Parallels Desktop 17 brings Windows 11 to MAC

What is Mastodon? Mastodon is an open-source microblogging network very similar to Twitter. You can make 500 characters post messages called toot (tweet), share videos or images, and follow other people. But unlike Twitter, Mastodon is decentralized, meaning the entire Mastodon is not run by a single company pulling all strings.

Mastodon can be used directly in your web browser or through a mobile client on a smartphone or tablet. It includes features that seem copied from Twitter-like replies, boosts (retweets), favorites (loves), a timeline view, blocking, and voluntary content warnings that hide sensitive content.

Mastodon also has some great features that Twitter does not have like automated post deletion for the older post of a certain age, requiring approval for follows without restricting your account, and opting out of search engine indexing.

Currently, there are also no ads on Mastodon meaning no ad tracking or ad network surveillance.

How Does Mastodon Work?

Mastodon is a social media network made of nodes called servers or instances each running special software meaning anyone can run their own Mastodon instance (if they have a proper dedicated server). When you have your own instance it can be linked in the federation or remain private, so individuals or companies can have control over individual Mastodon servers.

The software itself is open source based on the social networking protocol ActivityPub which was developed by WWW Consortium.

While using Mastodon, people sign up for accounts with specific instances. Once logged in, you can view a local timeline (of posts from that instance only) or, if the instance is federated with others, see a federated timeline comprised of toots from people in other instances. Mastodon users can send messages to each other using their Mastodon account names that are similar to email addresses in that they feature the server address as well as the user name.

The dxgmms2.sys file is a system driver file in Windows that is associated with the Graphics Rendering capabilities of a computer. However, this file is known to cause various Blue Screen of Death errors. Some of the culprits for these errors include issues with RAM, hard disk issues, corrupted drivers, and incompatible firmware. Despite its many causes, fixing this issue is quite straightforward so it should be easier for you to fix it. Here are some of the Blue Screen errors related to the dxgmms2.sys file:

• SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
• SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
• KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
• PAGE FAULT IN A NONPAGED AREA
• IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL

If you have recently created a System Restore point prior to getting the dxgmms2.sys Blue Screen error, then you need to perform System Restore first before you further troubleshoot the problem as it might help in resolving the Blue Screen error. Refer to the steps below to perform System Restore.

• First, press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
• Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
• After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.

If System Restore didn’t help in fixing the Blue Screen error, now’s the time for you to resort to the troubleshooting tips provided below but before you get started, make sure that you create a System Restore point first.

Option 1 – Reinstall the Graphics Card drivers

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in devmgmt.msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. From there, look for the Graphics Card drivers listed under Display Adapters.
• Right-click on each one of the Graphics Card drivers and select Uninstall device and then follow the next on-screen instructions given to uninstall the driver.
• Now reboot your computer. During this time, your system will automatically reinstall the Graphics card drivers.

Note: You also have the option to go directly to the website of your graphics card manufacturer and check if there’s a new update – if there is, download it. After that, you could also check if there’s a new update of the game you’re getting the issue of the black bar.

Option 2 – Try running the DirectX Diagnostic Tool

Since the dxgmms2.sys Stop error has something to do with the DirectX Graphics APIs, you can run the DirectX Diagnostic tool to resolve the problem.

Option 3 – Try updating or re-installing DirectX

If the DirectX Diagnostic tool didn’t work, you can try to update or reinstall DirectX instead. This can help in fixing the problem because when you reinstall or update DirectX, it will replace the incompatible or corrupted components of DirectX from your computer.

Option 4 – Try to update the BIOS

Updating the BIOS can help you fix the Blue Screen error related to the dxgmms2.sys file but as you know, BIOS is a sensitive part of a computer. Even though it is a software component, the functioning of the hardware depends on it largely. Thus, you must be careful when modifying something in the BIOS. So if you don’t know much about it, it’s best if you skip on this option and try the other ones instead. However, if you are well-versed in navigating the BIOS, then follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “msinfo32” in the field and press Enter to open System Information.
• From there, you should find a search field on the bottom where you have to search for the BIOS version and then press Enter.
• After that, you should see the developer and version of the BIOS installed on your PC.
• Go to your manufacturer’s website and then download the latest version of BIOS on your computer.
• If you are using a laptop, make sure that you keep it plugged in until you have updated the BIOS.
• Now double click on the downloaded file and install the new BIOS version on your computer.
• Now restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Option 5 – Use some registry tweaks

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility.
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to this registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlGraphicsDrivers
• From there, right-click on the right-side panel and click on New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
• Then set the name of the new DWORD to “TdrDelay”.
• After that, use the next set of instructions and select the one for the Windows version you are using.

32-bit Windows:

• Choose the DWORD (32-bit) value.
• Then type in “TdrDelay” as the name and hit Enter.
• After that, double click on TdrDelay and add “10” as its value and click OK. This will set the response time for your GPU to be 10 seconds.

64-bit Windows:

• Select the QWORD (64-bit) value.
• Next, type in “TdrDelay” as the name and hit Enter.
• Double click on TdrDelay and type in “10” as its value data and click OK.
• Restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Option 6 – Disable the Sleep Functionality

You might also want to disable the Sleep Functionality as it could be the reason why you’re getting the Blue Screen error. There are times when the graphics card’s drivers are being used in the background and if the display goes to sleep and is awakened, it may cause a Blue Screen error. To fix it, you can prevent your computer from going into Sleep mode.

Option 7 – Try to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that might help you fix any Blue Screen errors related to the dxgmms2.sys file. It can be found on the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

CPU Not Compatible – What Is It

Some users wanting to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 experienced errors with installation. One of these errors is CPU Not Compatible. When you click and run the “Get Windows 10” from your system tray bar, you’ll receive the “CPU is not compatible with Windows 10” error. When this happens, it might be good to check if there’s a bug or if your NX feature (a requirement for the Windows 10 installation) is enabled.

Solution

Error Causes

The “CPU is not compatible with Windows 10” error normally occurs when:

• NX feature is not enabled
• You experienced the Windows 10 bug

Further Information and Manual Repair

To successfully upgrade to Windows 10, your CPU must support Physical Address Extension (PAE), SSE2, and NX features. If any of these features are not activated on your system, it’ll cause the CPU not compatible error. However, some users still reported experiencing this error even though their CPU has these features activated. Normally, this is due to the bug that Windows acknowledged.

If any of these two scenarios apply to your computer, the following methods will help you fix the problem:

Method 1 – Check for bugs

The bug applies to some Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 systems. The bug occurs when the “Get Windows 10” app fails to recognize CPUs as being compatible. This produces a false negative result with a message, “Here’s why Windows 10 cannot be installed on this PC: The CPU isn’t supported”. To fix this bug, Microsoft released an update.

Unfortunately, the patch update (KB2976978 for Windows 8/8.1 and KB2952664 for Windows 7 SP1) to fix the bug may not be automatically downloaded to your computer. If this is the case, you need to verify first if the patch was installed correctly. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Click ‘Start’ and type in View Installed Updates. The “View installed updates” icon should appear. Click the icon.

2. Go to the Search bar (Top right portion) then type the patch name for your system. Make sure that you type the correct patch name for your system since Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 have different names. If you find the patch, it means it’s already installed. You can now upgrade to Windows 10 without the CPU not-compatible error.

3. But, if you can’t find it you need to install the patch manually.

4. Go to Windows Update then click the “Check for Updates” button.

5. Browse through the available updates and look for KB2976978 for Windows 8/8.1 or KB2952664 for Windows 7 SP1

6. Download the right patch. You may need to reboot your system once it’s done.

7. The downloaded patch should be applied after a day or two with the Windows Task Scheduler. Once the patch is applied, you can now upgrade to Windows 10.

Method 2 – Check CPU features and activate them if needed

A major requirement for Windows 10 upgrade is for the CPU to have Physical Address Extension (PAE), SSE2, and NX features enabled on your system. If you receive the CPU not compatible error, one possible cause is that any of the mentioned features are not available OR not enabled on your system. Here’s how you can fix this:

1. Verify if your CPU supports the three instruction sets. You can use software that provides information like this. If all three are available, proceed to the next step.

2. Go to your computer’s BIOS. To do this, reboot your computer. You will need to press a key specific to your computer’s manufacturer (usually it’s F12, F8, F2, or DEL).

3. Look for the NX (No Execute Bit) settings. This is normally found in the “Advanced Configuration” menu, or something similar to this. Just take note that the NX setting can be named differently in BIOS. Some other names include EDB (Execute Disabled Bit), EVP (Enhanced Virus Protection), Execute Disabled Memory Protection or No Excuse Memory Protect.

4. Once you’re in the NX settings, make sure that it’s enabled.

5. Exit the BIOS and SAVE your changes.

6. Boot your computer normally, then try upgrading to Windows 10 again through the “Get Windows 10” app found in the system tray.

Method 3 – Force enabling NX Bit

If changing the settings in your BIOS doesn’t do the trick, your final option is to force enable the NX bit in your Windows system. However, this is only applicable IF and ONLY IF your CPU does support it. To force enable NX bit, do the following:

1. Click Start and go to command prompt (Type “cmd” – no quotes) and press enter.

2. Copy and paste the text below to the command prompt.bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOn

3. Execute the command. You will need to reboot your computer once this is done.

4. Download and install Windows 10

Method 4 – Use a trusted automated tool

If you still experience the error after doing the methods above, you might want to try a powerful and trusted automated tool to fix the job.

This post will help you fix the ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY Blue Screen issue with an error code 0x000000BE. If you encounter this kind of BSOD error when you try to boot into your Windows 10 computer, note that there are various possible causes for this error. It could be caused by an error with a device driver, hardware issues, or some error in the BIOS of your computer. The ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY Blue Screen error with a bug check of 0x000000BE appears when a driver tries to write a read-only memory segment. You’ll be able to see the name of the driver in the Blue Screen error if the driver that’s causing the error can be identified. You can also see it in memory at the location (PUNICODE_STRING) KiBugCheckDriver. In most cases, this kind of error is usually caused by various files such as iusb3hub.sys, ntkrnlpa exe or vhdmp.sys, ntoskrnl.exe, ntfs.sys, dxgkrnl.sys, tcpip.sys, atikmdag.sys, and win32k.sys. There are several possible fixes you can try to fix this issue but the main issue lies within booting into Windows since the error occurs as soon as you boot into your Windows 10 computer. Refer to each one of the options provided below to resolve the ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY Blue Screen error.

Option 1 – Try to rollback, update or disable drivers

The first thing you can do to fix the ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY Stop error is to roll back, or update, or disable device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
• After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
• Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
• Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.

Note: You can install a dedicated driver on your computer in case you have it or you could also look for it directly from the website of the manufacturer.

Option 2 – Try running the Memory Diagnostic Tool

The Memory Diagnostic tool in windows can help resolve the ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY Blue Screen error by checking and automatically fixing any memory-based issues. To run it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and type exe and hit Enter to open the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.
• After that, it will give two options such as:
  • Restart now and check for problems (Recommended)
  • Check for problems the next time I start my computer
• Once your computer has restarted, perform a basic scan or you could also go for the “Advanced” options such as “Test mix” or “Pass count”. Simply tap the F10 key to start the test.

Note: After you select your preferred option, your computer will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them and if there’s no issue found, then it’s most likely not a memory-based issue so you should try the other options given below.

Option 3 – Try to update the BIOS

Updating the BIOS can help you fix the ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY BSOD error but as you know, BIOS is a sensitive part of a computer. Even though it is a software component, the functioning of the hardware depends on it largely. Thus, you must be careful when modifying something in the BIOS. So if you don’t know much about it, it’s best if you skip on this option and try the other ones instead. However, if you are well-versed in navigating the BIOS, then follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “msinfo32” in the field and press Enter to open System Information.
• From there, you should find a search field on the bottom where you have to search for the BIOS version and then press Enter.
• After that, you should see the developer and version of the BIOS installed on your PC.
• Go to your manufacturer’s website and then download the latest version of BIOS on your computer.
• If you are using a laptop, make sure that you keep it plugged in until you have updated the BIOS.
• Now double click on the downloaded file and install the new BIOS version on your computer.
• Now restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Option 4 – Try disabling BIOS Memory Options

Disabling the BIOS Memory options such as Caching and Shadowing can help you in fixing the ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY Stop error. All you have to do is enter the BIOS first and then use the Arrow and Enter keys to select your choices. And if you can’t seem to find it, look for specific instructions from your OEM or you could also look out for instructions from the manufacturer of your motherboard.

Option 5 – Try running the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like ATTEMPTED_WRITE_TO_READONLY_MEMORY. It can be found on the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

We tend to move and copy tons of files on our PCs and mostly, the process of copying or moving files, especially if the file has the size of 1GB or up, tends to take quite long. This may be caused by some issues which is why you face slow copy or move speed. So if you are experiencing this issue on your Windows 10 computer, then read on as this post will give you a couple of solutions you can try to increase the speed in copying or moving files. Follow the given instructions below.

Option 1 – Try to change the USB port

You might want to change the USB port since modern computers have a variety of USB ports. So if your USB drive supports USB 3.0 or 3.1, make sure that you plug it inside a USB 3.0 or 3.1 ports. If you’re not sure which port, just keep in mind that the USB 3 port is usually blue or you can also use your computer’s documentation or manual as a reference to locate it. It may sound nothing but changing the USB port can actually improve the copying or moving speeds drastically so this should be the first thing you can try to speed up the process of copying or moving files.

Option 2 – Update the USB Controller Drivers

• First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
• Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
• From there, look for the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” option and then right-click on each one of the USB drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.
• Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.

You also have the option to update the motherboard and the USB driver from the manufacturer’s official website.

Option 3 – Check for any hard disk errors

• On your desktop, right-click on the “This PC” or computer icon and then select Manage to open the Disk Management. Here you get to check your drive’s health.
• Next, click on Disk Management on the left side panel.
• From there, check the state of your drives. If it shows that all your partitions are healthy then it means all is good and that the problem may have something to do with some physical issues with your hard drive.

You might also want to run the CHKDSK utility to help you fix any issues with your hard disk. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the CHKDSK utility comes in. The CHKDSK utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /f /r

• Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try to disable Windows Auto Tuning

Disabling Windows Auto-Tuning can also help in increasing the copying or moving of files in your computer. It is said that this feature improves the performance of programs that receive TCP data over a network by adjusting the receive buffer size dynamically throughput and latency of the link. Thus, if you are trying to copy some data over the network, then the Auto Tuning feature is playing a role here. And in some cases, disabling this feature completely resulted in a lot faster copy speeds over the network.

Option 5 – Try changing the USB Removal Policy

• First, plug your USB drive or external device into your PC and then open This PC.
• Next, right-click on your device and select Properties.
• After that, go to the hardware tab and select the storage media that you want to enhance and then click on the Properties button.
• From there, you can select the Better performance option if you wish for your device to have a better performance. Once you select this option, it will enable write caching in your Windows 10 computer but you need to use the “Safely Remove Hardware” option from the notification area to safely disconnect the device otherwise it may result in data corruption.

Option 6 – Format your drive

• To get started formatting your drive, tap the Win + E keys and then go to the access page of the drive.
• Next, right-click on the drive and select Format.
• After that, uncheck the “Quick Format” option and then format your drive properly.
• Now once the formatting process is finished, unplug the drive and plug it back in afterward.
• Check if the error is already fixed. If the drive is not initialized, tap the Win + R keys and hit Enter.
• After opening the Run dialog box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Disk Management.
• From there, right-click on the drive volume and select initialize disk.
• Next, select the correct partition type and proceed.

Long working hours on a laptop can have some issues with laptop heating and thus slowing down. Today we will take a look at how can you prevent it from heating and keep it in a normal temperature range so it lasts longer and works better.

Close unnecessary programs or browser tabs

Usually, the main reason for high laptop temperature is the heavy and constant workload. Of course, the solution is very simple, turn off unnecessary browser tabs or applications running in the background, and less power will be needed for operation thus directly reducing workload and temperature.

Place it on a hard flat surface

Laptops generally have vents on the side and even under them, these vents, of course, are made so hot air is disposed of through them but if they are covered that will create issues. Placing computers on textiles, pillows, and legs can obstruct their venting holes and increase heat also since they are materials that are not taking heat away.

Your best practice should be placing the laptop onto a hard flat surface so air can flow freely and if you need to keep it in your lap there are lap desks made for this purpose.

Clean the laptop

With some good cleaning, the laptop can stop overheating, and generally, it will be cooler. Vents that has for ventilation can get clogged over large periods of time due to dust which is always present. Compressed air can be a quick easy solution to open the vents and redust it. Other methods include a compressor, vacuum, or brush in order to quickly remove any dust clogs. Taking it into service for complete redusting and paste change is also a great option.

Place it on the dedicated pad

There is some disagreement about using dedicated cooling pads for laptops, some say they are not effective at all, and some swear by them but from my experience good paired laptop and pad can indeed help with cooling it down. Usually, cooling pads will come with fans that will take away heat from the laptop itself reducing its overall heat.

Change your Windows power plan

If your laptop is constantly hot but you are not doing much with him check Windows power settings. There is a good chance it is set to run on a high-performance plan and if this is the case switch it back to a balanced power setting. Power plan like high performance will drain more power and more power will mean more heating. Of course, this will affect performance as well but for regular work that excludes some power gaming, video, and picture manipulations and other demanding tasks this power plan will work just fine.

Take control of the fans inside your laptop

Internal cooling is important and sometimes fans are not running to their full capacity so increasing their speed or changing their plan of work can cool down the computer nicely. Some laptops have fans controlling application already on them, especially gaming laptops but most of them do not. If your laptop does not have it, go to your laptop brand website and see if such an application exists for your model, if it does, download and install it but if there is no such application try general free ones like SpeedFan or Argus Monitor.

Reduce voltage of CPU and GPU

How more power means more heat, reducing the power that CPU and/or GPU take can be reduced inside BIOS by lowering voltage of these 2 components. First, go to BIOS and write down the voltage that is currently assigned to your CPU and/or GPU so you can bring it back if ever needed, also take note that reducing voltage and thus power will not affect negatively your components but increasing it thus overclocking can and will so be careful when bringing voltage back not to overdo it. You can always also reset your BIOS settings to bring them back to factory settings.

Do not use the laptop when charging it

When the laptop is placed on the charger in order to be charged and used at the same time, more power is drawn to it, and since the battery is taking electric charge instead of providing it more heat will be generated now since two different sources will be generating it, the battery itself and computer. When you really can not wait for the laptop to be charged, use it, but turn it off and wait to be fully charged if you can.

Microsoft office has set itself as one of the most used and best suites for business use and MS Word as the most widely used word processor. But how even best are not immune to some small bugs and unexpected behaviors so is not Word. Word has stopped working is probably know to a wide audience of its users, I think I could safely say that each Word user has experienced this error at least once, luckily the error is not anything to worry about since it is an easily fixable issue.

Try automated solutions

There are some fully automated solutions that could fix any PC issues, some are available in free versions. If you prefer to do things manually however keep on reading and follow the instructions below.

Manual FIXES:

1. Update MS Word

   Make sure that you are running the latest build of Word in order to eliminate all bugs and to have a smooth running experience. Go to File > Account > Product Information > Update Options and click Enable Update and then select Update Now.

2. Check the file

   Corrupted files can cause this crash and this error, try opening another text file inside the Word to eliminate file corruption.

3. Run Word in safe mode and disable add-ins

   Did you know that MS Word has a safe mode like Windows? In this safe mode, Word will boot up just the application without any add-ins installed and in this environment, you can start one add-in by one to see which one is causing the issue. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog Inside run dialog type in winword /safe followed by ENTER to run Word in safe mode If MS Word works fine in Safe mode, disable all COM Add-ins (while being in safe mode) and restart Word. Re-enable the add-ins one at a time to identify the problematic one. Click on File and then on Options Click on Add-Ins from the options list Select COM Add-ins from the drop-down menu and click on Go Uncheck all the add-ins and click OK to confirm Close the Dialog Box and MS Word. Now try running MS Word normally and see if it works Repeat steps to enable the add-ins, one at a time, and check which add-in is causing this error

4. Repair Word installation

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog In run dialog type in control panel and press ENTER Inside Control Panel click on Programs and Features Locate and click on Microsoft Office to select it Once selected click on change located on top of the application list Once Office Windows loads click on Repair Wait for the process to finish

5. Reinstall MS office

   If all the previous solutions failed next step would be to completely uninstall MS Office and install it again once the old one has been completely removed from the system. Go to the control panel as explained in the previous step and select Office Instead of Change this time click on uninstall and follow on-screen instructions Once uninstall is finished, install a new copy of MS Office.

If you are trying to connect to the internet using a Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or a Wi-Fi connection and you suddenly encounter Error 633, then read on as this post will guide you on how you can fix this problem in your Windows 10 computer. According to users who encountered the same problem, when they try to connect to the internet, an error pops up that states, “The modem or other connecting device is either already in use or not appropriately configured”. This error is the VPN Error 633 which indicates that the modem is malfunctioning due to some broken configuration. It is possible that this broken configuration is caused by the WAN Miniport device which is associated with your preferred VPN protocol. It could also be due to the TCP port that’s required for the VPN connection to work might be used by another application. There are instances when Error 622 could occur when there are multiple internet connections set up on one device or when the communication port is exploited by another program. It could also occur when the affected modem is not bound to one specific device. Thus, any model and computer can be affected by this problem. The first and basic thing you can do to fix the VPN Error 633 is to turn off or unplug the modem your computer is using and then plug it back in to see if the problem is fixed. If not, then there are several other potential fixes you need to check out to resolve the problem. You can try the suggestions provided below and see if any of them help.

Option 1 – Run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter

• Open the Search bar on your computer and type in “troubleshoot” to open the Troubleshoot settings.
• Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
• Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
• After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.

Option 2 – Try to explicitly reserve the TCP port

The next thing you can do to fix the error is to reserve the TCP port explicitly and to do that, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to pull up the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to this registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesTcpipParameters
• After that, follow the path New > Multi-String Value on the edit menu and rename the multi-string value as “ReservedPorts” and then double click on it.
• Now in the value data of ReservedPorts, input “1723-1723” and click OK to save the changes made.
• Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC. Once your computer has restarted, check if the VPN Error 633 is fixed or not.

Option 3 – Try to use the netstat command

• In the Windows Start Search, type “cmd” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt as admin, type this command and hit Enter: netstat –aon
• After that, the output will be displayed and from there, look for the process ID or PID of any program that uses the TCP port 1723 on your computer.
• Next, type this next command and hit Enter: taskkill /PID PID /F
• Once the command has been executed, the concerned program will be forced to close and the TCP port 1723 will be freed up. Keep in mind that the taskkill command ends the process corresponds to the process ID number and the given command above, “/F” option is used to end the program’s process forcefully.
• Now restart your computer and after that, the concerned program should start using a TCP port other than 1723 which leaves the TCP port 1723 free for your internet device to use.

Option 4 – Remove any irrelevant internet device programs

You could also try removing any irrelevant device programs since it is possible that any of these programs could be the one that’s causing the modem to malfunction. These irrelevant programs could be an internet booster or third-party tools that comes with the modem and so on. These programs are not necessarily needed for your modem to function. Thus, if you want to fix the VPN Error 633, you can try uninstalling them and see if it fixed the error.

Option 5 – Update the Network Adapter drivers

You might also want to update the Network Adapter drivers by following these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “devmgmt.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 them.
• Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and update them all.
• Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the BSOD error.

Note: If updating the network drivers didn’t help in fixing the VPN Error 633, you can also try to uninstall the very same drivers and restart your Windows 10 PC. After that, the system itself will reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled. Alternatively, you can also download and install the drivers from the manufacturer’s website directly. To reinstall the network adapter driver, refer to these steps:

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
• After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
• Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
• Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.

When you try to open a website but instead encounter an “Access Denied, You don’t have permission to access on this server” error message along with the ULR which you aren’t able to access with a reference number, then it is most likely caused by some network-related issue in your browser. Note that this error mostly occurs on Firefox browsers. The “Access Denied” error appears when your Mozilla Firefox browser uses a different proxy setting or VPN instead of what’s really set on your Windows 10 PC. Thus, when a website detected that there is something wrong with your browser cookies or your network, it blocks you which is why you can’t open it. To resolve this error, here are some suggestions you can try. And if you got the same error message on a different browser, you can still follow the possible solutions given below.

Option 1 – Try clearing everything about the website

• Open your browser and tap the Ctrl + H keys on your keyboard.
• After that, look for the listing of the website from your browser history and right-click on it.
• Then select the “Forget about this site” option. This will get rid of all the data such as browsing history, cache, cookies, and passwords. Thus, if you have a password saved or other important data of the website, you have to save it first before you tap the Ctrl + H keys.

Option 2 – Try disabling the VPN

As pointed out earlier, if you are using VPN, this could be the reason why you’re getting the “Access Denied” error so the most obvious thing to do is for you to turn off the VPN and try to run the Windows Update once more. And if you use a VPN software that works using their software, you can just completely exit or log-off from its account. On the other hand, if you are using a built-in Windows 10 VPN, you can simply turn it off or delete all the settings you have created there.

Option 3 – Uninstall the VPN service you are using or use a different provider

If you disabling the VPN service worked in fixing the “Access Denied” error, you might want to uninstall it. As mentioned, website administrator blocks IP ranges if they notice any malicious activities and because of this, your IP address might fall into the banned range even if you didn’t do anything at all. To uninstall the VPN service, follow the steps below.

• 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 VPN service 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 4 – Try disabling the proxy server for your LAN

If your PC was just attacked by some adware or malware as of late, it is possible that it has changed the network settings in the system and might display spam advertisements. Thus, you have to disable the proxy server for your LAN. To do that, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it.

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.