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Activision Blizzard Sued by California

blizzard hqFollowing a two-year investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the state has filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for fostering a "frat boy" culture in which female employees are allegedly subjected to unequal pay and sexual harassment.

As reported by Bloomberg, Activision Blizzard is being accused by the state of California of discriminating against female employees at nearly all levels of employment, including in regards to compensation, promotion, assignments, and termination. The state alleges Activision Blizzard’s leadership has failed to address any of these outstanding issues or prevent them from occurring within the workplace. You can read the full details of the lawsuit here.

The suit, filed Tuesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, says Activision Blizzard, which is made up of about 20 percent women, assigns women, and women of color, to "lower paid and lower opportunity levels" with lower starting pay for similar work as their male counterparts.

The documents also accuse Activision Blizzard of fostering a "pervasive 'frat boy' workplace culture in the office. Male employees are said to drink "copious amounts of alcohol" as they make their way through cubicles and "often engage in inappropriate behavior toward female employees."

Male employees are said to come to work hungover, play video games during work "while delegating their responsibilities to female employees, engage in banter about their sexual encounters, talk openly about female bodies, and joke about rape."

The lawsuit also cites one particular incident where a female employee, who was already subjected to intense sexual harassment at the company, committed suicide during a work trip with a male supervisor who allegedly brought inappropriate, sexual items with him on the trip.

The lawsuit is asking for an injunction that will force Activision Blizzard to comply with workplace protections, as well as deliver unpaid wages, pay adjustments, back pay, and lost wages and benefits for female employees.

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

We value diversity and strive to foster a workplace that offers inclusivity for everyone. There is no place in our company or industry, or any industry, for sexual misconduct or harassment of any kind. We take every allegation seriously and investigate all claims. In cases related to misconduct, the action was taken to address the issue.

The DFEH includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past. We have been extremely cooperative with the DFEH throughout their investigation, including providing them with extensive data and ample documentation, but they refused to inform us what issues they perceived. They were required by law to adequately investigate and to have good faith discussions with us to better understand and to resolve any claims or concerns before going to litigation, but they failed to do so.

Instead, they rushed to file an inaccurate complaint, as we will demonstrate in court. We are sickened by the reprehensible conduct of the DFEH to drag into the complaint the tragic suicide of an employee whose passing has no bearing whatsoever on this case and with no regard for her grieving family. While we find this behavior to be disgraceful and unprofessional, it is, unfortunately, an example of how they have conducted themselves throughout the course of their investigation. It is this type of irresponsible behavior from unaccountable State bureaucrats that are driving many of the State’s best businesses out of California.

The picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today. Over the past several years and continuing since the initial investigation started, we’ve made significant changes to address company culture and reflect more diversity within our leadership teams. We’ve updated our Code of Conduct to emphasize a strict non-retaliation focus, amplified internal programs and channels for employees to report violations, including the “ASK List” with a confidential integrity hotline, and introduced an Employee Relations team dedicated to investigating employee concerns.

We have strengthened our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and combined our Employee Networks at a global level, to provide additional support. Employees must also undergo regular anti-harassment training and have done so for many years.

We put tremendous effort into creating fair and rewarding compensation packages and policies that reflect our culture and business, and we strive to pay all employees fairly for equal or substantially similar work. We take a variety of proactive steps to ensure that pay is driven by non-discriminatory factors. For example, we reward and compensate employees based on their performance, and we conduct extensive anti-discrimination training including for those who are part of the compensation process.

We are confident in our ability to demonstrate our practices as an equal opportunity employer that fosters a supportive, diverse, and inclusive workplace for our people, and we are committed to continuing this effort in the years to come. It is a shame that the DFEH did not want to engage with us on what they thought they were seeing in their investigation.

Conclusion

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

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How to avoid errors in Windows

We have all experienced Windows errors over time and that can range from simple ones that will do very little to no harm and can be even system breaking making us lose our work or completely making the PC unusable. No one likes them but they happen, and usually, they happen once we least expect them.

No matter how frequent and unpleasant they might be there are ways to keep them at the minimum and even avoid them.

We will discuss steps that you can take in order to do this, simple tips and guides on how to keep your computer in top form and eliminate not just Windows, but any kind of errors altogether.

computer free of errors

Keep your hardware clean

Believe it or not, some serious Windows errors like the dreaded blue screen of death can come from hardware issues not from the software at all. It is very important to keep your computer clean and with enough air flow so it can function properly.

Not so far ago we had an article about cleaning your hardware detailing what and how to do it. Here is a link to the article: https://errortools.com/windows/cleaning-your-pc/

Do not keep applications you are not using

Keeping applications on the drive might seem harmless but sadly that is not the case. Some applications have a certain impact on the system itself after all most of them are tweaking registry entries in Windows and sometimes having too many applications means an increased possibility of conflict over certain resources even when they are not running.

Some applications like adobe creative suite, for example, will have certain services always running in the background, and more of these kinds of applications you have, more services, more places for unexpected errors when they collide. Some of them will also install certain dependencies that could be problematic.

The general idea is: if you are not using it, uninstall it and you will be safer and more resilient to errors inside OS.

Do not use pirated or cracked software

Besides moral and law implications that using pirated or cracked software might bring you there are also certain other things that might be problematic. Certain "free" software might come packet with some problematic malware, for example, it is not uncommon for attackers to use some popular software to pack their malicious application with it.

Other things might be wrong and incomplete tweaking with application in order to bypass security and thus bringing some instability due to scripts needed to run in order to achieve this goal.

Keep your drivers updated

Errors can also come from old drivers or bad drivers, device manufacturers are not all-knowing and perfect, and sometimes drivers can wreak havoc on the system. Having updated drivers can minimize any kind of unexpected behaviors inside the operating system making it more stable and reliable.

You can check your driver version in the control panel inside the Windows OS and then compare it to the ones found on the manufacturer's site, if there are newer available it is recommended to download and install them,

Keep software updated

Applications can have bugs, and bugs can lead to certain errors both in the system and when using the app as well. It is in your best interest to get the latest patch or newer version of the software in order to avoid these unpleasant experiences.

Also, certain codecs and extensions that are installed directly in Windows can also have some unpredictable behavior, updating is the best solution to keep them in line.

Keep Windows updated

Same as with drivers and applications, Windows itself is not immune from bugs and some unpredictable issues. Luckily Microsoft is always working on fixes and features of Windows but in order to actually have benefited from that work, you will need to keep Windows updated. Sometimes a bad update can introduce some errors but you can always roll back to the previous and wait for them to fix everything and then download them all.

Check the health of your hardware regularly

Hardware components have their life cycle, more quality ones tend to last longer but eventually, they will reach the end of their lifecycle. There are a lot of testers for various components in your computer that can check different things and provide you with information about the state of your components.

If you are on Windows 11, Microsoft has included a basic health app inside OS, just type PC health check in search and start the app. For some more detailed information and advanced checks, you will have to use a custom application. There are plenty of them specialized for single components like RAM, SSD, etc. A simple google search with providing you with top results and most of them are free for personal use.

Remember, a faulty component or component that is reaching its life cycle can produce many errors inside the operating system.

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Fix CSGO Crashes in Windows 10
Counter strike has evolved from half-life mod into the full-featured game and has kept in popularity for years, even today game is wildly popular and has a huge player base. Sadly game can crash in Windows 10. Here in this article, we will address how to fix csgo crashing in Windows 10 so you can play it smoothly and crash-free as it was meant to be played.
  1. Update your display drivers

    Often in the gaming world having the latest display drivers can mean a world of difference. Counterstrike GO is no different, make sure that your drivers are updated to the latest version, if they are not, go to your manufacturer's website and download the latest version.
  2. Update Windows

    Just how much important is it to have the latest display drivers so it is to have the latest Windows update. Often problematic things are addressed in the update itself.
  3. Turn off compatibility mode

    Compatibility mode is most often the cause of crashes. Go to the game installation folder and search for csgo.exe. Once you locate it right-click on it and choose properties. Under properties, find the compatibility tab and turn off compatibility mode if it is ON. Uncheck run as administrator also
  4. Delete CSGO.EXE and add cl_disablehtmlmotd 1

    If disabling compatibility mode has not solved the issue do next: Pull up the installation directory folder, find csgo.exe, and delete it Pull up the Steam Library and locate Counter-Strike Global Offensive Right-click on it to select properties Find the local tab and click on verify integrity of game files When that is complete, go back into the Counter-Strike Global Offensive installation folder and search for cgo.exe Turn compatibility OFF like in the previous step Return to the Steam Library, right-click on Counter-Strike Global Offensive and click on properties again Go under the launch options settings In the new window, type in cl_disablehtmlmotd 1 Save the changes and restart the game
  5. Lower game settings

    If previous steps did not help and the game still crashes, try lowering game graphic settings. Crashes can happen if a game is heavy on the current system resources.
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There’s no Incognito Mode in Chrome
As you know, just like other web browsers, Google Chrome offers Incognito Mode or private browsing which you can use to make sure that your browsing activities are not being tracked by any websites you visit and it also keeps targeted ads at bay. On the other hand, signing in to a website, even when in Incognito Mode is a different thing since that website can track your browsing activities. Thus, Incognito Mode is still useful especially if you want to browse the web safely and without getting tracked except when you log in to some site. However, there have been reports recently that Incognito Mode is missing in Chrome and users are clueless as to how or why it happened. If you are one of them, worry not for this post will walk you through what you can do if there’s no Incognito Mode in Chrome on your Windows 10 computer. This is an unusual and strange issue since the Incognito Mode in Chrome is available by default and you don’t have to do anything to enable it. It is possible that there might be corruption in the Windows Registry which caused the disappearance of Incognito Mode, worry not though for there are some tweaks you can apply to restore the missing Incognito Mode. To apply these tweaks, you need to create first a System Restore point, and then once you’re done, follow the instructions provided below carefully. Step_1: Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and then hit Enter to open the Registry Editor. Step_2: Next, after opening the Registry Editor, navigate to this path – ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPolicies Step_3: From there, look for ChromePolicies and locate the DWORD named “IncognitoModeAvailability” and double click on it. Step_4: Edit the value of the “IncognitoModeAvailability” DWORD by changing its value from 1 to 0 so you can enable Incognito Mode in Chrome. Step_5: Once done, exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer and then check if you can now see Incognito Mode in Chrome. On the other hand, there is also another option that allows you to force open your Chrome browser in Incognito Mode. All you have to do is set the value of the “IncognitoModeAvailability” key to “2” instead of 0. This can be useful especially if you always browse the web in this mode. But you need to remember that you won’t be able to go back to the normal mode once you do this. Here are what the values of the IncognitoModeAvailability DWORD actually mean:
  • 0 – Incognito mode is enabled by default
  • 1 – Incognito mode is disabled
  • 2 – Chrome is forced to always open in Incognito mode
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Disable Privacy Settings Experience at sign-in
Creating a new Windows 10 account comes with options related to privacy. For instance, you will see the options to disable or enable Speech recognition, Find my device, Location service, Inking & typing, and many more. And if you often have to create a test account in Windows 10 v1809 and you don’t want to give this option, you can just disable the Privacy Settings Experience at sign-in on your Windows 10 PC using a couple of instructions given in this guide. To disable the Privacy Settings Experience, you can use the Registry Editor and the Group Policy Editor. But before you get started, you need to log in as an administrator. Moreover, it would also be better if you create a backup copy of the Registry files as well as create a System Restore Point before you make any changes. After you have those things covered, refer to the steps given below to disable the Privacy Settings Experience at sign-in on your Windows 10 PC. Since there are two ways to get things done, choose one option that you prefer.

Option 1 – via Registry Editor

  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  • Next, navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsOOBE
  • From there, look for the OOBE value and if you can’t find it there, you can just create it. To do so, right-click on the Windows key and select New > Key, and then name it “OOBE”.
  • After that, right-click on the OOBE value and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value, and name it “DisablePrivacyExperience”.
  • Then double click on DisablePrivacyExperience and set its value to “1”.
  • Now exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Option 2 – via the Group Policy Editor

  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  • Then type “gpedit.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
  • After that, navigate to this path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OOBE
  • Next, look for a setting named “Don’t launch privacy settings experience on user login” located on your right-hand side and then double click on it and select Enabled.
  • Now click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
  • Restart your PC.
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Wallpapers by MyWay (wallpapers.myway.com) removal Guide

Wallpapers by MyWay is a browser hijacker, also known as Wallpaper Homepage adware. It was developed by Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc and it is widely promoted on the Internet as a genuine search engine powered by Google with an ability to customize homepage background and add some quick access links. This hijacker can be found in the most popular web browsers including Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and IE. Generally Wallpaper by MyWay hijacker appears on the user’s computer without the user being fully aware of its modification.

While installed users will experience additional ads showing up in their search results, as well as sponsored content and pop-up ads. This extension has been flagged by several anti-virus scanners and it is recommended to remove it from your computer.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijack is a very common type of online fraud where your web browser settings are altered to allow it to do things you never intend. Browser hijacker malware is designed for many different reasons. These are generally used to force visitors to predetermined sites, manipulating web traffic to generate ad revenue. Nevertheless, it’s not that harmless. Your internet safety is jeopardized and it is also really irritating. Additionally, hijackers can make the entire infected system fragile – other harmful malware and viruses would take hold of these opportunities to get into your system very easily.

Signs of browser hijacker infection

Symptoms that your browser is hi-jacked include: 1. you see unauthorized modifications to your web browser’s home-page 2. you find yourself regularly directed to a different site than the one you meant 3. the default web engine and the default browser settings is modified 4. find new toolbars which you did not add 5. you notice lots of pop-up ads on your computer screen 6. your internet browser has instability issues or displays frequent errors 7. you’re blocked to access those sites of anti-malware solution providers.

Exactly how browser hijacker finds its way onto your computer

Browser hijackers can enter a computer by some means or other, for instance via file sharing, downloads, and e-mail also. Many internet browser hijackings come from add-on programs, i.e., browser helper objects (BHO), toolbars, or plug-ins added to web browsers to provide them additional functionality. A browser hijacker can be installed as a part of freeware, shareware, demoware and fake programs. An example of some popular browser hijackers includes Babylon, Anyprotect, Conduit, DefaultTab, SweetPage, RocketTab, and Delta Search, however, the names are often changing. Browser hijackers could record user keystrokes to collect potentially valuable information that leads to privacy issues, cause instability on systems, significantly disrupt user’s browsing experience, and finally slow down the system to a point where it will become unusable.

Browser hijacker removal methods

Certain types of browser hijackers can be quickly removed from your computer by deleting malicious programs or any other recently installed shareware. However, the majority of hijacking codes are certainly not easy to get rid of manually, as they go deeper into the operating system. Furthermore, manual removals require in-depth system knowledge and therefore can be a very difficult job for novices. Installing and running anti-malware programs on the affected computer can automatically delete browser hijackers and other malicious programs. One of the top tools for repairing browser hijacker infections is SafeBytes Anti-Malware. It helps you get rid of any pre-existing malicious software on your computer and gives you real-time monitoring and protection against new threats. Use a system optimizer (such as Total System Care) along with your anti-malware to fix various registry issues, remove computer vulnerabilities, and improve your computer overall performance.

How To Get Remove Malware That Is Preventing Antivirus Installation?

All malware is detrimental and the consequences of the damage will vary according to the specific type of malicious software. Some malware goes to great lengths to stop you from downloading or installing anything on your computer, especially anti-virus software programs. If you are reading this article, you may have infected by a virus that stops you from downloading a security software such as Safebytes Antimalware on your PC. Refer to the instructions below to remove malware in alternative ways.

Use Safe Mode to fix the issue

If the malware is set to run at Windows start-up, then booting in safe mode should avoid it. Only the minimum required applications and services are loaded when you boot your laptop or computer into Safe Mode. To launch your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers in Safe Mode with Networking, follow the instructions below. 1) After switching on the computer, press the F8 key before the Windows splash screen starts to load. This would conjure up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Select Safe Mode with Networking with arrow keys and hit ENTER. 3) When this mode loads, you should have an internet connection. Now, make use of your web browser normally and navigate to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 4) After installation, do a complete scan and allow the program to remove the threats it discovers.

Switch to some other internet browser

Malicious code might exploit vulnerabilities in a specific internet browser and block access to all anti-malware software websites. When you suspect that your Internet Explorer happens to be hijacked by a trojan or otherwise compromised by online hackers, the most effective course of action would be to switch over to a different internet browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari to download your chosen computer security software – Safebytes Anti-Malware.

Install anti-malware on a flash drive

Here’s another solution which is creating a portable USB anti-malware software package that can scan your computer for malware without needing installation. Adopt these measures to employ a flash drive to fix your corrupted PC. 1) On a clean PC, download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug in the pen drive into the uninfected computer. 3) Run the setup program by double-clicking the executable file of the downloaded software, with a .exe file format. 4) Choose the flash drive as the destination for saving the software file. Follow the activation instructions. 5) Now, transfer the thumb drive to the infected computer. 6) Double-click the antivirus software EXE file on the thumb drive. 7) Click on the “Scan Now” button to start the malware scan.

How SafeBytes Anti-Malware Keep your Machine Virus Free

If you are looking to download an anti-malware application for your computer, there are plenty of tools on the market to consider but you just cannot trust blindly anyone, no matter whether it is a free or paid program. A few of them do a good job in eliminating threats while many will ruin your computer themselves. You must select one that is dependable, practical, and has a good reputation for its malware source protection. When considering commercial anti-malware application options, many people select well-known brands, like SafeBytes, and they are quite happy with it. SafeBytes is a powerful, real-time antivirus application that is designed to assist everyday computer user in safeguarding their PC from malicious threats. With its most advanced virus detection and repair technology, this software will help you protect your personal computer against infections caused by different types of malware and other internet threats, including adware, spyware, viruses, worms, trojans, keyloggers, ransomware, and potentially unwanted program (PUPs).

There are lots of wonderful features you’ll get with this security product. Some of them are listed as below:

Robust Anti-malware Protection: Using its advanced and sophisticated algorithm, this malware elimination tool can detect and remove the malware threats hiding within your computer system effectively. Active Protection: SafeBytes gives you round-the-clock protection for your PC limiting malware attacks in real-time. It will check your personal computer for suspicious activity at all times and safeguards your PC from unauthorized access. Fast Scan: This computer software has one of the fastest and most efficient virus scanning engines in the industry. The scans are very accurate and take a short amount of time to complete. Web Protection: Safebytes allots all sites a unique safety score that helps you to have an idea of whether the website you’re about to visit is safe to view or known to be a phishing site. Light-weight: SafeBytes gives complete protection from online threats at a fraction of the CPU load due to its enhanced detection engine and algorithms. 24/7 Customer Service: Expert technicians are at your disposal 24/7! They will quickly resolve any technical issues you may be experiencing with your security software. To conclude, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is really great for securing your PC against all kinds of malware threats. Malware problems will become a thing of the past once you put this software program to use. So if you’re looking for the best anti-malware subscription for your Windows-based PC, we highly recommend SafeBytes Anti-Malware software

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you’d like to manually remove Wallpapers by MyWay without using an automated tool, it may be possible to do so by removing the application from the Microsoft Windows Add/Remove Programs menu, or in cases of web browser extensions, going to the browsers AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. You will probably also want to reset your internet browser to its default configuration settings. If you opt to manually delete the system files and registry entries, use the following checklist to make sure you know exactly what files to remove before performing any actions. Please keep in mind that this is for professional users only and might be difficult, with wrong file removal leading to additional system errors. In addition, some malware is capable of replicating or preventing deletion. Carrying out this malware-removal process in Safe Mode is recommended.
Files: %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\WallpapersMyWayTooltab %LOCALAPPDATA%\WallpapersMyWayTooltab %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\glhahjphgpghoefihgllamaapanabkmp %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\glhahjphgpghoefihgllamaapanabkmp Registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WallpapersMyWay
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System Restore gets stuck or hangs up
As you know, System Restore is a useful tool in Windows operating system that helps users in fixing system issues by undoing any recent changes to the computer that may have caused the problem. However, there are times when you might encounter some issues when running this tool and one of these issues is when System Restore suddenly gets stuck or hangs up on initializing the restoration of the Registry in Windows 10. If you encounter a similar problem, read on as this post will guide you on what you can do in such cases. There are several things you can do when you face this kind of problem in System Restore. First, you can try to wait it out, give it more time to load, which should not take longer than 5 minutes. And if it’s still stuck after that time, give it another hour. However, if nothing changed after an hour, then you need to troubleshoot the problem further. Keep in mind that you must not interrupt System Restore by shutting it down abruptly, it could result in an unbootable system. To get started in troubleshooting the problem, you need to follow each one of the suggestions offered below.

Option 1 – Try to use the Windows Recovery Environment

The first troubleshooting option you need to try is to simply tap the power button for about 10 seconds. This is what you have to do when you have to interrupt System Restore or reset your Windows 10 computer. Tapping the power button for 10 seconds will perform a hard shutdown and once your computer shuts down, restart your computer again and follow the steps below but before you do that, make sure that you have a Windows bootable USB or DVD.
  • First, insert the bootable USB or DVD and boot into it, and select the “Repair your computer” option.
  • Next, once you see the manufacturer logo on your computer, tap the key to enter into Windows Recovery Environment.
  • After that, change the Boot sequence to DVD drive under the UEFI Firmware settings and restart your computer.
  • Once your computer has restarted, select the boot order and make changes accordingly as displayed in the BIOS.

Option 2 – Try to run the Automatic Repair Utility

You might also want to use Automatic Repair in fixing the error. To do so, follow the steps below.
  • You can start by creating and booting from a bootable Windows 10 USB Stick.
  • After that, click on Repair your computer located on the bottom left corner when you are on the initial Windows Startup screen.
  • Next, click on Troubleshoot, and then on the other screen, click the Startup Repair option.
  • Now select the operating system you want to repair. Once you do that, it will start to repair your operating system. Wait until the process is completed and then check if the problem’s now fixed.

Option 3 – Try to run System Restore in Safe Mode

If you can’t boot into your Windows 10 computer, you can try to run System Restore again in the Advanced Startup Options.
  • Boot your computer into Safe Mode.
  • After that, select an option > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
  • Once your computer has restarted, tap the F6 key to enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt and to run System Restore from there.
  • Now in Command Prompt, type the “rstrui.exe” command to run System Restore in Safe Mode. This will help in fixing the problem since it would be safer to perform System Restore of the computer.
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Shift Key is not working in Windows
A lot of users rely on keyboard shortcuts to carry out tasks on their PCs. One of the most common keyboard shortcuts used is the Ctrl + Shift + Esc which opens the Task Manager. As you can see, the Shift key is not just used to capitalize a text as it can also be used for other functions and plays an essential role in operating a computer. However, if you suddenly find it not working, read on as this post will help you fix the problem. If your Shift key is not working, there are several potential fixes you can check out to fix it. These are the different ways to get rid of the Shift key not working issue on Windows 10:
  1. Physically clean the key and keyboard
  2. Disable Sticky Keys.
  3. Update, Reinstall, or Rollback Keyboard driver.
  4. Test the keyboard on another system.
  5. Check your connections
  6. Run the Hardware troubleshooter
  7. Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State.

Option 1 – Clean the keyboard keys physically

Your keyboard might not be working properly due to some dirt or other corrosion. Thus, you need to clean your keyboard, especially the Shift key. First, you need to shut down your computer and then unplug the keyboard if you are using a desktop computer and then prepare it for cleaning. After that, use a small cotton ear cleaning tool to get between the creases and clean them. You can dip it slightly in alcohol to make it more efficient in cleaning dust and dirt. And if you can, you have the option to pull apart the keyboard completely and then wipe away all the corrosion from the inside. Once you’re done, put the keyboard back together and then plug it back into your PC. Now turn your PC on and check if the Shift key is now working.

Option 2 – Try to disable the Sticky keys

Another thing you can try is to disable the Stick keys. How? Refer to these steps:
  • Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings app.
  • After that, navigate to the Ease of Access section, and here, select Keyboard.
  • Next, make sure that the option for Press one key at a time under the Sticky Keys is toggled off.

Option 3 – Reinstall, update or rollback your keyboard driver

Once you’ve determined that the problem is in the software part of the keyboard, it is now time to try to reinstall, update or roll back your keyboard drivers. To reinstall the driver for your keyboard, refer to these steps:
  • From the WinX Menu, open the Device Manager.
  • In the Device Manager, you should find your laptop’s keyboard under the “Keyboards” option. Right-click on it and select the “Uninstall” option.
Note: If you’re not quite certain about your laptop’s keyboard, you can uninstall all the keyboards if there’s more than one.
  • After that, restart your PC and see if the keyboard driver is installing automatically. If not, open the Device Manager again and right-click on Keyboards, and select the option “Scan for hardware changes” to install it.
Once the keyboard driver is installed again, check if your keyboard is now working properly or not.

Option 4 – Try connecting the keyboard to a different USB port or another computer

The problem might have something to do with the USB port that’s currently in use by your keyboard. It could be that it’s not working so it makes sense to unplug it and attach it to another USB port. You can also clean the USB port on both ends to ensure that they are not affected by corrosion. In addition, you can also try connecting the keyboard to a different computer and see if the Shift key works there or not.

Option 5 – Try to check your connections

You can also try checking if the connection mode you are using for your keyboard is functioning properly. For instance, if you are using a Surface 2-in-device, you can clean the connection pins and see if it resolves the problem.

Option 6 – Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooters

  • The first thing you need to do is click on Start and then on the gear-like icon to pull up the window for Settings.
  • After opening Settings, look for the Update and Security option and select it.
  • From there, go to the Troubleshoot option located on the left-hand side of the list.
  • Next, select Hardware and Devices from the list and open the Troubleshooter and run it. Once it is doing its job, wait for it to complete the process and then restart the system.
  • After the system restarts, check if the problem’s now fixed. If not, refer to the next option given below.

Option 7 – Put your PC in a Clean Boot State

You might also want to put your computer in a Clean Boot State to fix the problem with the Shift key. It could be that there is a third-party program that’s preventing the Shift key from functioning. To isolate this possibility, you need to put your computer in a Clean Boot State.
  • 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.)
  • Now try to connect the external devices and check if the error is now gone.
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Windows is stuck on signing out screen
As you know, each time you log out of your Windows 10 computer, it will take you to the login screen where you can switch users or log back in. But there are instances where Windows 10 remains stuck on the signing out screen, along with a blue spinning circle and all you can see is the process of your computer signing out, however, it does not progress and only gets stuck there. Thus, in this post, you will be guided on how you can resolve such an issue on your Windows 10 computer. So if you are one of the users who experience the same problem, there are several fixes you can check out if your computer is stuck on the signing out screen with a blue spinning circle. You can try to force shutdown your computer or troubleshoot the problem in a Clean Boot State. You could also try to check the status of the User Profile Service or repair User Profile, as well as run System Restore. For more details, refer to each one of the suggestions provided below. But before you troubleshoot the problem, make sure that you are logged in to your computer as an administrator.

Option 1 – Try to force shutdown your computer

The first thing you can do is to force reboot your computer as this simple fix could help in fixing the problem. This option is quite simple, just make sure that before you do it, you have to save all your work.
  • First, turn on your computer and press and hold the power button for at least 30 seconds. You might notice the screen flashing or making any changes, just ignore it.
  • After that, plug out and plug in your computer and automatically turn it on.
  • Once done, check if the issue is now fixed or not.

Option 2 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State

It is possible that some third-party application is causing your computer to get stuck in the signing out screen. So you can try putting your computer in a Clean Boot State and see if it fixes the problem.
  • 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” checkbox 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” checkbox.
  • 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.)
  • Once your computer is in a Clean Boot State, you should now be able to sign out or sign in without any problem.

Option 3 – Try checking the status of the User Profile Service

If forcing your computer to shut down or putting your computer in a Clean Boot State didn’t fix the problem, you can try to check the status of the User Profile Service since it is the one responsible for loading and unloading user profiles. Thus, if this service is disabled or stopped, you will no longer be able to sign out or sign in successfully.
  • Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
  • From there, look for the User Profile Service and make sure that its Startup Type is set to Automatic and that its status is “Started”.
  • Once done, exit the Services Manager and see if the issue is resolved.

Option 4 – Try to repair your corrupted profile via Registry

In this second option, you can try to repair the corrupted profile using the Registry but before you proceed, make sure to create a System Restore Point and then follow the steps below.
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  • Then type “regedit” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Registry Editor.
  • Next, go to this registry key: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionProfileList
  • Once you’ve opened the registry key, you should see a list of all the user profiles on your computer. Now click on each S-1-5 folder and look for the “ProfileImagePath” entry and double click on it to check which user account it is related to. You will see a path like “CUsersACK” where “ACK” is the username.
  • You should know which of the user account is corrupted. Just look for a key named “RefCount” and change its Value data to “0” and click OK. And if it isn’t available, simply right-click on the right pane and create it.
  • After that, double click on the key named “State” and make sure that the Value data is “0” and click OK.
  • Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer to apply the changes made and then check if it fixed the problem or not.

Option 5 – Run System Restore

  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  • After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
  • Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
  • After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.
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Windows 11 different sounds for dark theme
Windows 11 dark mode2Interesting information has come out from Microsoft, Windows 11 dark theme will include a different sound theme from its standard light one. When in dark mode on Windows 11, the system sounds generally become softer, and they echo a bit, creating a more soothing experience that matches the overall look and feel of the dark mode. Flipping back to light mode brings the system sounds back to their normal level. However, even though the light model has slightly louder sounds than the dark mode, Microsoft has taken great care to make sure the audio is more soothing, according to a report from CNBC. The designers of Windows 11 took inspiration from an approach called calm technology. Microsoft’s Christian Koehn and Diego Baca wrote about calm technology in a post on Medium. In it, they said, “Windows 11 facilitates this through foundational experiences that feel familiar, soften formerly intimidating UI, and increase emotional connection.” According to a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to CNBC, “The new sounds have a much rounder wavelength, making them softer so that they can still alert/notify you, but without being overwhelming.”
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Microsoft Store not opening
When Windows 10 was introduced as an upgrade to Windows 7 and 8, a lot were thrilled because of its new features. One of the most interesting features that this has is the Microsoft Store. Just like in our tablets and smartphones, we can now download our favorite apps from a trusted source. Without the Microsoft store app, you can’t download any applications that you can use on your computer. But what happens if you can’t open your Microsoft Store or you accidentally uninstalled it? The most common error that users encounter when accessing Microsoft Store is the error code 0x80072efd. This error code appears when there is a problem with the internet connection. To resolve this, troubleshoot your modem by doing a simple power cycle. Turn off your modem and wait for a couple of minutes and turn it back on. It should refresh your internet. This works if there is really no problem on the Service provider’s side. Disable your Proxy server, if you are using one to access the internet. To do this, press Windows + R keys on your keyboard. Type “inetcpl.cpl” in the box and go to Connection. Next, click on LAN settings then tick on the box next to Automatically detect settings. Uncheck the box below Proxy Server Among the useful apps that came with the Windows 10 upgrade is PowerShell. It allows you to install and uninstall individual and all apps by using a series of commands. So you don’t have to worry if you can’t find your Microsoft Store or if you accidentally delete it. To access PowerShell, type in the word PowerShell into the search box found beside your Window Icon. Look for PowerShell from the results and right-click on it and hit Run as Administrator.

When you are in the PowerShell window, enter the command below:

Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.WindowsStore | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"
Another option is to download a Windows Update Troubleshooter. After you download it, open the troubleshooter tool and follow the steps. If you saved the file instead of directly opening it, go to the folder where the troubleshooter was saved and double click on the wu.diagcab file to rub the troubleshooter. One of the most interesting error codes that you might encounter when accessing the Microsoft store is error code 1. This particular error code is resolved by changing your PC’s region to the United States. To do this, go to Settings and look for Time & Language. Then go to region and language. Under the Country or region, choose the United States from the dropdown menu then restart your computer. The troubleshooting procedures above are the most common solution to resolve the problem on Microsoft Store issues but there are times that these procedures won’t work. If you are not confident to resolve this through the procedures mentioned in this article, there are so many tools online that you can download to help you out. It also helps to contact Microsoft or consult a technician to ensure that you are doing the correct procedure.
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