5 Windows 10 Upgrade errors you might encounter

Microsoft has cut out Russia from downloading ISO files for Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well as installation tools without any explanation or reason behind this.

If you connect via VPN to a Russian server and try to download either ISO files or installation tools you will be greeted with the error 404 and an explanation of File or Directory not found or There was a problem with your request.

At this time you can still download Windows 11 Media creation tool but once you run it will throw a 0x80072F8F-0x20000 error with text: For some unknown reason, this tool failed to run on your computer.

People in Russia can still download files if they connect via VPN and go to a server located outside Russia.

Microsoft has not published any explanation why is this happening, it might be technical difficulty or it could be on purpose.

Other histories of Microsoft vs Russia

Since the beginning of the Russian military operation in Ukraine Microsoft has been putting restrictions on Russia starting with a suspension of all sales in March, next month in April Microsoft started suspending developer's accounts on GitHub linked to sanctioned companies and the suspension was even if the developer is not working for a given company or left it.

At the beginning of this month, Microsft laid off 400 employees inside Russia as they began scaling back operations in the country but has also stated that they would continue to provide services to all contractors and customers inside Russia so this sudden blocking of downloads is unexpected and it goes against their statement.

If you suddenly encountered a Windows Error Code 0x80070017 during an Update, Installation or System Restore then it’s probably due to some missing or corrupted system files. This kind of error code can occur during an update, installation, or system restore and the only way out of it is to download the file once again and re-run the installation from the top. Before you start to troubleshoot the problem, you need to create a System Restore Point first. After you create a System Restore point, you can follow the troubleshooting options laid out below to fix the Windows Error Code 0x80070017. You just have to follow the troubleshooting option that applies to your situation and whether you got the error during an update, installation, or during System Restore. Whether you got the error 0x80070017 while updating Windows 10 or installing it or during a system restore, the first thing you must do is run the System File Checker. As pointed out early on, the Windows Error Code 0x80070017 might be caused by corrupted or missing system files so the first thing you can try is to run the System File Checker 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.

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.

If you have encountered Windows Error Code 0x80070017 during an Update, then here are some options you need to try:

Option 1 – Delete the files/contents in the SoftwareDistribution Folder

The Software Distribution folder in the Windows operating system is a folder that can be found in the Windows directory and is used to store files temporarily which might be required to install the Windows Update on your PC. Thus, it is required by the Windows Update and maintained by WUAgent. A lot of users tried deleting the files in this folder 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.

• 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 stop bits

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service and the Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
• 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.
• Once all the contents in the Software Distribution folder are deleted, restart your PC and then go back to Command Prompt and input the following commands again.

net start wuauserv net start bits

Since the folder has already been flushed, it will be populated afresh the instant your restart your computer and open Windows Update.

Option 2 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter could also help you resolve the Windows Update Error Code 0x80070017. 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. On the other hand, if you got the error code 0x80070017 during a Windows 10 installation, then it’s because of bad media or corruption in ISO. Here are some troubleshooting steps for this kind of situation:

Option a – Try to create Windows 10 ISO media again

In this option, you will have to create a Windows 10 bootable media and use it to install the latest Windows 10 version. Most users 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 seem to create issues such as the error 0x80070017. 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.

• Click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
• 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.
• Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
• After that, you should now have an ISO file.
• Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
• Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with the option and then select File Explorer.
• 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.

Option b – Run Microsoft’s online troubleshooter

Running Microsoft’s online troubleshooter might also help you fix the Windows update error 0x80070017. This online troubleshooter is known to help in fixing Windows Update errors, it scans your computer for issues that might be causing the problem and then fixes them automatically. If you got the error during System Restore then this means that the files that are being copied from the disk are not making it to the hard drive. To resolve it, here’s what you can do:

Option 1 – Run System Restore in Safe Mode

You might want to run System Restore in Safe Mode and see if it works. Just reboot your PC into Safe Mode and then run System Restore.

Option 2 – Reset Repository

• Boot your PC into Safe Mode.
• Then open Command Prompt as admin.
• Next, type the “net stop winmgmt” command and hit Enter to stop the Windows Management Instrumentation Service.
• After that, go to C:/Windows/System32/wbem. From there, rename the repository folder to “repository-old”.
• Restart your computer.
• After your computer has restarted, open Command Prompt as admin again and then type the “net stop winmgmt” command and hit Enter.
• Next, type the “winmgmt /resetRepository” and hit Enter to reset Repository.
• Restart PC and check if System Restore now works.

Option 3 – Try resetting Windows 10

To fix the error 0x80070017, you can try resetting Windows 10. Doing so won’t get rid of any file in your system – instead of erasing all your media files and documents, it only resets all the system settings and files. Simply go to Settings > Recovery. From there click the Get started button under the Reset This PC section.

High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) is a container format for individual images and image sequences. The standard covers multimedia files that can also include other media streams, such as timed text, audio, and video. A HEIF image using High-Efficiency Video Coding, HEVC, requires only about half the storage space as the equivalent quality JPEG. HEIF also supports animation and is capable of storing more information than an animated GIF or APNG at a small fraction of the size. HEIF files are a special case of the ISO Base Media File Format (ISOBMFF, ISO/IEC 14496-12), first defined in 2001 as a shared part of MP4 and JPEG 2000. Introduced in 2015, it was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and is defined as Part 12 within the MPEG-H media suite (ISO/IEC 23008-12). HEIF was adopted by Apple in 2017 with the introduction of iOS 11, and support on other platforms is growing.

HEIF files can store the following types of data:

Image items

Storage of individual images, image properties, and thumbnails.

Image derivations

Derived images enable non-destructive image editing and are created on the fly by the rendering software using editing instructions stored separately in the HEIF file. These instructions (rectangular cropping, rotation by one, two or three quarter-turns, timed graphic overlays, etc.) and images are stored separately in the HEIF file, and describe specific transformations to be applied to the input images. The storage overhead of derived images is small.

Image sequences

Storage of multiple time-related and/or temporally predicted images (like a burst-photo shot or cinemagraph animation), their properties, and thumbnails. Different prediction options can be used in order to exploit the temporal and spatial similarities between the images. Hence, file sizes can be drastically reduced when many images are stored in the same HEIF file.

Auxiliary image items

Storage of image data, such as an alpha plane or a depth map, which complements another image item. These data are not displayed as such but used in various forms to complement another image item.

Image metadata

Storage of EXIF, XMP and similar metadata which accompany the images stored in the HEIF file.

Raptor Lake, a new and upcoming Intel 13th generation CPU will break the 6GHz barrier for the first time ever in normal working mode, overclocked mode in Intel words will go as high as 8GHz. CPU will be 15% faster than Alder lake in single-threaded tasks and a stunning 41% faster in multi-threaded workloads.

The current world record for overclocking is 8.72GHz done with AMD FX-8370 and Intel is aiming at breaking that record with Raptor Lake, of course, this kind of extreme overclocking will require some top-of-the-line nitrogen cooling systems.

Raptor Lake will run on the current LGA 1700 socket, so you will not need to buy another motherboard for CPU and they will also be manufactured on a 10nm process which means that you will need to take care of cooling and power supply if they really go over 6GHz.

Mid-range Intel Core i5-13600K processor will come with 14 cores inside and 20 threads running at a maximum P-core frequency of 5.1GHz, while Core i7-13700K will have 16 cores and 24 threads and run on 5.3GHz max P-core frequency. Best i9-13900K will come packed with 24 cores, 8 of them will be P-cores, and the rest 16 are E-cores, and 32 threads. It will reach 5.4GHz frequency but it was stated it can go to 5.8GHz with Thermal Velocity Boost.

After this statement, we can clearly see that the 6GHz breaker CPU will probably be an i9 special KS variant. In other words, specially tested and picked existing i9 running at higher speeds as was with Alder Lake as well where normal i9-12900K ran at 5.2GHz while i9-12900KS was running at 5.5GHz.

Error Code 0xc004c008 - What is it?

This specific Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 error code has to do with the number of times you can use your license number to install windows programs on computers. All windows activation codes are licensed to be used one time for a device, to control piracy, but what happens when your PC crashes, or you have to change a hard drive component and are forced to re-install Windows Operating System. Luckily, there is an easy fix for this issue.

Solution

Error Causes

Basically, when you need to re-install the Windows operating system that you have previously bought and installed on another computer an error code will be displayed with a message telling you that the activation server determined that the specific key could not be used for activation. This occurs because the key has already been used on that computer, or a different one, to install operating systems. There are a few easy fixes for this issue, and most of them should be easily completed on your own.

Further Information and Manual Repair

There aren’t many explanatory ways to repair Error Code 0xc004c008. Below are two methods to go about addressing this issue.

Methods 1:

1. The first step is to open the “Run” Window. You can do this in two ways. First, press the “Window” key and press the “R” key simultaneously. This will open the “Run” menu. Or you can start the “run” window by going to the Start menu and selecting Run.
2. In the Run window type “SLUI 4” and click enter.
3. A Phone Activation window will open up, after which you'll need to select a few options.
4. First chose the country in which you registered the product for the first time.
5. Choose your country and a phone number will be displayed specific to your choice. You will now need to call the number provided.
6. After you’ve dialed you will be prompted to write your “Installation ID”. Type your “Installation ID” on the phone.
7. After that step, you will be asked how many copies of Windows have been installed using this license. Choose “1”, should anything else be chosen but “1”, this will not work.
8. After the process is completed, you will be given a confirmation ID and should be able to proceed as normal with installation. You will have a workable product key again.
9. Install whatever copy of the Windows Operating System you are attempting to with the new product key.

Method 2:

If the first method did not work, the only other option is to call Microsoft and walk through the process with a technician. To do this, dial “1-800-936-5700”. Explain the error that you received and the steps in the update process during which it was displayed. The technician will be able to walk through the steps from getting a new product key to finishing the installation.

If you're not a tech-savvy individual but would like to solve this problem without the aid of a technician, download a powerful automated tool to fix error code 0xc004c008.

The Boot Configuration Data or BCD files have the instructions required by the Windows operating system in order to properly boot the computer. So if you experience any trouble when you boot your computer, then it is possible that it is due to some misconfiguration or even corrupted Boot Configuration Data files. And if you also encounter an error saying,

“The boot configuration data store could not be opened”

while you try to carry out any command on the bcedit.exe, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how you can fix this error in Windows 10. This kind of error could pop up if the system is not able to locate the specified file. It is also possible that the requested system device can’t be found or that the boot configuration data store could not be opened. In addition, when you open the System Configuration or MSConfig, you might notice that there is no Boot data, and according to the reports, is that when you try to dual boot the computer, the installer will replace the default bootloader.

Explanation

In case you don’t know, Windows’ earlier versions were stored in the “Boot.ini” file. You can find the entry in the EFI firmware boot manager of the EFI-based operating system which is located at EFIMicrosoftBootBootmgfw.efi. Whatever the cause of the error is, there are several suggestions you can check out to resolve the problem. You can try to set an entry option value in BCD or enable the Advanced options menu, as well as rebuild the BCD. Before you proceed with the troubleshooting options provided below, make sure that you boot your computer into the Advanced Recovery Mode first since that’s where you can find Command Prompt under the Advanced Options. In addition, you also have to suspend or disable BitLocker and Secure Boot on your PC.

Option 1 – Try to set an entry option value in BCD

• Once you’re in the Advanced Options, select Command Prompt.
• Next, execute this command to set an entry point: bcdedit /set {current} Description "TheNameYouWant"
• After the command has been executed, it will enable the system to trust a version of Windows that is not trusted by default. This should fix the problem, if not, follow the next given options below.

Option 2 – Try to specify the BCD file

• In the elevated Command Prompt, execute this command: bcdedit /store c:BootBCD
• Once done, the command will give you a list of options and then execute this next command: bcdedit /store c:BootBCD /set bootmenupolicy legacy
• After that, restart your computer and select your Windows and then tap the F8 key right away.

Note: When you select the legacy option, the Advanced Options menu will be available during the computer boot up and then you can select into which operating system you can boot your computer into.

Option 3 – Try to rebuild the BCD files

The first thing you can do to resolve the issue is to Rebuild Boot Configuration Data or BCD files.

• You can start by booting into the installation environment for Windows 10 from an installation media.
• After that, click on Repair your computer and on the blue screen, select Troubleshoot and then select the Advanced options menu.
• From there, select Command Prompt and once you open it, enter each one of the commands given below by sequence.
  • bootrec /FixMbr
  • bootrec /FixBoot
  • bootrec /ScanOS
  • bootrec /RebuildBcd
• Once you’re done executing the commands given above, type “exit” to close the Command Prompt window and then restart your computer and see if it fixed error code 0xc000014c.

Speech Recognition is a technology used to control computers using voice commands. Through this feature, you can say commands that your computer will respond to, and aside from that, you can also dictate text to your computer which eliminates the need to type words in any word processing program or text editor. All in all, the Speech Recognition feature allows you to communicate with your computer and improves your computer’s ability to understand your own voice better as well as improve its diction accuracy. However, before you can improve its accuracy, you need to “train the feature” first. And if so far you are not satisfied with its performance, you actually have the option to disable it. So in this post, you will be guided on how you can disable the Speech Recognition feature in Windows 10 v1809.

To disable Speech Recognition on your computer, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Go to Settings > Ease of Access. Step 2: From there, go to Speech. Step 3: Now switch off the toggle button for Speech Recognition to disable this feature. On the other hand, you can also disable the Online Speech Recognition feature if you really don’t want to have anything to do with it. You have two options to do that – you can either do it using Settings or using the Registry Editor.

Disable Online Speech Recognition feature via Settings:

• Click on the Start button and select Settings.
• Next, go to the Privacy section and click on the Speech option located at the right pane.
• Then switch the toggle button off to turn off the Online Speech Recognition feature.

Note: Speech services exist on your computer and even in the cloud since Microsoft collects essential information from these services in order to enhance user experience and if you want to stop this, you have to turn off the “Getting to know you” option under the “Inking and typing Personalization” section.

Disable Online Speech Recognition feature via Registry Editor:

Before you proceed, you need to create a System Restore Point first.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to the following registry path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftSpeech_OneCoreSettingsOnlineSpeechPrivacy

• After that, check the default value of the “HasAccepted” key located in the right pane. As you can see its value is set to “1” which means that the Speech Recognition feature is enabled. And so to change it, you have to set “0” as its new value to permanently disable the feature.
• Just double click on the key and change the value from “1” to “0”. Keep in mind that even if you are using a 64-bit Windows 10 computer, you still have to create a 32-bit DWORD value.
• After that, restart your computer to apply the changes made.

MovieGoat is a browser extension that allegedly lets you search for your favorite videos using its simple search engine. From the author:

Search for your favorite movies online, stay updated with the latest news and trends, and keep an eye on what’s up and coming in the world of cinema.

Simply type goat+ SpaceTab + query at the chrome search bar.

MovieGoat hijacks your browser, replacing your default search engine, displaying sponsored videos when you use its search and will display pop-up ads during your browsing experience. This extension has been detected as a Browser Hijacker by several anti-virus scanners and is not recommended to keep on your computer, especially because it serves no other purpose than to display pop-up ads and negatively impact your browsing experience.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijack is a common type of internet fraud where your internet browser configuration settings are modified to make it carry out things you never intend. There are numerous reasons why you may have an internet browser hijack; however commercial, advertising, and marketing are definitely the primary reasons for their creation. Usually, hijackers are made for the benefit of cyber hackers usually through income generation from forced ad clicks and site visits. Most people assume that these types of websites are legitimate and harmless but that is incorrect. Almost every browser hijacker poses an actual threat to your online safety and it’s important to categorize them under privacy risks. Some browser hijackers are designed to make particular modifications beyond the web browsers, like altering entries on the system registry and permitting other types of malware to further damage your PC.

How you can recognize a browser hijack

When your browser is hijacked, the following could happen: your homepage has been reset to some unfamiliar webpage; you find yourself regularly directed to some other site than the one you meant; The default search page of web browser is altered; you are finding new toolbars you have never witnessed before; you’ll notice random pop-ups start showing regularly; websites load very slowly and sometimes incomplete; Inability to navigate to particular websites, particularly anti-malware as well as other computer security software websites.

How it infects your computer

Browser hijackers can get into a computer in some way or other, for example via downloads, file sharing, and email too. They may also be deployed through the installation of a web browser toolbar, add-on, or extension. A browser hijacker can also come bundled up with some freeware which you unwittingly download and install the browser hijack, compromising your computer security. A good example of some infamous browser hijackers includes Anyprotect, Conduit, Babylon, SweetPage, DefaultTab, Delta Search, and RocketTab, however, the names are constantly changing. Browser hijacking can bring about severe privacy problems and even identity theft, affect your browsing experience by taking control over outbound traffic, substantially slows down your computer by consuming lots of resources, and cause system instability also.

Removal

One thing you could try to eliminate a browser hijacker is to locate the malicious software within the “Add or Remove Programs” list of the Windows Control Panel. It might or might not be there. If it is, uninstall it. But, most browser hijackers are hard to eliminate manually. Irrespective of how much you attempt to get rid of it, it could come back again and again. On top of that, manual removal demands you to carry out several time-consuming and complicated procedures which are very hard to complete for new computer users.

What you can do if Virus Prevents You From Downloading Or Installing Antivirus?

Malware can cause all sorts of damage if they invade your PC, ranging from stealing your personal information to erasing files on your computer. Some malware is created to restrict or block things that you want to do on your PC. It may not allow you to download anything from the net or it will prevent you from accessing a few or all of the internet sites, particularly the antivirus sites. If you’re reading this article, odds are you’re stuck with a virus infection that is preventing you to download or install Safebytes Anti-Malware software on your computer system. There are a few solutions you can attempt to get around with this particular obstacle.

Boot your computer in Safe Mode

If the malware is set to load automatically when Microsoft Windows starts, entering safe mode could block this attempt. Just the minimum required applications and services are loaded whenever you boot your computer or laptop in Safe Mode. Here are the steps you need to follow to boot into the Safe Mode of your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers (visit Microsoft site for directions on Windows 8 and 10 PCs). 1) At power on, hit the F8 key before the Windows splash screen begins to load. This would conjure up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Select Safe Mode with Networking using arrow keys and hit Enter. 3) Once you get into this mode, you will have internet access once again. Now, obtain the malware removal program you want by using the internet browser. To install the software, follow the directions in the installation wizard. 4) Following installation, do a complete scan and allow the program to remove the threats it detects.

Use an alternate web browser to download security software

Malicious code could exploit vulnerabilities in a particular browser and block access to all antivirus software websites. If you are not able to download the anti-virus software program using Internet Explorer, it means malware may be targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you need to switch over to another web browser such as Chrome or Firefox to download Safebytes Anti-malware software.

Install and run anti-malware from a USB drive

Here’s yet another solution which is utilizing a portable USB antivirus software package that can check your computer for viruses without the need for installation. Follow these steps to use a USB flash drive to clean your corrupted computer system. 1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or Windows Defender Offline onto a clean PC. 2) Insert the USB drive into the clean computer. 3) Double-click the exe file to run the installation wizard. 4) When asked, choose the location of the USB drive as the place in which you would like to store the software files. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. 5) Disconnect the flash drive. You can now utilize this portable anti-malware on the affected computer system. 6) Double-click the antivirus program EXE file on the USB flash drive. 7) Hit the “Scan” button to run a full computer scan and remove viruses automatically.

Protect your PC from Malware With SafeBytes Security Suite

If you are looking to install anti-malware software for your computer, there are plenty of tools on the market to consider nonetheless, you should not trust blindly anyone, no matter whether it is a paid or free software. A few are good ones, some are ok types, and some are simply just bogus anti-malware applications that can damage your personal computer themselves! You need to pick one that is efficient, practical, and has a strong reputation for its malware protection. On the list of strongly recommended software by industry analysts is SafeBytes Anti-Malware, the safest program for Microsoft Windows. SafeBytes anti-malware is a trusted software that not only secures your computer permanently but is also very user-friendly for people of all ability levels. With its outstanding protection system, this tool will automatically detect and remove most of the security threats, including browser hijackers, viruses, adware, ransomware, PUPs, and trojans. SafeBytes possesses a plethora of amazing features that can help you protect your PC from malware attack and damage. Here are a few of the best ones: Most effective AntiMalware Protection: Using its enhanced and sophisticated algorithm, this malware removal tool can identify and eliminate the malware threats hiding within your computer system effectively. Active Protection: Malware programs trying to get into the system are identified and stopped as and when detected by the SafeBytes active protection shields. It will constantly monitor your laptop or computer for hacker activity and also gives users advanced firewall protection. Web Protection: SafeBytes checks and provides a unique safety rating to every single website you visit and block access to web pages considered to be phishing sites, thus safeguarding you against identity theft, or known to contain malware. High-Speed Malware Scanning Engine: This tool has got one of the fastest and most efficient virus scanning engines in the industry. The scans are very accurate and take a little time to complete. Lowest CPU and Memory Usage: SafeBytes is a lightweight tool. It consumes a very small amount of processing power as it operates in the background so you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you really want. 24/7 Online Support: For any technical queries or product support, you can get 24/7 expert assistance through chat and e-mail.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove MovieGoat without the use of an automated tool, it may be possible to do so by removing the program from the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu, or in cases of browser extensions, going to the browsers AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. You will likely also want to reset your browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. Please note that this is for advanced users only and may be difficult, with incorrect file removal causing additional PC errors. In addition, some malware is capable of replicating or preventing deletion. Doing this in Safe Mode is advised.

The following files, folders, and registry entries are created or modified by MovieGoat

Keyboard shortcuts are undeniably one of the most utilized ways and are helpful in maximizing productivity through the various applications at top speed in Windows 10. It offers the option to create custom keyboard shortcuts that allow users to launch apps, and even websites, instantly. There are already tons of keyboard shortcuts that are built-in in Windows 10 but in case you don’t know, you can actually create new ones. Doing so is not a difficult task and in this post, you will be guided on how you can exactly create custom keyboard shortcuts in your Windows 10 computer. Most users would create desktop shortcuts or pin the apps in the taskbar to speed up the process of working on their computers. It is an easy task to do since you can easily do it by dragging an app from the Start Menu to the desktop or by simply right-clicking on the executable app and selecting the “Create Shortcut” option. However, doing so would take physical effort and there are times when you have to minimize all the apps to get to the desktop so you can click the shortcut and this is where the Custom Keyboard Shortcuts come in handy. You can create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10 for various programs – from the traditional desktop apps to the new universal apps – you can fling in a shortcut so that you can instantly open them faster compared to when doing it manually and besides this also wouldn’t affect any of the ongoing system activity. To get started, you need to follow the steps provided below carefully.

To add Custom Keyboard hotkeys to a program and website desktop shortcuts, here’s what you have to do:

Step 1: First, you have to right-click on the app or website and select Properties. Step 2: After that, go to the Shortcut tab and from there, you will see the “Shortcut key” textbox which allows you to enter a new or custom keyboard shortcut for the app or website. Step 3: In the textbox field, input your preferred letters to set up the new hotkey. Keep in mind that this custom shortcut has to be combined with the Ctrl + Alt keys which means that if you want to select “N”, you have to tap the Ctrl + Alt + N keys. Step 4: Once done, click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made and then close the window. Step 5: After that, tap the newly created keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + Alt + N keys again to open the app or website you’ve set up earlier.

To add Custom Keyboard hotkeys to a desktop app or an independent program that can be installed using direct download, here’s what you have to do:

Step 1: First, open the Start Menu and look for the icon/tile of the required app in the menu. However, if you are not able to find the desired app, then just click on the All Apps option to navigate through all the apps that are installed on your PC. Step 2: Once you find the app, just right-click on it and select More and then click on the “Open file location” option. Step 3: This will open a new window with the shortcut icon. Right-click on the app’s shortcut icon and select Properties. Step 4: This will open the Properties window where you can add the shortcut combination. Keep in mind that just like the previous method, the custom shortcut has to be combined with the Ctrl + Alt keys. For instance, if you select E, then you also have to set a keyboard shortcut that includes Ctrl + Alt, so it will be, Ctrl + Alt + E. Step 5: Once you’re done, click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made. You should now be able to use the custom shortcut key you’ve set.

Roblox is a very popular online game with millions of gamers playing it each day and as such it will naturally bring a lot of malware and attack on players trying to steal and exploit them for monetary gains. The latest attack and high-profile stealing of currency and assets happened exactly in Roblox.

Malicious activities have been reported to come from chrome extensions. So far 2 extensions have been identified that have hidden malware inside them but there could be more of them currently undetected. Extensions work as a front while in the back they mine user logins and other data in order to steal stuff from the Roblox platform.

To make things worse some of the malware is within long extensions like SearchBlox. The SearchBlox extension allows you to search quickly for other users if it was legitimate but has been compromised within the last month. There is evidence that people are stealing Roblox currency with the data gathered by the hidden backdoor in it.

SearchBlox extension is still Active in Chrome Web Store, with the primary listing still with the "Featured " badge. Google is actively removing malicious software from its storefront on a regular basis but this one still lingers in it.

If you or your kid have this Chrome extension installed, uninstall it right away and always be careful about which extension you install and give access to your system, keep them updated and check various blogs and article sites to inform yourself when a bad one is found.