Fix Bad Image Error Status 0xc000012f

As you know, the USB security keys are a secure medium to validate a lot of components in a computer. They can be used to log in to Windows 10. Now with the advancement of APIs, you can authenticate across the website as well using the same key. However, there are times when it may not work and it could be caused by several factors. It could be due to corrupted or incompatible drivers or it could also be due to compromised integrity of the key, and many more. So if you happen to encounter an issue with the USB security key on your Windows 10 computer, then there are several potential fixes you can try. You can try toggling the Internet Options settings or reinstall the respective USB drivers. You could also try changing the PIN of the security key or disable the antivirus program on your computer or troubleshoot the web browser. Refer to the potential fixes provided below to fix the problem.

Option 1 – Try to toggle the settings of the Internet Options

• In the Windows Search box, search for Internet Options to open it.
• Next, go to the Security tab and drag the security slider to the lowest possible security for all the given zones.
• After that, click on OK to save the changes made and close the Internet Options.

Note that this option is only a temporary measure as it can make your computer vulnerable. Make sure to press the Reset all zones to default level button.

Option 2 – Try to update or reinstall the respective drivers

If updating the drivers of the device did not fix the problem with the USB security key, you can try to update or reinstall the Universal Serial Bus Controller drivers instead of using the Device Manager. Refer to the following steps:

• First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
• Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
• From there, look for the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” option and then right-click on each one of the USB drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.

Note: If it is a regular USB drive, then it will be listed as a USB Mass Storage Device but if you have a USB 3.0 device, then look for a USB 3.0 Extensible Host Controller.

• Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.

Note: If updating the USB Controller drivers didn’t work, you can try to reinstall them instead.

Option 3 – Try to change the PIN of the security key

If the first two options didn’t work, you can try changing the PIN of the security key. There are instances when the PIN for the security key might have been corrupted. Thus, resetting it can help you resolve the problem.

Option 4 – Temporarily disable Firewall and third-party antivirus

Firewall and antivirus programs are known to block the proper functioning of the USB security key. Thus, your antivirus or firewall programs might be the reason why you can’t download anything on your Windows 10 computer. To isolate the issue, you need to temporarily disable both the Firewall and antivirus programs and then check if you can now download anything from the internet. Do not forget to enable them again as disabling them can leave your computer vulnerable to cyber threats.

Option 5 – Try to troubleshoot the web browser

Troubleshooting your web browser can also help you fix the USB security key problem. You can do that by checking if your web browser supports the security key and you can do that by checking on the official website of your browser. You can also try to update your web browser to its latest version but if it didn’t help, you can try to reinstall it or switch to another web browser.

This post will guide you through fixing the INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR Blue Screen Error on your Windows 10 computer. If you encounter this kind of Blue Screen of Death error, this means that the policy manager experienced a fatal error which in turn means that it can happen because of Drivers or Software or even due to external hardware. And so to resolve the issue, here are some suggestions that might be of help.

Option 1 – Update the Device drivers

As mentioned, the INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR BSOD error might have something to do with the drivers. It could be that the drivers are outdated so you need to update them in order to resolve the issue.

• 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. If you see a red or yellow sign that shows up against the driver, right-click on the driver’s name and select “Update Driver Software” or “Uninstall”. And if you find any drivers with a label saying, “Unknown device”, you need to update them as well.
• Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and then follow the instructions to complete the process.
• Restart your PC.

Option 2 – Check the Device performance and health

You can also try checking the device's performance and health in the Windows Defender Security Center.

• Open the Windows Defender Security Center.
• From there, check if there is a yellow exclamation icon in the Device performance and health section.
• After that, click on the View report option and you might see Health Report that points towards Storage Capacity, Device Drivers, or Apps and Software which should give you an idea of what the root cause of the problem really is.

Option 3 – Try to run the Chkdsk utility

Running the CHKDSK utility might also help you resolve the INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR Blue Screen error. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the CHKDSK utility comes in. The CHKDSK utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /f /r

• Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try increasing the size of the Hibernation file

• In the Cortana search box, type “command prompt” in the field, and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
• Next, type in the following command and hit Enter to execute it:

powercfg /hibernate /size 100

• Note that the default size of the Hibernation file is 75% and after executing the command, it should increase to 100%. Now exit Command Prompt and check if the problem’s now fixed or not.

Option 5 – Try to run the troubleshooters

Blue Screen Troubleshooter:

• 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.

Performance Troubleshooter:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “msdt.exe /id PerformanceDiagnostic” in the field and hit Enter to open the Performance troubleshooter.
• Then click on Next to get started. Wait until the process is completed.

System Maintenance Troubleshooter:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “msdt.exe /id MaintenanceDiagnostic” in the field and hit Enter to open the System Maintenance Troubleshooter.
• After that, click on Next to start troubleshooting the problem and wait until it’s done then check if it fixes the problem or not.

Option 6 – Uninstall the programs you installed recently

Chances are, some programs that you just installed might be the one that’s causing the BSOD error. Thus, you need to uninstall the program to resolve the problem.

• In the search box, type in “control” and then click on Control Panel (desktop app) among the search results.
• After that, select Programs and Features from the list which will give you a list of all the programs installed on your computer.
• From there, look for the concerned program and select it and then uninstall it.

Note: If you have downloaded the app from the Windows Store, you can simply right-click on it from the application list and then uninstall it.

Option 7 – Run Windows Defender offline

You also have the option to run Windows Defender offline and scan your computer to see if any malware has infected the computer and the one that’s causing the INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR Blue Screen Error.

When trying to run Computer Management, or when running mmc.exe or compmgmt.msc from a command prompt you get the error that the application has been blocked for your protection then keep reading in order to solve the issue. This is a permission issue where if a regular user tries to run such system tools will result in saying that it has been blocked. Along with this, you may have a Group Policy issue. This can be fixed, but you will need admin permission to achieve it. It’s because when they are run from the command prompt with elevated privileges, it works.

1. Change Group Policy Settings

   If your account is an admin account, and you are still facing the issue, then change the group policy settings: Open Group Policy Settings by typing gpedit.msc in the run prompt followed by pressing ENTER Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Management Console > Restricted/Permitted snap-ins Locate Computer Management policy, and double click to open it Enable it, exit Group Policy. When Enabled: The snap-in is permitted and can be added into the Microsoft Management Console or run from the command line as a standalone console. When Disabled: The snap-in is prohibited and cannot be added into the Microsoft Management Console or run from the command line as a standalone console. An error message is displayed stating that the policy is prohibiting the use of this snap-in.

2. Temporarily disable UAC

   UAC is the user access control panel, and if you need to run the command right away, you can choose to disable it for some time. Click on the Start button, and then type UAC to find the User Account Control Settings. Click to open, and then slide down the notification setting at the bottom. It will temporarily allow launching the application as there is no check. However, make sure to switch to default once you are done.

Referenced Memory at - What is it?

0x Referenced Memory at 0x is an error code that occurs when the random memory addresses conflict. This error causes running programs or browsers to crash. Referenced memory at error code is considered as a service violation error. It is displayed as the following:

“The instruction at 0xf77041d24 referenced memory at 0×00000000. The memory could not be read.”

Solution

Error Causes

The ‘referenced memory at’ errors is either triggered by:

• Hardware failure
• Problems with the RAM and the registry

Hardware failure may result if the driver is not installed properly. The problems in the RAM indicate registry issues that occur due to data overload in the hard disk and poor PC maintenance. The registry saves all the information and activities you perform on your system on the hard disk. This includes the junk files, temporary files, invalid registry entries, and files of both installed and uninstalled programs.  These files accumulate and take over a lot of RAM space. Also, the referenced memory at error can be considered to be a form of memory leak where unknown third-party software can take up the memory space that has been reserved for a particular program. For example, if you have toolbars and add-ons installed in your browser, it can also lead to invalid registry storage in the registry. If you don’t clean the registry, these unnecessary files can overload your data and lead to hard disk/RAM damage and corruption triggering obscure error messages like referenced memory at error.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Referenced memory is a critical error; if not resolved it can lead to serious PC damages like a system failure. To avoid this, it is advisable to fix it right away. Here are a couple of ways to repair this issue on your system:

Cause: Hardware Failure

Solution: If the referenced memory at error is generated due to hardware failure then to resolve this error you must reinstall the driver that has caused the error to appear. Let’s say if the error pops up because of the printer driver, reinstall it. For re-installation of the driver, simply go to the control panel and click on the Device Manager option. Once you click it you will see a detailed page with a list of devices. Now click on the printer (the problematic driver in this situation) to reinstall the driver software. Double click on it to open the properties dialog box and then click the driver tab and update the driver. Once you have updated the driver, try using the printer. Check if it works. If it works and the referenced memory at the error code does not appear on the screen, this means the problem was with the hardware. However, if the error still pops up then this means the problem is deeper. It’s related to the registry.

Cause: Problems with the RAM and the registry

Solution: If the problem is with the RAM and the registry, then it is advisable to download Restoro. Restoro is a new, next-generation, and highly functional registry cleaner. It detects and removes all the registry issues, unnecessary and obsolete files saved in the hard disk taking up a lot of RAM space. It clears the RAM and cleans up the disk. Furthermore, it repairs the damaged files, fragmented disk, and the corrupt registry in seconds enabling you to resume the program that you were running before the error occurred. Restoro has a user-friendly interface and easy navigation. To run and operate this system you don’t need any kind of technical expertise. In just a few clicks you can resolve the critical referenced memory at error on your PC. It is compatible with all Windows versions Click here to download and install Restoro on your PC and fix the referenced memory error code now.

Interesting information has come out from Microsoft, Windows 11 dark theme will include a different sound theme from its standard light one. When in dark mode on Windows 11, the system sounds generally become softer, and they echo a bit, creating a more soothing experience that matches the overall look and feel of the dark mode. Flipping back to light mode brings the system sounds back to their normal level. However, even though the light model has slightly louder sounds than the dark mode, Microsoft has taken great care to make sure the audio is more soothing, according to a report from CNBC. The designers of Windows 11 took inspiration from an approach called calm technology. Microsoft’s Christian Koehn and Diego Baca wrote about calm technology in a post on Medium. In it, they said, “Windows 11 facilitates this through foundational experiences that feel familiar, soften formerly intimidating UI, and increase emotional connection.” According to a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to CNBC, “The new sounds have a much rounder wavelength, making them softer so that they can still alert/notify you, but without being overwhelming.”

If you continuously encountered the “VirtualBox FATAL: No bootable medium found, System halted” error when you try to install Windows 10 in VirtualBox, read on as this post will give you some potential fixes to resolve the problem – you will be guided on how to choose the ISO image to fix this error in VirtualBox. This kind of error is a very common one especially if you have a corrupted ISO file or if you have not selected an ISO file for your virtual machine. Like pointed out, this error pops up when you have a corrupted ISO file or if the ISO file is not attached to the virtual machine. You have to select the ISO file while you create the virtual hard disk, else, you will most likely face this problem, and to fix it, you need to download fresh Windows ISO, create a new IDE Controller, assign Windows ISO to the IDE Controller and then boot your virtual machine. For detailed steps, follow the instructions below but before you start, make sure that you have a valid and uncorrupted Windows ISO. Step 1: First, you need to open the VirtualBox program on your computer and select the virtual machine. Step 2: Next, click on the Settings button or you can also right-click on the virtual machine and select Settings from the context menu. Step 3: Once you’re in the Settings panel, go to the Storage section and from there, create a Controller: IDE. Step 4: To create a Controller: IDE, click the Add new storage controller icon and select the “Add IDE Controller” option. Step 5: After that, click the Add optical drive icon and click on the Choose disk button. You will then see all the attached and non-attached ISO files. However, you have to add the new ISO file that you just downloaded. Step 6: To add the new ISO file, click the Add button and select the ISO file and then select the .iso file from the Non Attached section. Step 7: Now click the Choose button and afterward, make a checkmark in the Live CD/DVD checkbox and then select the IDE Primary Master from the drop-down menu of the Optical Drive. Step 8: Once you’re done, save the changes made and try booting into your virtual machine again.

If you are trying to install Microsoft Office on your Windows 10 computer but encounter an error code 30068 instead, read on as this post will guide you in fixing this problem. One of the causes of this error is an issue with the Office Click-to-Run service. It can also occur due to issues with the installation. And aside from the error code 30068, the error codes could also appear like this: 30068-29 (2), 30068-4 (3), 30068-4 (1715), 30068-39 (3), and many more. In most cases, the installation of Microsoft Office happens directly from the Microsoft servers which work via Click-to-Run service. This service is an alternative to MSI or offline installation. It is a Microsoft streaming and virtualization technology that helps in reducing the time that’s required to install Microsoft Office. Although it saves a lot of time, it also requires a good and stable internet connection for it to properly work. So if you encounter error code 30068 or any of the aforementioned error codes above when using this service, here are some potential fixes that could help.

Option 1 – Try to restart your computer and reinstall Office

The first thing you can do is restart your computer and then try installing Office again. It is possible that there’s some glitch and a restart might fix it. Once you’ve restarted your computer, install Office again. And if the online installation didn’t work, you can also try to download an offline Office setup.

Option 2 – Try checking if the Click-to-Run service is disabled

The next thing you can do is to verify if the Click-to-Run service is enabled or disabled. You can check its status in Services. How? Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type “services.msc” in the field and tap Enter or click OK to open Services.
• Next, look for the Microsoft Click-to-Run service from the list of services and once you found it, double click on it.
• After that, go to the General tab and in the Startup type section, click on the drop-down menu and select Automatic.
• Then click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
• Once you’re done, try to install Office again and see if the error is now fixed.

Option 3 – Try to uninstall and reinstall Office If neither of the two given options above worked, then you might want to uninstall Office and reinstall it. All you have to do is download the Microsoft Office Uninstall tool from the official site of Microsoft and run it. This will remove any incomplete Office installation as well as unwanted files. It will also get rid of all the Office apps and settings on your computer. This same option can be also applied if you encountered error code 30068-4 (3) when installing Office. On the other hand, if the Uninstaller tool throws an error that says, “Office installation is missing”, you have to check if there is an ongoing installation of Office.

The store is not downloading Apps: As you know, the Windows Store is one of the places where you can download Windows apps. However, there are times when you might not be able to do so for some reason. For instance, if you search for an app and click on the get it now button, instead of downloading the app, nothing happens and there are also cases when the download will start but the page will refresh after half a second. When this issue happens, you won’t be seeing any error message or warning at all. So you’ll just have to look at the download get started where the page will refresh and you’ll be back at the Get button. This issue in the Windows 10 Store only happens for a few apps so even though you are able to download some apps, you might be able to do on other ones. Note that the apps affected are random and there is no specific set of apps that cause this issue while downloading and that this problem will repeat again each time you click on the Get it now button. This issue is definitely caused by Windows itself and has something to do with a bug in the Windows store which was brought by the latest Windows Update. It’s already a known issue among other Windows 10 users who are also suffering the same dilemma. So until Microsoft releases another update to fix this bug, you will have no choice but to deal with it in the meantime. On the other hand, you can also try a couple of suggestions laid out in this post. Follow the steps in every option given below to fix the issue with the Windows 10 Store.

Option 1 – Try signing out from the Microsoft Store

A lot of Windows 10 users were able to resolve the problem by simply signing out and signing back into the Microsoft Store. How? Follow these steps:

• Go to the Microsoft Store.
• Next, go to the Get page of the app you were trying to download.
• And then click on your account picture located in the top right corner of the window and select your account.
• Sign out from your account and after that, click the Get button to download the app.
• After that, a new window will appear where you’ll have to select your account and click on Continue.
• Now enter your credentials. Once you do, the app should be downloaded automatically after you’re signed in. And that’s about it.

Note: Keep in mind that this option is merely a temporary solution to the problem and once you close the Microsoft Store and open it back again, you will be back to square one.

Option 2 – Wait for the Windows Update

As mentioned, this is already a known issue and a lot of Windows 10 users have already complained about it to Microsoft so a bug fix will be soon released in the latest Windows Updates.

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.

To make the Windows 10 operating system a lot more user-friendly, Microsoft introduced the Tablet Mode for Windows 10 devices, especially the 2-in-1 devices like Surface Pro and Surface Book. Despite the Tablet Mode’s efficiency, it also encounters some errors from time to time. One of the issues users reported about tablet mode is that they can’t turn off or exit tablet mode. If you are one of these users, read on as this post will guide you in what you can do to fix the issue. To fix the problem with Tablet Mode, there are several suggestions you can check out. You can try to check the full-screen setting, or perform a full shutdown or perform two buttons to restart the Surface devices. You could also disable Tablet Mode via Registry Editor or perform System Restore or change the settings in the System tab or the Action Center.

Option 1 – Try to check the full-screen setting

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Windows Settings app.
• Then navigate to this path, Personalization > Start.
• Next, scroll down to toggle off the “Use Start Full Screen” option.
• After that, restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed.

Option 2 – Perform a full shutdown

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges first.
• Next, execute this command to perform a full shutdown: shutdown /s /f /t 0
• The command you entered will shut down your computer and once it’s turned off, wait for a couple of minutes and then turn it back on.

Option 3 – Try to perform a two-button restart on your Surface device

• Tap and hold the power button for about 30 seconds.
• Then release them after 30 seconds.
• After that, tap and hold the volume up + the power button for 20 seconds. This will cause the display to flash a few times but you have to keep those buttons pressed until your Surface device is turned off.
• Wait for a couple of minutes and your Surface will turn back on. This should resolve the problem.

Option 4 – Try to disable the Tablet Mode via Registry Editor

• In the Start Search, type “registry editor” and right-click on the Registry Editor from the results, and then select the Run as administrator option. This will open the Registry Editor with admin privileges.
• Next, navigate to this registry key: ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionImmersiveShell
• From there, look for the DWORD named “SignInMode” and double click on it.
• Set its value to “1” and its base as hexadecimal.
• After that, click on OK to save the changes made. This will make sure that you are signed in to the desktop mode when you log into your account.
• Now look for the DWORD named “TabletMode” and double click on it and set its value data to “0” and it's base as hexadecimal.
• Click on OK to save the changes made and then restart your computer.

Option 5 – Run System Restore

• 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 check if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 6 – Try changing the settings in the System tab or the Action Center

• Go to Settings and navigate to System > Tablet Mode.
• After that, scroll down to set the “Use desktop mode” from the drop-down menu under the “When I sign in” section.
• Now restart your computer and see if the issue is fixed.