Disable Windows print spooler in PowerShell

We’ve already covered disabling Security Questions If you want to disable Security Questions on your Windows 10 computer then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you in doing exactly that. In this post, you will be disabling Security Questions using a PowerShell script. This PowerShell script is called “Update-AllUsersQA”. It is designed to remove or disable the security questions and answers for local users on a Windows 10 computer. It lets administrators take control of the security questions in the environment and at the same time minimizes the risk that comes with them. If a user has a Microsoft account that’s configured to sign in to Windows 10 then he will not probably notice the Password Recovery questions. On the other hand, if he has a chosen local account for installing Windows, he will e prompted to create three security questions that can be used to reset the password and log into the Windows 10 account in case there is any misfortune. However, if you do not have much use for these Security Questions, then you can definitely have them disabled using a simple PowerShell script which you can download from GitHub. For more details on how to disable security questions in a Windows 10 machine, refer to the steps provided below. Step 1: You need to first download the .ps1 file from the GitHub repository. Step 2: Once you’ve downloaded the file, open the PowerShell window with admin privileges. Step 3: After that, navigate to the folder where you had saved the .ps1 file. Then copy the address of the folder location. Step 4: Next, change the directory by using the following command:

cd "folder location address"

Step 5: After that, enter the following script to disable the security questions:

Update-AllUsersQA

Once you’ve completed the steps above, the Security Questions should be disabled and you will be notified with a message stating that the feature has been disabled. On the other hand, if you have a change of heart and you want to enable the Security Questions back, here are some steps you need to take: Step 1: First, open the PowerShell window as admin. Step 2: Next, run the same script with one more parameter such as:

Update-AllUsersQA -answer SecretAnswer

Step 3: And that’s about it. Do not forget to replace the Secret Answer with your preferred one and once you’re done, it will be set as the answer for all the Security Questions. Step 4: Now all that’s left to do is go to the Settings app to change the answer to the questions and you should be good to go.

Error 0x80004005 - What is it?

Error 0x80004005 is a typical Outlook error. This error code occurs either when sending emails or receiving them. The error message may be displayed in either of the following formats:

‘Sending and receiving reported error "0x80004005": The operation failed.’ ‘This message could not be sent. Try sending the message again or contact your network administrator. The client operation failed. Error is [OX80004005- 0X0004B9-OXOO501].’

Error Causes

There are several causes for the error 0x80004005 such as:

• The Script Blocking Feature Enabled While Using Norton Antivirus
• Spyware
• Viruses
• Registry problems-Missing or corrupt registry keys

It is advisable to repair and resolve error 0x80004005 immediately as it may cause a great deal of inconvenience to you. This error may hamper your ability to receive and send emails from your Outlook account and lower your productivity too as you may be unable to communicate with your peers.

Further Information and Manual Repair

To fix error 0x80004005, you don’t have to wait for the network personnel or be a technical expert yourself. This may be a critical error but the good news is that it is easy to resolve. Here are some effective methods and quick fixes to resolve the error 0x80004005 instantly.

Method 1: Disable Script Blocking Feature in Norton Antivirus

After installing Norton Antivirus on your PC, if you start experiencing the Outlook error 0x80004005, then the best way to resolve it is to simply disable the script blocking feature. However, the downside of this is that by disabling this feature your PC will become vulnerable to viruses and malware.

Method 2: Disable the New-Mail Notification Feature in MS Outlook

If you don’t have Norton Antivirus downloaded on your PC, then try method 2. This method involves disabling the new-mail notification feature in MS Outlook. The error code 0x80004005 is often resolved by switching off this feature. Try it to see if it works. To disable the new-mail feature all you have to do is open your Outlook account and then go to the Tools menu, then go to Options and then select the ‘Preferences’ tab. After that click on the ‘Emails Options’ tab and then simply uncheck the check-box against ‘Display a notification message when new mail arrives’. To confirm changes press OK.

Method 3: Scan for Viruses

The error 0x80004005 may also be triggered due to viral infection or spyware. Such malicious software enters your PC through phishing emails and while downloading files and attachments. You may not be aware of this but your PC may be infected by viruses. It is important you remove them immediately as they can expose you to serious risks including privacy issues, identity thefts, data breaches, and more.

What is 0x00000bcb PC Windows Error?

The 0x00000bcb is a PC Windows error code that occurs when Windows cannot connect to the printer successfully thus hampering the installation of your system.

Solution

Error Causes

Like any other computer hardware device, printers also need additional software to function called the driver. Unsuccessful installation of driver software leaves behind locked files in the registry information that causes the next installation to fail as well. And so eventually, when you try to connect the printer with your system, you see a 0x00000bcb error message pop up on your screen. To ensure you fix this error code for good you need to make sure the printer software installation is carried successfully the next time you do it. And for that, you need to get rid of the locked files and bad registry keys that are preventing successful printer software installation.

Further Information and Manual Repair

The inability to install the printer support software countless times can be frustrating and cause inconvenience as it can prevent you from getting printouts. To resolve this error code, many people pay hundreds of dollars to technicians. Nonetheless, there is a way to resolve this issue on your PC without hiring a professional or having technical expertise. Wondering how? Restoro is your answer. This is a two in one highly functional system optimizer and registry cleaner PC repair tool. It includes multiple utilities allowing PC users to fix practically all types of PC errors in seconds. To use Restoro, you don’t need to be technically sound. It is simple and very easy to operate. The powerful registry cleaning utility integrated into Restoro enables PC users facing error code 0x00000bcb messages to clean up the registry in no time and ensure quick and successful printer software install. With this helper, you can swiftly clean up unnecessary and locked files and bad registry keys. The advanced registry cleaner scans for all junk files, invalid entries, bad keys, and corrupt files accumulated in your system. Once the files causing the 0x00000bcb error are scanned all you have to do is click on the fix button to repair. It’s that easy! It cleans up the registry, wipes out the clutter, and clears up the disk space in seconds. Once the registry is cleaned, you can then try installing the printer software again. And once the printer software is installed successfully, your system will be able to connect to your printer without displaying 0x00000bcb error messages. In addition to this, you will also experience a great difference in the speed and performance of your PC. Here's how to Install and use Restoro to Fix PC Errors Restoro also includes other utilities like privacy error fixer, Active X and Class detector, and system stability repair. So along with registry issues, you can also scan your system for privacy errors like viruses and malware, thus keeping your PC secure from data breaches and system security issues. This multi-functional tool is worth downloading. It is safe, efficient, useful, and utility load. With this helper, Windows compatibility is not an issue. Restoro is compatible with all PC Windows versions. So, no matter what Windows version you are using, you can run this repair tool with ease. So, what are you waiting for? Download it now to resolve the 0x00000bcb error code and ensure a successful printer connected to your computer. Click here to install Restoro on your system.

Code 18 - What is it?

Code 18 is a typical Device Manager error code that occurs when the device driver is damaged. Device Manager is an important tool that allows Windows PC users to have an overall look at the connected hardware.

Furthermore, it also allows diagnostic testing. It is vital too and errors associated with the Device Manager such as error code 18 should and must be resolved quickly.

Error code 18 is usually presented in the following formats:

“The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 18)” Or “Reinstall the drivers for this device.”

Solution

Error Causes

Error code 18 may be triggered due to several reasons such as:

• Outdated drivers
• Corrupted drivers
• Improperly configured drivers

Error code 18 may cause a great deal of inconvenience. It may hamper your ability to use certain devices on your PC.

For example, if code 18 pops up due to a corrupted or improperly configured keyboard driver, then it may hamper your ability to use your keyboard and work on your PC.

Further Information and Manual Repair

The good news is that Device Manager error codes like error code 18 are easy to resolve. Below are some of the easiest and effective methods to repair error code 18 on your PC. Try one of these methods to repair error code 18 in no time:

Method 1 - Uninstall and Reinstall Device Drivers

One of the easiest ways to repair error code 18 and to ensure that this error doesn’t pop up on your PC again is to uninstall the problematic driver. For this, simply:

• Go to the start menu
• Type Device Manager and press enter
• Now click on the device whose driver you want to uninstall.
• Press right-click and then click on uninstall. Windows will prompt you to confirm the removal of the driver.
• Click OK to confirm and then reboot your PC to activate changes.
• Now scan for new hardware and follow the same process to reinstall the uninstalled device driver.

Method 2 - Update Drivers Automatically

Finding problematic drivers and then updating them individually can be frustrating and a time-consuming process. It can take a lot of time to perform updates and resolve the error code on your PC.

If you have projects to work on with pressing deadlines, then updating drivers on your PC separately can cause you a great deal of inconvenience and waste your precious time.

However, to avoid this situation, we advise you to set your drivers to update automatically. Automatic update installation requires only a few seconds.

And to update drivers automatically, it is recommended you download DriverFIX.

As the name suggests, this software is designed to assist programmers to upgrade device drivers automatically. In just a few clicks, you can update all your outdated drivers and repair error code 18.

DriverFIX is easy to use and an advanced program that is smoothly integrated with an intelligent programming system. This system identifies and detects all the problematic drivers on your PC and then updates each driver automatically to their latest versions.

It continues to update drivers regularly ensuring that you never come across device driver problems on your system.

Click here to download DriverFIX and repair error code 18 today!

If you were having some problems with your internet connection and you tried to run the Internet Connections troubleshooter but it displays an error message instead that says, “The default gateway is not available”, read on as this post will show you what you can do to fix this error. The first thing you can do to fix this error is to restart your computer and then try to run the Internet Connections troubleshooter again. However, if you still see the same error message, then you might want to troubleshoot the problem further. You can try to install the Network driver or reinstall the Network adapter drivers. You could also verify the power saving mode or reset TCP/IP as well as disable the Firewall temporarily.

Option 1 – Try installing the Network driver

The very first thing you can do to resolve the error is to install the network driver. It is a common solution to this kind of problem and most users encounter it right after a fresh installation of Windows 10. So if you have done this, then you need to install the network driver so that the network adapters can start working. You can find the network driver in the motherboard CD. On the other hand, if you are using a laptop, you might have to use another computer or mobile to download the network driver from the manufacturer’s website.

Option 2 – Update the Network Adapter drivers

If the first option is not applicable to you since you already have network drivers in your computer, you might want to update the Network Adapter drivers by following these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand them.
• Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and update them all.
• Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the BSOD error.

Note: If updating the network drivers didn’t help in fixing the “Windows could not find a driver for your network adapter” error, you can also try to uninstall the very same drivers and restart your Windows 10 PC. After that, the system itself will reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled. Alternatively, you can also download and install the drivers from the manufacturer’s website directly.

You could also try to reinstall the network adapter driver, refer to these steps:

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
• After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
• Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
• Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.

Option 3 – Try to verify power-saving mode

If you are using a Windows 10 laptop, then you should know that the Power Options panel plays an important role. So if you’re getting an error in your laptop, you have to check some settings that are related to the Power Saving mode. To do so, follow these steps:

• Open Control Panel and go to Hardware and Sound and click on Power Options.
• Next, click on the “Change plan settings” option of your selected plan and then click the “Change advanced power settings” option.
• After that, you should see the Power Options window, and here, expand the Wireless Adapter Settings and Power Saving Mode.
• Now make sure that the Maximum Performance option is selected. If it’s not, select it and save the changes you’ve made.

Option 4 – Try to reset the TCP/IP

As you know, the TCP/IP or the Internet Protocol is the most important thing if you want to use the internet on your computer. That’s why if it ends up getting corrupted, you need to reset the TCP/IP to fix the problem. To reset TCP/IP, refer to these steps:

• In the Windows start the search, type “command prompt” and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
• Then select the “Run as administrator” option to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, execute this command: netsh int ip reset resettcpip.txt
• Once it’s done, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer and then check if the error is now fixed.

Option 5 – Temporarily disable Firewall

On the other hand, the error could also be due to the Firewall software installed on your computer. Thus, disabling them or any security software installed on your computer is always a good idea you can try when you’re not able to access the shared drive on your computer. There are times when you encounter problems like the error “The default gateway is not available” due to interference of antivirus or security programs. Thus, you have to disable both your antivirus program and Windows Defender Firewall for the meantime and check if it fixes the error or not

This post will guide you in fixing the (1058) ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED error you can encounter when trying to launch various games. Usually, this error pops up during startup and prevents you from running the game. In fact, this error has become quite a headache for many users. Some of the games it affects are Smite, Paladins, Far Cry, and many more. In most cases, this error is caused by missing or corrupted game files. It could also be caused by the anti-cheat utility you might have installed along with your games. Whichever the cause is, you can try to check out the possible fixes given below to resolve the (1058) ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED error.

Option 1 – Verify the Integrity of the Game files

This is the first option you can try no matter what kind of issues you are having with Steam games.

• Double click on the game’s icon located on your Desktop and then go to the Library tab in the Steam window.
• From there, look for GTA V from the list of games installed in your library.
• Next, right-click on its entry and select Properties.
• After that, navigate to the Local Files tab and click the “Verify Integrity of Game Files” button.
• Now, wait for the tool to complete checking the game’s integrity. You should see that some of the files may have been downloaded.
• Reopen the game and see if it now runs properly without crashing.

Option 2 – Apply some tweaks in the Service’s startup settings

As pointed out earlier, the error can also occur due to the anti-cheat tools that were installed alongside the game. These tools are usually used by games to check if you are running something which might give you an unfair advantage over other players. These anti-cheat tools include but are not limited to BattlEye, EasyAntiCheat, and PunkBuster. The error might occur if the service’s startup settings are not correctly configured which is why you can apply some tweaks in order to resolve the problem.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open Services.
• From the list of Services, look for any of the services mentioned above such as BattlEye, EasyAntiCheat Service, or PunkBuster Service. Then right-click on the service and select Properties from the context menu.
• After that, check if the service is started by checking the Service status. If it is started, click on the Stop button to stop the service and if it is already stopped, leave it as it is, at least for now.
• Next, make sure that the Startup type menu in the Service’s properties is set to Automatic before you go on.
• Now confirm any dialog boxes that may appear as you set the Startup type and then click on the Start button located in the middle before you exit Properties.

Note: You might get the following error message when you click on the Start button:

“Windows could not start the service on Local Computer. Error 1079: The account specified for this service differs from the account specified for other services running in the same process.”

If you got the error message above, then here’s how you can fix it:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open Services.
• From the list of Services, look for any of the services mentioned above such as BattlEye, EasyAntiCheat Service, or PunkBuster Service. Then right-click on the service and select Properties from the context menu.
• Now go to the Log On tab and click on the “Browse…” button.
• After that, type in your account’s name under the “Enter the object name to select” box and click on Check Names then wait for the name to be recognized.
• Then click OK once you’re done and type in the password in the Password field when you are prompted to do so. This should resolve the issue.

Option 3 – Try reinstalling the Anti-cheat program

If the first two options did not work out, you can try reinstalling the anti-cheat program.

• Open Steam from your Desktop or by searching for it in the Start menu.
• After opening the Steam client, go to the Library tab in the Steam window and then look for the Rust entry from the list.
• Next, right-click on the game’s icon in the library and select Properties.
• Now go to the Local Files tab under Properties and click the Browse Local Files button.
• From there, look for BattlEye, EasyAntiCheat, or PunkBuster folder depending on the game, and then double click on it to open the folder.
• Then right-click on EasyAntiCheat_setup.exe or the BattlEye installed file in the folder or PunkBuster and select the Run as administrator option.
• Exit the Steam client by clicking Steam > Exit from the menu located at the top.

Windows 11 brought with it a simplified right-click menu that has limited options. If you would like to bring the old Windows 10 right-click menu you will have to do some registry tweaking but it is doable. Since this requires registry tweak, please follow given solution step by step

1. Press Start and type RegEdit
2. Click on Registry Editor
3. Inside registry editor find next key: Computer\H_KEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\
4. Right click in the right part of editor window and select New > Key
5. Type in as a name: {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}
6. Right click on {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2} key and select New > Key again to create new key inside this one
7. Name inside key InprocServer32
8. Double click the “(Default)” key in InprocServer32 to open it
9. When the Default key opens close it without making any changes by clicking on OK. This will make its value property Blank instead of value not set
10. Close Registry Editor
11. Restart your PC

Once the system is up if the followed solution is applied you will now have an old school menu once right-click is used.

VSSControl: 2147467259 Backup jobs failed. Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing the writer’s data. VSS asynchronous operation is not completed. Code: [0x8004231f]

This message pops up when you are creating a snapshot system restore, usually, the issue is tied with insufficient space or service stopping. We will go into detail about how to fix both so you can finish the operation without any issue.

1. Check Volume Shadow Copy Services

   Easier and faster fix than the next one. Launch Services from the Start Menu, look for Volume Shadow Copy, double-click on it, and check the Service status. If it is stopped, click on the Start button. If it’s running, restart it by clicking Stop > Start.

2. Increase Shadow Storage Space

   If the first fix didn’t resolve the issue then you need to increase Shadow Storage Space. Launch Command Prompt as an administrator. Now, type the following command to check your Shadow Storage Space. vssadmin list shadowstorage Now, type the following command to allocate more storage (you can change 10GB with the amount of space you want to allocate) vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=10GB

There are times when the WMI Repository gets corrupted which results in the Provider Load Failure. To resolve this issue, you need to repair or rebuild the WMI Repository in your Windows 10 computer. In this post, you will be guided on how exactly you can do that. In case you don’t know, the WMI which stands for Windows Management Instrumentation is a set of specifications from Microsoft to consolidate the management of devices and applications in a network. The WMI is a database that stores meta-information and definitions for WMI classes. Using only these, the conditions of the systems can be known. You can find the WMI Repository in %windir%System32WbemRepository. It provides end-users with the status of the local or remote computer system. Keep in mind that you must not use this on the Server 2012 Cluster machine. Although there are command-line tools that can fix or restore the Windows Management Instrumentation repository. However, Microsoft suggests that it’s better if you verify if there is corruption. Here are a list of errors as well as permission issues you might encounter:

• Unable to connect to root default or rootcimv2 namespaces. It fails with the error code “0x80041002” pointing to “WBEM_E_NOT_FOUND.”
• 0x80041010 WBEM_E_INVALID_CLASS
• When you open Computer Management and Right Click on Computer Management (Local) and select Properties, you get the following error: “ WMI: Not Found” or it hangs trying to connect
• Trying to use wbemtest , and it hangs
• Schemas/Objects missing
• Strange connection/operation errors (0x8007054e)

To verify if there is corruption, you can try running the following command in an elevated Command Prompt:

winmgmt /verifyrepository

 After you enter the command, if there is a response saying, “repository is not consistent”, then the repository has an issue. If not, then something else is causing the problem. Since you are certain that corruption exists in the WMI repository, then here are some suggestions you need to check out to repair or rebuild the WMI repository.

Option 1 – Try to reset WMI Repository

• Type “command prompt” in the Start Search and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results and then select “Run as administrator”.
• After opening Command Prompt with admin privileges, type and enter this command: winmmgmt /salvagerepository

The command you entered is used when the winmmgmt command performs a consistency check. So if an inconsistency is detected, it will rebuild the repository.

• Next, execute this command to see if the WMI repository now comes back as consistent: winmgmt /verifyrepository

This command will perform a consistency check on the WMI repository.

• If it states that the WMI repository is not consistent, then you need to type and enter this command: winmgmt /resetrepository

This command is used to reset the repository to its initial state when the operating system was first installed.

Option 2 – Try to force recover the WMI Repository

The WMI Repository comes with a built-in self-recovery process so when the WMI service restarts or detects any corruption, it will automatically trigger the self-recovery procedure. This can happen in two ways:

• AutoRestore: This will use the backup images if the Volume Shadow copy or VSS backup is turned on.
• AutoRecovery: The rebuilding process will generate fresh images of the WMI repository based on the registered MOFs. The MOFs are available in the registry located at HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWBEMCIMOM: Autorecover MOFs

Note: Autorecover MOFs is a key so double click on it to check its value. On the other hand, if the self-recovery procedure does not work, you can try to use the force-recovery process instead. How? Refer to these steps:

• First, you need to check the reg key value is empty or not under this registry path: HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWBEMCIMOMAutorecover MOFs
• If the reg key value is empty, you have to copy-paste the reg key value from another computer. Just make sure that it’s from the System which is equivalent to the computer in question.
• Next, type and enter this command: Winmgmt /resetrepository
• After you enter the command, if you get an error that says, “WMI repository reset failed. Error code:0x8007041B. Facility: Win32”, then you have to stop all the Dependency Services on the WMI service by running the following commands:
  • net stop winmgmt /y
  • Winmgmt /resetrepository

This should fix the problem.

Mousepads are a common thing among computer users, everyone is using them and know what are they good for. Recently in the past few years, there are a lot of gaming mousepads on the rise, do you really need them, and do they back up their price? Short answer: YES, long answer: keep reading below.

Size advantage

One of the first things that one can see is the great difference in sizes between a regular mouse pad and a gaming one. Gaming pads have much more variety in size spawning all the way to really judge ones that you can use on your whole desk and place both keyboard and mouse on them. This will, of course, let you move your mouse more freely and have a much larger surface to use without the need to always lift the mouse up and center it on the regular pad.

Material advantage

Material on what are gaming pads built upon is extremely high in quality and usually even water phobic or water-resistant and it will allow great mouse movements on it. The backside is usually made of high-quality fabric that will stop slipping on the desk so the pad will stay at its pace during long sessions of work or gaming. Usually, standard mousepads are made with plastic or some other cheap material whereas gaming pads are made from fiber, high-quality fiber.

Other advantages

Among other great stuff that gaming pads have are wrist gel for hand resting and RBG light that looks cool, although RGB light is just a vanity that looks good gel for the wrist is a really good feature that will place less stress on your hands during long sessions of time spent in front of the computer.