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In today’s world and age, there are some essential IT skills that basically everyone should know. No matter in what field you are working some skills are just needed in order to function properly in the work. So, without further ado let's dive into what are these essential IT skills everyone, even your grandmother should know.

5 Essential IT skills everybody should know

1. Word processing

   No matter are you creating or editing business documents or just trying to help a friend or relative, word processing skill is an essential asset and requirement in today’s age. Writing anything on a bunch of paper is time-consuming, papers can get lost, and searching for a particular item inside a bunch of papers is not a really enjoyable experience. A much easier solution is to write, format, and keep everything on the computer and almost all employers are asking for this skill.

2. Send and using emails

   Today we live in the digital age and most communication is done in real-time via messaging apps and file sharing is done via file-sharing services. Despite mentioned technology, many files are shared and sent through emails. When a message is too long or complex when it needs to have some attachment or to be kept in archive emails are the way to go and therefore using email is a must-have essential skill.

3. Using search engines

   When talking about using search engines we really do not think about firing up your favorite browser, going into the search engine,s and typing cat pictures. What we think is that a person should know how to use a search engine properly, tweak its search options, and phrase words and sentences to find everything he or she needs.

4. Doing data work

   Data entry and data calculations have been made easier than ever thanks to today's technology. Microsoft excel, libre office calc, google sheets, etc. are all capable of performing a great variety of calculations and keeping track of plenty of required data. This skill is often asked by employers as an essential one.

5. Cyber security

   Each employee or person, in general, should be quite aware of various scams and best practices to keep itself safe in this digital world. We have several articles on this topic and there are a great variety of articles on the internet as well.

Conclusion

No matter are you young or old, employed or looking for a job, these skills are a must-have in today’s world.  There are a lot of great tutorials online on these various topics and I am sure that your knowledgeable friend or cousin would be happy to help and show you how to do all of these things.

Windows 10 supports various devices to get connected to which makes it quite a flexible operating system. The connection varies on the fact that the device can be connected either with Bluetooth or other wireless and wired connection. However, no matter how great the features are, there a few times when they bring in some bugs too. One of these bugs won’t allow you to either remove or reinstall the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard device from your Windows 10 computer. So if you are currently experiencing this problem, read on as this post will guide you in fixing it. Before you go over the suggestions laid out below, you need to create a System Restore Point first since, in one of the options, you will be making some changes with the registry files as well as some critical Windows settings. Once you have that covered, refer to the following options.

Option 1 – Configure the Bluetooth Services

The first thing you can do is configure Bluetooth Services.

• Tap the Win + R key combination to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• You will then see a list of services and from there, look for the following services and make sure that their default values are set as follows:
  • Bluetooth Audio Gateway Service – Manual (Triggered)
  • Bluetooth Support Service – Manual (Triggered)
  • Bluetooth User Support Service – Manual (Triggered)
• Now click on the Start button to start all the aforementioned services and then check if you can now remove or reinstall the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard device.

Option 2 – Try running the Bluetooth Troubleshooter

As you know, Windows 10 has various troubleshooters with user-friendly interfaces where you can utilize them to fix issues in your PC. And since you’re dealing with some Bluetooth problem, you have to run the Bluetooth Troubleshooter.

• Open the Windows 10 Settings.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• You should find the option for Bluetooth on your right-hand side – click on it then click on the “Run the troubleshooter” option.
• Now follow the next screen options.

Option 3 – Try to reinstall or update the Bluetooth driver

The issue might have something to do with the Bluetooth drivers. It could be that it is outdated and needs to be updated or that you recently updated it and since then you have trouble removing the Bluetooth device and so to fix the issue, you can update, roll back or uninstall the Bluetooth drivers. How? Follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + X keys to open the Device Manager.
• Next, look for the Bluetooth device and right-click on it.
• Select the option “Update driver”.
• After that, a new popup window will appear. In there, select the option, “Search automatically for updated driver software”.

Note: Checking the update may take a few minutes so you’ll have to wait until it finishes. If it is able to find an update, you must install it.

Option 4 – Get rid of any interference

If you have several wireless devices in the same room as your PC then it might have caused interference with the current connection in your PC which is why you have to switch off all the other devices and then try removing reinstalling the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard devices again.

Option 5 – Remove or reinstall the Bluetooth devices in a Clean Boot State

You might want to uninstall or remove the Bluetooth Devices while your computer is in a Clean Boot State. Putting your computer in this state will surely help especially if there are some processes that prevent the Bluetooth devices from being removed or reinstalled.

• 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.)
• After that, try to reinstall or remove the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard devices again.

Ever gotten an e-mail offer that seemed just a little bit too good to be true? Might’ve been a phishing attempt! These are everywhere and can come in many different forms. 

So what’s phishing exactly, how can you detect it and how can you keep safe?

What is phishing?

Phishing (pronounced like fishing) is a type of cyberattack that tricks the user into trusting the source and revealing sensitive information. Fishing being the perfect analogy, the bait is a legitimate-looking site, e-mail or file and when you take a bite, your identity, banking information and much more can be revealed and stolen.

Some phishing attempts are incredibly obvious, others are super elaborate. Like with most types of malware, cybercriminals have become extremely well-versed in phishing and anyone can fall for it. To help you recognize and avoid it, we’ll take you through a couple of phishing types and give you tips on what to do if faced with them.

Phishing techniques

E-mail phishing

This is actually the most common type of phishing. A cybercriminal creates an e-mail containing stuff like attractive offers, legitimate-looking attachments or links and makes it appear as though it’s coming from a trusted source.

For example, it looks like it’s coming from your bank or your favorite retailer. The logo looks legit and the structure of the e-mail seems familiar, so you might get tricked into clicking on whatever clickable content is in it.

Unfortunately this exposes your device to malware that hands your data off to the hacker, who can decide what to do with it further.

SMS and social media phishing

Like the above example, you could be approached with lucrative offers or links via text messages or social media messages. Typically, the messages seem relevant to the user as they will be made to look like they’re related to apps or services you’re using.

Voice phishing

Voice phishing attacks are schemes that appear as though they’re coming from a credible number. Normally, you’ll get a call about something related to credit cards or taxes to get you into a state of worry, leading you to disclose personal information on the phone.

Spear phishing, whaling and BEC

Spear phishing normally targets specific individuals within a company who are likely to have access to sensitive data. Spear phishers spend time collecting information they can use to reach out to the individual looking as trustworthy as possible. They’ll typically lead with something relevant, for example mentioning an upcoming company event, and make a seemingly legitimate request.

Whaling is a more elaborate form of spear phishing, which targets people in even stronger positions such as executives or high-value individuals. The ultimate goal is to get them to transfer financial or other sensitive information that can be used to compromise the entire business.

BEC, or Business e-mail compromise, is a specific spear phishing technique carried out via e-mail. While there are many ways this is done, most commonly you’ll see instances where the phisher poses as a CEO or similar executive, or as a lower-level employee in specific positions (e.g. sales managers or financial controllers).

In the first situation, the impersonator reaches out to employees requesting them to transfer certain files or pay invoices. In the second situation, the phisher takes control of the employee’s e-mail account and sends false instructions to other employees in order to obtain data and information from them.

What can you do?

There are many ways you can be aware and spot a phishing attempt. Here are some tips:

• Always check the sender’s address in your e-mails, even when they seem to come from a familiar source.
• In any instance where payment information is requested, be very, very careful.
• If you are receiving attachments you never asked for and definitely didn’t expect, better not click on them. 
• Beware of content that transmits a sense of urgency (sales deals, urgent updates to login credentials, etc.).
• Bad spelling and grammar are usually a telltale sign of phishing.
• Links that look shortened (e.g. Bit.ly) or just suspicious in general - if you have a bad feeling, do not click on them.
• If you are receiving threats, you probably shouldn’t be clicking on anything in that message.
• Always examine first-time senders in detail.
• Block suspicious e-mail addresses, numbers and social media accounts.
• If you are receiving a coupon for free stuff… You aren’t.
• If you’re being asked to update your payment details by a service you use, such as Netflix, chances are it’s an impersonator.

Those are some of the ways to identify and prevent phishing attacks. However, sometimes phishers disguise themselves a little too well or a misclick happens and there you go - you’ve been exposed to malware.

This won’t happen if you invest in powerful protection software from the get-go, though. A good antivirus program like Bitdefender will keep you safe from becoming a victim of phishing scams. In fact, it will protect you from malicious attacks overall.

Be it your household or your business you’re concerned about, there are a bunch of different packages and options available, providing different kinds of cybersecurity services. That’s the only way you can ever really be sure you aren’t at risk of a digital attack.

Summary

Have you ever been targeted by phishers and didn’t know that’s what it was until you read this article? Many can relate. Protect yourself before it’s too late!

Usually when online service is not working or when something goes wrong online it is DNS, well that is what most of the time is the case. And yes, DNS or Domain Name Server seems to be an issue with Facebook being completely down along with Instagram and wassap. The true cause is that there is no working Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routes into Facebook's sites. BGP is the standardized exterior gateway protocol used to exchange routing and reachability information between the internet top-level autonomous systems (AS). Most people, indeed most network administrators, never need to deal with BGP. Cloudflare VP Dane Knecht was the first to report the underlying BGP problem. This meant, as Kevin Beaumont, former Microsoft's Head of Security Operations Centre, tweeted, "By not having BGP announcements for your DNS name servers, DNS falls apart = nobody can find you on the internet. Same with WhatsApp btw. Facebook has basically de-platformed themselves from their own platform." Many people are very annoyed by this and with the fact that they cannot use their social media platforms but it seems that Facebook employees are in even bigger annoyance as it was reported that Facebook employees can't enter their buildings because their "smart" badges and doors were also disabled by this network failure. If true, Facebook's people literally can't enter the building to fix things. Reddit user u/ramenporn, who claimed to be a Facebook employee working on bringing the social network back from the dead, reported, before he deleted his account and his messages: "DNS for FB services has been affected and this is likely a symptom of the actual issue, and that's that BGP peering with Facebook peering routers has gone down, very likely due to a configuration change that went into effect shortly before the outages happened (started roughly 1540 UTC). There are people now trying to gain access to the peering routers to implement fixes, but the people with physical access is separate from the people with knowledge of how to actually authenticate to the systems and people who know what to actually do, so there is now a logistical challenge with getting all that knowledge unified. Part of this is also due to lower staffing in data centers due to pandemic measures." Ramenporn also stated that it wasn't an attack, but a mistaken configuration change made via a web interface. Both BGP and DNS are down, the "connection to the outside world is down, remote access to those tools don't exist anymore, so the emergency procedure is to gain physical access to the peering routers and do all the configuration locally." Technicians on site don't know how to do that and senior network administrators aren't on site. It seems that it will all be down for a couple of more hours before the issue is resolved.

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well. Today we will be changing the Windows Lock Screen background. Changing the lock screen background is a very easy task and it can be done in a very short time. So let's jump right into it. The first thing you need to do is to press the Windows start button on the bottom left and then press settings. Once the settings screen appears, choose and click on Personalization. Inside personalization, click on the Lock Screen tab. On the right screen, under the picture, you will find Windows spotlight, click on it to bring a drop-down menu up. Your choice is presented as a single picture for background or slideshow, a series of pictures that are going to be looped in a given time interval. If you would like just a single picture for your background, choose that and click on it. Once you are in choose picture dialog, click on the browse button and navigate to the picture on your storage which you would like to have as a background. If however, you fancy slideshow as your lock screen background, click on the background drop-down menu and choose the slideshow. Next, click on add a folder and navigate to a folder where you have pictures that you would like to have as a slideshow for your Windows lock screen.

What is Error 1706?

Error 1706 is a Windows PC error. It occurs when you insert a Microsoft CD-ROM either to repair an Office or to install a feature set to Installed on First Use. The error message is displayed in the following format: Error 1706. Setup cannot find the required files. Check your connection to the network, or CD-ROM drive. For other potential solutions to this problem, see C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office101033\Setup.hlp.

Solution

Error Causes

Error 1706 may occur due to several reasons. These include:

• You originally installed MS Office from a network administrative installation
• You are trying to use Office CD-ROM when the error is prompted by the Windows Installer for an Office source location
• Viral Infection

Further Information and Manual Repair

The good news is that this error code is not fatal. However, to avoid inconvenience, it is recommended to resolve the error right away. To fix the problem you don’t have to be a computer programmer or hire one. In fact, this error code can be resolved quite easily. Here are some of the best and easiest do it yourself methods to resolve error 1706 on your PC:

Method 1

To resolve this issue find a different administrative installation for the Office source file location. To do this, go to the start menu and then click run. In the open box, simply type this command line new network pathSetup.exe /fvm package name.msi and press OK to continue and update changes. Once the update is complete and finished press OK to save and proceed. Please note after you follow these steps, the Windows Installer uses this new server location whenever it needs to reinstall, repair, or add a feature to your Office Installation.

Method 2

Another alternative method to resolve this method is to use CD-ROM for the Office Source Location. To do this you will have to remove Office and then re-install Office from the CD-ROM. Here are the steps to remove the Office program. First, quit all Office programs.

1. Go to the Control Panel then click on the Program and Features option.
2. Now double click the Add/Remove programs and remove the entry for the Microsoft Office 2003 or Microsoft Office XP product installed on your PC.
3. After that, click on the Maintenance Mode Options dialog box, select Uninstall Office, and then click Next to proceed.
4. Click Yes to confirm changes.
5. Now insert Office 2003 or Office XP CD-ROM and follow the setup dialog boxes to reinstall the program on your system from CD-ROM.

Download Restoro to Correct Registry Errors

However, to ensure the installation is successful this time around, it is advisable to clean the registry and ensure the uninstalled program is not located in the registry. To do this, download Restoro and run it on your computer. This is a powerful PC Fixer integrated with a registry cleaner. The registry cleaner wipes out all the unnecessary files and uninstalled program files saved in the registry. Once the registry is cleaned, try reinstalling MS Office again. This will resolve the error 1706. Click here to download Restoro and repair error 1706.

MSI.chm error is a common Windows Error code that occurs when the Windows OS becomes overloaded with invalid system references.

Solution

Error Causes

The MSI.chm error is normally triggered by the following causes:

• Poor PC maintenance

You may experience the MSI.chm error if you don’t pay attention to its maintenance. This usually happens when you don’t run antivirus software or update programs and drivers frequently.

• Registry files get corrupt and damaged

This error may also occur when the registry files of your PC get corrupt and damaged. This normally happens due to continuous writing, editing and deleting of information from your PCs registry over time as programs are installed, modified and deleted. Other causes include: malware and system conflicts.

Further Information and Manual Repair

When you come across the MSI.chm error on your PC, it is advisable to repair it immediately without any delays. If you procrastinate in repairing this error, your PC is likely to be exposed to risks like:

• Slow PC performance
• System failure and crashes

Nonetheless, to resolve this error you don’t have to get the assistance of an IT professional. The MSI.chm is easy to repair and you can resolve it in no time even if you aren’t technically adept. Here are some of the best ways to repair the MSI.chm error on your PC successfully in the shortest time:-

Cause: Corrupt and Damaged Registry Files

Quick Fix: If you think the MSI.chm Windows error on your system is related to Windows registry issues, then the best way to resolve this error is to download and install a Registry cleaner tool.  A word of advice here is to always download such tools from a reliable and a trusted website. Once you download the Restoro, run it on your PC to scan for errors. The scanning will usually take a couple of minutes. So, it is advisable to be patient. After the scanning is complete, you will see a detailed scanning report highlighting the registry errors on your PC. Now to resolve the MSI.chm error that has occurred on your PC due to registry issues, click on the ‘Repair’ button to fix the error. Once the repairing process is complete, restart your PC. Restoro helps you not only fix the MSI.chm error but it also helps improve the speed of your PC, and protects it from failure and crashes.

Cause: Poor PC Maintenance

Quick Fix: If the cause of the MSI.chm error is poor PC maintenance, then the best way to resolve the error is to update the drivers. You can do this by installing the latest drivers for the devices that you think are now old and need to be updated. Here’s what you need to do: First find which devices don’t have drivers installed. For this go to the start menu and then click on the Control Panel. Now open the Device Manager. The Device Manager will list down all the devices that don’t have drivers installed with yellow exclamation point icons next to the device name. As for the updates, the general rule of thumb if the driver does not support the program you are trying to run, then this means that you probably need to update the driver to ensure compatibility. For example your video card driver does not support a newly launched game, then you definitely need a driver update to play the game on your PC. To install or update drivers on your PC, you can either get CDs from the market or you can download updated versions of the drivers from the main manufacturer’s website for free. You can also use automated solution for all of your driver issues: So, next time when you or your friends encounter this problem, try these quick fixes to repair the error without any hassle.

STOP 0x00000000 Error Code - What is it?

Stop 0x00000000 error code is a type of a Stop error popularly known as a blue screen of death error code. This is a critical error. It can pop up while loading or using the Windows program on your PC. When this error occurs, the computer screen turns blue and you, the user, get locked out of the program. Furthermore, it can also result in sudden system shut down or system freeze. If not fixed timely, the error may start to pop up more and more frequently which then may lead to complete system corruption and system crash.

Solution

Error Causes

The two most common causes for the STOP 0x00000000 error code are:

• Malware infection
• Registry corruption

This is a fatal system error and must be resolved immediately. Delay may lead to system crashes and data loss. And recovering lost data is not easy.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Though this is a fatal error the good news is that it is easy to resolve. To repair the STOP 0x00000000 error on your system, here are some methods that you can try:

Method 1 - Use System Restore to Bring Your Computer Back to its Previous State

To resolve this error on your system, try using the System Restore tool. Use this tool to bring your computer back to its previous state. The Windows System Restore utility is one of the most valuable recovery tools. To use it, simply type System Restore in the search box. Once you find it, click on it and select a restore point to bring your PC back to its normal state. To activate changes, reboot the PC.

Method 2 - Scan for Viruses

If the underlying cause of the Stop 0x00000000 error code is related to malware infection, then you must download a powerful antivirus to resolve it. Run it to scan your entire PC. Make sure you remove all types of malware including adware, spyware, viruses, and Trojan. Once your PC is malware-free, the error will be fixed in no time.

Method 3 - Clean and Repair the Registry

The registry is an important part of the PC. It stores practically all the activities you perform on your system. It saves all the files including both important and unnecessary files such as junk files, cookies, internet history, bad and invalid entries. If these obsolete and unnecessary files are not deleted frequently and keep on accumulating it takes up all the registry space and corrupts it. This results in registry errors like runtime and BSoD errors and sometimes may also lead to disk fragmentation. To resolve it is advisable to repair the registry. This can be done manually but that will take too much time and also require technical expertise. However, another way to resolve it is to download Restoro. This is a user-friendly PC Fixer with a powerful registry cleaner. It removes all obsolete and unnecessary files, cleans the registry and repairs the damaged files, thereby removing the error right away. Click here to download Restoro and resolve Stop 0x00000000 today!

Blackouts are one of the most annoying things that can happen in the modern age. We have all learned to depend on electricity, maybe too much, so having a backup plan in these unpleasant situations is necessary. Here are some good gadgets for these kinds of situations.

Power Bank

The fully charged power bank is a great item that could fill up your phone or tablet. If it is a larger power bank it could fill them up all the way to the top several times and having charged phone or tablet can help greatly with some fun during dark times. The power bank can also be used to fill up other gadgets on this list so if the power outage is expected to last longer perhaps it would be wiser not to waste it on phone/tablet games.

Portable Generator

If the power bank is too short-lived for your needs, a portable generator is always a good option since it can provide power for longer time periods. The solar generator is what we recommend because it is much cheaper to produce electricity but it is limited if a power surge comes at night, one on gasoline is more stable and practical but it costs more to produce electricity.

Portable Solar Charger

One more electric-producing device on the list, this one however is aimed at charging your phone, tablet, or laptop by harvesting Sun's energy and turning it into valuable electricity for your devices. Fully silent and easy to operate this is a great tool for power outrage. It will not be able to produce electricity for smaller house appliances but for basic phone/tablet/laptop needs it will suffice.

Panic light

Self-sustained with its own battery, panic lights are great assets for lightning when power is not present. They can turn automatically when the circuit detects that power is missing but can be also manually switched on or off. There are many versions of panic lights ranging from the light they produce to how long can they work so picking the right one will depend entirely on your home size and needs.

USB Headlamp

If you lack panic lights USB headlamp is a great choice to light your way and it works even better than a flashlight, although a flashlight is also a great tool, a headlight will provide you with free arms to do various things that you would not be able to by holding a flashlight. Modern headlights come with LED lights so they provide a good amount of light with small power consumption and they can be recharged in a power bank, solar charger, or generator.

LED lantern

LED Lantern is a gadget sitting somewhere between a headlight and a panic light, it offers around the same light amount as a panic light but you can carry it around with you. Of course, it will drain its battery faster than a panic light and it will still need to carry around but it can offer some good options when you need it, like taking it with you to the toilet.

Electric Lighter

An electric lighter is also one of the things that you will need, it can ignite candles, paper, stoves, etc. Its battery is usually enough for extensive use and there are small chances that it will need to be recharged. Having matches is also smart, just in case.

Solar Oven

Great gadget when outbreaks last long or when you get hungry. Not all households have gas ovens so a Solar oven is a great tool to keep you full of food. Granted it will not be on par in speed and quality with a regular oven but when it is the only option it will suffice.

When we get ourselves a new USB stick, new hard drive, or any storage device not including optical drives they are usually preformatted and ready to be used out of the box. However, reformating them has several benefits and while we are reformatting we can choose in which file system format we want the memory to be formatted. In this article, we will compare and explore 3 typical and standard format options you can get while formating a new media in Windows 10.

FAT32

The oldest one on the list, coming all the way from DOS days. Great for devices that need to be plugged in different operating systems and for USB flash drives. Its advantages are compatibility with all major operating systems and little memory usage comparing to other ones. However, the file system is limited to file sizes of the maximum capacity of 4GB and partitions can not exceed more than 32GB.

NTFS

First introduced in Windows NT this file system offered slower performance than FAT32 and somewhat limited usability but the main advantages were more stability and fewer errors. Its main advantages are support for files larger than 4GB and partitions larger than 32GB along with the ability for on the file encryption, main disadvantage would be limited operating system usage, NTFS can not be used on systems that work on FAT32 like MS-DOS for example or older versions of Windows. The best usage for this file system is in internal hard disk drives and system drives.

exFAT

New kid on the block, well at least from the perspective of the previous 2. exFAT offers unlimited file sizes and unlimited partition sizes but at a price that is even more limiting than NTFS. Some Linux distributions will require a driver to be installed in order to see the exFAT partition. The best use is in storage, in external hard drives. That's it, 3 major file systems, we hope that you have managed to learn something new today, and remember to drop by tomorrow for more articles about advice, tips, tricks, and troubleshooting.