Update & Security and then go to Troubleshoot.
  • Under the Troubleshoot section, on your left-hand side, scroll down to find Window Store Apps.
  • Then click on the Run the troubleshooter option and follow the on-screen instructions and then see if it fixes the problem.

Option 2 – Try to reset the Camera app to fix

As pointed out earlier, you can also reset the Camera app to fix the error. To do so, follow the steps below.
  • The first thing you have to do is go to the My Pictures folder under the C: drive of the File Explorer and then delete the Camera Roll folder.
  • Once you’re done, right-click on an empty area on your screen and create a new folder and name it “Camera Roll”.
  • Then from the Start menu open the Settings app and select System.
  • From there, navigate to the Apps and features section.
  • Now go to Camera and click on the Advanced Options and click the Reset button.

Option 3 – Try to reinstall the drivers for the Camera app

You might want to reinstall the Camera drivers as it could resolve the problem. To do so, refer to these steps:
  • First, boot your computer into Safe Mode.
  • After that, tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
  • Type in devmgmt.msc  into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
  • After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. From there, look for the driver listed under the Camera section and then, right-click on each entry of the device drivers and select the “Uninstall Device” option from the menu.
  • Now restart your computer.
  • After restarting your computer, go to the Settings app and Check for Updates in the Windows Update section.

Option 4 – Try to use the Registry Editor

  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  • After that, navigate to this registry key: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWOW6432NodeMicrosoftWindows Media FoundationPlatform
  • Here, look for a DWORD named “EnableFrameServerMode” and if you can’t see it, just create a new DWORD by right-clicking on any empty space.
  • Then select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it as “EnableFrameServerMode”.
  • Double click on the newly created DWORD and set its Value data to “0” and click on OK.
  • Restart your computer and see if it fixes the Camera UWP app error code: 0xA00F4243 (0xC00D3704).

Option 5 – Try checking the Windows Services

Note that this option only applies to computers with Intel Hardware for the Camera.
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “services.msc” and hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
  • Next, look for the “Intel(R) RealSense(TM) Depth” service from the list of services and double click on it to open its Properties.
  • After that, change its Startup Type to “Automatic” and make sure it’s running and then click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
  • Restart your computer and check if the problem has been resolved.

Option 6 – Try running System File Checker or SFC scan

System File Checker or SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files to good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.
  • Tap Win + R to launch Run.
  • Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
  • After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow
The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:
  1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
  2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
  3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
  • Reboot your PC.
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Fix Windows Update Error 0x800F081F – 0x20003
If you are trying to upgrade your computer but encounter the Windows Update Error 0x800F081F – 0x20003 instead, then read on as this post will guide you in fixing this Windows Update error. This kind of error is commonly encountered when upgrading your copy of Windows 10 and is caused by errors with various developer-related settings that are being enabled in the system. When you encounter Windows Update Error 0x800F081F – 0x20003, you will see either of these error messages:
“We couldn’t install Windows 10. The installation failed in the SAFE_OS phase with an error during INSTALL_UPDATES operation: Error 0x800F081F”  “The installation failed in the Safe_OS phase with an error during apply_image operation: Error: 0x800f081f – 0x20003”
To fix this kind of Windows Update error, you need not use external programs but you can try to disable the Developer Mode, run the Windows Update troubleshooter or restart all the Windows Update-related services and components. For more details, refer to the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try to disable Developer Mode

You might have to disable Developer Mode to fix the Windows Update Error 0x800F081F – 0x20003. How? Refer to these steps:
  • Tap the Win + I keys on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
  • Next, go to Update & Security > For Developers.
  • From there, select the toggle for Sideload apps or Microsoft Store apps located on the right-side panel.
  • If you get any prompt, just click on Yes.
  • After that, navigate to Apps > Apps & features and then click on Optional features on the right-side panel.
  • Then scroll down to locate the Windows Developer Mode entry and select it and click on Uninstall.
  • Once you’re done uninstalling the Windows Developer Mode component, close the Settings app and restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Option 2 – Try to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

You should also try to run the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter as it could help you resolve the Windows Update Error 0x800F081F – 0x20003. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.

Option 3 – Try restarting various Windows Update-related services and components

  • Tap the Win + X key combination and select Command Prompt (Admin) to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
  • After opening Command Prompt, copy and paste each one of the commands listed below one by one and tap Enter right after you enter each command.
    • net stop wuauserv
    • net stop bits
    • net stop appidsvc
    • ren %systemroot%SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak
    • ren %systemroot%system32catroot2 catroot2.bak
  • Once you’ve entered all the commands given above, they will stop all the Windows Update services that are running on your computer as well as clear the SoftwareDistribution folder, and reset the Catroot2 folder. Now you have to start all these Windows Update services you’ve just stopped by executing the following commands:
    • net start wuauserv
    • net start bits
    • net start appidsvc
    • net start cryptsvc
  • After that, restart your computer and try to run the setup again, and see if the error is now fixed.
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Removing Linkey From Windows Tutorial

Linkey is a potentially unwanted web browser search extension for the top browsers, designed to modify the user’s search and home pages in order to direct advertising. This extension changes your default search provider, redirects new tabs, and distributes information & statistics to the server. This extension will display unwanted ads, redirect you through unwanted search engines, and send your browsing information (potentially private information) back to its ad network.

From the publisher: Linkey is compatible with all the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox. Linkey is a simple browser extension that allows you to get the best sites in one click in visualized & friendly interface.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking is actually a type of unwanted software, often a browser add-on or extension, which causes modifications in the browser’s settings. Browser hijackers could do many different things on your PC. Usually, hijackers will force hits to websites of their preference either to increase traffic producing higher advertisement revenue, or to obtain a commission for each and every user visiting there. Nonetheless, it’s not that harmless. Your online safety is compromised and it is also extremely annoying. Browser hijackers could also allow other malicious programs without your knowledge to further damage your computer.

How to know whether the web browser is hijacked?

The typical symptoms that suggest having this malicious software on your PC are: 1. your homepage has been reset to some unfamiliar site 2. your browser is constantly being redirected to adult sites 3. the essential web browser settings are modified and undesirable or insecure resources are put into the trusted sites listing 4. unsolicited new toolbars are added to your browser 5. you may notice endless pop-up ads on your screen 6. your web browser starts running sluggishly or exhibits frequent errors 7. You simply can’t access particular sites, particularly anti-malware websites.

How it infects your computer

Browser hijackers attack computers through malicious e-mail attachments, downloaded infected computer files, or by checking out infected internet sites. They could be included with toolbars, BHO, add-ons, plug-ins, or browser extensions. Also, certain freeware and shareware can put the hijacker in your PC through the “bundling” technique. Examples of well-known browser hijackers are Fireball, GoSave, Ask Toolbar, CoolWebSearch, Babylon Toolbar, and RocketTab. Browser hijackers could interrupt the user’s browsing experience severely, keep track of the websites visited by users and steal financial information, cause problems in connecting to the internet, and ultimately create stability issues, making applications and computers crash.

How you can get rid of a browser hijacker

Some hijackers can be simply removed by deleting the free software they came with or by removing any extension you have recently added to your computer. Unluckily, the majority of the software products used to hijack a browser are deliberately built to be difficult to eliminate or detect. Moreover, manual removals demand in-depth system knowledge and therefore can be an extremely difficult job for novices.

What To Do When You Cannot Download Safebytes Anti-Malware?

All malware is bad and the magnitude of the damage may vary greatly in accordance with the type of infection. Certain malware variants modify internet browser settings by including a proxy server or modify the computer’s DNS configurations. When this happens, you will be unable to visit some or all of the websites, and therefore unable to download or install the necessary security software to remove the malware. If you’re reading this, you may have infected by a virus that prevents you from downloading computer security software like Safebytes Anti-Malware. There are a few options you can attempt to get around with this obstacle.

Install in Safe Mode

The Windows-based PC has a special mode called “Safe Mode” in which just the bare minimum required programs and services are loaded. If the malware is blocking internet access and affecting your PC, running it in Safe Mode will let you download antivirus and run a diagnostic scan while limiting potential damage. In order to get into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press F8 while the system is starting up or run MSConfig and look for the “Safe Boot” options under the “Boot” tab. After you restart into Safe Mode with Networking, you could download, install, as well as update anti-malware software from there. After installation, run the malware scanner to remove most standard infections.

Use an alternate browser to download an antivirus application

Certain viruses might target vulnerabilities of a specific web browser that obstruct the downloading process. If you appear to have a virus attached to Internet Explorer, then switch over to an alternate internet browser with built-in safety features, such as Chrome or Firefox, to download your favorite antivirus program – Safebytes.

Install security software on a thumb drive

Here’s another solution which is creating a portable USB anti-malware software that can check your system for malicious software without needing installation. Do these simple actions to clean up your affected PC using portable anti-malware. 1) Download the anti-malware program on a virus-free computer. 2) Plug the Flash drive into the clean computer. 3) Double-click on the downloaded file to open the installation wizard. 4) Choose the USB flash drive as the destination for saving the software file. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the installation. 5) Unplug the USB drive. You may now utilize this portable anti-malware on the infected computer system. 6) Double click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the flash drive to run the software. 7) Click on “Scan Now” to run a complete scan on the infected computer for malware.

A Look at the Best AntiMalware Program

Want to download the very best anti-malware software for your laptop? There are several applications in the market that come in paid and free versions for Microsoft Windows systems. Some of them are excellent, some are ok types, while some will destroy your PC themselves! When searching for an anti-malware tool, choose one which provides dependable, efficient, and complete protection against all known computer viruses and malware. On the list of highly recommended software programs is SafeBytes AntiMalware. SafeBytes carries a good track record of top-quality service, and customers are very happy with it. Safebytes is one of the well-established computer solutions companies, which offer this all-inclusive anti-malware software. Using its cutting-edge technology, this application will allow you to eradicate multiples types of malware such as computer viruses, trojans, PUPs, worms, ransomware, adware, and browser hijackers. SafeBytes has got a variety of wonderful features that can help you protect your PC from malware attacks and damage. Below are some typical features present in this tool: Live Protection: SafeBytes offers a totally hands-free active protection that is set to observe, prevent and remove all threats at its very first encounter. This utility will always monitor your computer for any suspicious activity and updates itself regularly to keep current with the newest threats. Most Reliable AntiMalware Protection: This deep-cleaning anti-malware software program goes much deeper than most antivirus tools to clean your computer system. Its critically acclaimed virus engine finds and disables hard-to-remove malware that conceals deep inside your PC. Internet Security: Through its unique safety rating, SafeBytes notifies you whether a site is safe or not to access it. This will make sure that you’re always certain of your safety when browsing the net. Lightweight Utility: The program is lightweight and can run silently in the background, and that does not have an effect on your PC efficiency. 24/7 Live Professional Support: SafeBytes provides 24/7 technical support, automatic maintenance, and upgrades for the best user experience.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove Linkey without the use of an automated tool, it may be possible to do so by removing the program from the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu, or in cases of browser extensions, going to the browsers AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. You will likely also want to reset your browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. Please note that this is for advanced users only and may be difficult, with incorrect file removal causing additional PC errors. In addition, some malware is capable of replicating or preventing deletion. Doing this in Safe Mode is advised.

The following files, folders, and registry entries are created or modified by Linkey

Files: C:Users%USER%AppDataLocalTempis33084504mysearchdial.dll C:Users%USER$AppDataLocalTempis357113909833170_stpsetup.exe c:Users%USER$AppDataLocalTempMega Browsemegabrowse_setup.exe C:Program Files (x86)Linkeylog.log C:Program Files (x86)LinkeyHelper.dll C:Program Files (x86)LinkeyChromeExtensionChromeExtension.crx C:Program Files (x86)Linkey C:Program Files (x86)LinkeyChromeExtension C:Program Files (x86)LinkeyIEExtension C:Users%USER$AppDataRoamingDigitalSitesUpdateProc Registry: HKLMSOFTWARECLASSESAPPID6A7CD9EC-D8BD-4340-BCD0-77C09A282921 HKLMSOFTWAREWOW6432NODECLASSESAPPID6A7CD9EC-D8BD-4340-BCD0-77C09A282921 HKLMSOFTWARECLASSESCLSID181F2C09-56DD-4F98-86D7-59BA2BC59B5A HKLMSOFTWARECLASSESCLSID4D9101D6-5BA0-4048-BDDE-7E2DF54C8C47 HKLMSOFTWAREMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONEXPLORERBROWSER HELPER OBJECTS HKLMSOFTWARELINKEY HKLMSOFTWAREWOW6432NODELINKEY HKLMSOFTWAREWOW6432NODESYSTEMKGeneral HKUS-1-5-18-ED1FC765-E35E-4C3D-BF15-2C2B11260CE4-0SOFTWARECONDUITValueApps HKLMSOFTWAREWOW6432NODEMICROSOFTWINDOWSCURRENTVERSIONEXPLORERBROWSER HELPER OBJECTSEF5625A3-37AB-4BDB-9875-2A3D91CD0DFD HKLMSOFTWARELINKEY|ie_jsurl, http://app.linkeyproject.com/popup/IE/background.js HKLMSOFTWAREWOW6432NODELINKEY|ie_jsurl, http://app.linkeyproject.com/popup/IE/background.js
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Cannot Create User Account During Out Of Box Experience or Sign In, Non-Responsive Behavior (Welcome Back) Page

When you upgrade your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 system to Windows 10, you’ll undergo a phase called Out of Box Experience, or simply OOBE. This phase is intended to allow users to customize their Windows 10 experience, which includes defining personal settings, creating user accounts, and more. Some users reported having issues when creating their user account during the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) on Windows 10 upgrade. Some also reported issues about non-responsive behavior (Welcome Back) page.

Solution

Restoro box imageError Causes

Unfortunately, there’s no known cause for this error. However, some users reported that this occurs when:

  • There’s a problem with the ISO or CD used to install Windows 10
  • There’s hardware malfunctioning on the computer

Further Information and Manual Repair

Your Windows 10 upgrade will not be successful if you’re not able to create a user account or finish the Out of the Box (OOBE) phase of the installation. Here are some methods that will help you fix this manually.

Method 1 – Wait and retry

Some users reported that waiting for about an hour and retrying the process again will solve this problem. It’s also recommended that you keep your computer in a ventilated place while you wait to retry the process.

Method 2 – Load default user manually

This method has 2 requirements in order to work.

  1. You need to be upgrading from a previous Windows version, and
  2. Your Windows was originally configured to automatically boot to desktop

If you meet these two requirements, you can solve the error by following the steps below:

  1. Hold CTRL+ESC keys. Windows should load the default user after doing this step.
  2. Press the Windows key + X. Then, click the Computer Management icon
  3. Choose “Local Users and Groups”
  4. Double click on Users
  5. Right-click on the right pane, and then choose “New User”
  6. Create a new user account and password

Method 3 – Power down your laptop

This method only applies if you’re a laptop user.

  1. Power down your laptop
  2. Remove the battery of your laptop
  3. Wait for about 10 minutes
  4. Connect your laptop using direct current
  5. Turn on your laptop again
  6. Create a new user account and log in

Method 4 – Create a local account if you’re trying to set up a Microsoft account

Instead of connecting to a Microsoft Account after the set-up, you might want to try creating a local account. To do this, follow the steps below:

  1. Power down your computer if you are to set up a Local Account.
  2. Disconnect your computer from the Internet, either Wired or Wireless
  3. Unplug your computer, and wait for about 10 minutes.
  4. Reconnect your computer and start Windows. Do NOT connect to the Internet and make sure you’re disconnected to any devices you don’t need.
  5. Try creating a user account again

 If the steps above don’t work, you might want to try Startup repair.

Method 5 – Boot your computer from Windows 10 media

In order to do this step, you need to have official Windows 10 ISO files.

  1. Go to the “Install Now” screen
  2. Choose Repair your computer
  3. Click Advanced Options
  4. Click Safe Mode

After doing the steps above, there’s a chance you get an error message that says “installation cannot be completed in safe mode”. When you see this, just press Shift+F10. This will execute and open the command prompt of your computer.

 From the command prompt, you can try and create a new user account.

 For example, net user Username Password /add

 The username here should be replaced with the account name you want to add, and the Password here should be replaced with the password you want to use for the account.

 After replacing the username and password on the text, press the Enter button on your keyboard. You’ll know if the command is successful once you see the message, “The command completed successfully.”

You can now close the command prompt. Restart your computer and try to log in using the account you just created.

Method 6 – Use a powerful automated software

If all the above methods still don’t work, it might be best to try automated software to help you fix this problem.

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OneDrive thumbnails are not showing
A lot of users prefer to use Microsoft OneDrive when it comes down to cloud storage as it does not only come with the seal of approval from Microsoft but it’s also primarily good and better compared to other cloud storage services. However, that doesn’t mean that OneDrive isn’t without any issues. For one, you might encounter an issue where the OneDrive thumbnails do not show in File Explorer in Windows 10. If you are currently experiencing this problem, read on as this post will help you fix it. As you know, you can add OneDrive to your Windows 10 computer and have all the files locally synchronize to the cloud and so on. This means that whatever is available in the cloud will be seen on your computer. It is smooth and definitely saves you a lot of time which is why a lot of users prefer to use it. So if you suddenly not see any thumbnails in OneDrive, then that would be a problem. You are actually not the only one having this problem as there are other users who reported getting the same issue recently about the picture thumbnails that no longer show up in the OneDrive folders in the File Explorer. At the time of writing, it isn’t clear yet what the cause of the issue really is. Even so, there are still potential fixes you can check out to resolve it, and the sooner you do it, the better as this can be a major problem. To get started, refer to the instructions given below.

Option 1 – Try to disable Files on Demand

The first thing you can do to fix the problem is to disable the Files on Demand. This is what you have to do to get things under control.
  • First, right-click on the OneDrive icon located in the taskbar and go-to of OneDrive.
  • After that, click on More and Settings. This will open a new window where you have to click on the Settings tab and uncheck the “Files on Demand” service.
  • Once done, restart your computer and check if you can now see the thumbnails in the OneDrive folder. However, if it didn’t work, then proceed to the next given option below.

Option 2 – Try to change the icon view

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to change the icon view. It is possible that the problem might have something to do with the size of the icons than anything else. So you have to change the icon view and to do that, follow these steps:
  • First, open Control Panel in Windows 10.
  • Next, in the search box, type “folder” and then click on the File Explorer Options.
  • From there, click on the View tab and uncheck the “Always show icons” option, and make sure that showing thumbnails is active.
  • Now go back to Control Panel and type “system” in the search box. This will open a new window where you have to select the “View advanced system settings” option.
  • Then under the Performance section, click on Settings and click on the option that allows you to show the thumbnails instead of icons.
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How To Solve The Cyclic Redundancy Check Error

Cyclic Redundancy Check Error - What is it?

To begin with, Cyclic Redundancy Check is basically an error checking technique. This technique is used for data verification. It detects accidental changes in the data. It is used by computers to specifically check the data stored in the hard drive or optical disks (DVD’s and CD’s). The Cyclic Redundancy Check error occurs when the data being verified on the hard drive or optical disks is corrupt. Symptoms for this error code include program lock-ups, slow PC performance, inability to run and execute the desired program, system freeze and shutdown and startup issues.

Error Causes

The Cyclic Redundancy Check error code occurs due to the following reasons:
  • Cluttered hard disk
  • Registry corruption
  • Misconfigured files
  • Unsuccessful program installation
All these causes points towards registry issues and poor PC maintenance. The registry is the main database of the computer. This part of the PC saves practically every activity you perform on it including activities like application installation and deletion and web browsing to name a few. With time and frequent PC usage, the files generated from every activity you execute on your system begin to load the registry. These include even the unnecessary files like junk files, internet files and files of applications that you’ve uninstalled. All these files overload the registry and acquire a lot of hard disk space. And when you don’t remove these files on your system, eventually it leads to file misconfiguration, cluttered disk, and registry corruption. New program versions that you want to install and run on your system also don’t function because the files of the old program version still saved in the registry.

Further Information and Manual Repair

As the Cyclic Redundancy Check Error causes data corruption on the hard disk, it is advisable to fix this error right away. The reason is that it can have serious consequences. It can lead to data loss, fatal crashes, and system failures. When it comes to resolving Cyclic Redundancy Check Error, there are two ways to fix it:

Run the CHKDSK application.

This is a built-in feature in your Windows system. It checks for hard disk damage and attempts to resolve it.
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USB keep disconnecting and reconnecting
If your USB keeps disconnecting and reconnecting after you connect your USB device on its own randomly, then the problem might have something to do with a hardware or driver issue. The first thing you have to do in such a case is to make sure that the device is working on another computer. This will help you isolate the problem and if it turns out that it works, then the problem lies in your computer and not your USB device. To fix this connection problem between your USB device and Windows 10 computer, you can use the options given below as a reference.

Option 1 – Update or reinstall the Universal Serial Bus Controller driver

Since it could be a driver issue, you can try to update or reinstall the Universal Serial Bus Controller drivers using the Device Manager. Refer to the following steps:
  • First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
  • Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
  • From there, look for the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” option and then right-click on each one of the USB drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.
Note: If it is a regular USB drive, then it will be listed as a USB Mass Storage Device but if you have a USB 3.0 device, then look for a USB 3.0 Extensible Host Controller.
  • Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.
Note: If updating the USB Controller drivers didn’t work, you can try to reinstall them instead.

Option 2 – Try to change the USB port

You might want to change the USB port since modern computers have a variety of USB ports. So if your USB drive supports USB 3.0 or 3.1, make sure that you plug it inside a USB 3.0 or 3.1 ports. If you’re not sure which port, just keep in mind that the USB 3 port is usually blue or you can also use your computer’s documentation or manual as a reference to locate it.

Option 3 – Try to turn off the Power Saving option

You could also try to turn off the Power Saving option to resolve the problem. All you have to do is switch to Power Management after you select the Properties of the USB device and from there, uncheck the “Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power” option. On the other hand, if you are using a laptop and did not use the USB device for a long time, then it could be powered off. This will ensure that the system does not turn off the USB device.

Option 4 – Try to reinstall the latest Universal Serial Bus controller drivers in Compatibility Mode

If you were unable to install the Universal Serial Bus controller drivers you’ve downloaded, you can try installing them again but this time using Compatibility mode. Follow the steps below to do so:
  • You need to download the driver and place it on your desktop.
  • After that, right-click on it and select Properties.
  • Next, switch to the Compatibility tab where you should see two options:
    • Compatibility troubleshooter, and let Windows figure out what works best for you. If it fails, follow the next.
    • Manually choose the version of Windows it was correctly working.
  • Now right-click on the file and select the “Run as administrator” option to install. After that, you should now be able to change your screen aspect ratio to what you were using early on.
Note: If you have other programs that won’t work on the existing version of Windows, then make sure to run the program in a Compatibility mode.

Option 5 – Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooters

  • The first thing you need to do is click on Start and then on the gear-like icon to pull up the window for Settings.
  • After opening Settings, look for the Update and Security option and select it.
  • From there, go to the Troubleshoot option located on the left-hand side of the list.
  • Next, select Hardware and Devices from the list and open the Troubleshooter and run it. Once it is doing its job, wait for it to complete the process and then restart the system.
  • After the system restarts, check if the problem’s now fixed. If not, refer to the next option given below.
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Hard drive shows wrong free space
If you are using your computer and you notice that Hard drive shows high space utilization even if you only have a few applications installed on your computer, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on what you can do to sort this problem. Upon noticing the odd state of your hard drive and you check the actual volume that’s occupied by the apps in your drive and you see that they are not really occupying a lot of space. This kind of issue could indicate that your hard drive is not showing the correct value for the free storage space of the drive-in your Windows 10 computer. This kind of problem could be passed off as a system bug, however, it could also be a serious problem. In fact, as you are aware, there are hidden folders and files in your computer that could be occupying space and since most of them are associated with system applications, you might not realize it unless you thoroughly check the folders.

The most common causes of the issue are as follows:

  1. The system information folder might be utilizing a lot of space. If you wonder where the information for the system restore points is stored, they are stored in the system information folder which in turn is stored in the drive as a hidden file.
  2. An issue with system maintenance could cause the problem.
  3. Malware or some other software might have created an undetectable hidden file.
  4. Space could be occupied by the trashbin folder.
  5. These hidden files could occupy significant space in the folder, thus slowing down the system and impacting its performance. If you face this issue, try our suggestions and see if they help you.
  6. Run ChkDsk
  7. Clear all Junk files
  8. Reduce the space occupied by the system restore points
  9. Run the System Maintenance troubleshooter

Option 1 – Run CHKDSK utility to check the drive for errors

When it comes to some issues concerning the hard drive or removable devices, there is a utility in Windows that might help which is called “chkdsk”. To use it, follow the steps below.
  • Tap the Win + S keys to open the Search box.
  • Then type “command prompt” in the field and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
  • After opening an elevated command prompt, copy and paste the following command and hit Enter:
CHKDSK [volume [[path] filename]] [/F] [/V] [/R] [/X] [/C] [: size]]
Note: In the command given above, “[/F]” will try to fix the system errors while “[/R]” will be the one to fix the bad sectors.
  • Now if you are prompted to run CHKDSK after your reboot your PC, just tap Y and reboot your PC.
  • If CHKDSK is not able to find any errors, tap the Win + E keys and navigate the access window. From there, right-click on the concerned drive and click on Properties.
  • After opening Properties, click on the tab Tools and then click on the “Check” button under the Error-checking section.
  • Wait until the process is completed and then restart your computer.

Option 2 – Try to delete the temporary files

The error could be caused by some temporary or junk files in your computer and so you need to clear them up to fix the problem. You can achieve that using the Storage Sense feature.
  • Open Setting > System > Storage from the WinX Menu.
  • From there, you will see a list of all the local and connected storage devices along with the details on the free space. Make sure that Storage Sense is on.
  • Next, find a link that says “Free Up Space” and click it to open.
  • After that, a screen which is the built-in program in Windows 10 will appear and will scan your computer for the following junk files so you can free up disk space: 
    • Windows Upgrade Log Files
    • The system created Windows Error Reporting Files
    • Thumbnails
    • Temporary Internet Files
    • Previous Windows Installation Files
    • Delivery Optimisation Files
    • DirectX Shader Cache
  • Choose the files you want to get rid of and then click on the remove files option. Note that you’ll have an idea of the total size as you select any of the junk files listed above.
  • Now go to the “Free Up Space Now” section and click the Clean Now button. This will get rid of all the temporary or junk files in your computer and should hopefully fix the error.

Option 3 – Try to reduce the space occupied by the system restore points

In case you don’t know, system restore points actually occupy a significant space in your computer which is stored in the System Information folder. Thus, you need to check the size of this folder and unhide the folders and files and then click on the folder. The size of the folder should be displayed in the right pane of the window. To fix the storage space problem, you could delete all the old System Restore Points as well as Previous versions of files or you could also restrict the disk usage of the System Restore points.

Option 4 – Try to run the System Maintenance troubleshooter

The problem could also be caused by the System Maintenance and to fix it, you have to run the System Maintenance troubleshooter by following these steps:
  • In the Windows Search bar, type “control panel” and double click on Control Panel from the search results.
  • Next, go to this path: Control PanelAll Control Panel ItemsTroubleshootingSystem and Security.
  • After that, click on the System Maintenance troubleshooter to run it.
  • Once the process is completed, restart your computer.
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Cortana Web Preview is not working in Windows
Recently, a lot of users experience issues after the Windows 10 v1903 upgrade and one of them is that the Cortana Web Preview is not functioning like it’s supposed to. Even though Microsoft has already replaced the unified search where you no longer have to use Cortana, it is still undeniably useful and is packed with some great features, one of which is the Web view. Each time you type a search query, it will open a web view where you can see the results using Bing. However, some users reported experiencing some issue wherein the web view does not show anything and appears to be broken and users have to click on the Open in Browser link. Thus, if you are one of the users who experience the same problem, then this post is for you – it will guide you on what you can do if the web preview in Cortana is not working on your Windows 10 device. To fix the Web Preview issue in Cortana, you can try to restart Cortana or reset it using the Windows Settings app or change the Search filter level. You could also try to run the Windows Store App troubleshooter or re-register or reinstall Cortana. For more details refer to the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try to restart the process of Cortana

There are times when the running process of Cortana might encounter an error and breaks a particular component of the whole service so the first thing you can do is to restart Cortana’s process in the Task Manager.
  • Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager.
  • Next, go to the Processes tab and look for Cortana’s entry.
  • Once you find it, right-click on it and select the End task option.
  • Afterward, open Cortana again and see if it fixes the web view problem or not.

Option 2 – Try changing the search filter level

The next thing you can do to fix the Web View is to change the search filter level. All you have to do is go to Settings > Search and change filter level and from there, modify the search filter level and then see if it fixes the problem.

Option 3 – Run the Windows Store App troubleshooter

The Windows 10 Store Apps Troubleshooter will help you in fixing the Web Preview problem in Cortana. This is a great built-in tool from Microsoft that helps users fix any app issues. To use the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter, follow the steps below.
  • Tap Win + I keys again to open the Windows Settings panel.
  • Go to Update & Security and then go to Troubleshoot.
  • Under the Troubleshoot section, on your left-hand side, scroll down to find Window Store Apps.
  • Then click on the Run the troubleshooter option and follow the on-screen instructions and then see if it fixes the problem.

Option 4 – Try to reset Cortana via Settings

  • Launch the Windows 10 Settings app and go to Apps > Apps & Features.
  • Next, look for the entry of Cortana on the right-side panel and select it.
  • After that, select the Advanced options and then select the Terminate button under the Terminate section.
  • Once done, click on the Reset button under the Reset section.
  • Restart your PC.
  • After your computer boots, launch Cortana again and check.

Option 5 – Try to re-register and reinstall Cortana

If none of the options given above works, you must consider reinstalling Cortana.
  • First, right-click on the Start button and click on the Windows Powershell (Admin) option from the list.
  • Next, type the following command and hit Enter to execute it:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
  • After that, execute this second command to reinstall Cortana:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}
  • Restart your computer and check if the Web Preview in Cortana is now working.
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How to Fix Internal Error 2771

Internal Error 2771 - What is it?

Internal Error 2771 is an internal error code associated with Kaspersky Internet Security and Antivirus software. This error pops up when Kaspersky Internet Security software fails to install on your PC successfully. Installation of the software is interrupted and therefore it ends prematurely. This happens mostly when you try to install a new build on an existing installation. Internal Error 2771 is displayed in one of the following formats:
Internal Error 2771, Sandbox Feature or Internal Error 2771, WholeProduct Feature

Solution

Restoro box imageError Causes

This error may result on your computer screen due to several reasons. Some of the most common underlying causes include:
  • A leftover Registry Key
  • Bad entries from previous Security Package
  • INFCACHE.1 file corrupted
  • Conflicts with other security software installed on your system

Further Information and Manual Repair

To successfully overcome this problem and ensure the successful installation of Kaspersky Internet Security software on your system, try the methods given below.

Method 1- Remove the Leftover Registry Key

Sometimes Internal error code 2771 may appear during installation due to the leftover registry key from the previous Kaspersky software removal. A registry key is often created when uninstalling the previous Kaspersky version from the PC. This key is left behind even after you reboot your system. This key is called AVP**_post_ uninstall, you need to delete it to ensure the new version of the Kaspersky program is installed successfully on your PC.  For this, simply go to the start menu and type Regedit in the search bar. Now navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun and then look here for the registry key called AVP**_post_ uninstall. In order to delete this file, right-click it and then select delete. Once uninstalled, reboot your PC and then try installing the Kaspersky Internet Security program again. Hopefully, this will resolve the issue. If the software installs smoothly, then the error is fixed, in case it still persists, then try other methods illustrated below.

Method 2 - Remove the INFCAHCE.1  Corrupt File

Another reason for the error pop-up may be INFCAHCHE.1 corruption. This file is basically used to store driver information and inf file locations. However, if it contains corrupted information, then you must remove it. To do this, go to the start menu and type cmd into the search bar. This will open a command prompt. Here type del C:\Windows\infinfcache.1. Now reboot your PC and try installing Kaspersky software on again.

Method 3 - Fix Software Conflict

Security software conflict can also result in internal error 2771 code display. And when this happens, the installation of Kaspersky prematurely ends. Security software conflict may occur if you have Comodo Firewall installed on your PC. A firewall is known to cause issues with Kaspersky software programs. The best way to resolve this issue is to uninstall all security software programs on your PC. Once all security software is removed, then install Kaspersky on your system. If the installation is successfully completed, then reinstall the other software again.

Method 4 - Download Restoro

Error 2771 can also result on your computer screen if traces of the previously installed Kaspersky software still remain in the registry despite the program removal. In such an event it is advisable to download Restoro. This is a cutting-edge and user-friendly PC Repair Tool deployed with an intuitive interface and a powerful registry cleaner. The registry cleaner scans your entire PC in seconds and detects all registry-related problems. It removes all the bad entries, invalid registry keys, traces of previously uninstalled programs, junk files, and cookies that are known for registry corruption. It takes just a few clicks to perform this process. Once all traces are removed, you can install the new version of the Kaspersky Internet Security program on your PC without interruption. Click here to download Restoro and be on your way to resolve Internal Error 2771 on your computer!
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