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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.

Phishing Illustration
Credit Anne Nygård on Unsplash

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.

Illustration of Email Phishing
Credit Justin Morgan on Unsplash

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.

Spear Phishing Illustration
Credit Azamat E on Unsplash

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.

Illustration of a Lock on Keyboard Keys
Credit FLYD on Unsplash

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!

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A Quick Guide to Resolving Error 2738

Error 2738 - What is it?

The error code 2738 typically occurs either when you attempt to install a program or uninstall it on Windows Vista and 7. The error message is displayed in the following format:
“Error 2738. Could not access VBScript run time for custom action.”
It is a type of runtime error associated with VB (Visual Basic) Script. It indicates that the VB script engine is not correctly registered on your computer.

Solution

Restoro box imageError Causes

The error 2738 may occur due to multiple reasons. These include:
  • Windows VB Script engine is not properly installed or is disabled on your PC
  • Registry keys are incorrect
  • Corrupt registry entries
  • Poor PC maintenance
As this error code may be generated due to registry issues, it is advisable to fix it immediately as it may pose serious threats to your system like system failure, crash and valuable data loss. And complete data retrieval is often the hardest task.

Further Information and Manual Repair

To avoid such threats and to resolve the error 2738 on your PC immediately, here are some solutions that you can try:

Register the VB Script Engine Correctly on Your PC

This can be done by running the command prompt as administrator:-
  • Simply go to the start menu, click all programs, and select accessories.
  • Right-click on Command Prompt and select ‘run as Administrator’.
  • Navigate to the folder that contains the DLL. If you are using Windows 32 bit version, then type cd %windir%system32 into the Command Prompt and then press enter.
Nonetheless, if you are using 64-bit version Windows then type the following command: regsvr32 vbscript.dll and then press enter. This will help you register the VB script engine correctly and resolve the issue.

Download and Run Restoro

If the error still persists, then this means the underlying cause of the error 2738 could be invalid and corrupt registry keys. To resolve either of the causes in seconds, it is advisable to install and run Restoro. Restoro is an advanced, innovative, and multi-functional PC Fixer. This tool is embedded with multiple utilities including a powerful registry cleaner, an antivirus and a system optimizer.  The registry cleaner is a powerful utility that instantly detects all registry issues and resolves them right away. The registry saves all activities performed on the PC. It stores all types of files including invalid registry keys, cookies, internet history, junk files and temporary files. If these unnecessary files are not removed and cleared from the PC, it not only takes a lot of disk space but also damages the registry and dll files. The registry cleaning utility detects all such files and removes them. It wipes out all invalid registry entries and bad keys clean the registry and restores it. In addition to this, this tool can also be used to remove viruses and optimize the system speed. It is a user-friendly and highly functional PC repair tool. It is compatible with all Windows versions Click here to download Restoro on your PC and resolve error 2738 right away!
Read More
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.

Phishing Illustration
Credit: Anne Nygård on Unsplash

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.

Illustration of Email Phishing
Credit: Justin Morgan on Unsplash

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.

Spear Phishing Illustration
Credit: Azamat E on Unsplash

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.

Illustration of a Lock on Keyboard Keys
Credit: FLY:D on Unsplash

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!

Read More
0x800701e3, The request failed due ...
A lot of things can go wrong even when you’re only doing some simple operations or tasks on your computer and this is due to the fact that there are various small operations make up in order to perform the larger operations on your computer. So if any of these smaller operations are not properly working, it crashes the operation as a whole and it throws an error code instead. And one of these error codes is Error 0x800701e3. This particular error pops up when an error has occurred in the File Explorer when a transfer is initiated from one disk to another in your Windows 10 computer. When you encounter this error, you will get the following error message:
“Error 0x800701e3: The request failed due to a fatal hardware error.”
There are several methods you can check out to fix this error – you can try to run System Restore or Check Disk or format the destination drive or check the SMART attribute of the drive. For more details, refer to each one of the following options.

Option 1 – Try to run System Restore

Error 0x800701e3 might be due to some adjustments you’ve made in your computer’s settings. Thus, to fix this error, you can try undoing those changes using System Restore. How? Refer to these steps:
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  • After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
  • Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
  • After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and then check if your mouse is now back to its normal state.

Option 2 – Try running the Check Disk utility

You can also run the Check Disk utility in fixing Error 0x800701e3.
  • In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
  • After opening Command Prompt, type this command and tap Enter: chkdsk <Partition Letter>: /f /r /x /b
  • The command you entered will start to check for errors and fix them automatically. Else, it will throw an error message saying, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like the schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”.
  • Tap the Y key to schedule Disk Check the next time your computer restarts.

Option 3 – Try to format the destination drive

Formatting the destination drive could also help you resolve error 0x800701e3. To format your drive, follow these steps:
  • First, open File Explorer and then right-click on the drive where you encountered the error.
  • Next, select Format from the context menu. This will open a new mini window.
  • Then select the NTFS option from the drop-down menu for the File System menu.
  • After that, check the box labeled as Quick Format.
  • Now click on Start. Keep in mind that doing so will remove all the contents of your storage device.

Option 4 – Verify the hard drive using SMART attributes

In case you don’t know, Windows has a built-in feature of SMART analysis which analyzes the hard drive/SSD and checks all the parameters by performing some minor operations. To use it, follow these steps:
  • Tap the Win + S keys and type “command prompt” in the field then right-click on the related search result and select the “Run as administrator” option.
  • After opening Command Prompt as admin, type the “wmic diskdrive get status” command and hit Enter.
  • You should get a result after that, and if you see that it’s “normal”, proceed to the next option below
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Fix W11 Installation assistant is not working
Windows 11 is getting adopted more and more each day, and how more and more users are installing it some smaller bugs show up. One of the things that have manifested lately is that in some cases installation assistant is not working throwing error 0x8007007f at you while you try to finish the update of Windows. Win not working thumb If you are one of the users that are experiencing this kind of annoyance, we have a solution for you. Follow this guide as presented and repair this annoying error.

Run installation assistant as administrator

This is the most simple solution that can solve problems right away and it is advised to be tried first.
  1. Download standalone Installation assistant installer from Microsoft website here
  2. Go to the location where you had the file downloaded
  3. Right-click on file
  4. Click on Run as administrator
  5. On the permission box, click YES

Disable antivirus and/or firewall software

Antivirus or firewall software can sometimes interfere with Windows’s update and prevent for any reason download or installation of files they consider not safe. If the first solution has not provided success turn off your antivirus or firewall software and try again to install updates by running them as administrator. Now, how many different antivirus or firewall applications are unique pieces of software it would take too much time to cover all of them but usually and most commonly if you right-click on the taskbar icon of security app most of the time you will have either option to open it and close it or simply just to snooze it for some time.

Set the compatibility

If you are still having issues with installing updates try setting compatibility mode for the installer.
  1. Download standalone Installation assistant installer from Microsoft website here
  2. Go to the location where you had the file downloaded
  3. Right-click on file
  4. Click on properties
  5. Go to the Compatibility tab
  6. Click on Run this program in compatibility mode for:
  7. Choose Windows 7
  8. Click on APPLY
  9. Run installer

Run SFC scan

If you are still facing installation issues there is a high chance there is something wrong with Windows system files. Luckily Windows itself has a built-in tool to address these issues and fix them.
  1. Open command prompt as administrator by pressing Start and searching for the command prompt and then on right-clicking on run as administrator
  2. Once the command prompt opens type in SFC / SCANNOW and press ENTER
  3. Wait for the whole process to complete and then restart your system
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How to remove GoodShop Landing

GoodShopLanding is a browser extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. This extension offers the latest coupons from a range of variety stores. While this may seem useful, this extension only offers coupons from sponsored stores, not all coupons available, so the only coupons that you will get are from the Extensions Ad network. You may see additional new tabs opening randomly while browsing the internet, these tabs are opened by GoodShopLanding and usually contain last-minute store deals.

As it is often distributed via potentially unwanted advertising, and impacts browser performance in a way that many users do not want, it is classified as a Browser Hijacker and thus flagged for optional removal. From the Author:
Shop online? Here’s your free automatic coupon finder, Gumdrop. Never miss a coupon again Gumdrop automatically applies the best coupons for you at checkout. Get the best deals anywhere With over 500,000 coupons, Gumdrop finds deals for thousands of stores, including Amazon, Expedia, and Papa John’s.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijackers (sometimes called hijackware) are a kind of malicious software that alters internet browser configurations without the computer owner’s knowledge or consent. These hijacks appear to be increasing at an astonishing rate around the globe, and it could be truly nefarious and sometimes harmful too. There are numerous reasons why you may have a browser hijack; but commercial, marketing, and advertising are definitely the primary purposes for their creation. Often, hijackers will force hits to sites of their choice either to increase traffic generating higher advertisement revenue, or to gain a commission for every user visiting there. However, it isn’t that harmless. Your web safety is jeopardized and it is extremely irritating. They not only mess up your web browsers, but browser hijackers can also modify the system registry, leaving your computer vulnerable to various other attacks.

Indications of browser hijack

There are many symptoms that indicate the browser is highjacked: your homepage is reset to some mysterious site; bookmark and the new tab are likewise changed; The default search page of web browser is changed; unwanted new toolbars are added to your web browser; you may see never-ending pop-up ads on your computer screen; web pages load very slowly and sometimes incomplete; you’re disallowed access to certain webpages, such as the site of an antimalware software developer like SafeBytes.

How they get into the computer

A browser hijacker can be installed on your computer if you go to an infected website, click an e-mail attachment, or download something from a file-sharing website. They can also be deployed via the installation of an internet browser toolbar, add-on, or extension. Browser hijackers sneak into your pc along with free software application downloads that you unknowingly install along with the original. A good example of some well-known browser hijackers includes Babylon, Anyprotect, Conduit, DefaultTab, SweetPage, RocketTab, and Delta Search, but the names are often changing. Browser hijackers may record user keystrokes to collect potentially invaluable information that leads to privacy issues, cause instability on computers, significantly disrupt user’s browsing experience, and finally slow down the computer to a stage where it will become unusable.

How you can get rid of browser hijackers

Certain browser hijacking can be simply corrected by identifying and removing the corresponding malware program from your control panel. Unfortunately, most of the software programs utilized to hijack a web browser are intentionally designed to be hard to remove or detect. Moreover, manual removal requires you to carry out many time-consuming and intricate steps which are tough to conduct for new computer users. Installing and running anti-malware software on the affected computer can automatically delete browser hijackers as well as other malicious applications. If you want to remove persistent browser hijackers quickly and effectively, install the top-rated Anti-Malware program Safebytes Anti-Malware. Along with anti-virus software, a system optimizer program can help you fix registry errors, get rid of unwanted toolbars, secure internet privacy, and enhance overall computer performance.

What you can do if Malware Stops You From Downloading Anti-virus?

Malware could cause all kinds of damage when they invade your system, from stealing your private information to deleting data files on your computer. Some malware sits in between the computer and the internet connection and blocks some or all sites that you really want to visit. It could also block you from adding anything to your machine, especially antivirus applications. If you are reading this, you may have got infected by malware that stops you from installing a computer security application like Safebytes Anti-Malware. Do as instructed below to get rid of the malware in alternate ways.

Download the application in Safe Mode with Networking

If the malware is set to load immediately when Microsoft Windows starts, entering Safe Mode could very well block the attempt. Since only the bare minimum applications and services start-up in safe mode, there are seldom any reasons for issues to take place. Here are the steps you should follow to boot into the Safe Mode of your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers (go to Microsoft site for instructions on Windows 8 and 10 computers). 1) At power-on/startup, press the F8 key in 1-second intervals. This will conjure up the “Advanced Boot Options” menu. 2) Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Networking and hit ENTER. 3) When this mode loads, you should have internet access. Now, use your internet browser normally and navigate to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download Safebytes Anti-Malware. 4) Immediately after installation, do a full scan and allow the program to delete the threats it discovers.

Switch over to an alternate browser

Malicious program code could exploit vulnerabilities in a particular internet browser and block access to all anti-virus software sites. If you seem to have a virus attached to Internet Explorer, then switch over to an alternate web browser with built-in safety features, such as Firefox or Chrome, to download your favorite antivirus program – Safebytes.

Create a portable antivirus for removing malware

Another solution is to make a portable antivirus program on your USB stick. Adopt these measures to use a USB flash drive to fix your corrupted computer system. 1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or MS Windows Defender Offline onto a virus-free computer system. 2) Plug the USB drive into the clean PC. 3) Double-click the Setup icon of the antivirus software package to run the Installation Wizard. 4) Pick a USB flash drive as the location when the wizard asks you where you intend to install the software. Follow the directions to complete the installation process. 5) Remove the USB drive. You may now utilize this portable antivirus on the infected computer system. 6) Double click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the thumb drive to run the program. 7) Click the “Scan Now” button to begin the virus scan.

Let's Talk About SafeBytes Anti-Malware!

If you’re looking to download anti-malware software for your PC, there are numerous tools in the market to consider nonetheless, you cannot trust blindly anyone, regardless of whether it is paid or free program. Some of them are good but there are several scamware applications that pretend as legit anti-malware programs waiting to wreak havoc on your personal computer. When looking for antimalware software, pick one that provides solid, efficient, and total protection against all known computer viruses and malware. When thinking about reliable software programs, Safebytes AntiMalware is undoubtedly the highly recommended one. SafeBytes anti-malware is a powerful, highly effective protection tool made to help users of all levels of IT literacy in identifying and eliminating harmful threats from their personal computers. Once you’ve got installed this tool, SafeBytes superior protection system will ensure that no viruses or malicious software can seep through your PC. SafeBytes carries a variety of amazing features which can help you protect your PC from malware attack and damage. Listed below are some of the good ones: Real-time Threat Response: SafeBytes delivers complete and real-time security for your PC. It’ll monitor your personal computer for suspicious activity at all times and safeguards your PC from unauthorized access. Robust, Anti-malware Protection: With a critically acclaimed malware engine, SafeBytes gives multilayered protection which is made to catch and eliminate viruses and malware that are hidden deep inside your computer’s operating system. Fast Scan: Safebytes Anti-Malware, using its enhanced scanning engine, offers extremely fast scanning which can promptly target any active online threat. Safe Browsing: SafeBytes inspects the links present on a webpage for possible threats and alerts you if the site is safe to visit or not, through its unique safety rating system. Light-weight Tool: This software program is not “heavy” on the computer’s resources, so you’ll not see any performance troubles when SafeBytes is working in the background. 24/7 Online Technical Support: For any technical issues or product guidance, you could get 24/7 professional assistance through chat and email. To sum it up, SafeBytes Anti-Malware provides excellent protection combined with very low system resource usage with both great malware detection and prevention. You can be sure that your computer system will be protected in real-time once you put this software program to use. So if you’re searching for the absolute best malware removal application out there, and when you don’t mind shelling out some money for it, go for SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to do the removal of GoodShop Landing manually instead of employing an automated tool, you can follow these measures: Navigate to the Windows Control Panel, click the “Add or Remove Programs” and there, select the offending program to remove. In cases of suspicious versions of browser extensions, you can actually get rid of it through your browser’s extension manager. You will likely also want to reset your browser. To be certain of complete removal, find the following registry entries on your computer and remove them or reset the values appropriately. Please note that this is for professional users only and might be difficult, with wrong file removal leading to additional system errors. Additionally, certain malicious programs are capable to defend against its deletion. Doing this malware-removal process in Safe Mode is suggested.
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A Guide to Quickly Fixing Error 103

What Is Error 103?

Error 103 is an error that is usually encountered by those who use Google Chrome. This error is usually generated because of a conflict arising between Google Chrome and the antivirus program running on the user’s computer. Primarily, error 103 is an incompatibility issue. It is not critical in nature. However, since it will disrupt the smooth functioning of the browser, it is strongly advised to rectify this error that is generated due to any temporary conflicts between the logic of the two programs namely Google Chrome and antivirus. In layman's terms, it would be only justified to say that this error has a lot to do with the way programs react to each other in real-time.

Solution

Restoro box imageError Causes

When the error is displayed to the user, it usually states something like ‘chrome error 103 connection aborted’, ‘chrome error 103 err_connection_aborted’ or ‘Error 103 (net: ERR_CONNECTION_ABORTED): Unknown error. This begs the question, what triggers this error? Here it is important to understand that Google Chrome constantly applies to upgrade. In most instances, the upgrades almost go unnoticed. In the meanwhile, there are other programs running on any system such as firewall, Antispyware, or antivirus programs. All such programs govern the functionality of the web browser. Now, when the web browser attempts to update and any programs on the system view the update as a threat, the connection to the internet will be terminated. It is also important to understand that these programs will keep you from upgrading or from doing anything with your browser.

Further Information and Manual Repair

google chrome error 103Before we move on to the discussion of fixing the underlying causes for error 103, it is important to understand all those programs that are most likely to generate this error. A list of all such programs is outlined below as follows.
  • Kaspersky Pure 3.0
  • Kaspersky ONE
  • Kaspersky small office security 2013
  • Kaspersky internet security 2013
  • Kaspersky antivirus 2013
A downside associated with error 103 is that it won’t disappear on its own. That’s why it is important to make some manual changes as there are no tools available online to rectify this error automatically. Follow the steps listed below to easily fix the problem.
  • Click on the Start button.
  • In the search box, enter ‘expand.exe’.
  • Right-click on the file that appears and select the option ‘Open Folder Location’.
  • Now, copy the file and paste it at the destination ‘C:\Windows\System32’.
  • If you are not able to find the file, it is advised you copy it from Windows Installation Disk.
  • Now, click on the ‘Start’ button again.
  • Find and select ‘Run’.
  • Now enter ‘C: ’ in the search box and press Ok.
  • Now right-click anywhere on the screen, select new, and then select folder.
  • Rename this folder. Change the name from ‘New Folder’ to ‘Temp’.
  • Now go to the Start button again.
  • Select ‘Run’ once again.
  • Type ‘cmd.exe’ in the command prompt and press Ok.
  • Now type Command. Press enter.
  • Now type this code as it is: ‘set TMP=C:temp’ and press enter.
  • Now restart the browser.
  • If it fails, install Google Chrome once again.
  • Just make sure everything is in sync to avoid any data loss.
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Screen of death colors in Windows 10
Receiving a screen of death is not a pleasant experience at all and most users would agree that they would very much like not to face one during their work with the computer. Sadly PC is not a perfect machine and it is not working in a perfect environment so errors happen. The most famous and well-known death screen is blue which is also the most common one, my bet would be that there is not a user which has not been faced with this blue error screen. There is no simple explanation why these stop errors occur as several factors can be involved. However, it is known that the malfunctioning of hardware drivers or drivers that are installed by third-party software drive this unwanted change. But did you know that there is more colors for infamous death screens and not just blue one? Microsoft has coded different errors to different colors in the goal for the technical team to be aware right away of what type and kind of error they are dealing with. Color for screen errors are: Blue, Black, Pink, Brown, Yellow, Red, Orange, Green and White If you are interested in what color represents what keep reading.

BLUE

blue screen of deathA stop error or exception error commonly called the blue screen of death (BSoD) or blue screen, is an error screen displayed on Windows computers following a fatal system error. It indicates a system crash, in which the operating system has reached a condition where it can no longer operate safely. This is caused by many different problems, such as a general hardware failure or a crucial process terminating unexpectedly.

BLACK

black screen of deathOn Windows 10 systems, a Black Screen of Death can be caused by an unfinished Windows Update. To resolve this problem, simply hold the power button down on your PC or laptop to switch off the computer. A cold start should result in the system booting properly.

PINK

pink screen of deathIt is a diagnostic screen with a white type on a pink background. Pink Screen is mainly seen when the VMkernel of an ESX/ESXi host experiences a critical error, becomes inoperative, and terminates any virtual machines that are running. It is not fatal and generally considered more of a developer testing issue. When encountered, it can be fixed quickly by following the simple action of pressing and holding your computer’s power button to shut down the device.

BROWN

brown screen of deathThe Microsoft Windows 10 Operating System Brown Screen of Death is an on-screen fatal error notification with bug check codes which is seen when a computer crashes due to graphics hardware or software-related problems (failing graphics drivers).

YELLOW

yellow screen of deathIt affects the functioning of a browser, particularly Mozilla Firefox. The Yellow Screen of Death makes the appearance with a weird buzzing sound in the background when the XML parser refuses to process an XML document causing a parsing error and a weird buzzing sound. The issue persists unless the computer is manually rebooted.

RED

red screen of deathCommonly the Windows 10 red screen is caused due to the hardware error, particularly if you overclock your Windows PC/laptop. Despite this, sometimes the red screen of death is also caused by outdated or incompatible drivers or due to BIOS issues.

ORANGE

orange screen of deathThe Orange Screen of Death on Windows occurs due to fatal hardware errors. Multiple reasons have been reported for the Orange Screen of Death. Some had this issue when watching a YouTube video, some were not able to boot into Windows. It can even occur when waking up from Sleep.

GREEN

green screen of deathThe green screen of death only appears when you're running an Insider Preview version of Windows 10. It's the same as the blue screen of death, and it will show the same error messages. ... If you see a green screen of death (GSOD) on your PC, that's a sign you're using an Insider Preview build of Windows 10.

WHITE

white screen of deathThe White Screen on Windows is also an error where the screen of the computer just turns white and freezes. There can be several things that can cause the white screen to appear on the Windows laptop monitor. But the main issue could be because of malfunctioning of the graphics hardware.
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A Quick Guide to Fixing Error 577

Error 577 - What is it?

This is a typical system error code. It stops your ability to run or load programs on your PC. The error message is displayed in the following format:
‘Windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file.
A recent hardware or software change might have installed a file that is signed incorrectly or damaged, or that might be malicious software from an unknown source.’

Solution

Restoro box imageError Causes

Error 577 may be triggered due to several reasons. However, the most common causes of this error include:
  • Device Driver Conflicts
  • Hardware Malfunction
  • Viral Infection
  • Windows Registry Corruption or Damage
  • Software File Corruption or Damage
Error 577 can prove to be fatal if the underlying causes are related to viral infection or registry corruption.

Further Information and Manual Repair

To resolve error 577 on your PC, you don’t have to hire a professional and spend hundreds of dollars on repair. The process for fixing this error is simple and easy. Here are some of the best and efficient methods to repair error 577 - no technical expertise is required.

Method 1 - Check and Update Device Drivers

If the problem is triggered by the outdated or corrupted driver for the device reporting the error then it is advisable to update the driver. To do this, first, uninstall the corrupted driver and then reinstall the latest version. For this simply click the start menu, go to the control panel and then click Performance and Maintenance, and then System. In the new window, you will then see a tab called Hardware and the Device Manager. Double click on the device whose driver you need to uninstall. Click on the properties window with a tab marked driver. Then click on the driver you want to uninstall. To activate changes reboot your PC. Now reinstall the latest and updated version of the driver uninstalled using the Plug and Play feature.

Method 2 - Scan For Viruses

System error codes like 577 can also pop up if your PC is infected by viruses. Viruses enter through phishing emails and downloadable files from unreliable websites. If the reason for error 577 is a viral infection, then simply install a powerful antivirus, run it to scan your entire PC. Remove all the viruses and malicious programs immediately to resolve. If the issue still persists, then try method 3.

Method 3 - Repair the Registry

Sometimes registry corruption can be the underlying cause for error 577. The registry is the part that saves all activities performed on the system. It stores both important and unnecessary files like junk files, cookies, and bad registry entries. If these files are not removed from the registry frequently, they accumulate and corrupt the registry which then generates system error codes. To resolve and repair the registry in seconds, simply download Restoro. This is a user-friendly PC Repair Tool embedded with a registry cleaner. It wipes away all unnecessary files corrupting the registry and repairs it. Click here to download Restoro.
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How to Fix the Sysfader iexplore.exe Application Error

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 Error The instruction at “0×00000000″ referenced memory at “0×00000000″. The memory could not be “read”.”

Solution

Restoro box imageError 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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!
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What to do if CPU is not running at full speed
The speed at which the CPU runs varies depending on any Windows laptop or desktop. And in case you don’t know, the CPU does not run at full speed all the time as it depends on how the operating system distributes the load so it works accordingly. However, there are instances when it runs at full speed especially if your Windows 10 computer is on a heavy workload. But if you find that even when your computer is already on a heavy workload and the CPU is still not running at full speed, then you need to look into this situation. To verify that your CPU’s speed, you can use any CPU stress test tool. This kind of issue is common on laptops compared to desktop computers since laptop runs on battery. The Intel Processor on laptops uses the Speed Stepping Technology which means that when you are doing some small tasks on your laptop, the processor’s speed is reduced. On the other hand, if this happens when you are using a heavy application, it can be due to a low charge on the laptop’s battery. Thus, Windows will try its best to keep the computer running for as long as possible by reducing the CPU speed or processor. But there are times when you are ready to sacrifice battery to make sure that the work gets done on time. To achieve that, here are some options you can check out.

Option 1 – Try setting the processor state to the maximum in Power Options

  • Type “control” in the search box to view the classic Control Panel as well as the popular options.
  • Next, click on Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
  • Then navigate to Processor power management > Maximum processor state.
  • Now select 100% when it is on Battery and Plugged in.
  • After that, expand the System cooling policy option and make sure to set it as Active to make sure that the battery won’t overheat.
  • Finally, apply the changes made to all the profiles of the power management and restart your computer. This will ensure that your CPU will run at maximum power at all times.

Option 2 – Try to update or disable the Intel Power Management driver

The next option you can try is to update or disable the Intel Power Management driver. The Intel-powered computers have dedicated software that controls CPU speed and Fan speed when it needs to save battery. You can try disabling it temporarily and check if there are any changes with the CPU fan speed.
  • First, restart your computer by holding the Shift key to boot your computer into Troubleshooting or Advanced mode.
  • Next, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
  • Then change the directory to C:/Windows/System32/driver and then rename the file named “Intelppm” by entering the “ren intelppm.sys intelppm.sys.bak”.
  • Now restart your computer.
Note: If you were not able to find the drivers in C:/Windows/System32/driver, check if they are available under C:/Drivers/IntelPPM. After that, the CPU speed should change now with the Intel driver missing from the system. And in case you want to enable it, simply follow the same steps given above and rename the file again.

Option 3 – Try disabling the IPPM using the Command Line or Registry Editor

  • Command Prompt:
    • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “cmd” and tap Enter to open Command Prompt.
    • Next, type this command and hit Enter: sc config intelppm start= disabled
    • The “sc config” command you entered modifies the value of a service’s entries in the registry as well as in the Service Control Manager database.
  • Registry Editor:
    • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
    • Next, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesintelppm.
    • From there, double click on the intelppm and change the Start key value to
    • Now close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer.
Note: The steps given will make sure that the CPU will run at maximum power at all times.
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