MS Store and Electron Bot

Hello everyone and welcome to our useful tips and tricks and problem-solving article blog. This time we are doing something different, instead of solving issues this time we are focusing on some quality of life tips like keyboard shortcuts in your Windows 10.

Shortcut Keys	Description
Windows Key	Opens/closes the Start menu.
Windows Key + Up Arrow	Maximizes the selected window.
Windows Key + Down Arrow	Reduces the window size. (Restore down.)
Windows Key + M	Minimizes all open windows.
Windows Key + Shift + M	Opens minimized windows.
Windows Key + Tab	Shows Task View.
Windows Key + L	Locks the screen.
Windows Key + A	Opens the Action Center.
Windows Key + V	Opens Clipboard History.
Windows Key + I	Opens the Settings menu.
Windows Key + F	Opens the Feedback hub.
Windows Key + H	Opens the dictation toolbar.
Windows Key + P	Opens the projection settings.
Windows Key + . (Windows Key + ;)	Opens the emoji panel.
Windows Key + C	Opens Cortana in listening mode.
Windows Key + C (Windows Key + Q)	Opens Windows Search.
Windows Key + G	Opens the Xbox game bar.
Windows Key + X	Opens the secondary start menu.
Windows Key + <number>	Opens the app in the taskbar relative to the number input. For example, if Chrome is the fourth app on the taskbar, using Windows Key + 4 will open Chrome.
Windows Key + Alt + <number>	Opens the right-click menu for the app in the taskbar relative to the number input. For example, if Chrome is the fourth app on the taskbar, using Windows Key + Alt + 4 will open Chrome’s right-click menu.
Windows Key + D	Shows/hides open apps on the desktop.
Windows Key + E	Opens File Explorer.
Windows Key + U	Opens Ease of Access in the Settings menu.
Windows Key + Print Screen	Takes a screenshot of the desktop.
Windows Key + Control + F	Opens the Find Computers window.
Windows Key + Control + D	Creates a virtual desktop.
Windows Key + Control + Left Arrow	Switches to the virtual desktop on the left.
Windows Key + Control + Right Arrow	Switches to the virtual desktop on the right.
Windows Key + Control + F4	Closes the active virtual desktop.
Windows Key + Space	Switches between installed languages (for writing text).

California's Department of Fair Employment & Housing has widened its anti-discrimination lawsuit against Activision Blizzard and claims the publisher has been shredding vital documents relevant to the ongoing investigation. A recent report from Kotaku described the department as offering poorly paid, highly insecure positions, with a culture of hostility towards LGBTQ+ testers. The DFEH's rewording of "employees" to "workers" now hopes to take these contractors' experiences into account. "As a contract employee, I feel there's a lot of pressure to excel, impress, and move through the ranks as fast as you can before your contract ends and you're forced to go 3 months without income or find another job," Axios reports one worker saying. "I take pride in what I do, but it feels like it's never enough." Activision's contentious hiring of union-busting third-party law firm WilmerHale "directly interferes" with its own investigation, it says. By going to WilmerHale, Activision appears to be claiming that all work related to the investigation is privileged and can't be shared with DFEH. The suit also claims that Activision HR shredded documents related to "investigations and complaints", against its legal obligation to retain them during the investigation. The relevant parts of the updated lawsuit were shared by Axios reporters Stephen Totilo and Megan Farokhmanesh, the former also noting that the DFEH "fixed their misspelling of Bill Cosby's name". "DFEH is also informed and aware that documents and records have not been maintained as required by law or by the DFEH's Document Retention Notice," the complaint reads, "including but not limited to documents related to investigations and complaints were shredded by human resource personnel and emails are deleted thirty days after an employees separation."

Speculation and answer from Activision Blizzard

Blizzard employee Jessica Gonzalez suspects that the costs of fines associated with destroying these documents may have been an easier blow for Blizzard to take than any penalties drawn from their existence in helping the lawsuit go through. In an email to Kotaku, Activision denied the shredding allegations and issued a statement outlining steps it had taken to improve company culture—including the ousting of high-level executives like Blizzard president J. Allen Brack. The full statement reads: "Throughout our engagement with the DFEH, we have complied with every proper request in support of its review even as we had been implementing reforms to ensure our workplaces are welcoming and safe for every employee. Those changes continue today, and include:

•     Several high-level personnel changes
•     Revamped hiring and recruiting practices requiring diverse interview panels
•     Greater transparency on pay equity
•     Expanded and improved training and investigative capabilities for human resource and compliance staff
•     Created investigation teams outside of business units to support greater independence
•     Restructured divisions to support greater accountability
•     Enhanced review processes to include evaluation of managers by employees
•     Clear boundaries on workplace behavior with a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and other actions that diminish or marginalize.

"We strive to be a company that recognizes and celebrates the diverse talents and perspectives that lead to the creation of great, globally appealing entertainment. We have provided the DFEH with clear evidence that we do not have gender pay or promotion disparities. Our senior leadership is increasingly diverse, with a growing number of women in key leadership roles across the company. "We share DFEH’s goal of a safe, inclusive workplace that rewards employees equitably and is committed to setting an example that others can follow."

California and RIOT

Beyond Activision Blizzard, California's DFEH has also probed into League of Legends creator Riot Games, accusing the studio of dragging its heels over sexual harassment allegations dating back to 2019. Riot denied the allegations, telling us that it "will never retaliate against anyone for talking to any government agency".

If you suddenly encounter the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL Blue Screen error on your Windows 10 computer along with the error codes, 0x000000D5, 0xb10BBD9E, 0x0D82DA24, 0Xfecd479D, 0x779827CB then read on as this post will provide you some troubleshooting tips that could help you resolve the BSOD error. Getting this kind of BSOD error means that a driver has referenced memory that was freed earlier and it could also mean that the Driver Verifier Special Pool option has caught the driver accessing memory which was freed earlier. Follow the given options below to fix the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL BSOD error.

Option 1 – Use the Driver Verifier Manager

The Driver Verifier Manager is another tool in Windows that could help you fix driver-related issues.

• Type in the keyword “Verifier” in the Cortana search box to search for Verifier in Windows 10.
• After that, select the option “Create custom settings”.
• Make sure that you have checked everything except the options “DDI compliance checking” and “Randomized low resources simulation”.
• Next, select the option “Select driver names from a list” option.
• Afterward, you have to select all the drivers from any unofficial or third-party provider. To simply put it, you have to select all the drivers that are not supplied by Microsoft.
• Then click on the Finish button.
• Open Command Prompt as administrator and execute this command – verifier /querysettings
• The command you just executed will display the Driver Verifier settings so if you see any of the flags enabled boot your Windows 10 PC into Safe Mode.
• Open the Command Prompt as admin again and run this command – verifier /reset
• The command will reset the Driver Verifier. Once the process is done, restart your PC and check.

Option 2 – Try updating SSD firmware

If you have installed SSD on your computer recently and you have started getting the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL Blue Screen error since then you may have to update the SSD firmware. To fix this, you can download the Intel Solid-State Drive Toolbox from the official website. This toolbox is compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 7 and later versions.

Option 3 – Try running the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL. 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.

Option 4 – Try running Microsoft’s online Blue Screen Troubleshooter

If running the built-in Blue Screen Troubleshooter didn’t work, you can also try running Microsoft’s online Blue Screen Troubleshooter. All you have to do is go to Microsoft’s website and from there, you will see a simple wizard that will walk you through the troubleshooting process.

Option 5 – Try to reinstall or update device drivers of recently installed hardware

If the first few options didn’t work for you, then it’s time to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
• After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
• Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
• Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.

Note: You can install a dedicated driver on your computer in case you have it or you could also look for it directly from the website of the manufacturer.

Option 6 – Try disabling Hardware Acceleration

You might want to disable Hardware Acceleration system-wide or for a particular program like Google Chrome and see if it resolves the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL BSOD error

InboxAce is a browser extension for Google Chrome developed by Mindspark and gives users easy access to the most popular email clients with just 1 click away. This extension changes your default search engine, as well as your home page to MyWay.com. Several anti-virus scanners have marked this extension as a Browser Hijacker due to its information mining nature.

While installing this extension monitors user browsing activities. It logs the website you visit, the links you click, the products you buy, basically everything that you do in a browser. This information is later used to display unwanted targeted ads that are injected into your search results.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking means that a malicious code has power over and modified the settings of your internet browser, without your consent. Browser hijacker malware is designed for many different reasons. Typically, it will drive users to particular websites which are looking to increase their advertising campaign revenue. Many people believe that these kinds of sites are legitimate and harmless but that is incorrect. Almost every browser hijacker poses an actual threat to your online safety and it is vital to classify them under privacy risks. Browser hijackers can also permit other malicious programs without your knowledge to further damage the computer.

How to determine if your browser has been hijacked

Signs that an internet browser is hijacked include: the home page of your respective browser is changed unexpectedly; you observe new unwanted favorites or bookmarks added, usually directed to ad-filled or pornography sites; default online search engine is modified; find new toolbars which you did not add; unstoppable flurries of popup advertisements show up on your computer screen; your browser gets slow, buggy, crashes very often; Inability to navigate to particular sites, especially anti-malware and also other security software sites.

How it infects your PC

Browser hijackers might use drive-by downloads or file-sharing websites or an e-mail attachment in order to reach a targeted computer. They also come from add-on applications, also known as browser helper objects (BHO), browser extensions, or toolbars. Other times you may have unintentionally accepted a browser hijacker as part of a software bundle (usually freeware or shareware). A good example of some notorious browser hijackers includes Conduit, Anyprotect, Babylon, DefaultTab, SweetPage, Delta Search, and RocketTab, but the names are continually changing. Browser hijackers can disrupt the user’s web surfing experience greatly, record the websites frequented by users and steal private information, cause problems in connecting to the internet, and then finally create stability problems, making applications and systems crash.

Tips on how to get rid of browser hijackers

Some types of browser hijackers can be effortlessly removed from your PC by deleting malicious software or any other recently installed freeware. But, most hijackers are extremely tenacious and need specialized applications to eliminate them. And there’s no denying the very fact that the manual repairs and removal methods could be a difficult job for a novice PC user. On top of that, there are many risks connected with tinkering around with the system registry files. Anti-malware software is very effective with regards to picking up and eliminating browser hijackers that normal anti-virus application has overlooked. SafeBytes Anti-Malware will counter persistent browser hijackers and provide you real-time computer protection against all types of malware. In addition to anti-malware, a system optimizer program, similar to Total System Care, could help you fix Windows registry errors, get rid of unwanted toolbars, secure your online privacy, and increase overall computer performance.

Find Out How To Install Safebytes Anti-Malware On An Infected PC

Malware can cause all sorts of damage once they invade your computer, starting from stealing your personal details to deleting files on your computer system. Some malware goes to great lengths to stop you from installing anything on your computer system, particularly antivirus programs. If you’re reading this, odds are you’re stuck with a malware infection that is preventing you to download or install the Safebytes Anti-Malware program on your PC. There are a few fixes you could try to get around with this particular problem.

Remove viruses in Safe Mode

If any virus is set to run automatically when Windows starts, entering Safe Mode could very well block this attempt. Just the minimum required programs and services are loaded when you start your PC into Safe Mode. The following are the steps you have to follow to boot into the Safe Mode of your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers (visit Microsoft website for instructions on Windows 8 and 10 computers). 1) At power-on/startup, tap the F8 key in 1-second intervals. This will bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Use the arrow keys to choose Safe Mode with Networking and press ENTER. 3) When you are into this mode, you should have online access once again. Now, make use of your browser normally and navigate to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 4) After installation, do a full scan and let the program eliminate the threats it finds.

Switch over to an alternate web browser

Some viruses may target vulnerabilities of a particular web browser that block the downloading process. If you’re not able to download the security software using Internet Explorer, this means malware could be targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you must switch to another browser such as Firefox or Chrome to download Safebytes software.

Make a bootable USB anti-virus drive

Another option is to save and operate an anti-malware program completely from a Thumb drive. Adopt these measures to run the antivirus on the affected computer. 1) On a clean computer, install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug the Thumb drive into the clean computer. 3) Double click on the exe file to open the installation wizard. 4) When asked, select the location of the USB drive as the place where you would like to put the software files. Follow activation instructions. 5) Unplug the pen drive. You may now utilize this portable anti-virus on the affected computer system. 6) Double click the EXE file to open the Safebytes tool right from the pen drive. 7) Simply click “Scan Now” to run a complete scan on the affected computer for viruses.

A Look at the Best AntiMalware Program

If you are looking to download the anti-malware program for your PC, there are various tools in the market to consider but you just cannot trust blindly anyone, irrespective of whether it is paid or free program. Some are very good ones, some are ok types, and some are just bogus anti-malware programs that could ruin your computer themselves! You should select one that is dependable, practical, and has a strong reputation for its malware source protection. When considering commercial antimalware tool options, many people select well-known brands, such as SafeBytes, and they are quite happy with it. SafeBytes is a powerful, real-time anti-malware application that is designed to assist the typical computer end user in safeguarding their computer from malicious internet threats. When you have installed this software, SafeByte's state-of-the-art protection system will make sure that no viruses or malware can seep through your personal computer.

SafeBytes anti-malware takes PC protection to a totally new level with its enhanced features. Here are some of the features you will like in SafeBytes.

World-class AntiMalware Protection: Built on a greatly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal application can detect and remove numerous obstinate malware threats like browser hijackers, PUPs, and ransomware that other typical antivirus programs will miss. Active Protection: SafeBytes gives you round-the-clock protection for your computer limiting malware intrusions instantly. This software will constantly keep track of your computer for suspicious activity and updates itself continuously to keep abreast of the constantly changing threat landscape. Extremely Speed Scanning: SafeBytes’s virus scan engine is one of the fastest and most efficient in the industry. Its targeted scanning highly increases the catch rate for malware that is embedded in various computer files. Safe Web Browsing: SafeBytes checks and gives a unique safety rating to each and every website you visit and block access to web pages known to be phishing sites, thus protecting you from identity theft, or known to contain malicious software. Light-weight: SafeBytes gives total protection from online threats at a fraction of the CPU load because of its advanced detection engine and algorithms. Premium Support: Skilled technicians are at your disposal 24/7! They will promptly resolve any technical issues you might be experiencing with your security software. On the whole, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is a solid program as it has lots of features and could detect and remove any potential threats. You can rest assured that your PC will be protected in real-time as soon as you put this tool to use. You will get the very best all-around protection for the money you spend on SafeBytes anti-malware subscription, there is no doubt about it.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you’d like to manually get rid of InboxAce without the use of an automated tool, it may be actually possible to do so by removing the program from the Microsoft Windows Add/Remove Programs menu, or in cases of web browser plug-ins, going to the browsers AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. It is also highly recommended to factory reset your browser settings to their default state. If you choose to manually delete the system files and registry entries, utilize the following list to ensure that you know precisely what files to remove before executing any actions. But bear in mind, this can be a tricky task and only computer professionals could accomplish it safely. Also, certain malware is capable of replicating itself or preventing deletion. You’re urged to do this process in Safe Mode.

Bluetooth troubleshooting, I believe firmly that each one of us who has Bluetooth sooner or later had some issues with it, after all, it seems that it is in nature of radio transmitters to from time to time due to nature of signal and nature of Windows loose communication between them and can cause device which seems to work properly but can not establish the connection. Most of the time Bluetooth issues are like that, the signal gets lost, the connection is broken, and establishing it again can be sometimes real pain, luckily for you, we have experience in this field and are here to help you and provide you with tips how to solve Bluetooth connection issues based on our own struggles.

1. Check if BlueTooth is ON

   Yes, this seems stupid and sounds a lot like is it plugged in but here me out. Due to lost connections and different power plans setting inside your Windows, your Bluetooth receiver might be actually turned OFF thus preventing your other device to find your computer. Checking to see if Bluetooth has been by some accident turned OFF and switching it back ON should be the first thing to do and this could be a simple solution for your problem.

2. Restart the BlueTooth device.

   Yup, another of these have you tried turning it OFF and turn it back ON advice which seems like tech cliche but in the case of Bluetooth, this can actually solve your problem. Radio signals and radio connections are not the same kinds of beasts like cable ones and sometimes Bluetooth device remembers certain information and can cause conflict. Turning it OFF and then back ON will clear its memory and cache and you will be ready for a new start hopefully solving your issue along the way.

3. Check power supply

   If your Bluetooth device does not have a battery indicator, it would be wise to check on the battery status of the device. Sometimes we forget to charge batteries, sometimes someones have drained them. Checking the battery or just checking if the power supply is working properly should not be overlooked and it definitely should be on your to-do list of quick solutions.

4. Restart PC

   Sometimes most simple solutions work and if restarting your Bluetooth device did not work, maybe restarting your PC will. When you restart the PC, you clear the cache and many other things that could potentially be the reason for connection issues.

5. Checks BlueTooth device distance from computer or interference from obstacles

   The Bluetooth device operates via radio waves, and like wi-fi, if the distance from the computer is too large or you have some thick walls in between signal will degrade and be almost useless. Be aware that your PC might catch device waves and detect them but the signal itself could be too weak for the connection to work properly. Take the device and move it closer to the PC to see if the problem will go away, if it does issue was in distance or walls.

6. Reinstall or update device drivers.

   Sometimes the issue could be in Windows update and old drivers, make sure that all of your drivers are updated with the latest version and that Windows itself has the most recent update in it. Trying to reinstall device cold also solve some the issue.

7. Remove and Pair deice again

   if you tried all previous steps, try removing the device from Windows and then pairing it again. This could solve the issue since Windows itself could have mistakenly saved it like something else and can not recognize it.

8. Use Windows troubleshooter

   If everything else failed, right-click and go to troubleshoot. Windows troubleshooter will try to find the issue and direct you to a solution.

If sadly none of these things do work, you should contact the device manufacturer since it is a very good chance that the problem is one of a hardware nature.

Running the Windows Update service does not always go well as from time to time, you could encounter some errors when using it. One of these errors is the Windows Update Error 0xc1900403. In such cases, you will see the following error message under the Windows Update section:

“There were problems installing some updates, but we’ll try again later, If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help – 0xc1900403”

The log files displayed in the error message may include, “0XC1900403 – MOSETUP_E_UA_CORRUPT_PAYLOAD_FILES”. This indicates that the payload files are corrupted which is why you’re getting the Windows Update Error 0xc1900403 and to fix it, you can try to restart your computer and install the updates again or reset the Windows Update-related folders. You could also run the Windows Update troubleshooter or use either the Standalone Installer or the Media Creation tool. For more details, refer to each one of the options provided below.

Option 1 – Restart your computer and try installing the Updates again

Restarting your computer can also help in fixing the Windows Update failed to install error 0x80240034. There are cases where the issue resolves on its own as it could just be some simple network or PC error.

Option 2 – Delete the contents in the Software Distribution folder and Catroot2 folder

• Open the WinX Menu.
• From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.

net stop wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
• Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.

After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:

• Type each one of the following commands.

net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer, and then try to run Windows Update once more.

Option 3 – Try running the Windows Update troubleshooter

You might also want to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter as it could also help in fixing Windows Update Error 0xc1900403. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.

Option 4 – Try to use the Media Creation tool

The Media Creation tool in Windows allows you to use the ISO installation file to make a bootable device that you can use to install Windows on your PC. Note that this is kind of different from the usual installation process as it could erase your computer’s current settings and data on the primary drive. Thus, before you proceed, you need to backup all your data into some removable drive and then use the Media Creation Tool to make a bootable drive.

• After making the bootable drive, you need to plug it into your computer and then reboot.
• Next, tap the F10 or Esc key to open the boot options.
• Now set the boot priority of the removable drive the highest. Once the setup comes forth, follow the next onscreen instructions and install Windows without any problems.

USB devices are one of the commonly used devices every day – from plugging mobile devices for charging using pen drives, you are making use of USB drives. However, there are times when you might encounter an error message saying, “Unknown USB Device” as you plug your USB device on your Windows 10 computer. So if you encounter this kind of error message followed by either of the following explanations, read on as this post will give you a couple of suggestions you can check out to resolve the issue.

• Device Descriptor Request Failed
• Port reset failed
• The device failed enumeration
• Set address failed
• Error code 43

You can fix this error using several ways. You can try changing the Power Options, update or roll back the USB drivers, turn off Fast Startup, or run the USB troubleshooter. Follow the options given below for more details.

Option 1 – Try to change the Power Options

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility.
• Then type “powercfg.cpl” and tap Enter to open the Power Options window.
• Next, go to your selected power plan and click the “Change plan settings” option to open a new page.
• From there, click on the “Change advanced power settings” option. This will open a new window where you can see various power consumption options.
• Now look for the USB Settings option and expand it.
• Then set the USB selective suspend setting to “Disabled” for both scenarios: On Battery and Plugged in.
• After that, click on OK and restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Option 2 – Update or reinstall the Universal Serial Bus Controller driver

Since it could be a driver issue, you can try to update or reinstall the Universal Serial Bus Controller drivers using the Device Manager. Refer to the following steps:

• First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
• Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
• From there, look for the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” option and then right-click on each one of the USB drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.

Note: If it is a regular USB drive, then it will be listed as a USB Mass Storage Device but if you have a USB 3.0 device, then look for a USB 3.0 Extensible Host Controller.

• Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.

Note: If updating the USB Controller drivers didn’t work, you can try to reinstall them instead.

Option 3 – Try turning off Fast Startup

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type in “control” to open the Control Panel.
• Next, click on the Hardware and Sound section and click on Power Options.
• Afterwards, select the “Choose what the power buttons do” option from the left side menu pane.
• Now click on Change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck the entry that says, “Turn on fast startup (Recommended).
• Then click on Save Changes and restart your computer and see if it has fixed the problem or not.

Option 4 – Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooters

• 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 next option given below.

If you are typing inside the Search bar, Cortana, Taskbar, Windows 10 apps, etc., and then everything seems invisible then read on as this post will guide you in fixing this issue. At first, you might think that something is wrong with your keyboard but it really has nothing to do with it. The problem actually lies with the apps from Microsoft Store. Thus, if you can’t type anything in any of the apps from Microsoft Store in Windows 10, refer to the options given below to fix them.

Option 1 – Ensure that ctfmon.exe is running

Ctfmon.exe is a Microsoft process in Windows 10 that controls the Alternative User Input as well as the Office Language bar. In other words, it enables end-users to control the computer using on-screen keyboard inputs, speech, and even pen for various languages. It would be better if you launch the program once by going to the C:/Windows/system32 folder. Doing so will ensure that whatever API is needed for the keyboard typing to work properly again. You also have to make sure that its startup status is not disabled. In addition, you can also try the following steps, alternatively.

• Open the Task Scheduler.
• Then go to Microsoft > Windows > TextServicesFramework.
• And on the MsCtfMonitor, right-click and enable the task.
• Now restart your computer.

This will ensure that all the text boxes will start to work again. And if the task MsCtfMonitor is missing from the list of tasks, you can import it with the XML file from basics.net. Then download and create a task to run it each time you log in to your PC.

Option 2 – Use the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter

You might also try running the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter as it can help in resolving issues with the Windows Store apps. This built-in tool can resolve most of the app-related problems. To use it, go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshooting > Windows Store Apps and from there, click the start the troubleshooter button. The Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter will scan the computer for any issues with the Windows store apps and will automatically fix them if it finds any.

Option 3 – Re-register all the Windows 10 UWP apps using PowerShell

• First, make sure to close all the running applications on your computer.
• Next, in the Start search, type in PowerShell and right click on the result, and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After that, type the following commands to re-register the Windows 10 apps. Make sure to hit Enter on each line:
  • reg delete "HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionTileDataModelMigrationTileStore" /va /f
  • get-appxpackage -packageType bundle |% {add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + "appxmetadataappxbundlemanifest.xml")}
  • $bundlefamilies = (get-appxpackage -packagetype Bundle).packagefamilyname
  • get-appxpackage -packagetype main |? {-not ($bundlefamilies -contains $_.packagefamilyname)} |% {add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + "appxmanifest.xml")}

Option 4 – Try to run the DISM tool

You can also run the DISM Tool as it helps in repairing the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth” which could help in fixing the problem.

• Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

Option 5 – Run the System File Checker Scan

System File Checker or 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 to 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.

• Restart your PC.

Windows 11 is getting adopted more and more each day, and how more and more users are installing it some smaller bugs show up. One of the things that have manifested lately is that in some cases installation assistant is not working throwing error 0x8007007f at you while you try to finish the update of Windows. If you are one of the users that are experiencing this kind of annoyance, we have a solution for you. Follow this guide as presented and repair this annoying error.

Run installation assistant as administrator

This is the most simple solution that can solve problems right away and it is advised to be tried first.

1. Download standalone Installation assistant installer from Microsoft website here
2. Go to the location where you had the file downloaded
3. Right-click on file
4. Click on Run as administrator
5. On the permission box, click YES

Disable antivirus and/or firewall software

Antivirus or firewall software can sometimes interfere with Windows’s update and prevent for any reason download or installation of files they consider not safe. If the first solution has not provided success turn off your antivirus or firewall software and try again to install updates by running them as administrator. Now, how many different antivirus or firewall applications are unique pieces of software it would take too much time to cover all of them but usually and most commonly if you right-click on the taskbar icon of security app most of the time you will have either option to open it and close it or simply just to snooze it for some time.

Set the compatibility

If you are still having issues with installing updates try setting compatibility mode for the installer.

1. Download standalone Installation assistant installer from Microsoft website here
2. Go to the location where you had the file downloaded
3. Right-click on file
4. Click on properties
5. Go to the Compatibility tab
6. Click on Run this program in compatibility mode for:
7. Choose Windows 7
8. Click on APPLY
9. Run installer

Run SFC scan

If you are still facing installation issues there is a high chance there is something wrong with Windows system files. Luckily Windows itself has a built-in tool to address these issues and fix them.

1. Open command prompt as administrator by pressing Start and searching for the command prompt and then on right-clicking on run as administrator
2. Once the command prompt opens type in SFC / SCANNOW and press ENTER
3. Wait for the whole process to complete and then restart your system

If you are trying to run or starting a program on your Windows 10 computer and you suddenly get an error message saying, “Error 1061 The service cannot accept control messages at this time”, read on as this post will show you what you can do to fix the problem. This kind of error pops up since the Application Information Service does not respond to the requests to raise applications to Administrator in Windows 10 like the Task Manager, Service updates, and so on. Thus, you won’t be able to run or open apps and will only get stuck with this error. The “Error 1061 The service cannot accept control messages at this time” message is a type of network error that typically occurs when there is a temporary mismatch between the requested control and the state of the service to be controlled. It’s most likely that the service is in a state of start-pending, stop-pending, stopped or it may already be used by another user which explains why this error message suddenly appears. You can encounter this error message on any Windows operation. Here are some of the most common occurrences:

• Debugging a Windows service
• Starting Task Manager
• Starting Registry Editor
• Starting Firewall
• Starting services.msc
• Starting dsm.exe
• Updating services
• Asking for file permissions, etc.

According to Microsoft MSDN, the error occurs because:

“There is a temporary mismatch between the requested control and the state of the service to be controlled. The service may be in a state of start-pending, stop-pending, or stopped. Wait a few minutes, then retry your operation.” If after a few minutes, the error still appears, then you may have to follow the options prepared below.

Option 1 – Try to restart the Credential Manager Service

• Go to the Start menu.
• Then type in “services” in the search box.
• From the search results, right-click on “Services” and select the “Run as Administrator” option.
• Next, look for the Credential Manager Service in the Services window.
• Once you found it, double-click on it to open its Properties. From there, you need to click on the Stop button.
• After that, set the Credential Manager Service to “Automatic” and click on the Start button to restart it.

Option 2 – Try to start the Application Information Service

You can also try starting the Application Information Service to fix the “Error 1061 The service cannot accept control messages at this time”. Just open the Windows Services Manager and make sure that Application Information Service is Started. And if you find that it’s already started, you need to restart it.

Option 3 – Try killing the IIS Worker Process via Task Manager

• Tap the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys and select the Task Manager.
• Next, click on More details to expand the Task Manager and then look for the IIS Worker Process entry which should be displayed in the list under the Processes tab. From there, you can see it in the Background processes. Once you find it, kill its process.
• You can also try to look for the “w3wp.exe” entries and end its process. if you find many entries, right-click on some of them and select the End task option from the context menu.
• Now restart your PC. That should fix the problem.