You can prevent starting of app installations files if they have not come from the MS store inside Windows 11.
This can make your PC more secure because all apps in the store will have to be digitally signed and overall it can provide you with more control over what will be installed.
Follow the guide below to find out how can you easily turn this feature ON.
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open Windows settings
Select Apps and then choose Apps & Features
Click on Choose where to get apps to bring a drop-down menu
Select The Microsoft Store only (Recommended)
Close settings
Settings will apply changes immediately and you continue using Windows right away.
With these settings turned ON if you want to install a downloaded application or run the installer you will not be able to, and message The app you’re trying to install isn’t a Microsoft-verified app will show on your screen.
You can always reverse this setting by choosing Anywhere in settings instead of Microsoft store only.
Getting errors while trying to update your Windows 10 computer is not an uncommon occurrence. Although some of them are easy to fix, there are others that need a lot of time and research in order to resolve. One of these tough Windows Update errors is Error 0x80244007. This kind of Windows Update error halts the process of Windows Update and a simple system restart won’t help much to fix it.
When you encounter this Windows Update error, you will see a description that says, “SOAP client failed because there was a SOAP fault for reasons of WU_E_PT_SOAP_* error codes”. One of the main causes of such an error is that Windows was not able to renew the cookies for Windows Update. To fix this error, here are some suggestions that might be useful.
Option 1 – Clear up temporary or junk files
The error could be caused by some temporary or junk files in your computer and so you need to clear them up to fix the problem. You can achieve that using the Storage Sense feature.
Open Setting > System > Storage from the WinX Menu.
From there, you will see a list of all the local and connected storage devices along with the details on the free space. Make sure that Storage Sense is on.
Next, find a link that says “Free Up Space” and click it to open.
After that, a screen which is the built-in program in Windows 10 will appear and will scan your computer for the following junk files so you can free up disk space:
Windows Upgrade Log Files
The system created Windows Error Reporting Files
Thumbnails
Temporary Internet Files
Previous Windows Installation Files
Delivery Optimisation Files
DirectX Shader Cache
Choose the files you want to get rid of and then click on the remove files option. Note that you’ll have an idea of the total size as you select any of the junk files listed above.
Now go to the “Free Up Space Now” section and click the Clear Now button. This will get rid of all the temporary or junk files in your computer and should hopefully fix the Windows Update error 0x80244007.
Option 2 – Try running the Windows Update troubleshooter
Windows 10 have various troubleshooters that can help you resolve many system issues. So if you’re dealing with Windows Update errors like Error 0x80244007, you can run the Windows Update troubleshooter to resolve it.
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.
Option 3 – Try to reset the Windows Update components
If by any chance that the second option didn’t work, resetting the Windows Update components could also help you resolve the problem. How? Refer to the following steps:
Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
After that, type each one of the following commands and hit Enter after you key in one after the other.
net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptsvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
Note: The commands you entered will stop the Windows Update components such as Windows Update service, Cryptographic services, BITS and MSI Installer.
After disabling WU components, you need to rename both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders. To do that, type each one of the following commands below and don’t forget to hit Enter after you type one command after the other.
Next, restart the services you’ve stopped by entering another series of commands. Don’t forget to hit Enter after you key in one command after the other.
Error 0xc0000225 is the error that occurs on system startup, most times error just disappears all by itself but in some cases, it can be really persistent and can even cause you not to be able to enter the system that could be a really annoying thing, especially if there is some important task waiting to be finished.
In this guide, we will present you with solutions for this error and how to solve it so you can get back to work as soon as possible.
Solution if you can not log into windows due to repeating error
If an error repeats itself constantly and you are unable to boot into Windows itself you will need to prepare Windows boot USB. You can download the Microsoft media creation tool here and then use it to create a bootable USB with Windows 10.
Once the USB is done reboot your system and boot from USB. CHoose repair Windows instead of install and follow onscreen instructions.
Solution if you can log into Windows
If you can log into Windows bring up the command prompt in administrator mode and type in it SFC /SCANNOW followed by ENTER, wait for the whole operation to finish, and then reboot the system.
One of the most sophisticated Artificial Intelligence or AI assistants there is in the market is Cortana. However, no matter how sophisticated this AI assistant may be, there are still times when you encounter issues with it. So if your Cortana is not connecting to the internet, worry not for this post will guide you in fixing the problem.
This connection issue in Cortana might have something to do with the settings, network connectivity, or your Microsoft account. In addition, it could also be that the Firewall or antivirus program interferes with its connection. Whichever the case is, here are some possible solutions that could help you resolve the problem.
Option 1 – Try to power cycle the modem, router, and computer
Connect the modem, router, and the PC hard-wired and then switch all of these three devices off.
Turn on the modem and wait for 30 seconds.
Turn on the router and wait for 30 seconds as well.
Finally, turn on the computer and check if you can now successfully connect to the internet.
Option 2 – Check if your router or ISP is properly working
Since the basis for this issue is that Cortana is not connecting to the internet even though you are able to access websites using your browser, you might want to check your router or ISP (Internet Service Provider) and see if they’re functioning properly.
Option 3 – Try changing your internet connection
You can also try changing your internet connection and see if it fixes the problem. If you are using Ethernet, you can try connecting to a Wi-Fi connection and see if Cortana is able to connect or not.
Option 4 – Try to run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter
You might also want to run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter in Windows 10 as it checks whether the settings for Cortana are in place and automatically corrects any issues if the update or software installation has changed the settings. To run it just click on the Start button and select Settings > Updates and Security > Troubleshoot. From there, select the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter.
Note: You can also run the Network Troubleshooter as it can also help in resolving the issue especially if the problem is in the network.
Option 5 – Try to remove Proxy
Removing the Proxy might also help you in fixing the connection issue in Cortana. 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 6 – Verify your Microsoft account
In some cases, Cortana might not be able to connect to the internet because your Microsoft account is no longer verified. This usually happens when you use a two-step authentication system with your Microsoft account. To verify it, just open Settings and click on Accounts. After that, check if you have a Verify hyperlink under your Microsoft account or not then click on Verify. Afterward, follow the next on-screen prompts to verify your Microsoft account. Once your account is verified, restart your computer.
Option 7 – Try resetting Cortana
Open Cortana and go to the Settings section where you’ll see the “Turning off Cortana clears what Cortana knows on this device, but won’t delete anything from the Notebook. After Cortana is off, you can decide what you’d like to do with anything still stored in the cloud” option. Turn this option off.
Restart your PC.
After your computer boots, launch Cortana again and check.
Option 8 – Try to reinstall Cortana
If none of the options given above works, you must consider reinstalling Cortana.
First, right-click on the Start button and click on the Windows Powershell (Admin) option from the list.
Next, type the following command and hit Enter to execute it:
The number of Hertz is the number of how many images your screen draws in one second. So monitor with a refresh rate of 60Hz will draw 60 images each second on your screen. To most users, this will look fine and enough but actually, if you would place them in front of a 120Hz screen difference will be visible right away.
Benefits of higher refresh rates
In most simple words just looking at a screen that has a higher refresh rate will produce a more natural feel of things, although some people would argue that flickering can not be seen on 60Hz monitors and that should be enough, I would argue that they never watched the movie, played the game or used high refresh rate screen when they can state something like that.
Yes, 60Hz might be enough to look at the web page or read some documents but long exposure to 60Hz can have a tiring effect on the eyes in the long run. 120Hz and above just feel more relaxed and it is far less demanding on the eyes. Watching movies also is much better on a higher refresh screen, with way much less motion blur in fast scenes giving the overall experience a greater natural feel.
Gaming is perhaps an area where a refresh rate of 120Hz and above will show its best. Having a higher refresh rate will be easier on your eyes and can even give you a competitive edge. When for example you have twice more images per second on your screen than your opponent his movement will be more fluid and predictable because of that and overall precision will be much higher when moving the cursor in the game since more frames per second means more precision and smoother movement.
The dark side of high refresh rates
After all the positive things that were said about the advantages of high refresh rates, it is just fair to look at some negatives or in this case only negative one and that is Computer power. As said in the previous section having a 120Hz refresh rate means having 120 frames displayed on the screen per single second. Having even higher monitors like 360Hz means even more frames per second and in order to actually see all of that frames you will need to have enough computer power to back it up. Having for example screen with a refresh rate of 240Hz means nothing if your GPU and rest of the computer are able only to push 150 frames per second, in this case, you will still have 150 frames in one second despite the monitor being able to go to 240.
Conclusion
Generally and with all of my heart I would recommend moving away from 60Hz monitors, yes they are cheaper and more affordable but at the end of the day if you are someone like me who spends most of his daily time in front of the computer you would be grateful to have higher refresh rate screen and save your eyes, and after all, why not enjoy some smoother and better movie and game experience as well as saving your eyesight.
There is a lot of high resource utilization by any process that slows down a Windows operating system and one of the services that could cause such a thing is the utcsvc.exe process. This particular process at times can cause high CPU and disk usage. So if you are currently facing this problem, read on as this post will guide you on how you can resolve the problem.
UTC which stands for Universal Telemetry Client is a software that runs a service named Diagnostic Tracking Service or DiagTrak. This service is used by Microsoft to collect customer feedback, analyze customer’s problems, and push resolution via updates in order to make the Windows 10 operating system better. This service is an executable file that could be translated to Service Host and even though the process does not usually cause problems, there are actually times when it does especially if it results in high resource utilization. In such cases, you might want to consider disabling it to fix its high CPU and disk usage.
According to Microsoft:
“We collect information about you, your devices, applications and networks, and your use of those devices, applications, and networks. Examples of data we collect include your name, email address, preferences, and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call and SMS data; device configuration and sensor data; and application usage.”
There are several ways you can disable the utcsvc.exe process. You can disable it using the Service Manager, Registry Editor, and Group Policy Editor. For more details, refer to the instructions laid out below.
Option 1 – Disable the Connected User Experience & Telemetry Service via Service Manager
Note that this option is for standalone systems, so if you’re not using one, refer to the next given options below.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “services.msc” in the field and tap Enter or click OK to open the Services Manager.
From the given list of services, look for the Connected User Experience service. Once you found it, click on it and you’ll see its description which states:
“The Connected User Experiences and Telemetry service enables features that support in-application and connected user experiences. Additionally, this service manages the event-driven collection and transmission of diagnostic and usage information (used to improve the experience and quality of the Windows Platform) when the diagnostics and usage privacy option settings are enabled under Feedback and Diagnostics.”
Next, right-click on it and select Properties.
Now, change its Startup Type to Disabled and click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
Option 2 – Disable the Connected User Experience & Telemetry Service via Registry Editor
Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “Regedit” in the field and click OK to open the Registry Editor.
Next, navigate to this registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsDataCollection
After that, right-click on the folder named “DataCollection” and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Now name the new value “AllowTelemetry” and make sure that its Value data is “0” and then click on OK to save the changes made.
Restart your computer.
Option 3 – Disable the Connected User Experience & Telemetry Service via Group Policy Editor
If you have to disable the service related to the Universal Telemetry Client for company-managed systems, then you can do that using the Group Policy Editor.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and type “gpedit.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
Next, navigate to this path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components> Data Collection and Preview Build
After that, double-click on Data Collection and Preview Build to open its settings.
From there, look for the “Allow Telemetry” item and double click on it to open its Properties.
Next, set the radio button to Disabled and then click on the Apply button to save the changes made.
Restart your computer.
Option 4 – Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter or the Performance Troubleshooter
Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter:
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.
Performance Troubleshooter:
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type “exe /id PerformanceDiagnostic” in the field and hit Enter to open the Performance troubleshooter.
Then click on Next to get started. Wait until the process is completed.
Windows 10 has a lot of several useful features and one of them is the Nearby Sharing feature. You can access this feature by going to Start > Settings > System > Shared experiences. From there, switch on the Nearby Sharing option and select the folder where you want to download the files to. This feature is really useful as it allows you to share files. However, there were reports from a number of users recently stating that Nearby Sharing is not working on their Windows 10 computers.
If you are one of the users facing this problem, you might want to try checking if the Windows 10 v1803 Update is installed on your computer or not. You could also try to check if Bluetooth supports low energy mode or you could also try bringing the device closer or check if the adapter has Bluetooth version 4.0 or later. For more information, refer to each one of the given options below.
Option 1 – Try checking if Windows 10 v1803 Update is installed
To check if the Windows 10 v1803 Update is installed on your computer, go to Start > Settings > System > About. From there, scroll down to the Windows specifications and check the Version. If it is 1803 or above, then the Nearby Sharing feature should be active on your computer. However, if you find that Windows 10 v1803 Update is not installed yet, then you need to update your computer to its latest version and then see if it fixes the problem or not.
Option 2 – Verify if Bluetooth supports low energy mode
Although low energy mode is not really necessary in using Nearby Sharing, there are some Bluetooth terminals that support low energy mode which makes a lot of difference. Thus, you need to check if Bluetooth in your computer supports low energy mode by following these steps:
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Next, type “devmgmt.msc” in the field and tap Enter to open the Device Manager.
After that, expand the list of Bluetooth adapters, and then right-click on your adapter and select Properties.
Go to the Details tab and select Bluetooth radio supports Low Energy Central Role from the drop-down menu and if its value says “<true>”, it means that your Bluetooth supports low energy mode, otherwise, it doesn’t.
If your Bluetooth does not support low energy mode, then you might want to consider purchasing an external one.
Option 3 – Try bringing the devices closer
Nearby Sharing might not work if your devices are not close enough. Thus, you need to bring your devices closer together and see if it fixes the problem. And when you do, make sure that Network Sharing is switched on for all the concerned devices.
Option 4 – Make sure that you’re using Bluetooth version 4.0 or later
For you to use the Nearby Sharing feature, you have to make sure that the adapter for all the concerned devices is using Bluetooth version 4.0 or later. So if one of the devices or if all the devices are not using this version or later versions, then you must buy an external Bluetooth adapter for you to enjoy the Nearby Sharing feature.
One of the essential parts of the Windows 10 operating system is the Microsoft Store as it is the distribution hub of numerous applications such as Netflix, Facebook, and many more. In fact, Microsoft is planning to make it a hub not just for UWP applications but also Windows Classic applications. Microsoft has already built a bridge with the power of Project Centennial which allows developers to migrate and upload their Windows Classic applications to the Microsoft Store. Although the Microsoft Store has been constantly improving, there are still times when you might face an error while using it. One of these errors is error 0x80131500. When you encounter this error, you will get the following error message on your screen:
“Try that again, Something happened at our end, Waiting a bit might help, The error code is 0x80131500 in case you need it.”
To fix this error, you can try changing your internet connection, toggle the date & time settings, change DNS, create a new user account, run the Microsoft Store Apps troubleshooter or reset the Microsoft Store as well re-register it using Windows PowerShell.
Option 1 – Try changing your internet connection
The first thing you can do is to change your internet connection. If you are using Ethernet, you can try to connect to a Wi-Fi connection instead and see if it helps.
Option 2 – Try to toggle the Date and Time settings
The first thing you can try is to sync the Date and Time of your computer as the wrong Date and Time settings are one of the most common causes of connection problems like the error 0x80131500. This is because of the incompatibility between the SSL Certificate validation date and the System Clock. Thus, you have to sync your System Clock. Refer to the steps below to do so.
Start by tapping the Win + I keys to open the Windows Settings.
Next, go to Time & Language > Date & time.
From there, turn the toggle on for the “Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically” option on the right-side panel.
After that, click on Region & language located on the left side panel and make sure that the Country or region on the right-side panel is set to the country you live in.
Now close the Settings app and restart your computer and see if it fixes the problem or not.
Option 3 – Try to change the DNS Server
In this option, you can try changing your current DNS settings to the Google Public DNS as it could also help in fixing error 0x80131500. To do so, follow the steps below.
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 “8.8.8.8” and “8.8.4.4” and click OK and exit.
Option 4 – Try to create a new Administrator User account
If you have a standard account, you can try creating a new account but this time, you create an administrator user account and then see if the error is fixed or not. Note that you have to sign in with your main account before you can create an admin account.
Option 5 – Run the Microsoft Store Apps troubleshooter
The Microsoft Store Apps Troubleshooter will help you in fixing the error 0x80131500. This is a great built-in tool from Microsoft that helps users fix any app installation issues. So this is worth a try to solve the problem. This built-in tool also helps you fix the Windows 10 Store if it isn’t working.
To use the Windows Store Troubleshooter, follow the steps below.
Tap Win + I keys again to open the Windows Settings panel.
Go to Update & Security and then go to Troubleshoot.
On your right-hand side, scroll down to find the Windows Store Apps and then click on the Run the troubleshooter option and see if it fixes the problem.
Option 6 – Try to reset the Microsoft Store cache
Just like browsers, Microsoft Store also caches as you view apps and games so it is most likely that the cache is no longer valid and must be removed. To do so, follow the steps below.
Right-click on the start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator).
Next, type in the command, “exe” and tap Enter. Once you do, the command will clear the cache for the Windows Store app.
Now restart your PC and afterward, try opening Microsoft Store again and then try to install your app or update your computer again.
Option 7 – Try to re-register the Microsoft Store app via PowerShell
Tap the Win + X key combination or right-click on the Start button and click on the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option.
If a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed and open the Windows PowerShell window.
Next, type in or copy-paste the following command to re-register the Microsoft Store app and tap Enter:
After so many years World of Warcraft is still among the most played MMORPG games in the world. It is still constantly updated with new content and tweak graphically in order to be relevant and fresh. But even the best or most popular ones can still have some minor issues and bugs from time to time. CAS System Was Unable to Initialize is the error that was reported lately by WOW players all around the globe and it happens in multiple Windows systems.
In this guide, we will take with this issue and provide you with solutions on how to fix it so you can get back to enjoying the game itself.
Repair WOW
In battle.NET launcher select WOW and click on Options
Click on Scan and Repair
Let the process finish and then launch the game again
Clean Windows registry
Windows cleaning registry operation is a complex task and we will not cover each possible scenario here, instead of trying manually to find issues and clean registry download and install third party registry cleaner software.
Run WOW with command line argument
One of the solutions for this particular error is to run WOW with a specific command line switch:
Run battle.NET client as administrator by right-clicking on it and choosing run as administrator
If you are not signed in, sign in now
Click on World of Warcraft to select it
Click on options
Click on Game settings
Check the box associated with Additional command-line arguments
When the box is selected you should've able to add inline argument or switch, add -uid wow_engb and confirm
Run World of Warcraft
Enable Secondary logon service inside Windows
It was reported that enabling this service can fix the issue.
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog
Inside run dialog type in services.msc to open services windows
Locate the Secondary Logon service
Right-click on Properties from the context menu
Inside the properties, screen click on the general tab
Change the Startup type to Automatic and hit Apply to save the changes
Run World of Warcraft
Delete the cache folder
Both indices and cache folder needs to be deleted in order to reset corrupted data. Make sure that both World of Warcraft and battle.NET are fully closed
For this step to work, you will need to go into the folder where you have installed the World of Warcraft game. By default this is in C:/Program Files/World of Warcraft/ but if you have used another folder go there via file explorer.
Once you are inside the folder locate the indices folder and delete it
After that locate and delete the cache folder as well
Restart your computer and start battle.NET
Remove read-only attribute from WoW folder
Another reason for CAS System Was Unable to Initialize error is because the World of Warcraft folder has been set to read-only and since the client does not have write privileges it will throw this error. To remove the read-only attribute from the folder go to your World of Warcraft installation folder but do not enter it
Right-click on it instead and choose properties
Under properties uncheck the read-only box and confirm.
Run World of Warcraft
Wondering if upgrading to Windows 11 will boost your gaming experience? We can’t give you a straightforward answer, sadly. But we can take you through the tweaks you can expect if you have all the right requirements and help you make a final decision.
Is Windows 11 good for gaming?
Essentially, the answer to this question is yes. Microsoft has definitely added a bunch of enhancements and features to its latest OS to give gamers the best possible experience. However, you have to keep in mind that this may not work out smoothly for every single user.
Whether you’ll be able to fully take advantage of the Windows 11 gaming features really depends on your setup. As expected, Windows 11 has more demanding system requirements than its predecessor.
Credit: Florian Olivo on Unsplash
So, unless your hardware can run the new OS comfortably, you might not be able to make the most of all these gaming perks. In that case, we recommend you first upgrade your hardware and then make the switch. Be prepared to be a little surprised by a few other interesting changes in comparison to Windows 10, though!
For some of the new gaming features to work, it’ll also be necessary for you to have an NVMe SSD and an HDR-compatible monitor. So let’s take a look at 4 big improvements you can expect if your setup is compatible.
Gaming enhancements on Windows 11
1. Enjoy faster loading speed with DirectStorage
For this powerful feature to work, you need a compatible graphics card and, as stated before, an NVMe SSD. It’s also important for your GPU to support the DirectX 12 graphics API at least. And since we’re on that subject, you’ll be happy to know that Windows 11 has also introduced a new version of the API called DirectX 12 Ultimate.
Now, what does DirectStorage do? It’s a new feature designed to make full use of the speedy storage of NVMe SSDs. It also transfers game data directly onto the graphics card, lightening the load on your CPU. Normally the CPU would have to decompress the data first, but DirectStorage helps bypass this. That’s how loading times are reduced and games run more smoothly.
2. Fully immerse yourself through Game Mode
Windows 11’s Game Mode is certainly a welcomed addition. When you turn on Game Mode, usage of background apps that aren’t essential to your game is reduced. This results in the game you’re running becoming a priority process. This way, it uses your hardware and system resources to the max. Ultimately, the Game Mode means less lag and higher frame rates so you can play undisturbed and fully enjoy your gaming session.
3. Vibrant visual experience thanks to AutoHDR
For this one you’ll absolutely need an HDR-compatible monitor. Basically, HDR (High Dynamic Range) means a wider range of contrasts and colors that can be displayed on a monitor.
Windows 10 has an HDR feature, but you have to turn it on and off manually (“Use HDR”). Plus, users have reported that, if left on, it results in an unappealing appearance of content other than movies and games.
Windows 11 fixes that problem with its AutoHDR feature. Toggling it results in the system automatically adjusting the color contrast, balance and brightness based on what you’re currently looking at. For gamers, this means vivid imagery in every single game, resulting in a supreme visual experience. You can check out Microsoft’s own video showcasing the power of AutoHDR.
Aside from AutoHDR, another way Windows 11 improves the visual aspect is through its support for refresh rates of up to 360Hz.
4. Xbox Game Pass & Game Bar
It’s no secret that Microsoft wants to integrate Windows and Xbox. We’ve seen some attempts with Windows 10, but they’re pretty wonky compared to the new OS.
Windows 11’s built-in Xbox Game Bar enables quite a few options all gamers desire. You can take screenshots and videos of your game and send them, for starters. Furthermore, you can use it to see audio settings and monitor your PC’s performance without having to leave the game or open the Task Manager.
Widgets are also a really cool part of the Game Bar. You can choose from a wide variety of widgets, such as Xbox Achievements, Spotify, Gallery, Xbox Social and more.
Moreover, the Xbox Game Pass has been streamlined on Windows 11. Game Pass is a subscription service that unlocks hundreds of awesome games and supports cloud streaming. Do keep in mind that the games are only unlocked for a certain period of time, as the selection rotates once in a while.
What can you do for a better gaming experience?
Windows 11 does offer tweaks that require zero input from you. However, there are a few things you can do manually to get even more out of your new OS while gaming.
Turn off enhanced pointer precision. Most games enhance precision by default, so having this feature on might interfere with that.
Make sure to select your high performance graphics card for each game. Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode and tap ‘Graphics’ from the ‘Related settings’ menu. Find the game you want to adjust, click on ‘Options’ and choose your high performance graphics card to be the default setting. While there, you can also turn on ‘Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling’ at the top.
Disable unnecessary apps and programs. As long as they aren’t essential to running your game, they might take up valuable system resources, so disable them to make space for your gaming requirements.
Check for pending updates and install them. It’s well-known that out-of-date software causes bugs, latency and crashes. The same goes for your GPU drivers.
Use the High-performance power plan (Control Panel > Power Options > Additional plans) to maximize the use of resources for the best possible performance.
Summary
Windows 11 has done quite a bit for avid gamers. We hope your setup is compatible with all these new features and you can experience these enhancements ASAP!
As you know, System Restore is a useful tool in Windows operating system that helps users in fixing system issues by undoing any recent changes to the computer that may have caused the problem. However, there are times when you might encounter some issues when running this tool and one of these issues is when System Restore suddenly gets stuck or hangs up on initializing the restoration of the Registry in Windows 10. If you encounter a similar problem, read on as this post will guide you on what you can do in such cases.
There are several things you can do when you face this kind of problem in System Restore. First, you can try to wait it out, give it more time to load, which should not take longer than 5 minutes. And if it’s still stuck after that time, give it another hour. However, if nothing changed after an hour, then you need to troubleshoot the problem further. Keep in mind that you must not interrupt System Restore by shutting it down abruptly, it could result in an unbootable system.
To get started in troubleshooting the problem, you need to follow each one of the suggestions offered below.
Option 1 – Try to use the Windows Recovery Environment
The first troubleshooting option you need to try is to simply tap the power button for about 10 seconds. This is what you have to do when you have to interrupt System Restore or reset your Windows 10 computer. Tapping the power button for 10 seconds will perform a hard shutdown and once your computer shuts down, restart your computer again and follow the steps below but before you do that, make sure that you have a Windows bootable USB or DVD.
First, insert the bootable USB or DVD and boot into it, and select the “Repair your computer” option.
Next, once you see the manufacturer logo on your computer, tap the key to enter into Windows Recovery Environment.
After that, change the Boot sequence to DVD drive under the UEFI Firmware settings and restart your computer.
Once your computer has restarted, select the boot order and make changes accordingly as displayed in the BIOS.
Option 2 – Try to run the Automatic Repair Utility
You might also want to use Automatic Repair in fixing the error. To do so, follow the steps below.
You can start by creating and booting from a bootable Windows 10 USB Stick.
After that, click on Repair your computer located on the bottom left corner when you are on the initial Windows Startup screen.
Next, click on Troubleshoot, and then on the other screen, click the Startup Repair option.
Now select the operating system you want to repair. Once you do that, it will start to repair your operating system. Wait until the process is completed and then check if the problem’s now fixed.
Option 3 – Try to run System Restore in Safe Mode
If you can’t boot into your Windows 10 computer, you can try to run System Restore again in the Advanced Startup Options.
Boot your computer into Safe Mode.
After that, select an option > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
Once your computer has restarted, tap the F6 key to enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt and to run System Restore from there.
Now in Command Prompt, type the “rstrui.exe” command to run System Restore in Safe Mode. This will help in fixing the problem since it would be safer to perform System Restore of the computer.
You can prevent starting of app installations files if they have not come from the MS store inside Windows 11.
