Blinking or Flashing Desktop After login - Windows 10 Upgrade

Windows 11 brought with it a simplified right-click menu that has limited options. If you would like to bring the old Windows 10 right-click menu you will have to do some registry tweaking but it is doable. Since this requires registry tweak, please follow given solution step by step

1. Press Start and type RegEdit
2. Click on Registry Editor
3. Inside registry editor find next key: Computer\H_KEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\
4. Right click in the right part of editor window and select New > Key
5. Type in as a name: {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}
6. Right click on {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2} key and select New > Key again to create new key inside this one
7. Name inside key InprocServer32
8. Double click the “(Default)” key in InprocServer32 to open it
9. When the Default key opens close it without making any changes by clicking on OK. This will make its value property Blank instead of value not set
10. Close Registry Editor
11. Restart your PC

Once the system is up if the followed solution is applied you will now have an old school menu once right-click is used.

Each time you connect to a Wi-Fi network your PC saves that network password. If for any reason you need to see this password or passwords there are ways you can do it and we are here to show you how. Hello and welcome to error tools where we aim to help you with all of your Windows problems and issues, where we offer our insight on various topics and sometimes go offroad and write something crazy. This time we will offer you a way on how to easily and quickly see how can you find out your memorized Wi-Fi password.

Find your W-Fi password

1. Make sure that you are connected to the Wi-Fi network you wish to find out the password of
2. Open Windows Settings app by pressing ⊞ WINDOWS + I
3. On the left side choose Network & Internet and click on it
4. Click on Advanced Network Settings
5. Inside Advanced Network Settings go to Related Settings
6. Select More Network Adapted Options
7. Right-click on your adapter and select Status
8. Click on Wireless Properties
9. Click on the Security tab
10. Click on enable on Show Character box beneath Network Security key to reveal Wi-Fi password

If you are trying to open a program or a game but you suddenly see a dialog box with a message stating that the application was unable to start correctly along with the Error Code 0xC000007B , STATUS INVALID IMAGE FORMAT then this indicates that the application is not compatible with the architecture of your Windows 10 computer or is missing dependencies. Although error code 0xC000007B can also occur with other various programs, the STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_FORMAT error code also means that when you try to run an application that’s designed to run on a 64-bit system and hence gets into a termination state. In addition, if you are also pointed to the NTStatus.h file then it means that the error might be caused by some file corruption. Here’s the full context of the error message:

“0xC000007B | STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_FORMAT | {Bad Image} %hs is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support.”

When you see this error message, the first thing you can do is to click on OK to close the application and then try installing the media again to see if it fixes the issue. If not, then you can check out the suggestions given below.

Option 1 – Try installing the application with admin privileges

The first thing you can do to fix the error is to restart your Windows 10 computer and then try installing the application again and this time with admin privileges. Just right-click on the application and select the “Run as Administrator” option. And if your account is a regular one, you need to make sure to ask an admin to help you in installing the application by entering the password when you are prompted to do so.

Option 2 – Install and update Dependencies

There are times when programs and applications need to have drivers and supporting software installed for them to properly work. Although the installation usually takes care of it, it’s time for you to do some manual checks especially if you are getting this issue of abnormal program termination.

1. Install some qualified drivers

A number of high-end games and applications need to have correct and valid drivers for them to work. They just don’t work with general drivers though. Microsoft has this Windows Hardware Quality Labs testing also known as WHQL testing which makes sure that drivers meet the correct experience and pass through the proper testing before certification. Thus, when installing drivers, you need to ensure that they are qualified drivers for your Windows 10 PC.

2. Download and install or update DirectX

As you know, Microsoft DirectX is a suite of technologies developed by Microsoft to provide hardware acceleration for heavy multimedia applications like HD videos and 3D games. Since you are using Windows 10, you have the DirectX 12 version while the earlier Windows versions use the DirectX 11 version.

3. Install the Microsoft DirectX End-user runtime

The Microsoft DirectX end-user runtime gives updates to version 9.0c as well as previous versions of DirectX. To install it, click on this link and download it.

4. Update or install the .NET framework

The .NET framework is used by games and applications during development which means that without the runtime files that are installed in your computer, it definitely won’t work. Thus, you need to install or update this framework. You can also use the .NET setup verification tool to verify it.

Option 3 – Try running the System File Checker Scan

The SFC or System File Checker scan could detect and automatically repair damaged system files that could be causing the Error Code 0xC000007B , STATUS INVALID IMAGE FORMAT error. SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files with good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow

The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

One of the smoother things that Microsoft did with the Windows 10 operating system is to separate Cortana from Search. This means that Cortana is strictly now a voice assistant and many users have seen it coming since not everyone uses Cortana. In addition, it also paved the way for other virtual assistants like Alexa to get on board with Windows 10. And now in the newly released Windows 10 v1903, Windows has brought the Voice Activation under Privacy. In this post, you will be guided on how to perform the Voice Activation troubleshooting on your Windows 10 computer. To use Voice Activation in Windows 10, follow, in the Start Search, type “voice activation” and click on “Voice activation privacy settings” listed in the search results. And from there, you can choose to allow apps to use Microphone, like listen in the background as well as select which app can access it. Each time enabled voice assistants continue to listen via microphone for the voice keyword, the app will activate itself for the keyword and will react depending on what you ask it. So if you are using a voice assistant and it didn’t respond when you speak the keyword, just go to Settings > Privacy > Voice Activation and follow these steps:

Option 1: Check the App permission to use the voice activation feature.

You have to make sure that the toggle button for the Voice activation feature is turned on globally. It can be found under the “Allow apps to use voice activation” section. You also have to ensure that the microphone is available for apps that use this feature.

Option 2: Voice activation is not working under the lock screen.

If you tend to use the voice assistant even when your computer is locked, Microsoft has a specific setting that you have to turn on. You need to make sure that the toggle button for the “Allow apps to use voice activation when this device is locked” option is turned on. However, keep in mind that the voice assistants are not locked to only recognize your voice as they also answer to anyone who will use the voice keyword.

Option 3: Check the individual permissions of apps.

If the voice assistant is not working, you have to check each one of the apps’ permissions for voice keyword, and the option to work under locked condition works.

Option 4: Run the Microphone troubleshooter.

If you’ve verified that the settings are in place, then you have to run the Microphone troubleshooter by simply going to Settings > Privacy > Microphone. From there, make sure that the toggle button for the following options is turned on:

• Allow apps to access your microphone
• Enable microphone access for the voice assistant

And if it’s a desktop app, you have to enable the toggle on at the end.

A recent update in Windows 10 has caused a couple of glitches. One of these glitches is having trouble signing into Windows 10. Some users reported that they were not able to sign in to their computers using a PIN and they weren’t also able to reset it either. If you are one of these users, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will help you resolve issues that you are having in signing in to your computer using your PIN or fingerprint with Windows Hello. When you encounter this issue, you will get an error message on your screen stating:

“Your PIN is no longer available due to a change in the security setting on this device on this device.”

To resolve this problem, you need to follow the steps laid out below carefully.

• Step 1: The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you are using an administrator account. After signing in as admin, tap the Win + E keys to open the File Explorer.
• Step 2: After that, under the View menu, enable Hidden items.
• Step 3: Next, navigate to the following path:

C:\Windows\Service\Profiles\Local\Service\AppData\Local\Microsoft

Note: From there, you should see a folder named “Ngc”. This folder might be the one that’s causing the problem so you are going to fix it by making some changes. This folder contains all the files responsible for any PIN-related settings. So if you are not able to access the Ngc folder, or it has gotten corrupted for some reason during an update here’s how to fix it.

• Step 4: Try opening the Ngc folder. If you are able to open it, just skip to step 11 but if you can’t open it and you got the “Permission Denied” error message, proceed to the next few steps.
• Step 5: Right-click on the Ngc folder and select Properties.
• Step 6: Under Properties, go to the Security tab and click on the Advanced button.
• Step 7: Next, click on the Change link which corresponds to the Owner field.
• Step 8: Then click on Object Types and ensure that everything is selected.
• Step 9: After that, enter your username in the field. You can just use the email that corresponds to your Microsoft account or you can also use the Check Names button to verify it. Now click OK.
• Step 10: You should now see a change in the owner's name. Just make sure that you enable the checkbox below it which is labeled, “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects” and then click Apply and close everything.
• Step 11: Next, try opening the Ngc folder again. You should now be able to access it. After opening the folder, delete all of its contents and make sure that it’s empty.
• Step 12: Restart your PC. After your computer has booted, go to the Account Settings and try setting up a new PIN. You should now be able to set up a new PIN and use it to sign in to your PC.

The Adaptive Brightness setting in Windows 10 is a useful setting you can use in adjusting your computer’s brightness. It helps you get the brightness automatically based on the light around your computer. However, there are times when it does not work or it doesn’t turn off when you want it to. If this issue happened right after you update or install Windows 10, then read on as this post will give you a couple of options you can try to resolve the problem.

Option 1 – Try to run the Power Troubleshooter

The first thing you can do to resolve the issue with Adaptive Brightness is to run the Power Troubleshooter as the problem could occur due to some conflicted power settings. To use it, refer to the following steps:

• Open the Windows 10 Settings panel and go to Update & Security and then to Troubleshoot.
• After that, scroll down to your left-hand side and click the Power option.
• From there, you should see the “Run the troubleshooter” button. Click on it to fix the problem.
• Afterward, follow the next on-screen instructions that follow.

Option 2 – Try disabling or turning off the corresponding options in GPU settings

The problem might be due to the Graphics card settings. If you are using either an AMD graphics card or the HD graphics of Intel, you may have to disable the power-related options in the GPU settings. To be specific, you have to disable the Vari-Bright in AMD graphics card settings or the Display Power Saving Technology under Intel’s Graphics panel.

• AMD users:
  • Open the AMD Radeon settings panel.
  • Then go to Preferences. From there, select Radeon Additional Settings.
  • Next, go to the Power tab and click the PowerPlay option.
  • You should find an option called “Enable Vari-Bright” located on your right-hand side. Remove the mark from its checkbox and then save the changes you’ve made.
• Intel users:
  • Open the Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel from your Desktop.
  • Then select the Basic mode and go to the Power tab.
  • From there, select “On battery” as Power Source and then you’ll get the Display Power Saving Technology option. It should be set to enabled by default.
  • Now remove the mark from the checkbox and then save the changes you’ve made.

Option 3 – Try resetting the Power Plan defaults

You might also want to use a command-line tool to resolve the problem. This command-line tool is known as PowerCfg. It is a command utility tool that will scan your computer for 60 seconds to know its power. This tool gives detailed results in the form of an HTML report that will help you in evaluating the real cause of the battery drain issues. You can also use this tool to reset the Power Plan defaults of your computer. To use it, follow the steps below.

• Open the Command Prompt as administrator.
• Then type in the following command and tap Enter to execute it:

powercfg –restoredefaultschemes

• After the command has been executed, restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try updating your Graphics drivers

• 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 Display Adapters and click on them.
• After that, right-click on each entry under the Display Adapters 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 also have the option to go directly to the website of your graphics card manufacturers like NVIDIA, Intel, or AMD and go to the section called Drivers then check if there’s a new available update – if there is, download and install it.

Option 5 – Try disabling adaptive brightness via Registry Editor

Since you will be dealing with Registry files in this post, you need to create a System Restore point first. Once you have that covered, proceed to the following steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• After that, navigate to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREIntelDisplayigfxcuiprofilesMediaBrighten Movie
• Now double click on the “ProcAmpBrightness” and set its value to “0”.
• Now go to this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREIntelDisplayigfxcuiprofilesMediaDarken Movie
• From there, double click on “ProcAmpBrightness” and set the value to “0”.
• Then close the Registry Editor and restart your PC and then see if the problem’s fixed or not.

Dxgkrnl.sys is a file related to the Microsoft DirectX driver – a suite of technologies developed by Microsoft to provide hardware acceleration for heavy multimedia applications like 3D games as well as HD videos. However, there are times when you encounter Blue Screen errors for this system file which is quite a lot. So when you encounter a Blue Screen error that’s related to this file, then it could be that the dxgkrnl.sys file is infected with some virus or malware and this might go unnoticed since antivirus programs regard dxgkrnl.sys as a system file. Here are some Blue Screen errors related to the dxgkrnl.sys file:

• SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION .
• BAD_POOL_HEADER
• STOP 0x0000000A: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.
• STOP 0x0000001E:

KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

• STOP 0x00000050:

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

To fix the dxgkrnl.sys Blue Screen error, here are some suggestions you have to check out.

Option 1 – Try running the DirectX Diagnostic Tool

Since the dxgkrnl.sys error has something to do with the DirectX Graphics APIs, you can run the DirectX Diagnostic tool to resolve the problem.

Option 2 – Try updating or re-installing DirectX

If the DirectX Diagnostic tool didn’t work, you can try to update or reinstall DirectX instead. This can help in fixing the problem because when you reinstall or update DirectX, it will replace the incompatible or corrupted components of DirectX from your computer.

Option 3 – Try to run the DISM commands

You might want to repair potentially corrupted files in your system as having them could also trigger the dxgkrnl.sys Blue Screen error. To repair these corrupted system files, you can run the DISM commands:

• Tap the Win + X keys and click on the “Command Prompt (Admin)” option.
• After that, input each one of the commands listed below sequentially to execute them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Once you’ve executed the commands given above, restart your computer and check if the dxgkrnl.sys Blue Screen error is now fixed.

Option 4 – Try updating or reinstalling your Graphics drivers

Updating or reinstalling the Graphics drivers in your computer can also help in resolving compatibility issues between the operating system and the driver that also cause this kind of BSOD error.

• 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 Display Adapters and click on them.
• After that, right-click on each entry under the Display Adapters 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 also have the option to go directly to the website of your graphics card manufacturers like NVIDIA, Intel, or AMD and go to the section called Drivers then check if there’s a new available update – if there is, download and install it.

Option 5 – Try to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

As you know, the Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like dxgkrnl.sys. It can be found on the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

Option 6 – Try disabling the SLI Technology in NVIDIA Control Panel

In case you don’t know, there is a technology called SLI that comes with the NVIDIA graphics cards. With the help of this technology, the usage of various GPUs is allowed on a computer and hence helps in triggering the Alternate Frame Rendering and boosts the Graphics Performance directly. This is why this option to disable the SLI technology is suitable in fixing the problem if you are using an NVIDIA Graphics card.

• Search for NVIDIA Control Panel in the Cortana Search box and then click on the related search result or you can also right-click on the NIVIA icon located in the system tray and then select the NVIDIA Control Panel to open it.
• After that, navigate to the 3D settings section.
• Then select the “Set SLI Configuration” option and click on the “Do Not Use SLI Technology” option.
• Now click on Apply located at the bottom-right corner of the window to save the changes made.
• Restart your computer.

Option 7 – Try turning off NVIDIA Surround

Note that this option is only applicable if your computer is using the NVIDIA Graphics card.

• In the Cortana Search box, search for NVIDIA Control Panel and click on the related search result.
• After opening the NVIDIA Control Panel, go to 3D Settings > Configure Surround, PhysX.
• Now uncheck the “Span displays with Surround” option and then click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
• Restart your computer.

Oobesttings error is the blue screen of death error caused by some faulty settings inside the Windows registry. The good news is that this is not a hard error to fix and if by any chance you are one of the unfortunate people getting this dreaded annoying error, please do keep reading because we have several things that you can do in order to eliminate this issue from your computer.

Reboot your system

This is the easiest and straightforward solution and can work sometimes since if the system has not been properly rebooted in a while memory could be filled with various processes and it can trigger oobesettings error. A simple restart of the system can solve the issue by decluttering files and emptying memory.

Scan and repair with SFC

If rebooting the system was not helpful and sadly you still receive an error then let's scan and repair system files by using Windows built-in tool SFC. In order to use this, we will have to run the command prompt in elevated administrator mode. Follow instructions closely. First click on the search icon on the taskbar and type in CMD The command prompt will show as a search result, on the right side click on Run as administrator. Once it opens type in following command: sfc /scannow and press ENTER Wait for the process to finish completely and restart your device after.

Repair the system registry

If the SFC scan has not repaired the issue then we will move to the next solution that involves repairing the system registry itself. Please note that you need to follow step-by-step for provided instructions since playing with the system registry can cause some serious issues if not done properly and can even render the system unstable. That being said, let's begin: Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open Windows run dialog Type inside regedit and press ENTER Inside registry editor locate the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/ Memory Management. and click on it to see properties Inside the properties right-click on CommitLimit value and choose delete. Confirm with yes. Close registry editor and reboot your computer.

Reset Windows 11

If even clearing key inside the registry editor has not helped next step would be to reset the system itself. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open Windows settings and click on System on the left. Inside on the right part click on Recovery In recovery click on the button next to Reset this PC that says Reset PC Choose between keep my files and remove everything (a better option is remove everything, but be sure that you have all your files on a separate drive backed up) Choose between Cloud Download or Local reinstall. Click on next to confirm choices and after that on Reset to start the reset process. Follow onscreen instructions until it is fully done.

There are times when you upgrade or install Windows 10 on an old computer and the Aspect Ratio of the screen is in a mess. This issue occurs when a new Windows version does not support the GPU or the driver does not work in Windows 10. And in such cases, Windows uses a generic driver which does not support all the resolution as well as the correct aspect ratio. So in this post, you will be guided on how you can fix the issues with the screen aspect ratio in Windows 10. It could be that your screen has an aspect ratio of 16:9 but after the upgrade, you changed to screen resolution, and is now set to 16:!0. And later on, you found that you are unable to go back to the previous aspect ratio. Thus, you will notice that everything on the screen might look stretched. You might be wondering if it’s possible to change the aspect ratio in Windows 10 directly even if the GPU does not have the compatible driver, well it really isn’t. However there is another way to resolve the problem. Refer to the options given below to get started.

Option 1 – Try using the Compatibility Mode

The first thing you can do is to run the driver in a Compatibility Mode. Follow the steps below to do so:

• You need to download the driver and place it on your desktop.
• After that, right-click on it and select Properties.
• Next, switch to the Compatibility tab where you should see two options:
  • Compatibility troubleshooter, and let Windows figure out what works best for you. If it fails, follow the next.
  • Manually choose the version of Windows it was correctly working.
• You also have the option to change the DPI settings and see if that helps. Then click the Apply and OK buttons.
• Now right-click on the file and select the “Run as administrator” option to install. After that, you should now be able to change your screen aspect ratio to what you were using early on.

Note: If you have other programs that won’t work on the existing version of Windows, then make sure to run the program in a Compatibility mode.

Option 2 – Try to run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

You might also want to run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter. This built-in troubleshooter is available in the Windows Update & Security section. From there, select Troubleshoot. This will find a list of programs for you and since you have already downloaded the driver files, just click on Not Listed located at the top of the program list. After that, browse and select the driver files and then let the program do its job.

Option 3 – 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.

There are a lot of reasons to ban or block different websites in your Windows. From wanting to limit yourself from distraction to block certain sites for sake of kids not going into them. Whatever your reason might be, keep reading in order to find out how you can block any website inside Windows for all browsers. The technique I am going to share with you is universal and not tied to Windows versions, they will work in any Windows from XP onward. Also, the technique will block desired websites on any browser, already installed or even ones that will be installed after doing the trick. And we will also be looking at applications that can help you in this task if you do not wish to do it manually.

Block websites using dedicated software

A small free application called Focal Filter which can be found here: https://www.focalfilter.com/ is a software solution for your needs. It is a pretty straightforward and easy-to-understand application and not really much can be said here about it. You simply download and install it, set your websites, and you are done, the app does rest.

Blocking manually via host file

Another method besides mentioned one using the dedicating application is to manually set site addresses inside the Windows host file. The first thing, of course, is to open the host file, run a notepad with administrator privileges, go to file open, and navigate to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. Once the file is opened go all the way down and add: 127.0.0.1 SITENAME For example: 127.0.0.1 www.youtube.com or 127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com This way each time user on a PC tries to access a listed website computer will reroute it to the given address which is your PC's local address and asked website will not be able to load.