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As you know, the CHKDSK utility is proven to be one of the useful tools to fix any issues that concerns file system, storage, and disk. However, as useful as it may be, it is still not immune to issues as you could encounter errors when running it. One of these errors is the “One such error is the CHKDSK cannot continue in read-only mode” error. If you receive such an error message while running CHKDSK, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will help you sort the problem out. It is possible that the drive is read-only or that the Write Protection is enabled. It could also be that the drive is already being used and scanned by a different program or utility. To get rid of this error, there are a couple of suggestions you need to check out. You can try to run the CHKDSK utility from Recovery or run it on Boot. You could also try to disable Write Protection. For more detailed steps, follow the given instructions below.

Option 1 – Try to run the CHKDSK utility from Recovery

The first thing you can do to resolve the error in CHKDSK is to run the CHKDSK utility from Recovery. How? Follow these steps:

• First, boot into the installation environment for Windows 10 from a Windows installation media.
• Next, click on the “Repair your computer” option.
• After that, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
• After opening Command Prompt, type this command and tap Enter: chkdsk <Partition Letter>: /r /f
• Wait until the disk error checking process is completed.
• Once it’s done, exit the Command Prompt window and restart your computer and then see if the error is fixed.

Option 2 – Try running the CHKDSK utility on Boot

On the other hand, you can also try to run the CHKDSK utility on Boot so you can fix the error and recover any damaged segments of the drive.

• Open an elevated Command Prompt and enter this command: chkdsk /r
• After that, you will a message that says, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”
• Type Y and tap Enter to schedule a CHKDSK scan once your computer reboots next time.

Option 3 – Try to remove the Write Protection from the drive

As mentioned, removing the Write-Protection on the concerned drive could also help you fix the problem and there are two ways to get rid of the write protection – you can either use the Diskpart utility or the Registry Editor. How? Refer to the following steps.

Via Diskpart utility:

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges and then type the “diskpart” command and tap Enter to execute it.
• Next, type “list disk” and tap Enter to get the list of all the Disk connects or all the partitions that are formed on those disks.
• After that, you need to choose one command depending on the list of commands you entered. Type “select disk #” and tap Enter to select the disk or partition you want to select.
• Then type “attribute disk clear readonly” and tap Enter to Disable the Write Protection on the selected disk or partition.

Via Registry Editor:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and type “Regedit” in the field and then tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to the following registry key:

ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlStorageDevicePolicies

• After that, look for the DWORD named “WriteProtect” and double click on it, and then set its Value Data to “0”.
• Now restart your computer and see if the problem is now fixed or not.

As you know, all computer mouse devices are designed ergonomically for users who are right-handed. Although that’s mostly the case, there are also other mouse devices that are designed specifically for left-handed users or the ones that can be used by either the right or left hand. But before you look for these kinds of mouse devices, there is actually an option you can try so that your mouse device can work with either the left or right hand. All you have to do is configure your mouse device. Aside from setting the device to work on either hand, you can also switch mouse buttons, from left to right, using only a couple of simple steps. As mentioned earlier, most mouse devices are created for right-handed users. Meaning to say, these mouse devices are configured to be right-handed with their primary button on the left and the second one on the right. The primary button is used for certain functions such as selecting and dragging. Now you can configure your mouse to be left-handed by swapping its predefined functionality. How? Refer to each one of the given instructions below.

Option 1 – via Control Panel

• First, go to the Start Menu and search for “control panel” in the Start search.
• Once you see it from the search results, click on it to open it and then go to the Hardware and Sound section.
• From there, click on Mouse under the Device and Printers section. This will open the window for Mouse Properties.
• Now you have to check the Switch primary and secondary buttons box.
• Then click on OK to save the changes made. After that, your primary select button on your mouse device is your right button while the secondary button, also known as right-click, is now the left button.

Option 2 – via Windows 10 Settings

This is the second option you can check out to change the configuration of your mouse from being right-handed to being left-handed.

• First, right-click on the Windows icon and select Search.
• Next, type “mouse” and from the search results that appear, click on Mouse Settings.
• After that, select “Right” from the “Select your primary button” drop-down menu. This should set the mouse device from being right-handed to being left-handed.

nslookup is a command-line tool that helps in finding the DNS records of a website. It sends a name server query to the DNS and obtains the corresponding IP address. Aside from that, it can also perform some complex functionality such as finding details about FTP server, Mail server and many more but most of them are used by administrators. The best thing about nslookup is that it queries the DNS server directly and it does not rely on the cache. On the other hand, there is another tool called PING that is used to verify connectivity. PING sends a packet of information to the IP address or Domain and gets back a response in the form of packets. So if everything goes well, all packets are received but if not, it will help you find out where the delay in the network exactly is. However, the ping command does not always attempt a DNS lookup which means that it might be using the DNS cache and use the IP address available in that table. Although both nslookup and PING help you in identifying the host or IP address, however, they don’t always work and sometimes fail. So if your nslookup works but ping fails on your Windows 10 PC when querying the IP address of a website then it could be caused by many reasons. It could be that the nslookup queries work for you but when you try to use PING, it fails. For instance, if you open the abc.com website, here’s how it will look like:

nslookup xyz.com Server: dns.company.com Address: 192.168.1.38 C:> ping xyz.com Ping request could not find host xyz.com. Please check the name and try again.

The domain is converted into an IP address and then data is sent to that IP address when you use PING. So when a reply comes back it means that the data is going back and forth to that domain without any problem. However, if the DNS fails to resolve the IP address of the website or if your PC does not attempt a DNS lookup, you will receive a similar error message that says, “Could not find host” and so on. To resolve this issue, here are some options that might help.

Option 1 – Reset Winsock, TCP/IP & Flush DNS

Resetting Winsock, TCP/IP, and flushing DNS might help you resolve the issue with nslookup and PING. To do so, follow these steps:

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

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

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

Option 2 – Force Windows to do a DNS lookup using FQDN

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Change adapter options.
• From there, right-click on the network and select Properties.
• Next, in case you’re using IPv6, from the list of connections available in the list, select Internet Protocol Version 4.
• Then click on Properties and click Advanced.
• After that, switch to the DNS tab and select “Append these DNS suffixes (in order)” and click on the Add button and then add “.” as a suffix so that each time you query using PING and another tool, it will add a “.” at the end and will force the lookup.

Option 3 – Make sure that there is only one default gateway

If your computer has more than one NIC connected and there are multiple default gateways, then it will most likely create confusion which is why you need to remove the default gateway from the configuration of all NICs and make sure that there is only one default gateway.

Option 4 – Use the Google Public DNS

You might want to change your DNS to Google Public DNS as it could also help you in fixing the nslookup and PING issues. To do so, follow the steps below.

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

Option 5 – Check the Windows Host file

You can also try to cross-check the Windows Hosts file to find out if the website you are trying to open has been blocked, because if it is, then it’s no wonder why PING fails even when nslookup works. There are instances when some third-party application modifies the file and adds some websites to the blocklists. So if the website is indeed blocked, you need to remove it from the list.

Option 6 – Delete the WLAN Profiles

Deleting the WLAN Profiles might be a good idea if you are not able to connect to the internet on your computer and if you’re using Wi-Fi. It could be that the networks that were connected previously have gone rogue which is why it is not connecting properly. And so deleting the WLAN profiles might help you in fixing the issue with nslookup and PING.

Option 7 – Reinstall the Network Adapter Drivers

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
• Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and select “Uninstall device”.
• Restart your PC.

The Intel Driver and Support Assistant automatically identifies, finds, and installs drivers in a computer and is pre-installed in newer Intel-supported systems. If you are using one of those newer Intel supported systems but encountered an error that says, “Communication with service process failed, Tray cannot start” when you launch a program, read on as this post will guide you in fixing this problem. This kind of issue in Intel supported system could be due to some third party application that’s meant to update drivers could be interfering. It is also possible that the Intel Driver and Support Assistant application is corrupted. Whatever the cause may be, here are some suggestions you have to check out to resolve the problem.

Option 1 – Try to uninstall all the third party driver update applications

One of the reasons why some users install third-party driver update software is that it is kind of tiresome to update each one of the drivers manually. However, as tiresome as it might be, it is still better than using a third-party driver update application as these kinds of applications could mess up the drivers, and the Intel Driver and Support Assistant is still much better. To fix the error, you have to uninstall the previously installed third-party driver update application on your computer.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box
• Then type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
• From there, look for the third-party driver update application you are using, select it and then click on Uninstall to remove it.
• After that, restart your computer and try to install the latest version of the program again. It should work now. If not, proceed to the next available option below.

Option 2 – Try to disable the DSATray in Startup

Another thing about the “Communication with service process failed, Tray cannot start” error is that it keeps on popping up each time you boot your computer. And so to resolve this bug, you can just disable the DSATray from Startup. How? Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Ctrl + Alt + Del to pull up the Security options window.
• From there, select the option to open the Task Manager.
• Once you’re in the Task Manager, go to the Startup tab and look for “DSATray” and right-click on it and then select the Disable option.
• Now restart your computer and you should be good to go.

Option 3 – Try to reinstall the Intel Driver and Support Assistant

If the Intel Driver and Support Assistant is corrupted, you need to uninstall it from your computer. All you have to do is go to Programs and Features like what you did in the first option to uninstall the program. Once you’ve uninstalled it, download the newer or latest version of the Intel Driver and Support Assistant from the official site of Intel and then install it.

Loving Windows 11 so far? We sure are. Microsoft has clearly decided to take its OS to the next level and keeps showing it through every update. It makes you wonder what’s next - and today, you’ll find out!

Tons of new features have been leaked, and we can probably expect them with the 23H2 update. Here’s everything you need to know so far.

What’s Windows 11 23H2 bringing?

There are plenty of new features already confirmed for Windows 11. The only issue is we don’t know for sure if they’re coming with the 23H2 update or separately, at a different time. Whatever the case, a lot of them are pretty exciting.

Here’s an overview of what we might be getting this fall.

• Windows Copilot. Microsoft wants to add this AI-powered feature based on chatbots like Bing Chat and ChatGPT to assist users with all kinds of actions and tasks on the platform. As part of this development, the integration of first- and third-party plugins and the Bing Chat AI will be enhanced. This is a pretty amazing addition to look forward to, if you ask us.

• Dynamic Lighting. RGB lovers will rejoice upon this one! Dynamic Lighting will allow you to control your RGB-powered components directly through the Windows Settings, allowing smooth integration of your favorite peripherals with your OS. No need for third-party software anymore!

• Taskbar enhancements. Microsoft has announced some neat improvements to the Windows 11 taskbar. For one, we’ll be able to hide the Time and Date now, which is extremely useful for focus, but also for clean screenshots. Another change is the ability to shut down programs directly from the Taskbar, without having to run the Task Manager.

• Expanding native support for archive formats 7-zip, rar, gz and others on the libarchive open-source projects.

• Microsoft Store AI features. The theme of AI power is clearly being taken up a notch, because the Microsoft Store seems to be getting several awesome features in this regard. One of them is AI hub, which “curate the best AI experiences built by the developer community and Microsoft” (Windows Developer Blog). We’re not sure what that means exactly, but we sure can’t wait to see.

Another is AI-generated keywords, designed to improve the discoverability of apps you’re searching for. Moreover, the AI-generated review summary is designed to give us a simpler experience looking at reviews. Huge numbers of reviews will be compiled into a summary that’s easy to scan and lets us discover new content faster.

• Other Microsoft Store improvements. Business owners will be happy to hear that Microsoft Store ads will now reach 150+ regions worldwide, significantly increasing the audiences they can target. Furthermore, there will be enhancements to the Backup and Restore functionality to give users a more seamless experience in case they switch devices. 

• File Explorer changes. Rumor has it that Microsoft is working on a Gallery to be embedded within the File Explorer. The addition of a Recommended section might be on the horizon as well. 

• Widget Panel update. The introduction of the Widget Panel in itself was exciting for many. As a next step in the development of this feature, Microsoft is planning to make it possible to pin widgets to the desktop. 

• Presence sensor. You might actually already have this one, as it was rolled out as part of Moment 3 for compatible devices. With the Presence sensing app, found in the Privacy settings, you can decide which (if any) apps use APIs to detect the state of your activity on Windows. This can significantly enhance privacy and security, as you can have apps containing sensitive data lock automatically when unattended. If you’re a laptop user, it can also be beneficial to your battery life.

• Bluetooth LE. Microsoft is adding support for Bluetooth Low Energy, a functionality that allows reduced battery consumption when devices are connected.
  
• Adding more languages to the Live Captions feature. This specification is only as powerful as the languages it supports. Microsoft is reportedly working on expanding the list with 10 more languages.

Summary

We’ve got some interesting stuff to look forward to with the next major Windows 11 update. And these are just the things the Internet’s actually heard of, so who knows what else Microsoft might be planning? It remains to be seen, hopefully just a few months from now. 23H2 has been released on October 31st.

Creating a new Windows 10 account comes with options related to privacy. For instance, you will see the options to disable or enable Speech recognition, Find my device, Location service, Inking & typing, and many more. And if you often have to create a test account in Windows 10 v1809 and you don’t want to give this option, you can just disable the Privacy Settings Experience at sign-in on your Windows 10 PC using a couple of instructions given in this guide. To disable the Privacy Settings Experience, you can use the Registry Editor and the Group Policy Editor. But before you get started, you need to log in as an administrator. Moreover, it would also be better if you create a backup copy of the Registry files as well as create a System Restore Point before you make any changes. After you have those things covered, refer to the steps given below to disable the Privacy Settings Experience at sign-in on your Windows 10 PC. Since there are two ways to get things done, choose one option that you prefer.

Option 1 – via Registry Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsOOBE
• From there, look for the OOBE value and if you can’t find it there, you can just create it. To do so, right-click on the Windows key and select New > Key, and then name it “OOBE”.
• After that, right-click on the OOBE value and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value, and name it “DisablePrivacyExperience”.
• Then double click on DisablePrivacyExperience and set its value to “1”.
• Now exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Option 2 – via the Group Policy Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “gpedit.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
• After that, navigate to this path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OOBE
• Next, look for a setting named “Don’t launch privacy settings experience on user login” located on your right-hand side and then double click on it and select Enabled.
• Now click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
• Restart your PC.

The printer can stop working for many various reasons, some of them are however tied to the printer driver itself. In this guide, we will address issues and provide you with advice on how to get your printer back in working order in no time. All of that being said let us fix your Printer driver issue.

1. Check to see if the printer is plugged and that it has toner or colors and paper in the tray

   The simplest solutions are the best ones, and most of the time simplest issues are overlooked. To eliminate any basic issues check the printer cable does it has paper in the tray and check the status of toner or colors in it.

2. Check if Windows troubleshooter will resolve the issue

   Bring up settings and choose devices, under devices click on printers and scanners. On the far right top, you have a link to start the troubleshooter, click on it. Windows built-in tools could resolve issues and fix them for you. If by any chance Windows is not able to find or resolve issues move to the next step.

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

   If the hardware is functioning properly 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 automatically. If you do not want to update drivers automatically install the latest driver for your device, then reboot.

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.

Rapid Media Converter is a Potentially Unwanted Program that usually comes bundled with other unwanted software. Many users reported being unaware they had installed the application. It also generates additional advertising, and for this reason, it is classified as Adware and flagged for optional removal by several AVs.

From the Author: Howard Software / Applon runs off an ad-supported platform. During general internet usage on sites where Applon Support operates, users may see advertisements in form of shopping results and new tabs. The type of ad is dependent on the content of the page as you generally browse the internet. Applon is not related to or endorsed by the underlying website. These advertisements will be identified with the Applon Name or Logo.

About Browser Hijackers

Adware is programs created to show advertisements on users’ PCs with or without their consent. A kind of malware, it comes bundled up with the software application that a person either installs or accesses. Shareware or free software programs are generally packaged with adware. When adware penetrates your computer without you knowing and transfers information about you or your PC to 3rd parties, then it happens to be spyware. Other sorts of adware might take control of your internet browser and redirects you to websites that you don’t really want to check out. Adware is a common problem in most computer systems and these are really detrimental to your device. Adware/Spyware is usually downloaded and/or installed accidentally by users while exploring the net and people face lots of difficulties at the same time when it comes to removing adware from their computers. Adware could be dangerous for computer users in numerous ways. It could cause advertisements (popups, ad banners, and in-text) to show up constantly when you’re online or perhaps disrupt your computer experience when not connected to the net. When infected with adware for a long time, your computer will perform at slow processing speed, take a longer time to start up and shut down, easily get frozen up while loading websites, and even get the blue screen of death (BSOD). More often than not, adware is a legitimate revenue source for many companies that offer software to customers at zero cost. But adware generated advertisements tends to be more aggressive than normal ads which can greatly impair system performance or possibly result in a total crash. The adware will damage your PC should you allow it on your personal computer for a long period. A sensible way to block adware from corrupting your PC is to employ a reliable antimalware program such as Safebytes Anti-Malware on your computer. This software will give complete all-around protection to make sure that your laptop or computer doesn’t get infected again with spyware and adware. Take the following measures to prevent adware from overtaking your system: Downloading software online should come from trustworthy websites and also be selective about what you install on your computer; Always read the end-user license agreement (EULA) of any application you plan to install; Beware of clickable ads particularly those that advertise special deals, coupons, or any other suspicious deals.; Avoid installing toolbars, because toolbars from less reputable websites always contain adware, which might slow your PC and in some cases infect your computer outright.

What to Do if Malware Stops You From Downloading Antivirus?

Every malware is bad and the extent of the damage will vary greatly with regards to the type of infection. Certain malware goes to great lengths to prevent you from installing anything on your computer system, especially antivirus software. So what you should do when malware prevents you from downloading or installing Anti-Malware? There are a few fixes you could try to get around with this particular obstacle. Start Windows in Safe ModeIf any virus is set to load immediately when Windows starts, getting into Safe Mode may block the attempt. Since just the minimum programs and services launch in Safe Mode, there are hardly any reasons for conflicts to happen. Listed here are the steps you have to follow to start into the Safe Mode of your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers (visit Microsoft website for instructions on Windows 8 and 10 PCs). 1) At power-on/startup, tap the F8 key in one-second intervals. This should bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Networking and hit ENTER. 3) As soon as this mode loads, you should have the internet. Now, make use of your web browser normally and go to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 4) Following installation, do a complete scan and allow the software program to delete the threats it detects.

Obtain the anti-malware software using an alternate browser

Some malware only targets specific web browsers. If this is your situation, utilize another browser as it could circumvent the computer virus. If you appear to have a trojan attached to Internet Explorer, then switch to an alternate web browser with built-in security features, such as Firefox or Chrome, to download your preferred anti-malware program – Safebytes.

Create a bootable USB anti-virus drive

Here’s another solution which is using a portable USB antivirus software that can scan your computer for malware without the need for installation. Adopt these measures to run the anti-virus on the affected computer system. 1) On a clean computer, download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Connect the USB flash drive to a USB slot on the clean computer. 3) Double-click on the downloaded file to run the installation wizard. 4) Choose the USB flash drive as the destination for saving the software file. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the installation. 5) Transfer the USB drive from the uninfected computer to the infected computer. 6) Double-click the EXE file to open the Safebytes program from the thumb drive. 7) Click on the “Scan Now” button to begin the malware scan.

SafeBytes AntiMalware Overview

Are you looking to download the best anti-malware software program for your laptop or computer? You can find many applications in the market which come in paid and free versions for Microsoft Windows systems. A few of them do a great job in eliminating malware threats while some will harm your PC by themselves. You must be careful not to choose the wrong application, especially if you buy premium software. While considering the trustworthy programs, Safebytes Anti-Malware is certainly the highly recommended one. Safebytes is among the well-established computer solutions firms, which provide this all-inclusive anti-malware application. With its most advanced virus detection and repair technology, this software will help you protect your PC against infections brought on by different kinds of malware and similar internet threats, including adware, spyware, computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, keyloggers, ransomware, and potentially unwanted program (PUPs).

SafeBytes has fantastic features when compared with various other anti-malware programs. The following are some of the good ones:

Robust, Anti-malware Protection: Built on a highly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal application has the capacity to find and remove several stubborn malware threats like browser hijackers, PUPs, and ransomware that other common antivirus software will miss. Live Protection: SafeBytes provides totally hands-free live protection and is set to observe, prevent and eliminate all threats at its first encounter. It’ll regularly monitor your pc for hacker activity and also provides end-users with sophisticated firewall protection. High-Speed Malware Scanning Engine: SafeBytes Anti-Malware has a multi-thread scan algorithm that works up to 5x faster than any other anti-malware software. Safe Web Browsing: SafeBytes checks the links present on a webpage for possible threats and informs you whether the website is safe to check out or not, through its unique safety ranking system. Light-weight: This program is light-weight and can work quietly in the background, and that does not have an effect on your PC efficiency. 24/7 Customer Support: For any technical queries or product support, you can obtain 24/7 expert assistance through chat and email. To sum it up, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is really great for securing your computer against all sorts of malware threats. There is no doubt that your computer will be protected in real-time as soon as you put this software program to use. For top protection and the best value for your money, you can’t get better than SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you don’t want to use malware removal software and prefer to get rid of Rapid Media Converter manually, you might do so by going to the Add/Remove Programs menu in the control panel and removing the offending software; in cases of web browser extensions, you can remove it by going to the browser’s Add-on/Extension manager. You will definitely also want to reset your web browser. To be certain of complete removal, find the following Windows registry entries on your system and delete it or reset the values appropriately. Please keep in mind that this is for advanced users only and could be difficult, with incorrect file removal causing additional system errors. Additionally, certain malicious programs have the capability to defend against its removal. Doing this in Safe Mode is advised.

FLoC is Google’s alternative to third-party cookies and is based on machine learning. This will allow the browser, any browser, to anonymously study how users are browsing and then group them into ‘cohorts’. Following this, you will be served ads based on your cohort and not on your individual data. So, you are still going to be targeted with ads but in a more anonymous manner. Google claims that this will improve user privacy since this “federated learning” happens on the user’s device and artificial intelligence-based learning involves sharing lesser users than what happens with third-party cookies. If something like this gets widely adopted by ad companies and services, it should “protect users” from tracking methods that are more intrusive than third-party cookies, like browser fingerprinting.

Who is against it?

Privacy-focused browsers DuckDuckGo, Brave, and Vivaldi have all warned users against FLoC and have said that they are going to block it on their end. Brave says that Google FLoC has a design that does not respect the customer’s privacy and consent. It has been designed to provide browsing behavior and interest data with any website that users may interact with, and this process does not involve fully informed consent. Vivaldi, another popular Chromium-based web browser, has also made its stance clear regarding the status of FLoC. The company said in a Reddit thread that the FLoC experiment does not work in Vivaldi. It happens because for FLoC to work, some features need to be enabled under the hood, but Vivaldi does not provide those options. The company also added that it plans to stop the entire FLoC component from being a part of the browser, regardless of how Google may implement it. Considering that Brave and Vivaldi have been privacy-focused browsers since their beginnings, the decision to stay away from FLoC is not surprising.

Having a youtube channel nowadays is quite an easy task, you just need to create a free google account and there you go, you can start uploading videos to your YouTube channel. All you need in today's world is some applications for manipulating video material, creation of titles and graphics, some charisma and ideas for content and you could be a well-known YouTuber. For some guidance on software needed for this kind of creativity, we urge you to check our article about open source free software alternatives to paying ones here. So now that we have technicality out of way there is one more prerequisite that is needed in order for you to have your unique custom URL for your channel.

• The channel must be at least 30 days old.
• The channel must have a profile picture and a banner image.
• The channel must have at least 100 subscribers.

You need to fulfill all three prerequisites in order to change your typical URL to something nicer and personal like youtube.com/myGREATchannel So if you have everything needed let's get that custom URL for your channel.

1. Sign in to your YouTube channel
2. On the top-right corner of the YouTube window, click on your profile picture.
3. From the drop-down menu, select YouTube Studio.
4. From the list on the right side of the YouTube Studio page, select Customization.
5. Under Channel customization, select Basic info.
6. Under Channel URL, click on Set a custom URL for your channel.
7. Your custom URL will appear in the box below. You can change it as you desire.
8. Click on the Publish button on the top-right corner of the window to set your custom URL.

WORD OF WARNING:

Once the custom URL is set, it can neither be changed nor transferred to someone else so make sure that channel name is really something that you want for the long run.