If you encounter an error saying, “0x800f0982 – PSFX_E_MATCHING_COMPONENT_NOT_FOUND”, when you try to install a Windows 10 cumulative update, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will help you sort this problem out. According to the reports, computers with Asian language packs installed are the ones that are mostly affected by this error. In fact, the same error code was also found with two KB4493509, KB4495667 and KB4501835. These cumulative updates are released as part of Patch Tuesday. However, it appears that it brought on issues. Thus, to fix the error, you can try to uninstall and reinstall any language packs you’ve added recently. You can also try to uninstall older KB updates or delay Windows Update, as well as reset Windows 10.
Option 1 – Try to uninstall and reinstall the language packs you’ve recently added
If you have installed a language pack recently, you have to uninstall it, restart your computer, and then reinstall it.
Go to the Settings app and select Time & Language.
Next, click on the Language option and select the language you have to uninstall.
After selecting the language, it will enable two-button namely the Options and Remove buttons.
Click on the Remove button and then reboot your PC.
Once your computer has restarted, install the language pack again.
Option 2 – Try to uninstall the KB updates
Microsoft has actually offered a solution, an odd one which is to install the April 2019 cumulative update. You have to uninstall the older KB4495667 and KB4501835 update from your Windows 10 computer. And after you’ve uninstalled them, click on the Update button and then install the April 2019 cumulative update.
Go to Settings and select Update and Security > Windows Update.
From there, click on the “View update history” option and then click on the “Uninstall Updates” option.
This will open a new window that contains the list of installed Windows Updates.
Now right click on the Windows Update you wish to uninstall and click Uninstall.
Once you’ve uninstalled the update, click the Update button and install the April 2019 cumulative update.
Option 3 – Try to delay Windows Update
If you have not installed the Windows 10 cumulative update KB4493509 yet and the Asian language is a must for you, then you have to delay or pause the Windows Update for at least a couple of days.
Option 4 – Reset your computer
Tap the Win key or click on the Start button located in the Taskbar.
Then click on the Power button at the bottom right portion of the screen.
Next, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard and then click on Restart. This will restart your Pc into the Advanced Startup options.
Note: Once you have access to the Advanced Startup options, you have to go to the setting which allows you to Reset your Windows 10 PC. All you have to do is select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC to reach the following screen
Afterward, select either the “Keep my files” option and then proceed to the next on-screen instructions that follow to reset your Windows 10 computer without losing your files.
Every time a new drive or any storage device is connected to a Windows 10 computer, the operating system tends to allot a drive letter to it automatically. Not only that, as the OS also maps the location of the drive which helps it point the letter to the exact port location of the drive and serve requests from the user. As a result, it builds up a bit of cache as per the pattern in which the user uses the storage of the computer. This whole process is known as “Auto Mounting” which works for hard disks or optical drive readers that are connected using the SATA ports and even for USB drives that are connected using the USB ports.
There are several ways you can enable or disable the Auto-Mount feature in Windows 10. You can do it using the MountVol tool or the Registry Editor or the Diskpart utility. Before you proceed, it is recommended that you create a System Restore point first so that you can always undo the changes you made in case anything goes wrong.
Option 1 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via MountVol tool
In this option, you will be using the mountvol command in the Command Prompt. Refer to the steps below.
Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
Next, type the following command and tap Enter to enable the Auto Mount feature:
mountvol /E
On the other hand, if you want to disable the Auto Mount feature, type the following command instead:
mountvol /N
After that, type the command below to remove all the previously assigned drive letters:
mountvol /R
Finally, restart your computer.
Option 2 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via Registry Editor
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
After that, navigate to this registry key: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesmountmgr
Next, look for a DWORD named “NoAutoMount”. If you can’t find a DWORD with that name then simply create a new DWORD with the same name and make sure that the base is selected to Hexadecimal.
Now double click on that DWORD and change its value to 0 if you want to enable it, otherwise, input 1 as its value to disable it.
Restart your computer.
Option 3 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via Diskpart utility
Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
After opening Command Prompt as admin, type the following command and hit Enter to launch the Diskpart utility:
diskpart
After that, a User Account Control prompt will appear. Just click on the Yes button.
Next, type the following command and hit Enter:
automount
Following the command you entered, you will an output that either says, “Automatic mounting of new volumes enabled” or “Automatic mounting of new volumes disabled” which means you can use it to check the status of Auto Mount.
Now if you want to enable the Auto Mount feature, type the following command and tap Enter:
automount enable
And if you want to disable the Auto Mount feature, just enter the following command:
automount disable
To remove all the assigned letter and history of drives that were connected previously, type the following command:
If you encounter an error code of 0xa0000400 while trying to upgrade your Windows 10 computer using the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant or the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, then you might find this post useful as it will guide you in resolving this problem. When you get this error, you will see the following error message:
“Something went wrongYou can contact Microsoft support for help with this error. Here is the error code 0xa0000400.”
As you know, keeping your computer up to date with all the Windows Updates is important and is imperative especially if you are experiencing a couple of issues like the Windows Upgrade error 0xa0000400. At the time of writing, there is no specific cause that has been found for this error. However, there are some potential fixes that might help you. You can try to recreate the Windows 10 installation USB and get the ISO files or you could also get a newer version of the Windows Media Creation Tool, or turn off your internet connection at a specific time or run the Windows Update troubleshooter. For more details, refer to the options given below.
Option 1 – Try to recreate the Windows 10 installation USB
Recreating the Windows 10 installation USB might help in fixing the problem. You can use a USB drive to do so but make sure that it has a great read-write speed. Follow the steps below to recreate Windows 10 installation USB”
Click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
Next, click the “Use the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)…” option and follow the next given instructions on the screen.
Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
After that, you should now have an ISO file.
Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with option and then select File Explorer.
Now click on “setup.exe” and follow the next instructions that appear on the screen. When asked, you have to select either Nothing (clean install) or Keep personal files only option. Take note that you must not select the “Keep personal files, apps, and Windows settings since it doesn’t really work.
Option 2 – Try turning off the Internet connection at a specific time
You might want to turn off your internet connection at a specific time. This option can be quite tricky so what you need to do is to disconnect the internet connection when the update is downloaded using the Windows Upgrade tool. It’s actually okay since all the files you need would be downloaded safely and the Windows Upgrade tool will be the one to install the newer updates using those files.
Option 3 – Try to get a newer version of the Windows Media Creation tool
You can also fix the Windows Upgrade error 0xa0000400 by using the latest version of the Windows Media Creation tool. And so if what you have is an older version, you need to update it in order to resolve the error and upgrade your Windows 10 computer.
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 or upgrade errors like error code 0x800701E3. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.
Option 5 – Try running Disk Cleanup
You might want to run the Disk Cleanup utility as it is a useful tool that could delete temporary and useless files in your computer.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type “cleanmgr” in the field and hit Enter to open the Disk Cleanup window.
After that, select the drive you want to clean.
Now click OK to clean the disk and restart your computer.
Lately, Microsoft has trying to fix Print Nightmare with various methods and patches. The last patch has seemingly fixed Print Nightmare but it has broken the Alt-tab key combination.
It has been reported that the latest patch has broken famous key combinations for quickly switching from window to window. It seems that combination is not working or it is switching to desktop, even going to blank screen if switching from the full-screen game.
Fixing the issue
Luckily this issue is easily fixable.
The first and easier fix for this issue is surprising to turn off the news and info widget, right-click on it and choose News and interests and then click on turn off.
The second solution would be to uninstall the update. Go to Settings, then to Update & Security, and from there view Update History and remove the update.
To understand this error, first, it is important to understand what Flash.ocx actually is. Flash.ocx is basically a flash plug-in or ActiveX file that is responsible for the adobe flash player to work on the system.
The Flash.ocx error triggers due to issues in the Adobe flash player.
Solution
Error Causes
The error Flash.ocx may occur due to many reasons. These include:
Flash player corruption
Corrupted and broken Active X components
To this error code is not fatal but nonetheless it is still advisable to fix it right away to avoid inconvenience when using Flash player.
The inability to run the Flash Player smoothly will hinder you from watching videos on your PC and playing exciting web-based games.
Further Information and Manual Repair
To resolve this error on your system, you don’t have to hire a professional and spend hundreds of dollars. This error code is quite easy to fix. You don’t need to be technically sound to resolve this error code.
Simply follow the methods give below to fix the Flash.ocx error code in a few minutes.
Method 1: Reinstall the Flash Player
If the error occurs due to the corruption of the Flash Player, then it is advisable to reinstall the player on your PC. However, before you do that first remove the previous versions of Adobe Flash Player on your system.
If the previous corrupted version is not removed properly, then you will be unable to re-install it properly on your PC again.
Go to the Add/Remove Programs and find the Flash Player and uninstall it. Make sure the files are also removed from the registry.
Once you have successfully uninstalled the corrupted version, now go to the official website of Adobe Flash Player and download the utility from the website. Install it and run it on your system.
If it works, then this means the error is resolved. However, if the error still persists, then try method 2.
Method 2: Download Restoro to Fix Active X components
Another reason for Flash.ocx error code can be broken or corrupted Active X components.
If this is the issue, then the best way to resolve it is to download Restoro. This is a multi Reimagefunctional and advanced PC Fixer deployed with multiple high-performance scanners including Active X and Class scanner.
The Active X and Class scanner perform an entire PC scans for corrupt and broken Active X entries along with missing software paths and invalid combinations. After the scanning process is complete, it repairs and restores the components back to normal.
Thereby resolving the Flash.ocx error right away and ensuring smooth video browsing over the web.
Restoro is an efficient and a safe program. It has a user-friendly interface and easy navigations. It can be used by all level of users.
Besides the Active X scanner, it includes 5 more value-added utilities like a registry scanner and an antivirus to name a few. It is compatible with all Windows versions
Click here to download Restoro on your PC and resolve Flash.ocx error code now!
Same as in Windows 10, Windows 11 also features a lock screen. IN this lock screen by default, you will see a clock and date above the standard Windows 11 background. Not all users will be happy with this choice but do not worry, you can choose and customize your lock screen to better suit your idea of it.
To personalize the lock screen do:
Right-click on Desktop and select Personalize
Click on the lock screen
Choose one of three options and customize it
Personalize Your Lock Screen
this option will let you set a custom image or slideshow for your lock screen. Choose either one that best suits you. Under selecting picture or pictures for the slide show you can uncheck the option to see tips, tricks, and facts on your lock screen.
Lock screen status
when clicking on this option you can select the application widget that you wish to be shown on the lock screen like weather, mail, calendar, etc. Choose if you would like one by clicking on it.
Show the lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen
as self-explanatory this switch will enable or disable chosen lock screen wallpaper on your login credentials screen.
Close settings
All settings will be automatically saved and applied and when you wish to lock the screen easiest way is to press ⊞ WINDOWS + L shortcut on your keyboard.
Windows 10 setup is a bit complicated which is why it’s uncommon to encounter errors along the way. One of these errors you can encounter when running Windows Setup is the error code 0x80070006. If you are trying to fix this error, you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how to do so.
When you get the error code 0x80070006, you will see the following error message:
“Windows cannot install required files. Network problems may be preventing Windows from accessing the file. Make sure the computer is connected to the network and restart the installation. Error code: 0x80070006.”
As stated in the error message, this kind of error in Windows Setup is due to an unstable or unreliable network connection. Such problems can also be triggered by network hardware which includes the network adapters and the network routers. To fix this error, you need to check your internet connection and router or run the built-in network troubleshooter. You could also try using a different USB port or recreate a bootable USB drive as well as get a new Windows image file.
Option 1 – Try checking your internet connection and router
As mentioned, this Windows 10 setup error could be due to an unstable internet connection. To fix it, the first thing you have to do is to check the status of your internet connection and see if it is stable and has enough speed to run the setup. If it’s slow, then it’s no wonder that the setup process failed. To fix that, you can try to reboot your router from its admin panel or you can just turn it off manually and then turn it back on after a couple of seconds. In addition, you also have to check if it’s plugged in properly.
Option 2 – Try to run the Network Adapter troubleshooter
The next thing you can do is to run the Network Adapter troubleshooter. This built-in troubleshooter can help resolve any network issues. It can reset the adapters, remove cached settings, and many more. To run it, follow these steps:
Go to Settings > Update & security and from there select Troubleshoot.
Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.
Option 3 – Try to use a different USB port
You might want to check the integrity of the USB port where connected the device if you are using a bootable USB storage device to run the setup for Windows 10. All you have to do is switch the USB port or try to use another bootable USB device and see if it fixes the problem.
Option 4 – Try recreating the Windows 10 installation USB
Recreating the Windows 10 installation USB might help in fixing the problem. You can use a USB drive to do so but make sure that it has a great read-write speed. Follow the steps below to recreate Windows 10 installation USB”
Click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
Next, click the “Use the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)…” option and follow the next given instructions on the screen.
Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
After that, you should now have an ISO file.
Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with option and then select File Explorer.
Now click on “setup.exe” and follow the next instructions that appear on the screen. When asked, you have to select either Nothing (clean install) or Keep personal files only option. Take note that you must not select the “Keep personal files, apps, and Windows settings since it doesn’t really work.
Option 5 – Try getting a new Windows image file
If none of the four given options above worked, you might want to get a newer installation image using the Windows Media Creation tool. After that, create the bootable USB drive and once completed and then try to run the Windows 10 setup again.
Download the nlm11.16.2.0_ipv4_ipv6_mac_universal.tar.gz file to the Desktop.
To install the Autodesk Network License Manager:
Double click on nlm11.16.2.0_ipv4_ipv6_mac_universal.tar.gz to unpack the installer package.
After unpacking nlm11.16.2.0_ipv4_ipv6_mac_universal.pkg, will be /Downloads/adlm/FLEXnet folder.
Double click on nlm11.16.2.0_ipv4_ipv6_mac_universal.pkg to start installation and follow the installation wizard.
The license server will be installed in /usr/local/flexnetserver/ directory.
Change permissions for /usr/local/flexnetserver/ directory to 777
Open Terminal (located in /Applications/Utilities/Terminal) and enter the following command:
sudo chmod -R 777 /usr/local/flexnetserver
Note: Administrator password may be asked. While typing no characters are shown, just type out the password and hit return key.
Note: To start the license server only with elevated permissions (using sudo command), change permissions to 755 instead of 777.
Create /usr/local/flexnetserver/licenses directory for network license file location
sudo mkdir /usr/local/flexnetserver/licenses
Find the license server Host Name and Host ID.
Generate the Network License File in the Autodesk Account
Once the license file is generated, make sure it has a .lic extension (e.g. adsk_license.lic) and is in a plain text format and place it in /usr/local/flexnetserver/licenses directory
Note: In this article we will refer to adsk_license.lic as network license file name. Feel free to change the actual name of the license file, but make sure to reflect the new name when using the commands below.
Create a debug.log file in the /usr/local/flexnetserver/ directory using the following command:
touch debug.log
To start the Network License Server use the following command:
To configure the license manager use the following steps:
Download Autodesk Network License Manager v. 11.16.2 for Linux from this link
Download the nlm11.16.2.0_ipv4_ipv6_linux64.tar.gz file to your desktop.
To install the Autodesk Network License Manager run following command as root.
tar –zxvf nlm11.16.2.0_ipv4_ipv6_linux64.tar.gz
rpm -vhi nlm11.16.2.0_ipv4_ipv6_linux64.rpm
The license server will be installed in /opt/flexnetserver/ directory.
Find the license server Host Name and Host ID
To obtain the license server system hostid run the following command
/opt/flexnetserver/lmutil lmhostid
From the command output note the hostid in quotes, if the system has two active NIC cards, select the first MAC address.
lmutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2018 Flexera. All Rights Reserved.
The FlexNet host ID of this machine is "000c297949e0"
To obtain the license server system hostname run the following command
/opt/flexnetserver/lmutil lmhostid hostname
From the command output note the hostname of the license server.
mutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2018 Flexera. All Rights Reserved.
The FlexNet host ID of this machine is "HOSTNAME=Centos7.localdomain"
Generate your Network License File in Autodesk Account
Once the license file is generated, make sure it has .lic extension (e.g. adsk_license.lic) and place it in /opt/flexnetserver/licenses directory. If the directory doesn't exits, create it with this command: sudo mkdir /opt/flexnetserver/licenses
Note: in this article we will refer by adsk_license.lic your network license file name.
/opt/flexnetserver/lmutil lmstat -a -c /opt/flexnetserver/licenses/adsk_license.lic
To stop your license server service
/opt/flexnetserver/lmutil lmdown -q -force
alternatively you can also run ps command to obtain process ids for lmgrd and adskflex and then kill those processes
ps -aw | grep lmgrd
ps -aw | grep adskflex
kill -9 (provide process ids obtained by previous commands individually)
To start the license server automatically after the system reboot
Open /etc/rc.d/rc.local script as root and enter license server start up command in it.
touch /var/lock/subsys/local
/opt/flexnetserver/lmgrd -c /opt/flexnetserver/licenses/adsk_license.lic -l /opt/flexnetserver/server_log.logNote: To ensure that the script will be executed during boot, run following command as root.
chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.local
Make sure that all necessary ports are open:
lmgrd.exe needs ports 27000 to 27009.
adskflex.exe needs port 2080.
Note: Errors may occur if the network license file is corrupt or in the case of a combined network license it has incorrectly combined licenses. To learn more about combining licenses, see Combining License Files for Multiple Autodesk Products. Use the License File Parser to verify that the license contains the appropriate products and FLEXnet feature codes and does not display an error
Verify that TCP ports (2080, 27000-27009) used by Autodesk Network License Manager are not blocked by Firewall.
The FLEXlm® based version uses the following incoming ports:
TCP ports 2080 (for the adskflex vendor daemon)
TCP ports 27000 to 27009 (for the lmgrd master daemon, which uses the first open port in the range)
Note: If these port addresses are restricted by a router or firewall software, users on the remote side of the router will not have access to licenses controlled by the Network License Manager.
Verify that the client computer is configured with the correct license server name or IP.
Windows:
Clear license server information from the system registry.
Type regedit in the Windows Search box and hit Enter key.
As the key is selected, in right panel ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE will be visible.
Right click on the key and delete it.
Specify the license server in ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE system variable
Go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > System.
Select Advanced system settings.
On the System Properties dialog, click Environment Variables.
Under System Variables, click New.
Enter ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE for the variable name and 2080@SERVER_NAME _OR _IP for the variable value.
Note: the license server information most often is recorded in LICPATH.lic file and can be verified there too. ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE system variable supersedes LICPATH.lic. Thus, setting the system variable is preferable when this error is seen.
If the license server is on a VPN or a remote network set the FLEXLM_TIMEOUT environment variable:
Go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > System.
Select Advanced system settings.
On the System Properties dialog, click Environment Variables.
Under System Variables, click New.
Enter FLEXLM_TIMEOUT for the variable name and 5000000 for the variable value.
Click OK to save the setting.
Note: if needed the variable value can be increased to 10000000.
Mac/Linux:
Specify the Autodesk Network License server information in $HOME/.flexlmrc file.
Use a text editor to create a flexlmrc.txt file and save it in Plain text format (In TextEdit on Mac: Format - Make Plain Text) on desktop.
The file content should look like this, except with the name or IP address of the license server.
ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE=@SERVER_NAME _OR _IP
If the license server is on the same machine as the Autodesk software, use localhost as the license server name. Thus, the content of flexlmrc file could look like this:
ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE=@localhost
Note: On firewall restricted network or when accessing the license server via VPN, need to include TCP port/s (usually 27000 or 2080) into Autodesk License Server service as follows: ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE=2080@SERVER_NAME _OR _IP
Once flexlmrc file is created move it to user's $HOME folder as follows:
Open a Terminal window
Type open ~ (Mac) or nautilus ~ (Linux) to open $HOME folder
Drag and drop flexlmrc.txt file from Desktop to the home folder.
To make the file a configuration file, rename it to .flexlmrc (please note . [DOT] in front of the file name) by running the following command:
mv flexlmrc.txt .flexlmrc (Mac)
mv flexlmrc .flexlmrc (Linux)
Verify that the license server information registered with the product is correct (versions 2020 and later only)
In versions 2020 and later, the license server information is registered with the AdskLicensing service running locally on the workstation. When changing to a new license server, the old server information may still be registered with AdskLicensing and result in the error above, if this is not appropriately updated.
See the below steps to solve this:
Click the Start menu and type cmd.
Right-click on the Command prompt and choose "Run As Administrator."
In the Command prompt, run the following command, followed by ENTER:
During Windows 10 installation, you will see all the beautiful user interfaces, however, what’s more, important are the drivers, your processor, and free storage disk in order for the installation to be successfully completed. So if you are getting the CompareExchange128 error during the installation of Windows 10, this means that the CPU lacks a very important instruction known as “CMPXCHG16B”. Thus, if you don’t have CMPXCHG16B, then it will result in the CompareExchange128 error when you install Windows 10. In fact, CMPXCHG16B, PrefetchW as well as LAHF/SAHF is a criterion for you to be able to use Windows 10 64-bit version when upgrading from an earlier version of Windows.
So what exactly is the CMPXCHG16B instruction? The CMPXCHG16B instruction is the one that performs an atomic compare-and-exchange on 16-byte values. This instruction can also be referred to as “CompareExchange128”. The atomic compare-and-exchange means that the CPU compares the contents of a memory location with a given value. So if the values are the same, it modifies the contents of that memory location to a new given value. Note that this kind of issue only happens to the 64-bit Windows 10 version and the only way to resolve it is by getting an update on the hardware level from the OEM. On the other hand, if nothing really works, it’s maybe time for you to get a new CPU but before you resort to that, in the meantime, you can try following the options given below to fix the CompareExchange128 error during the installation of Windows 10.
Option 1 – Try to update the BIOS and Chipset Drivers
One of the best things you can do to fix the CompareExchange128 error is by updating the BIOS and chipset drivers which is why you need to check if your OEM has an update available for your computer’s BIOS as well as the related chipset drivers. But before that, you need to first check the BIOS version. To do so, follow these steps:
Type “msinfo32” in the search bar and hit Enter to open the System Information Tools.
After opening the System Information Tools, check the BIOS version.
Then take note of that BIOS version. You also need to use the BIOS utility that came with your computer and use it for the upgrade. Note that it is different for every computer and if you don’t have it, you can just go to the OEM website and see if there is an option to download it there.
Option 2 – Try to downgrade to the 32-bit Windows 10 version
If option 1 didn’t work as the BIOS update is not available, you can also try downgrading to the 32-bit version of Windows 10. Keep in mind that this will bring restrictions on the amount of RAM installed and other places but that won’t be a problem as you can still switch.
Option 3 – Try buying a new hardware
If none of the first two options didn’t work for some reason then maybe it’s time for you to purchase new hardware especially if your computer is way too old. In such cases, it’s better to buy new hardware or better yet, a new computer that can keep up for the next couple of years.
Anxiety from all these digital threats lurking everywhere? An antivirus program can help put your mind at ease.
What can a virus do to your device?
A virus is malicious software that can affect pretty much any device and does so in a variety of ways. Be it your computer, your phone or your smart lightbulb - as long as there’s access to the internet, malware can get to it.
How exactly does this kind of attack manifest itself? Well, there’s a wide variety of effects ranging from mild to severe. Among other things, they depend on which type of malware attacks your device - a virus, spyware, ransomware, adware or something else.
These are some of the things you can expect to happen:
Slow performance
System crashes
Theft of data and sensitive information
Connectivity issues
Constant browser redirects
Strange messages sent to your contacts
Interference with files
It really can be the stuff of nightmares. So, if you want to sleep peacefully knowing that your devices are completely safe, you should definitely consider getting an antivirus.
P.S. don’t let its name fool you - an antivirus does indeed protect your devices against more than just viruses.
What is antivirus software exactly?
Antivirus software is designed to help you battle and ward off malware. Basically, it scans your device to detect any suspicious activity and offers tools to get rid of the culprit.
At first, antiviruses were developed to fight against viruses only, but nowadays they cover a lot more ground. Here are some of the biggest benefits of getting yourself a powerful defender.
Advantages of antivirus software
1. It fights those pesky ads
Look, constant ads that pop up everywhere aren’t the absolute worst thing that can happen on your computer. If anything, they are annoying, like when you’re trying to sleep but that one fly in your room just won’t stop buzzing.
Now, there’s a free, well-established solution for that - installing an ad blocker. And we’re about a hundred and ten percent sure you’ve already done that on each and every browser you use.
However, “if I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist” isn’t the most ideal approach for your online safety. Ad blockers can’t block everything and they won’t protect you from potential adware. An antivirus on the other hand offers that layer of protection against malware snuck into pop-ups and spammy websites.
2. It protects you from hackers
Hackers don’t target government institutions only. They’ll target regular people too if they have something to gain.
Credit: Clint Patteron (Unsplash)
There are different types of hacking, such as phishing e-mails, transmission of malicious programs, credential reuse, denial of service and more. In any case, they take control of your device and hijack your data.
The good thing is that, as threats evolve, antiviruses evolve too and there are tons of quality programs on the market that can keep you secure for an affordable price.
3. It keeps your files and data safe
When malware enters your device, it can target pretty much any file and get access to any and all data.
Installing an antivirus program will make sure that every single file, new or old, is monitored at all times, warning you against threats immediately. That way, you can make sure to react before your other files become infected and data is lost or stolen.
Another great thing for data protection is that the best antivirus software normally comes with a password manager, so no one can use malware to steal your passwords.
4. It blocks all kinds of malware
As we already stated, malicious attacks can be performed in many ways and malware comes in in different shapes an sizes, such as:
Trojan horse
Spyware
Ransomware
Adware
Rootkit
RAT (remote access Trojan)
Keyloggers
Worms
Botnets
Credit: Growtika (Unsplash)
Nowadays, antivirus software is designed to fight against all of these types. That’s why more often than not we hear the term 'antivirus' used interchangeably with 'anti-malware,' like in this article.
5. It keeps your children protected
You can’t keep your eyes on your kid every second of the day and you can’t protect them from everything. But at least you can limit their exposure to the threats they can encounter at every corner of the digital world.
An antivirus program will block harmful or suspicious websites and ads, which is great both for you and your children. To take it a step further, though, many such programs come with special parental controls and offer monitoring as well. It’s a great solution for keeping your kids safe online without sounding like the irritating, overbearing, controlling parent who “just doesn’t get it!”
How to pick one
There are definitely lots of different antivirus programs out there, both free and paid. We recommend you look for a paid option, since free ones are unfortunately a lot more susceptible to being compromised through malicious attacks.
Now, there are a few factors to consider when choosing the right software. If you use your PC for basic things then a basic antivirus will suffice. However, the more complex your use and the more sensitive the data you deal with, the stronger it needs to be.
It’s also crucial that you take into account the features it includes. As we already mentioned, some programs have additional security options. For example, depending on the package you select, Bitdefender provides:
Some are included in plans and some are separate products, so make sure to check out all the offers.
And don’t worry if you have multiple PCs or you’re looking for protection for your smartphone or tablet as well; Bitdefender has suitable solutions for your needs. Of course, you can also just pick their classic antivirus software if you’re not in need of advanced protection.
Another important point is how regularly the software is updated and enhanced. The more frequent the updates the better, as bugs can make the program more vulnerable. Other things we advise you consider are user-friendliness, impact on performance, reputation (user reviews especially) and, of course, price.
The bottom line
Fact is: anyone can be a malware victim. Don’t let it be you.
You can’t put a price on peace and security, so don’t be reluctant to pay for yours - especially since a lot of options out there are extremely affordable. Is $159.00 a year really too much to pay for cross-platform protection for up to 10 devices? We don’t think so.
Explore your options and protect your files and data before it’s too late.
The Error Code 0x80070057 is rather typical with Win7.
Customers of Win7 maintain reporting that each moment they strive to install this Operating system, it shows this problem error.
Often, the total information that comes with this specific error is:
"Error Code 0x80070057: The parameter is wrong"
When this problem happens, you will end up struggling to move private documents from one person to another.
Solution
Error Causes
You could get the error message when you attempt installing Win7,
"An Internal Error has occurred. Incorrect parameters".
If this happens to you, realize that you are dealing with malfunction code 0x80070057. This error occurs mostly when you are trying to build a full backup of your Windows 7 OS.
The primary source of Error 0x80070057 is huge registry values.
Extensive registry values usually occur when you are trying to back up your Windows 7 OS. This means that you need to immediately create a bigger virtual memory space to avert the occurrence of the error.
Error Code 0x80070057 can be a result of incompatibility between the motherboard and some drivers.
Check whether the computer's motherboard and the installed drivers are compatible. If you can't do this effectively on your own, it might be a good idea to enlist the services of a qualified technician.
The Problem Signal 0x80070057 has a close Connection with RAID Installations
RAID installations have a tendency of sparking off the Error Code 0x80070057. If you experience this error while using RAID, first turn off the RAID setup and check whether that resolves the problem.
Further Information and Manual Repair
Error Code 0x80070057 is repairable. Thus, there's absolutely no cause for alarm when you see it with respect to your own Windows 7 Operating System. So what can you do to resolve it?
a) Increase Virtual Memory: This is perhaps the most common solution to Error Code 0x80070057. In most cases, simply raising the virtual memory especially on Windows 7 Operating-System completely eliminates the error. Moreover, you don't have to be technically advanced to effect the change. Simply follow these steps:-
Click the Start Button and visit Control Panel
Click System Security, and proceed to System.
Click the Advanced System Settings, subsequently proceed to the Advanced Level Tab.
Click Change, which can be under the Virtual Memory
Change the virtual memory value. For instance, you can customize entirely from 2000MB to 6000MB.
Click Set, then Ok. You are done
As with each additional change you make with respect to your Computer, you will have to conclude by re-booting it. This way you make certain that they'll stay as you've established them and apply the necessary modifications.
If the error still persists after attempting the preceding fix, download a registry-cleaning software. The software will clean up your disk and free up memory thus increasing the available virtual memory for your computer. This should solve your persistent Error Code 0x80070057.
Lately, Microsoft has trying to fix Print Nightmare with various methods and patches. The last patch has seemingly fixed Print Nightmare but it has broken the Alt-tab key combination.
It has been reported that the latest patch has broken famous key combinations for quickly switching from window to window. It seems that combination is not working or it is switching to desktop, even going to blank screen if switching from the full-screen game.
To personalize the lock screen do:
