Troubleshooting Epic Games Launcher issues

DigiSmirkz is a Browser Extension by Mindspark Inc. This extension offers users the ability to enrich their emails or chats with tons of new emojis. When installed it will replace your default new tab page with a variety of search.myway.com, hosted at hp.myway.com. This search engine uses information about you, collected by the extension to display unwanted targeted ads by Mindspark Partners and Ad Networks.

While surfing the internet with this extension installed and enabled, you will see additional pop-up ads, inserted ads into search results and sponsored content on web pages.

Several anti-virus applications have marked this extension as a Browser Hijacker and is therefore recommended to be removed from the Computer.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijackers (sometimes referred to as hijackware) are a kind of malicious software that modifies web browser settings without the computer owner’s knowledge or consent. These hijacks appear to be rising at an alarming rate worldwide, and it could be really nefarious and often harmful too. Browser hijacker malware is created for a variety of reasons. Typically, hijackers will force hits to sites of their choice either to get more traffic generating higher ad earnings or to obtain a commission for every user visiting there. Although it may seem harmless, these tools were created by vicious people who always look to take advantage of you, so that they can easily make money from your naive and distraction. They not only ruin your internet browsers, but browser hijackers can even modify the computer registry, making your PC vulnerable to other types of attacks.

Major signs that an internet browser has been hijacked

There are many symptoms that indicate your browser is highjacked: 1. your homepage is reset to some unfamiliar webpage 2. your internet browser is constantly being redirected to porn websites 3. the default web engine and/or the default browser settings are modified 4. unsolicited new toolbars are added to your web browser 5. your internet browser will display constant pop-up windows 6. your web browser starts running slowly or presents frequent errors 7. you can’t navigate to particular webpages, like security software-related websites.

How they get into your PC

Browser hijackers can enter a PC by some means or other, for example via file sharing, downloads, and e-mail too. They may also come from any BHO, extension, add-on, toolbar or plug-in with malicious purpose. A browser hijacker could also be installed as a part of freeware, shareware, demoware and fake programs. Some of the most popular hijackers are DigiSmirkz, Conduit Search, Babylon Toolbar, Sweet Page, OneWebSearch, and CoolWebSearch. Browser hijackers can interrupt the user’s web surfing experience severely, track the websites frequented by users and steal private information, cause difficulty in connecting to the web, and eventually create stability issues, causing applications and system to crash.

How you can fix a browser hijack

Certain hijackers could be removed simply by uninstalling the related freeware or add-ons through the Add or Remove Programs in the Windows control panel. But, many browser hijackers are hard to get rid of manually. Irrespective of how much you attempt to get rid of it, it may keep returning over and over again. You should think of undertaking manual repairs only if you are a tech-savvy person, as there are possible risks associated with tinkering around with the computer registry and HOSTS file. Industry experts always suggest users remove any malicious software including browser hijacker by using an automatic malware removal tool, which is better, safer, and faster than the manual removal method. To remove any type of browser hijacker from your system, you can download this particular top-notch malware removal software – SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

Virus Blocking Internet And All Antivirus Software? Do This!

Practically all malware is bad and the degree of the damage will vary greatly with regards to the type of infection. Certain malware types alter internet browser settings by adding a proxy server or change the PC’s DNS configurations. When this happens, you will be unable to visit some or all sites, and thus not able to download or install the necessary security software to clear out the computer virus. If you are reading this article, chances are you’re stuck with a malware infection which is preventing you to download and/or install Safebytes Anti-Malware program on your system. Follow the instructions below to get rid of malware by alternate ways.

Make use of Safe Mode to resolve the issue

If any malware is set to load immediately when Windows starts, stepping into safe mode may block this attempt. Since only the bare minimum programs and services start-up in Safe Mode, there are rarely any reasons for issues to happen. Below are the steps you should follow to take out viruses in Safemode. 1) Tap the F8 key repeatedly as soon as your system boots, however, before the big Windows logo or black screen with white texts appears. This should bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Use the arrow keys to choose Safe Mode with Networking and press ENTER. 3) When you are into this mode, you will have an internet connection once again. Now, get the malware removal software you want by utilizing the browser. To install the software, follow the guidelines in the installation wizard. 4) Once the software is installed, let the scan run to eliminate viruses and other malware automatically.

Switch to an alternative browser

Malicious program code might exploit vulnerabilities in a specific internet browser and block access to all anti-virus software sites. The most effective solution to avoid this problem is to choose a web browser that is renowned for their security measures. Firefox has built-in Malware and Phishing Protection to keep you safe online.

Run anti-virus from a pen drive

Another solution is to create a portable anti-malware program on your USB stick. Adopt these measures to run the anti-malware on the affected computer. 1) Use another virus-free PC to download Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Mount the USB drive on the same system. 3) Run the setup program by double-clicking the executable file of the downloaded software, which has an .exe file format. 4) Select USB flash drive as the location when the wizard asks you where you want to install the application. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process. 5) Transfer the USB drive from the clean PC to the infected computer. 6) Run the Safebytes Anti-malware directly from the USB drive by double-clicking the icon. 7) Click the “Scan” button to run a full system scan and remove viruses automatically.

Protect Your Computer Against Malware and Viruses With SafeBytes Anti-Malware

If you are looking to purchase anti-malware for your computer system, there are lots of brands and packages for you to consider. Some of them are great while some are scamware applications that pretend as legitimate anti-malware software waiting around to wreak havoc on the computer. You need to select a company that creates industry-best anti-malware and it has got a reputation as reliable. On the list of highly recommended software programs is SafeBytes Anti-Malware. SafeBytes has a good track record of excellent service, and clients are very happy with it. SafeBytes anti-malware is a trustworthy software that not only secures your computer system completely but is also very user-friendly for people of all ability levels. Through its cutting-edge technology, this software protects your PC against infections brought on by various kinds of malware and similar internet threats, including spyware, adware, trojans, worms, computer viruses, keyloggers, potentially unwanted program (PUPs), and ransomware.

There are many wonderful features you will get with this particular security product. These are some of the highlighted features included in the product.

World-class AntiMalware Protection: This deep-cleaning antimalware application goes much deeper than most antivirus tools to clean out your personal computer. Its critically acclaimed virus engine detects and disables hard to remove malware that conceals deep inside your personal computer. Live Protection: SafeBytes provides real-time active checking and protection against all of known viruses and malware. This utility will always monitor your PC for any suspicious activity and updates itself regularly to keep current with the latest threats. Web Protection: Safebytes allots all sites a unique safety rating that helps you to have an idea of whether the webpage you are going to visit is safe to view or known to be a phishing site. Faster Scanning: SafeBytes’s very fast malware scanning engine reduces scan times and extends battery life. Simultaneously, it will effectively detect and remove infected files or any online threat. Low CPU and RAM Usage: SafeBytes gives you total protection from internet threats at a fraction of the CPU load because of its advanced detection engine and algorithms. Fantastic Tech Support Team: You can obtain absolutely free 24/7 technical assistance from their computer experts on any product queries or PC security issues. SafeBytes will keep your computer safe from latest malware threats automatically with hardly any input needed from you again. You now may realize that this particular tool does more than just scan and eliminate threats from your PC. You will get the very best all-around protection for the money you spend on SafeBytes Anti-Malware subscription, there is no doubt about it.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you want to do the removal of DigiSmirkz manually rather than employing an automated software tool, you can follow these simple steps: Go to the Windows Control Panel, click on the “Add or Remove Programs” and there, select the offending program to remove. In case of suspicious versions of web browser extensions, you can actually remove it through your browser’s extension manager. You may also want to reset your home page and search engine providers, and also clear your web browser cache and cookies. In order to ensure complete removal, manually examine your hard drive and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. Please note that only advanced computer users should try to manually edit the registry because removing any single critical system file leads to a serious problem or perhaps a computer crash. Moreover, certain malware keeps replicating which makes it tough to remove. Doing this malware-removal process in Safe Mode is suggested.

Dynamic Wallpapers introduced with Mojave Update in macOS are pretty cool. Dynamic Desktop is a feature introduced in macOS Mojave (10.14), in which the desktop background changes according to the time of Mac's current location. If Location Services are turned off the Privacy pane of the System Preferences, then the time zone specified in the Date & Time preferences will be used. To apply macOS Dynamic Wallpaper on Windows 10 we need to download & use WinDynamicDesktop, a free application that lets you apply macOS Dynamic Wallpaper. After the installation, you will be asked to Configure the Schedule. While doing that you need to make sure that you enter your location correctly. You can even set specific sunrise and sunset timing by selecting “Use specific sunrise and sunset times” and changing the Sunrise and Sunset times manually. Now, you will be greeted with some of the coolest dynamic wallpapers in the market. Select a theme of your choice, click on the Download button (file size can range between 20-200 MB), and click Apply to enjoy macOS Dynamic Wallpaper on Windows 10. If for some reason you want to go back to the default Windows theme but not necessarily delete the application then right-click on the WinDynamicWallpaper icon from the taskbar, click Select Theme, select None (from the theme section) and click Apply.

If you are using a Windows Update Standalone Installer to install Windows Updates in your Windows 10 computer but you suddenly encounter an error saying, “Installer encountered an error: 0x80096002, The certificate for the signer of the message is invalid or not found”, read on as this post will guide you on how you can fix it. This kind of error could be due to the vendor’s certificate that might have become invalid, compromised, or pulled. Aside from that, it is also possible that the update is not targeted at your OS version. You could get this error when you try to install an incompatible update or software on your computer. This error can also appear due to misconfigured system files or when you try to install BitLocker To Go Drive Encryption or BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool. To fix this error, you can try to run the standalone installer in Compatibility mode or enable the Windows Identity Foundation or run the Windows Update troubleshooter. Make sure to check if the error was resolved after every suggestion. It will help you learn what fixed the problem.

Option 1 – Try to run the installer in Compatibility mode

• Look for the setup file.
• Once you find it, right-click on it and select Properties from the context menu.
• After that, go to the Compatibility tab and mark the checkbox for “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” and from the drop-down list, select the Windows OS version you want the installer to run on.
• You also have to check the “Run as administrator” option.
• Now click the Apply button and then click OK to save the changes made and check if it has resolved the issue or not.

Option 2 – Try to troubleshoot compatibility

This option is almost the same as the first one except it is an alternative way of fixing the error 0x80096002 in case the first one didn’t work. In this option, you will troubleshoot the compatibility issue.

• Look for the setup file.
• Then right-click on it and select the “Troubleshoot compatibility” from the context menu.
• After that, click on the “Try recommended setting” option. Once the process is done, the error message should be gone.

Option 3 – Try to enable the Windows Identity Foundation

You might also want to enable the Windows Identity Foundation as some users reported that it helped in resolving the error for them. To do so, follow these steps:

• In the Windows Start Search, type “Turn Windows features on or off” and click on the matching result.
• This will open a list of Windows Features and from there, look for the Windows Identity Foundation.
• Once you found it, click on its checkbox and click OK to enable it and save the changes made.
• Now see if it has fixed the error or not. If not, you have to disable the feature.

Option 4 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter is one of the things you can first check out as it is known to automatically resolve any Windows Update errors like error 0x80096002. 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.

In case you don’t know, the Title bar comes with the Maximize, Minimize, as well as the Close button. However, there are instances when you might notice that the Title bar, Maximize, Minimize and Close buttons are missing in the File Explorer. This kind of problem might be due to some glitch in the computer, or it could also be caused by some built-in tool or an installed program in your computer. Moreover, there are also other factors that you have to consider such as corruption in the system files as well as errors in the user profile which is generated on a domain network, and so on. There are several suggestions you can check out to fix the problem. You can try to boot your computer in a Clean Boot State to see if a third-party program is the root cause of the problem. You can also try to run built-in tools like System File Checker and the DISM tool. You could also get the video buffer emptied, reset or reinstall the program, or recreate the User Profile.

Option 1 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State

As pointed out, it is possible that some third-party program or service is the one that’s behind the problem. To isolate this possibility and to identify the culprit, you have to put your computer into a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Log onto your PC as administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• You need to disable one third-party app after the other to really isolate the issue. And once you’ve narrowed down the problem, you can either disable the third-party app that’s causing the problem or remove it.

Option 2 – Run System File Checker scan

You might also try running the System File Checker or SFC scan to fix the issue. System File Checker is a command utility built into your computer that helps restore corrupted files and missing files. Refer to the following steps to run it:

• Hit the Win + R keys 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.

• Restart your computer and see if the System32 folder still pops up at startup or not.

Option 3 – Try running the DISM tool

You can try running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the Windows Upgrade problem. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

• Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

Option 4 – Try to empty the Vide buffer

These kinds of problems could also be due to bad data in the Video Buffer. Thus, you can try to empty the Video buffer to resolve the problem. All you have to do is tap the Shift + Ctrl + Win key + B keys on your keyboard. After that, leave your computer idle for about 10 seconds until you notice it blink once. Now you try using your computer as usual and see if the glitch is now fixed or not.

Option 5 – Try to reset or reinstall the program

Another thing you can do to fix the issue is to reset or reinstall the program where you encounter the problem. Chances are, you are running the application in the Full-screen mode but you can exit it by simply tapping the Esc or F11 key. However, if nothing changed, then consider resetting or reinstalling the program. Just go to the Windows 10 Settings app and navigate to Apps > Apps & Features. From there, look for the entry of the application you’re having problems with and select it and then click on the Advanced options. After that, click on the Reset button under the Reset section.

Option 6 – Try recreating the User Profile

You might also want to try recreating the User Profile on your computer since some errors in the creation of a User Profile can result in problems like this one. Thus, you have to try deleting the User Profile and then recreate it.

D3dx9_43.dll Error - What is it?

D3dx9_43.dll is a type of Dynamic Link Library containing small programs. This file is associated with Microsoft DirectX software. It is used and utilized by most Windows-based games and DirectX advanced graphic programs. The error D3dx9_43.dll pops on your computer screen when there is some issue when running or loading Microsoft DirectX programs. This error is often displayed in any one of the following formats:

• “D3dx9_43.DLL Not Found"
• "D3dx9_43.dll not found. Reinstalling might help fix this."
• "The file d3dx9_43.dll is missing"
• "File d3dx9_43.dll not found"

The good news is that this error code is not fatal. This means it will not result in system crashes, failure, or data loss. But it may hamper your ability to access, run and load Windows-based games associated with DirectX therefore to avoid the inconvenience it is advisable to repair it immediately.

Solution

Error Causes

D3dx9_43.dll error code can occur due to several reasons. These include but are not limited to:

• Missing or corrupt D3dx9_43.dll file
• Outdated drivers
• Corrupt registry
• Viral infection

Further Information and Manual Repair

To fix the D3dx9_43.dll error on your PC, try the manual easy to do methods illustrated below. To perform these methods to repair the issue, you don’t need to be a technical whiz. These are simple methods and easy to perform.

Method 1 - Check Your Recycle Bin or Download D3dx9_43.dll File

If you just recently uninstalled a program from your PC, then there is a possibility that the D3dx9_43.dll file got accidentally deleted during the process. This happens because DLL is a shared file. The program you uninstalled might be running with the same file. In case of accidental deletion of the D3dx9_43.dll file, it is advisable to check your recycle bin to repair the issue. Simply go to the recycle bin and look for the deleted file; if you locate it simply reinstall. However, if you are unable to find it, then if you have access to an internet connection, simply download the D3dx9_43.dll file from a reliable DLL website.

Method 2 - Update Drivers

If the error code occurs due to outdated drivers, then it is recommended to update drivers on your system. For example, the D3dx9_43.dll file error indicates an outdated video card driver since this file is linked to video game software. Therefore, simply update the drivers for your video card. Drivers can be updated in Windows by using a driver update wizard from within Device Manager. The wizard will walk you through the entire driver update process, making the updating task a lot simple and hassle-free.

Method 3 - Install an Antivirus

In case of malware infection, it is advisable to install a powerful antivirus. Simply run it to scan your entire PC for viruses. Then remove them to resolve the issue.

Method 4 - Clean and Repair the Registry

D3dx9_43.dll error may also pop up due to registry corruption. This happens when the registry loads with unnecessary and obsolete files like cookies, junk files, internet history, and bad registry entries. These files take up all the space and damage the registry. It also results in DLL file corruption and disk fragmentation. To resolve this it is important to clean the registry and repair it. A quick way to perform registry clean-up is to download Restoro. This is an advanced PC Fixer embedded with a powerful registry cleaner. It scans for all registry-related errors instantly, removes them, cleans the registry, and repairs the damaged files. Click here to download Restoro on your PC and resolve error D3dx9_43.dll today!

0x0000007c error inside Windows 11 is a printer error that is manifested when Windows users are trying to connect to a shared network remote printer. Error is displayed by the message:

Windows cannot connect to the printer. Operation failed with error 0x0000007c.

If you are experiencing this type of annoyance, fear now we are providing you with several solutions to this problem.

Update Windows 11

1. Open the Start menu, click on the settings app
2. Select Windows update tab
3. Click on Check for updates
4. Click on Advanced options
5. Inside select Optional updates
6. If there are optional updates click on Download & Install

Run the printer troubleshooter

1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open settings
2. Click on Troubleshoot navigation on the system tab
3. Select Other trouble-shooters
4. Click on the Run for printer troubleshooter
5. If the error is found click on Apply this fix

Restart the Print Spooler Service

1. Right-click on the Start button
2. Click on RUN
3. Type in services.msc and press OK
4. Right-click on Printer Spooler service and select Restart

Clear the Print Spooler

1. Open services like in the previous step
2. Right-click Print Spooler and select STOP
3. Open File explorer
4. Navigate to: C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\x64\3 (64-bit Platform) C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\W32X86\3 (32-bit Platform)
5. Delete everything inside folders
6. Go back to services, right-click on Print Spooler and select RESTART

Reinstall Driver for printer

1. Right-click on Start and select device manager
2. Double click on the Print queues category
3. Right-click on the printer and select Uninstall device
4. Click on Uninstall on prompt
5. Right-click on the Print queues category and select Scan for hardware Changes

A couple of Windows 10 users have reported an error on domain-connected systems when they tried accessing their computer systems remotely. This occurs when the network level authentication or NLA is enabled on the computer. If you are one of these users, you better keep reading as this post will guide you on how you can fix this error. To resolve this issue, there are several workarounds you can try. You can either disable this option directly via properties or you can also modify some registry entries or sub-keys and restart the system. When you encounter this problem, an error message pops up that states:

“The remote computer that you are trying to connect to requires network level authentication (NLA), but your windows domain controller cannot be contacted to perform NLA. If you are an administrator on the remote computer, you can disable NLA by using the options on the Remote tab of the System Properties dialog box.”

Or you could also see this error message instead:

“The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication, which your computer does not support. For assistance, contact your system administrator or technical support.”

Before you proceed in troubleshooting the problem using the options provided below, you need to create a backup for your data or system restore point as well as make a copy of any registry entries you are going to modify.

Option 1 – Disable Network Level Authentication via Properties

The NLA is a useful tool that provides your computer with extra security and helps network administrators in controlling who can log into the system with just a click of a single box. However, there are times when it can become a disadvantage and could prevent you from accessing your system remotely. Thus, you need to disable it using Properties.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” and tap Enter to open System Properties.
• Next, go to the remote tab and uncheck the checkbox for the “Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended)” option.
• Now click the Apply button to save the changes made and exit System Properties and then try logging into the remote computer again and see if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 2 – Disable NLA via Registry Editor

Note that you can only use this option if the first one didn’t work for you. Take note that this option will require you to restart your PC completely which could mean some downtime if your computer is running a production server. So make sure to save all your work.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type in “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• From there, click on File > Connect Network Registry and input the details of the remote computer and then try to connect.
• Navigate to the path below after you’re connected:

HKLM >SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control >Terminal Server > WinStations > RDP-Tcp

• After that, change the values given below to “0”
  • SecurityLayer
  • UserAuthentication
• The navigate to PowerShell and execute this command – restart-computer

Option 3 – Disable NLA via PowerShell

PowerShell allows you to tap into the remote computer and once you’ve targeted the machine, you can execute the commands given below to disable NLA.

• Tap the Win + S to open Search and then type in “PowerShell” in the field. Right-click on the related result and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening PowerShell, execute the command below:

2. Once in the PowerShell, execute the following command:

$TargetMachine = “Target-Machine-Name” (Get-WmiObject -class “Win32_TSGeneralSetting” -Namespace rootcimv2terminalservices -ComputerName $TargetMachine -Filter “TerminalName=’RDP-tcp'”).SetUserAuthenticationRequired(0) Note: In the command given, the “Target-Machine-Name” is the name of the machine you are targeting.

Option 4 – Use the Group Policy Editor to disable NLA

Another option you can use to disable NLA is via the Group Policy Editor. This is ideal for you if you are blanket disabling. Just take note that the Group Policy Editor is a powerful tool and that if you make some mistakes by changing values you have no clue about, you can render your computer useless so make sure that you create a backup for all the values before you proceed.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type in “gpedit.msc” and tap Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
• From there, go to this path – Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security
• After that, search for “Require user authentication for remote connections by using Network Level Authentication” and set it to disabled.
• Now check if the error is fixed or not.

One of the most useful built-in tools in Windows 10 is the Check Disk or CHKDSK utility. It is the one that maintains the integrity of the disk that’s connected to a computer which can be launched using the GUI or graphical user interface and using the command line. There are a lot of things that warrant the running of this built-in utility and one of these things is the readability of the disk. Recently, a number of users reported that they encountered an error when they tried to run the CHKDSK utility – the error states, “Cannot open volume for direct access”. This kind of error in CHKDSK appears each time the command line is launched according to the affected users. As per the users who encountered this issue, they receive the following error messages when they tried running a ChkDsk command:

“C:WINDOWSsystem32>chkdsk /f g: Cannot open volume for direct access. C:WINDOWSsystem32>chkdsk /f f: The type of the file system is NTFS. Volume label is 0529357401.”

To fix the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error, here are some suggestions that might help. Follow them carefully.

Option 1 – Try running the CHKDSK utility on Boot

On the other hand, you can also try to run the CHKDSK utility on Boot so you can fix the error and recover any damaged segments of the drive.

• Open an elevated Command Prompt and enter this command: chkdsk /x /f /r
• After that, you will a message that says, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”
• Type Y and tap Enter to schedule a CHKDSK scan once your computer reboots next time.

Option 2 – Try to run the Primary Hard Disk Self Test

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to run the Primary Hard Disk Self Test by following the steps below.

• You need to boot your computer into the BIOS first.
• After that, go to the Diagnostics tab and select the “Primary Hard Disk Self Test” option. Note that it may be different depending on the motherboard with different manufacturers but they should imply the same thing.
• Now, wait until the test is completed, and then boot your computer normally.

Option 3 – Try to check the hard drive’s health

The next thing you can do to resolve the issue is to check the health of your hard drive using the WMIC utility in the Windows Command Prompt. This utility will check if your hard drive has any problems which resulted in the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error.

Option 4 – Try to disable various restrictions on your hard drive

You might also want to disable the various restrictions on your hard drive since it is possible that it is encrypted or restricted which explains why you are unable to perform any operations in it and throws the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error instead. For instance, if you have BitLocker, you can try to disable it and see if it fixes the error or not.

Option 5 – Try to uninstall or disable the Drive Locking feature on your hard drive

You could also look for any Drive Locking feature on your hard drive that tricks disk changes as it might be the root cause of the problem. Thus, if you find one, you need to either uninstall or disable it and then execute a check disk command to resolve the problem.

Option 6 – Try to disable the application service

Disabling the application service can also help you fix the problem. How? Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and then hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
• Next, scroll down among the list of services and look for the service related to the security software or disk checker software.
• Once you find it, right-click on that service and select Properties.
• After that, change its Startup type to Disabled and click on the OK and Apply buttons to save the changes made.
• Now restart your computer and don’t forget to enable the service back once the disk check is completed.

Option 7 – Try to use Repair Volume via Windows PowerShell

You could also try to use the Repair Volume using Windows PowerShell. All you have to do is open PowerShell as admin and type the “repair-volume -drive letter <DRIVE LETTER>” command and then tap Enter to run Repair Volume. This should resolve the error.

Following a two-year investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the state has filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for fostering a "frat boy" culture in which female employees are allegedly subjected to unequal pay and sexual harassment. As reported by Bloomberg, Activision Blizzard is being accused by the state of California of discriminating against female employees at nearly all levels of employment, including in regards to compensation, promotion, assignments, and termination. The state alleges Activision Blizzard’s leadership has failed to address any of these outstanding issues or prevent them from occurring within the workplace. You can read the full details of the lawsuit here. The suit, filed Tuesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, says Activision Blizzard, which is made up of about 20 percent women, assigns women, and women of color, to "lower paid and lower opportunity levels" with lower starting pay for similar work as their male counterparts. The documents also accuse Activision Blizzard of fostering a "pervasive 'frat boy' workplace culture in the office. Male employees are said to drink "copious amounts of alcohol" as they make their way through cubicles and "often engage in inappropriate behavior toward female employees." Male employees are said to come to work hungover, play video games during work "while delegating their responsibilities to female employees, engage in banter about their sexual encounters, talk openly about female bodies, and joke about rape." The lawsuit also cites one particular incident where a female employee, who was already subjected to intense sexual harassment at the company, committed suicide during a work trip with a male supervisor who allegedly brought inappropriate, sexual items with him on the trip. The lawsuit is asking for an injunction that will force Activision Blizzard to comply with workplace protections, as well as deliver unpaid wages, pay adjustments, back pay, and lost wages and benefits for female employees.

An Activision Blizzard spokesperson sent the following statement in response to the allegations:

We value diversity and strive to foster a workplace that offers inclusivity for everyone. There is no place in our company or industry, or any industry, for sexual misconduct or harassment of any kind. We take every allegation seriously and investigate all claims. In cases related to misconduct, the action was taken to address the issue. The DFEH includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past. We have been extremely cooperative with the DFEH throughout their investigation, including providing them with extensive data and ample documentation, but they refused to inform us what issues they perceived. They were required by law to adequately investigate and to have good faith discussions with us to better understand and to resolve any claims or concerns before going to litigation, but they failed to do so. Instead, they rushed to file an inaccurate complaint, as we will demonstrate in court. We are sickened by the reprehensible conduct of the DFEH to drag into the complaint the tragic suicide of an employee whose passing has no bearing whatsoever on this case and with no regard for her grieving family. While we find this behavior to be disgraceful and unprofessional, it is, unfortunately, an example of how they have conducted themselves throughout the course of their investigation. It is this type of irresponsible behavior from unaccountable State bureaucrats that are driving many of the State’s best businesses out of California. The picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today. Over the past several years and continuing since the initial investigation started, we’ve made significant changes to address company culture and reflect more diversity within our leadership teams. We’ve updated our Code of Conduct to emphasize a strict non-retaliation focus, amplified internal programs and channels for employees to report violations, including the “ASK List” with a confidential integrity hotline, and introduced an Employee Relations team dedicated to investigating employee concerns. We have strengthened our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and combined our Employee Networks at a global level, to provide additional support. Employees must also undergo regular anti-harassment training and have done so for many years. We put tremendous effort into creating fair and rewarding compensation packages and policies that reflect our culture and business, and we strive to pay all employees fairly for equal or substantially similar work. We take a variety of proactive steps to ensure that pay is driven by non-discriminatory factors. For example, we reward and compensate employees based on their performance, and we conduct extensive anti-discrimination training including for those who are part of the compensation process. We are confident in our ability to demonstrate our practices as an equal opportunity employer that fosters a supportive, diverse, and inclusive workplace for our people, and we are committed to continuing this effort in the years to come. It is a shame that the DFEH did not want to engage with us on what they thought they were seeing in their investigation.

Conclusion

We will see how things work out, but I am not too optimistic for Activision Blizzard, truth to be told these reports are really bringing up some disturbing news on the sunlight. I just hope that all responsible will be brought to justice.

Many of us are taking the google search engine for granted and it is no true that it has crawled in almost every spore of our digital lives but if we wanted a little more privacy? Do we have options or we are destined to use google and send our information to this company. What if we really wanted that our searches are well safe, secure, and private? We could try other search engines like BING but since BING belongs to Microsoft we would exchange only one company for another without making any progress in the privacy battle. Enter DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that’s been online since 2008. Find websites, maps, videos, news, and more without tracking your searches and serving you targetted ads. It took DUckDuckGo as you can tell sometimes to gain ground and to be recognized but finally, it got the attention it deserves. Its big breakthrough happened in September of 2014 when Apple offered it as a default search engine in Safari and since it has gained more and more ground. It seems people care about their privacy after all. Since then DuckDuckGo has been gaining ground and all the major browsers have integrated it as an option for a default search engine. In this article, we will show you how to switch to DuckDuckGo and set it as your preferred search engine in all major browsers.

1. Google Chrome

   Launch Chrome and click on the three dots in the upper right. Choose settings. Choose Search engine in the list on the left of the screen. Click on the drop-down box next to Search engine used in the address bar and choose DuckDuckGo.

2. Mozilla Firefox

   Launch Firefox, click on the three lines hamburger menu icon in the top-right corner of the window. Click on Preferences. Click on Search in the menu to the left of the screen. Under Default Search Engine, click the drop-down box and choose DuckDuckGo.

3. Microsoft Edge

   Click on the three dots menu button in the top-right corner of the window Then select Settings. Click on Privacy, Search and Services in the menu that appears on the left Scroll down to the Services menu and choose Address bar and search. Click the dropdown menu next to Search engine used in the address bar and choose DuckDuckGo.

4. Apple Safari

   Click Safari in the menu bar at the top of the screen Then click Preferences. You can also use the Command+, shortcut to quickly bring up Safari’s Preferences. Click on the Search tab, then choose DuckDuckGo under the Search engine drop-down box.

5. Opera

   Click on the Settings cog button in the sidebar on the left of the screen. Under Basic settings scroll down until you see Search engine and a drop-down box. Select DuckDuckGo from the list.