Booting the Windows computer system includes loading it from the various boot devices such as drivers, network as well as USB drives when the computer is turned on. The instant the startup sequence is done loading the operating system the system hardware will be ready to perform some complex operations – in this process, the Boot Log in Windows 10 is a record that maintains the list of success or failure of many pieces of Windows 10 system during the booting process. In other words, the Boot Log is the one that keeps a record of all that has happened while loading from the computer storage system to the memory during the boot process. It is available for several devices like network, hardware devices, and the operating system which assist in detecting issues during the boot process and other issues with regards to troubleshooting. Through Boot Log, you’ll know which drivers were unloaded and loaded from the start of the system during the boot process. You have the option to either disable or enable this feature on your Windows 10 PC.
Named as “ntbtlog.txt”, the log file lists all the successfully loaded processes and the unsuccessful ones during the boot process. It is saved to the drive C:Windowsntbtlog.txt. As mentioned, you can enable or disable this feature in two ways – the first one is by using the System Configuration or MSConfig while the second one is using the Command Prompt. In this post, we’ll show you how you can enable or disable Boot Log in Windows 10 either way.
Enable Boot Log:
Note: As pointed out earlier, the log file contains a list of all the successfully loaded drivers and also the list of drivers that failed to load during the boot process and every time you restart the system, the boot log file will keep on updating and will eventually increase the list of entries. For you to locate the drivers and make your troubleshooting a lot easier, I advised disabling the boot log after troubleshooting. To disable the boot log using System Configuration, refer to the steps below.
Disable Boot Log:
Enable Boot Log:
Note: You have to find the Identifier of the current operating system first to enable the Boot log. You can find it under the Windows Boot Loader section in the “Description” field and in this case, it’s Windows 10. You can also find the operating system identifier under the Windows Boot Loader section next to the field name identifier.
bcdedit /set {identifier} bootlog Yes
Note: In the command given above, make sure that you replace the given system identifier with your computer’s system identifier. For instance:
In this example, the identifier was replaced with the actual operating system identifier as current.
bcdedit /set {current} bootlog Yes
Note: Every time you restart your computer, the boot log file will keep on updating which will increase the size of the log eventually. So if you want seamless and easier troubleshooting, it is advised to disable the Boot log after you troubleshoot. To disable it using the Command Prompt, here’s what you have to do.
Disable Boot Log:
bcdedit/ set {identifier} bootlog No
Note: In the command given above, you need to replace the given system identifier with your computer’s system identifier. For instance:
In this example, the {identifier} was replaced with the actual operating system identifier as {current}.
bcdedit /set {current} bootlog No
Error code 0x80070652 occurs when Windows users attempt to upgrade their operating system while another program is in the process of being downloaded. It may also occur due to problems related to previously failed update attempts within Window Update. When this Windows 10 upgrade occurs, Windows users fail to access the version of Windows they are attempting to download. Instead, a message box occurs stating that error code 0x80070652 has occurred on the device. If this error message is not rectified, it could give birth to other Windows 10 errors such as error code 0x80072EE2.
Error code 0x80070652 may result from Windows 10 users attempting to download another program while upgrading their operating system. It may also be caused by an issue related to previous installations of updates. For instance, in some cases, your previous installation of the Windows process may have been interrupted or it was simply not completed properly. This causes any other upgrade process that follows to result in error code 0x80070652.
But what can be done in such a situation to resolve the error code? Windows users have several options available. For instance, they can wait on any additional program that may be in the process of downloading to complete the process before attempting to upgrade Windows. They may also troubleshoot problems related to any failed updates or select a system restore point in which the error code was not present.
The manual repair methods Windows 10 users choose may involve any of the solutions mentioned previously. The choice is largely dependent on the user and his determination to fix the error code. However, note that automated tools or Windows repair technicians may also provide solutions to PC issues like error code 0x80070652.
Since previously failed updates within Windows Update can lead to the occurrence of error code 0x80070652, Windows 10 users will need to verify which of these failed updates occurred by checking the history section of the Windows Update tool. Once you’ve been able to verify that failed updates have occurred in the recent past, you’ll need to troubleshoot these problems to rectify the error code. Follow the instructions below to check for updates that have failed to install properly via Windows Update.
Once you’ve completed the troubleshooting of any updates which failed, proceed by rebooting your device. You may then reattempt to upgrade to the latest version of Windows 10 once no other program is in the process of being downloaded.
If the problem causing error code 0x80070652 was related to failed updates of the past, these issues will likely be resolved once you successfully troubleshoot them. However, if the error code reoccurs, apply the next manual repair solution mentioned in this article.
Another option available to users is simply downloading updates manually by visiting the official Microsoft website, specifically the Windows section which provides downloads. To successfully complete this process, ensure you look for stand-alone packages of these downloads available on the website. You will need to know the Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article number related to the specific update(s) which failed.
Once a Windows user has verified the KB article number of the specific update, download it from the Microsoft website, then select Run to install the update. Reboot your PC, then check Windows Update to see if you are able to successfully complete the Windows 10 upgrade.
If the upgrade fails, you may need to implement the next manual repair method as is mentioned below.
One of the best options for Windows 10 users facing certain PC problems is to apply System Restore. This allows them to reset their machine for a period of time in which the problem was not present. This is known as the restore point. To apply this manual repair method, follow the steps below.
If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.
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Customers will most likely encounter the “We couldn’t update system reserved partition” error when upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. This error may also come with error code 0xc1900104 or error code 0x800f0922.
“We couldn’t update system reserved partition” Windows 10 upgrade error is normally caused by too little space on the System Reserved Partition (SRP). The System Reserve Partition is an additional small partition created by Windows, which stores boot files. The SRP can be filled up with security apps and third-party anti-virus. Once this partition has insufficient space, the system will not be able to upgrade to Windows 10.
Caution: The following steps are complex and need to be done by experienced users especially using the command line. Once an error is made in entering commands, there’s a chance that your device can be put in a no-boot situation, or data stored on the device can possibly get lost.
To upgrade to Windows 10, your device needs to have at least 15MB free space on the System Reserved Partition. Follow the procedure below and then try upgrading again.
NOTE: While in Admin mode, some apps like OneNote will not run.
Doing this method will make a permanent, but small increase in the free space of the device’s SRP.
a. Open the Run window by pressing the Windows key + R. Type diskmgmt.msc then hit Enter. b. Select System Reserve partition then right-click on it.
c. Choose Change Drive Letter and Paths then select Add.
d. Type Y for the drive letter then click OK.
e. Click on the Start button and search for cmd. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.
f. Type Y: at the command prompt then press Enter.
g. Once you’ve switched to drive Y, type takeown /d y /r /f . then hit Enter.
NOTE: Ensure that the space and period after “f” is included in order for the command to work properlyh. Type icacls Y:* /save %systemdrive%NTFSp.txt /c /t then hit Enter to back up the permission to the drive.
NOTE: Ensure that all files are marked as successful and that no files are marked as failed.
i. Type whoami then hit Enter. Record the username that appears. Afterwards, type icacls . /grant <username you got from whoami>:F /t then press Enter.
NOTE: Ensure that there’s no space between the username and “:F” or the command will not work.j. In the File Explorer, open the SRP drive and select the Boot folder. Choose the language folders you want to permanently delete. Language folders are named with four letters split with a hyphen. For example: de-DE is the German language while en-US is the U.S. English language.
2. Truncate the NTFS Log:
a. Open the Command Prompt then type chkdsk /L Y: to check the size of the NTFS Log. If the NTFS Log size is less than 5000KB, you need not truncate the file.
b. Type chkdsk /L:5000 /X /F then hit Enter to truncate the NTFS Log.
c. Return to Disk Management window. Select Action menu then select Check if the device’s SRP now has a larger amount of free space. Once there’s enough space, right click the System Reserve Partition then select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Choose Y: then select Remove.
3. If there’s still not enough available space after truncating the NTFS Log, resize the USN journal:
a. Open the command prompt then type fsutil usn queryjournal Y: to display the size in hex value. Convert the hex value to decimal then divide it by 1048576. The result you will get will be in MB. If the journal size is 30MB or more, proceed with truncating the file.
NOTE: To convert the Hex value to Decimal, open the Calculator app in Windows then choose View menu. Select Programmer then choose Hex. Type the Hex value then choose Dec.
b. Type fsutil usn deletejournal /D /N Y: then hit Enter to delete the journal. Type fsutil usn createjournal m=1500 a=1 Y: to recreate the journal having the new log size value.
a. Type icacls Y: /restore %systemdrive%NTFSp.txt /c /t in the Command Prompt. Check if the files were successfully processed before proceeding. If you see a message saying some files failed while processing, this is normal since some of the files have already been deleted before performing a backup. However, if there are no successful files indicated, the command was not properly executed.
b. Type icacls . /grant system:f /t then hit Enter to adjust the ACL back to System. Now, you can set the owner of the drive by typing icacls Y: /setowner “SYSTEM” /t /c then press Enter.
c. Check if the device’s SRP now has enough free space by going back to Disk Management and refreshing the data. If the SRP already has sufficient space, you can now remove the drive letter. Right-click on the System Reserved Partition then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths. Select the Y: drive then choose Confirm deleting the drive letter by clicking OK.
This method makes a larger, but temporary, increase in the SRP free space.
1. Be sure you have an external drive having at least 250 MB free space and formatted as NFTS.2. Open Run by pressing the Windows key + R. Type mscthen to choose the Recovery Partition. Right-click on it then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.
3. Select Add then type Y for the drive letter, click
4. Click on the Start screen then type cmd in the search bar. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.
5. Switch to another drive by typing Y: in the command prompt. Once you’re in the drive Y, type takeown /d y /r /f .
NOTE: Ensure that space and period after “f” are included in order for the command to work properly.
‘Error Message: Error 118 (net::ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT): The operation timed out.’
You probably heard about switches for LAN but not a lot of people heard about KVM switches. So what exactly is KVM switch?
If we look at the name, it is a shortcut for Keyboard, Video & Mouse and the original idea was to have multiple computers but one keyboard, mouse, and monitor. These peripherals would be connected to the KVM switch and other computers could all use one set of these on the fly when needed.
The technology behind the switch is a little interesting since it will actively fake signals to other computers that are not using peripherals. Once they are switched to them the transition is smooth and not noticeable. In old days these switches were more important than today since on every mouse or keyboard disconnection you had to reboot the computer, and although today that is not the case CPU will still detect disconnection and on the next connection it will run through the ID of the device and try to use the existing driver and if peripheral was connected in other USB port, it will install the same driver but connect it to the new USB port.
This type of reconnection can slow down work and place unnecessary load on the CPU so that is why KVM will fake connection in order to make switching externals on the computer smooth and in nick of a time.
These days modern KVM switches will offer you more options than just being able to switch between keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Modern switches now offer Lan, audio, and many more various options.
There are also different kinds of switches offering you only one option, like for example just a Video switch that will let you use one monitor on three computers and many more other specialized options.
So far we talked about Hardware switches, a real device being able to take peripherals into it and switch computers on the fly. On the other line, we have software switch solutions that will have specific software installed on all computers and have it run at all times, and switching between them will be through specific software.
There are two very good and main advantages of using software solutions instead of a hardware one. First, of course, is the price, since the most popular Synergy is an open-source solution, completely free of charge. The second big advantage is that software switch is not limited to how many computers can you use. Hardware switches tend to go to a large number like 16 but if you have a large cluster of computers over a LAN, let's say 30 then the box solution might be difficult.
On the other hand software solution will switch only keyboard and mouse since each other computer will have to have some screen on it in order to work. Both solutions have their strong advantages and disadvantages and it is up to you to choose one that best suits you.
If you are multitasking with a lot of computers or just need your peripherals from time to time to connect to another machine then the KVM switch is something that you might find the use of. Just be aware that if you go for some cheap switch you might experience some lag on your peripherals, but if that is not a concern you can get hardware one for as low as $50 USD.
chkdsk /f /r
powercfg /hibernate /size 100