How to remove CrazyForCrafts From Your PC

In this post, you will be guided on how to import and export the WSL distros in your Windows 10 computer. WSL, also known as Windows Subsystem for Linux, is a compatibility layer needed to run Linux binary executable in Windows 10, as well as the Windows Server 2019. In case you don’t know, when you reinstall or reset Windows 10, all of its configuration data stored with the WSL distros gets deleted. Going back or restoring the configuration can be quite challenging but worry not for Microsoft has already got this covered as you can now import and export the WSL or Windows Subsystem for Linux distros. There are three aspects that you have to deal with when you import or export WSL distros in your Windows 10 computer, such as importing WSL distro, exporting WSL distro, and uninstalling the imported WSL distros. Before you proceed to the instructions provided below, make sure that all your installed distros are updated via Microsoft Store. Once you have this covered, follow the options below.

Option 1 – Import the WSL distro

• Type “command prompt” in the Start Search and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt as admin, execute this command: wsl --list –all
• The command you entered will list all the installed WSL distros on your computer. And now it’s time for you to import a WSL distro by executing this command: wsl --import <Name of the distro> <Fill path to save the backup .tar file>

Note: In the given command above, replace “<Name of the distro>” with the name of the distro you want to import and replace “<Fill the path to save the backup .tar file>” with the location where you want to save the .tar file.

Option 2 – Export the WSL distro

• Type “command prompt” in the Start Search and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt as admin, execute this command to see the list of all the installed WSL distros in your computer: wsl --list –all
• After that, execute this command to export a WSL distro: wsl --export <Name of the distro> <Fill path to save the backup .tar file>

Option 3 – Uninstall the imported WSL distro

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Next, execute this command to view the list of all the installed WSL distros: wsl --list –all
• After that, execute this command to uninstall an imported WSL distro: wsl --unregister <Name of the distro>
• Once it’s done, close Command Prompt and restart your computer.

Loving Windows 11 so far? We sure are. Microsoft has clearly decided to take its OS to the next level and keeps showing it through every update. It makes you wonder what’s next - and today, you’ll find out!

Tons of new features have been leaked, and we can probably expect them with the 23H2 update. Here’s everything you need to know so far.

What’s Windows 11 23H2 bringing?

There are plenty of new features already confirmed for Windows 11. The only issue is we don’t know for sure if they’re coming with the 23H2 update or separately, at a different time. Whatever the case, a lot of them are pretty exciting.

Here’s an overview of what we might be getting this fall.

• Windows Copilot. Microsoft wants to add this AI-powered feature based on chatbots like Bing Chat and ChatGPT to assist users with all kinds of actions and tasks on the platform. As part of this development, the integration of first- and third-party plugins and the Bing Chat AI will be enhanced. This is a pretty amazing addition to look forward to, if you ask us.

• Dynamic Lighting. RGB lovers will rejoice upon this one! Dynamic Lighting will allow you to control your RGB-powered components directly through the Windows Settings, allowing smooth integration of your favorite peripherals with your OS. No need for third-party software anymore!

• Taskbar enhancements. Microsoft has announced some neat improvements to the Windows 11 taskbar. For one, we’ll be able to hide the Time and Date now, which is extremely useful for focus, but also for clean screenshots. Another change is the ability to shut down programs directly from the Taskbar, without having to run the Task Manager.

• Expanding native support for archive formats 7-zip, rar, gz and others on the libarchive open-source projects.

• Microsoft Store AI features. The theme of AI power is clearly being taken up a notch, because the Microsoft Store seems to be getting several awesome features in this regard. One of them is AI hub, which “curate the best AI experiences built by the developer community and Microsoft” (Windows Developer Blog). We’re not sure what that means exactly, but we sure can’t wait to see.

Another is AI-generated keywords, designed to improve the discoverability of apps you’re searching for. Moreover, the AI-generated review summary is designed to give us a simpler experience looking at reviews. Huge numbers of reviews will be compiled into a summary that’s easy to scan and lets us discover new content faster.

• Other Microsoft Store improvements. Business owners will be happy to hear that Microsoft Store ads will now reach 150+ regions worldwide, significantly increasing the audiences they can target. Furthermore, there will be enhancements to the Backup and Restore functionality to give users a more seamless experience in case they switch devices. 

• File Explorer changes. Rumor has it that Microsoft is working on a Gallery to be embedded within the File Explorer. The addition of a Recommended section might be on the horizon as well. 

• Widget Panel update. The introduction of the Widget Panel in itself was exciting for many. As a next step in the development of this feature, Microsoft is planning to make it possible to pin widgets to the desktop. 

• Presence sensor. You might actually already have this one, as it was rolled out as part of Moment 3 for compatible devices. With the Presence sensing app, found in the Privacy settings, you can decide which (if any) apps use APIs to detect the state of your activity on Windows. This can significantly enhance privacy and security, as you can have apps containing sensitive data lock automatically when unattended. If you’re a laptop user, it can also be beneficial to your battery life.

• Bluetooth LE. Microsoft is adding support for Bluetooth Low Energy, a functionality that allows reduced battery consumption when devices are connected.
  
• Adding more languages to the Live Captions feature. This specification is only as powerful as the languages it supports. Microsoft is reportedly working on expanding the list with 10 more languages.

Summary

We’ve got some interesting stuff to look forward to with the next major Windows 11 update. And these are just the things the Internet’s actually heard of, so who knows what else Microsoft might be planning? It remains to be seen, hopefully just a few months from now. 23H2 has been released on October 31st.

A number of users reported that they encountered an error that says, “Windows doesn’t have a network profile for this device” while they tried to connect Network devices such as printers and speakers to their Windows 10 computers. On the other hand, this kind of issue is reported for non-network devices as well. This kind of error might be due to incompatibility between the device and your operating system or it could be that the network drivers in your computer need to be updated in order to recognize the new device. Whatever the cause is here are a couple of suggestions you can try to resolve the “Windows doesn’t have a network profile for this device” error.

Option 1 – Check if the network device is compatible with your operating system

As mentioned, the error could be due to incompatibility between the device and the system. To verify, just go to the website of the device’s manufacturer since you can find all the information about the device there.

Option 2 – Make sure that your computer is discoverable

• Click on the Start button.
• Then click on the gear-like icon to open Settings.
• After that, select Network & Internet >> Wi-Fi.
• Next, change the Network Profile to Private.
• Now restart your computer and then connect the device again and see if the error is gone or not.

Option 3 – Try to update or rollback or uninstall the Network drivers

You might also want to update or roll back or disable your Network drivers to fix the “This operation failed as no adapter is in the state permissible for this operation” error.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “devmgmt.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.
• Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and depending on your preference, you can either select “Update driver”, “Disable device” or “Uninstall device”.
• After that, restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the “Windows doesn’t have a network profile for this device” error.

Option 4 – Try to check the SNMP status

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “services.msc” in the field and tap Enter to open the Service Manager window.
• After opening the Service Manager, look for the SNMP Service from the list of services.
• Once you’ve found the SNMP Service, make sure that its Service Status is set to “Running”. If the service is not running, just right-click on it and select Properties.
• From there, change the Service Status to Automatic and then click on the Apply and OK buttons.
• After that, click on the Start button again and check if the error is now fixed.

Note: If your printer is the one that triggers the error, refer to these steps:

• You have to go to Control Panel > Devices & Printers.
• From there, right-click on the printer which is the one that causes the error, and then select Printer Properties.
• Next, click the Configure Port button under the Ports tab and select SNMP Status Enabled.
• Now click the OK button and check if it fixes the error or not.

Option 5 – Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooters

You could also run this troubleshooter to fix the “Windows doesn’t have a network profile for this device” error.

• The first thing you need to do is click on Start and then on the gear-like icon to pull up the window for Settings.
• After opening Settings, look for the Update and Security option and select it.
• From there, go to the Troubleshoot option located on the left-hand side of the list.
• Next, select Hardware and Devices from the list and open the Troubleshooter and run it. Once it is doing its job, wait for it to complete the process and then restart the system.
• After the system restarts, check if the problem’s now fixed. If not, refer to the advanced guide given below.

What Is STOP 0x00000014 Error?

0x00000014 error is actually an error that is always displayed on a STOP message.

It is also known as Blue Screen of Death, abbreviated as BSOD. When this error occurs, the message that is displayed to the user either says ‘STOP: 0x00000014’ or states ‘CREATE_DELETE_LOCK_NOT_LOCKED’. It is crucial to fix this error to ensure your program is functioning appropriately. If this error message is not rectified, you might be opened to other error messages, such as error code 0x000000d1. 

Solution

Error Causes

As far as the causes of STOP 0x00000014 error are concerned, this error usually occurs when a device driver or hardware problem occurs. This error may also occur if users attempt to run some specific application or update or modify an existing application. When a 0x00000014 error occurs, the operating system restarts to disable the PC from performing any further.

Without taking into consideration the causes of its occurrence, it is crucial to make sure that the 0x00000014 error is fixed as soon as possible to eliminate any undesired inconvenience in the future.

Further Information and Manual Repair

A lot of times when an operating system tries to recover from the STOP 0x00000014 error, the user is prompted that Windows has recovered from an unexpected shutdown.

However, if Windows fails to recover on its own, manual repair has to be performed.

While there are several ways this error can be fixed, some of the most effective and efficient ways of troubleshooting the 0x00000014 error are listed below as follows.

• Restart your computer. Often simply restarting the computer can help eliminate the problem.
• If restarting the system doesn’t help, find if you have recently modified or altered any hardware or driver. It is possible that the 0x00000014 error has been caused by the recent modification. Undo the changes and find out if the error occurs again. If it doesn’t, it is highly likely the issue has been resolved.

However, if the error persists, some solutions that may work are outlined below.

• Start your system using the Last Known Good Configuration. This will undo any changes in the driver and recent registry.
• Another solution is to manually perform System Restore. This will also return the system back to its former state.
• Another idea that my work is to use roll back the device driver. When the driver will return to its previous version, the problem will easily be resolved.

To keep the 0x00000014 error from occurring in the future, it is advised to unplug any newly installed hardware or reinstall any deleted software.

If you're not tech-savvy and wish to get this error code rectified in a jiffy, download a powerful automated tool and perform a computer scan.

Prompted For A Product Key – What Is It?

Some Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 users are having a hard time upgrading to Windows 10 as they are being prompted for a product key. By default, the Windows 10 operating system does not require a product key and users should not be prompted for one, given you upgraded your computer from an activated Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license or from the Windows 10 Preview build. However, there are some users encountering this problem and there are several reasons for this.

Solution

Error Causes

There are a few reasons why some users are being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10:

• Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license is not activated.
• You’re upgrading to Windows 10 final release from a preview build.
• There are broken operating system files.
• Activation servers get overwhelmed due to the high volume of upgrades.
• The Windows 10 copy you downloaded does not correspond with the current Windows system you are upgrading from.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Before you can fix this problem, you need to know why you’re being prompted for a product key. Some things you should know about Windows 10 product key activation are the following:

• You cannot activate Windows 10 using your Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 product key. Windows 10 has a unique product key.
• Error codes such as 0x8007232b, 0XC004E003, 0x8007007B, or 0x8007000D might pop up during system upgrade especially when the activation servers get overwhelmed with the high volume of upgrades.
• You don’t really need to know your Windows 10 product key.

Now, if ever you’re prompted for a product key when you’re upgrading to Windows 10, you can apply the following methods:

Method One: Give It A Few Days

If you’ve been prompted for a product key upon upgrading to Windows 10, you should click on the “Do this later” option. Wait for a few days then Windows 10 will get activated automatically.

Method Two: Download A Copy of Windows 10 Corresponding Your Current System

One of the reasons Windows users are being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10 is that they have downloaded a wrong edition of Windows 10 and do not correspond with your current system.

• Users of Home Basic, Home Premium, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 8.0 Core, and Windows 8.1 Core should download Windows 10 Home ISO.
• Users of Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 8.0 Pro, and Windows 8.1 Pro should download Windows 10 Pro ISO.

NOTE: Users of Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8.0 Enterprise, and Windows 8.1 Enterprise are not eligible for the free upgrade offer.

Method Three: Ensure Windows Is Activated

If your Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 is not genuine or activated, you will get prompted for a product key. You need to make sure first your current system is activated.

1. Click on Start then right-click Computer. For Windows 8 and up users, you can simply press on Windows key + X then select Choose Properties.
2. When the Properties window appears, check if the Windows you’re running is activated.

Method Three: Reset License Status

1. Press on Windows key + X.
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Once the command prompt window appears, type vbs –rearm then press Enter.
4. Exit Command Prompt then restart your PC.
5. Input the product key by following the instructions given.

Method Four: Force Activation

1. Press on Windows key + X
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Once the command prompt window appears, type vbs –ato then press Enter.
4. Exit Command Prompt then restart your PC.

Method Five: Run System File Checker

Another thing you can try doing is to run the system file checker utility to scan if there are any broken operating system files. In doing so, you’ll be able to detect problems that might be preventing the product activation of your Windows 10 upgrade.

Method Six: Contact Microsoft Activation Center

If in case you’ve exhausted all your resources and you are still being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10, you can try contacting the Microsoft Activation Center for further details. Check here for the appropriate telephone numbers to contact.

Method Seven: Download An Automated Tool

If you still experience the error after doing the methods above, you might want to try a powerful and trusted automated tool to fix the job.

If you are using a multi-monitor, then you might find it quite useful. It helps many users with their work and brings more productivity. And over the past few years, Windows has managed to offer one of the excellent multi-monitor features where users can plug in an additional monitor and access their work or use their computer seamlessly on both displays. This is really handy, especially for users who are graphic designers, gamers, and other professionals who have to use a larger screen for their work. One of the biggest inconveniences for users who use multi-monitor is that the Taskbar is switched on, on both displays, by default. This default arrangement is most likely to cause clutter on the second display. So if you are one of these users who find such a thing annoying, then you will find this post useful for you as we will walk you through how you can move the Taskbar to a second monitor. To get started, follow the instructions laid out below. Step 1: The first thing you have to do is right-click on the Taskbar. Step 2: Next, uncheck the “Lock the taskbar” option. Step 3: After that, click and hold the taskbar and drag it to the second monitor. Step 4: Once done, click the mouse button on the place where you want to place the taskbar. Step 5: Now right-click on the “Lock the taskbar” option to lock the taskbar. Once you’re done carrying out the steps given above, there are Advanced Options you can explore. This array of advanced options are offered by Windows 10 to fine-tune the multi-monitor experience of users. For instance, you have the option to choose to show the taskbar on an active screen only or combine the buttons on other taskbars. It would be better if you try out different variations and stick with the best one. In addition, you could also move the taskbar from one display to another.

This post will walk you through fixing the rtwlane.sys Blue Screen error. This kind of BSOD error belongs under the category of the “DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL” Stop errors. If you encounter this kind of Stop error then it means that a kernel-mode driver tried to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high. The main issue with the rtwlane.sys Blue Screen error has something to do with the Realtek PCI-E Wireless LAN PCI-E NIC driver. In other words, it has some issues with the wireless card of your computer which is built by Realtek. And since it this error concerns your wireless card, you might also experience some connectivity problems with your computer as the wireless card refuses to find any network connections and even randomly disconnects. To resolve this problem, you need to refer to the given options below.

Option 1 – 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 rtwlane.sys Blue Screen error. It can be found on 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.

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 System File Checker Scan

The SFC or System File Checker scan could detect and automatically repair damaged system files that could be causing the Netwtw04.sys failed BSOD error. SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files with good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

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

The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

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

This post will guide you in fixing the error 0x80070103 when installing Windows Update. According to users who encountered this problem, Windows Update (WU) fails to install several different updates. This kind of Windows Update error is can mostly be seen in the Windows Update screen inside the update reports although it is also known to occur when a user attempts to install a peripheral driver – only if the Windows Update offers to update the driver through a prompt and when you click Yes. There are several possible causes for this error, it could be that Windows Update is trying to install a particular driver for the second time already which happens when it gets confused by an additional piece of identical hardware like the graphics adapter. Aside from that, the Windows Update might have already installed the driver which is known to occur with unsuitable versions of the already installed driver. In addition, the error could also be due to a third-party program interference like a security program or a utility program that is using the same driver and conflicts with the Windows Update. Here are some suggestions that might help in fixing the Windows Update error 0x80070103.

Option 1 – 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 2 – Try installing the failing driver without using Windows Update

If installing the updates in a clean boot state didn’t help, you can try a manual approach to yield much better results using the Device Manager or by downloading the driver from the manufacturer’s website manually.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in 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. Look for the device driver you and then select either “Update driver” or “Uninstall device”. 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.
• If you have chosen to uninstall the driver, follow the screen options to complete the process and then restart your PC.

Note: You also have the option to go directly to the website of your device driver manufacturer and go to the section called Drivers then check if there’s a new available update – if there is, download and install it.

Option 3 – Try to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

You might also want to run the built-in Windows Update Troubleshooter in Windows that could help you in resolving the Windows Update error 0x80070103. All you have to do is go to Settings > Update& security > Troubleshoot > Windows Update. From there, click on the Run the troubleshooter button and follow the next one-screen instructions that appear. After that, restart your computer and check if the error is now fixed or not by trying to install the update once again.

Things have stirred lately with Chinas ban on crypto mining and many used GPUs will flow the market probably. But should you buy a used GPU? Short answer: NO, long answer: keep on reading to find out why.

GPU shortage and its cause

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

Be prepared for the worst scenario

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

Age of the GPU matters

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

No return policy and seller rating

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

If you really must buy a second-hand GPU

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

Conclusion

It is very difficult to give the best possible advice on this situation since of GPU shortage, but I would much prefer a new GPU with lower performance than a hi-performance one which was mining.

DownSpeedTest is a Browser Toolbar Extension for Google Chrome that allows users to test their internet speed and convert files, however this speed test does not show proper values, nor even close.

Upon installation DownSpeedTest will replace your default New Tab page with its own Search Engine “MyWay.com” or “Search.MyWay.com”. This Search Engine camouflages itself as a “Enhanced Google Search Engine”, but all it does is allow more room for easier ad injection. In the background, this extension monitors user browsing behavior and records visited links, viewed products, clicked links and time spend on websites. This information is later used for Ad targeting.

While browsing the internet with this extension enabled you will experience additional ads, sponsored content, and even pop-up ads on some occasions. Due to its information mining behavior and aggressive ad placement, DownSpeedTest had been marked as a Browser Hijacker and it is recommended for removal.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking is a type of unwanted program, commonly a web 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; but commercial, advertising and marketing are the major reasons for their creation. These are typically used to force hits to a specific site, manipulating web-traffic to generate ad-revenue. Even though it might appear naive, these tools are made by malicious people who always try to take full advantage of you, so that hackers could earn money from your naive and distraction. In a worst-case scenario, your browser could be hi-jacked to download malicious software that can do a lot of damage to your laptop or computer.

How one can know whether the browser is hijacked?

When your web browser is hijacked, the following might happen: your browser’s homepage has been reset to some unknown webpage; new bookmarks pointing to porn websites have been added to your bookmarks; the default browser configurations are modified and/or your default web engine is altered; you see unwanted new toolbars added; unstoppable flurries of pop-up ads show up on your computer screen; your browser gets slow, buggy, crashes regularly; you can’t navigate to specific internet pages, such as security software related websites.

How does a browser hijacker infect a computer?

Browser hijackers infect computers via malicious e-mail attachments, downloaded infected documents or by visiting infected internet sites. They can be included with toolbars, add-ons, BHO, plugins or browser extensions. Also, some freeware and shareware can put the hijacker in your PC through “bundling”. Browser hijackers could record user keystrokes to collect potentially important information leading to privacy concerns, cause instability on computers, significantly disrupt user’s browsing experience, and ultimately slow down the system to a point where it becomes unusable.

How you can fix a browser hijack

One thing you could try to eradicate a browser hijacker is to find the malware in the “Add or Remove Programs” list of the Microsoft Windows Control Panel. It might or might not be there. When it is, uninstall it. However, most browser hijackers are difficult to eliminate manually. Regardless of how much you attempt to get rid of it, it might come back over and over. Amateur PC users should never try for the manual form of removal methods, since it demands in-depth system knowledge to perform fixes on the system registry and HOSTS file. Anti-malware software is really effective when it comes to picking up and eliminating browser hijackers that regular anti-virus application has overlooked. If you’d like to get rid of persistent hijackers effectively, install the top-rated Anti-Malware software Safebytes Anti-Malware. Use a system optimizer (like Total System Care) along with your anti-malware software to fix various registry issues, remove system vulnerabilities, and improve your computer performance.

What To Do If You Cannot Install Any Anti-Malware?

Practically all malware is bad and the consequences of the damage could differ according to the specific kind of malicious software. Some malware is created to interfere with or block things that you’d like to do on your PC. It may not permit you to download anything from the web or prevent you from accessing a few or all of the internet sites, especially the anti-malware websites. So what you should do if malware prevents you from downloading or installing Anti-Malware? There are a few actions you can take to circumvent this problem.

Install the anti-virus in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a unique, simplified version of Microsoft Windows in which only essential services are loaded to counteract viruses and also other problematic applications from loading. If the malware is set to load immediately when computer starts, switching into this mode may prevent it from doing so. To start the computer into Safe Mode, press the “F8” key on the keyboard just before the Windows logo screen shows up; Or after normal Windows boot up, run MSConfig, look over “Safe Boot” under the Boot tab, and then click Apply. Once you are in Safe Mode, you can try to install your antivirus application without the hindrance of the malicious software. Following installation, run the malware scanner to get rid of most standard infections.

Download the anti-malware program using a different browser

Web-based malware could be environment-specific, aiming for a particular web browser or attacking particular versions of the browser. If you’re not able to download the security program using Internet Explorer, it means virus is targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you should switch over to an alternative web browser such as Chrome or Firefox to download Safebytes Anti-malware software.

Install anti-malware on a thumb drive

Another solution is to save and operate antivirus software tool completely from a Pen drive. Follow these steps to use a USB flash drive to clean your infected PC. 1) Make use of another virus-free computer to download Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Insert the USB drive on the same system. 3) Double click on the downloaded file to run the installation wizard. 4) Choose the USB flash drive as the location for saving the software file. Follow the instructions to complete the installation process. 5) Now, plug the USB drive into the corrupted computer. 6) Double-click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the pen drive to run the application. 7) Run Full System Scan to identify and clean-up of all types of malware.

Protect Your Computer & Privacy With SafeBytes Anti-Malware

If you’re planning to purchase anti-malware for your computer, there are lots of brands and utilities for you to consider. A few of them do a good job in getting rid of threats while many will harm your PC by themselves. You need to select one that is trustworthy, practical and has a good reputation for its malware source protection. While thinking about the dependable programs, Safebytes Anti-Malware is certainly the strongly recommended one. SafeBytes anti-malware is a reliable software that not only secures your system permanently but is also very user friendly for people of all skill levels. Through its cutting-edge technology, this software will help you protect your PC against infections brought on by different kinds of malware and other threats, including spyware, adware, viruses, worms, trojans, keyloggers, potentially unwanted program (PUPs), and ransomware.

SafeBytes has great features when compared with other anti-malware programs. The following are some of the features you might like in SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

Live Protection: SafeBytes provides complete and real-time security for your computer system. This tool will continuously monitor your PC for any suspicious activity and updates itself regularly to keep abreast of the latest threats. World-class AntiMalware Protection: With a critically acclaimed anti-malware engine, SafeBytes offers multilayered protection which is made to find and remove threats which are hidden deep in your computer’s operating system. Safe Browsing: Safebytes assigns all sites a unique safety ranking that helps you to have an idea of whether the webpage you’re just about to visit is safe to view or known to be a phishing site. Lightweight: This program is light-weight and will work quietly in the background, and will not affect your computer efficiency. 24/7 Online Technical Support: Support service is available for 24 x 7 x 365 days via email and chats to answer your queries. SafeBytes can keep your PC safe from latest malware threats automatically with very little input needed from you again. Once you have installed this software, you no longer have to worry about malware or any other security worries. You will get the very best all-around protection for the money you pay on SafeBytes anti-malware subscription, there’s no question about it.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

To get rid of DownSpeedTest manually, go to the Add or Remove programs list in the 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 choose the plug-in you intend to disable or remove. You’ll likely also want to reset your web browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard disk and computer registry for all the following and remove or reset the values as needed. Please be aware that this is for skilled users only and might be challenging, with incorrect file removal causing additional system errors. In addition, some malware is capable of replicating itself or preventing deletion. You’re suggested to do this procedure in Safe Mode.