Have you been feeling anxious in the digital space? Feeling like you have a million eyes on you each time you visit a website? It can definitely make you uneasy. Luckily there’s an easy fix, and it’s called a VPN.
In this article we’ll take you through the basics of what a VPN does and some of the biggest benefits you can reap from buying one.
VPN: definition and how it works
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, so its name already says a lot about what it does.
A VPN is specialized software that keeps your browsing private and secure. Essentially it hides your identity, preventing possible cyberattacks and data theft. This is especially important in cases of public network use, where you’re highly exposed to potential threats.
To be more specific, this software encrypts your Internet Protocol (IP) address by filtering it through a server hosted by the VPN provider first. That way, it prevents your Internet service provider, third parties and lurking online thieves from tracking the actual you.
Credit: FLY:D on Unsplash
Some providers, such as Surfshark VPN with its IP Rotator feature, even make it a habit to frequently change your IP address to further protect your identity. With most VPN providers, you can also appear to be in a completely different country, adding to your disguise.
There are tons of advantages you can look forward to if you decide to use a VPN. Take a look at some of the crucial ones.
Benefits of using a VPN
When choosing a VPN, you can find both free and paid options. We recommend you go with the paid ones, since they have stronger security, encryption and data protection, as well as more advanced features. Free VPNs come with limitations and risk of malicious attacks on the software itself.
You can choose to buy a singular VPN service or opt for antivirus software that has a VPN built in, for example Bitdefender’s Ultimate Security plan. That depends on what you use your computer for and how much.
When you pick one, here’s what it can do for you.
1. Access region-specific content
When we said you could change your location, we meant it. Say you’re using a streaming service and a show you desperately want to watch isn’t available in your country. You can use your VPN to make it look like you’re browsing from a country where it’s unlocked.
This option is also convenient for gamers who want to access maps, skins and other in-game items unavailable in their location.
In addition, you can use this powerful feature when you’re traveling to a region where some of your favorite content may not be accessible.
Do keep in mind that you need to read the Terms and Conditions (yeah, we know - who does that?) of your games and services before doing this, since you could end up getting a penalty. It’s also important to remember that there are entire countries that have strict regulations or even bans on VPNs, for example Belarus, Russia and China. So make sure to be very cautious with your VPN use, friends.
2. Browse like no one’s watching
VPNs shield your browsing habits from prying eyes on the web. Those can be malicious hackers or just third-party cookies tracking your every move to later bombard you with targeted ads. For example, Surfshark VPN features a Cookie blocker that blocks all cookie-related pop-ups and lets you browse in peace (and secret). It works even when the VPN is turned off, which is also pretty neat.
In addition, their CleanWeb 2.0 technology makes sure ads and especially malware don’t stand a chance at all, since they’re blocked before they can even load.
The inability of sites to track your browsing means they can’t collect and analyze any of your data. So, your personal information - or your company’s information in case that’s what you’re using your computer for - is entirely hidden and secure.
3. Save money
It’s well-known that the prices of certain items and services vary based on your location, browsing time, age and many other factors. This most commonly goes for airline tickets and hotel stays.
You can use your VPN to avoid high prices and surcharges. Clear all cookies, turn on your VPN and visit an online shopping site to check out their prices. Then compare your findings with the offers you see when your VPN is off, when you spend a long time on the site or have an active account with the company.
Sometimes this can really help you find the best deals and avoid breaking the bank. But again, check the Terms and Conditions before you purchase something using a VPN.
4. Secure your smart home
The more smart devices you have connected to your network, the more exposed you are to potential cyberattacks. Phones and computers are generally designed to be decently secure even without a VPN or antivirus, but smart home devices leave a lot to be desired in that regard.
Protecting your home network with a VPN software means all devices connected to it are secure, be it an air purifier or Alexa.
Credit Bence Boros on Unsplash
5. Prevent connection slowdown
Your ISP can intentionally slow down your internet speed based on how much data you’ve consumed (data throttling) or your activities online (bandwidth throttling).
But with a VPN, what kind of data you send and receive and how much is entirely hidden. Therefore, if your ISP can’t see you, they can’t control you and they can’t throttle down your speed.
The bottom line
You can never be too safe online. So definitely think about getting yourself a solid VPN to pump up your privacy and security as much as you can. And if you have any questions or need help choosing the perfect software for you, feel free to reach out to us.
Windows defender error 0x800700AA, service can not be started comes when the user is trying to run Windows defender scan on their system.
This kind of behavior happens for two reasons mostly, third-party application conflict or corrupted system files.
In this article, we will tackle both scenarios and provide you with solutions in both cases.
Third-party application conflict
In this rare scenario when Windows defender can not start scan due to conflict with installed service or application in the system solution is quite simple. Restart your PC into safe mode and run the scan from there. In a safe mode environment, minimum drivers and services are only loaded eliminating any conflicts that might occur when everything is booted. If Windows defender can not run the scan in safe mode and you get the same 0x800700AA error then you can eliminate application conflict as a reason and move to the next solution which will tackle corrupted system files. If you, however, managed to run a scan then you have a rare third-party application conflict, you can boot normally into windows and try to eliminate one by one to see which one is causing the issue. The safest bet would be to start with security software because most of the time that is what causes conflicts in running services and applications.
Corrupted system files
If the previous solution has not provided you with results then you have system file corruption that needs to be fixed. Move from one solution to another as presented below:
Run SFC scan
SFC scan is a built-in Windows tool for solving corrupted system files issues, it is fully automated and does not require from the user any kind of knowledge or information. To run it and scan the system do the following:
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu
Left-click on the command prompt (admin)
In command prompt type SFC /SCANNOW and press ENTER
Wait for the process to finish, do not interrupt it and once it is done, restart your computer
Run DISM scan
DISM scan is similar to SFC scan but it tackles different types of system file corruption and it is recommended to run it also after SFC has been completed. Please note that for DISM scan to be successful you will need a stable internet connection since DISM will replace corrupted files with new ones downloaded from Microsoft. To run it do the following:
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu
Left-click on the command prompt (admin)
inside command prompt type: exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth followed by ENTER, then type: Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth also followed with ENTER.
Leave scan to finish and reboot your PC
When you encounter an error message that says, Chassis Intruded…Fatal Error…System Halted on your monitor then it indicates that the Chassis or the cabinet that holds the CPU, GPU, motherboard, and many more is open. It is a security feature offered by OEMs wherein a connector that is found in the motherboard can detect if the chassis component has been replaced or removed. There are a few OEMs that offer onboard speaker or PC chassis speaker which goes off in this kind of situation.
Obviously, the problem has something to do with the hardware and in most cases, you have to put the jumper back on the motherboard with the pin-labeled chassis signal and ground. There are times when some OEMs offer a simple switch that is armed automatically when you properly close the chassis. Thus, you need to check if this switch has something to do with the error. If there is no switch or if it doesn’t resolve the issue, although you may be able to get into Windows with a warm boot, the normal Windows boot won’t really work unless you fix the problem. It is rather false positive and has something to do with the RTC RAM state or the BIOS. You might need to completely disable the Chassis intrusion feature to fix the error.
Refer to the suggestions given below to try and fix the “Chassis Intruded, Fatal Error … System Halted” error.
Option 1 – Try to clear CMOS
You can easily clear CMOS by shorting two pins which can be found side by side on the motherboard. Keep in mind that it may vary from OEM to OEM although the basics are still the same to clear CMOS. In addition, you might also have to download the manual from the OEM’s website so that you’ll know its exact location.
Option 2 – Try booting into the BIOS
You can also try booting into the BIOS. All you have to do is tap either the DEL or F2 keys to get there. Note that everything will be set back to their default setting after you reset the CMOS.
Option 3 – Try disabling Chassis intrusion
In this option, you have to look for the Chassis intrusion feature in your BIOS. It might be located under security. From there, disable it and check if the problem’s fixed.
Option 4 – Try to reconfigure the BIOS
Once you have disabled the Chassis feature, you need to reconfigure the BIOS the way you expect it to be or to what it was before the reset.
If you aren’t able to pull up any website and instead got the ERR QUIC PROTOCOL ERROR error message in Google Chrome then read on as this post will help you resolve the problem. When you encounter such an error in Chrome, you will see the following error message:
“This site can’t be reached, The webpage at [website URL] might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address, ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR”
This kind of error message pops up when the URL is down. However, if you are certain that the site is not down and you’re still seeing this error message, then troubleshoot further using the suggestions given below.
Option 1 – Try to disable the QUIC Protocol
QUIC is an experimental transport layer network protocol that is present in Google Chrome in order to establish a connection between two endpoints over UDP. So if there is any problem on the development side, you will most likely encounter ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR on your Google Chrome browser when you try to open any website. Thus, you have to disable the QUIC protocol in order to resolve the error. How? Simply follow the steps below.
Open your Google Chrome browser.
Now type in “chrome://flags/” in the address bar and hit Enter.
After that, look for the Experimental QUIC protocol which should be set by default.
Then expand the drop-down menu and select Disable.
Restart Google Chrome and see if the error is fixed or not.
Option 2 – Disable VPN
As mentioned, if you are using VPN, this could be the reason why you’re getting the Windows Update error 0x800F0922 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. Although it’s understandable that you might have to use a VPN connection to connect to the work network, you really have to disable it at least until the Windows Update is no longer stuck in the error 0x800F0922. It would be best if you do this when you are not working.
Option 3 – Disable the Proxy server
You can also try to disable the Proxy server to fix the ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR in Chrome. Refer to these steps to do so:
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.
If you use Microsoft-developed programs, then you might experience this error code on your PC. It indicates programming limitations. This error, Error 1713 may pop up during the installation of 2007 or 2010 Microsoft Office Suite. The error message appears in the format stated below:
“Error 1713: Microsoft Office has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”
Common symptoms for error 1713 include system crashes, system freeze and sometimes you may feel your Windows running sluggishly.
Solution
Error Causes
Error 1713 may be triggered due to many reasons. However, common causes for this error occurrence include:
Corrupt Microsoft Office Software
Corrupt Windows Registry
Malware
Deleted Microsoft Office Related Files
Further Information and Manual Repair
No matter, what the cause of this error is, it is advisable to resolve it immediately without any delays. This error may pose serious threats to your PC is not repaired timely and also cause you a great deal of inconvenience limiting you from using Microsoft software programs.
Here are some of the best and easy DIY methods that you can try to resolve this issue. To work around these methods you don’t have to be a technical whiz or a computer programmer.
Let’s get started:
Method 1 - Use System Restore to Undo Changes Made Recently
During any program deletion, you may have accidentally deleted Microsoft related files because of which you may be experiencing error 1713 on your PC.
In such an event, the best way to resolve is to undo recent system changes. To do this, use Windows System Restore Utility. This is inbuilt in Windows.
To access System Restore Utility, simply press start and type System Restore in the search box and press enter. Now follow the steps in the Wizard to choose a restore point. Once you select, reboot your PC to activate changes.
Method 2 - Update Drivers
One of the many causes of error 1713 is hardware failure. Hardware failure indicates driver issues. To resolve the problem it is advisable to delete the outdated drivers and update new versions on your PC.
Method 3 - Scan for Malware
Malware can also trigger such error codes on your system and corrupt important files. Therefore remove malware immediately from your PC by running an antivirus. Antivirus will detect and delete all malicious programs in no time.
Method 4 - Repair the Registry
Broken entries, junk files, and invalid registry keys corrupt the registry thereby generating error codes. To resolve you first need to clean the registry and repair it. For this download Restoro. It is a PC Fixer deployed with a registry cleaner. The registry cleaner removes all bad entries stored in the registry, cleans it and repairs the damaged files in just a few clicks.
Click here to download Restoro.
Error code 0xd0000272 is an activation error code that occurs when Windows users are unable to activate their Windows operating system. This error code features common symptoms which include the following:
Inability to activate Windows 10 operating system
Message box with error code 0xd0000272
Solution
Error Causes
When error code 0xd0000272 occurs in Windows 10, it is usually due to issues related to the Windows activation servers. In such a case where the error code occurs due to an activation server that is temporarily unavailable, users may need to wait for a few hours until the activation server is available. Their copy of Windows will then be automatically activated. Once the activation process is not done accordingly, you might encounter other Windows 10 errors such as error code 0xc004f034.
Further Information and Manual Repair
As is the case with many activation error codes, Windows 10 users can perform several manual repair methods to determine the cause as well as fix the error code affecting their device. Instead of passively waiting to see if your activation error code will be fixed on its own, resolve error code 0xd0000272 through the manual repair methods available. Below are simple instructions that when followed can lead to your success.
Method One: Verify Internet Connection
Check Settings to verify if your machine is connected to the Internet. This is one of the causes of various error codes which affect Windows 10. Also, this manual method is a simple process that can help Windows users recognize or eliminate factors that may or may not be affecting their system. To check your Internet connection, follow the simple instructions below.
Step one: Click the Start button and select Settings
Step two: Select Network & Internet
Step three: Click the Status section of the Network & Internet tab
Once you’ve been able to verify an Internet connection or troubleshoot any issues related to your network, go to Update & security. Make an attempt to activate your system. If you are successful, you will be able to access all the features and benefits offered via your copy of Windows. However, move to the next manual method below if error code 0xd0000272 reoccurs.
Method Two: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
Your inability to activate Windows 10 may be related to an issue with Windows Update. To verify whether or not Windows Update is functioning properly, run Windows Update Troubleshooter.
You’ll need to visit the Microsoft website to access their Windows Update Troubleshoot tool. Once you’ve downloaded the troubleshooter, run the tool. After running the tool, check if you are able to access Windows Update services as well as activate Windows 10. If the problem with error code 0xd0000272 persists, however, follow the instructions provided for manual repair method three detailed below.
Method Three: Disable Proxy Settings
Another option available to individuals experiencing error code 0xd0000272 in Windows 10 is to manually disable their machine’s proxy settings. After disabling the proxy settings, remember to open the Windows Update tab to complete the activation process. See the instructions provided below to disable proxy settings.
Step one: Press Windows key + R
Step two: Type control then click OK
Step three: Select Settings then go to Network & Internet
Step four: View connection settings
Step five: Click on the Network tab
Step six: Click Proxy -- turn off proxy
Once you have successfully disabled your proxy settings, open Windows Update. Select the activation option to access your copy of Windows 10. If you are unable to complete the activation process, however, contact a Windows repair technician.
Method Four: Use an Automated Tool
Error codes in Windows often occur due to poor maintenance of one’s PC. To improve your system and reduce your machine’s risk of experiencing error codes, download a powerful automated tool. This tool is both powerful and user-friendly, making its benefits accessible to even the most non-technical Windows users.
We have all experienced Windows errors over time and that can range from simple ones that will do very little to no harm and can be even system breaking making us lose our work or completely making the PC unusable. No one likes them but they happen, and usually, they happen once we least expect them.
No matter how frequent and unpleasant they might be there are ways to keep them at the minimum and even avoid them.
We will discuss steps that you can take in order to do this, simple tips and guides on how to keep your computer in top form and eliminate not just Windows, but any kind of errors altogether.
Keep your hardware clean
Believe it or not, some serious Windows errors like the dreaded blue screen of death can come from hardware issues not from the software at all. It is very important to keep your computer clean and with enough air flow so it can function properly.
Keeping applications on the drive might seem harmless but sadly that is not the case. Some applications have a certain impact on the system itself after all most of them are tweaking registry entries in Windows and sometimes having too many applications means an increased possibility of conflict over certain resources even when they are not running.
Some applications like adobe creative suite, for example, will have certain services always running in the background, and more of these kinds of applications you have, more services, more places for unexpected errors when they collide. Some of them will also install certain dependencies that could be problematic.
The general idea is: if you are not using it, uninstall it and you will be safer and more resilient to errors inside OS.
Do not use pirated or cracked software
Besides moral and law implications that using pirated or cracked software might bring you there are also certain other things that might be problematic. Certain "free" software might come packet with some problematic malware, for example, it is not uncommon for attackers to use some popular software to pack their malicious application with it.
Other things might be wrong and incomplete tweaking with application in order to bypass security and thus bringing some instability due to scripts needed to run in order to achieve this goal.
Keep your drivers updated
Errors can also come from old drivers or bad drivers, device manufacturers are not all-knowing and perfect, and sometimes drivers can wreak havoc on the system. Having updated drivers can minimize any kind of unexpected behaviors inside the operating system making it more stable and reliable.
You can check your driver version in the control panel inside the Windows OS and then compare it to the ones found on the manufacturer's site, if there are newer available it is recommended to download and install them,
Keep software updated
Applications can have bugs, and bugs can lead to certain errors both in the system and when using the app as well. It is in your best interest to get the latest patch or newer version of the software in order to avoid these unpleasant experiences.
Also, certain codecs and extensions that are installed directly in Windows can also have some unpredictable behavior, updating is the best solution to keep them in line.
Keep Windows updated
Same as with drivers and applications, Windows itself is not immune from bugs and some unpredictable issues. Luckily Microsoft is always working on fixes and features of Windows but in order to actually have benefited from that work, you will need to keep Windows updated. Sometimes a bad update can introduce some errors but you can always roll back to the previous and wait for them to fix everything and then download them all.
Check the health of your hardware regularly
Hardware components have their life cycle, more quality ones tend to last longer but eventually, they will reach the end of their lifecycle. There are a lot of testers for various components in your computer that can check different things and provide you with information about the state of your components.
If you are on Windows 11, Microsoft has included a basic health app inside OS, just type PC health check in search and start the app. For some more detailed information and advanced checks, you will have to use a custom application. There are plenty of them specialized for single components like RAM, SSD, etc. A simple google search with providing you with top results and most of them are free for personal use.
Remember, a faulty component or component that is reaching its life cycle can produce many errors inside the operating system.
If this unfortunate COVID-19 worldwide pandemic has managed to teach us, I would argue it is that our health is the most important thing. So in that spirit, we will continue in this article reviewing some of the best fitness trackers that can be found in the time of writing this article in 2021.
Now the market for fitness trackers is not small by any means and offerings are also not small, from no-name manufacturers costing only a few bucks to more serious one’s going slightly over 100 USD there is a fitness tracker for everyone.
In this particular article, we will not focus on cheap few dollars no-name ones, instead, we will be offering top ones in the field among some in the middle range simply because we can stand behind them considering quality and precision.
Fitbit Charge 4 fitness and activity tracker
Fitbit is not a pioneer company in the world of fitness trackers and it shows. Charge 4 model offers maybe the best quality, performance, and features for its price. It stands out with implemented GPS meaning that you will need your phone for tracking workouts. It also offers step tracking, sleep tracking, automatic workout-tracking, active zone minutes, etc.
It weighs 30g and has 1 inch grayscale OLED. Battery life is said to hold up to 4 days if you use built-in GPS regularly, if you decide to use GPS constantly device will last only 5 hours. Without GPS it can last up to 7 days and it is water-resistant and waterproof up to 50 meters.
Amazfit Band 5
Amazon’s offering of fitness tracker is aimed at beginners and as such, it is lacking some advanced features including an automated working tracker or GPS, also the model does not have replaceable bands so customization is not an option.
It does however offer activity and sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring and it is the only model that integrates with Alexa. The manufacturer states that the battery can last up to 15 days depending on usage which places Amazfit Band 5 as a device that has a longer life of use.
The device itself is packed with a 1.1-inch color OLED and it weights 12g. It is splash-resistant, not water-resistant.
Xiaomi Mi Band 6
Xiaomi tracker is the best budget version on this list including in it 30 sport modes like running, cycling, yoga, swimming, and more. Battery life is not bad also packing up to 14 days of life but only if the device is not used constantly.
It has activity and sleep tracking, a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, customizable replicable bands and it is water-resistant up to 50m.
It comes in a 1.56 inch AMOLED color display and it weighs 63g. The device also has menstrual health tracking making it a great device for women.
Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 fitness tracker
Now we are getting into serious and little more expensive ones. Galaxy Fit 2 is among the top-notch trackers currently on the market. It of course can work along with Samsung’s smartwatches and mobile phones. Packed in the military-grade 1.1-inch casing with color AMOLED and weighing 91g with battery life up to 21 days and water resistance up to 50m this bracelet is an absolute beast.
It comes packed with features from standard sleep tracking to automated workout-tracking but it also has a connection to Samsung’s Health mobile app to choose from over 90 workouts, it monitors heart rate and stress levels making it really one of the complete solutions for serious fitness enthusiasts.
Garmin Vivosmart 4 fitness tracker
Last on our list is Garmin vivosmart 4. The device itself is not very impressive, 7 days battery life with 0.7 inch OLED display and 17g weight packed with 50m water resistance is nothing spectacular, Samsung’s model is packing better hardware and way more battery life but all of the mentioned devices fall flat if we compare software to Garvin.
Garvin’s Vivosmart 4 software is best on the list, it keeps track of your steps, sleep, calories burned, floors climbed, various exercises, and heart rate as standard features but you'll have advanced sleep tracking with REM sleep. It can also gauge blood oxygen saturation levels during the night with its wrist-based Pulse Ox sensor. In addition, a relaxation breathing timer complements the all-day stress tracking feature. Lastly, the "Body Battery" monitor helps optimize your daily activities based on your energy levels making it truly the only complete tracking solution on this list.
That's it for our review of fitness trackers of today, be sure to come back each day to find more interesting articles and tips for your everyday digital life.
Odyssey Neo G9 is a successor to Odyssey G9 curved gaming monitor and it is aimed again at the gaming community with its specifications but of course, it can be used for work as well.
Gapping at a stunning $2500 USD price it is not really a cheap piece of hardware so it is normal to see what do you get for this kind of price and do features justify it, so let’s dive in.
Size and resolution
The first thing that you can notice about the screen is that it is big and curved, 49 inches big which is pretty big, and with it, I believe you can forget about using 2 or 3 screens because this single one will cover everything you need really.
Going as far as 5120 X 1440 resolution is the strange definition, basically, this is 5K which is kind of nice but I do not see the advantage. Sure it is larger than 4K, but for the price of $2500 I expected an 8K monstrosity so if the resolution is not the main price justification then what is? Let’s move on and find out.
Odyssey tech specs
The monitor comes with HDR and 240Hz refresh rate which is very nice and coupled with 1ms pixel response time, adaptive sync, and Variable Refresh Rate you get pretty good other tech specs.
All of this is very nice but the monitor's strongest selling point is Mini Led tech. Mini Led is a next-gen tech currently found only in high-end TVs. With this technology, monitors can produce truer blacks sort of speak thanks to a greater number of dimming zones.
Odyssey Neo G9 is rated at 2000 nits in the brightness values and local dimming zones go to stunning 2048. It comes also with Quantum HDR that supports 10+, Freesync, and G-Sync capability. In connection, the department monitor comes with a single display 1.4 port and two HDMI 2.1 ports. It also includes a headphone jack along with two USB 3.0 ports.
Conclusion
While the resolution of the monitor is nothing impressive for the given price, its size and the rest of the tech specs surely are. Now I will not lie, the price is still a little too high but if you could afford it easily I think you should.
As you know, the CHKDSK utility is proven to be one of the useful tools to fix any issues that concerns file system, storage, and disk. However, as useful as it may be, it is still not immune to issues as you could encounter errors when running it. One of these errors is the “One such error is the CHKDSK cannot continue in read-only mode” error. If you receive such an error message while running CHKDSK, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will help you sort the problem out.
It is possible that the drive is read-only or that the Write Protection is enabled. It could also be that the drive is already being used and scanned by a different program or utility. To get rid of this error, there are a couple of suggestions you need to check out. You can try to run the CHKDSK utility from Recovery or run it on Boot. You could also try to disable Write Protection. For more detailed steps, follow the given instructions below.
Option 1 – Try to run the CHKDSK utility from Recovery
The first thing you can do to resolve the error in CHKDSK is to run the CHKDSK utility from Recovery. How? Follow these steps:
First, boot into the installation environment for Windows 10 from a Windows installation media.
Next, click on the “Repair your computer” option.
After that, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
After opening Command Prompt, type this command and tap Enter: chkdsk <Partition Letter>: /r /f
Wait until the disk error checking process is completed.
Once it’s done, exit the Command Prompt window and restart your computer and then see if the error is fixed.
Option 2 – Try running the CHKDSK utility on Boot
On the other hand, you can also try to run the CHKDSK utility on Boot so you can fix the error and recover any damaged segments of the drive.
Open an elevated Command Prompt and enter this command: chkdsk /r
After that, you will a message that says, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”
Type Y and tap Enter to schedule a CHKDSK scan once your computer reboots next time.
Option 3 – Try to remove the Write Protection from the drive
As mentioned, removing the Write-Protection on the concerned drive could also help you fix the problem and there are two ways to get rid of the write protection – you can either use the Diskpart utility or the Registry Editor. How? Refer to the following steps.
Via Diskpart utility:
Open Command Prompt with admin privileges and then type the “diskpart” command and tap Enter to execute it.
Next, type “list disk” and tap Enter to get the list of all the Disk connects or all the partitions that are formed on those disks.
After that, you need to choose one command depending on the list of commands you entered. Type “select disk #” and tap Enter to select the disk or partition you want to select.
Then type “attribute disk clear readonly” and tap Enter to Disable the Write Protection on the selected disk or partition.
Via Registry Editor:
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and type “Regedit” in the field and then tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
If you are using a Windows Update Standalone Installer to install Windows Updates in your Windows 10 computer but you suddenly encounter an error saying, “Installer encountered an error: 0x80096002, The certificate for the signer of the message is invalid or not found”, read on as this post will guide you on how you can fix it.
This kind of error could be due to the vendor’s certificate that might have become invalid, compromised, or pulled. Aside from that, it is also possible that the update is not targeted at your OS version. You could get this error when you try to install an incompatible update or software on your computer. This error can also appear due to misconfigured system files or when you try to install BitLocker To Go Drive Encryption or BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool. To fix this error, you can try to run the standalone installer in Compatibility mode or enable the Windows Identity Foundation or run the Windows Update troubleshooter.
Make sure to check if the error was resolved after every suggestion. It will help you learn what fixed the problem.
Option 1 – Try to run the installer in Compatibility mode
Look for the setup file.
Once you find it, right-click on it and select Properties from the context menu.
After that, go to the Compatibility tab and mark the checkbox for “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” and from the drop-down list, select the Windows OS version you want the installer to run on.
You also have to check the “Run as administrator” option.
Now click the Apply button and then click OK to save the changes made and check if it has resolved the issue or not.
Option 2 – Try to troubleshoot compatibility
This option is almost the same as the first one except it is an alternative way of fixing the error 0x80096002 in case the first one didn’t work. In this option, you will troubleshoot the compatibility issue.
Look for the setup file.
Then right-click on it and select the “Troubleshoot compatibility” from the context menu.
After that, click on the “Try recommended setting” option. Once the process is done, the error message should be gone.
Option 3 – Try to enable the Windows Identity Foundation
You might also want to enable the Windows Identity Foundation as some users reported that it helped in resolving the error for them. To do so, follow these steps:
In the Windows Start Search, type “Turn Windows features on or off” and click on the matching result.
This will open a list of Windows Features and from there, look for the Windows Identity Foundation.
Once you found it, click on its checkbox and click OK to enable it and save the changes made.
Now see if it has fixed the error or not. If not, you have to disable the feature.
Option 4 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter is one of the things you can first check out as it is known to automatically resolve any Windows Update errors like error 0x80096002. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.