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Guide to Correcting Error Code 46

Error Code 46 – What is it?

Error Code 46 is a device driver error that occurs when Windows fails to access the connected peripheral device to the computer as Windows is in a process of shutting down.

Users experience this error on any Windows 2000 and later operating system versions and usually see a pop-up with the following message:

“Windows cannot gain access to this hardware device because the operating system is in the process of shutting down. (Code 46)”

Solution

driverfix boxError Causes

Error Code 46 is caused when there is a temporary problem with windows system files which prompts that the system is undergoing a shut down when in fact is it not.

This prevents access to the connected devices. This error may also be caused by a registry issue in which case it has either become corrupted or damaged.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Unlike all other Windows error codes, code 46 is relatively easy to fix with the right knowledge and does not pose any serious threat to the well-being of your PC. Here is how you can do it.

Method 1 – Restart your PC

The simplest method to resolve Error Code 46 is to run a restart of your computer.

The error is most commonly a temporary registry glitch that prevents you from accessing the device connected to your computer. Upon restarting your computer, it will resume working properly as before.

There is no need to run a troubleshooting wizard, use system restore, or run anti-virus software to scan and remove malware or spyware. A simple restart is all that is needed.

Method 2 – Install DriverFIX

Although the error code can be resolved upon restarting the computer, there’s a possibility of damaged or corrupted Windows registry files. This can be fixed by using a program like DriverFIX.

DriverFIX, with its user-friendly approach to help you fix your PC issues, comes with an integrated database that detects which drivers you need to reconfigure within just a few seconds and downloads it automatically.

It further ensures that your drivers are installed in their entirety leaving no room for any corrupted or damaged registry.

Error Code 46 may not be much of an issue, however, to prevent any risk of a Windows system corruption can be disastrous for your computer.

DriverFIX helps you fix your PC registry and device driver problems with user-friendly software and an integrated database. The database which consists of detailed information on what device driver needs to be installed will automatically download the required device driver without you need to refer to your hardware instruction manual.

Registry problems resulting from incomplete program installations and viruses such as malware and spyware damaged registry files. This affects your PC in serious ways.

DriverFIX further has an automatic backup and restoration system that helps create system ‘checkpoints’ which allow you to roll back to a healthier state and resume operations. This can help you avert any Windows error codes in the future.

Click here to download DriverFIX now!

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How To Fix the D3dx9_43.dll Error Code

D3dx9_43.dll – What is it?

D3dx9_43.dll is a type of dynamic link library. This is one of the many files contained in the DirectX software collection which is used to load and run most of the Windows PC based games and advanced graphics programs. D3dx9_43.dll error message is displayed when any one of the Microsoft games fails to load. The error message is displayed in either of the following formats:
“D3dx9_43.DLL Not Found" "The file d3dx9_43.dll is missing" "File d3dx9_43.dll not found" "D3dx9_43.dll not found. Reinstalling might help fix this."

Solution

Restoro box imageError Causes

D3dx9_43.dll error may occur due to multiple reasons. These include:
  • D3dx9_43.dll files get corrupt or damaged
  • Missing Microsoft DirectX file
  • Viruses and malware on your system
  • Driver issues
  • Registry overloaded with invalid entries
If the D3dx9_43.dll error is not fixed timely, it not only causes you a great deal of inconvenience as it hampers your ability to play Microsoft games but since the underlying causes of the error are critical, it can result in serious PC damages like system failure, system crash, and data loss. Therefore to avoid it, it is advisable to resolve the error code immediately.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Though this is a critical PC error but the good thing is that it is easy to resolve. To fix it, you don’t always have to pay hundreds of dollars to a professional technician or be technically sound. Here are some of the best ways to repair and resolve D3dx9_43.dll error on your system:

Check the Recycle Bin

If you get the error message "The file d3dx9_43.dll is missing" then the best method to resolve this error from your system is to check your recycle bin. The Microsoft Direct X file could be there especially if you recently uninstalled a gaming program. Here’s why: dll files are shared by multiple programs. So, it is possible that the program you deleted from your PC also shared the same file to load and run. And because of this reason, the file also got removed from your PC when you uninstalled that particular program. Therefore, check your recycle bin. If you find the d3dx9_43.dll in there, restore it and try running the desired Microsoft game again. See if it works.

Re-Download DirectX

Nonetheless, if you can’t relocate it, try installing the latest version of DirectX on your system. This can be done by downloading the DirectX End-User Runtimes Web Installer on your system from the official Microsoft website.

Update Your Drivers

If the error is related to video card driver, then it is advisable to update the driver. By updating the driver for your video card you can fix the D3dx9_43.dll error instantly.

Repair the Registry

Other reasons for the D3dx9_43.dll error could be corrupt and damaged dll files. It triggers registry issues and sometimes even malware infections. DLL files often get corrupt when the registry overloads with too many files these include mostly unnecessary and obsolete files like junk files, cookies, temporary internet history, invalid and bad registry entries. As the clutter and overload the registry, the important files like dynamic link libraries get damaged. Here cleaning and restoring of the registry is the best way to resolve the error pop-ups like D3dx9_43.dll. You can repair the registry manually however, it is time consuming and somewhat technical. But if you are looking for a simple and a quick fix, then download Restoro.

Try Restoro.

Restoro is a next-generation and multi-functional PC repair tool. It is embedded with a variety of PC fixing and performance-boosting utilities all in one. It includes a registry cleaner with an intuitive algorithm that detects all types of registry issues on your system and resolves them in seconds. It cleans the registry, restores the damaged D3dx9_43.dll files, and repairs the registry. Furthermore, Restoro also includes utilities like an antivirus, Active X controls and class detector. With the help of the in-built antivirus you can scan for viruses and malware infecting your system and remove them right away. It also functions as a system optimizer boosting the speed of your PC dramatically. It is safe, efficient, and compatible with all Windows versions. Click here to download Restoro, resolve the D3dx9_43.dll error, and resume enjoying Microsoft games on your PC.
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Something went wrong, We couldn’t start
There are instances when you might encounter an error that says, “Something went wrong, We couldn’t start your program” when you open any Office program. This could be due to an issue with the Office file and any Office app you open throws the same error message. This applies to Office 2019/2016, Office 365 Home, Office for Business as well as Business editions. In this post, you will be guided in what you can do to resolve this error. There are several potential fixes for this error, you might only have to restart your computer or you may have to repair Office from Apps and Features or you could also uninstall and install it back again. For more details, follow each one of the provided options below.

Option 1 – Restart your computer

You might be unable to launch any Office app due to some background process that got stuck or there might be some glitch in the system. Thus, the first thing you can do to resolve the error is simply restarting your computer. Once you’ve restarted your computer, open the Office app again or you could also try to sign in back with your Microsoft account that’s connected to Office. If you’re not quite sure which account you were using, you can follow these steps:
  • Open any Office app.
  • Then click on File and look for your name located in the top-right portion.
  • Now click on it. This will display the email or Microsoft account that’s related to Office.

Option 2 – Try repairing Office from Apps and Features

Since Windows 10 offers some repair features that could replace some of the core files with the original files, you can take advantage of such a feature to fix the “Something went wrong, We couldn’t start your program” error when opening any Office app.
  • Open Windows settings and click the Apps and Features option.
  • Next, scroll down until you see the Microsoft Office installation option. Select it and click on Modify.
  • This will open a window and from there, select Quick Repair or Online Repair and click on the Repair button.
Note: When you choose to repair, you might be given two options which depend on how Microsoft Office was installed. For instance, it was installed via Web Installer or Offline Installer (MSI-based). In Web Installer, select Online Repair > Repair when you’re prompted on how you would like to repair Office. While in MSI-based, you have to select Repair under “Change your installation” and then click on Continue. The repair process makes sure that the app data remains untouched.

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.
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PrintNightmare returns Microsoft states
PrintNightmareA few days ago we celebrated fixing of months-long PrintNightmare vulnerability by Microsoft, sadly a new bug and issue have been found. Firstly discovered Microsoft stated:
A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged file operations. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
A few days ago, Microsoft officially released a patch that was supposed to finally fix it. As you might recall this vulnerability was present for quite some time, Microsoft's solution after a long struggle was to elevate certain privileges to administrator account only and remove user accounts from managing printers. It complicated things a little bit but it was stated payoff was worth it. The new issue now is that on a system that already had accounts created and set, old accounts still can hijack the system, patch issues address only accounts that are created after the fix is administrated, old ones can still do whatever they want. Once again of course Microsoft has stated that until it is again resolved you should again disable the Print Spooler service as a temporary workaround.
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Stop the Hotspot from Turning off
As you know, Windows 10 is equipped with a Mobile Hotspot feature that allows users to share the existing internet connections to other devices over Wi-Fi. However, one of the downsides to this feature is that it does not stay on if there are no devices connected to it for over five minutes. In other words, if there are no devices connected to the mobile hotspot for five minutes, it will turn off automatically. Thus, if you want the mobile hotspot to stay turned on, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will walk you through how to stop the Mobile Hotspot from turning off in Windows 10. There are two scenarios tackled in this post wherein the Mobile Hotspot feature turns off automatically and where the hotspot disables when there is no internet connection. To remedy these scenarios, you can try turning off the power saving feature or use a PowerShell command to change the “PeerlessTimeoutEnabled” settings or increase the Mobile Hotspot idle timeout settings. You could also increase the timeout period when a cellular connection is not available or disable the Wi-Fi and network adapter power management options. For detailed instructions, refer to each one of the given options below.

Option 1 – Try turning off the power saving feature

The first solution you can check out is to turn off the power-saving feature. To do so, follow these steps:
  • Open the Settings app and go to Network & Internet and from there, click on the Mobile Hotspot option.
  • Next, toggle the “Share my Internet connection with other devices” option.
  • After that, toggle the “When no devices are connected, automatically turn off mobile hotspot” option.

Option 2 – Execute a command in PowerShell

The next option you can try to keep the mobile hotspot turned on is through a command in PowerShell. To get started, follow these steps:
  • Tap the Win + X keys and select the “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” option.
  • Next, execute the following command to make sure that the Mobile Hotspot stays on even when no devices are connected to it:
powershell -windowstyle hidden -command "Start-Process cmd -ArgumentList '/s,/c,net stop "icssvc" & REG ADD "HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesicssvcSettings" /V PeerlessTimeoutEnabled /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F & net start "icssvc"' -Verb runAs"
  • After the command is executed, here is what the script is doing in the background:
    • It stops the Mobile Hotspot service (icssvc).
    • It navigates to this registry path (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesicssvcSettings) and creates a DWORD key named “PeerlessTimeoutEnabled” which has a value of 0.
  • It then restarts the Mobile Hotspot Service (icssvc).

Option 3 – Try increasing the Mobile Hotspot idle timeout settings

Another option you can try is to increase the idle timeout settings of the mobile hotspot. In case you don’t know, the default timeout when there’s no active connection is about five minutes. So if you don’t want to keep it on always but want to keep it on longer than five minutes, then this option is for you. All you have to do is change the same key (PeerlessTimeout) as mentioned above, at a different location. In fact, you can change it to a maximum of 120 minutes. To give this a try, follow these steps:
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and then tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  • Next, navigate to this registry path: HKLMSystemControlSet001ServicesICSSVCSettingsPeerlessTimeout
  • From there, change its value to anywhere between 1 up to 120.
  • Once done, exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try increasing the timeout period when a cellular connection is not available

There are many times when you want to connect devices so it becomes part of the network. And as pointed out, the Mobile Hotspot turns off automatically when there is no internet or mobile data but when you use a registry setting, you can change any value between 1 and 60 inclusive.
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and then tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  • Next, navigate to this registry path: HKLMSystemControlSet001ServicesICSSVCSettingsPublicConnectionTimeout
  • From there, set the value of the “Timeout” key between 1 and 60.
  • After that, close the Registry Editor and restart your PC.

Option 5 – Try to disable the Wi-Fi and Network adapter in Power Management options

As you know, the Wi-Fi adapter and the network devices have properties that will turn off when on battery and when it’s not used for a long time so you can try to disable these options.
  • Tap the Win + X + M keys to open the Device Manager.
  • Next, expand the list of Network devices and select the Wi-Fi adapter.
  • After that, go to the Power Management tab and make sure that anything related to power saving should be turned off. This will ensure that none of the network devices will turn off the Mobile Hotspot or trigger anything that will do that.
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Should you buy used GPU in current market?
Things have stirred lately with Chinas ban on crypto mining and many used GPUs will flow the market probably. But should you buy a used GPU? Short answer: NO, long answer: keep on reading to find out why.

GPU 1080tiGPU shortage and its cause

As you all know by now, we live sadly in a world struck by a global Pandemic. Due to this awful disease and measures taken against it, many people are either working from home or are at home making the manufacturing of new chips problematic while demand on the market has raised. Throw into that mix crypto mining which has raised in popularity and you have, well today's market where we have GPU shortage. Now with the latest news that China has banned the mining of cryptocurrency, there is to be expected that at some point in time mining cards used there will fit the market in the whole world. Sadly even with a large quantity of GPUs that will become available, the overall price of cards will not be much lowered I am afraid since demand is still very high and many people would not want to purchase used mining cards and neither should you.

Be prepared for the worst scenario

Although this sounds very pessimistic and in most cases, it will not turn out to be true, you should always prepare yourself mentally that you might be in that lower percentage that will end up with a really bad GPU. What has come up to be absolutely true when considering GPU that were mining is that if anything at all can be done to GPU in order to increase performance, it has been done. Miners want to optimize and almost every GPU if could be overclocked, it was overclocked. Extensive mining also means that thermal paste has been dried and it is pretty useless at this point and there is a very high chance that fans and heat sinks will need much cleaning or even replacement raising the price of the card itself for mentioned paste, fans, and heat sinks. There's no way to tell what the previous owner might have done with a graphics card when you're shopping online, so our advice is to assume the worst. Don't trust the seller to give truthful information. Any listing that says it was "never used for mining" at this point is probably a lie.

Age of the GPU matters

Date when GPU itself has manufactured really matters. Newer cards even if used extensively have been used for a much shorter period of time and are not so damaged were ones produced a few years ago have seen a lot of action. Let’s say that you get RTX 3060, In the worst-case scenario it has been mining since late February of 2021 and basically, it is still under warranty so it should behave OK and put some good work in gaming even in that state. On another hand, if we take for example GTX 1080Ti which is 4 years old GPU things start to change drastically. 4 years GPU could be worn out even if it was used just for extensive gaming sessions let alone for mining.

No return policy and seller rating

Most of the time you will run into a product that cannot be returned or no refunds policy. This should bring a red flag right away and deter you from purchase. Sellers with the highest ratings are more trustworthy since many of them will not want to destroy their reputation but these will probably not even have these kinds of merchandise in their store. Buying with a poor rating seller and no return policy on a product is just asking for trouble. And although some stores do have arbitration and will stand on the customer side there is no guarantee for that and it will take too much time to process.

If you really must buy a second-hand GPU

Of course in these troubled times sometimes due to malfunction or any other reason, there would not be another choice than to buy a second-hand GPU. In this case, if there is no other option consider sellers with many positive ratings. If you can buy locally that would even be better or the best-case scenario would be if you could visually see and inspect GPU itself in order to see in what state it is. Look for warranty stickers to see if they are thorn and the card has been tampered with. Also take a good look at screws, if they have scratches card has been opened, probably to replace fan or heating sinks which means that it has worked a lot.

Conclusion

It is very difficult to give the best possible advice on this situation since of GPU shortage, but I would much prefer a new GPU with lower performance than a hi-performance one which was mining.
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Identify resource hogging applications
Resource hogging is a term when one single application or few of them are taking all system resources for themself causing extreme slow down in the computer and nonresponsiveness. It can be a very frustrating and time-consuming experience and it can cost you money if you can not finish work on time due to this effect. I believe that everyone has experienced at least one slowdown in their IT carrier because of resource-hogging applications and most users do not know how to deal with this. We are here to help you with this issue. Just to be aware that this method shown here is not a method to miraculously speed up your PC or anything similar, this is to be able to detect and recover from extreme slowdowns. Hardware components are still very important and if you can upgrade your computer if it is outdated, please do it because new applications will require a more modern system, and not any kind of tips and tricks will save you from outdated hardware.

Identifying resource hogging app

Now when we got that out of the way let's talk about slowdowns, it is no secret that sometimes an application has bugs and memory leaks that can cause this kind of behavior, and sometimes the application simply takes up too much memory for any other application to work normally. The most simple and straightforward way is to bring up a Windows task manager and inspect running applications and services. You can bring task manager by the key combination of CTRL + SHIFT + ESC If the system is in deep memory deficit you will have to wait for the task manager to open and show itself on-screen. Once opened, click on more details if that view is not opened by default. Once the view expands you will see all running applications with how much RAM memory have they taken and how much CPU they are using.

What to do with app?

Now you are presented with a choice on what to do with the problematic application. If you press the end task button on the bottom right, Windows will kill the application and its processes but any unsaved work inside the application will be lost and unrecoverable in most cases. Or you can try to remove smaller applications running to free up more memory and CPU in order for the computer to catch up. Any choice you make is up to you, but be very careful not to kill Windows essential service by mistake, that will cause immediate system instability with high chances of a system crash.
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Chrome features that you need to use

Google Chrome is the most used browser in the world with the most user downloads. Most users are using browsers how it is, open it up and just surf but Chrome offers more than just plain surfing. Here we are presenting you with some interesting features that most users do not use but should.

google chrome

Use Omnibox to search inside websites

Chrome's Omnibox, also known as the address bar got its name because it can do much more than just search the internet. You already probably know that just by typing any word you will search the internet with Google or another search engine of choice.

You can also set specific keywords inside Chrome settings to tie them with specific websites, for example, you can tie the letter E with errortools, and then just by typing E windows error you will search term windows error on website errortools. There are some already predefined things and you can add anything you want so this is a great feature in order to speed up your work skipping part of actually opening the site.

Search the internet for selected text

On any webpage, you can simply select any text and right-click on it to get a new menu entry that will say search Google for "your selected text" and by clicking on it you will automatically search the net for the selected term.

Grouping tabs

When we surf the internet some of us tend to have plenty of open tabs and over time they can clutter and shrink in width making the surfing experience an unpleasant one.

Chrome has tab groups and you really need to start using them since you can organize much better all the tabs, even color-code them.

Search all open tabs

On top right part on title bar right next to minimize button there is small arrow pointing down, once you clik on it all opened tabs will be displayed by name as a listand by clicking on it you will automatically switch to it.

Change download location

Google Chrome has its default download destination but you can change that destination and even turn on option to be asked where you would like your download to be saved each time.

Live Captions

YouTube has cations for its videos but Chrome itself has live caption option in order to provide you with automatic AI captions for any type of video or audio on any website. If you are struggling with following what is being said try this awesome option.

Extensions

Using extensions in Chrome is awesome, specialy if extensions are usefull but if you go incognito they are not active. There is an option in Chrome to turn on the extensions even in incognito mode and even better, you can even choose which ones you want to be active, you do not need to turn all of them.

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Fix Page Fault in Non-Paged Area in Windows 10
Page Fault in Non-Paged Area is a blue screen error usually happening with faulty drivers but it can come from different issues like faulty RAM. In this short article, we will cover usual ways on how to approach and solve this error.

Solving Page fault in Non-Paged Area

Page Fault in Non-Paged AreaRollback using system restore

Simple and easy solution, roll back to the previous system restore point where Windows was stable and working.

Fix Page Fault in Non-Paged Area using device manager

  1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden menu
  2. Click on device manager
  3. Find a device with a question mark and right-click on it
  4. Click on the rollback driver button

Fix via command prompt

  1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden menu
  2. Click on command prompt (admin)
  3. Inside command prompt type in SFC / scannow and press ENTER
  4. Wait for the process to be finished and then reboot the PC

Fix via DISM tool

  1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden menu
  2. Click on command prompt (admin)
  3. Inside command prompt type in DISM /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press ENTER
  4. Wait for the process to be finished and then reboot the PC

Page fault in Non-Paged Area via a dedicated tool

Sometimes manual and provided solutions just simply cannot cut it because the issue is triggered also with something else and not just a single issue. Use DRIVERFIX to fix this specific issue with a single click.
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Antivirus software review 2022

As we near the end of 2022 we look at the current best antivirus software for popular platforms, why they are the best, and why you should get them.

Avira, a great free Antivirus

Avira has been around a long time with its free antivirus version of the larger protection suite. It had its ups and downs but the latest versions are really great. With high-speed scans and low system impact, Avira antivirus is really one of the best free antivirus software currently on the market.

Avira screen

The software itself has also received UI & UX updates making it straightforward and easy to use. The virus scanning engine is the same as in paid version that ranks among the top engines in the world for this type of work. The package also gives you some great browser protection and a good firewall as well, there is really no excuse to skip on this if you want a free solution.

The only thing that we would say is not so great in Avira is reporting some false positives, sometimes even for MS updates, it is rare but it can happen.

Malwarebytes, a powerful Windows antivirus

Malwarebytes Premium is easy to use, simple antivirus solution that shies away from complicated UI, and simply put, it just works. Its scanning engine is well-known and places among the top and best in the world often finding some malware that other can miss.

malwarebytes screen

Another great thing is its integration with Windows itself, it is one of the rare applications that can and will work incredibly well beside your typical Windows protection tools so you can have both of them running at the same time.

Installation and running are really simple and every typical PC user will find it as easy as walking in the park. On the other hand, sadly system impact is a little high and it will have issues running on lower-end systems due to its memory requirements.

Intego MAC Internet Security X9, the best Mac antivirus

Gone are the days when MAC had no virus issues, since MAC rose in popularity among the users, also rose the number of viruses and malware. The system itself has some great protection built it inside but for more security and better control of it, you will need a third-party dedicated solution.

Intego was made by Mac antivirus experts who have been building this kind of software last 25 years. The interface is easy to use and premade presets are really helpful, but the security suite can also be customized to fit your needs and desires.

intego screen

Since this is only available as a security suite, you are getting a firewall and some other security tools along with your antivirus that will run as a part of it.

The bad side is that scans can sometimes run slow, most of the time they are OK in terms of speed but occasionally they can switch to slower speeds and impact scanning time to some annoying times. Also, there is no webcam protection nor VPN service included where others on this list have them.

Bitdefender mobile security: best Android protection

While protection is not only needed for your gaming or workstation, software suites that are dealing with mobile and tablet security exist. The best of them is the Bitdefender antivirus mobile suite. Low on system resources and low on performance impact with the really great virus detection rate Bitdefender is at the top of suites for your phone.

bitdefender mobile

Consistent high virus detection packed with low battery impact is great but the suite comes with tons of other tools as well like browser security tools, email protection, and real-time link and notification protection.

The application will always scan each file and newly installed application in the background and alert and cut off any found threat. App itself is easy to install and use and most of the time it will do everything in the background for you but offer you customization if you need it.

The package also includes VPN and application lock that will let you protect the critical applications from being accessed as well as an online account scanner. Anti-theft and anti-loss tools, which allow you to find, remotely lock or wipe a stolen or lost device, add yet another layer of protection.

One thing that is missing from this great package is fraudulent call protection. Newer Android phones have this feature inside but it would be nice if Bitdefender had it as well.

Bitdefender, the best antivirus software

Now that we have covered specific cases of each platform, there is one player that has all of them covered and with a quality product, that player is BitDefender and it is great. Personally, this is my protection suite of choice and as I type this it is running in the background.

Bitdefender has it all, low system impact, as a matter of fact, it is one, if not, the lowest performance impact engine on the market currently and that is packed with a great and highly consistent virus & malware detection suite. Along with real-time malware protection, browser security, and anti-spam tools, you also get anti-phishing defenses, ransomware protection, and a strong firewall.

bitdefender screen

Bitdefender scores are very high in both the zero-day threat and real-world protection tests at AV-Test, an established organization that tests antivirus software. Despite being tested against tens of thousands of well-known and widespread malware threats, the software consistently achieves a 100% blocking rate.

The suite also comes with a restricted free VPN and with parental controls as well. Webcam and microphone protection are also included in the suite and on top of all, it has great pricing plans and constant discounts.

BitDefender is really a great package and it might sound too good, but after years and years of personally using it I have not had single malware or virus issue, the only thing that I would put as a negative is that system is severely slowed down when system scans are performed so be sure to run or schedule them when you are not using your computer. This, of course, can put some people off and I will admit it is a serious drawback but for me, the security of my workstation is more important than leaving the computer for 20 or so minutes in order to perform a full scan of the system.

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Fix Element Not Found for Bootrec /Fixboot
One of the most useful utilities for advanced users in Windows is the Windows command line or Command Prompt. It is efficient in fixing system files, checking the disk for errors as well as other intensive tasks that are made convenient using this. One of the tasks you can carry out using Command Prompt is repairing the Windows bootup process if it encounters any issues. However, if you tried running the “bootrec/fixboot” command and you receive an error message saying, “Element not found”, read on as this post will guide you in fixing this error. This kind of error in the command line could be due to a damaged BCD or MBE, inactive system partition, or it could also be that there is no drive letter being assigned to the EFI partition. Whichever the case is, here are some possible fixes that should help you resolve the problem.

Option 1 – Try to repair BCD

As mentioned the error could be caused by a damaged BCD and so to fix the problem, you need to repair BCD by following these steps:
  • First, make sure that you have a bootable Windows 10 USB drive with you and use it to boot your computer.
  • Once you’re on the Welcome Screen, click on Next.
  • After that, click on Repair your computer located at the bottom-left portion of the window.
  • Then select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
  • After you open the Command Prompt window, execute the following command:
bootrec /fixboot
  • Afterward, enter the next command below to rename the BCD file:
ren BCD BCD.bak
  • Next, type the following command and make sure to replace “b:” with the letter of your bootable drive attached to your computer.
bcdboot c:Windows /l en-us /s b: /f ALL
  • Now, wait until the process is completed and restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.

Option 2 – Try assigning the drive letter to the EFI partition

  • Tap the Win + X keys or right-click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (Admin) to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
  • Then type the following command to start the Diskpart utility:
diskpart
  • After that, if you receive a UAC prompt, just click on Yes to proceed.
  • Next, type the following command to list all the volumes created on your PC including both types of partitions that are visible to a normal user in the File Explorer as well as the ones created by Windows 10 by default which helps it in storing the boot files and other important system files:
list volume
  • Now type the following command to select the desired volume:
select volume number
  • Then type the following command to assign a letter to the selected volume:
assign letter=<LETTER>
Note: Make sure to replace “<LETTER>” with the letter you want to allocate to that partition. Afterward, it will assign a letter to the selected volume.
  • Reboot your PC to apply the changes made.

Option 3 – Try setting the System Partition to Active

Like the first given option, you also have to make sure that you have a bootable Windows 10 USB drive before you proceed to set the System Partition to Active. Once you have it covered, refer to these steps:
  • Boot your computer using the bootable Windows 10 USB drive.
  • Next, click Next when you get to the Welcome Screen.
  • Then click on Repair your computer located at the bottom left part of the window and select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
  • After opening Command Prompt, type the following command and hit Enter to start the Diskpart utility. It is a command line-based utility just like Command Prompt but has a UAC prompt once you provoke it. So if you encounter a UAC prompt, just click on Yes to proceed.
diskpart
  • Now type the following command:
list disk
  • From there, select your primary disk by typing the following command:
select disk number
  • After that, list all the partitions on the selected disk by entering the following command:
list partition
  • The command you just entered will list all the partitions created on your PC including both types of partitions that are visible to a normal user in the File Explorer as well as the ones created by Windows 10 by default which helps it in storing the boot files and other important system files.
  • Now type the following command to select the partition that is usually around 100 MB in size:
select partition number
  • Finally, type the following command to mark the partition active:
active
  • Then type the “exit” command to exit the disk part utility.
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