What Is Phishing And How Can You Protect Yourself From It?
Ever gotten an e-mail offer that seemed just a little bit too good to be true? Might’ve been a phishing attempt! These are everywhere and can come in many different forms.
So what’s phishing exactly, how can you detect it and how can you keep safe?
What is phishing?
Phishing (pronounced like fishing) is a type of cyberattack that tricks the user into trusting the source and revealing sensitive information. Fishing being the perfect analogy, the bait is a legitimate-looking site, e-mail or file and when you take a bite, your identity, banking information and much more can be revealed and stolen.
Credit Anne Nygård on Unsplash
Some phishing attempts are incredibly obvious, others are super elaborate. Like with most types of malware, cybercriminals have become extremely well-versed in phishing and anyone can fall for it. To help you recognize and avoid it, we’ll take you through a couple of phishing types and give you tips on what to do if faced with them.
Phishing techniques
E-mail phishing
This is actually the most common type of phishing. A cybercriminal creates an e-mail containing stuff like attractive offers, legitimate-looking attachments or links and makes it appear as though it’s coming from a trusted source.
Credit Justin Morgan on Unsplash
For example, it looks like it’s coming from your bank or your favorite retailer. The logo looks legit and the structure of the e-mail seems familiar, so you might get tricked into clicking on whatever clickable content is in it.
Unfortunately this exposes your device to malware that hands your data off to the hacker, who can decide what to do with it further.
SMS and social media phishing
Like the above example, you could be approached with lucrative offers or links via text messages or social media messages. Typically, the messages seem relevant to the user as they will be made to look like they’re related to apps or services you’re using.
Voice phishing
Voice phishing attacks are schemes that appear as though they’re coming from a credible number. Normally, you’ll get a call about something related to credit cards or taxes to get you into a state of worry, leading you to disclose personal information on the phone.
Spear phishing, whaling and BEC
Spear phishing normally targets specific individuals within a company who are likely to have access to sensitive data. Spear phishers spend time collecting information they can use to reach out to the individual looking as trustworthy as possible. They’ll typically lead with something relevant, for example mentioning an upcoming company event, and make a seemingly legitimate request.
Whaling is a more elaborate form of spear phishing, which targets people in even stronger positions such as executives or high-value individuals. The ultimate goal is to get them to transfer financial or other sensitive information that can be used to compromise the entire business.
Credit Azamat E on Unsplash
BEC, or Business e-mail compromise, is a specific spear phishing technique carried out via e-mail. While there are many ways this is done, most commonly you’ll see instances where the phisher poses as a CEO or similar executive, or as a lower-level employee in specific positions (e.g. sales managers or financial controllers).
In the first situation, the impersonator reaches out to employees requesting them to transfer certain files or pay invoices. In the second situation, the phisher takes control of the employee’s e-mail account and sends false instructions to other employees in order to obtain data and information from them.
What can you do?
There are many ways you can be aware and spot a phishing attempt. Here are some tips:
Always check the sender’s address in your e-mails, even when they seem to come from a familiar source.
In any instance where payment information is requested, be very, very careful.
If you are receiving attachments you never asked for and definitely didn’t expect, better not click on them.
Beware of content that transmits a sense of urgency (sales deals, urgent updates to login credentials, etc.).
Bad spelling and grammar are usually a telltale sign of phishing.
Links that look shortened (e.g. Bit.ly) or just suspicious in general - if you have a bad feeling, do not click on them.
If you are receiving threats, you probably shouldn’t be clicking on anything in that message.
Always examine first-time senders in detail.
Block suspicious e-mail addresses, numbers and social media accounts.
If you are receiving a coupon for free stuff… You aren’t.
If you’re being asked to update your payment details by a service you use, such as Netflix, chances are it’s an impersonator.
Those are some of the ways to identify and prevent phishing attacks. However, sometimes phishers disguise themselves a little too well or a misclick happens and there you go - you’ve been exposed to malware.
Credit FLYD on Unsplash
This won’t happen if you invest in powerful protection software from the get-go, though. A good antivirus program like Bitdefender will keep you safe from becoming a victim of phishing scams. In fact, it will protect you from malicious attacks overall.
Be it your household or your business you’re concerned about, there are a bunch of different packages and options available, providing different kinds of cybersecurity services. That’s the only way you can ever really be sure you aren’t at risk of a digital attack.
Summary
Have you ever been targeted by phishers and didn’t know that’s what it was until you read this article? Many can relate. Protect yourself before it’s too late!
You might be familiar with the Encryption File System or EFS algorithm if you rather keep your files and folders encrypted. Encryption File System is a built-in feature in Windows 10 which allows users to secure their important files. Although there is an alternative way for you to secure your data on your Windows 10 computer, you can’t ignore the fact that the main advantage of an Encryption File System over BitLocker is that the former can help you encrypt a particular folder rather than encrypting the whole hard drive partition.
If you move a file inside a folder encrypted with the Encrypting File System it will automatically get encrypted. There are some users who like this feature but unsurprisingly, there are some that don’t. So if whether you want your files encrypted when you place them in an encrypted folder or if you want to keep it as it is, read on as to how you can do it either way. You can enable or disable automatic encryption of files moved to encrypted folders in Windows 10 using the Registry Editor or the Group Policy Editor.
Before you proceed, make sure to create a System Restore Point first because the modifications you’re about to make in your computer might affect its overall functioning so if anything goes wrong, you can always undo the changes. Once you have that covered, refer to the options given below to enable or disable automatic encryption in Windows 10.
Option 1 – Enable or disable automatic encryption using Registry Editor
Press the Win key + R key at the same time to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “Regedit” in the field and press Enter to open the Registry Editor and if a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click Yes to proceed.
After opening the Registry Editor, navigate to this key location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer
Next, right-click on Explorer and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value and then name the newly create DWORD to “NoEncryptOnMove” and press Enter to save it.
After that, double click on the NoEncryptOnMove DWORD and set its value to the following preferences:
1 – Disable Auto Encryption of files moved to encrypted folders.
0 – Enable Auto Encryption of files moved to encrypted folders.
Now close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.
Option 2 – Enable or disable automatic encryption using the Group Policy Editor
Press the Win + R keys to open the Run box and type “gpedit.msc” in the field and press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
After that, navigate to this path: Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesSystem
Next, look for the “Do not automatically encrypt files moved to encrypted folders” option and double click on it to set the policy. From there, you will see the following description:
“This policy setting prevents File Explorer from encrypting files that are moved to an encrypted folder. If you enable this policy setting, File Explorer will not automatically encrypt files that are moved to an encrypted folder. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, File Explorer automatically encrypts files that are moved to an encrypted folder. This setting applies only to files moved within a volume. When files are moved to other volumes, or if you create a new file in an encrypted folder, File Explorer encrypts those files automatically.”
Now select one of the radio buttons below depending on your preference:
Not Configured or Disabled: Enable Auto Encrypt of files moved to EFS Encrypted folders.
Enabled: Disable Auto Encrypt of files moved to EFS Encrypted folders.
Then click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
Exit the Group Policy Editor and restart your computer.
As you know, Windows programs depend on several operations to get executed and at the same time, there are also numerous parameters that have to be fulfilled for a program to get executed. However, based on some reports, there was an error when some users tried to run a program. This error says, “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc00007b)”.
There could be various reasons why this error occurs but the main one is most likely due to an x86 application that is not compatible with the x64-based operating system. To fix this problem, you can run the Check Disk utility or reinstall the application or the Microsoft .NET Framework. You can also try reinstalling DirectX or replace the corrupted DLL file(s). For more details, refer to the given options below.
Option 1 – Try running the Check Disk utility
In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
After opening Command Prompt, type this command and tap Enter: chkdsk <Partition Letter>: /f
The command you entered will start to check for errors and fix them automatically. Else, it will throw an error message saying, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like the schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”.
Tap the Y key to schedule Disk Check the next time your computer restarts.
Option 2 – Re-enable the Microsoft .NET Framework
You could also try to disable the Microsoft .NET Framework then enable the latest version of the .NET Framework on your PC and check if the error is fixed
Option 3 – Try to reinstall the program
There are times when some supporting module for your application under the hood could have messed up the application where you get the error. To fix this, you have to uninstall the program and then download its latest version from its official site and then install it again. Once you’re done, run the application and see if the error is fixed.
Option 4 – Run System File Checker scan
If reinstalling the program didn’t work, you can also try running the System File Checker or SFC scan to fix the error. System File Checker is a command utility built into your computer that helps restore corrupted files and missing files. Refer to the following steps to run it:
Hit the Win + R keys 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:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
Reboot your computer.
Option 5 – Try running the DirectX Diagnostic Tool
Since the error has something to do with the DirectX Graphics APIs, you can run the DirectX Diagnostic tool to resolve the problem.
Option 6 – Try updating or re-installing DirectX
If the DirectX Diagnostic tool didn’t work, you can try to update or reinstall DirectX instead. This can help in fixing the problem because when you reinstall or update DirectX, it will replace the incompatible or corrupted components of DirectX from your computer.
If you are trying to connect your mobile or external device to your Windows 10 computer but suddenly encountered an error saying, “A device attached to the system is not functioning”, read on as this post will guide you on how you can resolve this error using a couple of potential fixes. In this case, it is possible that the connected device is not working for some reason and this error pops up when you connect your device or when you try to move or copy files from your computer to your external device and vice versa.
As you can see, the error message is pretty straightforward, and it mostly occurs when you connect plug and play devices such as USB drives, printers, external storage devices, and many more. And when you open the Device Manager to check the device, you will most likely see a yellow exclamation mark on the device which indicates that the device is currently having problems. To fix this problem, there are several options you can check out. You need to check the status of the device or check the compatibility between the external device and the drive types. You also have to make sure that the device is connected properly or check if the device has been formatted properly. For more details, follow the given suggestions below.
Option 1 – Try to check the status of the device
The first thing you can do to get rid of the error is to check the status of the external device, especially if it’s a plug-and-play device. So when your computer boots, check if it is able to detect the device or not.
Option 2 – Try to check the compatibility between the external devices and drivers
As you know, when you connect an external device to your computer, Windows installs drivers to communicate with the device, the same way as any hardware you connect to the motherboard and if the driver ends up getting corrupted or is incompatible, then you need to update the device driver. To do that, follow the steps below.
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 driver the external device related to and then right-click on each one of the Device drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.
Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.
Note: If updating the device drivers didn’t work, you can try to reinstall them instead.
Option 3 – Try checking the hardware connections
The first thing you have to do before you further troubleshoot the problem is to check the hardware connections of your computer and see if there are damaged ones, just like with USB ports, it would also affect the overall connectivity of the device with the computer. So if you notice some irregularities in the connecting cable physically, you might have to buy another one and replace it and then see if it fixes the problem or not.
Option 4 – Check if the device is formatted properly
You might also want to check if the external device is properly formatted especially if you’ve recently formatted it. If a device wasn’t formatted properly, then it’s no wonder why you’re getting the “A device attached to the system is not functioning” error. To fix this, you need to use Disk Management. From there, you can find the devices connected but are not visible. If you are using an admin account, then to fix this error, you have the option to format the drive or create new partitions using the interface. Once you do this, it should resolve the problem.
Option 5 – Try to run System File Checker or SFC scan
Tap Win + R to launch Run.
Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow and hit Enter.
Once done, restart your computer.
Option 6 – Restart your computer in a Clean Boot State
If a third party program like antivirus is the one that’s causing the problem, you can try to put your computer in a Clean Boot State to isolate the issue by following these steps:
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.)
Now try to connect your device or copy the files to your external device again and check if the error is now gone.
Code 43, Device Manager Error, is reported when Windows doesn’t recognize a hardware device such as the video card, USB, printer, or any other piece of external hardware attached to your PC.
The Device Manager stops the hardware if it reports some kind of unspecified problem. It is mostly displayed in the following format:
“Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. Code 43”
Solution
Error Causes
Code 43 can be triggered due to several reasons. However, 95% of the times it is related to the device driver problems such as:
Missing Drivers
Corrupted Drivers
Outdated Drivers
Driver problems pop up when either new driver versions are available or drivers become damaged due to some underlying reasons like viral infections.
Other than driver problems, code 43 can also pop up when you install and remove the software. This can cause hardware conflict in the registry, altering driver communication.
Code 43 can hamper your ability to use your desired device smoothly. Although Code 43 is not a fatal error code like Runtime and BSoD errors, it is still advisable to resolve it immediately to avoid inconvenience.
You can sometimes bypass error code 43 temporarily by a simple PC reboot but this will not fix the problem permanently. For a permanent fix, try the methods given below.
Further Information and Manual Repair
To help you repair code 43 permanently from your PC, below are some of the best, easy perform, and effective solutions. Simply follow the steps to get rid of code 43 from your PC.
Method 1 - Launch and Run the Troubleshoot Wizard
This is one way to find the exact nature of the problem that spurred error code 43 to pop up. To launch and run the Troubleshoot Wizard, here’s what you need to do:
Go to the start menu
Type Device Manager in the search bar and then press enter
Click on Device Manager to run it on your system
Now click on the ‘General Tab’
After that press Trouble Shoot to launch the Troubleshooting Wizard
The Wizard will diagnose the problem and provide you a solution to resolve it, all you have to do from there is to follow the Wizard’s instructions
Method 2 - Check the Hardware Documentation
If for some reason Method 1 doesn’t work, another solution would be to check the hardware documentation for more information about diagnosing the problem.
Method 3 - Uninstall Faulty Drivers
If the underlying reason for code 43 is related to driver problems, then the best way to resolve it is to uninstall faulty drivers and then reinstall new drivers. One of the many ways to uninstall drivers is:
Click on the start button
Type ‘sysdm.cpl’ in the search box and then press enter to continue
In the System Properties dialog box open the Hardware tab
Click Device Manager and then double click Device Type
Now click on the problematic hardware device reporting code 43
After that go to the Driver tab and click Uninstall to uninstall that driver completely
Visit the manufacturer’s website and download the new driver version
Install it on your system by extracting the .ZIP file
Method 4 - Update Drivers Automatically
Identifying and updating new driver versions manually can be both frustrating and time-consuming especially if you are in a rush and no computer whiz.
Also, after you update the drivers, you need to keep checking them time and again to ensure they don’t become outdated. You need to update them every time new versions are available which can be stressful.
To avoid this hassle by repairing code 43 permanently, download DriverFIX. This is an innovative and user-friendly device driver software program exclusively designed to resolve all kinds of driver problems.
Whether code 43 occurs on your PC due to missing or outdated drivers, DriverFIX can resolve the problem easily.
The intelligent programming system embedded in this software enables it to detect problematic and outdated drivers in seconds.
It matches new and compatible versions and updates the drivers immediately, automatically, and on a regular basis in just a few clicks. This resolves code 43 and also ensures that all your drivers remain up to date.
DriverFIX is compatible with all Windows versions.
Click here to download DriverFIX to repair and resolve code 43 right away.
Did you previously use Windows 7 or 8 but decided to run with the latest Windows 0S, Windows 10? An early error message encountered was activation error code 0Xc004F074. Error code 0Xc004F074 is manifested when the user fails to activate Windows directly after the installation of Windows 10. This occurs if the previous operating system on your computer was Key Management Service (KMS) activated.
The KMT provides a more seamless operation when users are activating volume license editions of Microsoft Windows and Office. This process tends to be clear to end-users of the system.
Symptoms of error code 0Xc004F074 include:
Windows is unable to reach your company’s activation service.
The Key Management Service is unavailable.
Solution
Error Causes
Various factors might incite error code 0Xc004F074. A primary cause is a discrepancy or difference between the KMS client and the KMS host machine. The host computer could possibly be operating a Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008, while the client runs on OS Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. To supplement, the computer’s time might be a contributing factor. The time on the host machine and client might show a difference (Usually the host time exceeds 4 hours).
Further Information and Manual Repair
To rectify error code 0Xc004F074, users are advised to try various methods. These methods include:
Method 1: Update Your KMS Host 9 (Windows Server 2003)
Are you running later versions of Windows Server? Use an update that fixes or installs KMS on your computer. The update is available on Microsoft’s website. Keep clearly in mind that the update is only for Windows Server 2013 Service Pack 1 and later versions of Windows Server 2003.
Method 2: Update Your KMS Host 9 (Windows Server 2008)
This step is similar to the aforementioned. However, it applies to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. This ensures the service is extended to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
Method 3: Update the Time
It was previously mentioned that the time reflected on the KMS host and client might cause error code 0Xc004F074 to manifest. A simple fix to adhere to is to always ensure that the time between both is updated. To Resync the time on the client, execute the following command.
w32tm /resync
Method 4: Uninstall the Existing KMS
For this method to be successfully deployed, you’ll need to have in your possession an activation key or KMSpico Key. As you cannot apply the new key with the existing one, remove or uninstall the initial key. To perform this step, open the command prompt. This should be done while the computer is in admin mode. Then, run the command
(slmgr.vbs /dlv)
It should be executed without the brackets and before you have removed the existing key.
After executing the command, you’ll encounter the description:
Move along with the process by applying the slmgr.vbs /upk to uninstall the existing KMS key.
After the old key is uninstalled, you’re ready to apply the following:
slmgr.vbs /ipk <NewKMSProductKey>
To check if things are in place and complete the process, follow the steps below: PC Settings >Update and Security > Activation
Method 5: Download an Automated Tool
If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 8 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.
Sndvol32.exe is actually an important part of the Windows operating system.
Responsible for managing the sound-card volume and running programs properly, the problem occurs when error messages appear. The user will be unable to listen to music on the system. Usually, Windows XP users encounter the Sndvol32.exe error.
Solution
Error Causes
Sndvol32.exe error can be caused by any one or several of the reasons listed below.
Accidental deletion of the DLL file from the system
Damage to the DLL file due to spyware or virus infection
Improper removal of software
Unintentional overwriting on the DLL file by a mismatched version
Obsolete hardware drivers
Several obsolete/invalid registry entries
Corrupt registry entries
Regardless of what triggers the Sndvol32.exe error, it is of utmost importance to take immediate measures to fix the problem and to keep it from occurring again.
Further Information and Manual Repair
If you are looking for ways to fix this error manually, the Windows functionality of System Restore will come into play in this particular scenario.
In case the error is caused by a damaged or corrupt file, performing System Restore is an ideal choice as it will allow you to not only get a fresh copy of the operating system, it will be possible for you to remove the error at the same time as well. The procedure for performing System Restore is outlined below as follows.
Click on the Start menu and type ‘System Restore’ in the search box.
When the icon for ‘System Restore’ appears, click on it.
Now type ‘Restore’ in the search box that appears on the start menu.
The window for the System Restore center will now appear.
Now you have two options. You can either opt for “Recommend Restore” which is the case where the system itself will choose a restore point for you or you can select “Choose a different restore point”. Users are advised to choose the latter option as it is more customizable.
Users can now select from a list of restore points that have been created before. If you observe closely, you will realize that one of the restore points is prior to the occurrence of the Sndvol32.exe error.
Click on the restore point. Once you have confirmed your selection, your system will restart and it will roll back to its previously selected restore point.
One recommendation is to perform the system restore in Windows Safe Mode. This is just to ensure that the System Restore is performed smoothly and any potential problems are kept at bay.
There are a lot of users who use their Windows 10 PCs to create and access data on their servers using their network. However, some of them reported getting an error saying that the server is not accessible. Here’s the full content of the error message:
“\server is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions. Logon Failure: The target account name is incorrect.”
If you are among the users who experience the same issue, read on as this post will help you resolve this error when accessing your server. But before you start troubleshooting the problem, you might want to perform System Restore, especially if tend to create one. To use System Restore, here’s what you have to do:
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.
If System Restore didn’t help in fixing the ACPI.sys Blue Screen error now’s the time for you to make use of the potential fixes laid out below.
Option 1 – Try rebooting your router
The first thing you can try to do to fix the error is to simply restart your router. All you need to do is reboot the router from its Admin panel or you can also turn it off manually and turn it back on after a couple of seconds so that it can completely reboot. Once you’re done, try accessing your server again and see if the error is now fixed.
Option 2 – Try checking the status of the Workstation Service
You might want to check the status of the Workstation Service as the error might have something to do with it.
Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to launch the Run utility.
Then type “services.msc” in the field and click OK or hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
After opening the Services Manager, you will see a list of all the services on your computer and from there, locate the Workstation Service.
Double click on the Workstation Service to open its Properties.
Next, Stop the Service and Start it again or you can also right-click on it and select Restart and then make sure that its Startup type is set to Automatic.
Now restart your computer and check if the error is fixed.
Option 3 – Try to change the File Sharing Connections setting
You can also try to change the File Sharing connections setting. All you have to do is go to Control Panel > Network and sharing center > Advanced sharing settings > File sharing connections. From there, you need to select “Enable file sharing for devices that use 40 or 56-bit encryption and check if it helps in fixing the problem. If not, undo the changes you’ve made and proceed to the next given option.
Option 4 – Try checking the Network Configuration
Checking the Network Configuration can also help you fix the error. Refer to the steps below to do so:
Right-click on the Wi-Fi connection or on the Ethernet connection icon located in the system tray.
Then select open Network and Internet Settings and then click on the “Change Adapter Options”.
After that, a new window will appear and from there, select the network connection that connects your computer to your network – this can either be a Wi-Fi connection or Ethernet connection.
Right-click on that connection and select Properties where you will see a list of items.
Select the Internet Protocol Version 4 or Internet Protocol Version 6 from those items according to your system requirement.
Then click on the Properties button.
Check if everything is now configured as to how it is supposed to be and then check if the error is resolved.
Option 5 – Try to reset Winsock, TCP/IP & Flush DNS
You might also want to try resetting Winsock, TCP/IP, and flushing DNS might help you resolve errors. To do so, follow these steps:
Right-click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator) so you can pull up an elevated Command Prompt.
After that, execute each one of the commands listed below. And after you typed in one after the other, you have to hit Enter.
netsh winsock reset – type in this command to reset Winsock
netsh int ip reset resettcpip.txt – type in this command to reset TCP/IP
ipconfig /flushdns – type in this command to flush the DNS cache
Next, restart your PC and check if the problem’s fixed.
Option 6 – Run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter
Open the Search bar on your computer and type in “troubleshoot” to open the Troubleshoot settings.
Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.
Windows has a built-in Backup and Restore system so if the Windows Backup or Restore fails and you receive any of the errors 0x80070001, 0x81000037, 0x80070003, worry not for this post will guide you in fixing the problem. You might not be able to browse to the folders and files that you want to restore in the File Restore Wizard.
The cause of the error could vary depending on what error code you receive:
0x80070001 – If you got this particular error code when trying to back up a specific library or when you accept the default settings in Windows Backup and Restore.
0x81000037 – If you got this kind of error code when you try to read from the shadow copy on one of the volumes being backed up.
0x80070003 – If you got this error code when trying to restore the folders or files in a library by using the Windows Backup and Restore.
On the other hand, you cannot use the Browse for files or the Browse for folders functionality.
Note that the Windows Backup or Restore failed, Errors 0x80070001, 0x81000037, 0x80070003 Error code 0x80070001, 0x81000037 occurs during backup while Error code 0x80070003 and “Browse for Files” issue occurs when you try to restore files. Whichever error codes you got, here are some possible fixes that might help.
Option 1 – Fix Windows Backup error codes 0x80070001, 0x81000037
The reason for the Windows Backup error codes 0x80070001, 0x81000037, as mentioned above, is when there is a volume that uses a FAT file system (0x80070001) and when a volume contains compressed files (0x81000037). To fix these errors, you need to remove the “reparse point” also known as SYMBOLIC LINK, and select the absolute path of this location in the Windows Backup configuration user interface. Refer to these steps to remove the reparse point.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “cmd” in the field and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
Next, type the following command and hit Enter:
DIR /AL /S
After you enter the command, it will display the JUNCTION list.
Now to delete the mounted volume reparse point, you have to locate the reparse point you found and right-click on the reparse point icon, and click on Properties.
Confirm that the folder Type is Mounted Volume in the General tab and then delete this folder.
Option 2 – Fix the Windows Restore Error 0x81000037
When you try to restore a deleted backed-up directory, it fails and the Error code 0x81000037 pops up. You can also encounter this error when you select to restore the files to their original subfolders check box in the File Restore Wizard and you try to restore folders or files to an alternative location, then you will encounter error code 0x81000037 which will be displayed in an error message as shown below:
To fix this error, you need to re-create the missing directory using the following steps:
Take note of the path for which the error occurs.
Then create the corresponding folder.
Now perform the restore operation again.
And since you might have subfolders in the deleted folder, click to clear the “Restore the files to their original subfolders” checkbox when you run the File Restore Wizard.
Option 3 – Cannot use the Browse for files or the Browse for folders functionality
There is no proper fix for this particular error but if you remember the name of the files, you can just search for them. Click on the Search button when using the File Restore functionality and then type the name of the file and when that file appears, select and click on it to restore it.
One of the issues with external storage devices is that unplugging them right away without using the “Safely Remove Hardware” feature is not safe and doing so could lead to data corruption and data loss. However, in some cases, even when you use the “Safely Remove Hardware” feature, you could get an error that says:
“Windows can’t stop your ‘Generic volume’ device because a program is still using it. Close any programs that might be using the device, and then try again later.”
It is possible that the system is still using the external device – for instance, a copy operation might still be in progress, or Windows is still indexing the contents of the drive in the background or it could also be that the drive is not configured to be quickly removed. To fix this error, there are a couple of suggestions you can try. You can try to close all the open programs and file explorer windows, or you could also configure the Device Removal Policy or change its file system to FAT32. In addition, you can also try to change its drive letter or use the DISKPART utility to get the drive to be offline or simply manage the hogging process that prevents it from being safely removed.
Follow each one of the given potential fixes below to resolve the error when using the Safely Remove Hardware feature.
Option 1 – Close all the open programs and File Explorer windows
The first thing you have to do to resolve the error is to close any open programs as well as File Explorer windows. This is because there are some programs and File Explorer instances that could be using the external device in the background which explains why you’re getting the error when you try to safely remove your device.
Option 2 – Try to configure the Device Removal Policy
The next thing you can do is to configure the Device Removal Policy. How? Refer to these steps:
Open File Explorer and right-click on the drive where you encountered the error.
Next, select Properties from the context menu.
After that, navigate to the Hardware tab and select the disk drive where you got the error under the “All disk drives” section.
Then select Properties under the Device Properties section. This will open a new mini window and from there, select Change Settings on the bottom portion of the window.
Now navigate to the Policies tab and select the “Quick Removal (default)” option under the Removal Policy section.
Click on the OK and Apply buttons to save the changes made and then see if the error is now fixed.
Option 3 – Try to manage the hogging process
You could also try managing the hogging process to get rid of the error.
Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination to open the Task Manager.
Then look for the running processes and programs that are hogging your USB storage device. If there is a program that’s using your device, it will hog on some Disk or CPU while transferring data and interacting with the device which is why you’re getting an error when you safely remove the device.
Next, select the concerned processed and right-click on each one of them, and then select the End Task or End Process option. You can also restart the Explorer.exe process and see if that helps.
Option 4 – Try to change the drive letters
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and then type “diskmgmt.msc” in the field and click OK or tap Enter to open Disk Management.
Next, look for your USB storage device using the drive letter that’s assigned to it. Right-click on your device and select the “Change Drive Letter and Paths…” option.
This will open a mini window and from there select the drive letter you want to change and click on the Change button.
After that, another smaller window will appear where you’ll have to select the new drive letter from the drop-down menu.
Click OK and if you got a warning prompt, just click on Yes.
Now restart your computer.
Option 5 – Try using DISKPART utility to get the drive to be offline
The next thing you can try to resolve the issue is to use DISKPART. Refer to the given steps below to do so.
Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run and then type “cmd” in the field and tap Enter or click OK to open an elevated Command Prompt.
Next, type and enter this command to execute it: diskpart
The command you entered will initiate the DISKPART utility. After that, type and enter this second command: list disk
Next, type and enter this third command: list volume
The commands you just executed will help you in either listing all the Disk connects or all the partitions on those disks formed and from there, you need to select one command depending on the “list” command you entered. You can execute either of the two following commands:
select disk #
select volume #
After that, it will select the Disk or Partition you want to select.
Now type either one of the following commands:
offline disk #offline volume #
The command you entered will mark the selected disk is Offline. Afterward, try to safely remove your USB Storage device. Just remember that when you plug it back in again, you have to carry out the same method except for the last given command as this time you will have to enter either of these commands in order to get your USB storage device back online:
online disk #
online volume #
Option 6 – Try to change the file system to FAT32
If you keep getting this error on a particular USB device, you might have to format the disk and change its file system to FAT32. Make sure that you copy its contents safely into another location before you format the disk. Keep in mind that formatting the disk will remove all the contents of your drive.
Open File Explorer and right-click on the drive where you got the error and then select Format from the context menu.
Next, in the newly opened mini window, select the FAT32 (Default) option from the drop-down menu under File System.
Now check the Quick Format checkbox and then click on the Start button to start formatting your drive.
Hello everyone and welcome to another quick tutorial for your Windows error, this time we will wrestle with error 0x8007000d.
Let's begin:
1. Browse to "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download" and delete the contents of the folder.
2. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X > Click Command Prompt (Admin) then type "wuauclt.exe /updatenow".
Hit Enter
3. Open Control Panel > Windows Update and Windows 10 should begin downloading.
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X
Click Command Prompt (Admin)
Type in at the prompt OR Copy and Paste these one at a time : (Hit ENTER after each)
