Potential issues with DRM and Alder Lake

Every time a new drive or any storage device is connected to a Windows 10 computer, the operating system tends to allot a drive letter to it automatically. Not only that, as the OS also maps the location of the drive which helps it point the letter to the exact port location of the drive and serve requests from the user. As a result, it builds up a bit of cache as per the pattern in which the user uses the storage of the computer. This whole process is known as “Auto Mounting” which works for hard disks or optical drive readers that are connected using the SATA ports and even for USB drives that are connected using the USB ports. There are several ways you can enable or disable the Auto-Mount feature in Windows 10. You can do it using the MountVol tool or the Registry Editor or the Diskpart utility. Before you proceed, it is recommended that you create a System Restore point first so that you can always undo the changes you made in case anything goes wrong.

Option 1 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via MountVol tool

In this option, you will be using the mountvol command in the Command Prompt. Refer to the steps below.

• Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
• From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
• Next, type the following command and tap Enter to enable the Auto Mount feature:

mountvol /E

• On the other hand, if you want to disable the Auto Mount feature, type the following command instead:

mountvol /N

• After that, type the command below to remove all the previously assigned drive letters:

mountvol /R

• Finally, restart your computer.

Option 2 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via Registry Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• After that, navigate to this registry key: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesmountmgr
• Next, look for a DWORD named “NoAutoMount”. If you can’t find a DWORD with that name then simply create a new DWORD with the same name and make sure that the base is selected to Hexadecimal.
• Now double click on that DWORD and change its value to 0 if you want to enable it, otherwise, input 1 as its value to disable it.
• Restart your computer.

Option 3 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via Diskpart utility

• Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
• From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt as admin, type the following command and hit Enter to launch the Diskpart utility:

diskpart

• After that, a User Account Control prompt will appear. Just click on the Yes button.
• Next, type the following command and hit Enter:

automount

• Following the command you entered, you will an output that either says, “Automatic mounting of new volumes enabled” or “Automatic mounting of new volumes disabled” which means you can use it to check the status of Auto Mount.
• Now if you want to enable the Auto Mount feature, type the following command and tap Enter:

automount enable

• And if you want to disable the Auto Mount feature, just enter the following command:

automount disable

• To remove all the assigned letter and history of drives that were connected previously, type the following command:

automount scrub

• Finally, restart your computer.

The “Unknown Hard” error that keeps on appearing in Windows 10 can put users in an unpleasant situation. This kind of error leads to the freezing of the taskbar, blackening of the screen, and sudden disappearance of the icons on the Desktop. And each time you try to open Windows, the system will only give you an error message saying that it’s a critical error and some applications like Start and Cortana won’t work. Upon analysis, it seems that the “sihost.exe” is not responding and that it is the one that’s causing the c000021a Unknown Hard error to pop up. Sihost.exe files represent the Shell Infrastructure Host which is an essential component in the Windows operating system. The Windows Shell Infrastructure Host is primarily responsible for handling some graphical elements of the operating system interface such as the Start menu and the taskbar transparency. And so if the Shell Infrastructure or Sihost.exe has stopped, has been removed, or corrupted, you will most likely have issues with the overall functionality of the Windows operating system and you’ll get the Unknown Hard error In addition, the ctfmom.exe Unknown Hard error may also occur due to incompatible drivers installed on your PC. Ctfmom is a process that identifies inputs such as handwriting, languages, and many more. It’s the one that controls the functions of background behavior. To resolve this issue, you need to first try to identify which application is the one that’s running the sihost.exe file. And if needed, you need to either update or reinstall or completely uninstall the problematic application.

Option 1 – Try to run the System File Checker

The SFC Scan or System File Checker, us a built-in utility in Microsoft Windows that can be found in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. This tool allows users to scan and restore any corrupted system files in Windows that might be causing the Unknown Hard error to appear. Before you use this tool, make sure to find out whether the sihost.exe on your computer is a Trojan that you have to remove or if it’s a file that belongs to a trusted Windows application. Once you have that sorted out, follow the steps 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.

Option 2 – Try to use System Restore

You can also try using System Restore. This is one of the ways you can use it to back up your PC. Since restore points are created automatically each week by System Restore, you can use System Restore to restore your computer back to an earlier good point in time.

Option 3 – Try to troubleshoot the error in a Clean Boot State

Putting your PC in a Clean Boot state can help you diagnose and troubleshoot the issues in your system. During this state, you can start the system with a minimum number of drivers and startup programs that will surely help you in isolating the root cause of the Unknown Hard Error.

• 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” checkbox 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” checkbox.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)

After putting your PC in a Clean Boot State, try creating a system restore point and see if the problem still occurs. Clean Boot troubleshooting is designed to help you isolate the problem. For you to execute a clean boot troubleshooting, you must do a couple of actions (the steps are given above) and then restart your PC after every action. You might have to disable one third-party app after the other to really isolate the issue. And once you’ve narrowed down the problem, you can either disable the third-party app that’s causing the problem or remove it. Note that you must switch your PC back into the Normal Startup mode after you’re done troubleshooting the problem. Here’s how you can do it:

• From the “Start” menu, go to System Configuration.
• After that, switch to the General tab and click the option for “Normal Startup”.
• Next, go to the Services tab and clear the checkbox for “Hide all Microsoft services”.
• Then find and click “Enable all” and if prompted, you have to confirm.
• Afterward, go to the Task Manager and enable all the Startup programs and confirm the action.
• Restart your PC when prompted.

EmailAccountLogin is a browser extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla, and Internet Explorer. This extension enables you one-click access to your favorite email providers, allowing you to easily check your email without typing the web address.

From the author: One-Click Access to quick links to the most popular email providers.

The Email Account Login new tab extension provides convenient, one-click access to several popular email services including Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook, Outlook, and Live mail along with providing direct access to a web search.

EmailAccountLogin is a browser hijacker, this extension hijacks your home page and replaces it with its own search engine. While active this extension monitors your website visits, links, clicks, and personal information. This information is later sold/forwarded to better server ads across its network. While using EmailAccountLogin you will see additional unwanted ads injected into your search results, sponsored links, and even sometimes pop-up ads. Several anti-virus scanners have categorized EmailAccountLogin as a Browser Hijacker and therefore, for security reasons, it is not recommended to keep it on your computer.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijack is a very common type of online fraud where your internet browser configuration settings are modified to make it do things you don’t intend. Browser hijacker malware is developed for many different reasons. It redirects you to the sponsored sites and inserts advertisements on the browser that helps its developer generate earnings. It may seem harmless, but most of these sites are not legitimate and could present a significant threat to your online safety. As soon as the program attacks your laptop or computer, it starts to mess things up a whole that slows your PC down to a crawl. In the worst-case scenario, you may be pushed to tackle serious malware threats as well.

Browser hijacking signs and symptoms

Signs that your internet browser is hijacked include: 1. your homepage has been reset to some mysterious webpage 2. when you key in a URL, you find yourself regularly directed to a different webpage than the one you actually meant 3. default web engine is modified 4. you’re getting new toolbars you haven’t witnessed before 5. you notice numerous ads pop up on your browsers or display screen 6. your web browser starts running slowly or displays frequent errors 7. you are blocked to access the websites of computer security solution providers.

How they get into your PC

Browser hijackers may use drive-by downloads or file-sharing networks or perhaps an e-mail attachment in order to reach a targeted computer. Many browser hijackings originate from add-on applications, i.e., toolbars, browser helper objects (BHO), or extensions added to web browsers to provide them additional functionality. A browser hijacker may also come bundled up with some freeware that you inadvertently download to your computer, compromising your internet security. A good example of some notorious browser hijackers includes Anyprotect, Conduit, Babylon, SweetPage, DefaultTab, Delta Search, and RocketTab, but the names are constantly changing. Browser hijacking can bring about severe privacy issues and even identity theft, disrupt your browsing experience by taking control over outbound traffic, considerably slows down your computer by depleting lots of resources and result in system instability also.

How to repair a browser hijack

Certain hijackers can be removed by simply uninstalling the corresponding free software or add-ons from the Add or Remove Programs in the Microsoft Windows control panel. Yet, some hijackers are far harder to find or get rid of as they might get themselves connected with some critical system files which allow it to operate as a necessary operating-system process. Furthermore, manual removal demands you to execute several time-consuming and complex actions which are very difficult to do for novice computer users. Browser hijackers can be effectively removed by installing and running anti-malware software on the affected PC. Safebytes Anti-Malware has a cutting-edge anti-malware engine to help you avoid browser hijacking in the first place, and mop up any existing issues. Along with anti-virus software, a PC optimizer tool will help you repair Windows registry errors, eliminate unwanted toolbars, secure your internet privacy, and improve overall system performance.

Find Out How To Install Safebytes Anti-Malware On An Infected Computer system

All malware is bad and the effects of the damage can vary according to the specific type of malware. Some malware variants modify browser settings by adding a proxy server or change the PC’s DNS configurations. In these cases, you will be unable to visit some or all of the websites, and thus unable to download or install the necessary security software to get rid of the malware. So what should you do if malicious software keeps you from downloading or installing Safebytes Anti-Malware? Follow the instructions below to get rid of malware through alternate methods.

Install the anti-malware in Safe Mode

In Safe Mode, you may adjust Windows settings, un-install or install some software, and eradicate hard-to-delete malware. In the event, the malware is set to load automatically when the PC starts, shifting to this mode may well prevent it from doing so. To start the computer into Safe Mode, hit the “F8” key on the keyboard just before the Windows logo screen comes up; Or right after normal Windows boot up, run MSConfig, look over the Safe Boot under the Boot tab, and then click Apply. After you restart into Safe Mode with Networking, you may download, install, as well as update the anti-malware program from there. At this point, you could run the antivirus scan to eliminate viruses and malware without any interference from another application.

Utilize an alternate internet browser to download security software

Some malware might target vulnerabilities of a specific browser that obstruct the downloading process. When you suspect that your Internet Explorer happens to be hijacked by a virus or otherwise compromised by online hackers, the most effective plan of action is to switch over to a different web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to download your chosen computer security software – Safebytes Anti-Malware.

Install and run anti-virus from your flash drive

Another option is to save and run an antivirus software program entirely from a USB drive. Do these simple measures to clear up your affected PC using portable anti-malware. 1) On a virus-free PC, install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug the Flash drive into the uninfected computer. 3) Double-click the Setup icon of the antivirus program to run the Installation Wizard. 4) Choose the drive letter of the pen drive as the location when the wizard asks you where you would like to install the anti-virus. Follow activation instructions. 5) Transfer the flash drive from the uninfected computer to the infected computer. 6) Double-click the antivirus software EXE file on the thumb drive. 7) Click on “Scan Now” to run a complete scan on the infected computer for malware. If no other method of downloading and installing an anti-malware program works, then you’ve no other choice than to hit the final resort: a full Windows reinstallation, which can get rid of that nasty virus and help you regain internet access. If you’re unsure which method to use, simply contact our toll-free number 1-844-377-4107 to speak to our technical team. Our experts will take you step-by-step through the malware removal process on the phone and also restore your computer remotely.

SafeBytes Anti-Malware: Lightweight Malware Protection for Windows PC

If you’re looking to download an anti-malware application for your computer, there are numerous tools out there to consider nonetheless, you just cannot trust blindly anyone, irrespective of whether it is paid or free software. Some of them are excellent, some are ok types, and some will harm your PC themselves! You need to choose one that is dependable, practical, and has a strong reputation for its malware source protection. On the list of recommended software programs is SafeBytes Anti-Malware. SafeBytes has a very good history of top-quality service, and customers are very happy with it. SafeBytes anti-malware is a very effective and easy-to-use protection tool that is made for end-users of all levels of IT literacy. With its cutting-edge technology, this application can help you get rid of multiples types of malware including computer viruses, worms, PUPs, trojans, adware, ransomware, and browser hijackers. There are numerous great features you will get with this particular security product. The following are some of the features you might like in SafeBytes. Robust Anti-malware Protection: This deep-cleaning antimalware software goes much deeper than most anti-virus tools to clean your computer system. Its critically acclaimed virus engine locates and disables hard to remove malware that conceals deep inside your computer. Real-time Active Protection: SafeBytes offers real-time active monitoring and protection from all known computer viruses and malware. This software will always keep track of your computer for any suspicious activity and updates itself regularly to keep current with the latest threats. Fast Scan: This computer software has one of the fastest and most efficient virus scanning engines in the industry. The scans are highly accurate and take a little time to complete. Internet Security: SafeBytes gives an instant safety rating on the web pages you are going to check out, automatically blocking harmful sites and making sure that you’re certain of your safety while browsing the net. Lightweight: This application is not “heavy” on the computer’s resources, so you’ll not notice any overall performance problems when SafeBytes is operating in the background. 24/7 Guidance: You can obtain high levels of support round the clock if you’re using their paid software.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove EmailAccountLogin without the use of an automated tool, it may be possible to do so by removing the program from the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu, or in cases of browser extensions, going to the browsers AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. You will likely also want to reset your browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. Please note that this is for advanced users only and may be difficult, with incorrect file removal causing additional PC errors. In addition, some malware is capable of replicating or preventing deletion. Doing this in Safe Mode is advised.

The following files, folders, and registry entries are created or modified by EmailAccountLogin

When you update or upgrade your computer to Windows 10, the setup will look for the compatibility of both the hardware and software. And in this process, if suddenly got an error message saying, “Some apps need to be uninstalled” or “You need to uninstall a program in order to continue”, you have to look for the program(s) that might be causing the compatibility issues. But worry not as this post will help you resolve the issue. Simply follow the given suggestions below.

Option 1 – Look for the incompatible programs

There are times when Windows 10 will point out the programs that are incompatible with Windows 10. In this situation, just click on the Uninstall and continue button and then wait for the process to be completed. For more information, you can check out the official site Ready for Windows by Microsoft. This site can help you determine which software versions are compatible with Windows 10 and which ones are not. All you have to do is select the Windows 10 version and type your App name, after that, you will see the results about its compatibility. Thus, it’s now easier for you to figure out which software is causing an issue and if there is a new updated version available that you can install instead.

Option 2 – Try to install the Windows Update in a Clean Boot State

Putting your PC in a Clean Boot state can also help you install Windows Updates or Upgrades without any trouble because, during this state, you can start the system with a minimum number of drivers and startup programs that will surely help you in isolating the root cause of the issue.

• 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” checkbox and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• After that, try to install the Windows Updates or upgrade again.

Option 3 – Try creating a new user account

Creating a new user account can resolve the “Some apps need to be uninstalled” error when upgrading or updating your Windows 10 PC. All you have to do is create a new admin account and initiate the setup. And this is a new user account, there will be no third-party applications installed on your computer. Thus, the installation should go through without any trouble. And in case you’ve already installed programs for that user, you just have to uninstall them all and then re-run the setup.

Option 4 – Perform a clean install

If none of the options worked, you can try to clean install Windows 10. Just make sure that you have the ISO from the official Microsoft Website and then a bootable USB drive to install Windows 10 again. Take note that this will delete all the data from your drive where Windows 10 was installed previously.

The Microsoft Store error 0x80073d12 occurs when you try to download software from the store. In order to solve the issue follow the presented guide step by step in the order presented.

1. Check do you have enough hard drive space for installation

   Store locates and assigned space on the hard drive before it installs the application, if there is not enough space available it will return the given error. Go to file explorer and check is there enough space available.

2. Check that game is not expansion

   If you are trying to install expansion for the game without owning the required base game, you will receive the mentioned error. Check the store page to see if there are some prerequisites for the game like other games or packs.

3. Install the game from my library

   Press Start. Open the Microsoft Store App. Click the See more … button at the top right of the MS Store app’s window. Click Download and updates on the menu. Click Downloads on the left to open My library. Then click Ready to install to open a list of apps. Click the Install button for the game app that you need to install.

4. Install on another partition

   It was reported that an error vanishes if installation is placed on another partition instead of the default C drive.

As you know, the Windows 10 operating system has support for a dedicated high-end graphics processor that brings in capabilities inside to support Graphics Cards from NVIDIA or AMD. This helps the operating system to function in a much better way by segregating the graphics-intensive operations from the CPU to a dedicated processor. However, there are times when it also experiences some issues that lead to some errors like the “Failed to create a graphics device” error. It is possible that your computer has more than one screen or graphics card which is why you’re getting this error. To fix it, you need to try reinstalling DirectX or reinstall the Graphics Card driver. You could also try to manually check the hardware or power cycle of your computer. To start troubleshooting the “Failed to create a graphics device” error, follow the given suggestions below.

Option 1 – Try running the DirectX Diagnostic Tool

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

Option 2 – 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 3 – Update or reinstall the Graphics card drivers

• First, boot your computer into Safe Mode.
• After that, tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in 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 Display Adapters and click on them.
• After that, right-click on each entry under the Display Adapters and select the “Uninstall Device” option from the menu.
• Now restart your computer.
• After restarting your computer, go to the Settings app and Check for Updates in the Windows Update section.

Note: You also have the option to go directly to the website of your graphics card manufacturers like NVIDIA, Intel, or AMD and go to the section called Drivers then check if there’s a new available update – if there is, download and install it.

Option 4 – Try to physically check the hardware of your computer

You might also want to check the physical status of the hardware in your computer. You can clean the dust off the hardware components like the Graphics Card of the computer. In doing so, you have to use a small blower or you could also use a soft cloth and run the components gently. Make sure that you don’t damage any parts with moisture or cause harm to any circuits while you carry out this task.

Option 5 – Try to power cycle your computer

You could also try to power cycle your computer to fix the error. To do that, you have to turn off your computer in a way that the power is completely cut off and all the fresh configurations of files are loaded when your computer is booted up. The first thing you have to do is to shut down your computer and if you are using a laptop with a removable battery, you must remove the battery for a couple of minutes before you plug it back in and boot your laptop. On the other hand, if you are using a desktop computer, press and hold the power button until the CPU goes off and take out the power cable for a minute or so and then plug it back in. Boot your computer and see if the error has been resolved.

What is WidgiToolbar?

The WidgiToolbar is an unscrupulous application designed to advertise other applications as a part of a bundle, steal financial information and penetrate the security of a computer system, making it open to other threats. In most cases, WidgiToolbar claims to center its installs on toolbars but that’s not always the case. Technical details about WidgiToolbar Malware include:

Digital Publisher: GreenTree Applications srl Product Version: YTD Video Downloader 4.8.9.7 Original File Name: YTDStub.exe Entry Point:  0x0000323C

Assessment of WidgiToolbar

Created by GreenTree Applications/ Spigot Inc., the WidgiToolbar is a list of nested toolbars. This application was in fact a bundle, installing several other applications upon installation. For this installation, WidgiToolbar installed only the YouTube Downloader toolbar and several other applications. Thereafter, the application appeared pretty harmless but is intended on distributing advertisements over the user’s computer, often without the user’s discretion. It’s all in the ads. Additionally, based on evaluations made by Security Analysts, the WidgiToolbar application is used for extracting personal and financial information from a user’s computer system. Financial information encapsulates banking and credit card details. Your passwords and other highly confidential information might be detected by the WidgiToolbar application if care is not taken. Overall, the WidgiToolbar installs and collects information from your computer system without your knowledge and permission. Furthermore, WidgiToolbar leaves a computer system vulnerable and susceptible to other threats and malware. The application is known for opening a portal or door into your computer system. This implies that other software can be installed on your computer via this avenue, once again without your knowledge. Responsible for wreaking havoc on your computer, it’s then pertinent that you remove it altogether. Manually removing the WidgiToolbar is not an option. Why? A manual removal procedure will not be able to remove the software in its entirety. An automated tool is the best option. Like all other programs offered as a bundle, several other programs were installed. These include:

1. MS Build
2. Reference Assemblies
3. PRO PC Cleaner

Soon after the installation of WidgiToolbar was completed, there were a total of four (4) new applications installed on the computer. These were all found in the computer's Local Drive. After WidgiToolbar was installed, the application attempted to change the default search provider to search.yahoo.com. This was a clear indication that this was a promotion to get more Internet users to use the Yahoo search engine.

Why Use Spyhunter to Remove WidgiToolbar?

As a result of its nature, the WidgiToolbar is difficult to remove. You might be able to remove other programs that were manually installed within the bundle, but to remove WidgiToolbar completely; an automated tool is a necessity. This is to ensure that specific registry keys installed by WidgiToolbar are found and removed. To completely remove WidgiToolbar from your computer, click here to download and install Spyhunter. After a scan was done with Spyhunter, there were 330 threats detected. Spyhunter was able to remove all 330 threats with ease and success.

When you run a program in Windows 10, error 0xc000012f may pop up, mentioning that the files and binaries you’re trying to run are corrupted. Error 0xc000012f means Bad Image, denoting that the program’s executable or one of the supporting modules is corrupt. Or there is probably a DLL mismatch. This error usually manifests itself after a windows update or after installation of some application, in order to fix it follow the steps below:

1. Perform SFC scan

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the Windows menu From the menu choose command prompt (admin) In command prompt type sfc /scannow and press ENTER Leave the computer for the operation to be completed and Reboot your computer

2. Run DISM

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the Windows menu From the menu choose command prompt (admin) in command prompt type: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press ENTER wait for the process to be finished and Reboot your computer

3. Reinstall application

   If this error has been popping up after the application install remove the installed application and install it again. There is the possibility that the application installer has by accident corrupted some files, reinstalling it might fix the issue.

4. Uninstall Windows update

   In some cases, Windows update can introduce this issue, go to Windows updates, into advanced options, and uninstall the latest update to see if this will fix the error.

5. Install Visual C++ Redistributable

   Go to the official Microsoft website and download C++ redistributable package and install it

6. Install new windows update

   If there is a new Windows update install, there is a chance that in the last update something went wrong and it is very likely that it was fixed in the last one.

Google Chrome 94 is here and it has introduced a controversial idle detection API. For those people that do not know what idle detection API is, well basically Chrome can be asked by a website to report when a user of the site has a site open and is idle on the device. The issue that people have with this is that this particular feature can be used to report when the user is not using a computer at all. Good thing is that website or web application will prompt you to allow it to use this feature like when a site/application wants to use your microphone or web camera. Developers are on board with this feature since it can provide them with more telemetric data on how users are interacting with their website/application but there are some that are strongly voicing against this. Tantek Çelik, Mozilla Standards Lead, commented on GitHub, saying:

As it is currently specified, I consider the Idle Detection API too tempting of an opportunity for surveillance capitalism motivated websites to invade an aspect of the user’s physical privacy, keep long-term records of physical user behaviors, discerning daily rhythms (e.g. lunchtime), and using that for proactive psychological manipulation (e.g. hunger, emotion, choice)… Thus I propose labeling this API harmful and encourage further incubation, perhaps reconsidering simpler, less-invasive alternative approaches to solve the motivating use-cases.

Others who have spoken against this feature are people from the WebKit development team inside Apple. Ryosuke Niwa, an Apple software engineer who works on WebKit said:

That doesn’t seem like a strong enough use case for this API. For starters, there is no guarantee that the user won’t immediately come back to the device. Also, who is such a service supposed to know what another device user might be using at any given point? We’re definitely not going to let a website know all the devices a given user might be using at any given point. That’s a very serious breach of the said user’s privacy. It seems to me that such a suppression/distribution mechanism is best left for the underlying operating systems/web browsers to handle.

Of course, technology itself as always can be used for good or for bad and time will tell if this feature has brought good stuff or it has paved another brick in surveillance and privacy manipulation. As said for now option will prompt for agreement and let's hope that it will be used for good causes from this day into the future.

In case you don’t know, Windows 10 now allows users to check the Bluetooth battery level of devices. More often than not, the accessories or peripherals users use for their Windows 10 devices are connected to it using Bluetooth technology. This high-speed low-powered wireless technology is designed to link mobile devices, computers, and other network devices over a short distance wirelessly. Monitoring the battery level of a device where Bluetooth is enabled isn’t an easy task as most of these devices do not support the Bluetooth battery monitor or the battery level display. And even when on devices that do, you still have to install additional software to find it. However, Windows 10 eliminates this requirement and all you have to do is add a Bluetooth device and connect that Bluetooth device. How? Follow the instructions provided below. Step 1: Adding a Bluetooth Device The easiest way to get your Bluetooth device battery to be displayed on your Windows 10 screen is to simply add a Bluetooth device. To do so, follow these sub-steps:

• First, turn on the Bluetooth mode on your device.
• Next, go to Windows Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices.
• From there, click on the “+” button next to the ‘Add Bluetooth or other devices” option and select the type of device you want to add.

Step 2: Connecting the Bluetooth Device Once you’ve added the device, it will be visible under the “Add a device” screen.

• Now select the newly added Bluetooth device and click the “Done” button.
• After that, it will now be connected. Go back to the “Bluetooth & other devices” window and scroll down to the section of “Mouse, Keyboard, and Pen”.
• From there, move the cursor alongside the connected device to display its battery level.

Keep in mind that there are several ways in which you can display the battery information of the Bluetooth device. However, Windows 10 understands only one of them per se. So if your device is not a Bluetooth Low Energy device, Windows 10 won’t be able to show its battery information and won’t display its battery level.