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.
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.
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.
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.
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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!
Error 0x800CCC90 is a typical Outlook error. This error indicates that Outlook has failed to connect to the mail server that handles and manages the incoming and outgoing emails. The error message is displayed in the following format:
“There was a problem logging onto your mail server. Your User Name was rejected.”
This error limits your ability to send and receive emails on Outlook. If you largely communicate at the workplace using your Outlook account, this error may slow down your work productivity and performance dramatically. Therefore it is advisable to fix it immediately.
Solution
Error Causes
The error 0x800CCC90 is triggered several reasons including but not limited to:
Authentication issues
Failure of POP 3 Server
PST File Corruption
Registry issues- Invalid Entries
Viral infection
Further Information and Manual Repair
To resolve error 0x800CCC90, try the methods given below:
Method 1 - Adjust the Authentication Settings
To resolve the error 0x800CCC90, adjust the authentication settings. Here’s what you need to do:
First, go to the ‘Tools’ tab and select the ‘Accounts’ option.
Once you select the account option, an internet accounts box will appear on the computer screen.
Simply double click on the account property box after that go to the server tab and click on it.
Check the box that says ‘My Server Requires Authentication’.
Click on apply to accept changes tab to save changes and close the window.
To activate changes made, restart Outlook and then try sending emails again.
Method 2 - Download a PST Repair Tool
If the error is triggered by PST file corruption, then the best way to resolve it is to download the PST repair tool. Download the PST repair tool from a trusted website. Run it on your system to fix PST file issues and resolve error 0x800CCC90.
Method 3 - Scan for Viruses
Another way to resolve this error is to scan for viruses. Viruses usually enter computer systems through phishing emails or while downloading attachments.
You may not know this but viruses may be affecting your PC. Due to viruses, errors like error 0x800CCC90 can also be triggered. Therefore install an antivirus to scan and remove errors on your PC.
Method 4 - Clean the Registry and Remove Invalid Entries
Due to poor PC maintenance, misconfigured and invalid registry entries may be stored in the registry. Such entries may lead to Outlook errors too. Thus to resolve you must clean the registry and remove these entries right away. Download a registry cleaner to fix the error.
Whether the error is triggered by viral infection or registry issues, it is recommended you download only Restoro. This is the one-stop solution to resolve all PC related errors. This software is deployed with 6 scanners including a registry cleaner, an antivirus, and a system optimizer.
It is user-friendly and has simple navigation. It is compatible with all Windows versions. In just a few clicks this software resolves practically all types of PC-related errors including error 0x800CCC90.
Click here to download Restoro today!
If you are tried encrypting or decrypting a file using the default EFS engine but you receive an error message instead saying, “Error Applying Attributes, An error occurred applying attributes to the file: The specified file could not be decrypted”, read on as this post will help you sort out the problem. If you encounter this error you can use the error code in it. You will most likely get error code 0x80071771. This kind of error occurs when the File Explorer’s copy and paste feature was not able to read the source file being encrypted or decrypted. It could also occur if you try to access a file that has been on another computer previously.
To fix error code 0x80071771 when decrypting or encrypting a file, refer to the instructions provided below.
Step 1: You need to check first if you can decrypt the files encrypted by EFS. However, if you can’t, just proceed and then take full control of the file.
Step 2: To take control of the file, open File Explorer and right-click on the partition, and then click on Properties.
Step 3: After that, click on the Edit button under the Security tab.
Step 4: Next, make sure that “Everyone” is selected under the Group or user names section.
Step 5: Afterwards, the Permissions for Everyone section will be activated. Just make sure that all the checkboxes for Allow are checked and then click on the Apply button.
Step 6: Once you’re done, click on the Advanced button. This will open a new window labeled Advanced Security Settings. From there, click on the Change link under the Owner section.
Step 7: Now type your account name in the field and click on Check Names to verify the account name and click OK.
Step 8: After that, select the “Replace owner on sub-containers and objects” option and then click OK.
Step 9: Next, select Administrators in the Group or User names list and select Full Control in the Permissions for Administrators panel and click OK.
If by any chance you are working on a touchscreen PC, tablet, or any similar device and have no access to a hardware keyboard there is a way to place Touch Keyboard on your screen for easy typing, and you can enable icon on the taskbar for easy access.
Enabling the Touch Keyboard
Right-click on the Taskbar
Select Taskbar Settings
Go to Personalization > Taskbar
Click on Taskbar Corner Icons to expand it
Click on the switch next to Touch Keyboard to turn it ON
Close settings
The icon will immediately appear on the Taskbar in the lower right corner. Clicking the icon virtual keyboard will appear on the lower part of the screen.
You can use this keyboard to type in applications the same as you were typing on hardware one.
By taping on X in the upper right corner, you will hide the keyboard. Tap on the icon in Taskbar to bring it up again.
Hide the Taskbar icon
If you do not want to use Touch Keyboard anymore you can easily hide the icon:
Right-click on the Taskbar
Select Taskbar Settings
Go to Personalization > Taskbar
Click on Taskbar Corner Icons to expand it
Click on the switch next to Touch Keyboard to turn it OFF
One of the cool and interesting features in Windows is the Screensaver which allows users to display animation or change the wallpaper automatically when the computer is not being used. This feature can also time out and lock your computer when it remains idle for quite some time. However, if you notice that the screensaver of your computer turns on a lot earlier, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how you can change the timeout settings of the screensaver of your Windows 10 computer.
Usually, the screensaver in Windows 10 is turned off by default, however, if some other user has turned it on or if you have turned it on, you can actually change the timeout settings of the screensaver using several methods. You can do it through the Personalization settings, Registry Editor, as well as the Group Policy Editor.
Before you proceed with the instructions provided below, make sure that you create a System Restore point first. Once done, follow each one of the suggestions carefully to successfully change the Screensaver timeout settings in Windows 10.
Option 1 – Modify the timeout settings of Screensaver via Personalization settings
Open the Start menu and type “screen saver” in the field.
On the search results that appear, click on the “Change Screen Saver” option.
From there, you have the option to change the screen saver type, preview, open settings, change the wait time, as well as choose to display lock screen on your resume.
Now to change the timeout settings of your screensaver, you have to increase the wait time from 1 to 15 or anything that works for you.
Once done, click OK and exit to save the changes made.
Option 2 – Try to change the screensaver time via Registry Editor
The next option you can try to change the timeout settings in the screensaver is using the Registry Editor. To get started, follow these steps:
Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Next, navigate to this registry path: ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindows
From there, right-click on Windows located in the right pane and select New > Key.
Name the key as “Control Panel” and right-click on it and select New > Key and then name it as “Desktop”.
Once done, click on the newly created Desktop key to highlight it.
After that, right-click on any empty space in the right pane and select New > String Value and then type “ScreenSaveTimeOut” and hit Enter to save it.
Now right-click on ScreenSaveTimeOut and select Modify and then set its value data in seconds.
Click on OK and exit the Registry Editor to save the changes made.
Option 3 – Change Screensaver timeout settings via Group Policy Editor
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “gpedit.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
Next, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.
Then look for a policy setting named “Screen saver timeout” and double click on it and then click on the Enabled option to enable it.
Add the screen timeout in seconds and click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes.
Restart your computer.
Note: If you want to disable the screensaver feature in your computer, you can always do so by disabling a policy setting named “Enable Screen Saver”.
QR code or if you want to be more technical Quick Response code is a two-dimensional code made of square dots creating a pattern that can be scanned via QR scanner and then interpreted. Usually, they are present on product packaging, on business cards, websites, etc.
When you decode a QR code you can get a link to a website or link to a file or whatever, you can get text, image, email, contact information, etc.
QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator sample code
How to decode a QR Code? You can scan it with your mobile devices like iPhone, iPad, Android or Blackberry equipped with additional software for scanning QR Codes. You might want to check out tools like Barcode Scanner or Red Laser. If you don’t have a mobile device or you need to scan a barcode on your PC, simply use CodeTwo QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator.
How this program works
QR Code reading
CodeTwo QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator is a free tool that will let you quickly scan any QR Code from your screen – be it a part of the website, email, banner, or document. Simply run the program and hit From the screen on the top menu.
Your standard mouse cursor will change into a cross to help you make a selection on your screen. Simply select an area with a QR Code and the program will automatically scan it. You can scan QR codes from websites, documents, movie files – you name it.
You can also select an image file that contains a QR Code and the program will locate it automatically and decode it. To do that, simply click From file on the top menu of the program and select the desired image from your hard drive.
If you have a file copied to your clipboard, or if you make a screenshot of a QR Code, QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator will let you decode those QR codes in one click. Just click From clipboard and the program will automatically locate and decode the QR code for you.
That is not all, you can also use your camera to scan QR codes. If you have more than one camera, the program will let you choose which one to use. To use this option, simply click From webcam, and you will be able to scan QR codes with your recording device.
QR Code generation
CodeTwo QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator also acts as a QR code generator. Creating QR codes is as easy as reading them. Here is how to generate a QR code:
In the top menu, click Generate mode on and enter the text you want to translate into QR Code
Choose if you want to copy it to the clipboard or save it in a file. The QR Code will be scaled automatically, but you can resize it in the Size settings tab.
The resulting QR code can be used however you like. To name just a few options, you can:
Upload it to your blog/website which is especially useful for mobile users.
Print it on a poster, providing easily accessible links with more information on your event.
Send it in newsletters, or include it in your email signature.
QR Codes in email signatures
Inserting QR codes in email signatures lets mobile users quickly grab your contact details, or provides them with links so that they can get more information on your company or topic you were discussing. You can also provide your recipients with a link to QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator. This will help them easily decode QR codes when they open your email on a PC.
QR code
If you want to include a QR code automatically in email signatures throughout a whole organization, try CodeTwo central email signature management solution. It is a very useful tool, which enables you to unify email signatures on Exchange Server and Office 365 (Microsoft 365).
Error code 0x80240020 is a Windows 10 upgrade error code that affects users who attempt to upgrade their Windows operating system. This may occur due to a particular program that blocks the upgrade from completing. It can also result when other PC issues interfere with the upgrade process by disrupting the ability of Windows Update to download updates on one’s machine. Common symptoms of error code 0x80240020 include the following:
Message box detailing the presence of error code 0x80240020
Inability to complete Windows 10 upgrade process
Solution
Error Causes
Upgrade error codes occur when Windows users experience upgrade failure while using Windows Update, the Microsoft Windows Update website, the Microsoft Update website, or the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server. Disruption may cause this process to fail, for instance, due to system file corruptions or problems related to the Windows Update services.
Further Information and Manual Repair
To correct issues related to error codes, it is often best to apply manual repair methods. These help Windows users determine the root causes of the error code and provide solutions that permanently fix these issues. For instance, if error code 0x80240020 on your machine is due to an issue within the Windows Update tool, you will need to first verify that this is the problem by using a troubleshooter option found within your machine’s settings. The troubleshooter will detect and fix the issue.
Most of these manual repair methods can be implemented by any Windows user, regardless of their background, technical abilities, or lack thereof. However, in certain cases, technical skills are required. If you have trouble implementing the procedures highlighted below or in any other error code article found on this site, consider getting help from a Windows repair technician or use a powerful automated tool.
Below are details regarding the manual repair methods for fixing error code 0x80240020. Ensure you follow the instructions correctly. After all, any error you make will likely cause further problems on your machine and prevent you from resolving error code 0x80240020 in Windows 10.
Method One: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter
One way to fix error code 0x80240020 is to troubleshoot Windows Update. To do this you will need to access Settings within your machine then simply select the relevant troubleshooting options available. Follow the instructions below:
Step one: Type Settings within search box near Start button then press Enter
Step two: In the search box within Settings, type Troubleshooting
Step three: Select the troubleshooting option
Step four: Under System and Security, select Fix problems with Windows Update
Step five: Under Windows Update, select Resolve problems that prevent you from updating Windows.
Step six: Click Next and wait for the troubleshooter to detect and fix problems
If there are problems with Windows Update, the troubleshooter will be able to fix them. Once this process is complete, restart your PC and then reopen Windows Update. Attempt to upgrade your Windows operating system. If Windows Update completes the process and your machine downloads and runs the upgrade, you have successfully resolved error code 0x80240020.
If, however, there is another upgrade failure and the message box detailing the presence of error code 0x80240020 in Windows 10 appears, you will need to apply another manual repair procedure. Please see below for further details regarding manual repair method two.
Method Two: Use SFC to Scan and Fix Corrupted System Files
Corrupted or missing system files may interfere with your machine’s ability to successfully download an upgrade. For this reason, scan and fix any problems related to system files on your machine using Command Prompt. This manual repair method is often called a System File Check/ Checker (SFC).
Step one: Right-click Start Menu
Step two: Select Command Prompt (Admin)
Step three: Type sfc /scannow
To ensure you follow this procedure correctly, enter the command as it is written above, with a space between “sfc” and “/scannow”. Once missing, corrupted or damaged files are present on your machine, the SFC command will enable Command Prompt to scan and fix these issues. Wait until the process is complete then reboot your PC.
With your system successfully rebooted, reattempt the Windows 10 upgrade process in Windows Update or on the Windows Update website. If the issue causing error code 0x80240020 was related to problems with system files, you should be able to complete the upgrade after using the SFC tool.
Method Three: Download an Automated Tool
If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.
When Windows evolved into Windows 10, the program known as Windows Security Essentials is no longer. It is now the program known as Windows Defender. When a computer is upgraded from a previous version of Windows up to Windows 10, the Windows Defender takes over and will replace the Security Essentials. In a small percentage of Windows 10 upgrades, something will go wrong and the new program will fail to replace Security Essentials. The result will be that the operating system has both of the programs installed. In this case, Windows Defender will not offer any protection and Security Essentials will not be able to defend either. This error code will also present itself when the Windows Mail App in Windows 10 fail to retrieve and sync email from the user's account.
Common symptoms include:
There will be an error message that says: “An error has occurred in the program initialization. If this problem does continue, contact your System Admin. Error code 0x80070426.”
The computer will be left completely vulnerable to spyware and viruses.
The Windows Mail App will not be able to retrieve mail and will not sync with the PC user's mail.
The user can be doing anything on their computer and the error code will show up unprompted.
The computer will lock up, become slow, crash, or even freeze when dealing with error code 0x80070426.
The programs from an older version of Windows do not replace the newer version from Windows 10.
Solution
Error Causes
Error code 0x80070426 will present itself when a PC user has upgraded their OS from a previous version of Windows to the new Windows 10 version. When this happens, a small portion of users will experience the disconnect between older versions of specific programs, namely the virus protection. When the previous version of the program under a different name is not completely removed and the new virus protection program is installed, the programs will cancel each other out and collectively offer no protection.
This error code may also be found when Windows 10 tries to sync the user's email with the Windows Mail App.
Further Information and Manual Repair
There are a few methods to repair this problem. It should be noted that should anyone feel that the instructions are too complicated, they should contact a Windows repair technician to ensure that the error is fixed properly.
Method One: Uninstall Microsoft Essentials
Hold down the Windows Key and press R. Type in taskmgr into the run dialogue. You should locate the Windows Defender Service (this may show up as Windefend). Right-click on it and then choose Stop.
This will stop the program, but the program will start back up automatically when the computer restarts. While this program is stopped, uninstall Essentials.
To do this: go to Control Panel, Programs, and Features, Uninstall a Program. Alternately, you may hold down the Windows Key and press R, type in appwiz.cpl, click OK, and then locate Microsoft Essentials. Uninstall it, and then restart your computer.
After this is done, go to Settings, Update, and Security. Choose Windows Defender and ensure that Real-time protection is on. Refer back to the Task Manager, Services. Make sure that Defender service is on and running.
Method Two: If the problem occurs in the Windows Mail App
When error code 0x80070426 presents itself in the form of an error with the Mail app, it may be necessary to run an SFC scan.
Right-click on the Start menu or Windows icon, and select Command prompt. The command prompt may be navigated by using shortcut keys Win and X and then select it.
Run the command prompt and then type in sfc /scannow and then press enter. The SFC scan will be run, and be careful not to abort the process before it has finished. This will scan for any files that are lost or corrupt on the PC.
If the scan has found any corrupt files, type in this code and then hit Enter: findstr /c:”[SR]” %windir%LogsCBSCBS.log >”%userprofile%Desktopsfcdetails.txt.
To skip the repair of corrupt or missing files, type in: Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. The details of the scan can be found on the sfcdetails.txt file that will be on the desktop.
Method Three: Use An Automated Tool
If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.
If you got an error message saying, “Windows could not start the Windows Update service on Local Computer, Error 87. The parameter is incorrect” while you were trying to start the Windows update service on your computer, then this post could help you resolve the problem. Along with this error, you might also get any of these error codes such as 0x80240034, 0x80244019, 0x80070643, and so on. Aside from these error codes, you will also notice that the Windows Update service has been stopped.
To fix this issue, here are a couple of suggestions that might help but before you go on, you need to create a System Restore point first.
Option 1 – Try checking Services Dependencies
Dependencies of a Windows Service in Windows 10 are when windows services depend on other services. Such is the case with the Windows Update service – it also depends on three different services such as the Remote Procedure Call or RPC service, DCOM Server Process Launcher, and the RPC Endpoint Mapper. Meaning to say, if two of these services are not working as expected, then the dependant service will also be affected. This could be the reason why the Windows Update service could not start.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open Windows Services.
From the list of Services, look for the following services:
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Service
DCOM Server Process Launcher
RPC Endpoint Mapper
After you find these services, double click on each one of them and check whether the Startup type for all is set to Automatic and the Service status is set to Running or not.
If the service status is not running, then click the Start button. Afterward, check if you can now run the Windows Update service.
Option 2 – Check the Background Intelligent Service and the Cryptographic Service
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open Services.
From the list of Services, look for the following services and make sure that their Startup type is as follows:
Background Intelligent Transfer Service – Manual
Cryptographic Service – Automatic
After that, check if the Service status of the listed services above is set to Running. If they’re not, click on the Start button to start these services and then check if you can now enable the Windows Update service or not.
Option 3 – Reset Windows Update components
If the first two options did not work then you might want to reset the Windows Update components manually. Follow the steps below to reset them.
Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
After that, type each one of the following commands and hit Enter after you key in one after the other.
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptsvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
Note: The commands you entered will stop the Windows Update components such as Windows Update service, Cryptographic services, BITS, and MSI Installer.
After disabling WU components, you need to rename both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders. To do that, type each one of the following commands below, and don’t forget to hit Enter after you type one command after the other.
Next, restart the services you’ve stopped by entering another series of commands. Don’t forget to hit Enter after you key in one command after the other.
net start wuauserv
net start cryptsvc
net start bits
net start msiserver
Close Command Prompt and reboot your PC.
Option 4 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
If resetting the Windows Update components didn’t work, you could also try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter as it could also help in fixing any issues related to Windows Update including this one. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.
Option 5 – Try removing a value from the Windows Registry
If running the Windows Update troubleshooter didn’t help and you receive a message instead saying, “Service Registration is Missing or Corrupt”, you can try to remove a value from the Windows Registry.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Registry.
Next, navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsSelfHostApplicability
From this path, look for a value named “ThresholdOptedIn” and if you find it, delete it.
Exit the Registry Editor and see if you can now enable the Windows Update service.
Changing Taskbar location in your Windows 10 is an easy task but lately, Microsoft has removed the option to just drag it to one side of the screen and place it there, now in order to change location we need to do a little more work but do not worry it is not difficult at all.
Right-click on the taskbar to open its properties menuin the menu, on the bottom choose taskbar settings. Once the settings dialog opens, on the right side locate the taskbar location on screen.
Click on the dropdown menu and choose the desired location for the taskbar.
Whether you’re using Windows Update or upgrading or installing on your Windows 10 computer, you can’t really tell if things will go smoothly as there are times when you might encounter some issues that prevent you from completing the update or upgrade or the installation. One of the errors you can encounter is error 0x80070057. Usually, when you receive this error, it means that one or more arguments are not valid. You can encounter this error in the following cases:
Windows Update, Upgrade, or Installation
Windows Backup, The parameter is incorrect
Partitioning a Disk
System Image Restore error 0x80070057
Downloading Windows Store apps
Keep in mind that the troubleshooting steps you need to take will depend on the scenarios you are in. Thus, you need to go over each one of the troubleshooting options given below and make sure to carefully follow each one of them but before you proceed, you have to create a System Restore Point first.
Option 1 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
The first thing you can do to fix error 0x80070057 is by running the Windows Update Troubleshooter. It is a built-in tool in Windows that helps users resolve any issues with Windows Update. All you need to do to run it is go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button.
Option 2 – Use the Registry Editor
If you get the error 0x80070057 during Windows Backup, then you need to make some modifications to the Windows Registry. To do so, follow these steps:
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Next, navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftSystem
Then create a new DWORD value and input “CopyFileBufferedSynchronousIo” as its name and put “1” as its value.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer then check if the error is fixed or not.
Option 3 – Run the DISM tool
Running the DISM Tool helps in repairing the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.
Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.
Note: If it happens that the Windows Update client is broken, you need to run the following command to repair it then restart your PC and click on Update once again.
Option 4 – Flush the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder
You have to stop a couple of services such as BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer, and Windows Update Services. And to do that, you need to flush the contents in the SoftwareDistribution folder. The Software Distribution folder in the Windows operating system is a folder that can be found in the Windows directory and is used to store files temporarily which might be required to install the Windows Update on your PC. Thus, it is required by the Windows Update and maintained by WUAgent. Aside from that, it also contains all the Windows Update History files and once you delete them, you will most likely lose the Update history. As a result, the next time you run the Windows Update, it may result in a longer detection time.
Open the WinX Menu.
From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.
net stop wuauservnet start cryptSvcnet start bitsnet start msiserver
After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.
Option 5 – Reset Windows Store Cache
Right-click on the start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator).
Next, type in the command, “wsreset.exe” and tap Enter. Once you do, the command will clear the cache for the Windows Store app.
Option 6 – Run SFC scan
Running the SFC scan or System File Checker might also help in fixing error 0x80070057.
Tap Win + R to launch Run.
Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow and hit Enter.
The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
Error Causes
If by any chance you are working on a touchscreen PC, tablet, or any similar device and have no access to a hardware keyboard there is a way to place Touch Keyboard on your screen for easy typing, and you can enable icon on the taskbar for easy access.
in the menu, on the bottom choose taskbar settings. Once the settings dialog opens, on the right side locate the taskbar location on screen.
Click on the dropdown menu and choose the desired location for the taskbar. 