In 2014 Proton mail started as an end-to-end encrypted email service offering secure and private email services. Proton mail is still live and going with the same dedication to privacy and security but the company has expanded its offering into cloud storage drive services.
Starting as a public beta at the end of 2020, Proton Drive is keeping its privacy and security policy philosophy with the new service. Proton Drive is the newest service besides Proton Calendar, Proton VPN, and Proton Mail.
Drive has end-to-end encryption for everything on it including files themselves, filenames, folder structure, folder names, extensions, and file sizes. This means that you and only you can access your files. Servers are located in Geneva, Switzerland and they are under Swiss privacy laws making sure that your files are protected. Proton services in general are all open source so anyone can take a look at them to be sure that nothing is lurking under the hood. For now, sync is done either via the android app or web interface but the desktop client will come soon since currently, it is under development.
Sadly free plan of Proton Drive will give you only 1GB of storage which is much less than other services and sadly payments plans are also not so jaw-dropping going for $4 USD per month for a 200GB plan or with Proton ultimate subscription that will set you $10 behind but you will get 500GB of drive storage. Of course, if you value privacy for your files these options are good but if you do not mind that part other services have much better options.
All in all Proton Drive is a great cloud storage solution if you need privacy and well worth the investment. With the ultimate subscription, you will get enough space for most people and company needs with other services and guaranteed privacy and security, on the other hand, if you just need a large amount of cloud storage not caring too much about privacy other options are better.
Dell laptop is a great choice for laptop users who like to have the best configuration, fast working platform, and long warranty period. But this does not mean that your errors can’t pop up on Dell laptops.
Users can experience a variety of hardware and software-related issues on Dell laptops. And one such error is the error code 0146.
This is a typical Dell laptop hard drive-related error code. It can cause your Dell laptop to freeze and system applications to stop responding for a long period of time. Therefore, it is recommended to fix the error immediately.
Solution
Error Causes
Error 0146 may be triggered due to several reasons on your system. These include:
Program corruption
Viral infection
Hard drive issues
Further Information and Manual Repair
The good news is that error 0146 is easy to fix. Here are some of the easy do it yourself methods that you can try to resolve error 0146 on your system:
Method 1 - Run a Virus Scan
Malware and viruses can corrupt and damage the hard drive and trigger error 0146. In such an event, it is recommended that you open your antivirus, update it and run a full virus scan on your PC.
Once the scan is complete, remove all the viruses. This will hopefully resolve the error 0146.
Method 2 - Run Your Laptop in Safe Mode and Clean Boot
Another alternative is to run your Dell laptop in safe mode and clean boot. To do this, simply disconnect all the attached devices like wireless printers, routers, and USB keys and turn off your laptop.
Turn it on again and then press and hold the F8 key. Make sure you do it quickly before the Windows logo comes up. Now select ‘Safe mode with networking’ and press enter.
After that, open System Configuration Utility by going to the start menu and typing ‘msconfig’ in RUN, and then click OK. In the System Configuration Utility click General then selective startup. Now uncheck the load startup items box ad select services and then check the hide all Microsoft services box and disable all.
To apply these changes, click ‘Apply’ and then OK. Now restart your laptop.
Method 3 - Change to SATA Drive
Sometimes error 0146 may pop up due to hard drive configuration changes.
If this is the reason for error occurrence, then simply go to Dell Laptop BIOS. Check whether the hard drive configuration has been changed to AHCI SATA from SATA Drive.
If it has changed, then it is advisable to change it back to SATA Drive. When you are done back up all your data, and then format your hard drive. It is important to create a backup because formatting will make you lose all your data.
Once you format the hard drive, reinstall Windows from scratch.
Method 4 - Run a Registry Scan
If the error 0146 results due to program corruption then there is a possibility that the underlying reason might be registry damage. Therefore it is advisable to run a registry scan and repair it.
To do so, download Restoro. This is a cutting-edge and user-friendly PC Fixer integrated with a registry cleaner.
Run it to scan for registry issues. It removes all obsolete files corrupting and damaging the registry, repairs important and damaged system files and cleans the registry in the shortest time.
Click here to download Restoro and resolve error 0146.
The standard icon place in the Taskbar inside Windows 11 is in the center. Some users welcomed this change, some not so much. If you are part of the user base that is not so much thrilled with this Microsoft’s idea of innovation, do not worry, there is an easy way to move all icons and start button on the left inside Taskbar.
Moving icons in Taskbar
Open Windows settings by using ⊞ WINDOWS + I key combination
Click on Personalization
Select Taskbar
Click on Taskbar Behaviors
Click on the drop-down menu beside Taskbar Alignment
Select your desired option of icon alignment
Close settings
Your options will be active right away and you will see icons switching to the position of your choosing.
There are instances when you might encounter an error that says, “Something went wrong, We couldn’t start your program” when you open any Office program. This could be due to an issue with the Office file and any Office app you open throws the same error message. This applies to Office 2019/2016, Office 365 Home, Office for Business as well as Business editions. In this post, you will be guided in what you can do to resolve this error.
There are several potential fixes for this error, you might only have to restart your computer or you may have to repair Office from Apps and Features or you could also uninstall and install it back again. For more details, follow each one of the provided options below.
Option 1 – Restart your computer
You might be unable to launch any Office app due to some background process that got stuck or there might be some glitch in the system. Thus, the first thing you can do to resolve the error is simply restarting your computer. Once you’ve restarted your computer, open the Office app again or you could also try to sign in back with your Microsoft account that’s connected to Office. If you’re not quite sure which account you were using, you can follow these steps:
Open any Office app.
Then click on File and look for your name located in the top-right portion.
Now click on it. This will display the email or Microsoft account that’s related to Office.
Option 2 – Try repairing Office from Apps and Features
Since Windows 10 offers some repair features that could replace some of the core files with the original files, you can take advantage of such a feature to fix the “Something went wrong, We couldn’t start your program” error when opening any Office app.
Open Windows settings and click the Apps and Features option.
Next, scroll down until you see the Microsoft Office installation option. Select it and click on Modify.
This will open a window and from there, select Quick Repair or Online Repair and click on the Repair button.
Note: When you choose to repair, you might be given two options which depend on how Microsoft Office was installed. For instance, it was installed via Web Installer or Offline Installer (MSI-based). In Web Installer, select Online Repair > Repair when you’re prompted on how you would like to repair Office. While in MSI-based, you have to select Repair under “Change your installation” and then click on Continue. The repair process makes sure that the app data remains untouched.
Option 3 – Try to uninstall and reinstall Office
If neither of the two given options above worked, then you might want to uninstall Office and reinstall it. All you have to do is download the Microsoft Office Uninstall tool from the official site of Microsoft and run it. This will remove any incomplete Office installation as well as unwanted files. It will also get rid of all the Office apps and settings on your computer.
The newest piece of hardware for PC or console users is not really what anyone has expected and for sure not from a company like Cooler Master.
I going to admit right here that I am a big fan of Cooler Master PC cases, I like them and they are always one of the things that I consider when building a new PC, overall I like their ideas and quality so personal for me it was quite a surprise to see that they are one that is making a new generation gaming chair.
Now truth to be told Orb X is not your typical gaming chair as you can clearly see from the pictures. The chair itself will come in two colors: white or black and RGB lighting looks to be prominently featured throughout.
The chair itself is advertised as both meant and aimed for professional and gaming crowds but I believe the gaming crowd is in general more interested in this hardware piece.
Hardware is enclosed in a fully motorized shuttle dome which aims to maximize your privacy, it supports a single 49inch display or three 27inch monitors along with surround speakers if you do not wish to use headphones.
It offers an adjustable headrest, lumbar support, and footrest so you can spend some time in it and be comfortable. Controls on the chair itself allow you to raise or lower the dome for easier getting in and out of it.
Orb X also has a compartment in its backside, it folds out and has a sliding tray designed to hold your PC or console. Everything is enclosed so wiring is not the issue.
Overall Orb X seems really like the computer chair of the future, Cooler Master expects to release the Orb X by December 2021, priced around $12,000-$14,000.
Do you often use MS-Outlook for communicating in your work environment? If so, you should be aware that all e-mails messages you send and receive, attachments, contacts, and schedule items you be, the files you create and the details you include are all stored within an Outlook Data File folder.
This includes 2 kinds of files .OST and .PST.
OST is the offline Storage Table that allows Outlook users to gain access to the e-mail account with no internet access. But this document is vulnerable to corruption.
So you need to change it into the PST (Personal Storage Table) file structure.
This document keeps data protected and saves all of the data in your view e-mail accounts including e-mails, calendar items, contact info, notifications, and accessories in your local hard drive securely.
For security and privacy purposes password protection is necessary.
How can the PST File get locked?
However, with a lot of work to do, a lot of people frequently have a tendency to overlook and easily forget the Outlook password.
This affects the user's capability to gain access to the account and execute the associated e-mail features.
That is very difficult for those who have contacts stored in it and significant e-mails which one would like to see instantly.
In this case, there is also the threat of losing the data that was significant in the long term. Sadly, Outlook will not provide an easy method without removing all of your own personal data to regain this password.
Why Should I Use Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair Tool
Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair tool may be the best fix software out there. It's easy to use, secure, dependable, and quick. You do not have to be a pro to use it.
In just a couple of clicks, your password can be recovered, without losing any of your crucial data, including associates contacts and e-mail communications.
This repair tool is full of special characteristics. It's compatible with most if not all variants of Windows, including 2000 and Vista, Win7, Windows 2003. Additionally, it helps fix all MS-outlook versions like 2010 and 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007.
Here is what you should do
Just click here Download and install Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair tool in your computer. Run it to regain all of your data within your e-mail account and to regain your lost MS-Outlook PST File Password.
Besides assisting you to regain your PST file password, it can be utilized to solve malfunctions in the PST Files and any other associated problems. For instance, this repair tool can help to fix damaged and corrupted PST file size limit errors as well as PST files.
If you use MS Outlook 2002 version on your PC and you use it quite often and prefer not to delete emails in it, then you might come across the PST file size 2GB limit error.
This error occurs when you reach or exceed the 2 gigabytes memory limit. If this happens, your ability to send and receive emails through your MS-Outlook account is greatly hindered.
You can't add new contacts either. In instances such as these, Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair Tool is useful. It helps increase the GB limit twice as much as normal.
This means that your memory limit rises from 2-4GB making Stellar PST Outlook Repair a crucial tool for all MS Outlook users.
At its most basic level, Error Code 0x8024001b is an error that can cause problems with the installation and updates of software and operating system updates. The most common version of this error appears in Windows 10, but a similar error with a matching code number has been present in previous versions of the operating system, back through Windows 7.
Common symptoms include:
Programs freezing or locking up during use
The appearance of an error message regarding installation difficulties
Computer shutting down or freezing during operation
Difficulty in running multiple programs at the same time
Solution
Error Causes
There are two main causes for Error Code 0x8024001b, both of which are fairly simple: Updates needed for the Windows Update tool itself and software that causes Windows Update to fail during installations through conflicts in system files. While these may seem like technical issues, these problems are actually easily resolved with a few simple steps. The average user can use the methods listed below to fix the problems on their own.
Further Information and Manual Repair
For users who want to address Error Code 0x8024001b for themselves, the steps below can be followed to address the two primary causes for the error. If you have difficulty in completing these steps or are not confident in your computing skills and ability to follow the listed steps, contact a Windows repair technician.
Here are the top methods to resolve Error Code 0x8024001b on your own:
Method One: Check for Updates to Windows Update
In some cases, the Windows Update tool may need an update for itself. When you attempt to run updates or install wizards for other software, it can cause conflicts with the Windows Update process, slowing down your computer or causing it to freeze.
If you are attempting to run multiple installations or updates at the same time, it may also cause Error Code 0x8024001b to arise on your computer.
To resolve this issue, close out all programs, with the exception of the Windows Update tool. Within the tool, select “Check for Updates” and install any updates that are needed. When finished, you should restart your computer to ensure that all updates have been fully applied before attempting any other installations or updates.
Method Two: Uninstall Conflicting Software
Another problem that can cause Error Code 0x8024001b is the presence of conflicting software. If Error Code 0x8024001b has only recently appeared on your computer, consider removing any software that has been added to your computer, running the Windows Update process, and restarting your computer before attempting to reinstall the problem software.
With any method that you use, it is important to remember to keep your Windows Updates current at all times. This is the best way to avoid the appearance of Error Code 0x8024001b and similar errors in the future, as stacked up updates are more likely to cause issues and conflicts with your other installed software and operating system.
While there are some tools out there that claim to be able to fix Error Code 0x8024001b for you, it is important to always thoroughly investigate the publisher and distributor of such software, as some of the tools available on the Internet will actually introduce malware and adware on your computer in the name of “protecting” your computer or resolving an error.
If you have tried to use both methods above and have not fully resolved Error Code 0x8024001b, get in touch with someone who is a qualified computer repair professional and is familiar with your particular version of the Windows operating system to assist you in finalizing your resolution.
Method Three: Use An Automated Tool
If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.
If you suddenly encountered an error saying, “The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000005)” when you are using an application on your Windows 10 computer, read on as this post will provide you some potential fixes that could help you fix the error.
You can encounter the “The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000005)” error on many applications such as VLC, Chrome, Word, and any other executable files and even the operating system files. When you get this kind of error, you will see the following error message:
“The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000005). Click on OK to close the application.”
This kind of application error can occur due to several reasons which include damaged installation of the application or system files may have gotten corrupted or damaged. It could also be caused by a malware infection. There are a couple of suggestions provided in this post to help you resolve the error. You can try to run both a System File Checker scan and the DISM tool or reinstall the problematic application or repair-install Windows 10 as well as run a malware scan. Note that the options provided below do not have to be followed in sequence.
Option 1 – Try to run a System File Checker scan
As mentioned, the error could be due to corrupted or damaged system files and one of the ways you can fix that is by running a System File Checker or SFC scan on your computer. To do so, follow these steps:
In the Windows Start Search, type “command prompt” and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results, and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
After opening Command Prompt with admin privileges, type the “sfc /scannow” and tap Enter to execute it.
Once the scan is finished, restart your computer and see if the “The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000005)” error is fixed or not.
Option 2 – Run the DISM tool
You can try running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the application error. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.
Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
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.
Option 3 – Try reinstalling the application
You might also want to uninstall the application and download its latest working version and then install it back again. Note that when you do this, you will lose all your app data.
Option 4 – Try to repair install Windows 10
First, you have to click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
Next, click the “Use the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)…” option and follow the next given instructions on the screen.
Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
After that, you should now have an ISO file.
Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with option and then select File Explorer.
Now click on “setup.exe” and follow the next instructions that appear on the screen. When asked, you have to select either Nothing (clean install) or Keep personal files only option. Take note that you must not select the “Keep personal files, apps, and Windows settings”.
Option 5 – Try scanning your computer using Windows Defender
It is possible that your computer is infected with malware which could be why you’re getting the “The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000005)” error. Thus, you need to scan your computer using Windows Defender.
Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.
Spying via some malicious app on the target phone is not a new thing but it can be very uncomfortable and even against the law in some countries.
Infecting the target phone can be done in various ways, another person can intentionally download and install applications on it, and you can install them via some phishing attacks or by an online scam. Once installed this piece of software presents a very serious invasion of privacy since it can track text messages, track phone location in real-time, record calls in real-time, eavesdrop on calls, take control of the camera and microphone, and many other applications.
Here are some common symptoms of mobile phones infected with spyware.
Symptoms of spyware
Random reboots Slow performance Strange text messages Overheating Unusual high data usage Non-familiar apps in the app list The fast drain of the battery Long shutdown time Strange interference and sounds during calls Signs of activity during standby mode
If your phone exhibits any of these symptoms you might have a spyware app installed and running on it.
Common spy apps
There are many apps that have been designed to spy on people that can be downloaded in the app store or on Google Play today. Most of these spyware apps are aimed at parents wanting to keep an eye on and protect their children. However, these can be used by anyone in order to spy on a target person via their phone.
Below is a list of common apps that can be used to spy on you. Many spyware apps require a phone to be ‘jailbroken’ or ‘rooted’ before being installed, this is when the phone’s operating system is changed to allow the phone to become unlocked and customizable.
mSpy : An undetectable spying app for iOS devices. It can be used to read your chats, see your location, view your email, check your call history, record your keystrokes, and more.
Spyera : This app requires rooted and jail-broken iPhones to work. It can go undetected and monitors phone calls and your call history. It even allows call recording and eavesdropping on live calls.
Flexispy : Flexispy prides itself as the #1 phone monitor for parents and can monitor everything from calls to social texts.
Umobix : This powerful spyware app has a dashboard that allows users to easily monitor someone’s location, calls, texts, keystrokes, all major social media, and more. You can detect Umobix because it heats up the infected phone and greatly affects the battery life of the infected device.
Ikey Monitor : Although it requires the device to be rooted for Android or jailbroken for iPhones, this spy app captures keystrokes, passwords, and screenshots, allows for call recording and supports multiple languages.
Clevguard : Available for both iOS and Android, Clevguard allows users to track GPS and Wi-Fi locations, capture screenshots remotely, and more. Due to a recent update, the spy app drains the target phone’s battery significantly.
Remove spyware from your phone
If any of the beforementioned apps are present on your phone you need to remove them right away.
Go to your phone settings and remove the malicious applications, then download some protection suite and scan the whole phone for any other trace of software remains or other malware apps.
We have talked about gaming on old computers and have covered new and upcoming Steam deck handheld console. Today we are combining old gaming with a handheld console and our target of talk is Retroid pocket 2. This product is packed with really high-quality plastic and with some great features in it.
So let's dive into this cool handheld in more detail and find out why we like it so much.
Good manufacturing quality
Plastic and overall manufacturing quality are really, really good. The battery is great, packing 4000mAh that can hold over 3 hours of nonstop gaming, and all buttons and joysticks are great. The screen is a 640 x 480 60Hz 3.5″ IPS screen (4:3 aspect ratio) that performs really great for its purpose, retro gaming. There is a Digital D-Pad and dual analog joysticks. The right joystick is the lower profile to avoid being accidentally moved when pressing the four gaming buttons. There are three buttons at the bottom which are Home, Start, and Select. On either side are good-quality stereo speakers. On the bottom of the device are a Micro SD Card slot and a 3.5mm headphone port. On the top of the device are Left and Right shoulder and trigger buttons. There are the power button and volume adjustments. There are a USB Type-C OTG port and a Micro HDMI output for connection to a TV.
Good technical statistics
Good, not great but then again since this is retro handheld you cannot really expect some crazy stuff like alder lake inside. So the console is punching ARM Cortex A7 CPU with 2 cores and a clock of 1.5GHz paired with ARM Mali 400-MP2 500MHz GPU. The console has 1GB LPDDR3 RAM memory and 8GB eMMC Storage where 5GB is freely available, the rest is taken for OS. As mentioned before the display is 640x480 resolution with a size of 3.5″. The battery is Lithium-Ion with a power of 4000mAh and on the handheld, there is a USB Type-C connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Micro-HDMI. It also has Wifi/Bluetooth 4.0
Retroid Pocket 2 OS and support
Pocket 2 comes with Android 6 but you can update its firmware to the 8.1 version on the official site that I would highly recommend. New versions of the handheld will come with 8.1 on it from the box. Having Android as OS opens many possibilities like you can download Android apps such as Steam Link, allowing you to play actual PC games on your Retroid Pocket 2. Not just that, if it does get a newer version of Android it could even have the ability to use xCloud, Xbox’s cloud gaming service. Of course, hardware will not be able to handle modern games but the option is still there and for some old PC titles available on steam like Commander Keen, for example, this is a great option.
The console can emulate basically everything up to Dreamcast, including N64, PSP, and Playstation 1. It can emulate Nintendo DS also, but it can only do so with one screen. The only problem with this console is you will need to install and update Apps. You’ll need to learn about RetroArch, an app that lets you download emulators or cores to play games.
Retroid price
The last thing on the list is the price of the console itself. Going just under the 100$ mark this really makes it an affordable option for plenty of people that would like to experience retro handheld gaming or for ones like me, nostalgic gamers wanting to relive some era of playing games on the road.
Conclusion
Among Chinese handheld devices for retro gaming, Retroid Pocket 2 is really on top of what the market can offer. If you are looking for a great handheld retro console and are not afraid of little dive-ins into the OS and various configurations, Pocket 2 will reward you with plenty and wide emulation support.
Typical use of file explorer will probably not need any kind of elevated privileges, but from time to time you might encounter some tasks that will require administrator rights in order to perform them. If this is the case you will need to run file explorer with these rights but inside Windows 11 that is somewhat hidden and not 1 click away.
How this is the case we have decided to put a little tutorial on how to accomplish this very task and run file explorer with administrator privileges.
Open File Explorer via EXE file
Open File Explorer typically
Navigate to This PC > Windows (C:) > Windows
Locate file explorer application
Right-click on it and select Run as Administrator
Run File Explorer
A new instance of file explorer will pop with elevated administrator privileges.
Run it as an administrator using the Task Manager
Open the Task Manager ( CTRL + SHIFT + ESC )
Click on More details (at the bottom)
After the task manager expands click on the File tab
Click on Run New Task
Type in explorer.exe and check the box next to it that says Create this task with administrative privileges