Mac advantages over Windows PC

Microsoft has released Windows 11 as a public beta release for all the people that are not willing to be in the insider program. Beta release as of this moment is identical to Insider Preview build 22000.100. and updates will not roll so fast as in insider preview and it is marked as unstable release, same as insider build. I would not install Windows 11 beta on the main PC since some drivers still have issues and may lead to some blue screens. Be aware that the beta build will have all Windows 11 system requirements including TPM 2.0. This is a big difference from insider build which can be installed on systems lacking official requirements. So basically if you have a spare PC that could run Windows 11 install it so you can see what it brings and feel it so you can make a decision will upgrade once it is released later this year.

If you are running a System File Checker scan but got an error message instead that says, “There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete, Restart Windows and run SFC again”, worry not for this post will walk you through how you can fix the problem. This kind of error can be addressed and fixed with several potential fixes which will be provided in this post. You can try to restart your computer and run a System File Checker scan again or delete the pending .xml file or use the “revertpendingactions” parameter for the DISM tool. For more information, refer to each one of the options given below.

Option 1 – Try restarting your computer and run the SFC again

The first thing you can do to fix the problem is to restart your computer and let the pending process be completed. After your computer restarted, try to run System File Checker again and see if the error is now fixed or not. If not, refer to the other options below.

Option 2 – Try deleting the pending .xml file

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to delete the pending .xml file. How? All you have to do is navigate to this location at CWindowsWinSxS and from there, look for a pending .xml file and rename it or delete it. This will get rid of any pending tasks and will build a fresh new check.

Option 3 – Try to use the “revertpendingactions” parameter for the DISM tool

If the two options given above didn’t work, you can try using the revertpendingactions parameter for the DISM tool. If you’re not able to boot into Windows, then run Command Prompt from the Recovery Console and execute the given command below.

dism.exe /image:C: /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions

After you execute the command, restart your computer and try to run System File Checker again and see if it has fixed the problem or not.

Error Code 8024402C – What is it?

When upgrading to Microsoft Windows 10, some users may encounter Error Code 8024402C. This error, while attempting to update, is a result of five possible issues. The error code itself is not a critical concern, yet while the error is occurring, users will not be able to upgrade their Windows software. As with any Microsoft error code, even if it is not critical, it is recommended that the error be addressed sooner rather than later. An insignificant error now could lead to a larger, more catastrophic error later on. Common symptoms include:

• A dialog box appears with the Error Code 8024402C when attempting to upgrade to Microsoft Windows 10.
• Your current version of Windows is unable to recognize the need for an update to Microsoft Windows 10.

Solution

Error Causes

As previously stated, there are five major reasons why error code 8024402C occurs.

• An erroneous character in the proxy override settings
• A wrongly configured firewall is preventing the update from taking place.
• Attempting to access the Windows 10 update through a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection.
• Workstations that operate behind a corporate ISA server.
• A corporate network system that does not have auto proxy enabled.

The sooner these known causes are addressed, the sooner you will be able to successfully upgrade to Microsoft Windows 10.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Microsoft Support posits four different resolutions to these known error code 8024402C issues. Some of these methods will be more comfortable for at-home users than others. If you are experiencing this issue in a corporate or business setting, it may be better to have your IT tech or department attempt the methods.

Method 1:  When your firewall is causing the issue.

1. Access your firewall software.
2. Specifically, look into the settings associated with your firewall.
3. Make sure that the following three websites are listed as exceptions to your firewall or proxy.

• https://*.windowsupdate.microsoft.com
• http://download.windowsupdate.com
• http://*.windowsupdate.microsoft.com

4. If any of these websites are missing from your firewall list, add them to the list.
5. Restart your Microsoft Windows 10 update.

Method 2: For an erroneous character in the proxy override settings.

1. Open internet explorer, if you use another program to access the internet, you will still need to use internet explorer for this solution.
2. Open your internet explorer tools window.
3. Click on internet options.
4. Choose the connections tab.
5. Select LAN settings.
6. Choose the Advanced option.
7. Delete anything that appears in the exceptions section.
8. Closeout of internet explorer.
9. Click on your start button.
10. Select RUN and type CMD into the field, press ENTER.
11. This will access the command prompt screen. Type “proxycfg -d” and press ENTER.
12. Type the command “net stop wuauserv” and press ENTER.
13. Finally, type “net start wuauserv” and press ENTER.
14. Now you have cleared your proxy cache. Access the Microsoft Windows 10 update again to download.

Method 3: If a VPN connection is causing error code 8024402C.

1. Disconnect from your VPN connection, thus connecting directly to the internet without a proxy or network.
2. Retry the Microsoft Windows 10 update.
3. After the update is successful, reconnect to the VPN network.

Method 4: Use this is an ISA server is in place at your networked business site.

1. Access the ISA firewall client option. From here your goal is to initiate the ISA server automatic detection feature.
2. From the control panel, select the firewall client option.
3. Choose the configure option.
4. Check the box next to “automatically detect firewall server”.
5. Select the “update now” button.
6. Click the OK button.
7. Restart your Microsoft Windows 10 update.

Again, not all of these methods are meant for computer users who do not usually explore and change software settings of this nature. If you do not feel comfortable with any of these methods, you can opt to download and install a powerful automated tool to repair Windows error code 8024402C.

As you know, the Windows 10 operating system, as well as other Windows versions, comes with the Windows Firewall. In Windows 10, the firewall allows users to install and run a third-party firewall. This kind of firewall works independently to block any suspicious activity on your computer. However, recently, some users reported that they are getting a notification on the Startup saying,

“Windows Firewall and <Third party firewall name> Firewall are both turned off; tap or click to see available options”.

This particular error could be caused by a lot of factors but when you manually check the firewall, you’ll find that there really is nothing wrong with both the Windows Firewall and the third party firewall. So if both the Windows Firewall and third-party firewalls like McAfee, Comodo, and many others are both turned off in Windows 10, then you need to do several things to resolve the problem – you need to check the supporting services that are required and uninstall and then reinstall the third party firewall on your computer. For more instructions, refer to the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try enabling all the supporting services for the firewall

The first thing you can do to resolve the error with the firewall is to check all of its supporting services by following these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open 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 Defender Firewall service among the given list of services.
• Once you found it, make sure that its Startup Type is set to Automatic and that the status of the service is Running. So if it’s not running, just click on the Start button.
• In addition, you also have to make sure that the following services’ status is set as follows:
  • Xbox Live Networking Service: Manual
  • Base Filtering Engine: Automatic
• Once done, start the firewall again and check if the error is now fixed or not.

Option 2 – Try to uninstall and reinstall the third-party firewall

It is possible that the firewall error might be due to an error with the compatibility of the installation in Windows 10 and the third-party firewall. Thus, the next thing you can do is to uninstall the third-party firewall and then reinstall it again. Once you have uninstalled the third-party firewall, you can download its latest version from its official website and install it again. This should fix the error with the firewall.

Internal Error 2324 - What is it?

Internal Error 2324 occurs when you try to upgrade Firefox on your Windows 7 PC. The program fails to install and run successfully. The following error message is displayed:

‘The installer encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2324.’

Solution

Error Causes

This error may occur due to different reasons. These include:

• Viral infection
• Bad registry entries (cookies or traces of old version of Firefox program)
• Other programs running on your PC during Firefox program installation
• Installation was not performed from the Administrator account

To use the Firefox web browser successfully on your PC, you first need to resolve error 2324 on your system.

Further Information and Manual Repair

To repair error 2324, try the following methods:

Method 1 - Perform a Clean Reinstall.

This means to remove the Firefox program completely from your PC and then reinstall it. To do this, remove the Firefox installation folder saved in one of the locations by default: C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox Now download the latest Firefox version on your PC and save the setup file on your computer. After that double click, the downloaded installation file and follow the steps illustrated in the wizard to install Firefox on your PC.

Method 2

Sometimes Firefox installation may fail because of the interference from other programs running on your PC. Therefore, it is advisable to close all programs running in the background when upgrading the Firefox program. You can also disable programs like Logitech QuickCam and Spybot Tea Timer.  These are some of the many programs that are notorious for interfering with Firefox updates.

Method 3 - Scan for viruses to resolve.

Viruses are malicious programs that often enter computers through files downloads from unreliable websites and phishing emails. These programs then hide in your PC and infect it. You may often experience problems during program installation if your PC is infected by viruses. To fix the issue and ensure smooth Firefox program installation on your system, simply run an antivirus. Antivirus scans and detects all viruses in a few minutes. Upon detection, remove them right away to ensure your PC is free from such malicious programs. Now try updating Firefox on your system again. If it is updated smoothly, then the error is resolved.

Method 4

The registry of your system stores all the activities performed on your PC. You may have uninstalled the old Firefox version from the Control Panel but the traces of the uninstalled program may still remain in the registry as bad entries. These bad entries may be causing error 2324 to pop up on your PC. To resolve, you need to remove these entries from the registry. For quick removal, download Restoro. It is a user-friendly PC Fixer with a registry cleaner that scans and removes all obsolete files stored in the registry such as incorrect registry keys, bad entries, cookies, and junk files. Click here to download Restoro.

If you receive an error that says, “An unspecified error occurred during System Restore (0x800700b7)” when you tried to restore your Windows 10 PC, worry not, for this post will help you resolve the problem. This kind of error typically occurs when System Restore was not completed successfully and fails instead with this error. Before you start, you must not abruptly shut down your computer and wait for the error to occur. You may receive this error due to many possible reasons. It could be caused by your antivirus program that’s not letting the process complete or corrupted system files which causes the failure or it could also be caused by an unsuccessful installation of a Windows Update. Here are some fixes you can check out if you can still boot into your computer:

Option 1 – Try to disable your antivirus program

Disabling the antivirus program or any security software installed in your computer is always a good idea you can try when the System Restore process does not go smoothly. So before you try updating your computer again, make sure to disable the antivirus or security program and then run System Restore again, don’t forget to enable the antivirus program back again.

Option 2 – Run the DISM tool

The next thing you can do is run the DISM tool. This tool is known to repair potentially corrupted files in your system as having them could also system issues like the blank dialog boxes. To repair these corrupted system files, you can run the DISM commands:

• Tap the Win + X keys and click on the “Command Prompt (Admin)” option.
• After that, input each one of the commands listed below sequentially to execute them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Once you’ve executed the commands given above, restart your computer and check if the problem is now fixed.

Option 3 – Run the System File Checker

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 cause why you’re getting the errors 0x8024a11a and 0x8024a112. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Type “cmd” in the Start search and then right-click on the appropriate search result.
• Next, select “Run as administrator” to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• 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.

• Now restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 4 – Try to run the System Restore in a Clean Boot State

If the first three given options didn’t work and the service still keeps on failing even though the service is running, you can try putting your computer in a Clean Boot State and then try to run System Restore again.

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• Now try to run System Restore again and see if the process goes smoothly.

Option 5 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

You might also want to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter as it could also help in fixing the problem with System Restore. 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. On the other hand, if you can’t boot into your Windows 10 computer, here are some fixes you can try instead:

Option 6 – Try running System Restore in Advanced Startup Options

If you cannot boot into your Windows 10 computer, you can try to run System Restore again in the Advanced Startup Options.

• Boot your computer into the Advanced Startup Options screen.
• From there, you will see some options to troubleshoot when you can’t log in to Windows in the usual way.
• Now select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
• After that, type “rstrui” and hit Enter to execute the command which will start the System Restore process.

Option 7 – Run the SFC scan and DISM via Advanced Startup Options

Like what you did in the first given option, you can use the Advanced Startup Options to run both System File Checker and DISM. All you have to do is boot into the Advanced Startup Options and from there select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt. After accessing Command Prompt, you can run the System File Checker scan first by entering the “sfc /scannow”. As for DISM, you can run the “Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” command.

Option 8 – Try to run the Automatic Repair Utility

You might also want to use Automatic Repair in fixing the error. To do so, follow the steps below.

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

OneXPlayer is a direct competitor to Valve’s upcoming steam deck. This device is clearly inspired by Valve’s offering and it shows all over the place, from its looks to its purpose and aims to PC gamers as a handheld device.

Hardware under the hood

This device is packing a 7-inch 1080p display, 11th generation Intel Core i7-1195G7 CPU, stunning 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD drive with the option to purchase 1TB or 2TB model. GPU of choice is Intel iris Xe Graphics that is in our opinion a bottleneck in the whole system and for more demanding games, we believe switching them to 720p would be a better option. Everything here is powered with a 10455 mAh lithium-ion battery.

OneXPlayer inputs and other stuff

Handheld is equipped with dual bumpers and dual linear triggers. The console comes with dual speakers on both sides of it. Inside the console, there is an aluminum heat sink with copper heat pipes and a fan in order to cool internal hardware. On the outside, we have two USB-C ports and one USB-A port for connections, and of course, a headphone jack for headphones. The console comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity.

Price

The base entry model will cost you a whopping $1.259, 1TB model $1.399 and 2TB one will go as far as $1,599. With this kind of price, I am not sure it can come up as a winner against Valve. Sure it is packing fully licensed Windows 11 that will for sure offer more options than Stem’s OS based on Linux but even with that advantage I do not think it justifies such a big price difference.

Conclusion

Of course, this kind of console or handheld PC will still find its customer base, many users will probably like it since it comes Windows ready out of the box. Sure, you can place Windows on Steam deck as well but you will need to know how, where everything is ready and you can run beside steam other launchers without issues like origin, uplay, gog, etc. How this will be accepted by community time will tell but it is good to see that there is variety and competition in handheld PC space.

When you have to connect to a drive that’s on a different computer or on external storage, that’s where the mapped network drives come in. Mapped network drives make accessing files a lot easier. However, there are times when it won’t work for some reason. Windows will notify you about the unavailability of mapped network drives in several ways. For one, Windows might display a red X on the network drives or it could be that its status will be unavailable when you try to use it from the Command Prompt or via a notification. It is recommended that you run a few scripts when you log in to your PC as it may so happen that the network drive takes more than usual to connect. Before you start troubleshooting the problem using the given options below, keep in mind that some workouts might only work under certain scenarios. You might need some network access at logon or you might need access to the Group Policy settings. So you need to choose what you prefer more. You can try the given workarounds below if the mapped network drives are not showing or connecting or working on your Windows 10 computer. These workarounds use scripts to make sure that you are connected to them as soon as you start to use your PC. As mentioned, before you can troubleshoot, you need to create scripts first. There are two scripts here namely MapDrives.ps1 which is executed by the second script named MapDrives.cmd and is done at a regular and non-elevated Command Prompt. Follow the steps below to get started.

• You have to create a script file named “MapDrives.cmd” first and then save it on a place where the files are safe. To do that, open a text editor like Notepad and then copy and paste the following script:

PowerShell -Command "Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser Unrestricted" >> "%TEMP%StartupLog.txt" 2>&1 PowerShell -File "%SystemDrive%ScriptsMapDrives.ps1" >> "%TEMP%StartupLog.txt" 2>&1

• After that, save the file and name it “MapDrives.cmd”.
• Next, create a script file named “MapDrives.ps1” and then copy and paste the following content. Just make sure to save both scripts in the same folder.

$i=3 while($True){     $error.clear()     $MappedDrives = Get-SmbMapping |where -property Status -Value Unavailable -EQ | select LocalPath,RemotePath     foreach( $MappedDrive in $MappedDrives)     {         try {             New-SmbMapping -LocalPath $MappedDrive.LocalPath -RemotePath $MappedDrive.RemotePath -Persistent $True         } catch {             Write-Host "There was an error mapping $MappedDrive.RemotePath to $MappedDrive.LocalPath"         }     }     $i = $i - 1     if($error.Count -eq 0 -Or $i -eq 0) {break}     Start-Sleep -Seconds 30 } Note: Now that you’ve created the script files, it’s time for you to proceed to the options given below.

Option 1 – Try creating a startup item

Note that this option only works on devices that have network access at login. So if it’s not there, the script will fail to reconnect the network drivers automatically. To create a startup item, here’s what you have to do:

• Open the Startup folder located at %ProgramData%MicrosoftWindowsStart MenuProgramsStartUp.
• From there, copy and paste the MapDrives.cmd.
• After that, open the Scripts folder located at %SystemDrive%Scripts copy-paste MapDrives.ps1 and then copy and paste MapDrives.ps1 in there.

Note: After you complete the steps above, a log file named “StartupLog.txt” will be created in the %TEMP% folder. Now all that’s left for you to do is to log out of your computer and then log back in. This will ensure that the mapped drives are open.

Option 2 – Create a scheduled task

It is possible to create a scheduled task that runs as soon as you log in to your computer. To create a scheduled task, follow the steps below.

• You have to copy the MapDrives.ps1 script file to the scripts folder of Windows located at %SystemDrive%Scripts.
• After that, open the Task Scheduler and select Action > Create Task.
• Next, type a name and description of the task in the General tab.
• Then click on the Change User or Group button and select a local user group and click OK.
• Now check the box labeled “Run with highest privileges” and switch to the Triggers tab.
• From there, create a new trigger with the “At Logon” option in the Begin the task drop-down menu and then click OK.
• After that, switch to the Actions tab and create a new action then choose to Start a program.
• Next, type “Powershell.exe” in the Program/Script field, and in the Add arguments (optional) field, type the following:

-windowsstyle hidden -command .MapDrives.ps1 >> %TEMP%StartupLog.txt 2>&1

• And in the Start in the (optional) field, type “%SystemDrive%Scripts” as the location of the script file.
• Now under the Conditions tab, select the “Start only if the following network connection is available” option and then select Any connection and click OK.
• Restart your computer or log off from your account and then log back in so that the task will be executed.

Option 3 – Use the Group Policy settings

You need this option if the mapped network drives are defined via Group Policy settings. You have to update the action of the drive maps to Replace. As a result, it will delete the existing mapped drive and create the mapping on each logon again. However, any settings on the mapped drive that are changed from the Group Policy settings will be gone on each logon. So if the changes don’t work, you need to run the gpupdate command together with the /force parameter in order to refresh the Group Policy setting quickly.

The euphoria around Windows 11 is not dying and reveal that Android apps will work natively inside Windows 11 has raised many emotions and questions. So, Microsoft has announced that Android apps will run natively inside Windows 11 OS and that they will reside alongside your other installed ones as icons, etc. It is no secret that many users have been using emulation software to run Android apps inside Windows so far, so what is the difference?

It is still emulation

Whatever you would like to believe it is still emulation and Android apps are at the end of the day still Android apps running inside emulated environment. This time we will not need third-party emulation software running inside Windows, we will have third-party emulation services running inside Windows. Intel has teamed up with Microsoft in order to integrate Intel bridge algorithms in order to run Android apps, meaning that yea, pretty much we have emulation services running in order to run the application. The problem with this kind of approach is that well emulation software is running and consuming system resources only when we start it, this kind of service is always running and always consuming resources and for someone who really does not care about Android apps at all, this is just a waste of resources.

Android store

The store is another issue here, instead of the Google play store we will have the Amazon app store integrated inside the new Microsoft store. This means that any kind of for example game progress or login information from Google store cannot be transferred into Windows 11, add to that information that in the Amazon app store there are tons of missing applications like SLACK, TRELLO, BitWarden, etc and we might have a serious question here about the use of this feature.

Android apps that do not use Android services

If you even look past that it is still emulation and that it is available on the Amazon app store there is still concern about applications not using Google services for their running. Many Android apps are relying on Google services like location or optimize their use of on-device resources, handle in-app purchases, etc. that cannot be found on this system. Uber is a prime example that uses Google location service to determine your location and for its mapping data, with that application, is useless. Other like Guardian will even pop up message that says Google play service is required in order to even work.

Android apps without Eero system

Amazon Eero system for enhanced internet access is not even yet available in its own app store which brings us to missing some key players like Bank of America, Chase mobile, Bueller, etc. And across the board, the apps that are present in the Amazon Appstore are often as good as abandoned. Lots of titles are numerous versions behind their up-to-date Play Store counterparts, and plenty of programs you encounter in the Amazon environment clearly haven't been touched in years.

Conclusion

Many new Windows 11 features are quality features that I personally consider good but although this one seems innovative and good I simply cannot stand back it up. Android apps were already inside Windows with emulation software which used google services and was working just fine, this was not needed in my opinion.

Windows 10 and Windows 11 have automatic dynamic screen brightness depending on the surrounding light inside the room. Please take note that this option is available only on devices with build-in screens like laptops, tablets, and all in one desktop PC. If you are connected with your PC via an external monitor you will not have these settings available and probably feature is not even working.

Some computers will also allow automatic brightness changes also on what is displayed on the screen. This option is meant to save battery life on devices. Microsoft calls this automatic brightness feature Content adaptive brightness control. In order to change this setting, we will go to settings inside Windows.

Disabling automatic brightness inside Windows

Open Settings inside Windows, in Windows 11 press WINDOWS + I to open settings, then click on the system in the sidebar and then go to Display. Click on the small arrow beside the Brightness slider in order to expand a small menu and then uncheck Help improve battery by optimizing the content show and brightness. If you see Change brightness automatically when lighting changes, uncheck that as well. Close the settings and you are good to go, now brightness will always be as set in settings.

Inside Windows 10, go to Settings and then go to System and then in Display under the Brightness and Color section look below and locate the box that says Automatically adjust contrast based on the displayed content to help improve battery and uncheck it, if the box below with text Change brightness automatically when lighting changes exists, uncheck it as well. Close settings and you are done.