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How to get rid of My Maps Wizard

My Maps Wizard is a browser extension for Google Chrome Developed by Mindspark Inc. This extension offers users access to different websites that offer route planning, map views, and other traveling tools.

While all this might sound interesting and useful, this extension has been marked as a Browser Hijacker by several popular anti-virus applications.

When installed this extension changes your default home page and new tab page to MyWay.com or Ask.com depending on the extension version. It also monitors and records user browsing activity that it later uses to display sponsored / unwanted ads throughout your browsing sessions. While browsing the internet with this extension active and installed you will see additional pop-up ads, sponsored links, and injected ads into search results.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking is a form of unwanted software, often a browser add-on or extension, which causes modifications in the browser’s settings. There are lots of reasons why you may experience a browser hijack; however commercial, advertising, and marketing are the primary reasons for their creation. It redirects you to the sponsored websites and injects ads on your internet browser that assists its creator to generate earnings. Although it may seem naive, these tools were created by malicious people who always attempt to take full advantage of you, so that hackers can easily earn money from your naive and distraction. Browser hijackers could also allow other harmful programs without your knowledge to further damage your personal computer.

How you can know whether the web browser is hijacked?

There are numerous symptoms of web browser hijacking:
1. you notice unauthorized modifications to your web browser’s homepage
2. you find new unwanted favorites or bookmarks added, usually directed to ad-filled or pornography sites
3. the default search engine and the default web browser settings are altered
4. you find many toolbars on the internet browser
5. never-ending pop-up ads appear and/or your browser pop-up blocker is disabled
6. your browser has instability problems or exhibits frequent errors
7. you can’t visit specific websites such as homepages of anti-malware software.

So how does a PC get infected with a browser hijacker?

There are a number of ways your PC can get infected by a browser hijacker. They generally arrive by way of spam email, via file-sharing websites, or by a drive-by download. They may also originate from any BHO, browser extension, toolbar, add-on, or plug-in with malicious intent. A browser hijacker may also come bundled up with some freeware that you unwittingly download to your PC, compromising your internet security. An example of some infamous browser hijacker includes Conduit, Anyprotect, Babylon, SweetPage, DefaultTab, RocketTab, and Delta Search, however, the names are often changing.

Browser hijacking can lead to severe privacy problems and even identity theft, affect your web browsing experience by taking control of outgoing traffic, drastically slows down your personal computer by consuming lots of system resources, and cause system instability as well.

Learn how to remove a browser hijacker

Certain browser hijacking can be quite easily stopped by finding and eliminating the corresponding malware software through your control panel. Having said that, the majority of hijackers are quite tenacious and need specialized tools to remove them. Furthermore, manual removals require in-depth system knowledge and therefore could be a very difficult task for novice computer users.

Industry experts always suggest users eliminate any malicious software including browser hijacker by using an automatic removal tool, which is simpler, safer, and quicker than the manual removal solution. One of the best tools for correcting browser hijacker infections is SafeBytes Anti-Malware. It will help you remove any pre-existing malicious software on your system and provides you real-time monitoring and protection against new internet threats. Employ a system optimizer (such as Total System Care) along with your antivirus software to correct various registry issues, eliminate computer vulnerabilities, and boost your computer performance.

What To Do When You Cannot Install Safebytes Anti-Malware?

All malware is bad, but certain types of malware do much more damage to your computer or laptop than others. Certain malware variants modify web browser settings by adding a proxy server or change the PC’s DNS configuration settings. In these instances, you’ll be unable to visit certain or all of the sites, and thus not able to download or install the required security software to eliminate the computer virus. So what to do if malicious software keeps you from downloading or installing Anti-Malware? There are a few actions you can take to get around this issue.

Install the anti-malware in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is actually a unique, basic version of Microsoft Windows in which just bare minimum services are loaded to stop viruses as well as other troublesome applications from loading. If the virus is set to load automatically when PC boots, shifting to this mode may prevent it from doing so. To get into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press F8 while the system is starting up or run MSConfig and find the “Safe Boot” options under the “Boot” tab. Once you are in safe mode, you can try to install your antivirus application without the hindrance of malicious software. Now, you are able to run the antivirus scan to remove computer viruses and malware without hindrance from another malicious application.

Download the security software in an alternate browser

Malicious code may exploit vulnerabilities in a particular internet browser and block access to all anti-malware software sites. The best solution to avoid this issue is to go with a browser that is well known for its security features. Firefox contains built-in Malware and Phishing Protection to keep you secure online.

Run antivirus from a pen drive

Another way is to download and transfer anti-malware software from a clean PC to run a virus scan on the affected computer. Try these simple measures to clean up your infected computer by using portable anti-malware.
1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or Windows Defender Offline onto a virus-free computer system.
2) Mount the USB drive onto the same computer.
3) Double-click on the downloaded file to open the installation wizard.
4) When asked, select the location of the pen drive as the place where you want to store the software files. Follow activation instructions.
5) Remove the pen drive. You can now utilize this portable antivirus on the infected computer.
6) Double click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the flash drive to run the application.
7) Press the “Scan Now” button to begin the malware scan.

Let's Talk About SafeBytes Anti-Malware!

If you’re looking to download an anti-malware application for your PC, there are lots of tools out there to consider however, you cannot trust blindly to anyone, regardless of whether it is paid or free software. A few are very good ones, some are decent, and some are merely fake anti-malware applications that will harm your PC themselves! You must pick one that is efficient, practical and has a good reputation for its malware protection. One of the recommended software programs is SafeBytes Anti-Malware. SafeBytes has a superb history of excellent service, and customers are very happy with it.

Safebytes is among the well-established computer solutions firms, which provide this complete anti-malware software. Using its cutting-edge technology, this software will help you remove multiples types of malware like viruses, PUPs, trojans, worms, ransomware, adware, and browser hijackers.

SafeBytes anti-malware provides a plethora of advanced features which sets it aside from all others. The following are some of the features you may like in SafeBytes.

World-class AntiMalware Protection: Built upon a greatly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal application can identify and get rid of numerous obstinate malware threats such as browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs, and ransomware that other typical anti-virus programs will miss.

Live Protection: SafeBytes offers complete and real-time security for your PC. It’ll constantly monitor your pc for hacker activity and also provides users with superior firewall protection.

Safe Browsing: Through its unique safety rating, SafeBytes informs you whether a site is safe or not to visit it. This will make sure that you’re always certain of your online safety when browsing the web.

Light-weight Utility: SafeBytes is a lightweight and user-friendly anti-virus and anti-malware solution. As it uses minimum computer resources, this application leaves the computer power exactly where it belongs to: with you.

Fantastic Tech Support Team: You can get high levels of support 24/7 if you’re using their paid version.

SafeBytes can keep your personal computer safe from the latest malware threats automatically, thus keeping your internet experience secure and safe. You can be sure that your computer system will be protected in real-time once you put this tool to use. If you want advanced forms of protection features & threat detections, buying SafeBytes Anti-Malware could be worth the money!

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

To remove My Maps Wizard manually, go to the Add/Remove programs list in the Windows Control Panel and select the offending program you want to get rid of. For internet browser extensions, go to your browser’s Addon/Extension manager and select the add-on you would like to remove or disable. You will additionally also want to totally reset your web browser to its default configuration settings.

To ensure complete removal, find the following Windows registry entries on your computer and remove them or reset the values appropriately. But bear in mind, this can be a tricky task and only computer professionals could carry it out safely. In addition, some malicious programs are capable to defend against its removal. You’re advised to do this process in Safe Mode.

Registry:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Folders] Common Startup = C:\windows\start menu\programs\startup
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\User Shell Folders] Common Startup = C:\windows\start menu\programs\startup
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices] Whatever = c:\runfolder\program.exe

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Patch for Windows Error Code 41

Code 41 - What is it?

Poor PC maintenance can lead to error message pop-ups like error code 41. Code 41 is one of the several Device Manager Error codes.

This error indicates 2 things: issues with the device driver for the hardware you wish to use, or the hardware device is not properly attached to your system.

The error code 41 is usually displayed in the following format:

“Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device.” Code 41

Solution

driverfix boxError Causes

For successful installation of a new hardware piece, it is imperative to follow the installation routine correctly and allow it to complete properly, especially with USB devices.

This is important largely because if installation is not followed and executed properly, code 41 can pop up.

Code 41 is also related to device driver problems. It can occur if your system device drivers are outdated. Also, if the device is a CD/DVD drive, code 41 can occur due to conflicts with 3rd party disc burning software.

Although Device Manager Error code 41 is not detrimental, it is still advisable to repair it as quickly as you can. Code 41 can negatively affect your PC. It can:

  • Lower your PC’s Performance
  • Limit your ability to use your desired piece of hardware device

Further Information and Manual Repair

As compared to the blue screen of death errors, Device Manager Error codes are much easier to resolve.

Here are some of the best, effective and easy-to-resolve methods to help you fix code 41 on your PC, in a few minutes.

To work around these methods, you don’t have to be a technical whiz or a computer programmer. Simply follow these steps to resolve:

Method 1 - Uninstall Faulty Drivers and then Reinstall

To repair code 41 on your system, try uninstalling problematic drivers and then reinstalling new drivers. To do this, follow these instructions:

  • Click the start button
  • Then type Device Manager in the search bar and press enter
  • Once the Device Manager opens, look for problematic devices
  • Click on the device whose driver you wish to uninstall
  • Double click to uninstall
  • Windows will prompt you to confirm the device removal
  • Accept changes and confirm by clicking on OK
  • Now reboot your PC to activate changes
  • The next step is to reinstall the driver properly. To do this, simply follow the same steps. Once you access the Device Manager,
  • Click on the Action tab in the toolbar
  • After that select the option ‘Scan for Hardware Changes’

This will hopefully resolve error code 41 on your system and you will be able to use your desired hardware device without any hassle. Nonetheless, if the error code continues to persist, try other methods illustrated below.

Method 2 - Replace the Hardware or Try Reattaching it to your System

Sometimes the error may pop up due to poorly configured devices. This is common if it is a plug-and-play device. The best way to resolve is to remove the device, reattach it properly, and then try using it again.

However, if the problem is with the hardware, then it is advisable to replace the hardware with a new device compatible with your Windows version.

Method 3 - Update the Drivers Manually

If the underlying cause for error code 41 is outdated or corrupted drivers, then it is advisable to update the drivers.

However, when updating drivers and ensuring that the newly installed drivers work perfectly, make sure you install versions that are compatible with your device and Windows. Incompatible drivers are no good.

You will continue to face Device Manager Errors if you install incompatible drivers.

To update drivers, here’s what you have to do:

  • Identify the problematic drivers
  • Go to the Device Manager and locate all drivers with yellow exclamation marks
  • Now install new and compatible driver versions from the manufacturers’ site

Method 4 - Download Driver Assist to Update Drivers Automatically

Updating drivers manually will take time, so perform this task when you are free and have nothing else on your mind. However, if you wish to resolve the issue immediately and have the time to invest in manual updates, then consider downloading DriverFIX.

DriverFIX is a feature-rich and an innovative software program deployed with an intelligent programming system and intuitive technology.

It is exclusively designed to resolve PC device driver problems. Once installed on your system, it scans your PC and identifies problematic drivers.

After that it matches latest and compatible driver versions and updates them  immediately within a few seconds. DriverFIX updates drivers both automatically and on a regular basis.

Click here to download DriverFIX to update drivers and repair error code 41.

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Fix Can’t Find Games on Twitch
Can’t Find Games on Twitch is a common error happening to a vast variety of people. The issue can be traced back to browser issues to others like malware infection. In this guide, we will provide you with common fixes on how to overcome this issue so you can continue watching your favorite streamer.
  1. Sign out of Twitch, then sign back in

    If it is a browser issue or some glitch in the Twitch system simply signing out and then signing back in will solve the issue since information about the account will be resent to the twitch platform.
  2. Refresh the application

    Sometimes servers are having high traffic and can get overloaded, refresh the application in the upper left corner to reload content.
  3. Use browser instead of Twitch application

    If you are still having issues with the application, open the twitch website and access content there.
  4. Close twitch

    But in task manager. Sometimes just closing it via the X button is not enough, some glitches stay and the application is still running in the background. Open task manager and close it from there.
  5. Scan system for malware

    Scan the entire system for malware, various malware can halt twitch and cause issues.
  6. Reinstall application

    If everything else failed, reinstall the application.
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IW Unicorn and Scorpion PC Chair cockpits
Recently on errortools.com, we were talking about Cooler Master’s Orb X gaming chair that is an absolute beast and an amazing product. One downside of Orb X is its price. IW product line is somewhat competing with Orb X with a much more affordable price aiming to probably take customer base with lower income but offering them a great experience as well. The first thing you will notice is a different design and somewhat feeling of cheaper quality if you compare it to Orb X but that is quite reasonable considering the chair itself is around 3.5 times cheaper than Orb X which really puts it in range of everyone can get it. But does a much cheaper price means low quality? Let’s explore.

IW Unicorn

IW unicornThe 2021 CLUVENS BRAND newly issued model UNICORN has fully electrical tilting capabilities to 160 degrees, Reading light-two LED & RGB illumination lighting, manual open/close keyboard tray, and armrests. This model is suitable for home and office, and also gaming computer work environments. It offers functions that enable the user to experience unprecedented comfort and quasi total immersion through strategically positioned 1-3 monitors, audio systems, and accessories. The result is a complete computer office, ergonomically optimized, with a minimal footprint that improves overall performance and productivity and health and comfort. Sitting on a chair can help a lot for relieving health problems like lower back pain, herniated discs, sciatica, and neck pain and also enhance performance and viewing effects.

More Luxury and More comfortable:

Equipped with Luxury feeling reclining Gaming chair made with high-density Mold Shaping Foam and superior quality PU leather with very comfortable texture, electrical recline to 128 degrees, and more to 160 degrees for the flat position for the user.

More High-End Setting and more High-tech:

Manual push for open / close of big sized (87x34cm) Self-Balancing Keyboard tray, adjustable with 20cm distance range with Electrical control for the height of roof arm & monitors. Electrical control for reclining Zero Gravity position or even flat position, Manual adjusted Feet pedal for a more comfortable position for feet. Using a High-Quality PU leather Gaming chair that has Heat/Massage functions with it! The IW-Unicorn monitor mounts allow the use of a single monitor up to Ultra-wide 49” or 43” in size or triple monitor setups up to 3 x 29” other monitors configurations are available upon request. (VESA standard)

IW Scorpion

IW scorpionScorpion is basically a premium version of Unicorn with being able to hold more weight, having cup holders on the armrest, etc. The look is also similar with Scorpion being more sinister-looking but overall Steel frame and chair are the same.

Conclusion

Sadly I have not personally experienced neither of these products including Orb X but from all information I have found and looked over, I would say these products are not trying to compete with each other. Although Products are similar in nature, Orb X is aimed at hi end-users focusing on privacy and robustness while IW is filling the gap of users that would like an advanced chair but are not willing or ready to shell hi amount of money for it offering advanced chairs with advanced features in somewhat affordable price.
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Enable or Disable Auto-Mounting in Windows
Every time a new drive or any storage device is connected to a Windows 10 computer, the operating system tends to allot a drive letter to it automatically. Not only that, as the OS also maps the location of the drive which helps it point the letter to the exact port location of the drive and serve requests from the user. As a result, it builds up a bit of cache as per the pattern in which the user uses the storage of the computer. This whole process is known as “Auto Mounting” which works for hard disks or optical drive readers that are connected using the SATA ports and even for USB drives that are connected using the USB ports. There are several ways you can enable or disable the Auto-Mount feature in Windows 10. You can do it using the MountVol tool or the Registry Editor or the Diskpart utility. Before you proceed, it is recommended that you create a System Restore point first so that you can always undo the changes you made in case anything goes wrong.

Option 1 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via MountVol tool

In this option, you will be using the mountvol command in the Command Prompt. Refer to the steps below.
  • Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
  • From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
  • Next, type the following command and tap Enter to enable the Auto Mount feature:
mountvol /E
  • On the other hand, if you want to disable the Auto Mount feature, type the following command instead:
mountvol /N
  • After that, type the command below to remove all the previously assigned drive letters:
mountvol /R
  • Finally, restart your computer.

Option 2 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via Registry Editor

  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  • Then type “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  • After that, navigate to this registry key: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesmountmgr
  • Next, look for a DWORD named “NoAutoMount”. If you can’t find a DWORD with that name then simply create a new DWORD with the same name and make sure that the base is selected to Hexadecimal.
  • Now double click on that DWORD and change its value to 0 if you want to enable it, otherwise, input 1 as its value to disable it.
  • Restart your computer.

Option 3 – Enable or disable Auto Mounting via Diskpart utility

  • Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
  • From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
  • After opening Command Prompt as admin, type the following command and hit Enter to launch the Diskpart utility:
diskpart
  • After that, a User Account Control prompt will appear. Just click on the Yes button.
  • Next, type the following command and hit Enter:
automount
  • Following the command you entered, you will an output that either says, “Automatic mounting of new volumes enabled” or “Automatic mounting of new volumes disabled” which means you can use it to check the status of Auto Mount.
  • Now if you want to enable the Auto Mount feature, type the following command and tap Enter:
automount enable
  • And if you want to disable the Auto Mount feature, just enter the following command:
automount disable
  • To remove all the assigned letter and history of drives that were connected previously, type the following command:
automount scrub
  • Finally, restart your computer.
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Remove or join a Domain from Windows
As you know, networks that are domain-based are common in organizations and companies. These domain-based networks require multiple computers to be controlled through a single node known as a server. And the one that sets certain policies and restrictions on every system that is joined to the domain is the server administrator. So if you want to add your computer to a domain, you need to have the following information available:
  • The domain name
  • A user account name that’s registered in the active directory associated with the server
  • Windows Enterprise, Pro, or education version
In this post, you will be guided on how you can join or remove a domain. To get started, follow the given instructions below.

Option 1 – Joining a domain

  • First, you need to connect your computer to the network associated with the server since your computer and the server have to be on the same network.
  • Next, click the Start button and then click on the gear-like icon for Settings to open it.
  • After that, navigate to this path: Accounts > Access work or school.
  • Then click on Connect. This will open a new dialog box and from there, select the “Join this device to a local Active Directory domain” option.
  • Afterward, you will be asked to enter the username and password of your domain account.
  • Now select your Account type and when you proceed, you have to restart your computer. Your domain account should now be created.

Option 2 – Removing a domain

  • You need to open the Windows 10 Settings app.
  • And from there, go to this path: Accounts > Access work and school.
  • Next, select the account you want to remove from the domain and then click on Disconnect.
  • A prompt will then appear that says, “Are you sure you want to remove this account? This will remove your access to resources like email, apps, network, and all content associated with it. Your organization might also remove some data stored on this device”. Just click on Yes.
  • This will give you a Disconnect from the organization prompt.
  • Now click on Disconnect and select Restart now to restart your computer. This will complete the removal process of the domain.
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Fix SPECIAL POOL DETECTED MEMORY CORRUPTION
If you suddenly encounter the SPECIAL POOL DETECTED MEMORY CORRUPTION Blue Screen error with a bug check value of “0x000000C1” while you are using your computer then it might be due to some problem with the hardware of your Windows 10 computer. According to security experts, it is most likely caused by the physical RAM which could be due to some error in the Realtek driver for Wireless USB 2.0 as well as corruption of the files inside the RAM, and so on. This kind of problem indicates that the driver wrote to an invalid section of the special pool. On the other hand, system files like the rtwlanu.sys or nvlddmkm.sys can also trigger the SPECIAL_POOL_DETECTED_MEMORY_CORRUPTION Blue Screen error. To resolve this Blue Screen error, you can use the options provided below as reference but before you do that, make sure to create a System Restore point first. After you have that covered, proceed to the given options below.

Option 1 – Delete the settings of the Driver Verifier Manager

  • Open the Driver Verifier Manager using the Start search.
  • After that, select or click on the “Delete existing settings” option and then click on Finish.
  • Reboot your computer and see if it fixes the Blue Screen error or not.

Option 2 – Try to update or rollback your Network driver

If you have updated the driver software as of late and you suddenly got this BSOD error, you might have to roll back the device driver – in other words, switch back to the previous working version. To do that, follow these steps:
  • Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
  • Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
  • From the list of Network Drivers, look for “Realtek <Model> Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC” and then right-click on it and select Update Driver.
  • Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the BSOD error.
Note: If you see any of the following entries under the Network drivers, you might want to download their latest available versions from each one of their manufacturer’s websites.
  • Realtek High-Definition (HD) Audio Driver
  • Realtek Card Reader Driver
  • Realtek Local Area Network (LAN) Driver
On the other hand, if updating the Network driver didn’t help, you can also try to roll back to its previous version.
  • Open the Device Manager again and then look for Network Drivers.
  • Next, select Realtek <Model> Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC from the list of Network Drivers and then double click to open a new mini window.
  • After that, make sure that you’re on the Driver tab and if you are not, just navigate to it then click the Roll Back Driver button to switch back to the previous version of the Realtek driver.
  • Now restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.

Option 3 – Try running the ChkDsk utility

You can also run the ChkDsk utility to fix the SPECIAL_POOL_DETECTED_MEMORY_CORRUPTION Blue Screen error.
  • First, open This PC and right-click on your operating system partition for Windows.
  • Next, click on Properties and navigate to the Tools tab.
  • Then click on Check under the Error Checking section.
  • After that, a new mini window will be opened and from there click on Scan drive and let it scan your disk drive partition for any errors and then restart your computer.

Option 4 – Use the Windows Memory Diagnostics

Since the problem has something to do with the physical RAM, you need to use Windows Memory Diagnostics. To run it, refer to these steps:
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and type exe and hit Enter to open the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.
  • After that, it will give two options such as:
    • Restart now and check for problems (Recommended)
    • Check for problems the next time I start my computer
  • Once your computer has restarted, perform a basic scan or you could also go for the “Advanced” options such as “Test mix” or “Pass count”. Simply tap the F10 key to start the test.
Note: After you select the option, your PC will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them.

Option 5 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like SPECIAL_POOL_DETECTED_MEMORY_CORRUPTION. It can be found in the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:
  • Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
  • Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
  • From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.
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How to Set up and Use a Ram Drive in Windows
RAM drive is basically a hard drive made of your RAM memory. Altho this kind of drive can not and is not available to save any data when the computer is shut down its advantage is lightning fast speed since the application is installed in RAM itself, it is loading from there and executing from there. Creating this kind of drive which will use your RAM memory, well part of it can not be done natively in Windows, you will need some kind of application for this task. Luckily there is a free open source application for this kind of task. ImDisk, you can download the application here. ImDisk Toolkit is an application for managing virtual drives. It also includes a utility that allows the creation of RAM drives. Download the application and install it, make sure that you select all components on the installation selection screen. After installation is finished double click on icon labeled RamDisk Configuration. Once the application is running adjust the disk size in the box at the top of the window for your RAM drive. Click “OK” at the bottom of the window. This will create your RAM drive, which is just a virtual disk that’s assigned to your computer’s RAM. The process happens transparently, so there’s nothing you need to do. If you get a warning about shutdown settings, click on the “Shutdown Settings” button. Then unlock the settings pane with your administrator password. Finally, uncheck the checkbox next to “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” and click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the window. Your RAM drive is now ready for use. Fast Startup speeds up the process of turning on your computer by saving a system state between completely off and hibernation to your hard drive. This happens when the computer writes the contents of your RAM to a stable hard drive. As you may guess, this could mess with your RAM drive’s ability to preserve and track its data. With Fast Startup off, boots may take slightly longer, but it’s doubtful that you’ll notice much. Disabling a fast startup will satisfy the warning window, but let’s consider why. This will also allow ImDisk to save your RAM drive’s data to an image file when you shut down your computer. If you don’t, the contents of your RAM drive will be erased completely every time, with no saved image storage. It would also disable the RAM drive’s ability to load the previous content. Basically, the drive would act much more like RAM and much less like a disk. Depending on your use case, that may be disappointing or unusable. You can access and use it just like any normal hard drive. It shows up in Windows’s file explorer just like any other drive. However, a Ram drive is exponentially faster than traditional types of storage. And we mean exponentially. Whereas an SSD might offer 300 to 500 MB when reading from the disk, a RAM drive can offer more than 5000 MB, even on mediocre memory sticks.
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Backup and Restore pinned Taskbar Items
Pinned Windows 10 Taskbar Items. One of the most used interfaces in the Windows environment is the Taskbar. It is where users like to pin their most-used programs as well as shortcuts with extra privileges and automated tasks. In fact, it’s a lot better than the Start Menu. So if any Windows Update messes up with your computer, or if you’ve just switched to a different computer, setting up the Taskbar with the very same set of programs you used to have is definitely not an easy task. But worry not as this post will guide you on how you can backup and restore the items on your Taskbar either manually or automatically.

Manual Backup:

  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run prompt.
  • Then type “%AppData%MicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick LaunchUser PinnedTaskBar” in the field and hit Enter to open the folder where you can see all the shortcuts or pinned items in the Taskbar.
  • After that, copy all the files in the folder and paste them somewhere else as a backup. For instance, E:\Pinned Items Backuppinnedshortcuts.
  • Next, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run prompt once more, and then type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor. When the User Account Control dialog box appears, click Yes.
  • After opening the Registry Editor, navigate to this key – HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerTaskband
  • Then right-click on the Taskbar folder and select Export.
  • Now save the file with the .reg extension to another location like the E:\Pinned Items Backup folder and then name it.
  • Close the Registry Editor.

Manual Restore:

Make sure to copy all the files to one of the drives if you are using another computer and then refer to the following steps.
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run prompt.
  • Then type “%AppData%MicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick LaunchUser PinnedTaskBar” in the field and hit Enter to open the same folder where you just copied all the shortcuts. Make sure to keep it open.
  • Then open the backup folder where you saved all the pinned items and copy all the files there.
  • Next, go to the Taskbar folder (%AppData%MicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick LaunchUser PinnedTaskBar) and then paste your files in there. If you encounter a problem while doing so, just replace it with your own set of files.
  • After that, go to E:\Pinned Items Backuppinnedshortcuts and then double click on tb-pinned-items.reg. If a User Account Control prompt appears, click Yes. This will add the registry file into the main registry hub. You will also get a dialog box that will confirm that data has been added to the registry successfully. Click OK.
  • You should now see the items on the Taskbar. You have to restart Windows Explorer. To do so, end its process in the Task Manager.

Automatic Backup:

Backing up and restoring the pinned Taskbar items in your Windows 10 computer can be done automatically as well. But before you get started on the process, you need to understand what’s going on behind the hood first. First, you need to create two bat files and name them “Backup Pinned Taskbar Items” and “Restore Pinned Taskbar Items”. After you have that covered, refer to the following steps:
  • Open the Notepad app and paste the following details and save it as “Backup Pinned Taskbar Items.bat.
REG EXPORT HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerTaskband “E:\Pinned Items Backuptb-pinned-items.reg” xcopy “%AppData%MicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick LaunchUser PinnedTaskBar” “E:\Pinned Items Backuppinnedshortcuts” /E /C /H /R /K /Y
  • After that, run the newly created bat file with admin privileges.

Automatic Restore:

  • Open the Notepad app and paste the following details and save it as “Restore Pinned Taskbar Items.bat”.
REGEDIT /S “E:Pinned Items Backuptb-pinned-items.reg” xcopy “E:Pinned Items Backuppinnedshortcuts” “%AppData%MicrosoftInternet ExplorerQuick LaunchUser PinnedTaskBar” /E /C /H /R /K /Y
  • After that, run the bat file with admin privileges.
Note: Just so you know, there is a drawback to this process as we’ve noticed that any pinned apps that were downloaded from the Windows Store don’t appear in these places and any items downloaded and installed separately from the internet and then pinned.
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Access Denied, You don’t have permission
When you try to open a website but instead encounter an “Access Denied, You don’t have permission to access on this server” error message along with the ULR which you aren’t able to access with a reference number, then it is most likely caused by some network-related issue in your browser. Note that this error mostly occurs on Firefox browsers. The “Access Denied” error appears when your Mozilla Firefox browser uses a different proxy setting or VPN instead of what’s really set on your Windows 10 PC. Thus, when a website detected that there is something wrong with your browser cookies or your network, it blocks you which is why you can’t open it. To resolve this error, here are some suggestions you can try. And if you got the same error message on a different browser, you can still follow the possible solutions given below.

Option 1 – Try clearing everything about the website

  • Open your browser and tap the Ctrl + H keys on your keyboard.
  • After that, look for the listing of the website from your browser history and right-click on it.
  • Then select the “Forget about this site” option. This will get rid of all the data such as browsing history, cache, cookies, and passwords. Thus, if you have a password saved or other important data of the website, you have to save it first before you tap the Ctrl + H keys.

Option 2 – Try disabling the VPN

As pointed out earlier, if you are using VPN, this could be the reason why you’re getting the “Access Denied” error so the most obvious thing to do is for you to turn off the VPN and try to run the Windows Update once more. And if you use a VPN software that works using their software, you can just completely exit or log-off from its account. On the other hand, if you are using a built-in Windows 10 VPN, you can simply turn it off or delete all the settings you have created there.

Option 3 – Uninstall the VPN service you are using or use a different provider

If you disabling the VPN service worked in fixing the “Access Denied” error, you might want to uninstall it. As mentioned, website administrator blocks IP ranges if they notice any malicious activities and because of this, your IP address might fall into the banned range even if you didn’t do anything at all. To uninstall the VPN service, follow the steps below.
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box
  • Then type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
  • From there, look for the VPN service you are using, select it and then click on Uninstall to remove it.
  • After that, restart your computer and try to install the latest version of the program again. It should work now. If not, proceed to the next available option below.

Option 4 – Try disabling the proxy server for your LAN

If your PC was just attacked by some adware or malware as of late, it is possible that it has changed the network settings in the system and might display spam advertisements. Thus, you have to disable the proxy server for your LAN. To do that, refer to these steps:
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  • Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
  • After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
  • From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
  • Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
  • Restart your PC.
Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it.
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Mobile Hotspot does not show up or detected
As you know, the Mobile Hotspot feature is used to share the internet connection with other devices using Wi-Fi signals. These Wi-Fi signals are later caught by other devices using their Wi-Fi and then the internet connection is shared once they are connected. However, recently, some users reported that their devices weren’t able to see the Wi-Fi network even if their Wi-Fi is on. This kind of problem could be caused by several factors but one of the main ones include the frequency at which the Wi-Fi network is being broadcasted. If you are one of the users who are currently facing this problem, read on as this post will guide you on what you can do if the Mobile Hotspot or Wi-Fi connection does not show up or is not detected on your Windows 10 device. In most cases, there are only two frequencies at which a Wi-Fi network is broadcasted. They are broadcasted either at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The ones that are broadcasted at 5 GHz need specific hardware since it is a newer technology compared to the ones at 2.4 GHz. There are several other pieces of equipment as well as electrical appliances that operate at 2.4 GHz that includes microwaves as well which causes disruption in the signal strength of the Wi-Fi network. Moreover, aside from signal interruption, this issue with the mobile hotspot might also have something to do with the network-related drivers in your computer. Thus, to fix the problem, here are some suggestions you should follow.

Option 1 – Try toggling the Network band or the frequency at which the Wi-Fi network is broadcasted

  • First, open the Windows 10 Settings app and then navigate to Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot.
  • From there, click on the Edit button located under the Network name, Network password, and Network band.
  • After that, set the Network band to be at 2.4 GHz and then click on the Save button.
  • Once done, restart the Mobile hotspot in your Windows 10 device as well as the Wi-Fi connection of the device that’s trying to connect to the hotspot.

Option 2 – Try running the Network Adapter Troubleshooter

If the first option didn’t work, you might also want to run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter. You can use it to troubleshoot the problem with the Mobile hotspot, to run it, follow 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.

Option 3 – Try updating the Network adapter driver

As mentioned, the problem could also be due to the network-related drivers. So it probably might be the reason why you’re mobile hotspot did not appear or was not detected. That’s why it is recommended that you update the Network adapter driver and to do it, refer to these instructions: Follow the steps below to update your Network Adapter Driver:
  • Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “MSC” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
  • From there, expand the list of all the network drives and update each one of them.
  • Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the issue with the mobile hotspot.
Note: If updating the network drivers didn’t help in fixing the problem, you can also try to uninstall the very same drivers and restart your Windows 10 PC. After that, the system itself will reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled. Alternatively, you can also download and install the drivers from the manufacturer’s website directly.
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