Basic IT skills everybody should know

You can prevent starting of app installations files if they have not come from the MS store inside Windows 11. This can make your PC more secure because all apps in the store will have to be digitally signed and overall it can provide you with more control over what will be installed. Follow the guide below to find out how can you easily turn this feature ON.

1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open Windows settings
2. Select Apps and then choose Apps & Features
3. Click on Choose where to get apps to bring a drop-down menu
4. Select The Microsoft Store only (Recommended)
5. Close settings

Settings will apply changes immediately and you continue using Windows right away. With these settings turned ON if you want to install a downloaded application or run the installer you will not be able to, and message The app you’re trying to install isn’t a Microsoft-verified app will show on your screen. You can always reverse this setting by choosing Anywhere in settings instead of Microsoft store only.

If you suddenly find the Windows Recovery Environment not working and you see an error message saying, “Could not find the recovery environment”, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how you can fix it. In times when you can’t boot into the Windows Recovery Environment, there could be several reasons behind it. However, have you ever wondered where exactly the Windows Recovery Environment is in your computer? Windows initially places the Windows RE Image file in the installation partition during Windows Setup so if you have installed Windows in the C drive, you can find the Windows RE at the C:/Windows/System32/Recovery or C:/Recovery folder. Keep in mind that this folder is hidden and later on, the system copies the image file into the recovery tools partition to make sure that one can boot into recovery if there are any issues with the drive partition. The “Could not find the recovery environment” error mostly occurs if the Windows Recovery Environment is disabled or if the “Winre.wim” file is corrupted. Thus, to fix this error, you need to refer to the given suggestions below.

Option 1 – Try to enable Windows Recovery Environment

• In the Windows Start Search, type “PowerShell” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Windows PowerShell and then select the “Run as administrator” option to open it with admin privileges.
• Next, type the “reagentc /info” command and tap Enter to execute it.
• After that, if the output states that Status is enabled, then you’re all set.
• Now type the “reagentc /enable” command and tap Enter to enable the Windows Recovery Environment. You will see a success message at the end signifying that Windows RE is available.

Option 2 – Try to fix the corrupted or missing “Winre.wim” file

If the Winre.wim file is either corrupted or missing, you need to get a new copy of this file from another computer where the Windows RE is working. Once you’re able to get a new copy of the Winre.wim file, you have to set the image path to a new location. For more details, refer to these steps:

• First, type “Powershell” in Windows Start Search and right-click on Windows PowerShell from the results, and select Run as administrator.
• Next, execute the given command below to change the path of the WIM file to the new location. Note that the steps should be used when the file path of the Windows Recovery Environment is different from the usual spot.

Reagentc /setreimage /path C:RecoveryWindowsRE

• As mentioned, if the file is corrupted, you just have to get a new copy from another PC but before you do that, make sure that the WINRE on that computer is disabled (just enable it later on) and then place it in the C:/Recovery path and then set its path again using the command given above and then verify its path by executing the following command.

reagentc /info command

Note: Since the Recovery folder is hidden as well as the WINRE folder in it and you won’t be able to access them using the Windows File Explorer, you need to use the Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt so that you can access them.

Option 3 – Try checking and fixing the WinRE Reference in the Windows Boot Loader

The Windows Boot Loader is the one that determines if it has to load the Windows Recovery Environment. It could be that the boot loader is pointing to an incorrect location which is why you’re getting the error. To resolve it, you have to check and fix the WinRE Reference in the boot loader. How? Follow these steps:

• In the Windows Start Search, type “PowerShell” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Windows PowerShell and then select the “Run as administrator” option to open it with admin privileges.
• After that, execute the “bcdedit /enum all” command.
• Next, look for an entry in the Windows Boot Loader identifier set as Current and look for “recoverysequence” in that section and take note of the GUID.
• Ensure that the device and the osdevice items show the path for the Winre.wim file and that they are the same. If not, you need to point the current identifier to the one which has the same.
• Once you’ve found the new GUID, execute this command: bcdedit /set {current} recoverysequence {GUID_which_has_same_path_of_device_and_device}
• Now check if the error in the Recovery Environment is fixed or not.

Option 4 – Try creating a Recovery Media

You could also try creating a Recovery Media to resolve the error in the Windows RE. All you have to do is download the Windows 10 ISO file using the Media Creation tool and then create a recovery drive. Once you’re done, check if it fixes the problem or not.

If you are trying to install or reinstall a program on your Windows 10 computer but encountered an error instead that says, “Fatal error, Installation fails, Installation ended prematurely because of an error”, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you how you can fix it. This kind of error is most likely caused by some files that may have been left behind by the previous installation of the program. Each time a program is uninstalled, it leaves behind its files and if the uninstallation process wasn’t completed properly, then it would result in errors like the

“Fatal error, Installation fails, Installation ended prematurely because of an error”.

Moreover, this kind of error is a generic one that can also occur with any software reinstallation or installation. And to fix this error, there are several suggestions you must check out. You can try to install or reinstall the program in a Clean Boot State or restart the Windows Installer Service. You could also try to re-register the Windows Installer Service or re-register the VBScript.dll file.

Option 1 – Install or reinstall the program in a Clean Boot State

It is possible that there are some third-party applications in your computer that are preventing the program from getting installed and to isolate this possibility, you need to boot your computer in a Clean Boot State and then try installing the program again. Putting your computer in this state can help you identify which program is the culprit and thus isolates the problem. In a Clean Boot state, your computer will start using only the pre-selected minimal set of drivers and startup programs. Note that you have to disable and enable one process at a time.

• 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.)
• After you’ve set your computer into a Clean Boot State, make sure that you’re signed in as administrator and then try to install the program again.

Option 2 – Try to restart the Windows Installer Service

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to restart the Windows Installer Service. To do this, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and then hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• Next, look for the Windows Installer service among the list of services shown.
• Once you found it, right-click on it and open its Properties.
• From there, click on the Stop button and then click on the Start button.
• But if it isn’t running, then just click on the Start button.

Option 3 – Try to unregister and re-register the Windows Installer Module

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type the “msiexec /unregister” command and hit Enter to unregister the Windows Installer Module.
• Next, type the “msiexec /regserver” command and hit Enter to re-register the Windows Installer Module.
• Now restart your computer and see if unregistering and re-registering the Windows Installer Module fixed the problem or not.

Option 4 – Try to re-register the vbscript.dll file

You may have to re-register the vbscript.dll file using the regsvr32.exe before you can successfully install the program and fix the error. The Regsvr32 tool is a command-line utility that can be used to register and un-register the OLE controls like DLL and ActiveX (OCX) control in the Windows operating system. Follow the steps below to use it.

• Open Command Prompt as admin from the WinX menu.
• Next, type regsvr32.exe vbscript.dll in the elevated Command Prompt and hit Enter to execute the command. This will re-register the affected DLL file using the Windows operating system tool, regsvr32.exe.
• You should see a message saying, “DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded” if the Regsvr32 tool was able to run successfully. After that, try to install the program again and see if it now works.

Among other things and innovations, Windows 11 brings to the table is the game mode. The game mode is a system designed to release some resources and optimize your system when Windows 11 detects that you are playing games. It also turns off automatic updates while the game is active. The game mode is active at all times and usually, everything works great but in some instances, it can sadly cause some performance issues. If you are one of these unlucky people where game mode is not working as supposed to do, don’t panic, we have a quick guide for you on how to turn it off.

1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open settings
2. Inside click on Gaming
3. Select Game mode
4. Click switch beside Game mode to turn it off
5. Close settings

Everything will be automatically saved and applied and you should not have any issues from now on. If for any reason you wish to turn game mode back ON, just follow the same steps and turn the switch to ON.

In case you don’t know, the Windows Registry contains a System Hive which is a core part of Windows. The Windows operating system store various settings, options, and configurations. And if you encounter a Device Manager Error 49 for a device then it means that the system hive has exceeded its size limit. Worry not for this post will provide you with possible solutions that can help you in fixing error code 49. You will see the following error message when you encounter error code 49:

“Windows cannot start new hardware devices because the system hive is too large (exceeds the Registry Size Limit), (Code 49)”

There are instances when it may so happen that the device or devices are no longer attached to the computer but they are still listed in the system hive of the registry. For instance, if you were removing hardware and application for years but they weren’t removed from the registry then the size of the system hive keeps on growing until it hits the maximum limit. As you know, making changes in the registry manually, no matter how knowledgeable you are on such things is not sage since the registry is not only important but also complex. In addition, the System Hive is also a permanent part of the Registry associated with a set of files that contain information related to the configuration of the computer on which the OS is installed. To resolve this error, you must remove or uninstall any hardware devices that are no longer in the system. In fact, the Device Manager hides them by default so you need to enable hidden or non-present devices. Follow the instructions given below to set the Devices Manager to display devices that are no longer connected to the computer. Step 1: Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box. Step 2: After that type in “cmd” and hit Enter to open the Command Prompt. Step 3: Type “set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1” in the Command Prompt and hit Enter to enable the hidden devices option. Step 4: After that, exit Command Prompt and tap Win + X + M to open the Devices Manager. Step 5: After opening the Devices Manager, click on View and then select the “Show hidden devices” option. This will show you all the devices that are not connected to the computer but are still mentioned. Step 6: Next, select a non-present device and click Uninstall from the Driver tab. Step 7: After that, repeat what you’ve done on step 5 for any other device that you no longer use. Step 8: Restart your computer. You can check the device Properties dialog box in the Device Manager after you’re done removing all the useless devices, to check if the error is now fixed or not. Moreover, you can also try running the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter as it can also help resolve hardware-related problems. To use it, refer to the steps below.

• 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.

One of the most useful utilities on a Windows 10 computer is the Windows File Explorer. It is undeniably one of the File Managers out there full of features on all the platforms. However, it is not without its issues and one of the most common ones most users encounter is when you are trying to open a folder or a location on File Explorer and it displays a message saying, “Working on it…” as it tries to load the content of that location or folder. This kind of issue mainly occurs to computers that run on an HDD although that doesn’t mean that it can’t happen to other computers that run an SDD. And so if the File Explorer on your Windows 10 computer keeps getting stuck on the “Working on it…” message along with a green animation bar moving very slowly while loading the contents of the folder, then it’s best if you follow the options given below to resolve this problem.

Option 1 – Try deleting the contents of the Automatic Destinations folder

• Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run utility.
• And then type “%AppData%MicrosoftWindowsRecentAutomaticDestinations” and hit Enter to open this location.
• From there, select all the files and tap the Shift + Delete key combination.
• After that, you will get a prompt that will ask you if you want to delete all the files permanently, just click on Yes. This will delete all the Quick Access cache.
• Now check if you can now open a folder or a location without the “Working on it…” message.

Option 2 – Try to rebuild the Search Index

• First, open the Indexing Options using the Search bar.
• Next, click on the appropriate listing, e.g. Users folder.
• After that, click on the Advanced button. This will open a mini-sized window and from there, go to the Index Settings tab.
• Then click on the “Rebuild” option under the Troubleshooting section.
• Now click on OK after the rebuilding is completed. This should rebuild the search index for all the files and thus, fix the File Explorer stuck on the “Working on it…” message.

Option 3 – Try to optimize the folder for General Items

You might also want to try optimizing the folder for General Items as it can help the File Explorer to load the contents faster.

• Just right click on the folder that takes time to load the contents in it and is showing the “Working on it…” message.
• After that, click on Properties to open the Properties mini window.
• From there, go to the Customize tab and click on the drop-down menu to “Optimize this folder for” under the “What kind of folder do you want?” section and then select General Items.
• Then check the checkbox with a label that says, “Also apply this template to all subfolders” and click on the OK button to save the changes.
• Restart File Explorer and check if the problem is now fixed or not.

Option 4 – Try performing a System Restore

Running System Restore can also help you resolve whatever issue that’s causing the “Working on it…” message. You can do this option either by booting into Safe Mode or in System Restore. If you are already in the Advanced Startup Options, just directly select System Restore and proceed with the next steps. And if you have just booted your PC into Safe Mode, refer to the steps below.

• 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.

Hello and welcome to another great tutorial from errortools.com. Today we will be making Windows START menu full screen. First introduced in Windows 8.1, the start menu has been shifted from full screen to gadget like in Windows 10 but if you prefer to have it over the entire screen with all of its glory and large icons you can do so and we will be happy to show you how. Press ⊞ WINDOWS and choose settings. From the settings screen, choose Personalization. Under personalization options click on START. And then on the right part click on the button under Use Start full screen to turn it ON That's it, your start menu is now full screen.

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.

Error Code 44 – What is it?

Error Code 44 is a device driver error that users encounter when using Windows 2000 operating system and later versions.

It is when the peripheral device that is connected to the computer, such as a printer or a fax machine, cannot be accessed as the programs required for operation interfere with other software on the computer. The error code will pop up with the following message:

“An application or service has shut down this hardware device. (Code 44)”

Solution

Error Causes

Error Code 44 is caused when the program that you are using shuts down the peripheral device installed on your system. It is triggered by the following:

• Corrupted system registry entries
• Device driver files are outdated
• Device driver files are missing

It is critical to fix the Error Code 44 as it can pose serious risks to the wellbeing of your PC.

Further Information and Manual Repair

While bothersome, like other error codes, error code 44 to is relatively easy to fix. Here are ways to help resolve the error.

Method 1 – Restart your PC

The easiest method you can use to solve your PC error code is to simply run a restart of your Windows system. It may be that the error prompted upon connecting the device you have connected is merely a temporary problem, and upon restart, will resume functioning smoothly.

Method 2 – Run the Troubleshooting Wizard

If restarting your PC does not help, you will have to find the exact nature of the problem by running the troubleshooting wizard for the device and address the problem accordingly. To do this, proceed with the following steps:

• Run Device Manager on your PC
• Click on the program under the installed programs that are creating problems for you
• Click on the ‘General’ Tab
• Click ‘Troubleshoot’
• Upon opening, the Troubleshooting Wizard will ask a series of questions regarding the error. Answer the questions and follow its directions for solving the error code.

After following the directions of the Troubleshooting wizard, make sure to restart your PC for the changes to take effect. Then check if your device is still causing problems.

Method 3 – Manually uninstall and reinstall the device driver

If troubleshooting does not work, you may have to resort to manually uninstalling and then reinstalling the device driver causing the problem.

This would be necessary since the remaining incomplete files due to a partial removal or installation of programs is what contributes to the error code. A fresh install, after uninstallation of the previous drivers, would lead to the completion of the files.

You can do this by firstly logging in as Administrator and opening Device Manager. Select the device that is causing the problem and double click it and make sure that the peripheral is connected properly to the PC.

Upon opening, click on the ‘Driver’ tab and then select ‘Update Driver’. Make sure to refer to the system documentation that you received with your PC or computer to check for the motherboard details and driver specifics.

Method 4 – Use software to automatically download the driver

Manually uninstalling and reinstalling the driver will do the trick, however, it may be time-consuming especially when you would have to resort to your hardware user manual.

Therefore, using a program such as DriverFIX can save you a lot of time and frustration in having your device work properly on your computer.

Driver Assist, with its user-friendly approach to help you fix your PC issues, comes with an integrated database that detects which drivers you need to reconfigure within just a few seconds and downloads it automatically.

It further ensures that your drivers are installed in their entirety leaving no room for any incomplete files to remain that create Error Code 38.

It also has the added advantage of being able to backup and restores your files should there be the slightest possibility of system file damage. DriverFIX is the answer to fixing your PC error codes accurately and quickly.

Click here to download DriverFIX to fix Error Code 44 quickly and effectively!

If you receive an error code of “0x80073afc” in Windows Defender after you boot your Windows 10 computer or when you try to manually run Windows Defender, then it could be that the Windows Defender files are corrupted. In such cases, this error could also occur if there is third-party security software that interferes with the smooth functioning of this Microsoft Security Client. If you are one of the users who are currently facing this issue, then here are some suggestions you can check out to resolve the Windows Defender error code 0x80073afc.

Option 1 – Try to check the status of all the Windows Defender-related services

• In the Cortana search box, type “services” and click on the Services icon to open the Services Manager. Alternatively, you can also tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run prompt and then type “msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Services Manager
• After opening the Services Manager, look for the following services and make sure that their Startup type is set to their default values:
  • Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service – Manual
  • Windows Defender Antivirus Network Inspection Service – Manual
  • Windows Defender Antivirus Service – Manual
  • Windows Defender Firewall Service – Automatic

• You can right-click on each one of the listed services and then select Start to start them.
• And if some of the services don’t have their default values, just double-click on the Services to change the Startup types and select the correct option from the drop-down menu of the Startup type under the Properties box.
• Next, set up the Startup type of these services to Automatic and then click on the Start button if the services are not running yet.
• Now click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made and then see if it fixed the problem or not.

Option 2 – Try to re-register the concerned DLL files

You could also try to re-register some Dynamic Link Library or DLL files on your computer as this could also help in fixing the Windows Defender error.

• In the Start search, type “cmd” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option from the context menu.
• After opening Command Prompt as admin, type the following commands one after the other:
  • regsvr32 dll
  • regsvr32 dll
  • regsvr32 dll
  • regsvr32 dll
• Once you’ve entered the commands given above, it will re-register the concerned DLL files in your system.
• Now restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Option 3 – Try to use the Registry Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box,
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Afterward, navigate to this registry path: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionImage File Execution Options
• Next, look for the DWORDs named “MSASCui.exe”, “MpCmdRun.exe”, “MpUXSrv.exe” and “msconfig.exe”.
• If you can’t find these DWORDs, refer to the next given option below.
• Restart your computer.

Option 4 – Check the Environmental Values

• Type “View advanced system settings” in the Windows search box and select the appropriate result.
• This will open a new mini window. From there, go to the Advanced tab and click on the “Environment Variables…” button located at the bottom part of the window.
• Next, look for the “%ProgramData%” variable name and make sure that its value is set to C:/ProgramData.
• Then click OK to save the changes made.

Option 5 – Run the System File Checker Scan

System File Checker or SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files to good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow

The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

• Restart your computer.

Option 6 – Perform a System Restore

Performing a System Restore on your computer can also help you fix the Windows Defender error. You can do this option either by booting into Safe Mode or in System Restore. If you are already in the Advanced Startup Options, just directly select System Restore and proceed with the next steps. And if you have just booted your PC into Safe Mode, refer to the steps below.

• 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.