An Easy Guide to Fixing Error Code 12

There are instances when you have to connect to another Windows 10 PC via remote connection from another Windows 10 PC. However, when you encountered an error saying, “Your password may have expired or the remote pc might not accept blank passwords” while doing so then read on as this post will walk you through how you can fix it. Here is the full content of the error message:

“Your password may have expired, or the remote PC might not accept blank passwords. Try connecting again. If this keeps happening, ask your admin or tech support for help.”

It is unknown what the exact cause of the error message is as it could involve several factors. Even so, there are still various potential fixes you can try to fix this kind of error. You can try to check if your password has expired or troubleshoot any issues with the network. You could also use a remote desktop application or configure the settings of firewall or restart the remote desktop service. For more details, refer to each one of the given options below. But before you proceed, make sure that you have someone to help assist you on the other side to help you troubleshoot the issue.

Option 1 – Try to check if the password has expired

The first thing you can do to fix the problem is to check if the password has expired as it could be the reason why you’re experiencing this problem. You have to make sure that you are using a user account that is on the remote computer and then check if the user account password has not expired yet. And if your PC is not within your access, then you can just ask someone to verify the password for you.

Option 2 – Try to troubleshoot network issues

To troubleshoot network-related issues that might be the one that triggers the error, you need to run the Network Troubleshooter. To get started, refer to these steps:

• Open the Search bar on your computer and type in “troubleshoot” to open the Troubleshoot settings.
• Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
• Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
• After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.
• Restart your computer.

Option 3 – Try to use a remote desktop software

A number of users reported that the issue occurred when they used the universal app for Remote Desktop and they were able to fix it by switching to the Remote Desktop application. Thus, you can try to switch to the remote desktop software and see if it fixes the problem or not.

Option 4 – Try to configure Firewall settings

You might also want to configure the settings of the Firewall as it could also help in fixing the problem. It is possible that the firewall is blocking the incoming connection on the remote computer. To check if whether the firewall is the culprit or not, follow the steps below.

• Go to Windows Security and then go to Firewall and network application.
• Next, click on the Advanced Settings link. This will open the classic Windows Defender Firewall and Advanced Security application.
• From there, look for the rule named “Remote Desktop – User Mode (TCP-In)” under inbound rules and check if it has been disabled or not.
• If the rule is disabled, you have to enable it.
• Once done, check if the error is now fixed or not.

Option 5 – Try to restart the Remote Desktop service

If none of the four given options given above worked, you might want to restart the Remote Desktop service as it can help you in fixing the problem. To do so, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• Next, from the list of services, look for the Remote Desktop Service and right-click on it, and then click on the Restart option.
• Once done, check it was able to fix the “Your password may have expired or the remote pc might not accept blank passwords” error or not.

Windows 11 has been officially presented during Microsoft’s virtual event on June 24^th. Since presentation internet has been pretty live and busy with a discussion about it, some discussions are positive, some not so much but that is expected and it happens always when a new product is presented. One of information that we have about Windows 11 is tied to the home edition of this OS, Windows 11 home edition will require an internet connection at setup, and a Microsoft account in order to be installed and used. Previous versions of Windows could be installed and used with local accounts but it seems Microsoft has abandoned that idea for its new OS. OS will be delivered mostly as updates or via internet download so internet and online requirement make sense but why it cannot use the local account and must have a Microsoft one is beyond me.

Despite popular belief, there are a lot of users running Linux OS. Linux offers great security and working environment and 96.3% of the world's top 1 million servers run on Linux. 90% of all cloud infrastructure operates on Linux and practically all the best cloud hosts use it. But gaming on Linux is limited, enter Steam proton a Valve’s gaming solution.

What is Steam proton?

Proton is a WINE fork with some extra capabilities, to play games and run applications not native and not made to run natively under Linux OS. It is supposed to bridge the Gaming issues for PC users and let them more freedom in choosing an operating system to game on.

Find out if your game supports Proton

Although there are a lot of titles that nowadays run natively on Linux some will still need proton in order to run at all and sadly some of them will not be able to run on Linux even via proton but seeing how Valve is busy and it is trying to push its ideas and technology slowly this gap is closing. In order to see how the game you want to play performs and behaves on Linux and proton environment visit https://www.protondb.com/ and find out. As soon as the site loads you will be greeted with statistics and a search option to find out the status of the desired game with one of the given statuses: Borked, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Native. As you probably guessed native means that the game will work on Linux out of the box and borked will probably not work at all. Platinum and gold status means that game will run on proton without any input or tweaks from the user while silver and bronze means that it will work but might need some tweaks in order to make it work.

How to get Steam proton?

In order to run games under proton inside Linux, you will need firstly a Steam client which luckily works naturally on Linux. Unlocking/activating Steam Proton on your Linux-based system is easy. Just head over to Steam > Settings > Steam Play and toggle the option “Enable Steam Play for Supported Titles”. Valve has tested and fixed some Steam titles and you will now be able to play those titles. However, if you wish to go even further beyond, and play titles that even Valve has not tested, toggle the option “Enable Steam Play for all titles”.

Conclusion

Even we are not there yet, native gaming on Linux is gaining a foothold each day. Will Steam’s OS with proton technology be one that will turn the tide from Windows or some other tech we cannot tell but one thing is for sure, more choices mean better products so I am hopeful for a bright future.

It is officially confirmed, Windows 11 release date is October 5^th. Windows 11 will be released as a free upgrade to all registered Windows 10 users that have supported hardware for it. The rest of the users will be able to install it via ISO file as a clean installation if their computer supports Windows 10 hardware requirements. The official price for the license for Windows 11 has not yet been set but I assume after release it will be set. Priority for W11 will have users who are upgrading from W10 as stated by Microsoft. Also, it was officially confirmed that Android apps will not be running natively in this first release of Windows 11, that feature will come in a future update, official statement below:

"We look forward to continuing our journey to bring Android apps to Windows 11 and the Microsoft Store through our collaboration with Amazon and Intel; this will start with a preview for Windows Insiders over the coming months,"

The rest of the features will be all included inside Windows 11 on launch.

The Recycle Bin is undeniably an important place to make files ready for deletion. To put it simply, it assumes some importance but there are times when it displays an unpredictable behavior. For instance, it just suddenly goes missing and even Cortana is unable to find it. A lot of users have experienced the missing Recycle Bin issue in their Windows 10 computers. If you are one of these users, you might have wondered where the Recycle Bin icon has gone and how you can get it back. Worry not, as this post will provide you a couple of options you can try to bring back Recycle Bin in your Windows 10 computer. Follow the given options below to get started.

Option 1 – Try to restore Recycle Bin

It could be that you have disabled the Recycle Bin by accident which is why Windows was not able to show it on your desktop. To restore Recycle Bin, follow these steps:

• First, click on the Start button and select Settings.
• Next, select the Personalization setting and then select Themes from the left pane.
• After that, click on the “Desktop icon settings” link under the “Related Settings” heading. This will display a list of icons in the Desktop Icons window.
• From there, make sure that you check the checkbox for “Recycle Bin” to make it appear on your Desktop screen once again.

Option 2 – Try to recreate the Recycle Bin

If the first option didn’t work, then it could be that Recycle Bin might have been deleted which is why you fail to restore it. And to resolve this problem, you need to recreate Recycle Bin. Refer to the following steps to do so:

• You need to launch the Windows File Explorer first and go to the View tab.
• From this tab, select Options and click on the drop-down arrow and then select the “Change folder and search option”.
• Afterward, switch to the View tab when the Folder Options window appears on your screen and select the “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” option.
• And then unmark the checkbox next to the “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)” option and click on both the Apply and OK buttons, respectively.
• Next, go back to the File Explorer and click on “This PC” located on the left bar and go to the C: drive.
• From there, you will find a file named “$Recycle.Bin” located at the top.
• Open this folder to access its contents and you should see the Recycle Bin icon located at the top.
• After that, right-click on the Recycle Bin icon and click on the “Send To” option and then click on “Desktop (create shortcut)”.
• It will then confirm and recreate the Recycle Bin icon on your Desktop screen.

Note: Even though this icon is quite similar to the original one, it actually differs from it. The difference is that you won’t see if fill up when you delete files and you can’t simply empty it by right-clicking on the shortcut. On the other hand, you can still drag items into it just like with the original one. So when you want to empty the content of the newly restored Recycle Bin, you just have to double-click on the shortcut and right-click on the recycle bin in the window that appears, and select the “Empty Recycle Bin” option. In addition, now that you’ve set up the Recycle Bin shortcut, you have to re-activate the “Hide protected operating system files” to keep the important files and folders in your computer hidden.

Option 3 – Try to repair the Recycle Bin

If both the first two options failed to restore the missing Recycle Bin, then you can try repairing it instead. There are times when the Recycle Bin is removed from the Desktop screen due to some corrupted Windows system files. To fix these corrupted system files, you can run the DISM tool. This tool is known to repair potentially corrupted files in your system as having them could also system issues like the missing Recycle Bin. To repair these corrupted system files, you can run the DISM commands:

• Tap the Win + X keys and click on the “Command Prompt (Admin)” option.
• After that, input each one of the commands listed below sequentially to execute them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Once you’ve executed the commands given above, restart your computer and check if the problem is now fixed.

Option 4 – Make sure that you are not in Tablet Mode

Since Windows 10 is designed to work on both desktop and mobile devices, it could be that your computer has slipped into Tablet Mode which explains why you’re not seeing the Recycle Bin. To check if your computer is really in Tablet Mode, follow these steps:

• Go to the Start menu and select Settings.
• Next, select the System setting and from the left pane select the Tablet Mode.
• From there, make sure that the buttons next to the options given below are set to the off position:
  • Hide app icons on the taskbar in tablet mode
  • Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode

In case you don’t know, when you visit a website that uses HTTPS, it also offers an SSL certificate to the browser in order to verify the website’s identity. Although it may contain lots of things inside it, one of them is the URL of the website. So if the certificate does not match the URL to what you entered, you will most likely get the “Server’s certificate does not match, ERR CERT COMMON NAME INVALID” error which indicates that the connection is not private and the site may try to steal your data but worry not, as this post will guide you in resolving this issue. To fix the ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID error, here are some suggestions that might help.

Option 1 – Check the website’s certificate

If you own the website where you’re getting the error, then you might have to check if the website’s certificate is installed properly and configured on the server as it could be the reason why you’re suddenly getting the error.

Option 2 – Check the Windows Host file

You can also try to cross-check the Windows Hosts file to find out if the website you are trying to open has been blocked, because if it is, then it’s no wonder why you’re getting the ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID error. There are instances when some third-party application modifies the file and adds some websites to the blocklists. So if the website is indeed blocked, you need to remove it from the list.

Option 3 – Use the Google Public DNS

You might want to change your DNS to Google Public DNS as it could also help you in fixing the ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID error in Chrome. To do so, follow the steps below.

• The first thing you have to do is right-click on the network icon in the Taskbar and select Network and Sharing Center.
• Next, click on the “Change Adapter Settings” option.
• After that, search for the network connection that you are using to connect to the internet. Note that the option might be “Wireless Connection” or “Local Area Connection”.
• Right-click on your network connection and click on Properties.
• Then select the new window to choose the “Internet Protocol 4 (TCP/IPv4)” option.
• After that, click on the Properties button and click the checkbox in the new window for the option “Use the following DNS server addresses”.
• Type in “8.8.8.8” and “8.8.4.4” and click OK and exit.

Option 4 – Run the built-in Malware Scanner and Cleanup Tool in Chrome

In case you don’t know, there is actually a built-in malware scanner and cleanup tool in Chrome that helps you get rid of any unwanted ads, pop-ups, and even malware, as well as unusual startup pages, toolbars, and other things that could affect the performance of the browser. In addition, this built-in tool in Chrome might also help in fixing the ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID error.

Option 5 – Reset Chrome

Resetting Chrome can also help you get rid of the error. Resetting Chrome means restoring its default settings, disabling all the extensions, add-ons, and themes. Aside from that, the content settings will be reset as well and the cookies, cache, and site data will also be deleted. To reset Chrome, here’s what you have to do:

• Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
• After that, click on Settings.
• Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
• After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
• Now restart Google Chrome.

Qualcomm Atheros Qca61x4a Driver is a software driver used in WI FI communication between OS and device itself. When this driver stops working usually it means loss of connection and no internet available. This error knows to comes frequently and repeat itself over long periods of time which makes it quite annoying. If you are one of the unlucky users of Windows who get this error please keep reading in order to eliminate it and continue working on your computer normally.

1. Disable & Enable the Qualcomm Adapter Driver

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu, click on the device manager. In device manager expand network adapters. Right-click on Qualcomm Atheros Qca61x4a wireless network adapter and click on disable Right-click on Qualcomm Atheros Qca61x4a wireless network adapter and click on enable

2. Rollback the Qualcomm Adapter driver

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu, click on the device manager. In device manager expand network adapters. Right-click on Qualcomm Atheros Qca61x4a wireless network adapter and click on properties Under properties, window click on Driver tab and left-click on Roll Back driver (if the option is greyed there is no previous driver, follow next step) Choose your reason and click on OK

3. Update Qualcomm Atheros driver to the latest version

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu, click on the device manager. In device manager expand network adapters. Right-click on Qualcomm Atheros Qca61x4a wireless network adapter and click on Update Driver

4. Install the new driver in compatibility mode

   Right-click on the installer package and choose properties Go to the compatibility tab Choose compatibility settings and install.

Error Code 0x80072F8F - What is it?

Error Code 0x80072F8F manifests in one main way. It is known to appear as early as Windows 7, and mainly deals with an error that occurs in the update process, or when the computer is trying to connect to the online activation service. It can appear when the activation fails to verify the product key. The error code will present itself when the system realizes that the PC's date and time are incorrect. Error Code 0x80072F8F will also appear if the computer has determined that the time zone settings on the computer are not accurate.

When Windows is going through the installation process and is verifying all of the information associated with the computer, Error Code 0x80072F8F will arise, indicating that the information in the computer's settings is not valid. Correct times and dates are necessary when using serial validation keys to install Windows. When these settings are outside of the tolerated window, the problem will arise.

Error Causes

There is only one main symptom to look out for, and it will manifest during a Windows installation. In the midst of the installation, the computer will not be able to proceed with the installation if Error Code 0x80072F8F has popped up. Because the information cannot be verified, Windows will not be able to continue the installation process when the time settings are not accurate. This interrupts the process, causing the need to edit the settings, restart the computer, and try again. It is imperative to be sure that the date and time on the computer are inside of the tolerated window for the serial key.

• This error code will not give any information on how to correct it.
• Windows Error 0x80072F8F is displayed on the screen.
• The error code appears when typing the Windows serial key and proceeding.

Further Information and Manual Repair

When experiencing Error Code 0x80072F8F, the date and time need to be corrected in the computer settings menu, and then verify the correct time zone settings.  There are a few different ways to edit the time and date settings, and one may need to even edit the time zone settings. After this, restarting the computer may be needed. When booting into Windows, the validation code should be activated within 30 days of obtaining the serial number.

• Method One

Check the time and date settings.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Select Settings, then Time and Language, then Date and Time.
3. Check and make sure that the PC is operating at the correct time and date.

• Method Two

Ensure that the computer is connected to the internet.

1. Enter “network troubleshooter” into the search box located on the taskbar.
2. Select “Identify and Repair Network Problems”.
3. Follow the instructions that are given on-screen. This will fix any problems that the network is experiencing.

• Method Three

Review the timezone.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Select Settings, then Time and Language, then Date and Time.
3. Check to make sure that the correct timezone is selected from the drop-down menu.

• Method Four

Reboot the PC and check if that fixes the problem. This may help in the event that the network troubleshooter does not detect a problem.

After completing these steps to edit the time, date, and time zone settings, it may be necessary to restart the computer. This is to ensure that the computer will save and recognize the new settings. After restarting, continue the process as intended and enter the product key. The computer will now be able to verify the product key since the time and date will be recognizable. The Windows installation should proceed as normal and complete successfully when the time, date, and time zone are inside of the parameters for the Windows product key.

In short, if it is not, the computer will not be able to recognize the product key, thus will not be able to install the Windows product. Generally, the fix is quite simple and does not take much time at all, but it is very important.

Over the years, the Windows 10 updates have smoothened but that does not mean that it no longer encounter some issues. One of these issues is when it gets stuck. As you know, Windows automatically checking for updates regularly or when you click the “Check for updates” button. However, if the Windows 10 update is taking forever and seems to be stuck, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on what you can do to resolve the problem. This kind of scenario in Windows Updates can be quite confusing especially since there is no response or any indication of what is really happening since you don’t know if the update is still downloading or if it’s already getting installed. To resolve this problem, there are several options you can check out. You can try to exit settings and restart your computer. You could also try to restart the services related to Windows Update or clear both the Software Distribution and Catroot2 folders, as well as run a System File Checker scan. For more details follow each one of the given steps below.

Option 1 – Restart your computer

The most basic thing you can do to fix the problem is to restart your computer. It usually works in fixing common issues like the Windows Update getting stuck at the “Checking for updates” screen. However, if it didn’t work, proceed to the next given options below.

Option 2 – 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.
  • ren C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32catroot2 Catroot2.old
• 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 3 – 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 dependent 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 4 – 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 5 – Try running the System File Checker

System File Checker or SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files to good system files that might be the cause why your screen is stuck at “Checking for updates”. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow

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:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

• Restart your computer.

If you suddenly encounter an error message saying, “ File Record Segment is Unreadable ” on a blue screen while booting your PC, it means that your hard drive is in an error state. This particular blue screen of death error might have a lot of bad sectors or might have reached its end. The workarounds you can try to resolve the issue is by locating the bad sectors or checking your hard drive for any discrepancies in the mapping and fix them. Follow the detailed instructions laid out below for these workarounds.

Option 1 – Try to check for any bad sectors and wrong configurations in your hard drive

The first thing you have to check is the boot files on your PC. As you know, your PC boots from these files and if there is anything wrong with any one of them or if one of them ends up getting corrupted, you will most likely see the blue screen of death error or a prompt with an error message saying, “File record segment is unreadable”. According to some users who reported this issue, new hard drives aren’t exempted from this error. That’s why it is recommended that you carry out this solution no matter what kind of scenario you are in. You will have to launch the Command Prompt in recovery mode and see if you can fix the problem by executing the check disk commands.

• Upon booting, restart your PC and tap F11 to go to the recovery environment then select Troubleshoot.
• Next, click Advanced from the given options and select Command Prompt.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute the commands listed below, and don’t forget to hit Enter right after you type in each one of them and if you have installed Windows to some different directory, you must replace “C” with the name of the drive you’ve installed Windows with.
• chkdsk C: /r /x
• chkdsk C: /f

Note: The Chkdsk function might take a while before it finishes its operations so you need to be patient and wait until the entire process is completed. And depending on the situation, it might even take a day at most so patience is really the key here.

Option 2 – Try connecting the hard drive to a different computer

If option 1 didn’t work for you and you’re still seeing the error, you can try connecting the hard drive to a different computer and then copy the data first. Make it a priority to salvage the data just in case the hard drive won’t make it in the future. After replicating your hard drive, you can then try running the chkdsk commands that are listed in option 1 above in the new computer you’re connecting your hard drive to and make sure that you key in the correct drive letter that’s assigned to the hard drive you’re using. After executing the chkdsk commands, plug your hard drive back into the previous computer and then check if you can now boot it without any issues.

Option 4 – Replace the faulty hard drive

If none of the options provided above really worked out then maybe it’s time to consider getting a replacement for your hard drive. In about 50% of the cases about this error, some unfortunate users were left with no choice but to replace the hard drive since the problem is with the hard drive itself. Hard drives have a complex running mechanism which includes a head and the disk that rotates accordingly so you can check if the cables connected to the hard drive are connected properly and if it is in a correct position or not. In addition, you also have to make sure that the SATA adapters where the hard drive is connected are working properly. If the drive is showing problems in the I/O operation, there is little chance for you to use it as a normal hard drive. If the hard drive is in warranty, get it checked and replace it. If not, you might consider taking it to the service center for the specialists to take a look into it.