Delete last 15 min of browsing history on phone

When your computer boots up or when it just woke up from sleep but it suddenly encounters a Blue Screen of Death error, saying, “HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED error with STOP CODE 0x0000005C”, then read on as this post will give you some fixes that might help in resolving the problem. You will see the following error message on your computer’s screen when this error pops up:

“Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you. If you’d like to know more, you can search online later for this error: HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED 0x0000005C”

This kind of Blue Screen error indicates that there is a hardware or device driver problem in your PC. Aside from that, it also signifies that the initialization of the Hardware Abstraction Layer or HAL has failed. This happens only during the relatively short period that the Windows operating system is being initialized, specifically during phase 4 of Windows startup. What’s worse about this kind of Stop error is that it does not just go away after a computer reboot. You may have to boot your computer into Safe mode with Networking using the Advanced startup options which you can access by tapping the F2 or F8 key. Once you’ve accessed the Advanced startup options, follow the fixes prepared below.

Option 1 – Run CHKDSK command to repair hard disk errors

Running the Chkdsk utility could help you resolve the HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED error with STOP CODE 0x0000005C. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the Chkdsk utility comes in. The Chkdsk utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.

• After you access the Advanced Startup options, select Command Prompt by using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /f /r

• The command you entered will scan the hard disk for any errors and will automatically fix it if it finds some issues. Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.

Option 2 – Run the DISM tool

If the first option didn’t work, then running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management tool can help you resolve the HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED error as it will repair the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10.

• After you access the Advanced Startup options, select Command Prompt by using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
• Next, type in this command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

Option 3 – Update the Device drivers

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. Look for the device driver you and then select either “Update driver” or “Uninstall device”. And if you find any “Unknown device”, you need to update it as well.
• Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and then follow the instructions to complete the process.
• If you have chosen to uninstall the driver, follow the screen options to complete the process and then restart your PC.
• Connect the device and Scan for hardware changes – you can see this option under Device Manager > Action.

Option 4 – Try removing any external hardware

You might also want to remove any connected devices and external hardware in your computer as it might help in fixing the BSOD error.

Option 5 – Disable Fast Start-up

If you want your computer to boot faster, then you might have enabled Fast Start-up. This feature is ideal for computers that are using a hard disk drive. However, turning on this feature also means that when the computer boots, it might lag some drivers that are loaded when it initially boots up. Thus, it might be the potential cause of the UNEXPECTED STORE EXCEPTION BSOD error. Thus, you need to disable Fast Start-up. To do that, follow these steps:

• Boot your PC into Safe Mode.
• Then tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type in “control” to open Control Panel.
• After that, select Hardware and Sound and click on Power Options.
• Select “Choose what the power buttons do” from the left side menu pane and click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
• Afterward, uncheck the “Turn on fast startup (Recommended)” entry and click on Save Changes.
• Now restart your PC for the changes to take effect and then check if the problem’s fixed afterward.

Option 6 – Disable your antivirus program

There are times when the antivirus program installed in your computer blocks file access and even disk access. Thus, disabling the antivirus program or any security software installed in your computer is always a good idea you can try when the Windows Update process does not go smoothly. So before you try updating your computer again, make sure to disable the antivirus or security program and once the Windows Update is done, don’t forget to enable the antivirus program back again.

Option 7 – Perform a Clean Boot

There are some instances that some conflicting programs installed in your computer might be the one that’s causing the HAL INITIALIZATION FAILED error. To identify which program is causing the problem, you need to put your computer in a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.

• 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.)
• From there, start to isolate the problem by checking which one of the programs you installed recently is the root cause of the problem.

What is Search.schooldozer.com? And how does it function?

Search.schooldozer.com is a browser extension that functions as a search engine. It is developed and maintained by “Schooldozer”. It claims to improve users’ browsing experience by providing them with improved search results. However, it does not really do the things it claims to do. In fact, they’re quite the opposite ones – instead of improving the browsing experience, it makes users’ browsing experience unsafe and full of sponsored content. This is in contrast to what it states in its Privacy Policy:

“Install applications the easy way and without the hassle, using the Schooldozer downloader. The Schooldozer platform stems from years of experience with installing applications, resulting in a highly optimized process, yielding faster downloads, better user experience, and more successful installations.”

In addition, once installed Search.schooldozer.com is installed, it will change the default settings of a browser such as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab page. This is why security experts regard this browser extension as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program. The modification of the browser's settings allows it to control users’ browsing by redirecting them to sponsored sites as well as deliver sponsored content from its affiliated sites in order to gain profit via pay-per-click marketing. And if you think that the ads it displays are harmless, think again for some of these ads can redirect you to suspicious websites that might contain harmful content. What’s more is that this browser hijacker can also keep track and monitor all your browsing activities in order to obtain your browsing data like search queries, what sites you always visit, browsing history, browser type, OS version, and so on. The information collected is then used and may even be shared with its affiliated third parties to deliver more customized and personalized advertisements.

How is Search.schooldozer.com distributed over the web?

Like a typical browser hijacker, Search.schooldozer.com is distributed using the software bundling method where several unknown and unwanted programs are bundled in a software package. Thus when you install any software bundle, make sure to always opt for the Custom or Advanced installation setup rather than the quick setup to avoid installing unwanted programs like Search.schooldozer.com. To remove Search.schooldozer.com from your computer, follow the removal guide below carefully. Step 1: Start the removal process by closing all the browsers infected with Search.schooldozer.com. If you’re having a hard time closing them, you can close them using the Task Manager just tap on Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Step 2: After you open the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the infected browser’s process and end it. Step 3: Then close the Task Manager and tap the Win + R keys to open Run and then type in appwiz.cpl to open Programs & Features in Control Panel. Step 4: From there, look for Search.schooldozer.com or any unfamiliar program that could be related to it under the list of installed programs and once you’ve found it, uninstall it. Step 5: Edit your Hosts File.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
• Go to System32/drivers/etc.
• Open the host file using Notepad.
• Delete all the entries that contain Search.schooldozer.com.
• After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

Step 6: Reset all your browsers to default to their default state.

Google Chrome

1. Launch Google Chrome, press Alt + F, move to More tools, and click Extensions.
2. Look for Search.schooldozer.com or any other unwanted add-ons, click the Recycle Bin button, and choose Remove.
3. Restart Google Chrome, then tap Alt + F, and select Settings.
4. Navigate to the On Startup section at the bottom.
5. Select “Open a specific page or set of pages”.
6. Click the More actions button next to the hijacker and click Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open the browser and tap Ctrl + Shift + A to access the Add-ons Manager.
2. In the Extensions, menu Remove the unwanted extension.
3. Restart the browser and tap keys Alt + T.
4. Select Options and then move to the General menu.
5. Overwrite the URL in the Home Page section and then restart the browser.

Internet Explorer

1. Launch Internet Explorer.
2. Tap Alt + T and select Internet options.
3. Click the General tab and then overwrite the URL under the homepage section.
4. Click OK to save the changes.

Step 7: Hold down Windows + E keys simultaneously to open File Explorer. Step 8: Navigate to the following directories and look for suspicious files associated to the browser hijacker such as the software bundle it came with and delete it/them.

• %USERPROFILE%Downloads
• %USERPROFILE%Desktop
• %TEMP%

Step 9: Close the File Explorer. Step 10: Empty the contents of Recycle Bin.

In today's digital life, when we access the internet daily, browsers are essential almost as our operating system, after all, we do access all of the internet data via them, and having a good, reliable, and personal browser tailored for our needs can make all the difference in the world. In today's article, we will introduce you to the five greatest browsers of today, we will point their advantages and disadvantages and why should you pick one or another. As with each piece of software, there is not an ultimate browser, better than anything else and we will not favor anyone on this list, the decision which you should use is solely up to you, we are here to provide you with an objective opinion on each one. All of this being said, let's begin with the countdown in no particular order.

1. Mozilla firefox.

   If you consider yourself a power user or you value your privacy then firefox is the browser for you. It is open source and is packed with great features like reporting when your email has been used for a known data breach, it stops annoying pop-up notifications, stops browser fingerprinting, and many more. Firefox is also a cross-platform browser making it a great choice if you want to transfer and use your data across multiple devices with one account. The downside of firefox however is its speed, this browser is the slowest on this list, I guess features and advantages took their tool in the speed department, but if that is not a concern for you and you feel like the positives outweigh some slower speed, grab it here.

2. Google Chrome

   Chrome browser has been a game-changer when it was released and even today some of its features are still great and needed. It is packed with some great features like tab freezing, for example, it is cross-platform meaning that also as firefox you can change data between browsers on different devices. it is a very expandable browser with tons of extensions and its speed performance is very very good. The downside of Chrome are two things sadly, one of them is its hunger for RAM, the browser takes a big chunk of RAM once it is active and on some older computer with limited RAM it performs slowly, another is telemetry which its sending, in other words, other browsers don’t come with the lingering fear that Google’s just a little bit too involved in all of our lives. But if downsides do not trouble you and you have a decent amount of RAM in your system chrome might be the best solution for you, grab it here and check it out.

3. Microsoft Edge

   Or should I say Microsoft edge 2.0 since this new Edge is completely recoded and rethought, a completely new browser based on chromium. The first version of the edge was an inhouse attempt from Microsoft and it was a disaster, I guess the lesson was learned, and this new edge we have today is a great Browser, it is lightning fast and packed with some great features with one among them standing out I just love, that is the ability to save web pages as applications and truth to be told you have to try this in order to see al great advantages it offers. A very interesting feature is that edge itself wins the speed race from all of the 5 contestants here which is a great surprise. Of course, the downside of annoying Microsoft pushing it to be your default is, well it's Microsoft, as chrome is tied to Google so is edge tied to Microsoft, and the same dreaded feeling that big MS is watching you. If however, you do not concern yourself with these kinds of things, since it is already part of Windows 10, give it a spin and try it, I am sure you will at least love its blazing speed.

4. Vivaldi

   A new kid on the block, relatively unknown Browser Vivaldi offers some great customizable features no other one on this list offers, a very unique and down to each detail customization option, you can literally tweak each and every aspect of this browser making it best customizable and personal browser ever. How it is also based o chromium, every chrome extension works in it naturally. It is very good in speed and constantly updated and developed. The downside, well if you are anything like me, you could spend ages trying to customize it, ages, it has tons of features, and making it really feel and tick as you want can consume a really lot of time. If this thing does not bother you at all, grab Vivaldi here.

5. Opera

   Last but not least, we have another relic of the old browser age, the Opera browser. Packed with great security and great in-house features like a built-in VPN, built-in ad blocker, built-in crypto wallet, etc this browser seems like a swiss army knife. Opera is full of features and it shows once you start using it. The downside of opera is that its look and feel are specifically tailored to a certain type of user and not everyone will find that appealing or attractive, add some great but hidden and hard to come by features and it may go unnoticed. However, I think you should really give it a go since it definitely deserves more attention than it gets. Grab it here and check it out.

That's it, 5 great browsers to look up, I hope that you have enjoyed the read and I hope to see you again here for more articles. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.

What is Mapi32.dll Outlook Error?

Mapi32.dll is a Windows Messaging Application Programming Interface that enables Windows to perform various email functions and launch messaging programs like Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office. The inability of the interface to execute email functions properly results in the Mapi32.dll Outlook Error. This error occurs mostly when you are attempting to upgrade the operating system to a new version.

Solution

Error Causes

The common causes of the Mapi32.dll Outlook Error during the OS upgrade are:

• Damaged or Corrupt Outlook user profile
• The software is overwritten by some other program
• Outlook PST file corruption

The Mapi32.dll Outlook Error message is displayed in either of the following forms:

• Mapi32.dll is missing
• Cannot start Microsoft Office Outlook. Mapi32.dll is corrupt or the wrong version.
• Mapi32.dll was not found
• Mail is not installed

Further Information and Manual Repair

So, what if you experience this issue and how do you fix it? Well, first there is no need to panic as Microsoft has recognized this issue and provided adequate solutions to fix this problem in no time. However, to ensure the Mapi32.dll Outlook error is a quick fix, you must first understand the cause of the issue and the message displayed on the screen.

1. Let’s say the errors occur because your Outlook profile is corrupt. In this scenario, the best solution is to create a new Outlook profile. Regardless of whether you have Windows Vista or XP, to create your new Outlook profile, first, you will have to click on the Control Panel, then User Account, and then Mail. Once you click on the Mail tab, the mail set up dialog box will open. In this dialog box there will be a ‘Show Profiles’ tab, click and then click the Add tab that appears next. Now type the name for your new Outlook profile and then click ‘OK’. After that, add an email account to go with the profile.
2. If Mapi32.dll is missing or corrupt, you will have to run ‘Fixmapi.exe’ to resolve the problem. It is located in the System32 folder inside the Windows directory in Windows Explorer.

• Therefore, first start Windows Explorer and then locate the following folder on your computer: C: /Program Files/Common Files/System/Msmapi1033
• Now find Fixmapi.exe and double click it
• After that locate the Mapi32.dll file and rename it to MSmapi32.old and press enter.
• Restart your computer when finished.

A word of advice for computer users is to scan for viruses with an antivirus program or a registry cleaner regularly to prevent the Mapi32.dll Outlook error from occurring in the first place. Viruses often latch onto .dll files and corrupt them. It’s always best to have a forward-looking approach.

Error Code 0xC004C4AE - What is it?

Activation errors in Windows 10 can interfere with your ability to fully use the system. When Error Code 0xC004C4AE appears on your computer, you may see a message that shows that the validation process has been stalled due to binaries that appear to have been tampered with.  

While the text of this message may sound intimidating to people who are not familiar with the inner workings of the Windows 10 system, the basic meaning of the error message is that something has been introduced to the system that is not natively supported in Windows 10. During the Activation process, Windows checks to ensure that all of the Windows elements that are currently on the computer are valid and authentic to the Windows system. Usually, this particular error code refers to a language package that has been downloaded into the system using an outside application, which the Windows 10 operating system does not support. 

Common symptoms include: 

• An error message when the activation is attempted 
• Inability to complete the Windows 10 Activation process 
• Inability to fully use apps in Windows 10 until the issue is resolved 

This particular error can easily be resolved with a few simple steps. However, if you are not confident in your ability to use the methods below or they do not fully remove the issue on your computer, you may want to seek the assistance of a qualified repair technician who is well versed in the Windows 10 Activation process.

Solution

Error Causes

The most basic cause of Error Code 0xC004C4AE is that an unsupported language package has been enabled in the computer. This most often occurs when third-party applications have been used to introduce additional display languages to your system. While third-party applications that provide language packs are acceptable in some versions of the Windows operating system, the Windows 10 Activation process will not be able to complete if the system detects that one of these unofficial language packs exists on your machine.

Further Information and Manual Repair

There are several methods that may be helpful in resolving the basic issue in the display languages that causes Error Code 0xC004C4AE to appear: 

Method 1: Restore Your System to an Earlier Point to Revert Changes 

Use a backup copy to restore your computer to an earlier date, in effect undoing the changes that caused the error. When your system has been restored, you will be able to go through any language packs that are not native to the Windows operating system and remove them before re-attempting the installation and activation of the Windows 10 system. 

This method is most useful if you keep a regular backup of your system and files. If you do not regularly back up the information on your computer, attempt one of the other methods instead. If you are unsure of how to use a backup to revert your changes or are not comfortable completing this step on your own, contact a certified Windows technician to assist you in the process. 

Method 2:  Revert to an Earlier System to Remove the Language Pack 

If you are unable to restore your system using a backup, the other option to resolve Error Code 0xC004C4AE is to halt your installation of Windows 10 and go back to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, from which you will be able to remove the language pack in question. Once the offending language pack has been completely removed from your computer, the Windows 10 Activation process should be able to proceed normally. 

Several versions of windows don’t support language packages, so the best way to prevent this error from occurring is to avoid using any kind of third-party tool to install additional languages onto your Windows system. Activities Language You may be able to use third-party tools to instead complete alternative language actions without installing these languages as language packs. 

If the above solutions do not help you to resolve Error Code 0xC004C4AE on your machine, get in touch with a qualified Windows repair technician, who may be able to perform the operations needed to remove the problematic language pack from your computer and allow the Windows 10 Activation process to continue to completion. 

Recently, a number of users reported an error in Google Chrome that says, “ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED”. If you are one of these users, read on as this post will guide you in resolving this error. This kind of error in Chrome is kind of vague so it could be caused by a couple of factors like DNS server issues, Socket Pools, third-party plugins or extensions, and many more. Whatever the cause may be, there are several options you can check out to resolve the problem. You can try to flush the Socket Pool or change the DNS address or remove unwanted extensions or reset your Google Chrome browser.

Option 1 – Try to flush the Socket Pool

• Open Google Chrome and in the address bar, type “chrome://net-internals/”.
• After that, select Sockets on the left side panel.
• Next, select Flush socket pools from the right-side panel.
• And once it’s done, restart your Chrome browser and check if the “ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED” is fixed or not.

Option 2 – Try to change the DNS Server

In this option, you can try changing your current DNS settings to the Google Public DNS as it could also help in fixing the “ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED” error. To do so, follow the steps below.

• The first thing you have to do is right-click on the network icon in the Taskbar and select Network and Sharing Center.
• Next, click on the “Change Adapter Settings” option.
• After that, search for the network connection that you are using to connect to the internet. Note that the option might be “Wireless Connection” or “Local Area Connection”.
• Right-click on your network connection and click on Properties.
• Then select the new window to choose the “Internet Protocol 4 (TCP/IPv4)” option.
• After that, click on the Properties button and click the checkbox in the new window for the option “Use the following DNS server addresses”.
• Type in “8.8.8.8” and “8.8.4.4” and click OK and exit.

Option 3 – Get rid of any conflicting browser extensions

• Open Chrome and press Alt + F keys.
• Go to More tools and click Extensions to look for any suspicious browser extensions or toolbars.
• Click the Recycle bin and select Remove.
• Restart Chrome and press Alt + F keys again.
• Proceed to On Startup and mark Open a specific page or set of pages.
• To check if the browser hijacker is still active, click Set pages, if it is active, overwrite the URL.

Option 4 – Try to reset Google Chrome

Before you proceed, make sure that the Chrome browser is not running anywhere in the background via Task Manager. Once you’ve made sure that it’s no longer running, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalGoogleChromeUser Data” in the field and tap Enter to open this location.
• From there, look for the Default folder and then tap the Shift + Delete button and if a confirmation prompt appears, click on Yes.
• After deleting the Default folder, open Google Chrome and click on the three vertical dots icon located in the top-right corner to open the menu.
• Next, click on Settings and scroll down and then click on Advanced to open the Advanced Settings.
• Then scroll down until you see the “Reset and clean up” section and click the “Restore Settings to their original defaults” option.
• After that, you will see a confirmation box and from there, click on the Reset settings button to reset your Google Chrome browser.

Recently, a lot of users experience issues after the Windows 10 v1903 upgrade and one of them is that the Cortana Web Preview is not functioning like it’s supposed to. Even though Microsoft has already replaced the unified search where you no longer have to use Cortana, it is still undeniably useful and is packed with some great features, one of which is the Web view. Each time you type a search query, it will open a web view where you can see the results using Bing. However, some users reported experiencing some issue wherein the web view does not show anything and appears to be broken and users have to click on the Open in Browser link. Thus, if you are one of the users who experience the same problem, then this post is for you – it will guide you on what you can do if the web preview in Cortana is not working on your Windows 10 device. To fix the Web Preview issue in Cortana, you can try to restart Cortana or reset it using the Windows Settings app or change the Search filter level. You could also try to run the Windows Store App troubleshooter or re-register or reinstall Cortana. For more details refer to the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try to restart the process of Cortana

There are times when the running process of Cortana might encounter an error and breaks a particular component of the whole service so the first thing you can do is to restart Cortana’s process in the Task Manager.

• Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager.
• Next, go to the Processes tab and look for Cortana’s entry.
• Once you find it, right-click on it and select the End task option.
• Afterward, open Cortana again and see if it fixes the web view problem or not.

Option 2 – Try changing the search filter level

The next thing you can do to fix the Web View is to change the search filter level. All you have to do is go to Settings > Search and change filter level and from there, modify the search filter level and then see if it fixes the problem.

Option 3 – Run the Windows Store App troubleshooter

The Windows 10 Store Apps Troubleshooter will help you in fixing the Web Preview problem in Cortana. This is a great built-in tool from Microsoft that helps users fix any app issues. To use the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter, follow the steps below.

• Tap Win + I keys again to open the Windows Settings panel.
• Go to Update & Security and then go to Troubleshoot.
• Under the Troubleshoot section, on your left-hand side, scroll down to find Window Store Apps.
• Then click on the Run the troubleshooter option and follow the on-screen instructions and then see if it fixes the problem.

Option 4 – Try to reset Cortana via Settings

• Launch the Windows 10 Settings app and go to Apps > Apps & Features.
• Next, look for the entry of Cortana on the right-side panel and select it.
• After that, select the Advanced options and then select the Terminate button under the Terminate section.
• Once done, click on the Reset button under the Reset section.
• Restart your PC.
• After your computer boots, launch Cortana again and check.

Option 5 – Try to re-register and reinstall Cortana

If none of the options given above works, you must consider reinstalling Cortana.

• First, right-click on the Start button and click on the Windows Powershell (Admin) option from the list.
• Next, type the following command and hit Enter to execute it:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

• After that, execute this second command to reinstall Cortana:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

• Restart your computer and check if the Web Preview in Cortana is now working.

Error Code 0x8007007b – What is it?

This error code occurs when users fail to activate their Windows operating system. It is one of the more popular Windows error codes since it affects many versions of Windows including Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. Error code 0x8007007b has common symptoms which include the following:

• Inability to activate a Windows installation
• Message box highlighting error code 0x8007007b

Solution

Error Causes

Error code 0x8007007b in Windows 8.1 usually results due to one or more main clauses. Windows 8.1 users may experience this error due to the use of volume-licensed media. The error code may also arise if the activation wizard is unable to connect to Key Management Service (KMS) host computer or if corrupted system files are present on your computer.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Windows error codes such as Error code 0x8007007b can be a complicated issue, requiring the use of technical knowledge and skills. For this reason, we have listed instructions in the simplest of forms to enable even average users to successfully complete manual repair methods that will resolve error code 0x8007007b.

The same approach has been applied to all our error code solutions. See also Error Code 0x00000024 and Error Code 0x80004005.

Below are the two main methods for correcting this issue.

Method One: Use Multiple Activation Key (MAK) to Activate Windows

This method involves the use of a Multiple Activation Key (MAK) instead of the Key Management Service (KMS) to activate the Windows operating system you intend to use on your PC. This manual repair method requires the use of Command Prompt so ensure you follow the instructions provided carefully so as to avoid the risks of causing harm to your system.

• Step one: Select Windows log key + X.
• Step two: Click Command Prompt, then Admin
• Step three: Type in admin password if Command Prompt requests it
• Step four: Type slmgr -ipk followed by the MAK product key. Note that the product key should have 25 characters with dashes between them like this xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Attempt to activate your Windows installation once you’ve completed the exact instructions above. If you are unable to complete this process, consider getting help from a Windows repair technician or simply move to the next manual repair method listed below.

Method Two: Run System File Checker

System File Checker (SFC) enables Windows users to scan and repair errors or corruption on system files. Since such errors within your system files can cause error code 0x8007007b to occur, follow the steps below to fix this error code.

• Step One: Go to Start and type Command Prompt or CMD.
• Step Two: Run as Administrator
• Step Three: Type sfc /scannow with a space between “sfc” and “/scannow”.

The System File Checker tool will begin scanning your machine for corrupted or missing files in need of repair. If these files are found on your system, the tool will repair and replace them. Once this is done, restart your computer then check to see if you can now activate your Windows operating system.

Method Three: Use an Automated Tool

If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 8 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.

As you know, the internet has changed the world immensely. Nowadays, JavaScript is pushing the modern web ahead. One of the things that make these experiences with the internet seamless and with less clutter is redirection. It is often used on web pages and there are times when a user is prompted about them and most of the time, we barely notice them. However, there are also instances when things can go wrong with redirects as they could become a loop that could mess things up. And since the browser takes a lot of system resources, redirection can result in a poor user experience. That’s why in this post, you will be guided on how you can stop these automatic redirects on browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, on your Windows 10 computer. To get started, refer to each one of the options provided below to stop automatic redirects in Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.

Option 1 – Configure the browsers to stop pop-ups and deceptive contents

There are a lot of browsers with built-in settings that allow users to stop pop-ups and deceptive content. To configure these settings, refer to these steps:

• Microsoft Edge:

  • Click on the three horizontal dots icon or the menu button.
  • Next, click on Settings and select Privacy & Security from the left side navigation.
  • After that, scroll down on the right-side panel and look for Block pop-ups and Windows Defender SmartScreen and then turn their toggle buttons to On.

• Google Chrome:

  • Open Google Chrome and click on the three vertical dots icon for the menu located in the top right corner of the browser.
  • Next, click on Settings and scroll down until you see the Advanced option. Click on it to open the Advanced Settings.
  • Now scroll down until you reach the Privacy and Security section and look for the Safe browsing option and turn its toggle button to On.

• Mozilla Firefox

  • Open Mozilla and click on the three horizontal lines icon for the menu button located in the top right corner of the browser and click on Options.
  • Next, go to the Settings section and click the Privacy & Security tab and scroll down and then click on Permissions.
  • From there, make sure that the Block pop-up windows checkbox is checked.
  • Finally, scroll down until you reach the Security section and make sure that the checkbox for the Block dangerous and deceptive content is checked.

Option 2 – Try to reset Winsock, TCP/IP & Flush DNS

To stop redirects, you can also reset Winsock and the TCP/IP as well as flush the DNS cache. To do so, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator) so you can pull up an elevated Command Prompt.
• After that, execute each one of the commands listed below. And after you typed in one after the other, you have to hit Enter.

1. netsh winsock reset – type in this command to reset Winsock
2. netsh int ip reset resettcpip.txt – type in this command to reset TCP/IP
3. ipconfig /flushdns – type in this command to flush the DNS cache

• Next, restart your PC and check if the problem’s fixed.

Option 3 – Edit your Hosts File

• Tap the Win + R keys to open then type in %WinDir% and then click OK.
• Go to System32/drivers/etc.
• Open the host file using Notepad.
• Delete all the suspicious entries.
• After that, save the changes you’ve made and close the file.

In this post, you will be guided on what to do if the Recent Items are no longer visible in the Taskbar icons in Windows 10. This can be quite inconvenient especially if you work simultaneously on many files and documents together and would require you to visit them regularly to incorporate changes. Thus, if you find that the Recent items are not visible in the Windows Taskbar, read on. In order for the Recent Items to appear on the taskbar icons in Windows 10 again, there are four potential fixes you can check out. You can try to show the recently opened items via Settings or clear the cache of the recent items. You could also make some changes in the Windows Registry or use the Group Policy Editor. But before you proceed with these potential fixes, it’s best if you create a System Restore Point first just in case something goes wrong after you made changes in the system. The System Restore Point allows you to undo these changes and bring back the previous state of your computer. Thus, you need to create one and then carefully follow the given options below.

Option 1 – Show the recently opened items via Settings

The first thing you can do to fix the problem is to show the recently opened items through the Settings app.

• Open the Settings app and select Personalization.
• From there, select the Start option and scroll down until you see the “Show recently opened items in Jump Lists on Start or the taskbar” option.
• Make sure that its toggle button is turned on.

Option 2 – Try to clear the Recent Items cache

• Tap the Win + E keys to open File Explorer.
• Next, copy and paste this link on the address bar: %AppData%Microsoftwindowsrecentautomaticdestinations
• Once you’re in the given location, you should see multiple files. Now select all these files and completely delete them.

Note: These files are automatically recreated when you interact with the system like performing tasks such as opening apps or accessing files.

• After that, go to this next location: %AppData%Microsoftwindowsrecentcustomdestinations
• Once there, delete all of its files and restart your computer. This should resolve the problem.

Option 3 – Try making changes via Registry Editor

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to apply some tweaks in the Registry by following these steps:

• 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 registry sub-path: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersion
• From there, select the Policies Explorer folder located in the left pane.
• Then move to the right pane and look for the “NoRecentDocsHistory” entry and right-click on it.
• Now delete this entry.

Note: This entry is the one that stores the Group Policy setting for “Do not keep the history of recently opened documents. The Group Policy adds this entry to the registry with a value of 1 if you enable the “Do not keep the history of recently opened documents” policy. On the other hand, if you disable the policy by setting it to “Not configured” or deleting it, the Group Policy will delete the entry from the registry, and the system will act as though the value is 0 – for instance, it keeps the history of the recently opened files in your computer.

Option 4 – Try to use the Group Policy Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and type “gpedit.msc” in the field and tap Enter to launch the Group Policy Editor.
• Next, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
• Afterward, double click on the “Do not keep a history of recently opened documents” policy located on the right panel. This is the policy that lets you enable or disable recent items and frequent places.
• Now to enable the recent items, as well as the frequent places, feature, click on the “Disabled” or the “Not Configured” option.
• Once you’re done, close the Group Policy Editor and restart your PC.

Note: If you choose to enable this setting, the system and Windows programs will not create shortcuts to documents opened while the setting is in effect. Aside from that, they also stay but won’t display the existing document shortcuts and the system will empty the Recent Items menu on the Start menu and the Windows programs won’t also display shortcuts in the Start Menu. In addition, the Taskbar won’t also show the recently opened or frequently used folders, files, or websites.