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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
After upgrading to Windows 10 operating system from Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1, a lot of Windows users are complaining about the Windows setup in a continuous reboot loop. The computer would just keep on rebooting every time the machine is booted and this incites frustration for a lot of Windows users.
Error CausesWhen Windows launched the third update for Windows 10, users trying to upgrade to Windows 10 encountered an endless reboot loop problem. The computer will crash repeatedly. The KB3081424, which is a roll-up of bug fixes of Windows 10, continuously fails once you start the update process and then triggers a message showing: “We couldn’t complete the updates, undoing the changes.” The undoing process will then cause a system reboot mandatorily.
Once you log back on your computer again, the Windows 10 update will try to reinstall KB3081424. You will not be able to stop the update which will cause your Windows setup in a continuous reboot loop.
The KB3081424 will not be successfully installed since if it fails for the first time, that initial failure can be detected to create a bad entry in your Windows 10 registry. This will then prevent your subsequent attempts to reinstall KB3081424 to make it work correctly.
In order to fix the problem of Windows 10 setup in a continuous reboot loop, there are a few methods you can try. Try following these simple steps and you’ll be able to get rid of the problem.
Note: If you’re not highly confident to solve this issue on your own, it is highly recommended to consult an authorized computer technician who would be knowledgeable enough to fix the issue for you. In addition, you can also use a system optimizer to resolve the issue.
Microsoft Windows released an updated fix for the Windows setup in continuous reboot loop problem. You can try fixing the issue through Windows Update.
Before KB3081424 attempts to install again, you can try doing this solution:
Another thing you can try to solve the Windows setup in continuous reboot loop problem is to perform a startup repair from a working computer.
NOTE: You must do this quickly since the BIOS loads rapidly.
If you consider yourself a power user or you value your privacy then firefox is the browser for you. It is open source and is packed with great features like reporting when your email has been used for a known data breach, it stops annoying pop-up notifications, stops browser fingerprinting, and many more. Firefox is also a cross-platform browser making it a great choice if you want to transfer and use your data across multiple devices with one account. The downside of firefox however is its speed, this browser is the slowest on this list, I guess features and advantages took their tool in the speed department, but if that is not a concern for you and you feel like the positives outweigh some slower speed, grab it here.
Chrome browser has been a game-changer when it was released and even today some of its features are still great and needed. It is packed with some great features like tab freezing, for example, it is cross-platform meaning that also as firefox you can change data between browsers on different devices. it is a very expandable browser with tons of extensions and its speed performance is very very good. The downside of Chrome are two things sadly, one of them is its hunger for RAM, the browser takes a big chunk of RAM once it is active and on some older computer with limited RAM it performs slowly, another is telemetry which its sending, in other words, other browsers don’t come with the lingering fear that Google’s just a little bit too involved in all of our lives. But if downsides do not trouble you and you have a decent amount of RAM in your system chrome might be the best solution for you, grab it here and check it out.
Or should I say Microsoft edge 2.0 since this new Edge is completely recoded and rethought, a completely new browser based on chromium. The first version of the edge was an inhouse attempt from Microsoft and it was a disaster, I guess the lesson was learned, and this new edge we have today is a great Browser, it is lightning fast and packed with some great features with one among them standing out I just love, that is the ability to save web pages as applications and truth to be told you have to try this in order to see al great advantages it offers. A very interesting feature is that edge itself wins the speed race from all of the 5 contestants here which is a great surprise. Of course, the downside of annoying Microsoft pushing it to be your default is, well it's Microsoft, as chrome is tied to Google so is edge tied to Microsoft, and the same dreaded feeling that big MS is watching you. If however, you do not concern yourself with these kinds of things, since it is already part of Windows 10, give it a spin and try it, I am sure you will at least love its blazing speed.
A new kid on the block, relatively unknown Browser Vivaldi offers some great customizable features no other one on this list offers, a very unique and down to each detail customization option, you can literally tweak each and every aspect of this browser making it best customizable and personal browser ever. How it is also based o chromium, every chrome extension works in it naturally. It is very good in speed and constantly updated and developed. The downside, well if you are anything like me, you could spend ages trying to customize it, ages, it has tons of features, and making it really feel and tick as you want can consume a really lot of time. If this thing does not bother you at all, grab Vivaldi here.
Last but not least, we have another relic of the old browser age, the Opera browser. Packed with great security and great in-house features like a built-in VPN, built-in ad blocker, built-in crypto wallet, etc this browser seems like a swiss army knife. Opera is full of features and it shows once you start using it. The downside of opera is that its look and feel are specifically tailored to a certain type of user and not everyone will find that appealing or attractive, add some great but hidden and hard to come by features and it may go unnoticed. However, I think you should really give it a go since it definitely deserves more attention than it gets. Grab it here and check it out.CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, and LPT9When you rename or create a folder or file using the reserved words given above, you could encounter an error that says, “The specified device name is invalid”. This occurs since these words are Windows system reserved words that you can’t use, unlike any other words. Thus, if you have a folder or file which contains any of the reserved words on another computer that runs a non-Windows operating system and you try to copy or rename it Windows, then it’s no wonder why you’re getting this error message. In such cases, you can always click on the Skip button to stop the operation. However, if there are various folders or files, you can just use the Command Prompt to carry out the task. All it takes is a simple command that will get rid of the folder as well as the files in it. How? Refer to the instructions given below. Step 1: Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility. Step 2: Next, type “cmd” in the field and then tap Enter to open Command Prompt. Step 3: After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command:
rd \.file-folder-path /S /QNote: The “rd” command will remove the directory or the folder while the “\.” command will select the current computer. The “/S” command, on the other hand, helps you in removing all the sub-directories and the files that are in the CON folder. The “/Q” command is not really mandatory since it helps you remove everything silently without any confirmation message. For example, if you have a folder named “CON” located on your Desktop, the path will be like this “C:/Users/<username>/Desktop/CON”. In this case, the command should be like this:
rd \.C:Users<username>DesktopCON /S /QHowever, if the error pops up for a whole different reason, you could use the following command instead to remove the reparse point extended functionality. Once you’ve entered the given command below, you should now be able to delete the file.
FSUTIL reparsepoint delete C:Users<username>DesktopFileName DEL C:Users<username>DesktopFileName
“This Office visual refresh is based on feedback from customers who asked for a more natural and consistent experience within and between your applications, specifically on Windows. With this update, we deliver an intuitive, coherent, and familiar user interface, using the Fluent Design principles, across all your applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, Project, Publisher, and Visio. We aligned this visual refresh with the design of Windows 11 to provide seamless experiences on your PC.”It is always refreshing to hear when a company listens to its user base and actually does what is needed instead of trying to invent the wheel.
How to switch
Conclusion
Storage management Page update
Another thing with the Steam store management page is the ability to move installation files from one location to another. Let’s say that you have two or more hard disk drivers in your machine and that you have SSD that you use for running stuff since it is fast and larger and slower one for storage. Now you can easily and quickly move one installation from one to another in order to take advantage of your faster SSD for quicker LOAD game times without making a new installation.
Also, you can now drag and drop items in the download bracket to reorder download orders or place them as active downloads to start downloading right away. Error Causes