What Is Phishing And How Can You Protect Yourself From It?

Disk cleanup is part of Windows 10 tools and it is essential in keeping your computer up and running in optimal settings and to free so much needed space as well as remove temporary files that can accumulate over time. Using disk cleanup from time to time is recommended and a very useful habit that will save you some headaches and optimize your computer running time, speed up boot sequence, etc. Think of it like cleaning up your desk, from time to time it can get too overwhelmed with junk and non-important things and if you are keeping it tidy all the time each time you need to find something it will be much faster and easier, same goes with computers, so if you do not have it, try to develop a habit that once per month you start disk clean up and remove trash from your hard drive. In order to do so, press ⊞ WINDOWS + E to bring File Explorer up Once File Explorer is up and running right-click on the hard drive you wish to run disk cleanup on and click on properties. Properties Windows will open on the general tab, on that tab you have disk cleanup on the lower right part of properties, click on it. Wait for Windows to gather information about your hard drive and files on it. After it is finished you will be greeted with the next screen: Here you can thick and mark which items you would like to get rid of and which ones you would like to keep. Note that you can freely tick all of them and remove them since removing these files will not break WIndows in any way. make your choices and click on ok. You can also click on Clean up system files to run system files cleaner and get rid of junk there, you will not be able to choose any options there, Windows will alone clean up what is not needed. After disk cleanup is finished least thing you will have is more free disk space, but like mentioned, keeping your Windows and computer healthy goes a long way in its usability, speed, and performance.

The Windows Defender program can both scan and monitor almost the entire folder on a Windows 10 computer. So if you have a folder that may have files that could trigger an alarm to Windows Security, then it would be better if you add an exclusion to Windows Security. Note that it is okay to do this as long as you’re certain that the contents of the folder you want to exclude are safe and that Windows Defender is only throwing out warnings for nothing. This way, Windows Defender won’t scan those folders in the future. And besides, there are also some Windows folders and files that you may exclude from the Antivirus scans, especially if you want to save your scan time. This kind of feature also comes in handy when you trust a file type or folder or any process that you believe is safe but the Windows Security considers as malicious. To exclude a folder or a file or process or a file type from the Windows Security scan, here are some steps you can follow. Make sure to do them carefully. Step 1: Search for “Windows Security” in the Search box and then click on it from the search results to open it. Step 2: Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Manage settings > Add or remove exclusions. Step 3: After that, on the next screen, click on Add an exclusion > Folder. It will show you a list that includes File, Folder, File Type, and Process. Step 4: Now click on “+Add and exclusion” on the next window and then select a folder you want to exclude and click OK to add it in the Exclusions list. Step 5: Click on the down arrow button to remove it and then click on the Remove button. Note: If you want to only ignore a few file types, it’s better if you configure your antivirus program to ignore these files with a specific extension. This way, it will ignore all of them no matter what their location is. Also keep in mind that when you select a folder, all the subfolders in it will also be excluded from the scan. Thus, you need to understand what you’re about to do. Once you’re done excluding the folder, it is recommended that you protect the folder using the Controlled Folder Access since this folder is not monitored for threat. The Controlled Folder Access will ensure that an external program does not alter it. This way, you can be sure that even though this folder is not included in the scan, it is still secure.

Did you know you can use emoji in file names inside Windows 10? It is no secret that emojis are basically everywhere and Microsoft has seen this and integrated them into Windows itself, so you can name files using emojis or combine them with text. Placing emojis in file names or in the text is extremely easy, all you have to do is press ⊞ WINDOWS + . and the emoji dialog will open from where you can find which emoji you would like to use. And that's it, you just used emoji for the file naming.

!!!NOTE!!!

In theory, some applications may not like these emojis if they don’t support Unicode characters. However, modern applications are designed to work with a broad set of languages that should properly support emojis. For example, the classic Windows Command Prompt can’t see emoji characters in file names properly, but both PowerShell and Microsoft’s new Windows Terminal can display them properly. If you do run into a problem, you can always open File Explorer and rename the affected files and folders to remove the emoji characters. You can then use those files in applications that don’t properly support emoji file names.

There are times when after you upgrade your Windows operating system, the System Logs under the Event Viewer will display an error message saying, “Event ID 10010 error – The server did not register with DCOM within the required timeout”. What is DCOM? DCOM stands for “Distributed Component Object Model”. It is a proprietary Microsoft technology that allows the Component Object Model or COM software to communicate across a network. You can consider it as an extension of COM which is equipped with the capability of solving a couple of inherent problems related to the COM model to the better use over a network. COM is a tool that’s used for advanced configuration and troubleshooting in Windows 10. Developers usually use it to configure routine components and application behavior like participation in transactions and object pooling and so on. The Component Services needs the DCOM wire protocol in order to communicate with the Component Object Model components on other computers. By default, in a Windows-based system, the network computers are configured initially to enable DCOM. There are also some components in Windows that might require registering themselves with DCOM. However, if they fail to do so, you will encounter the “The server did not register with DCOM within the required timeout” error. To fix this, here are some suggestions you can check out.

Option 1 – Try to use the Component Services

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “dcomcnfg” in the field and tap Enter to pull up Component Services.
• Next, double click on the Computers folder located in the right pane and right-click on My Computer, and select the Properties option.
• After that, switch to the COM Security tab under My Computer Properties and then go to the Access Permissions section.
• From there, click the Edit Default button and in the new window that appears, apply the correct permission to objects under the Group or user names section.
• Once you’re done, click OK and exit. This should fix the error.

Option 2 – Make sure that Function Discovery Resource Publication Properties Services is running

• In the Cortana search box, type “services” and click on the Services icon to open the Services Manager. Alternatively, you can also tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run prompt and then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
• Next, scroll down and look for the “Function Discovery Resource Publication” entry and double click on it.
• Then switch to the General tab and from there, make sure that the Startup Type is set to “Manual (Triggered).
• You also have to make sure that the service is running so if it’s not, just click on the Start button to start the service.
• Now click on Apply to save the changes made.

Option 3 – Try resetting the default DCOM permissions

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “dcomcnfg” in the field and tap Enter to pull up Component Services.
• After that, expand Component Services > Computers and right-click on My Computer, and then select Properties.
• Next, go to the Default Properties tab, and in the Default Distributed COM Communication Properties section, make sure that:
  • Default Authentication Level is set to Connect
  • Default Impersonation Level is set to Identify.

If you are trying to install or reinstall a program on your Windows 10 computer but encountered an error instead that says, “Fatal error, Installation fails, Installation ended prematurely because of an error”, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you how you can fix it. This kind of error is most likely caused by some files that may have been left behind by the previous installation of the program. Each time a program is uninstalled, it leaves behind its files and if the uninstallation process wasn’t completed properly, then it would result in errors like the

“Fatal error, Installation fails, Installation ended prematurely because of an error”.

Moreover, this kind of error is a generic one that can also occur with any software reinstallation or installation. And to fix this error, there are several suggestions you must check out. You can try to install or reinstall the program in a Clean Boot State or restart the Windows Installer Service. You could also try to re-register the Windows Installer Service or re-register the VBScript.dll file.

Option 1 – Install or reinstall the program in a Clean Boot State

It is possible that there are some third-party applications in your computer that are preventing the program from getting installed and to isolate this possibility, you need to boot your computer in a Clean Boot State and then try installing the program again. Putting your computer in this state can help you identify which program is the culprit and thus isolates the problem. In a Clean Boot state, your computer will start using only the pre-selected minimal set of drivers and startup programs. Note that you have to disable and enable one process at a time.

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” checkbox and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” checkbox.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• After you’ve set your computer into a Clean Boot State, make sure that you’re signed in as administrator and then try to install the program again.

Option 2 – Try to restart the Windows Installer Service

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to restart the Windows Installer Service. To do this, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and then hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• Next, look for the Windows Installer service among the list of services shown.
• Once you found it, right-click on it and open its Properties.
• From there, click on the Stop button and then click on the Start button.
• But if it isn’t running, then just click on the Start button.

Option 3 – Try to unregister and re-register the Windows Installer Module

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type the “msiexec /unregister” command and hit Enter to unregister the Windows Installer Module.
• Next, type the “msiexec /regserver” command and hit Enter to re-register the Windows Installer Module.
• Now restart your computer and see if unregistering and re-registering the Windows Installer Module fixed the problem or not.

Option 4 – 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 the error. 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 regsvr32.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.

Linkury Smartbar Engine is a Brower Toolbar for Internet Explorer. Upon investigation, we discovered that this toolbar does not work with the latest versions of Internet Explorer.

From the Author:

What the Smartbar does: – Changes the default search engine in your web browser’s built-in search box. – Changes the default home page of your web browser. – Adds alternative “page not found” functionality. – Enable search from the address bar of your web browser. – Allows software updates of the application once a new version is released. – Adds, removes, or modifies components interacting with search input fields.

While installed, users may see additional unwanted ads throughout their browsing sessions.

Several anti-virus applications have marked this toolbar as a Browser Hijacker, and it is not recommended to keep it on your computer, especially if you are using a newer version of internet explorer that renders this toolbar useless.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking means a malicious program code has taken control over and modified the settings of your browser, without your permission. Browser hijackers will do a number of things on a computer. These are typically used to force visitors to a particular site, manipulating web traffic to earn ad revenue. It may appear naive, but the majority of these sites are not legitimate and may pose a serious threat to your online safety. They did not just screw up your web browsers, but browser hijackers can also modify the system registry, leaving your computer susceptible to other attacks.

How you can determine if your browser is hijacked

When your browser is hijacked, the following could happen: home-page is changed; you see new unwanted favorites or bookmarks added, usually directed to advertisement-filled or pornography sites; the default browser settings are changed and/or your default web engine is altered; you find unsolicited new toolbars added; never-ending pop-up adverts appear and/or your web browser pop-up blocker is disabled; your web browser starts running slowly or exhibits frequent errors; you can’t visit specific websites like home pages of security software.

Precisely how browser hijacker infects computer systems

Browser hijackers could use drive-by downloads or file-sharing websites or perhaps an e-mail attachment in order to reach a targeted computer. They may also come from any BHO, browser extension, add-on, toolbar, or plug-in with malicious intent. A browser hijacker can be installed as a part of freeware, shareware, demoware, and fake programs. A good example of a well-known browser hijacker is the latest Chinese malware called “Fireball”, which has infected 250 million PCs across the world. It works as a hijacker but can be turned into a fully functioning malware downloader afterward. The existence of any browser hijacker malware on your system could substantially diminish the web browsing experience, monitor your internet activities that lead to serious privacy concerns, create system stability problems and ultimately cause your PC to slow down or to a nearly unusable state.

Removing browser hijackers

Some kinds of browser hijackers can be removed from your computer by deleting malicious software applications or any other recently added freeware. At times, it could be a tough job to find and eliminate the malicious program since the associated file could be running as part of the operating system process. Also, manual removals require in-depth system understanding and thus can be a very difficult job for novice computer users. Browser hijackers could be effectively removed by installing and running an anti-malware program on the affected PC. To eradicate any kind of browser hijacker from your laptop or computer, you could download this certified malware removal application – SafeBytes Anti-Malware. Utilize a system optimizer together with your anti-malware software to fix various computer registry problems, eliminate computer vulnerabilities, and enhance your computer's overall performance.

Help! Malware Blocking Anti-virus Installation And Access To The Web

Practically all malware is bad, but certain kinds of malware do a lot more damage to your computer than others. Some malware sits in between the computer and your net connection and blocks some or all websites that you really want to check out. It would also block you from installing anything on your machine, especially anti-virus software. If you are reading this now, you have probably recognized that a malware infection is the real cause of your blocked web traffic. So how to proceed if you need to download and install an anti-malware application such as Safebytes? There are some steps you can take to circumvent this issue.

Eliminate viruses in Safe Mode

If the malware is set to load at Windows start-up, then booting in Safe Mode should prevent it. Only the minimum required applications and services are loaded whenever you start your laptop or computer in Safe Mode. You need to do the following to remove malware in Safe mode. 1) After switching on the computer, hit the F8 key before the Windows splash screen starts to load. This should bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Select Safe Mode with Networking using arrow keys and hit ENTER. 3) As soon as this mode loads, you will have an internet connection. Now, utilize your web browser normally and navigate to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 4) Right after installation, run a complete scan and let the program get rid of the threats it detects.

Switch over to some other browser

Web-based malware can be environment-specific, aiming for a particular web browser or attacking particular versions of the web browser. The best solution to overcome this issue is to choose a browser that is well known for its security features. Firefox has built-in Phishing and Malware Protection to help keep you safe online.

Install antivirus on a USB drive

To successfully remove the malware, you will need to approach the issue of installing an antivirus program on the infected computer system from a different angle. To run antivirus using a thumb drive, follow these simple measures: 1) On a virus-free computer, install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug the Thumb drive into the clean computer. 3) Double click on the exe file to run the installation wizard. 4) Choose a USB drive as the location when the wizard asks you where you wish to install the software. Follow activation instructions. 5) Transfer the pen drive from the clean PC to the infected PC. 6) Double-click the antivirus software EXE file on the USB flash drive. 7) Simply click “Scan Now” to run a scan on the affected computer for malware.

SafeBytes Anti-Malware Features

In order to protect your personal computer from many different internet-based threats, it’s important to install anti-malware software on your PC. But with so many anti-malware companies in the market, these days it’s challenging to decide which one you should purchase for your laptop. Some are really worth your money, but most aren’t. You must choose one that is efficient, practical, and has a strong reputation for its malware protection. While considering the trustworthy applications, Safebytes Anti-Malware is undoubtedly the strongly recommended one. SafeBytes anti-malware is really a powerful, highly effective protection application created to assist users of all levels of IT literacy in identifying and eliminating harmful threats from their PC. With its most advanced virus detection and repair technology, this software protects your PC against infections caused by different kinds of malware and similar internet threats, including adware, spyware, viruses, worms, trojans, keyloggers, potentially unwanted program (PUPs), and ransomware.

SafeBytes anti-malware offers a myriad of advanced features that sets it aside from all others. Here are some of the best ones:

Most Reliable AntiMalware Protection: Built upon a highly acclaimed antivirus engine, this malware removal application can detect and get rid of the most stubborn malware threats like browser hijackers, PUPs, and ransomware that other common anti-virus programs will miss. Real-time Threat Response: SafeBytes provides totally hands-free live protection and is set to check, block, and get rid of all computer threats at its very first encounter. They’re extremely efficient in screening and getting rid of numerous threats since they’re constantly revised with the latest updates and alerts. Web Protection: SafeBytes checks the links present on a web page for possible threats and notifies you whether the site is safe to browse or not, through its unique safety rating system. “Fast Scan” Features: Safebytes AntiMalware, using its enhanced scanning engine, gives super-fast scanning that can quickly target any active internet threat. Light-weight: This program is lightweight and can work silently in the background, and will not have an effect on your PC efficiency. 24/7 Online Support: Support service is accessible 24 x 7 x 365 days via email and chats to answer your concerns. To sum it up, SafeBytes has developed a meaningful anti-malware solution that is aimed to protect you against various malware. You can be sure that your PC will be protected in real-time once you put this software to use. So when you want advanced forms of protection features & threat detections, buying SafeBytes Anti-Malware could be worth the money!

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you do not wish to use an automated tool and prefer to eliminate Linkury Smartbar Engine manually, you might do so by going to the Add/Remove Programs menu in the control panel and removing the offending program; in cases of web browser plug-ins, you may uninstall it by visiting the browsers Add-on/Extension manager. You’ll likely also want to reset your web browser. To be certain of complete removal, find the following Windows registry entries on your system and eliminate them or reset the values appropriately. Please note that this is for advanced users only and might be difficult, with wrong file removal leading to additional system errors. Furthermore, certain malware is capable of replicating itself or preventing deletion. Carrying out this in Safe Mode is suggested.

One of the useful features that came with Windows 10 is the Mobile Hotspot although there’s a downside to it – it drains your battery faster especially if your Windows 10 device is running on battery. Another one of its flaws in the implementation of this feature is that it stays activated even when the connection is idle. In other words, it is still activated even if no devices are connected to it. As a result, it consumes battery life and affects it. There are also instances when it affects the performance of the network connection. At the time of writing, Microsoft hasn’t done anything about this dilemma yet so in the meantime, you can continue reading this post to resolve this issue on your Windows 10 device. You can remedy this Mobile Hotspot issue by running a command in Windows PowerShell. To get started, follow the given instructions below.

Turn off Mobile Hotspot Automatically:

Step 1: The first thing you have to do is to copy the following command:

powershell -windowstyle hidden -command "Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,net stop "icssvc" & REG ADD "HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesicssvcSettings" /V PeerlessTimeoutEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 1 /F & net start "icssvc"' -Verb runAs"

Step 2: After copying the command given above, open the Notepad app and paste the command you copied there and save it. And when saving it, select the “Save as” option and its File type as “All files”. Step 3: After that, put “TurnOnTimer.bat” as the file’s name and save it on your Desktop. Step 4: Once done, run the file you just created, and when a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes. Step 5: After you run the file, it will run a series of scripts in a command line which will turn off the Mobile Hotspot automatically when idle. And that’s how you automatically turn off the Mobile Hotspot when your Windows 10 device is idle. On the other hand, if you want to undo the changes made, you can always do so using the steps provided below.

Turn on Mobile Hotspot:

Step 1: Copy and paste the following command in the Notepad app:

powershell -windowstyle hidden -command "Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,net stop "icssvc" & REG ADD "HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesicssvcSettings" /V PeerlessTimeoutEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F & net start "icssvc"' -Verb runAs"

Step 2: After copying and pasting the command, save it as “TurnOffTimer.bat” on the Desktop. Step 3: Once done, run the file like what you did earlier and select Yes when a UAC prompt pops up. This will run a series of scripts on a command line which will revert the changes back to their default state.

If you encounter the NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE Blue Screen error while using your Windows 10 computer, then read on as this post will guide you in resolving this kind of Blue Screen of Death error. NMI HARDWARE FAILURE or “Non-Maskable Interrupt” Blue Screen error occurs when there is some hardware malfunction in your computer. When you encounter this Blue Screen error, you may get a stop code of 0x00000080 which can randomly occur while you use your computer. However, a lot of users reported encountering this error while they were trying to update or install their Graphics Card drivers. The stop code that you may get for this BSOD error is 0x00000080. The error can occur randomly during your usage of the computer – but a large number of users have reported this error while they are updating or installing their Graphics Card drivers. In this post, we will be covering all the possible fixes for this error. NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE error on Windows The NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE bug check has a value of 0x00000080. This bug check indicates that a hardware malfunction has occurred. There are various hardware malfunctions that can cause this kind of Blue Screen error. However, pinpointing the exact cause is quite difficult. Worry no more for the following fixes provided below can help you resolve the NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE Blue Screen error no matter what the cause of the problem is.

Option 1 – Try removing hardware or drivers that you’ve installed recently

If you have recently installed some hardware or drivers, you might want to disable or remove them since external devices are proven to be one of the factors that trigger Blue Screen errors like NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE. All you have to do is physically disconnect any external devices that are connected to your computer and then check if it fixes the BSOD error or not.

Option 2 – Try to rollback, update, or disable the Graphics card drivers

Since the NMI_HARDWARE_FAILURE Blue Screen error has something to do with Graphics card drivers, you can either roll back, update or disable them depending on your preference in order to resolve the error.

• First, boot your computer into Safe Mode.
• After that, tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in devmgmt.msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. From there, look for the Display Adapters and click on them.
• After that, right-click on each entry under the Display Adapters and select the “Uninstall Device” option from the menu.
• Now restart your computer.
• After restarting your computer, go to the Settings app and Check for Updates in the Windows Update section.

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

Option 3 – Make sure that all memory modules have the same type

This third option is quite technical and tricky. If you often use multiple physical RAMS on your Windows 10 computer, then you have to check first if they are of the same frequency. After that, the first thing you should verify is if the chip is properly compatible or not. And if the sockets are attached using some kind of adapter or non-recommended device, it could cause some issues while giving a performance hit to your computer.  If you were able to find such a setup, you have to undo it or install the proper and recommended as well as compatible hardware.

Option 4 – Try to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

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

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

If the Sleep option is missing from the Power Menu then this could be caused by the power settings, local group policy configuration, etc. in your computer. Based on the reports of users who experience the same problem, the issue occurred after they’ve updated or upgraded their Windows 10 computers. As you know, the sleep mode is quite useful in certain cases and is utilized by most users. If you put your computer in sleep mode, it actually minimizes the power usage of your computer while at the same time keeps your current session running. So if sleep mode is suddenly missing, then that could be a problem but worry not for this post will give you possible fixes to resolve the issue. Make sure to follow each one of them carefully to achieve good results.

Option 1 – Check the Power settings

As mentioned, one of the reasons why the Sleep option is missing could be the power settings in your computer. To check this possibility, make sure that you’ve enabled the sleep mode in the Power options setting window. How? Refer to these steps:

• First, go to the Start menu, and from there open Control Panel.
• Next, set the View by Large icons and select the Power Options.
• After that, click on the “Choose what the power buttons do” option on the left-hand side.
• Then click on the “Change settings that are currently unavailable” option and make sure that Sleep is checked under the Shutdown settings.
• Afterward, click on Save changes.

Option 2 – Modify the Local Group Policy

If the Power setting isn’t the cause of the problem, then you might want to check the Local Group Policy and modify it. There is a dedicated policy for showing the sleep option in the power menu and if this policy is disabled, then it’s no wonder why you don’t see the sleep option in the power menu. To change this policy, refer to the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “gpedit.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
• Next, navigate to this path: Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> File Explorer
• Look for the “Show sleep in the power options menu” option from the right-hand side pane and double click on it.
• Now change it to Enabled and click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made and restart your computer.

Option 3 – Try to turn on Standby

Standby, also known as InstantGo, is a feature in Windows 8 and 10 that allows users to maintain network connectivity after a computer has been put into sleep mode. Thus, if this feature is disabled, it can cause the Sleep option to disappear from the power menu. To turn it on, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open Run.
• And type “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlPower
• From this path, look for the “CsEnabled” key on the right-hand side of the pane and double-click on it.
• Set its value to “1” and click OK to save the changes made.
• Now reboot your PC.

Note: If you were not able to find the CsEnabled key, then this indicates that your computer does not support the Standby feature. And if that’s the case, proceed to the next given option below.

Option 4 – Try to install a Video Card driver

On the other hand, some users reported that the problem was caused by the video card driver. And if your computer lacks the video adapter driver, it can also cause the same problem. Windows 10 typically install the video card driver on its own, however, there are rare cases when it doesn’t which is why you have to do it yourself manually. All you have to do is go to your manufacturer’s website and look for the video card driver, download it and then install it. Once you’ve installed the video card driver, reboot your computer and check if it has fixed the problem.

Error Code 0x8007007b – What is it?

This error code occurs when users fail to activate their Windows operating system. It is one of the more popular Windows error codes since it affects many versions of Windows including Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. Error code 0x8007007b has common symptoms which include the following:

• Inability to activate a Windows installation
• Message box highlighting error code 0x8007007b

Solution

Error Causes

Error code 0x8007007b in Windows 8.1 usually results due to one or more main clauses. Windows 8.1 users may experience this error due to the use of volume-licensed media. The error code may also arise if the activation wizard is unable to connect to Key Management Service (KMS) host computer or if corrupted system files are present on your computer.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Windows error codes such as Error code 0x8007007b can be a complicated issue, requiring the use of technical knowledge and skills. For this reason, we have listed instructions in the simplest of forms to enable even average users to successfully complete manual repair methods that will resolve error code 0x8007007b.

The same approach has been applied to all our error code solutions. See also Error Code 0x00000024 and Error Code 0x80004005.

Below are the two main methods for correcting this issue.

Method One: Use Multiple Activation Key (MAK) to Activate Windows

This method involves the use of a Multiple Activation Key (MAK) instead of the Key Management Service (KMS) to activate the Windows operating system you intend to use on your PC. This manual repair method requires the use of Command Prompt so ensure you follow the instructions provided carefully so as to avoid the risks of causing harm to your system.

• Step one: Select Windows log key + X.
• Step two: Click Command Prompt, then Admin
• Step three: Type in admin password if Command Prompt requests it
• Step four: Type slmgr -ipk followed by the MAK product key. Note that the product key should have 25 characters with dashes between them like this xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Attempt to activate your Windows installation once you’ve completed the exact instructions above. If you are unable to complete this process, consider getting help from a Windows repair technician or simply move to the next manual repair method listed below.

Method Two: Run System File Checker

System File Checker (SFC) enables Windows users to scan and repair errors or corruption on system files. Since such errors within your system files can cause error code 0x8007007b to occur, follow the steps below to fix this error code.

• Step One: Go to Start and type Command Prompt or CMD.
• Step Two: Run as Administrator
• Step Three: Type sfc /scannow with a space between “sfc” and “/scannow”.

The System File Checker tool will begin scanning your machine for corrupted or missing files in need of repair. If these files are found on your system, the tool will repair and replace them. Once this is done, restart your computer then check to see if you can now activate your Windows operating system.

Method Three: Use 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.