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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
There are several kinds of errors you could encounter when you are running Windows 10 on a virtual machine. The Windows OS knows the difference between booting up in a standalone computer or in a virtual machine. This is why some specific drivers and system capabilities are used while emulating the Windows OS on software and during this phase, there are times when the System Preparation may throw up an error that says, “A fatal error occurred while trying to sysprep the machine”.
This kind of error arises due to a race condition wherein the Sysprep command tries to stop the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator or MSDTC service and the VMware tool tries to start the MSDTC service. You may also see the following messages logged in the Setuperr.log file:
[0x0f0082] SYSPRP LaunchDll:Failure occurred while executing ‘C:Windowssystem32msdtcprx.dll,SysPrepDtcCleanup’, returned error code -2146434815[gle=0x000000b7]
To fix the 0x0f0082, 0x0f0070, 0x0f00a8 Sysprep errors, you can check out two potential fixes. First, you have to check the status of the MSDTC service and the second one is to check the settings in the Windows Registry. Note that these fixes are proven to be effective on many users and apply to several versions of Windows, including Windows 10.
Option 1 – Check the status of the MSDTC service via Command Prompt
As mentioned, the error could be caused by the malfunctioning of the MSDTC service or it. Thus, you have to uninstall and reinstall the MSDTC service to resolve the problem and you can do that using Command Prompt. Follow the steps below.
In the Start Search, type “command prompt” and from the results, right-click on Command Prompt and then select the “Run as administrator” option to open it with admin privileges.
If a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed.
Once you’ve opened Command Prompt, execute this command: msdtc –uninstall
The command you just entered will uninstall the MSDTC service. After that, you need to execute this second command to reinstall the service: msdtc –install
Now exit Command Prompt and check if the error is now fixed.
Option 2 – Check the Registry settings
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and click OK or hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
After opening the Registry Editor, navigate to this registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionSoftwareProtectionPlatform
From there, look for a DWORD value that’s named “SkipRearm” and double click on it.
Then change its value data to “1”.
Restart your computer to apply successfully apply the changes made and check if it was able to fix the error.
Support for Bluetooth hardware has always been included in the Windows 10 operating system for a long time now. And it just keeps getting better especially now with the support for the latest version of Bluetooth 5.0 LE. However, there are still times when Bluetooth experiences a couple of issues one of which is users were not able to turn on or off Bluetooth on their Windows 10 Pc since the option to turn Bluetooth off or on is missing in the Windows 10 settings app and even in the Action Center. So if you are one of the users who experience the same problem, read on as this post will guide you in resolving the issue.
To resolve this Bluetooth issue, here are some suggestions that could help:
Option 1 – Try running the Bluetooth Troubleshooter
As you know, Windows 10 has various troubleshooters with user-friendly interfaces where you can utilize them to fix issues in your PC. And since you’re dealing with some Bluetooth problem, you have to run the Bluetooth Troubleshooter.
Open the Windows 10 Settings.
Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
You should find the option for Bluetooth on your right-hand side – click on it then click on the “Run the troubleshooter” option.
Now follow the next screen options.
Option 2 – Try to reinstall or update the Bluetooth driver
The issue might have something to do with the Bluetooth drivers. It could be that it is outdated and needs to be updated or that you recently updated it and since then you have trouble removing the Bluetooth devices and so to fix the issue, you can update, roll back or uninstall the Bluetooth drivers. How? Follow the steps below.
Tap the Win + X keys to open the Device Manager.
Next, look for the Bluetooth device and right-click on it.
Select the option “Update driver”.
After that, a new popup window will appear. In there, select the option, “Search automatically for updated driver software”.
Note: Checking the update may take a few minutes so you’ll have to wait until it finishes. If it is able to find an update, you must install it. And if you want to reinstall the Bluetooth driver, just select the “Uninstall driver” option and follow the next on-screen instructions that follow.
Option 3 – Configure the Bluetooth Services
If the first two options didn’t work, the next thing you can do is configure Bluetooth Services. How? Simply follow these steps:
Tap the Win + R key combination to open the Run dialog box.
After that, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
You will then see a list of services and from there, look for the following services and make sure that their default values are set as follows:
Bluetooth Handsfree Service – Manual (Triggered)
Bluetooth Audio Gateway Service – Manual (Triggered)
Bluetooth Support Service – Manual (Triggered)
Bluetooth User Support Service – Manual (Triggered)
Now click on the Start button to start all the aforementioned services and then check if you can now see the option to turn Bluetooth on or on.
Many Windows 10 users often change the IP addresses of their computers’ network adapter in order to connect to the internet or network they belong to in times when there is no automatic connection for their computers. In most cases, access to modifying this setting is restricted for some odd reason even if you are an administrator. So if you are one of the users whose Windows 10 VPN IPv4 Properties are not working, this post can help you remedy that so that you can open and edit the IPv4 Properties on your Windows 10 PC.
The common way to change IP settings is by going to Settings > Network and then to Internet > Change adapter options > Select Network adapter > right click and open Properties. From there, you can select TCP/IP 4 and modify it. If you aren’t able to do this, refer to the instructions laid out below to troubleshoot the problem in accessing the IPv4 Properties.
Option 1 – Try using PowerShell to manually set the IPv4 properties
As you are not able to set it using the interface, you can do so using PowerShell instead. Note that this option will only work for you if you run PowerShell with administrator privileges.
After opening PowerShell, according to many users, you have to run the this command – set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias “Ethernet” -ServerAddresses xxx.xx.xxx.xxx,x.x.x.x,xxx.xx.xxx.xxx,x.x.x.x
Usually, Ethernet is the name of your network adapter which is set by default. If you want to see the actual name of your network adapter, you can just type this command and tap Enter after doing so – Get-NetAdapter -physical | where status -eq 'up'
After entering the given command, you will see a list of active Ethernet adapter in your computer as you can see on the image above. Note that the 4 sets of X like the one on the image below should match with the sequence:
Option 2 – Try editing the rasphone.pbk files
The rasphone.pbk files stores property for the connections and since you are not able to access the IPv4 properties, it is most likely that it has been disabled here. The good thing is that you can open these files and edit them using Notepad. Refer to the steps below to do so.
Open the Windows Explorer and then enable the show hidden files option.
After that, look for the files at this location – C:Users <username>AppDataRoamingMicrosoftNetworkConnectionsPbk_hiddenPbkrasphone.pbk
Then right-click on it and select the “Open with” option and choose the Notepad app.
After opening the file, look for “IpPrioritizeRemote” from the long list.
Once you found it, set its value from “1” to “0”.
After that, look for “IPInterfaceMetric” and set its value to “1” and tap Ctrl + S to save the changes you’ve made, and then exit and try accessing the IPv4 properties again. It should work, but if you’re still unable to access it, try the next option below.
Option 3 – Enable the Split Tunneling if you use VPN
All data goes back and forth when you are using a VPN service on your computer. And since you are using VPN, it could be that it disables the IPv4 interface. If that’s the case, you need to stay connected with both the local network and VPN and to do so, you have to enable Split Tunneling. How? Follow these steps:
Open PowerShell with administrator privileges.
Next, type in “Get-VpnConnection” and tap Enter. After doing so, it will give you the exact name of your VPN.
After that, type in “Set-VpnConnection -Name “yourVPNName” -SplitTunneling $True” and tap Enter. Once you enter the command, it will free your IPv5 settings so that you can change it to connect with your local network if you prefer it to.
The Intel Driver and Support Assistant automatically identifies, finds, and installs drivers in a computer and is pre-installed in newer Intel-supported systems. If you are using one of those newer Intel supported systems but encountered an error that says, “Communication with service process failed, Tray cannot start” when you launch a program, read on as this post will guide you in fixing this problem.
This kind of issue in Intel supported system could be due to some third party application that’s meant to update drivers could be interfering. It is also possible that the Intel Driver and Support Assistant application is corrupted. Whatever the cause may be, here are some suggestions you have to check out to resolve the problem.
Option 1 – Try to uninstall all the third party driver update applications
One of the reasons why some users install third-party driver update software is that it is kind of tiresome to update each one of the drivers manually. However, as tiresome as it might be, it is still better than using a third-party driver update application as these kinds of applications could mess up the drivers, and the Intel Driver and Support Assistant is still much better. To fix the error, you have to uninstall the previously installed third-party driver update application on your computer.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box
Then type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
From there, look for the third-party driver update application you are using, select it and then click on Uninstall to remove it.
After that, restart your computer and try to install the latest version of the program again. It should work now. If not, proceed to the next available option below.
Option 2 – Try to disable the DSATray in Startup
Another thing about the “Communication with service process failed, Tray cannot start” error is that it keeps on popping up each time you boot your computer. And so to resolve this bug, you can just disable the DSATray from Startup. How? Refer to these steps:
Tap the Ctrl + Alt + Del to pull up the Security options window.
From there, select the option to open the Task Manager.
Once you’re in the Task Manager, go to the Startup tab and look for “DSATray” and right-click on it and then select the Disable option.
Now restart your computer and you should be good to go.
Option 3 – Try to reinstall the Intel Driver and Support Assistant
If the Intel Driver and Support Assistant is corrupted, you need to uninstall it from your computer. All you have to do is go to Programs and Features like what you did in the first option to uninstall the program. Once you’ve uninstalled it, download the newer or latest version of the Intel Driver and Support Assistant from the official site of Intel and then install it.
One of the useful features that came with Windows 10 is the Mobile Hotspot although there’s a downside to it – it drains your battery faster especially if your Windows 10 device is running on battery. Another one of its flaws in the implementation of this feature is that it stays activated even when the connection is idle. In other words, it is still activated even if no devices are connected to it. As a result, it consumes battery life and affects it. There are also instances when it affects the performance of the network connection. At the time of writing, Microsoft hasn’t done anything about this dilemma yet so in the meantime, you can continue reading this post to resolve this issue on your Windows 10 device.
You can remedy this Mobile Hotspot issue by running a command in Windows PowerShell. To get started, follow the given instructions below.
Turn off Mobile Hotspot Automatically:
Step 1: The first thing you have to do is to copy the following command:
Step 2: After copying the command given above, open the Notepad app and paste the command you copied there and save it. And when saving it, select the “Save as” option and its File type as “All files”.
Step 3: After that, put “TurnOnTimer.bat” as the file’s name and save it on your Desktop.
Step 4: Once done, run the file you just created, and when a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes.
Step 5: After you run the file, it will run a series of scripts in a command line which will turn off the Mobile Hotspot automatically when idle.
And that’s how you automatically turn off the Mobile Hotspot when your Windows 10 device is idle. On the other hand, if you want to undo the changes made, you can always do so using the steps provided below.
Turn on Mobile Hotspot:
Step 1: Copy and paste the following command in the Notepad app:
Step 2: After copying and pasting the command, save it as “TurnOffTimer.bat” on the Desktop.
Step 3: Once done, run the file like what you did earlier and select Yes when a UAC prompt pops up. This will run a series of scripts on a command line which will revert the changes back to their default state.
One of the most useful and powerful built-in utility in Windows 10 is the DISM tool. This tool can be used with the Command Prompt command line as well as for other purposes. However, it is not without flaws and there are times when you may encounter some issues while using it.
One of the problems you can get while using the DISM tool is the following error:
“The scratch directory size might be insufficient to perform this operation”
This kind of error in DISM occurs when the DISM command is executed from the Windows Recovery Environment due to the limited size permissions of a delivery where the operating is being performed. To fix this DISM error, you need to follow the instructions laid out below.
Step 1: First, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and then type “cmd” in the field and tap Enter to open Command Prompt.
Step 2: Next, you have to specify a scratch directory that contains the Windows folder and to do that, you can either use the DIR command or the BCEDIT command. So in the elevated command prompt type and enter “dir” or “bcedit”.
Step 3: After that, you will see a list of folders inside the C: partition. Now you have to create a folder named “scratch” inside the partition. To do so, execute the following command:
mkdir C:Scratch
Note: The command you just entered will create a directory inside the root of the C: partition named Scratch.
Step 4: Now that you’ve created the Scratch folder, note that each time you run any of the DISM commands, you have to enter the following code snippet in them:
/ScratchDir:C:Scratch
Note: For instance, if you are using the DISM tool to repair the offline Windows image, instead of executing the “Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” command, you now have to execute the “DISM /Image:C: /ScratchDir:C: Scratch /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth” command. And if you want to remove a selected installed update package, you can use the “DISM /image:C: /ScratchDir:C:Scratch /Remove-Package /PackageName:Package_for_RollupFix~31bf3856ad364e75~amd64~~16299.196.4.9” command. Keep in mind that the mentioned package is only an example. And lastly, you also have to replace the drive letter in the new code snippet when you execute the commands given above.
Error 106 is a common error experienced by Windows 7 users. Generating as a result of Misconfigured, damaged or corrupt system files on the computer, this is not a critical error.
However, troubleshooting this error is important to keep any undesired inconvenience at bay. Essentially, error 106 is one of the error codes employed by Windows and other compatible driver and software vendors.
The 106 in this error is essentially the memory address or location where the instructions reside when the error was generated.
Solution
Error Causes
Primarily, error 106 is caused by the damaged, Misconfigured or corrupt system files. The error may appear harmless at first.
However, if allowed to persist, it can lead to grave consequences. Allowing an error to thrive on your system is synonymous with putting the well-being of your system at risk.
As far as the events, conditions, or scenarios are concerned that lead to the generation of error 106, they are listed below as follows.
It is important to understand that these conditions lead to the corruption of system files in most cases.
An improper or incomplete installation or uninstallations
Improper or incomplete deletion of hardware or applications
It is worth mentioning that any of the conditions listed above can lead to the corruption of system files or registry entries in the system. Since the system needs correct and complete files for proper functioning which the system will be unable to find, it will result in unexplained behavior.
This also happens because the system will be lead to wrongly linked or missing information.
Further Information and Manual Repair
There are different ways to rectify this error but two of the most useful ones are briefly listed below as follows.
This solution is for the advanced user. First and foremost, turn on your system. Log on to it as the Administrator. Now click on the start button and follow this sequence: All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore.A new window will appear in front of you. On this window, choose the option, ‘Restore my computer to an earlier time’. Now click Next.A list of restore points will appear in front of you. From this list, choose the most recent Restore Point and click Next. Click Next on the confirmation windows. Restart the computer when the restoration is complete.
This solution for the novice user. Download an error 106 windows repair utility. Now install this program on your computer and use it to scan your computer. Try to locate the option for fixing errors as soon as the scan complete. Make use of this option. Once all the errors have been fixed, restart your computer once again. You will now realize that the error has vanished and your computer is now free of error 106.
Use any of the solutions listed above according to your skill level.
After you fresh install Windows 10 on your computer, it allows you to set up a PIN just before you can start using it. However, a number of users reported that the Windows 10 installation gets stuck on the “Set up a Pin” phase. If you are one of the users who experience the same thing, then read on as this post will walk you through fixing the problem.
As users start to use their newly installed Windows 10 computer, they reported that the screen is still stuck even after they enter the correct PIN twice and there is no way for them to go forward or backward. Note that this is a part of the account setup and that your computer must stay connected to your internet connection before you finalize everything. And even though the PIN works when the computer is offline, the account setup still needs an internet connection, at least for a fresh installation.
The solution for this kind of issue is quite easy and there won’t be any problem even if your computer shuts down or restarts since the installation is already complete and all that’s left is the account setup. To fix this problem, follow the steps given below.
Step 1: The first thing you have to do is to turn off your internet connection or disable all connectivity from your computer.
Note: If you are using either an Ethernet cable or a Wi-Fi switch to connect to the internet, you have to disable or remove them. But if you don’t have any options, just completely turn off your internet connection.
Step 2: The next thing you have to do is to force your computer to shut down and then restart your computer. The setup process will eventually pick up exactly where it left off. The only difference is that there is no connection to the internet and your screen will no longer be stuck on the PIN setup screen so you now have the option to skip it and wait until you’re logged in for the first time.
Step 3: Once you’re done, you can then you can choose to Setup Pin later on and turn your internet connection back on or connect your computer with an internet connection.
Error Code 48 is a device driver error code that users can encounter on any Windows 2000 operating system and later versions.
It occurs when the connected peripheral device cannot be run as the Windows operating system’s driver required to install the programs for peripheral devices has either been corrupted or is incompatible with the system.
It prompts the user with the following message on the screen:
The software for this device has been blocked from starting because it is known to have problems with Windows. Contact the hardware vendor for a new driver. (Code 48)
Solution
Error Causes
Like most other Windows error codes, error code 48 is triggered by the following factors.
Corrupted system registry files
Presence of viruses in the device
The device driver is out-of-date
If this error code is not rectified, it could give birth to other driver device errors such as error code 52.
Further Information and Manual Repair
Method 1 – Run a complete scan for malware and spyware
Identifying and removing the viruses in the system registry and in the connected devices is the easiest method to fix the corrupted registry files.
Viruses such asspyware and malwareinfect the registry entries and eat up the files that lead to incomplete or missing data. This creates problems for installing external devices as the driver required to install them is not complete.
Method 2 – Use System Restore
You can also use system restore to eliminate the problem. Here is how you can use it:
Log in using an Administrator account
Click ‘Start’ button and select All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
Click ‘Restore my computer to an earlier time’ and click ‘Next’
Select the last Windows to restore point from the ‘On this list, click a restore point’ list, and click ‘Next’
Click ‘Next’ on the confirmation window to proceed
Restart your PC after restoration is complete
By restoring the system via the last saved system checkpoint, you can obtain undamaged Windows system registry files that can help resolve the error code.
Method 3 – Manually uninstall and reinstall the device driver
Since Error Code 48 is due to a missing or an out-of-date device driver, uninstalling and then reinstalling the device driver can help solve the error.
You can do this by firstly logging in as Administrator and opening Device Manager. Select the device that is causing the problem and double click it; make sure that the peripheral is connected properly to the PC.
Upon opening, click on the ‘Driver’ tab and then select ‘Update Driver’. Make sure to refer to the system documentation that you received with your PC or computer to check for the motherboard details and driver specifics.
Method 4 – Use software to automatically download the driver
Manually uninstalling and reinstalling the driver will do the trick; however, it may be time-consuming especially when you would have to resort to your hardware user manual.
Therefore, using a program such as DriverFIX can save you a lot of time and frustration in having your device work properly on your computer.
DriverFIX, with its user-friendly approach to help you fix your PC issues, comes with an integrated database that detects which drivers you need to reconfigure within just a few seconds and downloads it automatically.
It further ensures that your drivers are installed in their entirety leaving no room for any incomplete files to remain that create Error Code 48.
It also has the added advantage of being able to backup and restores your files should there be the slightest possibility of system file damage. DriverFIX is the answer to fixing your PC error codes accurately and quickly.
Click hereto download DriverFIX to fix Error Code 48 quickly and effectively!
There are cases when you encounter some issues while updating your Windows 10 computer. One of these issues is the error 0x80240034. This particular error is a Windows Update Error that appears on the Windows Update pane every time an update fails to install. When this happens, your Windows Update will only get stuck at 1% and nothing happens afterward and eventually fails.
If you click on the View Installed Update History, you will see the error code 0x80240034 for the failed updates. You will see this error each time you try to update your Windows PC. Take note that this issue doesn’t only happen to a specific version of the Windows Update but on various different Windows builds based on many users. What’s more, is that some users are also seeing a different error code when their Windows Update fails but they still end up seeing the error code 0x80240034 when they check the Windows Update history.
At the time of writing, it isn’t determined yet what really causes this error but it’s most likely due to some corrupted files in the computer which is why the most common solution you can try is resetting the Windows Update cache. On the other hand, other users also resolved the issue by using the ISO and selecting the “Do not keep previous settings” option during the Windows Update so it might be something to do with transferring the previous settings through the update client. For clear instructions in fixing this issue, refer to the two options provided below.
Option 1 – Try to clear the Windows Update Cache/Distribution Folder
As mentioned earlier, a lot of users tried clearing the Windows Update cache to fix the problem and so far it has worked. Like them, you can try clearing the Windows Update cache by simply deleting the contents of the folder named “SoftwareDistribution” since Windows apparently can’t clear and re-download the update contents once they are corrupted. Thus, deleting the contents of this folder will make Windows download the contents again which will fix the problem. To do that, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Tap the Windows key once.
Step 2: Next, type in “command prompt” in the Windows Start Search, and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option from the context menu.
Step 3: After opening Command Prompt, type in “net start wuauserv” and hit Enter.
Step 4: Then type in “rmdir %windir%SoftwareDistribution /S /Q” and hit Enter.
Step 5: Now type in “net start wuauserv” and hit Enter. Once it’s done, try updating your Windows PC again, it should now work just fine.
Option 2 – Update Windows via ISO file
If option 1 didn’t work for you, you can try this second option of updating your Windows 10 computer using an ISO file which means that you will have to create a Windows 10 bootable media and use it to install the latest Windows 10 version. The most user reported that this option works and the reason why it does have something to do with the Windows Update client since the Windows Updates downloaded from the regular Windows Update client seems to create issues such as the error 0x80240034. However, issues like this one don’t occur when the very same Windows Updates are downloaded and installed via an ISO file.
Take note that when using a Windows ISO file, you will be asked to choose what you want to do with the previous settings and apps. A lot of users opted for the “Not to keep the old Windows settings” option which has resolved the issue. So if you want to keep the previous settings then you must try to update Windows first while keeping the old settings. However, if it doesn’t work, you have to try installing the latest version of Windows without keeping the previous settings.
Step 1: Click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
Step 2: Next, click the “Use the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)…” option and follow the next given instructions on the screen.
Step 3: Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
Step 4: After that, you should now have an ISO file.
Step 5: Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
Step 6: Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with an option and then select File Explorer.
Step 7: Now click on “setup.exe” and follow the next instructions that appear on the screen. When asked, you have to select either: Nothing (clean install) or Keep personal files only option. Take note that you must not select the “Keep personal files, apps, and Windows settings since it doesn’t really work.
