There has been recently discovered in the field of malware targeting Android devices. Affecting more than 10 million users of Android phones, the malware GriftHorse is doing its attacks via phishing and premium services scams. A lot of applications have been discovered that are hosts for this malware and many of them are inside the Google store and available for download.
According to Zimperium zLabs, this malware that was recently detected has been doing its scams and attacks even in November of 2020 and has thus far accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in its scam.
On the surface it looks very harmless, asking for typical permissions like internet access, calls, and other related needed functions, and then it waits. After few months the real attack happens when users get charged with premium service they never subscribed to in the first place.
List of Infected Applications that Carry GriftHorse Trojan
Zimperium zLabs listed out some of the apps with this malware. Users are advised to avoid installing them.
Amazing Video Editor
Bag X-Ray 100% Scanner
Bus – Metrolis 2021
Call Recoder Pro
Call Blocker-Spam Call Blocker
Cinema Hall: Free HD Movies
Coupons & Gifts: InstaShop
GPS Phone Tracker – Family Locator
Fingerprint Changer
Fitness Point
Free Calls WorldWide
Geospot: GPS Location Tracker
GPS Phone Tracker – Family Locator
Handy Translator Pro
Horoscope : Fortune
iCare – Find Location
iConnected Tracker
Instant Speech Translation
Lifeel – scan and test
My Chat Translator
My Locator Plus
Plant Camera Identifier
Racers Car Driver
Safe Lock
Screen Mirroring TV Cast
Slime Simulator
Smart Spot Locator
These are only some of the many infected apps available on the internet.
Zimperium zLabs also warned that GriftHorse Trojan exists in over 70 countries worldwide. The infected app quickly changes the language and displays content depending on the user’s IP address.
If you were trying to copy, move modify or delete a folder or a file in your computer but you’re not able to do so and encountered an error instead that says, “Could not find this item, This is no longer located in <path>, Verify the item’s location and try again”, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how you can fix this error.
You can encounter this error when you delete, rename, open or copy a certain file which is often created by third-party software and lacks important information like file format, and so on. Although you can see these files in File Explorer, you might not be able to perform some operations in them. To fix this problem, you need to check out the given suggestions below.
Option 1 – Try to rename the file via Command Prompt
If you were trying to rename the file but unable to do so, you can achieve that by executing a command in Command Prompt. Make sure to follow the steps carefully.
Type in “Command Prompt” In the Start menu to search for it or you could also click the search button right next to the Start menu and then right-click on the related result and select the option “Run as administrator” to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Next, type in “cd” followed by the path where the file is located with this format – “C:/Folder1/Folder2/Folder3”. However, you have to omit the problematic file this time. To put it simply, the last folder in the command must be the folder where the file is located.
After inputting the command, press Enter on your keyboard and then use the set of commands given below. Note that each command is a new line so you need to tap Enter after copying each line.
DIR /A /X /P
RENAME (the current name of the problematic file) (a non-problematic name)
EXIT
Note: Make sure that you only input the current name and the new name separated by a space. You must not write the brackets in the command. If everything goes well, you will now be able to operate the file like you used to before.
Option 2 – Try to delete the file using Command Prompt
On the other hand, if you were trying to delete the file instead of renaming it, you can execute another command in Command Prompt.
Open Command Prompt with admin privileges like what you did earlier.
Once you’ve opened Command Prompt, copy and paste the command given below and tap Entre after you do so. You also have to make sure that you key in the correct path where the file is located as well as its name.
rd /s \?X:badfolderpath
Note: In the command above, “X” is the placeholder letter so you must input the letter that corresponds to the drive’s letter where the file is located.
After that, you will see the “Operation completed successfully” message on your screen. If you don’t, check if you’ve really inputted the correct location of the file or its name.
Option 3 – Delete the file without any extension
If the file you were trying to delete does not have an extension, this means that Windows does not know what to do with this file which is why it’s throwing an error message. The best thing to do in such cases is to delete the file especially if it takes up a lot of memory. To delete these kinds of files, here’s what you have to do:
Follow the first two steps from the previous option above so you can navigate to the location of the file accurately just be careful in inputting the folders.
Don’t forget to tap Enter right after each command and then use the next command below so you can delete the affected file which has no extension:
del *.*
After you’re done, open the File Explorer and then check if the file is now deleted or not.
Internal error 2753 is associated with Windows Installer failure. The Windows Installer is basically an in-built software program in Windows 7 and 8.
It installs all programs on the system smoothly, saves the program in the computer program files and in the Windows Registry.
Though this can be carried manually Windows Installer makes the installation process much easier.
However, internal error 2753 can cause a great deal of distress and frustration during program installation. This error prevents you from installing your desired program successfully.
Solution
Error Causes
The 2 known causes for Internal Error 2753 are:
Viral infection
Windows Installer not properly registered
Further Information and Manual Repair
To resolve internal error 2753 on your system, try the methods discussed below. These methods are easy and require no technical expertise.
Let’s get started:
Method 1 - Remove All Malicious Programs
Malicious programs like viruses, malware, adware, Trojan and spyware can corrupt programs on your PC like Windows Installer.
If this is the underlying cause of error code 2753, then simply download a powerful antivirus on your system. Run it to scan for all such malicious programs and remove them.
Once your PC is clean, try installing your desired program. This will hopefully resolve the issue. If the error still pops up then try method 2.
Method 2 - Register Windows Installer Properly
To do this, go to the start menu and then open Run and type ‘cmd’ in the box, and press OK. This will open the DOS command window.
In the command prompt type "regsvr32 vbscript.dll" and then press Enter to proceed. After that, you will see a message that will read as "DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded."
This means Window Installer files have been successfully registered on your PC. Now you can try installing your desired program again.
If the installation begins and completes successfully, then the error is resolved.
Method 3 - Undo Recent Changes
If nothing works, then use the Windows System Restore Utility tool to undo recent changes. This will bring back your PC in the former state before you experienced the error 2753 on your PC.
To access System Restore Utility, press Start and type System Restore in the search box. Now follow the steps in the Wizard to choose a restore point. Once you select the point, reboot your system to activate changes.
Getting a few errors here and there when updating your Windows 10 computer is not uncommon. Some of these errors won’t allow the Windows Update service to initiate while the other ones will halt the process while it’s running. So in this post, we’ll show you what you can do to fix the Windows Update error 0x80070020.
The Windows Update error 0x80070020 is most likely caused by some programs installed in the system which interferes with the Windows Update process. It might be an antivirus program, an incompatible program, a potentially unwanted program, or worse, malware. In addition, corrupted or missing files might also be the culprit. Whichever the cause may be, here are some suggestions you need to check out to resolve the problem.
Option 1 – Try to reset the Windows Update components manually
To manually reset the Windows Update components, first, you need to stop the Background Intelligent Transfer Service, Windows Update, and the Cryptographic Services. To do so, run the following command in Command Prompt and make sure to press Enter after you enter each one of them:
net stop bits
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptsvc
Next, delete the “qmgr*.dat” file in order to reset the Windows Update components. To do delete this file, run the following command in Command Prompt:
Del “%ALLUSERSPROFILE%Application DataMicrosoftNetworkDownloaderqmgr*.dat
Now you have to rename both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders by entering the following command in Command Prompt:
RE-register BITS and other Windows Update related files by typing each one of the following commands:
regsvr32.exe atl.dll
regsvr32.exe urlmon.dll
regsvr32.exe mshtml.dll
regsvr32.exe shdocvw.dll
regsvr32.exe browseui.dll
regsvr32.exe jscript.dll
regsvr32.exe vbscript.dll
regsvr32.exe scrrun.dll
regsvr32.exe msxml.dll
regsvr32.exe msxml3.dll
regsvr32.exe msxml6.dll
regsvr32.exe actxprxy.dll
regsvr32.exe softpub.dll
regsvr32.exe wintrust.dll
regsvr32.exe dssenh.dll
regsvr32.exe rsaenh.dll
regsvr32.exe gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32.exe sccbase.dll
regsvr32.exe slbcsp.dll
regsvr32.exe cryptdlg.dll
regsvr32.exe oleaut32.dll
regsvr32.exe ole32.dll
regsvr32.exe shell32.dll
regsvr32.exe initpki.dll
regsvr32.exe wuapi.dll
regsvr32.exe wuaueng.dll
regsvr32.exe wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32.exe wucltui.dll
regsvr32.exe wups.dll
regsvr32.exe wups2.dll
regsvr32.exe wuweb.dll
regsvr32.exe qmgr.dll
regsvr32.exe qmgrprxy.dll
regsvr32.exe wucltux.dll
regsvr32.exe muweb.dll
regsvr32.exe wuwebv.dll
Now type each one of those commands below.
net start bits
net start wuauserv
net start cryptsvc
Option 2 – Install the updates in a Clean Boot State
You might want to try putting your computer in a Clean Boot state and then install Windows Updates again without any trouble. During this state, you can start the system with a minimum number of drivers and startup programs that will surely help you in isolating the root cause of the issue.
Log onto your PC as an administrator.
Type in msconfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
Click Disable all.
Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
After that, try to install the Windows Updates or upgrade again.
Option 3 – Clear the contents of both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders
Open the WinX Menu.
From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.
net stop wuauservnet stop bits
After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service and the Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.
Once all the contents in the Software Distribution folder are deleted, restart your PC and then go back to Command Prompt and input the following commands again.
net start wuauservnet start bits
Since the folder has already been flushed, it will be populated afresh the instant your restart your computer and open Windows Update.
Option 4 – Try to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter
Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter could also help you resolve the Windows Update error 0x80070020. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.
Option 5 – Try restarting the Windows Update Services
Open the Services Manager.
From there, make sure that you set the following services and Startup types:
Corefoundation.dll error is a DLL error code associated with Apple software such as iTunes, MobileMe, QuickTime and etc. To understand this error better, first you need to understand what corefoundation.dll file is.
Corefoundation.dll is a Dynamic Link Library file that is used by Apple software products. This file is created by Apple computer Inc and is designed to help open up some of the media files that you might have on your PC.
DLLs help promote modularization of code, efficient memory usage, code reuse and reduced disk space allowing the operating system and the programs to load and run faster and take less disk space on the computer.
Error Messages
This error pops on the screen when there is an issue related to Apple software products on your system. Corefoundation.dll error is displayed on the computer screen in any one of the following formats:
“The program can not start because corefoundation.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem”."This application has failed to start because CoreFoundation.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem."“The procedure entry point_CFBundleCopyFileTypeForFileData could not be located in the dynamic link library corefoundation.dll.”"MobileMe Control Panel cannot continue as Apple Application Support is missing or outdated. Please uninstall and reinstall the latest version of iTunes and MobileMe Control Panel to fix this issue.”
Though this error code is not fatal but if it is not fixed immediately it will hamper your ability to load and run Apple programs on your system.
Solution
Error Causes
Corefoundation.dll error can be triggered due to several reasons. Here are some of the most common corefoundation.dll error causes:
Outdated PC drivers
Viral infection
Damaged Windows registry files
Corrupted corefoundation.dll file
Missing corefoundation.dll file
Incorrectly installed third-party software
Further Information and Manual Repair
To fix this issue on your computer here are some of the best, easy and quick do it yourself methods that you can try:
Method 1: Download the Original Corefoundation.dll File
If the underlying reason for corefoundation.dll error is file corruption or it goes missing, then the best way to resolve is to download the original corefoundation.dll file. Once you download it, paste it to its exact location.
DLL files are normally located in the following location C:\Windows\System32. Once you paste it, register the file by typing ‘regsvr corefoundation.dll’ at the command prompt. When the process is complete, restart your PC to activate changes.
Alternatively, you can uninstall and re-install any Apple Software you may have on your Windows Computer. To do that, Open the Control Panel, navigate to "Install/Uninstall a Program", search for Apple software, and uninstall them.
Method 2: Update Window Drivers
If the error code is related to outdated drivers, then it is recommended that you update them promptly to resolve the corefoundation.dll error on your PC.
This can be done by using a driver update wizard from within Device Manager. The driver update wizard walks you through the entire drive update process, making updating a hassle-free process.
Method 3: Download Restoro
If the error still persists, then try method 3. Sometimes the cause of corefoundation.dll can be viral infection or registry issues. Viruses may enter your PC unknowingly through phishing emails and downloads which can corrupt and damage your dll files.
Also, if you don’t clean your registry frequently, unnecessary and obsolete files may accumulate in the registry like cookies, junk files, internet history and temporary files. These files take up a lot of disk space corrupt DLL files and lead to disk fragmentation.
Regardless of what the issue is, Restoro is your one-stop PC Fixer. It is a multi-functional and user-friendly repair tool embedded with 6 different scanners including a registry cleaner and an antivirus. It scans and removes all types of viruses and cleans and restores the registry too.
Click here to download Restoro and resolve the corefoundation.dll error today!
Seeing obscure error codes like 0x80070715 on the screen again and again can be annoying simply because you have no idea why it keeps popping up? What does it mean? Well, for beginners you don’t have to decode it, we’ll make it simple for you.
This error code indicates missing .dll files in the system or a corrupt registry. Due to this, you get locked from accessing and running applications on your system.
Solution
Error Causes
This error occurs largely because of two reasons:
Disk damage due to cluttered registry
The system gets infected by malware or a virus(es)
The error code 0x80070715 creates hurdles in the functioning of the applications. If this error is not repaired immediately it can result in serious damages like system crash and failure.
Further Information and Manual Repair
Many people pay hundreds of dollars to technicians to resolve this issue on their systems. Is it worth it? Not exactly!
How about we tell you a time and a money-saving way to fix the error code 0x80070715 on your PC?
The best way to resolve this issue on your system in seconds and also for free is to install Restoro.
This is an advanced, powerful, and multi-functional system repair and a PC optimizer tool. It is smoothly integrated with numerous performance-driven utilities like registry cleaner, privacy error detector (anti-virus), Active X and Class error, and system stability detector.
With this helper, you can resolve not only the error code 0x80070715 but also other types of PC-related errors.
Whether the cause of the error code 0x80070715 on your PC is malware or cluttering cluttered disk, Restoro can be used to resolve them all. Its powerful and intuitive registry cleaner scans the registry and repairs it successfully.
It removes junk files, internet history, temporary internet files, invalid entries, and also the files from the uninstalled programs still saved in the system’s registry.
It wipes out all the clutter on your hard disk and cleans it in seconds freeing up plenty of space. It repairs the registry resolving the error 0x80070715 quickly.
Nonetheless, if the error 0x80070715 is triggered due to viral infection or malware it removes them too. By downloading unknown files, accessing malicious websites, and opening phishing emails viruses can enter your PC.
You may not be aware of these until error code 0x80070715 pops on your screen. It is wise to remove viruses right away because these give hackers access to your system which often results in data breaches and exposes users to system security threats.
Restoro also works as a powerful antivirus. All malware, spyware, and viruses affecting your PC are scanned with the help of the advanced built-in privacy error detector utility.
This utility embedded in the system detects viruses and malware in your system and removes them from your system successfully.
Restoro is an easy-to-use repair tool. It has a simple layout and a user-friendly interface. It is easy to navigate through the repair tool, scan for errors and repair them without any hassle. Users of all levels, novice and experienced can use this tool with ease.
You don’t need to be technically sound to work around this tool. Here's how to Install and run Restoro PC Fixer:
In addition to this, you can run it on any Windows version. It is compatible with practically all versions.
No matter what the cause for error code 0x80070715 maybe, you don’t need to get into the nitty-gritty of it and find a specific tool to resolve the issue.
All you have to do is install this multi-functional Restoro on your system.
Here are the 3 simple steps that you need to follow for successful repair:
Default Taskbar inside Windows 11 is pretty good if we are talking about its height. Sitting at 48 pixels it is a pretty decent size considering functionality and size ratio but if you want to make it a little larger or smaller know that you can do that as well in order to customize it for your personal needs.
Sadly in order to actually change height size, you will have to do it inside the registry editor, but worry not, we are here with you to guide you all the way, one step at a time.
Also, note that you can only change Taskbar from normal size of 48px to either small of 32px or large gapping at 72px. Icons will also be scaled proportionally with the taskbar.
Guide
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog
Inside run dialog type in RegEdit and press ENTER
In registry editor locate and find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Right Click on it to select it and create a new DWORD (32-bit) value
Name the value TaskbarSi
Inside TaskbarSi double click in order to set the value to 0 if you want a small size Taskbar, 1 is if you want to revert back to medium (standard one), or type in 2 if you want a large Taskbar.
Save and close the Registry editor
Reboot PC
And there you go, you have successfully changed Taskbar size inside Windows 11. If you want to revert back to standard size just repeat steps and place 1 as a value in point 6.
If you have received a BSOD error message that says, “Tcpip.sys”, read on as this post will show you how you can fix the problem. The “Tcpip.sys” means Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol. It is a library of a set of rules that are used to interconnect different devices all over the internet. The Tcpip.sys file is a driver and if a BSOD error message includes this one, it could only mean that the driver file is corrupted or incompatible with your system or there are some conflicting programs installed in your computer.
To fix this error, you can try the following workarounds. Make sure to carefully follow each one of them.
Option 1 – Check for conflicting or incompatible programs by putting your PC in a Clean Boot state
As mentioned, the “tcpip.sys” BSOD error might be caused by some problematic programs that clash with your existing operating system. Several users reported that numerous programs that are supposedly designed to enhance computer performance are causing conflict in the system instead. To identify which program is causing the problem, you need to put your computer in a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.
Log onto your PC as an administrator.
Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
Clear the “Load Startup items” checkbox and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” checkbox.
Click Disable all.
Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
After putting your PC in a Clean Boot State, try creating a system restore point and see if the problem still occurs. Clean Boot troubleshooting is designed to help you isolate the problem. For you to execute a clean boot troubleshooting, you must do a couple of actions (the steps are given above) and then restart your PC after every action. You might have to disable one third-party app after the other to really isolate the issue. And once you’ve narrowed down the problem, you can either disable the third-party app that’s causing the problem or remove it. Note that you must switch your PC back into the Normal Startup mode after you’re done troubleshooting the problem. Here’s how you can do it:
From the “Start” menu, go to System Configuration.
After that, switch to the General tab and click the option for “Normal Startup”.
Next, go to the Services tab and clear the checkbox for “Hide all Microsoft services”.
Then find and click “Enable all” and if prompted, you have to confirm.
Afterward, go to the Task Manager and enable all the Startup programs and confirm the action.
Restart your PC when prompted.
Option 2 – Disabling Antivirus Software
There are cases when the “tcpip.sys” BSOD error is caused by the antivirus program installed in your computer that’s blocking some essential operations. Because of this, the operating system fails which throws up the BSOD error. As you know, the antivirus program is designed to protect the computer and monitor every action in the system. However, there are instances when the antivirus program gives false positives and shuts down some modules even if it’s harmless. So this could be the case for the “tcpip.sys” error. To verify if the problem is indeed caused by the antivirus program in your computer, you need to temporarily disable it. After you’ve disabled it, restart your PC and then check if the problem’s fixed or not.
Option 3 – Try to update all your Drivers
From time to time, drivers get corrupted or outdated so it’s no surprise that they conflict with the operating system and cause errors like the “tcpip.sys” BSOD error. To fix the problem, you need to update all your drivers especially the network driver since the “tcpip.sys” error is closely related to this driver. Follow the steps below to update your drivers.
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 “Unknown device”, you need to update it as well.
Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and then follow the instructions to complete the process.
Restart your PC.
Note: You also have the option to go directly to the website of your graphics card manufacturer and check if there’s a new update – if there is, download it. After that, you could also check if there’s a new update of the game you’re getting the issue of the black bar.
Apple introduced the Live Photo feature way with iPhone 6S in their iOS9. Live Photo idea was that each time you take a photo, your phone will capture a few seconds of video along with sound and all of that is sent when you share your photo. This of course can sometimes be really bad when some not wanted audio gets recorded in the background.
Since the feature was introduced it has been set as the default option when taking pictures so each time you snap one you just capture a small amount of video and audio along. Good thing is that this feature can be turned off and the even better news is that you can edit your old photos to remove back video and audio.
How to share only photo
You can keep your Live Photos but share only a single still typical photo if you wish. Go to the photos app on your phone and select the photo you wish to share. Press the Share button on the bottom left part of the screen and once the Share menu appears tap on the Live button in the upper left corner of the selected photo. The button should turn grey and become slashed and now you can share only still photo. This is only temporary for this one specific share so next time you want to do this you will have to go through the process again.
How to disable Live Photo
If you are not happy with the previous solution and really do not want to turn off the Live feature each time you want to share a photo or you just simply do not want the feature at all there is way to turn if off for good. Take note that you can temporarily not use this feature just by opening the camera, switching to photo mode, and then tapping on the Live photo button on the toolbar that looks like three circles one inside another. This will temporarily turn the Live Photo feature for this session but next time when you open the camera by default it will be turned on again. This is a good approach if you want the feature but sometimes you just want not to use it.
In order to turn it off completely go to the settings of your phone and go to Camera and then preserve settings. inside the preserve setting turn the switch Live Photo to ON position, now go-to camera and again click on the live photo button to turn it off but this time setting will be saved and next time you open the camera it will not be ON.
Editing old Live Photos
As stated before you can edit your old pictures in order to make them stills. You can edit them to remove audio only but keep the video part, or you can completely remove everything and convert them into typical still images.
In order to only remove audio from your Live Photos go to pictures and select one that you wish to change, click on edit, and inside edit tap on the Live Photo icon (three circles). Next tap on the audio icon located in the top left corner of your screen and it will change into the mute icon. Click on done and you are finished.
To completely remove the Live photo go to Photos, select picture, click on edit and select the live photo button again. This time tap and hold the Live button next to the sound until it turns gray with a strike through it. Click on done and you are finished.
Windows 11 has come a long way from its infant stage. Today it is incredibly good and stable operating system that also looks good and modern. Unfortunately, fancy animations and good graphics come with a price, in this case, slower performance on some little older and weaker computers.
Animations itself which include also fading effects can sometimes feel slugging and laggy and have a general overall feeling of delay. For a more old-school instant experience, you can turn off animations.
In order to turn animations inside Windows 11 follow this simple guide:
First thing is to open Settings by pressing Windows + i key combination or you could open Start and in the search box type in Settings and then click on its icon.
Once inside settings on the left side find Accessibility and click on it to select it. Once it is selected on the right side choose Visual effects. Inside the visual effects section click on the switch next to Animation effects to OFF. You can also turn off transparency effects in this section if you wish if you have an older GPU in order to speed it up a little.
That is all you need to do, settings will be automatically saved and all animations will be turned off for a quicker and more responsive feeling when working inside W11
Finally upgraded to Microsoft’s newest OS, but the performance is a bit sluggish? Here are a few useful tips you may not have thought about that could significantly transform your experience!
How to speed up Windows 11?
1. Disable startup programs
There are many programs that launch right on startup that really aren’t essential. This, in turn, causes your PC to launch and run more slowly.
To check which programs are enabled on startup, go into the Task Manager and select the Startup tab. Find every program that doesn’t need to launch immediately, right-click on it and press ‘Disable’.
This will not shut down the program in that instant. It’ll just prevent it from running automatically as you turn on your PC. You can always launch it manually when you need it.
2. Expand your memory and storage
If you want your PC to run super smoothly, you need to have enough memory to support that. This is especially significant for those of you who love to multitask. Upgrading your RAM gives your PC more space to store the temporary data it needs to complete processing tasks. In other words, processing takes a lot less time.
Your long-term storage is equally important. Hopefully at this point you’re already using SSD over HDD, since this type of storage offers a faster boot time.
In any case, we recommend expanding your storage capacity. The more files and data you store, the more there is to load, significantly influencing your PC’s speed. Larger storage capacity means new data and essential updates can be stored comfortably, preventing any strain on your PC’s performance.
3. Clean up disk space
If you aren’t willing to upgrade your storage just yet, the least you can do is clean up your storage right now.
Aside from manually deleting stuff you no longer need, you can also get rid of temporary files that clutter up your storage and eat up performance for no reason. To get to them, click Windows + X and select ‘Run’ (or just type it in the search bar).
A small window will pop up, where you need to type %temp%. This will take you to a whole folder full of all the temporary files you can remove without thinking twice.
For those who upgraded from Windows 10, there’s a neat trick to get rid of potential leftover files you don’t need on your brand new iteration. Only do this if you’re 100% sticking with Windows 11, though. Go to System > Storage > Temporary files. Make sure to only leave ‘Previous Windows Installation’ and ‘Windows Update Clean-up’ checked and click on ‘Remove files’.
Lastly, make use of Windows 11’s fantastic Storage Sense feature. Turning it on will enable your PC to constantly watch out for junk or unused files to optimize your PC’s performance to the maximum.
4. Install pending updates
This one should go without saying, but pending updates can be detrimental to your Windows 11 performance. The longer you leave them untouched, the more bugs the outdated programs and patches can cause. So, make sure to regularly check for updates and install them as soon as they’re available.
5. Disable visual effects
As cool as visual effects, animations, shadows and transparency are, they can also put quite a toll on your computer’s speed. On a newer setup this generally shouldn’t be a problem, but if you do notice a drop in performance, definitely consider turning off some of these settings.
To do this you can go to the Control Panel, System Properties and click the ‘Advanced’ tab. In the Performance section, choose Settings. If you’d like a quicker way to get to the dialog (Performance Options) with Visual Effects, you can also type sysdm.cpl in the search bar.
Once there, you can either have your PC choose what’s best, choose the best appearance or the best performance. The other option is to manually toggle the effects off and on. The biggest obstacles to speed are taskbar animations, window shadows, control/element animations and animations upon minimizing/maximizing.
In the same vein, you should go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and disable Transparency, to prevent your computer from doing overtime just to hit the aesthetic appeal.
6. Get rid of bloatware
Bloatware is one of the biggest culprits of slow computer speed.
Pre-installed software that’s pretty much useless but takes up valuable system resources has been around since day one. No matter which device or platform you’re talking about. Luckily, a lot of it is removable, making it easy to lighten the load on your device.
To boost your Windows 11 computer, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.You’ll probably see a bunch of apps you don’t want or need. Click on the three dots next to each one you want to remove and press ‘Uninstall’.
Aside from helping optimize performance, removing bloatware has another great benefit. Unfortunately, often this pre-installed software is quite vulnerable, exposing you to great risk of cyberattacks. So, removing it definitely improves your device’s security and gives you at least some peace of mind.
Summary
These are a few of our fastest tips for boosting performance. There are other, more complex and time-consuming ways, of course. If you’ve tried these quick ones and still need advice on how to improve your PC’s speed, feel free to reach out!