Backup and Restore pinned Taskbar Items

If you are trying to connect to the internet using the Microsoft Edge browser but encountered an error message instead that says, “Can’t connect to the proxy server”, read on as this post will show you how you can fix this error. This kind of error in Microsoft Edge could be caused by incorrect proxy settings or worse, malware. To fix this error, here are some suggestions you need to check out:

Option 1 – Try to check your internet connection

The first thing you can do to resolve the “Can’t connect to the proxy server” error in Microsoft Edge is to check your internet connection. There are times when your internet connection or Wi-Fi router can cause such problems. In such cases, you have to ensure that you have a valid internet source and if you are using a Wi-Fi router, you can try to use another connection and then see if the error is gone or not.

Option 2 – Try to disable the manual proxy set up from the Settings

In case you miss it, there is actually an option in the Settings panel that you can use to set up proxy in your Windows 10 computer. So if you encounter the “Can’t connect to the proxy server” error, you should disable manual proxy for the meantime and check if it fixed the error or not.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Windows Settings.
• Then go to Network & Internet > Proxy.
• And on your right-hand side, ensure that the Automatically detect settings are enabled and that the Use a proxy server option under the Manual proxy setup is disabled.
• Now try to open any website again and see if the problem’s fixed.

Option 3 – Try disabling the VPN

Like pointed out earlier, if you are using VPN, this could be the reason why you’re getting the “Can’t connect to the proxy server” error so the most obvious thing to do is for you to turn off the VPN and try to load a website in Edge again. And if you use a VPN software that works using their software, you can just completely exit or log-off from its account. On the other hand, if you are using a built-in Windows 10 VPN, you can simply turn it off or delete all the settings you have created there.

Option 4 – Disable the proxy server for your LAN

If your PC was just attacked by some adware or malware as of late, it is possible that it has changed the network settings in the system and might display spam advertisements. Thus, you have to disable the proxy server for your LAN. To do that, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it.

Option 5 – Temporarily disable Firewall and third-party antivirus

Firewall and antivirus programs are known to block files the instant it detects a threat to the system. However, there are some cases when it can also block a file even when it’s a safe one. Thus, your antivirus or firewall programs might be the reason why you can’t download anything on your Windows 10 computer. To isolate the issue, you need to temporarily disable both the Firewall and antivirus programs and then check if you can now download anything from the internet. Do not forget to enable them again as disabling them can leave your computer vulnerable to cyber threats.

Option 6 – Clear the browsing data of Microsoft Edge

• Open Microsoft Edge.
• Then click on the three horizontal dots to open the menu.
• From there, click on Settings. And under Settings, click the “Choose what to clear” button under the Clear browsing data section.
• Next, check all the checkboxes and then click the Clear button to clear the browsing data in the Edge browser.
• Restart Edge.

Option 7 – Try to reset, repair or reinstall Edge via Settings

You can reset, repair or reinstall the Edge browser through Settings. If none of it helped, you can try the following:

• Open File Explorer and then go to this path – C:/Users/YourUsername/AppData/Local/Packages

Note: Before you type in the path in the Address bar, make sure that you put your user account name in place with the “YourUsername”.

• Tap Enter to proceed.
• Next, look for the folder named “MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe” then right-click on it.
• Click on Properties and uncheck the option “Read-only” under the General tab in the Properties window.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save the changes made.
• After that, look for the MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder again and delete it. And if a prompt stating “Folder Access Denied” appears on your screen, just click on the Continue button to proceed – doing so will delete most of the content inside the folder except for the folder named “AC”.
• Restart your PC.
• Now all you have to do is to re-register Microsoft Edge using PowerShell. In the Start Menu, search “Windows PowerShell”.
• Right-click on Windows PowerShell from the search results and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• Type in this command in the PowerShell windows and tap Enter – Cd C:/Users/YourUsername

Note: Once again, make sure that you key in your user account name in place of “YourUsername.

• After that, type in this command and tap Enter – Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml" -Verbose}
• Restart your PC.

Option 8 – Scan your computer for malware using Windows Defender

Your computer could be infected with malware which might have triggered the “Can’t connect to the proxy server” error. To fix this, you need to scan your computer using a reliable program like Windows Defender.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
• Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
• Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
• Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.

If you always use Google Chrome when browsing the internet, then you might have come across an error saying, “This webpage is not available, DNS PROBE FINISHED BAD CONFIG”. If you do, then this problem certainly has something to do with the DNS since any error code which has “DNS” in it points out a network issue in the computer. Getting the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error indicates that your computer is not able to connect the website because the Domain Name Server or DNS wasn’t able to resolve the website name into IP address or it is not available at all. So in this guide, we’ll help you sort out this issue in Chrome on your Windows 10 PC.

Option 1 – Check the Network Cables and restart your router then reconnect

The most obvious thing you can do first is to try checking if the network cables connected to your computer or router are properly connected or not. If it turns out that some network cables are not connected properly, then it’s probably why you’re getting the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error in Chrome. And if your computer is connected via Wi-Fi, you need to make sure to restart your router once. In addition, you can also forget the Wi-Fi your computer is currently connected to and then try reconnecting again to see if it would work.

Option 2 – Flush the DNS and reset TCP/IP

Flushing the DNS and reset TCP/IP could also help in fixing the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error in Chrome. To do so, refer to these steps:

• Click the Start button and type in “command prompt” in the field.
• From the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt, you have to type each one of the commands listed below. Just make sure that after you type each command, you hit Enter
  • ipconfig /release
  • ipconfig /all
  • ipconfig /flushdns
  • ipconfig /renew
  • netsh int ip set dns
  • netsh winsock reset

After you key in the commands listed above, the DNS cache will be flushed and the Winsock, as well as the TCP/IP, will reset.

Option 3 – Try to remove the Proxy

You can also try to remove the Proxy as it might also help you in fixing the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error. Here’s how you can do it:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it.

Option 4 – Change the DNS

Try to use the Google Public DNS If the first option didn’t work, you can try to use the Public DNS by Google and see if it can help fix the DNS error. You have to modify the DNS settings in your system explicitly and use the DNS IP addresses.

• The first thing you have to do is right-click on the network icon in the Taskbar and select Network and Sharing Center.
• Next, click on the “Change Adapter Settings” option.
• After that, search for the network connection that you are using to connect to the internet. Note that the option might be “Wireless Connection” or “Local Area Connection”.
• Right-click on your network connection and click on Properties.
• Then select the new window to choose the “Internet Protocol 4 (TCP/IPv4)” option.
• After that, click on the Properties button and click the checkbox in the new window for the option “Use the following DNS server addresses”.
• Type in “8.8.8” and “8.8.4.4” and click OK and exit.

Option 5 – Clear Chrome’s browsing data

If your browsing data in Chrome hasn’t been cleared for some time now then that might be the reason why you’re suddenly getting the DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_BAD_CONFIG error when you browse the web. To fix this error, you need to clear your web browsing data. Refer to the following steps to do so.

• Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Delete buttons to go to the Clear browsing data section in Chrome.
• Next, set the time range to “All time” and tick all the boxes and then click on the Clear data button.
• After that, restart the Chrome browser and try to open the website you were trying to open earlier.

Option 6 – Try running the Chrome Cleanup tool

In case you don’t know, there is actually a built-in malware scanner and cleanup tool in Chrome that helps you get rid of any unwanted ads, pop-ups, and even malware, as well as unusual startup pages, toolbars, and other things that could affect the performance of the browser.

Diablo 2 resurrected has hit official release and servers seem to be finally taken care of and everything seems to be running smoothly now. The game also received great praise from gamers and attracted old players of the original Diablo 2 game. Speaking of old players of old Diablo 2, they can transfer their old characters into remaster and continue playing them within this new great HD environment. There are some steps and requirements but we are here to help and transferred characters will bring full stash, inventory, and equipped items with them.

Requirements

There are not many requirements for this transfer to occur but they must be respected in order to be successful. The first thing is a minor requirement and somewhat annoying but it needs to be done, firstly fire up Diablo 2 resurrected and create a character, any kind of character with any kind of name, any kind of class. This strange requirement is to actually create a character folder and register it inside D2 resurrected so we can copy old ones there. The second requirement will be that characters that you wish to be transferred must be offline characters. Old battle net online characters cannot be transferred at this moment and probably will not be in the future as well. So for all of you that wish to transfer online characters, bad luck, for the rest of us casuals playing offline single-player mode, we can enjoy our characters.

Process of diablo 2 character trasfer

The process itself of transferring characters when previously mentioned requirements are met is just a simple and copy operation. If you have somewhere backed your characters go into your backup folder and copy files in c:\users\*current user*\saved games\*diablo 2 resurrected folder* If you do not have characters backed up and just have old Diablo 2 installed and playing it, you can go to c:\users\*current user*\saved games\*diablo 2 folder* and just copy all characters files into c:\users\*current user*\saved games\*diablo 2 resurrected folder* Your old characters end with .d2s extension, grab all that you want to transfer, and copy them into D2R. Take note that copied characters cannot be brought back into Diablo 2, once they are copied into Diablo 2 resurrected all further progress on them will be tied to the new game.

Conclusion

That’s it about the transfer process and requirements for it. Fire up the new game version and enjoy.

If you find that the scroll bar in your Google Chrome browser is missing all of a sudden, and it becomes difficult for you to scroll down the web page and see its content, worry not for this post will guide you on what you can do to resolve this problem. Usually, when the mouse cursor stays hidden in the corner and only appears when you point it to the edge of the screen. However, there are instances when it won’t appear which makes navigating the web page you are visiting quite impossible. So if you encounter this kind of strange behavior on your Google Chrome browser, there are several suggestions you can check out to resolve it. In most cases, updating the browser resolves the problem, but if it does not, you can try restoring the browser’s settings to their default state by resetting Chrome or you could also disable hardware acceleration or disable the overlay scrollbars flag. For more information, follow each one of the options provided below.

Option 1 – Reset Google Chrome

Before you proceed, make sure that the Chrome browser is not running anywhere in the background via Task Manager. Once you’ve made sure that it’s no longer running, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalGoogleChromeUser Data” in the field and tap Enter to open this location.
• From there, look for the Default folder and then tap the Shift + Delete button and if a confirmation prompt appears, click on Yes.
• After deleting the Default folder, open Google Chrome and click on the three vertical dots icon located in the top-right corner to open the menu.
• Next, click on Settings and scroll down and then click on Advanced to open the Advanced Settings.
• Then scroll down until you see the “Reset and clean up” section and click the “Restore Settings to their original defaults” option.
• After that, you will see a confirmation box and from there, click on the Reset settings button to reset your Google Chrome browser.

Option 2 – Try to disable the Hardware Acceleration

For better performance, Google Chrome uses the Hardware Acceleration by default. Unfortunately, there are just some cases when your hardware, GPU to be specific, might not be able to cope with the requirements, resulting in the black screen issue. And if this is your case, you should try to disable the hardware acceleration from your Google Chrome browser settings panel. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Open the Google Chrome settings page.
• Click on the Advanced button to get more options.
• Look for the option called “Use hardware acceleration when available” and then disable it by toggling the button to the left.
• After that, check if the screen flickering issue in Chrome is fixed.

Option 3 – Try to disable “Smooth Scrolling” in Chrome

Disabling “Smooth Scrolling” in Chrome might also help you fix the issue. To do so, follow these steps:

• Open Chrome and type “chrome://flags” and hit Enter.
• Next, look for a flag named “Smooth Scrolling”. You can scroll down until you find it or search it in the Search Flag bar. Note that Smooth Scrolling is enabled by default in the newer versions of Chrome.
• After that, select the drop-down menu and select Disabled.
• Then click on the “Relaunch Now” button.

If you always use the Google Chrome browser in browsing the internet, then you might have come across an error message saying, “He’s dead, Jim!” along with a funny looking face that’s peeking its tongue out and another detailed message saying, “Either Chrome Ran out of memory or process for the webpage has terminated for some other reason. To continue, reload the webpage or go to another page”. This error message in Google Chrome is actually quite famous and it appears for various reasons but it may have something to do with a memory issue. The Google Chrome browser is known to consume a lot of memory and the more web pages you open and load, it takes up more resources. Thus, the first thing you need to do when you encounter this error is to simply click the Reload button to continue browsing the internet or close the browser and then open it again. On the other hand, if you keep seeing this error message, then that’s a whole different story as you have to take some action to prevent it from popping up again, for good. Follow the instructions given below to fix the error in Chrome.

Option 1 – Reduce Google Chrome’s memory usage

The first thing you can try is reducing the memory usage of the Chrome browser. However, this option has a bit of a disadvantage. If a website crashes, all the instances of that website will also crash although other open tabs and websites won’t be affected. This process is referred to as “Process-per-site” mode which you will have to launch Chrome within this parameter.

Option 2 – Run Google Chrome with Strict Site Isolation

Aside from reducing Chrome’s memory usage, you can also run the browser with the Strict Site Isolation which makes sure that the crashing of one tab in the browser won’t affect the entire Windows as this feature will run every website you open on its own isolated process.

Option 3 – Run the built-in Malware Scanner and Cleanup tool in Chrome

In case you don’t know, there is actually a built-in malware scanner and cleanup tool in Chrome that helps you get rid of any unwanted ads, pop-ups, and even malware, as well as unusual startup pages, toolbars, and other things that could affect the performance of the browser.

Option 4 – Reset Google Chrome

Resetting Chrome can also help you get rid of the “He’s dead, Jim!” error message for good. Resetting Chrome means restoring its default settings, disabling all the extensions, add-ons, and themes. Aside from that, the content settings will be reset as well and the cookies, cache, and site data will also be deleted. To reset Chrome, here’s what you have to do:

• Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
• After that, click on Settings.
• Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
• After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up the option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
• Now restart Google Chrome.

Option 5 – Perform a clean reinstall on the Chrome browser

Although reinstalling any program is easy, not so much for Google Chrome as you need to make sure that the User Data folder is deleted before you reinstall it.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run prompt.
• Then type %LOCALAPPDATA%GoogleChromeUser Data in the field and hit Enter.
• Next, rename the “Default” folder inside the path you were redirected to. For instance, you can rename it to “Default-old”.
• After that, install the Chrome browser again.

Option 6 – Try to flush the DNS and reset the TCP/IP

There are instances when a network goes into haywire because of a bad DNS. Thus, a bad DNS might be the one that’s causing this headache so it’s time for you to reset the entire network to resolve the issue. To reset the network, here’s what you have to do:

• Click the Start button and type in “command prompt” in the field.
• From the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt, you have to type each one of the commands listed below. Just make sure that after you type each command, you hit Enter
  • ipconfig /release
  • ipconfig /all
  • ipconfig /flushdns
  • ipconfig /renew
  • netsh int ip set dns
  • netsh winsock reset

After you key in the commands listed above, the DNS cache will be flushed and the Winsock, as well as the TCP/IP, will reset.

• Now restart your computer and open Google Chrome then try opening the website you were trying to open earlier.

Note: You can also try changing the DNS server to the Google Server, i.e. 8.8.8.8, and then see if it works for you or not.

Option 7 – Disable both the antivirus and firewall temporarily

As you know, both the firewall and antivirus programs are there to protect the operating system from any malicious threats. So if they find that there is some malicious content in a website you are visiting, they will block the site right away. Thus, it could also be the reason why you’re getting the “He’s dead, Jim!” error so you need to disable both the firewall and antivirus program temporarily and then try opening the website again. If you are able to open the website, you need to add this site as an exception and then enable the firewall and antivirus program back.

Error Code 0xc004f210 – What is it?

Error code 0xc004f210 is one of the many activation errors that affect Windows 10 users. Users will be able to identify error code 0xc004f210 because of the following common symptoms which occur:

• Inability to activate Windows 10 operating system
• Message box with error code 0xc004f210

Solution

Error Causes

Error code 0xc004f210 usually occurs due to issues related to one’s product key or digital entitlement. Both the product key and digital entitlement are used by Microsoft to enable customers to activate the version of Microsoft that they have legitimate access to. If you enter the wrong product key or if you upgrade to Windows 10 but the current version of Windows to which you are attempting an activation does not match the edition of your digital entitlement, error code 0xc004f210 may occur. To correct this issue, you will need to implement one or more manual repair procedures. This will depend on the problem that caused the error to occur in the first place.

Further Information and Manual Repair

The methods below are simple procedures that Windows users lacking technical knowledge will be able to successfully complete. However, do contact a Windows repair technician if you have difficulty completing the manual repair methods listed below, or if the problem persists after completing these steps.

Method One: Enter Valid Product Key

In order to successfully activate your Windows 10 operating system and resolve error code 0xc004f210, you will need to enter a valid product key. Ensure you enter the 25-character code in the order it is given as making a simple mistake while typing the product key can lead to the reoccurrence of the error code. Follow the instructions below to enter the product key.

• Step one: Click the Start button then select Settings
• Step two: Select Update & security then Activation
• Step three: Click the Change product key
• Step four: Type in your valid product key with its 25 characters in the correct order

You should be able to successfully activate Windows 10 once you complete the process. However, move to the next manual method suggested below if the problem persists as error code 0xc004f210 could be due to an issue with your digital entitlement.

Method Two: Reinstall Windows 10 Edition that Matches Your Digital Entitlement

Digital entitlement, a new form of activation that doesn’t require the use of a product key, could be the real reason you are experiencing error code 0xc004f210 on your device. To combat any issues related to your digital entitlement, ensure the version of Windows 10 installed on your system matches your digital entitlement. This will require that you reinstall your operating system as well. After reinstalling Windows 10, follow the steps below to complete the process.

• Step one: Click the Start button then select Settings
• Step two: After selecting Settings, click Update & Security
• Step three: Select Windows Update then the Check for updates tab
• Step four: Activate Windows 10 update

If this method is successful, you will no longer see the error code 0xc004f210 pop up on your screen. However, contact a Windows repair technician to evaluate your system if the issue persists.

Method Three: Use an Automated Tool

This method involves the use of a powerful automated tool. But why is this important you might ask? A third-party tool is often the best solution when all manual repair efforts fail. Automated tools come equipped to tackle the most serious PC problems including error codes which can cause frustration and result in reduces PC performance.

Interrupts are designed so that the resource requests don’t get into a headlock when it comes to the hardware level. To simply put it, it is used to break a loop that never ends. Aside from that, developers also designed levels in order to prioritize interrupts. It is also known as “Interrupt Request Level” or IRQL. And if you suddenly encounter a “Bugcode 0xA –IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL” error, this means that a driver has accessed a memory location illegally while NT is operating at a specific IRQL. The Bugcode 0xA –IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is a fatal driver coding error and as an end-user, there isn’t much that you can do to resolve it but if you’re a developer, then this means that your code is trying to access an invalid memory location. You could check on different parameters such as memory location that was referenced and code addressed which referenced memory. The technical parameters are:

• a memory location that was referenced
• IRQL at time of reference
• 0 = read, 1 = write
• code addressed which referenced memory

As mentioned earlier, if you are an end-user, there is nothing much that you can do to resolve this problem, but worry not for there are still possible solutions that could help you in fixing it. Refer to the suggestions laid out below to fix Bugcode 0xA –IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error.

Option 1 – Try running the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

The first thing you can do to fix the problem is by running the Hardware Troubleshooter. Although it won’t make much of a difference, there’s still a possibility that it could automatically fix the problem. To use it, refer to these steps:

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

Option 2 – Try to update or rollback your device drivers

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

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

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

Option 3 – Run the Memory Diagnostic Tool to check for Memory leaks

• Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and type exe and hit Enter to open the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.
• After that, it will give two options such as:
  • Restart now and check for problems (Recommended)
  • Check for problems the next time I start my computer
• Once your computer has restarted, perform a basic scan or you could also go for the “Advanced” options such as “Test mix” or “Pass count”. Simply tap the F10 key to start the test.

Note: After you select the option, your PC will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them and if there’s no issue found, then it’s most likely not a memory-based issue so you should try the other options given below.

Error Code  0x80070490 - What is it?

Error code 0x80070490 occurs in versions of Windows including Windows 8 or 8.1 and Windows 7 or Windows Vista. This error often arises when users attempt to install updates via Windows Update or Microsoft Update.

The main reason for the error relates to the Component-Based Servicing (CBS) manifest which has become damaged. When the error occurs, the Windows device is unable to successfully install updates.

Solution

Error Causes

Error code 0x80070490 might appear for various reasons but is most prominent in the following cases:

• Attempts to install Windows 8 or 8.1
• A corrupted Component-Based Servicing (CBS)

Further Information and Manual Repair

The solutions for error code 0x80070490 vary so users may need to attempt each solution to find the best results.

1. Repair Corrupted Windows Files with System File Checker

The System File Checker (SFC.exe) is a Windows-based utility that enables users to check and repair corrupted or damaged system files. It can also restore missing systems files which can be the cause of errors such as error code 0x80070490.

To repair files, begin scan by swiping the right edge of the screen then opening the search box. Type Command Prompt, right-click this option, then select Run as Administrator. Once the scan begins, wait for the process to be completed then restart your device. Check if the error is resolved by reattempting updates. If error code 0x80070490 in Windows 8 or 8.1 persists on your device, proceed to the solution below.

2. Perform Clean Boot

A clean boot is one of the best ways to reduce conflict among files – an issue that may arise whenever users update, install or run programs on their Windows device.

To run a clean boot, your device reboots using limited drives and programs. The process allows you to identify which conflict among programs is causing errors on your Windows device.

You can access the clean boot tool by entering msconfig in the search box. Select Services, then System Configuration. Check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox then select Disable all. Next, go to the Startup tab, click and open Task Manager. After selecting the Startup tab, make sure you right-click each startup program. Click Disable from the context menu then close Task Manager when done. Select OK on the System Configuration menu then restart your machine to clean boot Windows 8 or 8.1.

If the clean boot successfully identifies and resolves issues with corrupted files, you will be able to access updates using Windows Update or Microsoft Update. Error code 0x80070490 will no longer occur. But if that proves unsuccessful, other options are available below including running Windows Update Troubleshooter.

3. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

This method can provide a simple solution for users as it verifies whether your Internet connection, network adapter and Windows Update services are functioning properly. However, if you are uncertain as to whether you will be able to troubleshoot, seek assistance from a qualified Microsoft technician.

To run Windows Update Troubleshooter, simply download from Microsoft’s website. Be sure you are downloading the tool recommended for your operating system, in this case Windows 8 or 8.1. After you download Windows Update Troubleshooter, run it to enable the tool to check for and resolve update issues on your device.

4. Use DSIM or System Update Readiness Tool

The System Readiness Tool or DSIM is another method you can use to correct issues related to error code 0x80070490. This tool checks problems on your system that might prevent your computer from performing Windows updates including issues related to damaged system files.

Once you download and install this tool, it will be able to run automatically. The process may be technical, however, requiring specialized knowledge to successfully download and run the tool. Consider getting assistance from an IT professional in this case. Also, check Microsoft's online resources to download the tool.

5. Use an Automated Tool

Having an automated tool at hand will enable users to always be prepared. Download a powerful automated utility tool to provide solutions whenever error codes or other problems affect your Windows 8 device.

If you suddenly see a black border in your computer’s display then you might be wondering how come this happened but worry not for this post will give you a couple of suggestions that could help you resolve the problem. The black bar could appear at the bottom or just the sides of the screen. Whichever it may be, there are options you can check out. Refer to the options givens below and make sure to follow them carefully.

Option 1 – Try checking the screen resolution

You might want to try checking the resolution of your screen.

• Open the Windows 10 Settings and go to Display.
• Next, go for the “100% (Recommended)” option under Scale and layout for the size of the text, apps, and other items.
• After that, select the Recommended setting again under Resolution.

Now check to see if the black bars are still there. They should be gone at this point, but if for some strange reason nothing has changed, then attempt the steps below.

Option 2 – Try updating Graphics & Monitor drivers

You might want to try updating your graphics and monitor drivers if you haven’t updated them for some time now. To do that, refer to these steps:

• First, boot your computer into Safe Mode.
• After that, tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in devmgmt.msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. From there, look for the Graphics drivers or the Monitor drivers and then click each one of them.
• After that, right-click on each entry and select the “Uninstall Device” option from the menu.
• Now restart your computer.
• After restarting your computer, go to the Settings app and Check for Updates in the Windows Update section.

Note: You can also try to roll back the graphics and monitor drivers back to their previous versions if updating them didn’t work. You can also try visiting the manufacturer’s website and download the graphics or monitor driver setup for your operating system.

Option 3 – Try to run the DISM tool

You can also run the DISM Tool as it might also help in getting rid of the black border or bar on your Windows 10 computer. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth” which could help you resolve the problem.

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

Option 4 – Troubleshot the problem in a Clean Boot State

There are some instances that some conflicting programs installed in your computer might be the one that’s causing the Black border issue. To identify which program is causing the problem, you need to put your computer in a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.

• 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.)
• From there, start to isolate the problem by checking which one of the programs you installed recently is the root cause of the problem.

Code 0xC1900208 0x4000C, What is it?

The Error Code 0xC1900208 – 0x4000C is an error that is caused by an installed application or program on your computer that is not compatible with Microsoft Windows 10. The incompatible application prevents you from being able to complete the upgrade to Microsoft Windows 10 and will continue to do so until the issue is resolved. Common symptoms include:

• You receive a dialog box displaying Error Code 0xC1900208 – 0x4000C
• You are unable to successfully complete the Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade process.

Solution

Error Causes

Error Code 0xC1900208 – 0x4000C is caused by a non-compatible application or program that is currently installed on your computer, and is not allowing the Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade to finish the installation and update process.

• The upgrade is stopped due to an incompatible app or program.
• Out of date or no longer supported software can cause this error to occur.
• Device drivers that are not up to date or no longer compatible.
• The computer might pick up malware along the way and might be preventing the upgrade. If error code 0xC1900208 – 0x4000C is not rectified, you’ll not be able to proceed with your Windows 10 upgrade.

Further Information and Manual Repair

The good news is, error code 0xC1900208 – 0x4000C is a relatively common problem that is usually easily fixed by the user at home, though it can be a little time-consuming. To elude this time-consuming process, use a powerful tool to rectify the issue in no time (TSC). Before making any attempts to repair this error, ensure to perform a compatibility test.

• Check the compatibility of applications and programs installed on your computer to locate and remove, or fix the one that is incompatible. (Don't stop at the first one you find, there could be multiple incompatibility issues.)
• Check to ensure all programs and software are not outdated or no longer supported, and remove or fix any outdated or unused, unnecessary programs or software. (This is also a great way to free up space and clean your computer up a bit.)
• Check to ensure that all of your device drivers are current, up to date, and compatible with Microsoft Windows 10, and replace or update where necessary.

Method 1:

Use the get Microsoft Windows 10 application on your computer to check its compatibility, follow the steps below to run the check.

1. Look at the taskbar, to the right; you will see an icon for Microsoft Windows 10, right-click the icon. Locate the option in the menu to check the status of your upgrade. This will open an app for getting Microsoft Windows 10.
2. Next, you will see 3 lines on top of one another on the upper left side, this will open a drop-down menu, once you have this menu open, locate the option to check the compatibility of your computer.
3. Microsoft Windows will then run a check of your entire computer to check for compatibility with Microsoft Windows 10. Once it has finished its check, a pop-up window will display whether or not your computer will work with Microsoft Windows 10, and will also display a list of any hardware and software that are not compatible with the upgrade.
4. This may not catch everything and there may still be incompatible programs so the previous steps, though time-consuming may still be necessary.

Method 2:

Once the incompatible applications are discovered, use the control panel to remove/uninstall them. The steps are below:

1. Locate your computer’s Control Panel.
2. Choose the option that says “Programs”
3. From the options available, select the ‘Programs and Features’ link.
4. Locate the app in the queue or menu.
5. Right-click and choose the uninstall option.