Nostalgia hit: Commodore 64 emulator and games

We have all experienced Windows errors over time and that can range from simple ones that will do very little to no harm and can be even system breaking making us lose our work or completely making the PC unusable. No one likes them but they happen, and usually, they happen once we least expect them.

No matter how frequent and unpleasant they might be there are ways to keep them at the minimum and even avoid them.

We will discuss steps that you can take in order to do this, simple tips and guides on how to keep your computer in top form and eliminate not just Windows, but any kind of errors altogether.

Keep your hardware clean

Believe it or not, some serious Windows errors like the dreaded blue screen of death can come from hardware issues not from the software at all. It is very important to keep your computer clean and with enough air flow so it can function properly.

Not so far ago we had an article about cleaning your hardware detailing what and how to do it. Here is a link to the article: https://errortools.com/windows/cleaning-your-pc/

Do not keep applications you are not using

Keeping applications on the drive might seem harmless but sadly that is not the case. Some applications have a certain impact on the system itself after all most of them are tweaking registry entries in Windows and sometimes having too many applications means an increased possibility of conflict over certain resources even when they are not running.

Some applications like adobe creative suite, for example, will have certain services always running in the background, and more of these kinds of applications you have, more services, more places for unexpected errors when they collide. Some of them will also install certain dependencies that could be problematic.

The general idea is: if you are not using it, uninstall it and you will be safer and more resilient to errors inside OS.

Do not use pirated or cracked software

Besides moral and law implications that using pirated or cracked software might bring you there are also certain other things that might be problematic. Certain "free" software might come packet with some problematic malware, for example, it is not uncommon for attackers to use some popular software to pack their malicious application with it.

Other things might be wrong and incomplete tweaking with application in order to bypass security and thus bringing some instability due to scripts needed to run in order to achieve this goal.

Keep your drivers updated

Errors can also come from old drivers or bad drivers, device manufacturers are not all-knowing and perfect, and sometimes drivers can wreak havoc on the system. Having updated drivers can minimize any kind of unexpected behaviors inside the operating system making it more stable and reliable.

You can check your driver version in the control panel inside the Windows OS and then compare it to the ones found on the manufacturer's site, if there are newer available it is recommended to download and install them,

Keep software updated

Applications can have bugs, and bugs can lead to certain errors both in the system and when using the app as well. It is in your best interest to get the latest patch or newer version of the software in order to avoid these unpleasant experiences.

Also, certain codecs and extensions that are installed directly in Windows can also have some unpredictable behavior, updating is the best solution to keep them in line.

Keep Windows updated

Same as with drivers and applications, Windows itself is not immune from bugs and some unpredictable issues. Luckily Microsoft is always working on fixes and features of Windows but in order to actually have benefited from that work, you will need to keep Windows updated. Sometimes a bad update can introduce some errors but you can always roll back to the previous and wait for them to fix everything and then download them all.

Check the health of your hardware regularly

Hardware components have their life cycle, more quality ones tend to last longer but eventually, they will reach the end of their lifecycle. There are a lot of testers for various components in your computer that can check different things and provide you with information about the state of your components.

If you are on Windows 11, Microsoft has included a basic health app inside OS, just type PC health check in search and start the app. For some more detailed information and advanced checks, you will have to use a custom application. There are plenty of them specialized for single components like RAM, SSD, etc. A simple google search with providing you with top results and most of them are free for personal use.

Remember, a faulty component or component that is reaching its life cycle can produce many errors inside the operating system.

Error 504 - What is it?

Error 504 is a type of runtime error that occurs on Windows PC. A runtime error is a bug that causes software or hardware problems thereby preventing programs from working on your PC correctly. This error may occur during the execution of the program.  It also slows down your PC performance.

Solution

Error Causes

Error 504 can be triggered by many causes such as:

• Incompatibility between 2 software programs
• Malicious software
• Missing DLL files
• Registry issues

Further Information and Manual Repair

Whenever you experience the error 504 on your system, it is advisable to resolve it immediately, typically because runtime errors like error 504 can lead to system failure and valuable data loss which is more than often hard to recover. To resolve this error code, you don’t necessarily have to hire a professional for the job. In fact, here are some solutions that you can try to fix by yourself, even if you are not a computer programmer.

1. Get the latest updates for Windows and for the program showing the error

This is a quick way to resolve runtime error 504 on Windows PC. To update the latest updates for Windows and for the program causing the error, open Windows Update by going to the start menu. In the search box type ‘update’ and then in the list of results click Windows Update.  In the left pane click on check for updates, wait while Windows looks for the latest updates. It will show you a list of updates available select the important updates that you want to install. Then click ok and then click install updates. After the updates are successfully complete, restart your PC and try running the application. If the error still persists, then try the solution given below.

2. Scan For Malicious Software

Sometimes the runtime error 504 may occur due to viral infection and malware. So, to resolve it download an antivirus. However, the antivirus can also slow down your PC performance.

3. Scan for Registry Issues

Another way to resolve it is to scan for registry issues. The registry and DLL files get damaged when it overloads with too much data. This particularly includes irrelevant and obsolete files. Registry issues trigger runtime errors like 504. The best way to resolve it is to download Restoro. This is an advanced and multi-functional PC Fixer embedded with multiple utilities like a registry cleaner, an antivirus, and a system optimizer. The registry cleaning utility resolves registry issues by removing the unnecessary files completely and repairing the damaged dll files. The antivirus module scans and removes all kinds of malicious software on your PC like viruses and Trojans, thereby resolving the runtime error 504 in seconds. As for speed, Restoro also functions as a system optimizer which boosts the performance of your system significantly. Restoro is safe and bug-free software. It has simple navigation and a user-friendly interface which makes it very easy to operate and workaround. It is compatible with all Windows versions. Click here to download Restoro and resolve error 504 today!

Trojan. Kryptik is a malicious computer infection known as a Trojan horse. Trojan. Kryptik can load at startup and recreate itself which makes it difficult to manually remove from the infected computer. Trojan. Kryptik can compromise the infected system by allowing a remote hacker to gain access without the user's permission or knowledge. Trojan. Kryptik can also lead to the infection of other unknown malware parasites.

Trojan.Kryptik creates the following registry entry or registry entries:

Directory %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\windrivgr 19.7 %LOCALAPPDATA%\DsHcaJnIIz File name without path scaalqtw.exe Regexp file mask %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\sqldump.exe %APPDATA%\b[NUMBERS].exe %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].com.url %APPDATA%\Origin\update.vbe %APPDATA%\Stanfind.exe %APPDATA%\vpn gui.exe %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Symbols\wvfilters.sys %TEMP%\nvc.exe %TEMP%\system.exe %TEMP%\winsrvcs32.exe

What Is STOP 0x00000014 Error?

0x00000014 error is actually an error that is always displayed on a STOP message.

It is also known as Blue Screen of Death, abbreviated as BSOD. When this error occurs, the message that is displayed to the user either says ‘STOP: 0x00000014’ or states ‘CREATE_DELETE_LOCK_NOT_LOCKED’. It is crucial to fix this error to ensure your program is functioning appropriately. If this error message is not rectified, you might be opened to other error messages, such as error code 0x000000d1. 

Solution

Error Causes

As far as the causes of STOP 0x00000014 error are concerned, this error usually occurs when a device driver or hardware problem occurs. This error may also occur if users attempt to run some specific application or update or modify an existing application. When a 0x00000014 error occurs, the operating system restarts to disable the PC from performing any further.

Without taking into consideration the causes of its occurrence, it is crucial to make sure that the 0x00000014 error is fixed as soon as possible to eliminate any undesired inconvenience in the future.

Further Information and Manual Repair

A lot of times when an operating system tries to recover from the STOP 0x00000014 error, the user is prompted that Windows has recovered from an unexpected shutdown.

However, if Windows fails to recover on its own, manual repair has to be performed.

While there are several ways this error can be fixed, some of the most effective and efficient ways of troubleshooting the 0x00000014 error are listed below as follows.

• Restart your computer. Often simply restarting the computer can help eliminate the problem.
• If restarting the system doesn’t help, find if you have recently modified or altered any hardware or driver. It is possible that the 0x00000014 error has been caused by the recent modification. Undo the changes and find out if the error occurs again. If it doesn’t, it is highly likely the issue has been resolved.

However, if the error persists, some solutions that may work are outlined below.

• Start your system using the Last Known Good Configuration. This will undo any changes in the driver and recent registry.
• Another solution is to manually perform System Restore. This will also return the system back to its former state.
• Another idea that my work is to use roll back the device driver. When the driver will return to its previous version, the problem will easily be resolved.

To keep the 0x00000014 error from occurring in the future, it is advised to unplug any newly installed hardware or reinstall any deleted software.

If you're not tech-savvy and wish to get this error code rectified in a jiffy, download a powerful automated tool and perform a computer scan.

Error Code 0xC1900101, 0x30018? - What is it?

Users, when upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1, or when upgrading to a new version, build, service pack, or major update of Windows 10, can encounter error code 0xC1900101, 0x30018. Windows 10 installation fails and stops or hangs. During the installation process, it will reach a certain maximum limit (normally at 6% or 32%) then reverts back to the previous version of the operating system and displays the following message:

We couldn’t install Windows 10. We’ve set your PC back to the way it was right before you started installing Windows 10.

0xC1900101 – 0x30018 The installation failed in the FIRST_BOOT phase with the error during the SYSPREP operation.

Solution

Error Causes

In attempting to fix Error Code 0xC1900101-0x30018, it is vital to know what causes this issue. The most probable causes of this error are:

• Incompatible hardware or driver
• Incompatible security programs or antivirus or incompatible utility software
• A device driver possibly stopped responding to setup.exe while on the installation process.

In some cases, you might be opened to other error messages when attempting to update to Windows 10, including error code 8007002c.

Further Information and Manual Repair

In fixing issues related to error codes, it is best to employ manual repair methods. Using these methods helps users pinpoint the root causes of the issue and apply solutions permanently to fix the issues. While most manual repair methods can be done by every Windows user, even those without technical abilities, there are certain cases where help from a Windows professional is needed. If you’re not up to facing risks in implementing manual methods yourself, consider getting help from a professional Windows technician or you can use a powerful automated tool. In fixing Error Code 0xC1900101-0x30018, you can repeat the same steps used for 0xc000021a (Method One) or you can try doing the following:

• Disable or uninstall your Antivirus program before proceeding to upgrade the system
• Ensure that the machine name is simple (having at least 8 characters) with no special characters like hyphens or dashes.
• Restart the device a few times then try again.
• Disable General USB Devices such as the Smart Card Reader.
• If you use an SCSI hard disk, ensure that you have available drivers you can use for your storage such as a thumb drive and make sure that it is connected. During the Windows 10 setup, select the Custom Advanced Option and use the Load Driver command to be able to load the suitable driver for the SCSI drive. If this fails, try switching to an IDE-based hard disk.
• You can now perform a clean boot. Restart your device then try again.
• If you are using the .ISO file for upgrading the system, you need to disconnect from the Internet first before proceeding to the setup. If you are connected to Wi-Fi or by Ethernet (LAN), make sure to disable both connections then you can proceed to set up again.
• If you’re performing the update through Windows Update, once the download reaches 100%, disconnect from the Internet, and then proceed with the installation.

NOTE: If this fails, if possible, you can try using the .ISO file in upgrading.

• Switch to a local account if the device is connected to a domain.
• Disconnect all external devices attached to the computer such as gaming controllers, printers, or USB keys.

If you’re using Windows Update in installing Windows 10, you can implement the following:

1. Open the Command Prompt window by pressing Windows Key + X. Select Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.
2. Stop the BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer, and the Windows Update Services. In order to do this, Type or Copy and Paste the following commands one at a time:

NOTE: Don’t forget to hit Enter after every command.

net stop wuauserv

net stop cryptSvc

net stop bits

net stop msiserver

3. Rename the Catroot2 and SoftwareDistribution In order to do this, Type or Copy and Paste the following commands one at a time:

NOTE: Don’t forget to hit Enter after every command.

                        ren

C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old

                          ren

C:WindowsSystem32catroot2 Catroot2.old

4. Restart the BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer, and the Windows Update Services. In order to do this, Type or Copy and Paste the following commands one at a time:

NOTE: Don’t forget to hit Enter after every command.

net start wuauserv

net start cryptSvc

net start bits

net start msiserver

5. Type Exit in the Command Prompt then close the Command Prompt window then restart the computer.

Can’t seem to put up with the long and technical manual repair process? You can still fix this error by downloading and installing a powerful automated tool that will surely get the job done in a jiffy!

Windows comes with a built-in backup solution. However, if it failed because of an internal error, you will encounter an error message saying, “The backup application could not start due to an internal error, Server execution failed (0x80080005)”. When you get this kind of error, it means that it did not start and the process failed with a Server execution error. If you got this kind of error worries not for this post will guide you in fixing the problem in your Windows 10 computer. The Windows Backup service is an excellent feature in Windows that only works on the NTFS file system and if you want to use this make sure that you have formatted your files system to NTFS. It is performed by the Volume Shadow Copy, all you have to do is right-click on any folder and if you see the “Previous versions” option, this means that a backup process runs from time to time and can bring back old files when needed. To resolve the “The backup application could not start due to an internal error”, here are two suggestions you can check out.

Option 1 – Check if the Volume Shadow Copy service is running and restart it

The first thing you need to do is check if the Volume Shadow Copy service. To do that, refer to the following steps:

• Click on Start and type “cmd” and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
• Then select the “Run as administrator” option to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, type “net stop sdrsvc” and hit Enter to execute the command in stopping the Volume Shadow Copy service.
• Next, type the “net start sdrsvc” command and hit Enter to start the service again.

Note: You can also restart the service using the Windows Services Manager.

• In the Cortana search box, type “services” and click on the Services icon to open the Services Manager. Alternatively, you can also tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run prompt and then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
• From there, look for the Volume Shadow Service (sdrsv) from the list of services. Its Startup type should be set to Manual by default.
• Restart the service and if you don’t encounter any error while you turn it on, re-run the backup service and see if the backup process runs successfully.

Option 2 – Try to run the Volume Shadow Copy Service in a Clean Boot State

If the first option 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 Windows Backup 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 the Volume Shadow Copy service again and see if the process goes smoothly.

Note: You might also want to delete all the files in the backup solution if you want to start fresh with the backup solution. Just go to C:/System/Volume/Information/Windows Backup and take ownership of the folder. After that, make sure to stop the Volume Shadow Copy service and then delete all the files inside it.

JavaScript Void 0 Error - What is it?

JavaScript is a computer programming language used to make a website work smoothly with the internet. It helps to display visual effects, animations, and other web page functions. You may come across the JavaScript Void (0) error message when there is a problem in loading JavaScript from a web page or the internet browser.

Error Causes

JavaScript Void (0) error is triggered by multiple reasons such as:

• It can be due to a simple random Windows application glitch.
• You are visiting an unsafe website that contains malware
• JavaScript’s web browser implementation  is broken due to poor program installation
• Active X controls, Java applets, and active scripting, the key components of JavaScript are disabled
• Registry issues like invalid or misconfigured registry keys

Further Information and Manual Repair

For JavaScript Void (0) error-free web surfing, it is advisable to repair the issue without any delays. Let’s take a look at different methods to resolve this error on your system.

Cause: Simple Random Glitch

Solution: If the cause for the JavaScript Void 0 error is a simple glitch, then it is advisable to restart your system and then run the program again.

Cause: JavaScript’s web browser implementation is broken

Solution: If you experience the JavaScript Void 0 error message after the installation of the new browser on your system, then poor installation of the program or program conflict is most likely to be the deep-rooted cause of this error code. To resolve it, uninstall the program and undo the recent changes.

Cause: Active X controls, Java applets, and active scripting, the key components of JavaScript are disabled

Solution: You should know that components including Active X controls, Java applets, and active scripting are all essential to JavaScript in order to make your browsers run properly. If these are disabled, you may come across the JavaScript Void (0). To fix it open your browser and select the Tools tab. Then click the options button and select content. Here check the ‘enable JavaScript’ check box and click Ok to enable these components.

Cause:  Registry Issues

Solution: If after performing all the solutions discussed above, you still come across JavaScript Void (0) error code, then you should know that the problem is bigger than what you expected. It triggers registry issues. Either the cause of the error is misconfigured or invalid registry keys. To reconfigure the registry keys setting may be a challenging task and complex if you are not a computer programmer.

One of the most useful and powerful built-in utility in Windows 10 is the DISM tool. This tool can be used with the Command Prompt command line as well as for other purposes. However, it is not without flaws and there are times when you may encounter some issues while using it. One of the problems you can get while using the DISM tool is the following error:

“The scratch directory size might be insufficient to perform this operation”

This kind of error in DISM occurs when the DISM command is executed from the Windows Recovery Environment due to the limited size permissions of a delivery where the operating is being performed. To fix this DISM error, you need to follow the instructions laid out below. Step 1: First, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and then type “cmd” in the field and tap Enter to open Command Prompt. Step 2: Next, you have to specify a scratch directory that contains the Windows folder and to do that, you can either use the DIR command or the BCEDIT command. So in the elevated command prompt type and enter “dir” or “bcedit”. Step 3: After that, you will see a list of folders inside the C: partition. Now you have to create a folder named “scratch” inside the partition. To do so, execute the following command:

mkdir C:Scratch

Note: The command you just entered will create a directory inside the root of the C: partition named Scratch. Step 4: Now that you’ve created the Scratch folder, note that each time you run any of the DISM commands, you have to enter the following code snippet in them:

/ScratchDir:C:Scratch

 Note: For instance, if you are using the DISM tool to repair the offline Windows image, instead of executing the “Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” command, you now have to execute the “DISM /Image:C: /ScratchDir:C: Scratch /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth” command. And if you want to remove a selected installed update package, you can use the “DISM /image:C: /ScratchDir:C:Scratch /Remove-Package /PackageName:Package_for_RollupFix~31bf3856ad364e75~amd64~~16299.196.4.9” command. Keep in mind that the mentioned package is only an example. And lastly, you also have to replace the drive letter in the new code snippet when you execute the commands given above.

Recently, a number of users reported an error while trying to update their computers. This particular Windows Update error has an error code of 0x80073701. If you are one of the users who encounter this error, then read on as this post will guide you on how exactly you can fix it. Here’s the exact context of the error:

“Updates failed. There were problems installing some updates, but we’ll try again later. 2019-07 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1903 for x86-based Systems (KB4507453) – Error 0x80073701”

The Windows Update Error 0x80073701 also comes with a code “ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING” which indicates that some system files are missing on your computer that caused the update installation failure error. Although this Windows Update error does not cause any severe issues, it is still being reported in the section of Windows Update where it is marked as “Update failed”. There are several potential solutions you can check out to resolve this error. You can try to run the DISM tool or the SFC or System File Checker scan. You could also try to run the Windows Update troubleshooter. For more information, make sure to follow the options given below.

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

Restarting your computer can also help in fixing the Windows Update failed to install error 0x80073701. There are cases where the issue resolves on its own as it could just be some simple network or PC error.

Option 2 – Try to run the DISM tool

Running the DISM Tool helps in repairing the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

• Open the Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in this command: exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

After you run this tool, a log file is created at C:WindowsLogsCBSCBS.log. On the other hand, if the Windows Update client is already broken, you will be prompted to use a running Windows installation as the repair source or use a Windows side-by-side folder from a network share, as the source of the files. Although the chances of this happening is less, if it turns out to be the case, you need to run an advanced command in the DISM tool to repair a broken Windows Update. Just repeat the process above but use the following command instead:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:RepairSourceWindows /LimitAccess

Option 3 – Try to 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 causing the error 0x80073701. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow
• The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

• Restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter could also help you resolve the Windows Update error 0x80073701. 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.

In their search for making Windows, a better operating system Microsoft has come up with an insider program that will collect telemetry and send it to Microsoft in order to provide enough information to make a better OS. Being in an insider program is per choice basis and it is not forced to anyone. This guide will cover how to turn off the insider program since its constant updates and telemetry can slow down the internet. So if you decided that you no longer want to be part of this program here is how to turn it off.

• Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog
• Type in dialog gpedit.msc and press ENTER
• You will find yourself in the Local Group Policy Editor Window. Inside windows find: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Component > Windows Update > Windows Update for Business
• Move to the right pane and double-click on the Manage Preview Builds option
• Inside the Manage Preview Builds window, check the Enabled radio button
• Go to the Options section, and using the drop-down menu, set the preferred release channel
• Select Apply and then OK