Completely Remove SweetIM From Computer

Windows 11 has come a long way from its infant stage. Today it is incredibly good and stable operating system that also looks good and modern. Unfortunately, fancy animations and good graphics come with a price, in this case, slower performance on some little older and weaker computers.

Animations itself which include also fading effects can sometimes feel slugging and laggy and have a general overall feeling of delay. For a more old-school instant experience, you can turn off animations.

In order to turn animations inside Windows 11 follow this simple guide:

First thing is to open Settings by pressing Windows + i key combination or you could open Start and in the search box type in Settings and then click on its icon.

Once inside settings on the left side find Accessibility and click on it to select it. Once it is selected on the right side choose Visual effects. Inside the visual effects section click on the switch next to Animation effects to OFF. You can also turn off transparency effects in this section if you wish if you have an older GPU in order to speed it up a little.

That is all you need to do, settings will be automatically saved and all animations will be turned off for a quicker and more responsive feeling when working inside W11

System Interrupts are operating system processes that function as an alert system for the CPU. So whenever a scenario needs the attention of the CPU, it alerts the CPU about it. In turn, the CPU suspends what it is doing, saves it, and then takes care of that important job and once that job is completed, it resumes back to what it was doing. This indicates that although System Interrupts appears as a process, it’s actually not. As a matter of fact, it is like a manager that reports to the CPU about all interrupts that happen on a hardware level, e.g. hardware interrupts. And if there are lots of interrupts, this means that there might be various errors occurring on a hardware level. As a result, it may take a lot of system resources. And if you consider disabling System Interrupts, stop right there as your computer will almost become useless without it. So if you see System Interrupts consuming high CPU usage in your Windows 10 computer, you can fix it without having to disable it and cause more problems. If System Interrupts takes up more than 5 to 10% of CPU, then you definitely have a problem. This could be happening due to some hardware or driver issue. The first thing you can do is to try rebooting your computer once and see if the issue comes back or not. High CPU usage of System Interrupts is a huge backlog for the CPU and it stays in the loop. If a simple system restart didn’t fix this issue, here are some suggestions you can try.

Option 1 – Try to update the hardware drivers

As stated, the problem might have something to do with hardware drivers so you can try to update these drivers and see if it works.

• Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with networking support.
• Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type “devmgmt.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After opening the Device Manager, update all the outdated Hardware drivers on your computer.
• Next, right-click on all the driver entries that are appropriately labeled, and then click the Update driver option.
• Now restart your PC and check if the BSOD error is fixed or not.

Note: On the other hand, if a recent update has caused the System Interrupts high CPU usage, then you might want to roll back your hardware drivers to their previous versions. You can check with the Windows Update History to check out any recent updates as well as the previous ones.

Option 2 – Try to disconnect and reconnect all hardware and cables

A lot of users reported that they were able to fix the problem by disconnecting and reconnecting cables and hardware like scanners, printers, cameras can help in fixing the problem. In addition, you can also boot your computer in a Clean Boot State so that you can find the problematic hardware by hit and trial method. Refer to the steps below to do so:

• Log onto your PC as an 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.)

Option 3 – Try to enable or disable Hardware

If you do not want to remove hardware, you can just disable them using the Device Manager. Note that this can also be applied to the internal hardware.

• Tap the Win + X + M keys to open the Device Manager.
• Next, navigate to the device you want to disable.
• Then right-click on it and choose to disable the device.

Note: Make sure that you disable one device at a time and then give it a couple of minutes and check if there are any changes in the CPU usage to pinpoint the hardware. And if there is no change, you need to enable the device you’ve just disabled and then proceed to disable the next hardware device. If there are changes, then it’s probably the culprit. Just keep in mind that you must no disable any device that is needed to keep your system up and running.

Option 4 – Try to update the BIOS/UEFI

Updating the BIOS/UEFI can help you fix the high CPU usage of System Interrupts but as you know, BIOS is a sensitive part of a computer. Even though it is a software component, the functioning of the hardware depends on it largely. Thus, you must be careful when modifying something in the BIOS. So if you don’t know much about it, it’s best if you skip on this option and try the other ones instead. However, if you are well-versed in navigating the BIOS, then follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “msinfo32” in the field and press Enter to open System Information.
• From there, you should find a search field on the bottom where you have to search for the BIOS version and then press Enter.
• After that, you should see the developer and version of the BIOS installed on your PC.
• Go to your manufacturer’s website and then download the latest version of BIOS on your computer.
• If you are using a laptop, make sure that you keep it plugged in until you have updated the BIOS.
• Now double click on the downloaded file and install the new BIOS version on your computer.
• Restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Option 5 – Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter or the Performance Troubleshooter

Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter:

• 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.

Performance Troubleshooter:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “exe /id PerformanceDiagnostic” in the field and hit Enter to open the Performance troubleshooter.
• Then click on Next to get started. Wait until the process is completed.

If you recently upgraded your computer or if you’ve just switched to a new Windows 10 PC, the most common errors you might encounter are the Windows Activation errors. This issue boils down to the Windows Activation server which has either failed to validate or recognize the license tied to the digital account. In this post, you will be guided on how to fix an activation error in an organization with an error code 0x8007007B. It contains this exact error message: “We can’t activate Windows on this device as we can’t connect to your organization’s activation server. Make sure that you’re connected to your organization’s network and try again. If you continue having problems with activation, contact your organization’s support person. Error code 0x8007007B.” Various computers are activated via the KMS licensing (Key Management Server) in organizations. Computers that are activated using this process do not get a permanent activation and have to stay connected to the organization instead of for at least 7 months or 180 days. It is common in Pro and Enterprise versions that are deployed in bulk for at least hundreds or thousands of computers. So imagine a user with a personal computer in the office who decided to leave the organization but will still have an activated Windows key. And so to prevent that from happening, organizations use the KMS licensing. Another possible cause of the error is in case some user used an organization key and later on, the PC just got upgraded or downgraded to a version that is not compatible with that copy of Windows. To fix this Windows Activation error, here are some suggestions that might help.

Option 1 – You can try connecting to the organization’s network and activate the computer. But before that, you need to first check if the computer actually belongs to an organization or not.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “cmd” and hit Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt.
• After that type the vbs /dlv command and hit Enter to execute it.
• Next, check if the Product Key Channel says “GVLK”. If it does, then it means that your computer was activated using volume licensing.

Option 2 – Change Licence Key

If you’ve recently left an organization then it’s best if you buy another copy of Windows 10 and then change the license key. This time, make sure that the license key is for the same version of Windows. However, if it’s different, you need to format your computer.

Option 3 – You can try activating Windows 10 using a mobile phone

Activating Windows 10 can also be done using your phone. Just note that you have to call Microsoft to do so.

• In the Start Search box, type in “Slui 4” and tap Enter.
• Next, select your country and click on Next.
• Keep the window open and call the toll-free number of the country you’re from.
• Afterward, a confirmation ID should be given by the automated system which you must take a note of.
• Finally, in the box on the window, type in the confirmation ID and click on the Activate button. That should do it.

Option 4 – If you think that the issue is caused by some hardware changes, you can try using the Activation Troubleshooter.

There are times when users already have the license keys and were able to activate Windows. However, it doesn’t last long and only works for a while and it’s suddenly throwing up an activation error like this one. To use the Windows Activation Troubleshooter, just go to Settings and to Activation and then run the troubleshooter from there. If you've made some modifications to your hardware, you have to click the “I changed hardware on this device recently” option for further suggestions.

If you got encounter an error message saying, “Error opening file for writing” while running a setup file to install some program on your computer, read on as this post will give you some suggestions on how you can fix it. You can encounter this error when running a setup file for installing a program like GlassWire, Notepad++, VLC, Steam, OBS, Mod Organizer, WinpCap, NSIS, FileZilla, BSPlayer, Kodi, Wireshark, rtcore64, qt5core.dll, MSI Afterburner, GWCtlSrv.exe, npf.sys, vcredist_86 and many more. And so when this error pops up while you run a setup file, refer to the steps given below which might help resolve the problem. Step 1: First, you have to make sure that there is no other installation in progress as multiple installations can most likely cause this error to show up. You can restart your computer and try to run the setup file again. Step 2: If you still got the error even after your restart your computer, click on Retry to try again and if it does nothing, click Abort to terminate the installation. After that, go to the folder where you’ve placed the setup file and then delete it. Step 3: Make sure that you have enough disk space on your computer. You can use the Windows 10 Storage Sense feature which can clean all the temporary files from your computer and help you save storage space. To use Storage Sense, follow the steps below.

• 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.
• Now make sure that the Storage Sense feature is turned On then go 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

Note: Once you’re done freeing up space on your drive, try to run the setup file again. Step 4: If freeing up space didn’t help, you can just delete the setup file and download another one from the official homepage of the program. From there download the setup file and place it in a different location. After that, run the setup file once again. Step 5: Make sure that you have downloaded the correct setup file according to your operating system, i.e. x64 or x86. Step 6: Restart your computer once more and make sure that you sign in as administrator. After that, right-click on the setup file and click “Run as administrator”. If it still didn’t help, you might want to take ownership of the folder where you saved the setup file. How? Follow the steps below but before you do that, you have to create a System Restore Point first, once that’s done, proceed.

• First, locate the concerned folder and right-click on it then select Properties.
• Next, click on the Edit button in the Properties window and click OK to confirm if you got a User Account Control elevation request.
• After that, select user/group from the permission windows or click on the Add button to add another user or group. It would be best if you add “Everyone” to give permission.
• Then check “Full Control” under the “Allow” column to assign full access rights control permissions.
• Now edit the permission to Full Control for “Everyone”.
• Click OK to save the changes made and then exit.

If by any chance you are working on a touchscreen PC, tablet, or any similar device and have no access to a hardware keyboard there is a way to place Touch Keyboard on your screen for easy typing, and you can enable icon on the taskbar for easy access.

Enabling the Touch Keyboard

1. Right-click on the Taskbar
2. Select Taskbar Settings
3. Go to Personalization > Taskbar
4. Click on Taskbar Corner Icons to expand it
5. Click on the switch next to Touch Keyboard to turn it ON
6. Close settings

The icon will immediately appear on the Taskbar in the lower right corner. Clicking the icon virtual keyboard will appear on the lower part of the screen. You can use this keyboard to type in applications the same as you were typing on hardware one. By taping on X in the upper right corner, you will hide the keyboard. Tap on the icon in Taskbar to bring it up again.

Hide the Taskbar icon

If you do not want to use Touch Keyboard anymore you can easily hide the icon:

1. Right-click on the Taskbar
2. Select Taskbar Settings
3. Go to Personalization > Taskbar
4. Click on Taskbar Corner Icons to expand it
5. Click on the switch next to Touch Keyboard to turn it OFF
6. Close settings

Search Donkey is a Potentially Unwanted Program for Windows developed by Western Web Applications, LLC. This program may inject ads into your browsing sessions, giving you false search results and advertisements.

As described by Western Web Applications: “Search Donkey is entirely free to use. To keep Search Donkey free, we’ve partnered with high-quality ad providers and you may see additional ads when Search Donkey is installed.

While installed, Search Donkey will keep track of your web search queries, allowing it to let you know what pages you already visited, however, this data is also used to better target personal unwanted ads.

Search Donkey has been flagged as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) by several anti-virus scanners, and their website is blacklisted by Google, giving warning to whoever visits it, and due to the nature of this application, it is not recommended to keep on your computer.

About Adware

Exactly what is Adware? If you have ever owned a computer, then you’ve probably heard the word numerous times, but it is still beneficial to define it. The term “adware” is actually a short form of advertising-supported software and it includes programs that are solely designed to display ads on a computer. A kind of malware, it will come bundled right in with the software package that a user either installs or accesses. Shareware or freeware programs are often times packaged with adware. If adware penetrates your system without you knowing and sends information about you or your PC to 3rd parties, then it is spyware. Quite often, adware changes your web browser settings to open pop-up adverts or modifies browser homepage and default internet search engine to some unwanted website. Adware is a common problem that affects a large number of PCs around the globe. If your computer doesn’t have any anti-malware software then it’s very likely it could get infected with adware as well as other malware.

Adware and its effects on your PC:

Adware could generate and display plenty of ads of all sorts which in turn disrupt the functions of your personal computer while browsing the net. Pop-ups might also show up on your computer’s desktop even when you’re not online. Adware results in a reduction of available memory and processing power, or resources. It also causes a slow net connection because adware consumes bandwidth whenever it retrieves adverts from the internet. Adware was originally created to support companies to generate income when they offer the software away free of charge. However, adware nowadays displays hundreds of adverts which will cause your PC to slow down and even crash.

Adware prevention:

As we discussed, adware could potentially be harmful to your computer, generally not by itself, but by bringing other problems to you. A top-quality antivirus program has the capability of permanently removing adware. We recommend Safebytes Anti-Malware, one of the top-rated anti-malware programs by world-renowned industry experts. It will act either as a preventative tool stopping websites or software installations that contain adware or as a removal tool for an already infected computer. To prevent adware, download software from websites that you trust. Never download from websites that you have never been aware of or tried before; Always study the end-user license agreement (EULA) of any application you want to install; You need to avoid freeware and shareware where possible; Lastly, watch out for ActiveX, since many adware and spyware companies make use of the technology to install their wares onto your computer system

Malware Blocking Internet And All Anti-Malware Software? Do This!

All malware is bad and the consequences of the damage will vary based on the specific type of malware. Some malware variants alter browser settings by adding a proxy server or modify the PC’s DNS settings. In these instances, you will be unable to visit some or all internet sites, and thus not able to download or install the required security software to eliminate the malware. So what to do when malicious software prevents you from downloading or installing Anti-Malware? There are a few options you could try to get around with this problem.

Remove viruses in Safe Mode

In Safe Mode, you can actually change Windows settings, un-install or install some program, and eliminate hard-to-delete viruses and malware. If the malware is blocking access to the internet and affecting the computer, launching it in Safe Mode will let you download antivirus and run a diagnostic scan while limiting possible damage. To enter into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press the F8 key while the PC is starting up or run MSConfig and look for the “Safe Boot” options under the “Boot” tab. Once you’re in safe mode, you can attempt to install your anti-malware program without the hindrance of the malicious software. At this point, you could run the anti-malware scan to eliminate viruses and malware without hindrance from another application.

Switch over to an alternate browser

Some malware only targets certain browsers. If this sounds like your case, use another web browser as it could circumvent the malware. If you suspect that your Internet Explorer has been hijacked by malware or otherwise compromised by hackers, the ideal approach is to switch over to a different internet browser like Firefox, Chrome, or Safari to download your chosen computer security software – Safebytes Anti-Malware.

Create a portable USB antivirus for eliminating malware

Another solution is to make a portable antivirus program on your USB flash drive. Adopt these measures to run the anti-malware on the affected computer system. 1) Download the anti-malware program on a virus-free PC. 2) Connect the flash drive to a USB slot on the clean computer. 3) Run the setup program by double-clicking the executable file of the downloaded software, which has a .exe file format. 4) Select the flash drive as the destination for saving the software file. Follow the directions to complete the installation process. 5) Transfer the pen drive from the clean computer to the infected computer. 6) Double-click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the thumb drive to run the software. 7) Hit the “Scan Now” button to start the virus scan.

Detect And Remove Viruses With SafeBytes Anti-Malware

Today an anti-malware tool can protect the computer from different types of online threats. But wait, how to decide on the best one amongst countless malware protection application that’s available out there? As you might be aware, there are many anti-malware companies and products for you to consider. A few are well worth your money, but many aren’t. You need to choose one that is reliable, practical, and has a strong reputation for its malware source protection. Amongst few good applications, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is the strongly recommended software for the security-conscious individual. SafeBytes anti-malware is a trustworthy tool that not only secures your PC permanently but is also very easy to use for people of all ability levels. With its outstanding protection system, this tool will easily detect and remove most of the security threats, including adware, viruses, browser hijackers, ransomware, trojans, worms, and PUPs.

SafeBytes has outstanding features when compared to other anti-malware programs. Below are some of the great ones:

Real-time Threat Response: SafeBytes provides 100 % hands-free real-time protection and is set to check, block, and eliminate all threats at its very first encounter. They’re very effective in screening and getting rid of different threats because they’re constantly revised with new updates and safety measures. Robust, Anti-malware Protection: With its enhanced and sophisticated algorithm, this malware removal tool can identify and get rid of the malware threats hiding in the PC effectively. Internet Security: SafeBytes gives an instant safety rating about the pages you’re about to visit, automatically blocking harmful sites and ensure that you’re certain of your safety while browsing the world wide web. “Fast Scan” Abilities: SafeBytes’s virus scan engine is one of the fastest and most efficient within the industry. It's targeted scanning seriously increases the catch rate for viruses which is embedded in various computer files. Low CPU and Memory Usage: This program is not “heavy” on your computer’s resources, so you’ll not see any overall performance issues when SafeBytes is working in the background. 24/7 Customer Support: You can obtain totally free 24/7 technical support from their computer experts on any product queries or computer security concerns. Overall, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is a solid program as it has lots of features and could identify and remove any potential threats. Malware problems will become a thing of the past once you put this software to use. So if you’re searching for the best malware removal application out there, and if you don’t mind paying out some money for it, opt for SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you don’t want to use malware removal software and prefer to get rid of Search Donkey manually, you could do so by going to the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu in the control panel and deleting the offending program; in cases of web browser plug-ins, you may remove it by visiting the browsers Add-on/Extension manager. You’ll probably also want to reset your internet browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually examine your hard disk and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. But bear in mind, editing the Windows registry can be a complicated job that only experienced users and professionals should attempt to fix it. Furthermore, some malware keeps replicating which makes it tough to eliminate. It is advised that you do the removal procedure in Windows Safe Mode.

Microsoft store is ready and prepared for Windows 11 official release on October 5^th and it is coming with some surprises. It has officially confirmed that many open source and free applications will be in it like Opera, VLC, discord, Libre office, etc. It seems that Microsoft wants to place its store as one place to go for all of your software needs. Another great surprise is the coming of Epic games store implementation. It was officially confirmed but not explained in detail, will we have Epic store opened in Windows store or we will only get installer as a package we will see but this is some great news. As for how it states now, it seems that the Windows store aims to eliminate searching the web for applications and bring them all into one environment with reviews and ratings so you know which one to install and use. It also features a great search engine to find proper applications for your needs. The new store will come to Windows 10 as well but after all Windows 11 has been mostly released and adopted. So expect it via update in two or three months' time. It would be great if some larger companies decide to join MS stores like Autodesk, Adobe, the Foundry, etc so you can install everything you need from it but one can only hope.

Many Linux users if not all of them can run their distros from a USB drive but did you know you can run Windows 10 from a USB drive as well? Microsoft has introduced all the way back to Windows 8 one feature called Windows To Go and it kept it in Windows 8.1 and in Windows 10 as well. This feature is intended as a convenient way for workers to carry their corporate environments with them, but having your own copy of Windows on a thumb drive could be handy for backup purposes, too, or if you frequently use public machines that lack your preferences/applications or that have a restricted OS.

What you will need?

In order to actually make Windows 10 run from a USB drive you will need the following things:

1. USB drive with a minimum size of 20GB
2. Working computer with Windows 10 running on it
3. Rufus or another ISO to UBS tool, get Rufus here: https://rufus.ie/en_US/
4. Windows 10 ISO file

Making Windows 10 UBS drive

Install Rufus on your Windows 10 and run it. Stick USB in PC and open Rufus. On the screen that follows choose your Windows 10 ISO image and under Image options choose Windows To Go. Click on ready and you are finished, that’s it. After Rufus finishes you have now fully working Windows 10 bootable drive which you can use on another PC for whatever reason.

What is Error 0x00000024?

Error 0x00000024 can be seen when you start up and a screen comes up asking which mode you would startup in. Regardless of the mode you select, it leads up to the Windows screen with the loading bar and your computer crashes from there onwards. When you press F8 in order to select the “Disable Automatic Restart On System Failure” option, that is when this error shows up:

ST0P 0X00000024 (x00190203, 0x82700550, 0xc000012, 0x00000000)

Due to this error, both Safe and Normal modes become inaccessible.

Solution

Error Causes

If you’re having this error then it is the indication of an issue with the file NTFS.sys. Further, there might also be problems with the IRP (Interrupt Request Packet) or the disk may have been corrupted. There are multiple other causes of this error, including heavy fragmentation of your hard drive or problems caused by your antivirus software.

Further Information and Manual Repair

First and foremost, you are suggested to run Chkdsk. In order to do this, you have to enter your BIOS and select CDROM as your primary booting device. Now follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Insert your Windows XP installation CD into the CDROM and reboot your PC.
2. Press any key to proceed with the boot from CD when you are prompted to do so.
3. When the Windows XP setup menu shows up, hit the “R” key to proceed with repairing Windows.
4. If there is only one Windows installed on your computer then hit the “1” key and proceed by pressing enter. If there are more than two Windows then hit the number which is associated (according to the screen you are viewing) to the Windows you want to repair. Usually, this is C:/Windows and associated with “1” but if that is not the case then you should simply press the number that corresponds with the windows you want to repair and proceed.
5. Now, you will see a screen that prompts you to enter your administrator password. Most people don’t have an admin password and in that case, you should simply hit enter and you’d be good to go. If you do have an administrator password, however, then you should type it in, hit enter, and proceed.
6. When the DOS prompt shows up, type in chkdsk/f and hit return.

If you see no improvement in solving Error 0x00000024, and the problem keeps persisting, then you should start over. But this time you should type sfc/scannow instead of chkdsk/f and hit return. There are a few other complex methods that you can try as well but this is the most recommended procedure as it is easier, quicker, and most likely to fix the error.

Windows 11 has brought some new features and changed some of the existing ones. One of these changes includes quick switching of audio devices which will play audio. Audio switching can still be done under the taskbar, it is just a little different and one could say even hidden. Follow this quick guide and you will be switching from your headphones to speakers as an example in a matter of seconds.

1. Click on the speaker icon located in the far-right part of the taskbar.
2. After the quick settings menu appears click on the right arrow located right of the volume slider. If the arrow is not present, instead of click on the pencil icon, then on add, and finally select Volume from the list.
3. After clicking on the arrow icon, a list of all enabled audio devices on the system will replace the volume slider. Click on the desired audio device in order to make it active.
4. Click anywhere outside the quick setting menu to save changes and close it.

Note: in the Quick settings menu if you choose More Volume Settings it will bring you to System > Sound where you can access more sound input and output options.