How to add Windows Store games to Steam

Realtek sound device not playing sound is a common Windows issue.  It happens occasionally and luckily it can be solved with a little effort and in a short time period. Today in this article we will explore the most common reasons and solutions for driver malfunction for Realtek inside Windows 10. If you have this particular problem, go from step 1 to the last step since all steps are meant to go from simplest to the most complex. All of that being said let us fix your Realtek driver issue.

1. Check Speakers or/and Headphones first

   The first thing would in any troubleshooting be to check are your speakers turned on or are your headphones connected and the volume or switch on them is set properly. Nothing more embarrassing than spending an hour or so troubleshooting only to find out that issue was in a malfunction of speakers or them not being turned on.

2. Check the Volume control in Windows

   Same as the previous step where you have checked hardware, now it is time to check to see if the volume control is set properly and not by any chance muted or volume is brought all the way down.

3. Check if the Device Manager is reporting an error and update the driver

   If both hardware is functioning properly and volume control in Windows is set correctly then the issue might be in Windows not detecting device or driver malfunction. In any case, the Device Manager will be the one who will report this problem. In order to check to see if the driver is properly working press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden start menu. Once it opens, click on Device Manager to open it, If you have a driver device error inside Windows, you should see it immediately when entering the Device Manager, it will have a yellow exclamation mark beside it. Right-click on it and choose update driver.

4. Reinstall driver

   If driver update failed or you already have the latest drivers, reinstalling them could fix the issue since drivers might have corrupted during installation of some update or application. Follow steps from point 3 to get to the driver in Device Manager, then right-click on it but instead of update choose to uninstall. Reboot Windows once the driver is uninstalled and Windows will install a new one.

5. Check Windows update

   Check to see if the latest Windows update is installed, update your Windows if needed

6. Fix driver issue with DRIVERFIX

   If everything else fails, get DRIVERFIX, a premium solution for your PC issues, and fix driver errors.

As you know, one of the most highlighted features of Windows 10 is Windows Updates. It was offered to the customers as a service rather than a product with the release of Windows 10 under the scenario of Software as a Service which led to Windows Updates being set by default on Windows 10 and without an option for any users to disable it. Although not all users are happy with what Microsoft did, this is an ultimate step towards the greater good of all its customers since Windows Updates helps users in keeping their computers secured against all kinds of threats as well as provide them with the greatest and latest updates from Microsoft. So if you are one of those users who approved of the Windows Updates service, then read on as this post will guide you in running Windows Updates from Command Line either via Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. For the complete set of instructions, refer to the options given below.

Option 1 – Run Windows Update via Command Prompt

Command Prompt in the Windows operating system exists for a very long time now compared to the comparatively new Windows PowerShell. That’s why it has similar capabilities to run Windows Updates. However, the highlighting point here is that you don’t have to download any module for Windows Updates. To get started running Windows Updates using Command Prompt, refer to the steps below.

• First, type “cmd” in the Cortana search box, and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the Run as Administrator option to open it with Administrator privileges.
• If a User Account or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed.
• Next, type in the commands listed below, and don’t forget to tap Enter right after you type each one of them.
  • UsoClient StartScan – use this command to start checking for updates.
  • UsoClient StartDownload – use this command to start downloading updates.
  • UsoClient StartInstall – use this command to start installing the downloaded updates.
  • UsoClient RestartDevice – use this command to restart your computer after you install.
  • UsoClient ScanInstallWait – use this command to check, download and install updates.

Note: Keep in mind that the commands in Command Prompt listed above are only meant for Windows 10. On the other hand, if you are using an older Windows version, you can try using the following commands instead:

• wuauclt /detectnow – use this command to start checking for updates.
• wuauclt /updatenow – use this command to start installing the updates detected.
• wuauclt /detectnow /updatenow – use this command to check, download and install updates.

Option 2 – Run Windows Updates via Windows PowerShell

If you run Windows Updates in the Windows PowerShell, it will require you to install the Windows Update module manually. Hence, you have to get the Windows Updates downloaded and install Windows Updates.

• Search for PowerShell in the Cortana search box and then run it with administrator privileges.
• Once you’ve opened the Windows PowerShell, type the following command and hit Enter.
  • Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate – use this command to install the Windows Update module for Windows PowerShell.
  • Get-WindowsUpdate – use this command to connect to the servers of Windows Update and download the updates if found.
  • Install-WindowsUpdate – use this command to install the Windows Updates you’ve downloaded to your computer.

A general rule of thumb, which is followed by most users, is to download the specific missing DLL file and place it within the software’s installation directory. However, this can be harmful to your system as hackers often upload popular malicious DLL files to target systems. Thus, you should avoid downloading DLLs from the internet. And follow these steps to fix the DLL error:

• Restart your computer
• System restore to an earlier state
• Run a malware/virus scan
• Update all the hardware drivers
• Running SFC /scannow command in command prompt
• Then do as the error suggests, reinstall the program if it’s feasible. Game files can take several hours to install and therefore, reinstallation can be a cumbersome job. Also, frustrating if the error appears after reinstallation.
• Update device drivers manually, such as graphics drivers, DirectX software if you see DLL missing error while running game

As you know, the Windows 10 Action Center has a stack of all the notifications that come from different applications on your computer. So each time an app displays notifications, it will be displayed for about 5 seconds and then it disappears right away. Although the allotted time for the notifications to be displayed is quite enough to catch your attention and help you get a glance at the message, there are times when you might miss it and you hoped it could’ve been displayed a lot longer. So in this post, you will be guided on how you can increase or decrease the display time of the notification in Windows 10. The best way you can view the missed notification is to click on the Action Center. From there, you will see all the notifications that are grouped by the applications. This means that if you have a lot of notifications, it would be hard for you to find what you are looking for. Thus, in such cases, the best way you can do is to increase the display time for which notification to stay on the screen.

To get started, refer to the instructions given below.

Step 1: Tap the Win + I keys to open Settings. Step 2: Next, navigate to Home > Ease of Access > Display. Step 3: After that, scroll down to the end until you see the dropdown to change the notifications where you should see the “Show notifications for”. Step 4: Then you can change the time from the default 5 seconds to 7, 15, 30, and so on. Step 5: Once done, the display time of the notifications should stay longer but keep in mind that you must choose the length wisely so if you have notifications from a lot of apps, then the screen will also be filled with multiple notification cards.

In this post, you will be guided on how you can turn on or turn off the Tailored Experiences feature in Windows 10 using three methods – via Settings, Registry Editor, and Group Policy Editor. The Tailored Experiences feature in Windows 10 helps Microsoft in delivering recommendations about Microsoft Products. The diagnostic data that comes with it allows Microsoft to know about its consumers’ experiences as well as collect feedback. To simply put it, tailored experiences are personalized tips, ads, and recommendations that enhance Microsoft products and services for consumer needs. And when you enable this feature, Windows will collect information from your browser, apps, features, and many more. After collecting information, it will offer contents that are tailored based on the data gathered on the lock screen of your computer, Windows tips, and other related functions. On the other hand, the diagnostic data is the one that allows Microsoft to get feedback from the customer. So if you’ve noticed some prompts when you use Windows that ask you about the experience, that’s actually a part of the diagnostic data. A lot of users find this feature useful. However, there are also skeptical ones that don’t share the same sentiments. If you are one of the skeptical ones, you actually have the option to turn this feature off if you do not want Microsoft to show ads, recommendations, and so on. It is also recommended that you enable the Diagnostic Data collection as you can choose to delete any collected data, as well as control the feedback frequency from Automatic to Once a day, or once a week, or to never. As mentioned, there are three methods you can choose from to either turn on or turn off Tailored Experiences. You can do it via Settings, Registry Editor, and the Group Policy Editor. To get started, follow the options provided below.

Option 1 – via Settings

To turn on or off Tailored Experiences using Settings, refer to these steps:

• Go to Settings and here, click on Privacy.
• Next, go to Diagnostic and Feedback.
• From there, toggle off the control under the Tailored experiences option to turn it off or toggle it on, if you want to turn it on.

Option 2 – via Registry Editor

To turn on or off Tailored Experiences via Registry Editor, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and then tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to this registry path: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPrivacy
• After that, look for the DWORD named “TailoredExperiencesWithDiagnosticDataEnabled” and change its value to 0 if you want to turn it off or 1 if you want to turn it on.

Option 3 – via Group Policy Editor

To turn on or off Tailored Experiences using the Group Policy Editor, here’s what you have to do:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run prompt and type “gpedit.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
• Next, navigate to this policy setting: User ConfigurationAdminstrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsCloud Content
• Here, double click on the “Do not use diagnostic data for tailored experiences” option and select Enabled. Once you do that, you will see the following description:

“This policy setting lets you prevent Windows from using diagnostic data to provide tailored experiences to the user. If you enable this policy setting, Windows will not use diagnostic data from this device (this data may include browser, app, and feature usage, depending on the “diagnostic data” setting value) to customize the content shown on the lock screen, Windows tips, Microsoft consumer features, and other related features. If these features are enabled, users will still see recommendations, tips, and offers, but they may be less relevant. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Microsoft will use diagnostic data to provide personalized recommendations, tips, and offers to tailor Windows for the user’s needs and make it work better for them. This setting does not control Cortana tailored experiences, since there are separate policies to configure it.”

As you know, one of the basic apps in the Windows 10 operating system is the calculator and it can even be extended to a scientific calculator which makes it really useful for users. However, there are instances when you might encounter some issues while using this app. One of the issues about the Calculator app that’s been reported recently is that the Calculator app is not working. If you encounter the same problem, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on what you can do to fix the problem. Based on the reports, users claimed that the issue with the Calculator app occurred right after they’ve installed a feature update, while other users claimed that the Calculator app never really worked on their computers and there are also cases where the app opens but it either freezes or crashes. According to researchers, the main causes of the problem include a feature update that could’ve altered the settings. It could also be due to problems with the login account or corrupted and missing files, or the problem could also with the calculate app itself. To resolve this problem, here are some suggestions you can follow.

Option 1 – 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 that might be the reason why the calculator app is not working properly. 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.

• Reboot your computer.

Option 2 – Run the DISM tool

You can also run the DISM Tool as it helps in repairing the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth” that could help in fixing the Calculator app.

• Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • Dism (.)exe /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 – Try logging into your computer using a different User Account

You might want to try logging into a different User Account since it is possible that the issue could have something to do with your log-in account. Thus, you can isolate this possibility by logging into a different user account. If you don’t have any other user account, simply create a new one by clicking on the Start icon and then go to Settings > Account > Family & other users. From there, go to the Other user's section and click on the Add someone else to this PC option, and then inputs all the needed information and restarts your computer. Once your computer has restarted, log into your computer using the newly created user account.

Option 4 – Try to reset or reinstall the Calculator app

If the first three given options didn’t work, you might want to reset or reinstall the Calculator app. To do that, follow these steps:

• Click on the Start button and go to Settings > Apps > Apps and features.
• Next, look for the Calculator app from the app list and click on it to see its other options.
• After that, select the Advanced options and go to the Reset section and then click on the Reset button to reset the Calculator app.

Note: You also have the option to reinstall the Calculator app. All you have the option to visit Microsoft Store and from there, uninstall the Calculator app.

There is a lot of software on the market today, but from time to time we discover something extraordinary and unique worth sharing and today we have a threat for you. Ventoy is a tool that will help you with system reinstallations and system maintenance once and for all.

If you are a computer user that has multiple operating systems or you are installing and maintaining different hardware via different OS there is a high chance that you have multiple USB sticks with different operating systems on them.

Now the problem with that is that there are probably too many unlabeled sticks around or you do not have enough so you keep making system USBs depending on which one you might need.

Ventoy solves all of these problems by letting you have as many operating systems images as your USB has capacity. The only thing you need to do is get the software here: https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html and make a USB with it, then you can freely just copy your ISO images onto the USB and once it is inserted into the computer you will be given a menu to choose which one you would like to start with, simple as that.

Features

• 100% open source (license)
• Very simple to use (Get started)
• Fast (limited only by the speed of copying the iso file)
• Can be installed in USB/Local Disk/SSD/NVMe/SD Card
• Directly boot from ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files, no extraction needed
• Support to browse and boot ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files in local disk Notes
• No need to be continuous in disk for ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files
• Both MBR and GPT partition styles are supported
• x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 UEFI, MIPS64EL UEFI supported
• IA32/x86_64 UEFI Secure Boot supported Notes
• Linux Persistence supported Notes
• Windows auto installation supported Notes
• Linux auto installation supported Notes
• Variables Expansion supported for Windows/Linux auto-installation script Notes
• FAT32/exFAT/NTFS/UDF/XFS/Ext2(3)(4) supported for main partition
• ISO files larger than 4GB supported

• Menu alias, Menu tip message supported
• Password protect supported
• Native boot menu style for Legacy & UEFI
• Most types of OS supported, 1000+ iso files tested
• Linux vDisk(vhd/vdi/raw...) boot solution Notes
• Not only boot but also complete the installation process
• Menu dynamically switchable between ListView and TreeView mode Notes
• "Ventoy Compatible" concept
• Plugin Framework and GUI plugin configurator
• Injection of files into runtime environment
• Boot configuration file dynamically replacement
• Highly customizable theme and menu style
• USB drive write-protected support
• USB normal use unaffected
• Data nondestructive during a version upgrade
• No need to update Ventoy when a new distro is released

If you got an error message saying, “Windows Update failed to install error 0x80240034” when trying to update your Windows 10 then it’s probably due to some update services that are failing at some point. In addition, you might also see Error constant WU_E_DOWNLOAD_FAILED with the description that “Update has failed to download”. The Windows Update failed to install error 0x80240034 might be caused by some connection problem or there might be a duplicate update or that installation is not allowed and so on. And so to fix the problem, we’ve prepared some options that could help. Make sure to follow them accordingly but before you proceed, you need to verify if you have a stable internet connection.

Option 1 – Restart your computer and try installing the Updates again

Restarting your computer can also help in fixing the Windows Update failed to install error 0x80240034. There are cases where the issue resolves on its own as it could just be some simple network or PC error.

Option 2 – Try to disable your antivirus program

The Windows Update failed to install error 0x80240034 might be caused by the antivirus program installed in your computer which is why 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 3 – Clean up temporary and junk files

• Open Setting > System > Storage from the WinX Menu.
• From there, you will see a list of all the local and connected storage devices along with the details on the free space.
• Now make sure that the Storage Sense feature is turned On then go find a link that says “Free Up Space” and click it to open.
• After that, a screen which is the built-in program in Windows 10 will appear and will scan your computer for the following junk files so you can free up disk space:
• Windows Upgrade Log Files
• The system created Windows Error Reporting Files
• Thumbnails
• Temporary Internet Files
• Previous Windows Installation Files
• Delivery Optimisation Files
• DirectX Shader Cache

Note: Once you’re done freeing up space on your drive, try to run the setup file again.

Option 4 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter is one of the things you can first check out as it is known to automatically resolve any Windows Update errors like error 0x80240034. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.

Option 5 – Delete Files from Software Distribution Folder & Catroot2 folders

The downloaded Windows Updates are placed in a folder called “SoftwareDistribution”. The files downloaded in this folder are automatically deleted once the installation is completed. However, if the files are not clean up or if the installation is still pending, you can delete all the files in this folder after you pause the Windows Update service. For complete instructions, refer to the steps below.

• Open the WinX Menu.
• From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.

net stop wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
• Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.

After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:

• Type each one of the following commands.

net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer, and then try to run Windows Update once more.

Option 6 – Run the DISM tool

If the first five options didn’t work, then running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management tool might help as it can 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 7 – Run System File Checker

Running the SFC scan or System File Checker might also help in fixing error 0x80240034.

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

Option 8 – Try to use the Media Creation tool

The Media Creation tool in Windows allows you to use the ISO installation file to make a bootable device that you can use to install Windows on your PC. Note that this is kind of different from the usual installation process as it could erase your computer’s current settings and data on the primary drive. Thus, before you proceed, you need to backup all your data into some removable drive and then use the Media Creation Tool to make a bootable drive.

• After making the bootable drive, you need to plug it into your computer and then reboot.
• Next, tap the F10 or Esc key to open the boot options.
• Now set the boot priority of the removable drive the highest. Once the setup comes forth, follow the next onscreen instructions and install Windows without any problems.

The new upgraded Surface Laptop Go 2 is the new iteration of the affordable original Surface Laptop Go aimed to offer good performance at a lower price of under $1000. The new version is not anything vastly different from the original but it comes with much-needed upgrades.

The biggest and main upgrade is the CPU, the Surface Laptop Go 2 is packing now Intel Core i5 1135G7, an Intels 11th generation CPU that should increase battery life. The laptop is also coming with an improved WEB camera and the cheapest one comes now with 128GB of storage instead of 64GB. Price went up from $550 to $599 which is not a big increase considering what was upgraded.

The bad news of new models is that sadly they are still packing only 4GB of RAM, that's really not enough for most applications released in 2022 and the screen is having a relatively low resolution of 1536 X 1024.

Microsoft is still offering all the color variations as in its first offering but added as well a new Sage color that is muted green in tint.

When we look at hardware it seems a little weak but for this price, there is not much competition in the field, and after all this line of models is aimed to provide good performance for an affordable price. If you really need something better you will go with a standard Surface or MAC book instead.

The new laptops are available to pre-order at Best Buy and Microsoft’s online store, and they’ll start shipping on June 7.

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.