What Is Phishing And How Can You Protect Yourself From It?
Ever gotten an e-mail offer that seemed just a little bit too good to be true? Might’ve been a phishing attempt! These are everywhere and can come in many different forms.
So what’s phishing exactly, how can you detect it and how can you keep safe?
What is phishing?
Phishing (pronounced like fishing) is a type of cyberattack that tricks the user into trusting the source and revealing sensitive information. Fishing being the perfect analogy, the bait is a legitimate-looking site, e-mail or file and when you take a bite, your identity, banking information and much more can be revealed and stolen.
Some phishing attempts are incredibly obvious, others are super elaborate. Like with most types of malware, cybercriminals have become extremely well-versed in phishing and anyone can fall for it. To help you recognize and avoid it, we’ll take you through a couple of phishing types and give you tips on what to do if faced with them.
Phishing techniques
E-mail phishing
This is actually the most common type of phishing. A cybercriminal creates an e-mail containing stuff like attractive offers, legitimate-looking attachments or links and makes it appear as though it’s coming from a trusted source.
For example, it looks like it’s coming from your bank or your favorite retailer. The logo looks legit and the structure of the e-mail seems familiar, so you might get tricked into clicking on whatever clickable content is in it.
Unfortunately this exposes your device to malware that hands your data off to the hacker, who can decide what to do with it further.
SMS and social media phishing
Like the above example, you could be approached with lucrative offers or links via text messages or social media messages. Typically, the messages seem relevant to the user as they will be made to look like they’re related to apps or services you’re using.
Voice phishing
Voice phishing attacks are schemes that appear as though they’re coming from a credible number. Normally, you’ll get a call about something related to credit cards or taxes to get you into a state of worry, leading you to disclose personal information on the phone.
Spear phishing, whaling and BEC
Spear phishing normally targets specific individuals within a company who are likely to have access to sensitive data. Spear phishers spend time collecting information they can use to reach out to the individual looking as trustworthy as possible. They’ll typically lead with something relevant, for example mentioning an upcoming company event, and make a seemingly legitimate request.
Whaling is a more elaborate form of spear phishing, which targets people in even stronger positions such as executives or high-value individuals. The ultimate goal is to get them to transfer financial or other sensitive information that can be used to compromise the entire business.
BEC, or Business e-mail compromise, is a specific spear phishing technique carried out via e-mail. While there are many ways this is done, most commonly you’ll see instances where the phisher poses as a CEO or similar executive, or as a lower-level employee in specific positions (e.g. sales managers or financial controllers).
In the first situation, the impersonator reaches out to employees requesting them to transfer certain files or pay invoices. In the second situation, the phisher takes control of the employee’s e-mail account and sends false instructions to other employees in order to obtain data and information from them.
What can you do?
There are many ways you can be aware and spot a phishing attempt. Here are some tips:
Always check the sender’s address in your e-mails, even when they seem to come from a familiar source.
In any instance where payment information is requested, be very, very careful.
If you are receiving attachments you never asked for and definitely didn’t expect, better not click on them.
Beware of content that transmits a sense of urgency (sales deals, urgent updates to login credentials, etc.).
Bad spelling and grammar are usually a telltale sign of phishing.
Links that look shortened (e.g. Bit.ly) or just suspicious in general - if you have a bad feeling, do not click on them.
If you are receiving threats, you probably shouldn’t be clicking on anything in that message.
Always examine first-time senders in detail.
Block suspicious e-mail addresses, numbers and social media accounts.
If you are receiving a coupon for free stuff… You aren’t.
If you’re being asked to update your payment details by a service you use, such as Netflix, chances are it’s an impersonator.
Those are some of the ways to identify and prevent phishing attacks. However, sometimes phishers disguise themselves a little too well or a misclick happens and there you go - you’ve been exposed to malware.
This won’t happen if you invest in powerful protection software from the get-go, though. A good antivirus program like Bitdefender will keep you safe from becoming a victim of phishing scams. In fact, it will protect you from malicious attacks overall.
Be it your household or your business you’re concerned about, there are a bunch of different packages and options available, providing different kinds of cybersecurity services. That’s the only way you can ever really be sure you aren’t at risk of a digital attack.
Summary
Have you ever been targeted by phishers and didn’t know that’s what it was until you read this article? Many can relate. Protect yourself before it’s too late!
CLR20R3 error is received when you are launching an application in Windows 10. It can happen because of two reasons, a corrupted application file or missing system components. Keep on reading in order to find solutions to fix this error.
Run the program in compatibility mode
Locate problematic application executable file
Right-click on executable
Click on properties
Go to the compatibility tab and try running the application in the previous version of Windows or as an administrator.
Reset Windows media component
Right-click on Start, then left-click on command prompt (admin)
In command prompt type next command and after each line of command press ENTERregsvr32 atl.dllcd C:\WINDOWS\eHomeehSched /unregServerehSched /serviceehRecvr /unregServerehRecvr /serviceehRec.exe /unregServerehRec.exe /regserverehmsas.exe /unregServerehmsas.exe /regserver
Reinstall Windows media player
Go to control panel
Click on Program and Features > Turn Windows feature on or off.
Expand Media Features, uncheck Windows Media Player, and click Ok.
Restart your PC, go through the same steps, tick Windows Media Player, and restart your computer once again.
Reinstall .NET framework
Go to control panel
Click on Program and Features > Turn Windows feature on or off.
Uncheck “.NET Framework 3.5” and “.NET Framework 4.8”, and click Ok.
Restart your computer, go through the same steps, check “.NET Framework 3.5” and “.NET Framework 4.8”, and restart your computer once again.
The Sysfader iexplore.exe Application Error - What is it?
To understand Sysfader iexplore.exe application error, first, it is important to learn what is Sysfade.exe file.
Sysfader.exe is basically an IE (Internet Explorer) application file that provides cool animation effects. These animation effects include fading menus in and out, animated windows and etc. It is responsible for the graphical enhancements for animated pages.
The Sysfader iexplore.exe application error occurs when this file fails to execute properly and open animated websites on Internet Explorer.
The error code is displayed in the following format:
“SysFader: iexplore.exe – Application ErrorThe instruction at “0×00000000″ referenced memory at “0×00000000″. The memory could not be “read”.”
Solution
Error Causes
The Sysfader iexplorer.exe application error may be triggered due to many causes. These include:
Sysfader.exe file corrupted by malware and spyware
Recently upgraded Internet Explorer which resulted in the Sysfader iexplorer.exe application error due to incompatibility issues with the system program.
Issues with IE configuration
Damaged registry files
Damaged DLL files
Obsolete and bad registry entries
Due to Sysfader iexplorer.exe application error, your Internet Explorer browser may crash. Furthermore if the error is not fixed timely, it may result in even more severe PC problems like system slowdown, system crash and failure.
This happens especially when Sysfader iexplorer.exe application error is related to the registry.
The registry saves all the activities performed on the computer. This also includes junk files, invalid registry entries, bad registry keys, cookies, temporary internet files, and files of the programs uninstalled.
If the registry is not cleaned frequently, these obsolete files overload the RAM causing great deal of damage to the registry. When you try to upgrade your browser, the installation fails and results in browser incompatibility issues because of the previous files of the uninstalled program saved in the registry.
Furthermore, the error code may also pop up due to the Sysfader.exe file corrupted by malicious software like spyware and adware on your system if you don’t run an antivirus on your system regularly.
Further Information and Manual Repair
To prevent IE web browser and your PC from coming crashing, here are some solutions that you can try to resolve the Sysfader iexplorer.exe application error:
Repair and restore the registry by changing the configuration settings in the Registry Editor Window. This is accessible by typing ‘Regedit’ in the Run window. However, to edit the configuration settings manually and restore the registry, you should be technically sound. If not then making the changes would be slightly complex and time-consuming for you.
However, another alternative to this is to download Restoro. Restoro is a powerful, advanced, and highly functional PC repair tool that includes multiple utilities such as a registry cleaner and a system optimizer. The registry cleaning feature scans your entire PC for registry issues triggering error codes like Sysfader iexplorer.exe.It wipes out all the unnecessary and obsolete files and fixes the damaged dll files thus simultaneously restoring the registry. The antivirus utility scans for and removes viruses and spyware from your PC which as we explained earlier could be the reason for Sysfader error code.
With Restoro, it takes only a few seconds to resolve this error and repair the registry. If you have system slowdown issues, it takes care of that too.
It has simple navigations and a user-friendly interface which makes it very easy to operate even if you are not technically sound. It is safe, efficient, and compatible on all Windows versions including Vista, XP, Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.
Click here to download Restoro and resolve Sysfader iexplorer.exe application error on your PC today!
Installing programs on your Windows 10 computer does not go smoothly as you could encounter some issues along the way that could prevent you from successfully installing the program. One of the common errors you can encounter during the installation of programs is Error 2753. There are times when the packages are corrupted or those packages are not working properly or it wasn’t able to create files and paths. When you encounter this kind of error, you will get the following error message:
“Error 2753, The File is not marked for installation.”
Note that this kind of error is not bound to only some specific files but it can also happen with any file, be it an executable file or an MSI file. To fix this error, here are some possible solutions that you could try.
Option 1 – Fresh download the setup file
The first thing you can do is to fresh download the setup file from the official homepage and then place it in a different location. Just make sure that you download the correct setup file that’s compatible with your operating system. Then restart your computer and sign in as administrator. After that, right-click on the setup file and select the Run as administrator to proceed with the installation.
Option 2 – Try removing all the previous versions of the software
If there is a previous version of the program that’s still installed on your computer, you need to uninstall that program since it might be the reason why you’re getting Error 2753.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box
Then type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
From there, look for the previous version of the program you are trying to install, select it and then click on Uninstall to remove it.
After that, restart your computer and try to install the latest version of the program again. It should work now. If not, proceed to the next available option below.
Option 3 – Run the setup file as administrator
The setup file may need more permission in order to execute properly and so you need to run it as an administrator. To do so, you need to give it more privileges for it to work as intended by its developer.
Right-click on the setup file and select the Run as administrator option.
Afterward, a User Account Control or UAC prompt will appear and from there, click on Yes and then check if the file runs or not.
Note: If the setup file does not run, you may have to take ownership of the folder where the setup file is located. To take ownership of the folder, refer to these steps:
First, locate the concerned folder and right-click on it then select Properties.
Next, click on the Edit button in the Properties window and click OK to confirm if you got a User Account Control elevation request.
After that, select user/group from the permission windows or click on the Add button to add another user or group. It would be best if you add “Everyone” to give permission.
Then check “Full Control” under the “Allow” column to assign full access rights control permissions.
Now edit the permission to Full Control for “Everyone”.
Click OK to save the changes made and then exit.
Option 4 – Try running the setup file in Compatibility Mode
You may be getting Error 2753 if the setup file is not intended to run on the Windows 10 version you are using which is why you have to run it in Compatibility Mode. This will allow the setup file to think that it is running in a compatible environment as it is intended to.
Option 5 – Try to re-register the vbscript.dll file
You may have to re-register the vbscript.dll file using the regsvr32.exe before you can successfully install the program and fix Error 2753. The Regsvr32 tool is a command-line utility that can be used to register and un-register the OLE controls like DLL and ActiveX (OCX) control in the Windows operating system. Follow the steps below to use it.
Open Command Prompt as admin from the WinX menu.
Next, type exe vbscript.dll in the elevated Command Prompt and hit Enter to execute the command. This will re-register the affected DLL file using the Windows operating system tool, regsvr32.exe.
You should see a message saying, “DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded” if the Regsvr32 tool was able to run successfully. After that, try to install the program again and see if it now works.
Error code 0x80070057 occurs when Windows users are having problems installing updates on their machines. The error code may result due to issues affecting Windows Update, for instance, problems with system files or settings that can be accessed or modified using the registry in Windows. Error code 0x80070057affects multiple versions of the Windows operating system including Windows 10. Common symptoms manifested when this error code and other update error codes occur include the following:
Inability to complete the installation of updates via Windows Update
Presence of error code message box
Error Causes
Update error codes like error code 0x80070057 occur when there are issues related to system files, programs or malicious software is present on one’s machine. To combat these issues, users may need to implement manual repair procedures, depending on the specific error code present on their device.
Solution
Further Information and Manual Repair
Windows users can fix error code 0x80070057 by manually repairing or deleting subkeys and values within the Windows registry. This enables Windows Update to function as the proper modification of settings and other information present in the registry can fix problems associated with certain error codes.
The manual repair procedures also enable users to address specific problems on the devices that may not be fixed through the use of other methods.
Method One: Back-Up Registry in Windows
The Windows registry contains information regarding applications installed on the version of Windows you use on your device. This information as well as settings related to hardware are all accessible to users and can be useful when combating problems like error code 0x80070057.
However, users will need to be very careful when making modifications within the registry in Windows. This is due to the fact that errors made while accessing the registry can lead to serious issues on your PC. Backing up your registry before you modify it is crucial since it will provide protection against any problems that may arise if you make an error. This is the first step in resolving error code 0x80070057. Follow the steps below to back up your registry properly.
Step one: Type regedit.exe in the search box near the Start button.
Step two: Type the appropriate password or provide confirmation if you are prompted to do so
Step three: Locate Registry Editor
Step four: Select registry key or subkey that you want to back up
Step five: Click File > Export
Step six: In the Export Registry File dialog box, choose a location where you will save the backup copy
Step seven: Name the backup file then select Save.
In the case of fixing error code 0x80070057, the registry file or subkey you will need to back up relates to this: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. This contains configuration details or information related to your machine regardless of the user. Also note that the registry, once you have created a backup file, will be protected, thus enabling you to move to the manual method mentioned below.
Method Two: Make Changes to the Windows Registry
The execution of modifications to the registry can be a complex procedure, especially if you are an average Windows 10 user who lacks technical knowledge. Thankfully, even non-technical users can access the solutions they need by simply following the instructions provided in this article.
You may also contact a Windows repair technician as well, in case you have trouble implementing the steps mentioned for modifying your Windows registry or if other problems arise while you are proceeding with these instructions.
Step one: Access the Windows Registry Editor by typing regedit.exe in the search box near the Start button.
Step two: Type the appropriate password or provide confirmation if you are prompted to do so
After making these modifications in the Windows registry, restart your machine. You can then check Windows Update to see if the problem has been resolved. If the modifications to the registry have proven successful, you will no longer see the error code 0x80070057 message box. You will also be able to complete all updates via Windows Update.
Method Three: Download an Automated Tool
If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 8 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.
The File Explorer in Windows 10 provides several ways to organize the contents of folders and files in the system. Windows users can utilize some efficient styles to view the contents of the file system as per the user’s requirement. A user may opt to display the file picture in large size thumbnails while the other one could opt to set the icons of folder and files in a small or medium size list. On the other hand, while setting up several styles for the folder and file icons, some Windows 10 users have experienced some unusual issues where there is the Black background showing up behind folder icons. They tried refreshing the File Explorer a couple of times but it didn’t help in fixing the problem and the black squares are still visible on some folder icons.
The black squares behind the folder icons might look disturbing though it’s not really a big problem and is merely a graphical glitch that does not cause any damage or whatsoever to the content of the folder and files. The most likely cause of this glitch might have something to do with the corrupted system files or it could also be caused by outdated thumbnail caches. In addition, graphical glitches like this one could also occur if you are using out outdated graphics drivers. To fix this problem, you need to follow the options laid out below.
Option 1 – Try using the Disk Cleanup to remove Thumbnail files
The Disk Cleanup tool is one of the options you can try to fix the black squares behind the folder icons. Through this tool, you can delete all the Thumbnail files on your disk. To use it, refer to these steps:
Open the Search bar and type “disk cleanup” in the field.
After opening Disk Cleanup from the search results, then from the drop-down menu select the C: drive to clean up and click OK.
Wait for the scanning process to complete. Once it’s done, select the files you want to delete.
Ensure that you select the box labeled “Thumbnails” under the Files to Delete section then click on OK.
After that, a confirmation box will appear, just click on Delete files to delete the files permanently.
Restart your PC.
Option 2 – Try resetting the Thumbnail cache
You have the option to manually delete the Thumbnail Cache to resolve the black square background behind the folder icons issue. Follow the steps given below to reset the Thumbnail cache.
Open the File Explorer.
Next, navigate to the View tab and select the option with Hidden items to display all the hidden folders and files.
Next, go to this path: C:Users<username>AppDataLocal
In the given path, make sure that you put your actual username in the username field. Then look for a file named “IconCache.db”. Right-click on this file and click on Delete.
After that, go to this path: C:Users<username>AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
From there, select all the files and delete them.
Note: If a prompt appears saying, “The files are in use and cannot be deleted”, simply select the “Do this for all current items” option and then click on Try Again. If you get an error message, click on Cancel to close the window and restart your computer.
Option 3 – Try updating or reinstalling the Graphics driver
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type in devmgmt.msc and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
Expand the section for the outdated device drivers.
And then select the outdated driver(s) and right-click on it/them.
From the drop-down menu, select the Update Driver option if you wish to update the driver or select the Uninstall device if you want to uninstall the driver and then follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version of the driver.
Restart your PC after the installation to allow the system to reinstall the driver.
When you upgrade your Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 system to Windows 10, you’ll undergo a phase called Out of Box Experience, or simply OOBE. This phase is intended to allow users to customize their Windows 10 experience, which includes defining personal settings, creating user accounts, and more. Some users reported having issues when creating their user account during the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) on Windows 10 upgrade. Some also reported issues about non-responsive behavior (Welcome Back) page.
Solution
Error Causes
Unfortunately, there’s no known cause for this error. However, some users reported that this occurs when:
Your Windows 10 upgrade will not be successful if you’re not able to create a user account or finish the Out of the Box (OOBE) phase of the installation. Here are some methods that will help you fix this manually.
Method 1 – Wait and retry
Some users reported that waiting for about an hour and retrying the process again will solve this problem. It’s also recommended that you keep your computer in a ventilated place while you wait to retry the process.
Method 2 – Load default user manually
This method has 2 requirements in order to work.
You need to be upgrading from a previous Windows version, and
Your Windows was originally configured to automatically boot to desktop
If you meet these two requirements, you can solve the error by following the steps below:
Hold CTRL+ESC keys. Windows should load the default user after doing this step.
Press the Windows key + X. Then, click the Computer Management icon
Choose “Local Users and Groups”
Double click on Users
Right-click on the right pane, and then choose “New User”
Create a new user account and password
Method 3 – Power down your laptop
This method only applies if you’re a laptop user.
Power down your laptop
Remove the battery of your laptop
Wait for about 10 minutes
Connect your laptop using direct current
Turn on your laptop again
Create a new user account and log in
Method 4 – Create a local account if you’re trying to set up a Microsoft account
Instead of connecting to a Microsoft Account after the set-up, you might want to try creating a local account. To do this, follow the steps below:
Power down your computer if you are to set up a Local Account.
Disconnect your computer from the Internet, either Wired or Wireless
Unplug your computer, and wait for about 10 minutes.
Reconnect your computer and start Windows. Do NOT connect to the Internet and make sure you’re disconnected to any devices you don’t need.
Try creating a user account again
If the steps above don’t work, you might want to try Startup repair.
Method 5 – Boot your computer from Windows 10 media
In order to do this step, you need to have official Windows 10 ISO files.
Go to the “Install Now” screen
Choose Repair your computer
Click Advanced Options
Click Safe Mode
After doing the steps above, there’s a chance you get an error message that says “installation cannot be completed in safe mode”. When you see this, just press Shift+F10. This will execute and open the command prompt of your computer.
From the command prompt, you can try and create a new user account.
For example, net user Username Password /add
The username here should be replaced with the account name you want to add, and the Password here should be replaced with the password you want to use for the account.
After replacing the username and password on the text, press the Enter button on your keyboard. You’ll know if the command is successful once you see the message, “The command completed successfully.”
You can now close the command prompt. Restart your computer and try to log in using the account you just created.
Method 6 – Use a powerful automated software
If all the above methods still don’t work, it might be best to try automated software to help you fix this problem.
Started as an internal network and has slowly expanded since 1960 internet has taken over the world. In the beginning, it was a means of information change but in the modern age you can run applications and virtual machines over the internet, you can stream video and audio, and you can communicate in real-time with someone on the other side of Earth.
With the internet growing so fast in such a small amount of time it is only logical and wise to take a step back and take a good look at what it offers now, what are great things about it and what are some of the worst.
Good sides of the internet
Information
There are a lot of advantages of the internet, first and foremost is information. Internet was made as an information exchange service and even today you can find a lot of various information about various topics that interest you. A site like Wikipedia is a completely free online encyclopedia and a lot of news companies have their own internet sites where you can find free information and news.
On the other hand, there are also websites like udemy, edx, Coursera, and many others that will offer you the education, some for free, some for money but you can get a glimpse and part of university quality education for just a fraction of price.
Online shopping
Sites like Amazon have used the internet and launched themselves as today's multi-billion companies. In today's world, there is not a single thing you can not buy online. Many sites today are going from the large online marketplace where you can find everything to small niche specialized ones. Also every major brand in the world today has its own online store.
Other shops will offer you music, movies, games, etc. Services like steam, xbox pass, sony pass etc, will let you buy games online, other music, movies, and many more.
Streaming services
Days, when you had to buy movies in order to watch them at home, are gone, thanks to the internet we have plenty of streaming services for movies and tv shows as well as ones for music. If you do not want to spend money on actually purchasing things then a good idea is to have a streaming plan set up when you want it.
Email and messaging
Communication is a great thing and since the dawn of mankind people have been talking and sharing with each other, the internet has made it possible to send mail electronically and instantly and modern chat communication is everywhere. We can not just talk with our friends and family that can be on the other side of the world, we can also talk in real-time with the sales representative, with technical service, or attend online classes with a group of people.
Cloud storage services
Saving your pictures in this digital media age on the hard drive can be risky but thanks to modern technologies you can save most of your precious files on cloud servers for safekeeping. From pictures to documents and even other files that you need and want to save. There are some of them that will offer you a free amount and some basic free plans as well.
Bad sides of the internet
Malware, viruses, and phishing
We could not talk about the bad side of the internet if we do not mention its greatest threat. Bad sites, infected software, phishing emails, and many more malicious threats. Problem is that these kinds of tricks and attacks have become more and more sophisticated and harder to detect and avoid.
Pornography
Pornography is bad, having it freely available to children is even worse. Sadly the only way to regulate this is on a computer-by-computer basis by turning on parent control on each one. There are many studies that go into detail about why this is bad, sadly currently there are no effective ways to isolate this content.
No privacy
When we say there is no privacy we do not mean by using social media and not setting your privacy settings altho that also fits in this point, what we are talking about is data mining of your habits and things you do. It is well known that today lot of websites are using some form of AI recommender system in order to tailor your internet experience to suit your needs better. Most of these AI systems are trained by mining your data and analyzing your habits.
If you have 2 google accounts there is a high probability chance that for the same query you will get different results, depending on your so far browsing habits. The same goes for other services as well.
Dark webshops
There are some great things in dark and deep WEB-like sites with true news and information. Even some legit libraries where you can find and download rare books. Sadly as goes with the internet dark and deep WEB also has its well, dark sides, from disturbing content to shops that sell stolen items to straight stealing your money by parading as legit shops but only to steal your money.
Dating sites
We all try to find someone that is perfectly matched with us but using the online dating site has many proven bad effects on psychology. It also devaluates interaction between people and can lower self-esteem.
Bad habits
Since the internet has become wildly available and popular on various devices like tablets and mobile phones more and more people are spending an unhealthy amount of time on it. Harvesting the benefits of the internet is great but find some time for other people as well.
It is no secret that Fortnite is one of the most played games in the world. Epic has done a great job offering it to plenty of other platforms with cross-play feature meaning that you can play with your friends no matter on what platform they are on.
But how Fortnite is a piece of software which is constantly updated and maintained it is pretty normal to have some bugs or issues from time to time.
One of the before-mentioned issues is a connection issue or unable to connect to game servers.
In our article, we will go through common fixes and solutions in order to get you back in-game as fast as possible. Keep on reading.
Check the Epic Games Status page
Check the Epic Games Server Status page to make sure all systems are operational. If the issue you’re experiencing is related to an outage or system-wide issue, you won’t be able to connect to the Epic Games Launcher or Fortnite until it's resolved.
Use a wired connection
Wireless connections are not as stable as wired connections. This means that the signal can be unreliable and result in packet loss, connection problems, or higher latency or ping. Connect directly to your modem or router with an Ethernet cable to eliminate this possibility and have the fastest connection possible.
Disable your firewalls
Often the quickest way to fix connection problems due to firewalls is to temporarily uninstall and/or disable it.
Windows Firewall disable guide:
Click on Start.
Click on Control Panel.
Click on System and Security.
Click on Windows Firewall.
Click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off (You might need to provide the Administrator password at this step)
Under each Network location, select the Turn off Windows Firewall option
Uninstall any other firewalls
Using a third-party firewall may prevent you from being able to connect to the Epic Games Launcher, Fortnite, or another Epic Games product. We recommend removing any third party firewalls temporarily to see if this resolves your issue. If it does resolve the problem, make sure to add the following executables as exceptions to your firewall:
Contact your firewall manufacturer for instructions on how to add these as exceptions to it as this varies between them.
Unblock your network ports
Network ports allow certain types of data to be successfully sent over a network that is used by our services. If you have any of these blocked, it may result in you being unable to connect to our games or use our services properly. To unblock your ports on your router do the following:
Windows
First, you will need to get your default gateway and internal IP address:
Click on Start.
Type cmd and press Enter.
Type ipconfig and press Enter.
Take note of your Default Gateway and IPv4.
Configuring your router to unblock the ports
Open your web browser.
Type your Default Gateway into the address bar and press Enter. (A common Default Gateway is 192.168.1.1)
You may be asked for a username and password. This varies for each router. Before entering anything, try just hitting OK. If that doesn't work, try the common default username and password below:
Username: admin
Password: password
If these don't work, you can check this website for a list of usernames and passwords based on your router model.
Locate the Port Forwarding page in the administration tool and click on it.
Make sure you have Port Forwarding selected and not Port Triggering as this is completely different.
On this screen, you will need to enter the ports and port ranges below with the correct protocol and local IP of which you took note of above: 80 (TCP/UDP), 433 (TCP), 443 (TCP), 3478 (TCP/UDP), 3479 (TCP/UDP), 5060 (TCP/UDP), 5062 (TCP/UDP), 5222 (TCP), 6250 (TCP/UDP), and12000-65000 (TCP/UDP).
If you have any trouble doing the above on your router, make sure to check out the router manufacturer's support site for additional instructions as these will vary from router to router.
VPN and Proxy Servers
Do NOT use VPN or Proxy Servers. These cause issues that can't be resolved by us without having you disable them. Check out this article for information on how to disable your proxy server.
Switch Domain Name Systems (DNS)
Switching your DNS can result in better connectivity and performance for your internet connection. There are two different DNS services we recommend to have you try if you are having issues with your connection. Below are the followings links with instructions on how to change your DNS:
Epic Games Launcher: Edit your Engine.ini file (Windows only)
Editing these settings can result in better download speeds using the Epic Games Launcher:
Click on Start.
Type %localappdata% and press Enter.
Open the EpicGamesLauncher
Open the Saved
Open the Config
Open the Windows
Open ini and add the following lines to it:
[HTTP]
HttpTimeout=10
HttpConnectionTimeout=10
HttpReceiveTimeout=10
HttpSendTimeout=10[Portal.BuildPatch]
ChunkDownloads=3
ChunkRetries=20
RetryTime=0.5
Portable small Bluetooth speakers are nothing new on the market, most of the time they have given the opportunity for music listening during picnics and walks in nature and also replaced some car speaker systems. The latest star in small portable speakers in JBL Clip 4, small in size, waterproof, and with an incredible high-quality sound.
Performance and quality
Out of the box and after first look speaker looks great, it has excellent design and is very intuitive to work with. Everything is laid out logically and you can start using it right away without reading instructions.
The sound quality is surprisingly very good and clear. I must say I have not expected this clarity and power from a speaker of this size. The volume range is also incredibly good and will fill most needs even on small picnics outdoors where you can hear it loud enough. One thing to mention is that even on their loudness levels sound is still clear without distortion which, to be honest, is to be expected from someone like JBL.
Where you can take JBL Clip 4
You can take it where ever you want, Its size and clip make it perfect for beach and pool trips. Speaker is waterproof and gas IP67 rating, meaning that sand and dirt will not affect it either. Do not take this speaker to your diving adventures since that will break it but a depth around 1 meter underwater should be safe. After your trip do not forget to wash Clip 4 with clean water so all dirt, salt, and other stuff are properly cleaned for longer life of the device.
How long it will play?
JBL claims that the battery will last 10 hours of continuous play. Note that this is meant probably on the largest volume setting so when you use it on lower settings battery is lasting longer. Playing of course on low volumes will extend playback time even longer but here we come at one feature that I do not like, there is no indication of any kind how much battery is left in the speaker, the only indication is a red light when the battery is almost empty which means you could be outside at that point and did not know that low battery was there in the first place when you were packing. Some battery indication would be a great addon.
More stability for JBL Clip 4
The clip itself has been improved from the previous Clip 3 model, it is wider, it goes all the way around the casing, and feels overall better and more stable. Since the clip is now all around casing this means a wider opening can be made making it fit around stuff Clip 3 was not able to.
Conclusion
All in all, Clip 4 is an incredible speaker and one that would highly recommend, the price goes around 79 USD but it can be found even as low as 50 USD on discounts and promotions and if you manage to get one at that price it is a great buy. Sound is good, portability is great, dirt and waterproof are excellent and battery life is really good.
Living in today's world sadly is still living in the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been more than a year and sadly pandemic is still very strong and we are battling it on a daily basis.
Governments all over the world are trying to battle pandemics in their own way with their own ideas and prevention measures. We as individuals can not very much influence how will the pandemic itself go but fortunately in this modern age of information we can at least follow and be in the loop at the current state of the situation regarding it.
Today instead of having a troubleshooting article or tips and trick for your PC we are doing something else but in the domain of internet technology, you know, just to keep everything still IT related ????
Below you will find websites with small descriptions of what they do to keep yourself informed and hope to get over this dreadful pandemic.
If you are interested in real-time COVID-19 information about active cases, death tool so far, new cases and the number of vaccines administrated so far I would recommend WHO's dashboard. How WHO is a non-government institution composed of doctors from all over the world with just a single goal in mind, to help and put an end to this pandemic is a great non-biased source of information on the current state of virus spread.
Please be aware that Vaccinefinder is working only on the territory of the United States of America. The reason why it was included in this list is that basically it is a great idea and I hope to see this site expand on other world regions or at least that inspires the emergence of another worldwide website with this type of content.
If you live in the USA, this site will be a great help since you can track where and how many shots are distributed to states and even towns in America.
This site is also for U.S. residents, this time it is about tracking cases in each state with details and statistics. If you are interested in more detailed statistics of hospitalized patients per state or overall you are just interested in statistics about the pandemic in the U.S. this site might provide all the information about your needs.
On national public radio or NPR for short, there is a special section devoted to the coronavirus where new articles about pandemic are released daily with new information and new findings on how to battle it and the current state of things. A great informational site to keep up with the current state of things.
Google has not been inactive during this pandemic and on its page specially dedicated to the COVID-19 virus you can find a lot of free information updated daily. From safety and prevention tips to data about pandemics there is a lot of ground covered on-page and we recommend at least going through the prevention section to inform yourself how to keep yourself and others safe.
This daily updated chart can show how many cases and deaths are from chosen time period all in form of a chart, you can see charts for each country in the world how COVID cases rose or dropped along with the death tool it brought.
There you go, 6 websites to track and inform yourself about this dreaded pandemic which has managed to change the world and people's lives forever, sadly on the bad side.