Enabling the new Light Mode Theme in Windows

SearchAnonymo is a Google Chrome browser extension. This extension allegedly allows you to browse the internet anonymously without your data being tracked. From the Author: Search Anonymo – Search the Web Privately

Switch your default search to Search Anonymo and become safer on the web. Search through our Search Anonymo extension instead of search engines that track your personal profile and your search history. Search Anonymo provides you with an easy and safe search tool. -Advanced Security -No User Profiling -No Tracking -No Search Leakage This extension replaces your Default Search to Search Anonymo. This extension reroutes your search algorithms through a few websites before finally forwarding it to Yahoo Search. It changes your default search engine to Yahoo, which keeps track of any search information you make. It will change your homepage, search provider, and in our testing added considerable delay to the speed of search. This browser hijacker is considered a low-risk threat but is detected for optional removal for previous reasons.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking means that a malicious program code has power over and altered the settings of your internet browser, without your permission. Nearly all browser hijackers are created for marketing or advertising purposes. In most cases, it will force users to predetermined websites that are trying to increase their advertising campaign revenue. Nonetheless, it isn’t that harmless. Your web safety is compromised and it is also really irritating. Browser hijackers can also let other malicious programs without your knowledge further damage your PC.

How one can know whether the web browser is hijacked?

There are many symptoms that could indicate a browser hijacking: the browser’s home-page is changed; you see new unwanted favorites or bookmarks added, typically directed to ad-filled or porn sites; the default browser configurations have been changed and/or your default search engine is altered; you’re getting browser toolbars you have never found before; never-ending pop-up ads appear and/or your web browser popup blocker is disabled; web pages load very slowly and at times incomplete; you can’t visit specific sites like homepages of security software.

How they get into your computer or laptop

There are a number of ways your PC can get infected by a browser hijacker. They usually arrive by way of spam e-mail, via file-sharing networks, or by a drive-by download. They can be included with toolbars, BHO, add-ons, plugins, or browser extensions. Also, certain freeware and shareware can put the hijacker in your PC through “bundling”. Examples of well-known browser hijackers are Fireball, GoSave, Ask Toolbar, CoolWebSearch, Babylon Toolbar, and RocketTab. The presence of any browser hijacker on your computer can considerably diminish the browsing experience, record your internet activities that lead to major privacy issues, develop system stability problems, and eventually cause your computer to slow down or to a practically unusable condition.

Getting rid of browser hijackers

Certain hijackers could be removed by just uninstalling the related freeware or add-ons through the Add or Remove Programs in the Windows control panel. Having said that, the majority of hijackers are very tenacious and need specialized tools to get rid of them. And there’s no denying the very fact that the manual fixes and removal methods can be a complicated job for a novice computer user. Additionally, there are plenty of risks connected with tinkering around with the system registry files. You can opt for automatic browser hijacker removal methods by simply installing and running an efficient anti-malware application. To eradicate any browser hijacker from your PC, you can download this particular certified malware removal application – SafeBytes Anti-Malware. In addition to anti-malware, a system optimizer software can help you correct registry errors, get rid of unwanted toolbars, secure internet privacy, and stabilize software programs installed on your computer.

What you can do if Virus Stops You From Downloading Or Installing Anti-malware?

All malware is inherently harmful, but certain kinds of malicious software do a lot more damage to your PC than others. Some malware is designed to hinder or prevent things that you want to do on your computer system. It may not allow you to download anything from the web or stop you from accessing some or all websites, especially the anti-virus sites. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re stuck with a malware infection that is preventing you to download or install Safebytes Anti-Malware software on your system. Do as instructed below to get rid of the malware by alternate methods.

Use Safe Mode to fix the problem

In Safe Mode, you could change Windows settings, un-install or install some software, and get rid of hard-to-delete viruses. In the event the malware is blocking internet connection and affecting your computer, starting it in Safe Mode enables you to download antivirus and run a scan while limiting possible damage. In order to get into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press the F8 key while the PC is starting up or run MSConfig and locate the “Safe Boot” options in the “Boot” tab. As soon as you restart the PC into Safe Mode with Networking, you could download, install, as well as update anti-malware software from there. After installation, run the malware scanner to remove standard infections.

Switch to an alternate web browser

Some malware mainly targets particular internet browsers. If this sounds like your case, make use of another web browser as it might circumvent the virus. When you suspect that your Internet Explorer happens to be hijacked by a trojan or otherwise compromised by online hackers, the best thing to do is to switch over to an alternate browser such as Firefox, Chrome, or Safari to download your chosen security software – Safebytes Anti-Malware.

Run anti-malware from your USB drive

Another technique is to download and transfer anti-malware software from a clean PC to run a scan on the infected system. Do these simple actions to clean up your infected computer by using a portable antivirus. 1) On a virus-free computer, download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug in the pen drive into the clean computer. 3) Double-click the executable file to run the installation wizard. 4) Select the USB flash drive as the location for saving the software file. Follow the onscreen instructions to finish the installation process. 5) Now, transfer the USB drive to the infected PC. 6) Run the Safebytes Anti-malware directly from the USB drive by double-clicking the icon. 7) Run Full System Scan to identify and get rid of all kinds of malware.

Overview of SafeBytes Anti-Malware

Do you want to install the very best anti-malware software program for your PC? There are numerous applications in the market that comes in paid and free versions for Windows systems. A few of them are great and some are scamware applications that pretend as legitimate anti-malware programs waiting to wreak havoc on your personal computer. When searching for anti-malware software, choose one that gives dependable, efficient, and comprehensive protection against all known viruses and malware. Amongst few good applications, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is the strongly recommended tool for the security-conscious individual. SafeBytes can be described as a powerful, real-time anti-malware application that is created to assist the everyday computer end user in protecting their PC from malicious threats. With its cutting-edge technology, this application will help you get rid of multiples types of malware such as computer viruses, worms, PUPs, trojans, adware, ransomware, and browser hijackers. SafeBytes anti-malware offers an array of enhanced features that sets it apart from all others. Listed below are some of the features you may like in SafeBytes. Most effective AntiMalware Protection: Built on a highly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal tool can find and remove numerous obstinate malware threats like browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs, and ransomware that other common anti-virus applications will miss. Real-time Threat Response: SafeBytes offers a completely hands-free real-time protection that is set to monitor, block and destroy all threats at its first encounter. It will regularly monitor your pc for hacker activity and also gives end-users superior firewall protection. Web protection: SafeBytes checks the hyperlinks present on a webpage for possible threats and tells you whether the site is safe to visit or not, through its unique safety rating system. Lightweight: SafeBytes is renowned for its low effect on computer resources and great detection rate of countless threats. It runs quietly and efficiently in the background so you’re free to utilize your computer or laptop at full power all the time. 24/7 Guidance: You will get 24/7 technical assistance to immediately resolve any issue with your security application. To sum it up, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is pretty great for securing your computer against all sorts of malware threats. Malware problems can become a thing of the past once you put this tool to use. If you want advanced forms of protection features & threat detections, purchasing SafeBytes Anti-Malware will be well worth the dollars!

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove SearchAnonymo without using an automated tool, it may be possible to do so by removing the program from the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu, or in cases of web browser plug-ins, going to the browser’s AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. Additionally, it is suggested to reset your browser to its default state to fix corrupt settings. In order to ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and computer registry for all the following and eliminate or reset the values as needed. But bear in mind, this is often a complicated task and only computer professionals could accomplish it safely. Furthermore, certain malware is capable of replicating itself or preventing deletion. Carrying out this in Safe Mode is recommended.

Windows 11 release date is closing in, some people have tried it via insider build, some have decided not to. It has come to our attention that there is a little website made by BlueEdge that offers a virtual Windows 11 desktop. Opening the Website will put you right inside Windows 11 desktop, now take note that this is not Windows 11, it is a simulation of Microsoft’s newest OS and therefore many things will not work like File Explorer, etc. One thing you can make sure it is working is UI itself, you can see how you do like the new Taskbar, start menu, widgets, and some other things. You can just pop up on the site and check how you do like the overall new look and feel of Windows 11 UI before installing it or trying it. We are sure that many more options will come in time but even now you can get a feel of the newest OS. Windows 11 BlueEdge site: https://win11.blueedge.me/

Each time you open an application inside your Windows 11 operating system, it is opened with standard privileges. Now, please note that your account privileges and application privileges are two different things, you might be the administrator of the system but when you open the app, it still opens with standard privilege. Most of the time running applications with typical settings is fine but from time to time we might have some applications that will require running with administrator privilege in order to work properly. In this case, it is very easy to do it, you just right-click and choose run as administrator. Although a very easy solution, it can be quite annoying if running the app is on a daily basis or even more times per day. If this is the case then right-clicking and choosing to run as administrator can be a daunting task, sometimes you can even forget to run it like this in heat of work and some unforeseen consequences might occur. Luckily there is an easy hack so you can open the chosen application each time as an administrator with a simple double click each time.

Setting application to run as administrator always

1. Locate application executable file
2. Right-click on in and choose properties
3. Click on the Compatibility tab
4. Check the box next to Run this Program as an Administrator
5. Click on Apply
6. Click on OK

From now on each time you open an application normally with a double click, it will be opened as administrator privileges.

There are cases when you want to undo some changes you’ve made to your computer and to do that you have to perform the System Restore task. However, if you encounter an error that states “To use System Restore you must specify which Windows installation to restore”, when doing so, read on as this post will help you fix the problem. This kind of error in System Restore could be due to corrupted files in the system. There are also situations where you are not able to boot up once you encounter this error which could be a big problem. On the other hand, this error might have something to do with corrupted BCD files. Whatever the cause is, here are some potential fixes you have to try.

Option 1 – Try to run System File Checker offline

Like pointed out, since the error might be due to corrupted system files, you can try to run System File Checker offline. How? Refer to these steps:

• You need to go to the Advanced Startup Options and from there select Troubleshoot.
• Next, select the Advanced Options and then Command Prompt.
• After opening Command Prompt, type the commands given below and tap Enter right after you type each one of them.
  • Cd /
  • Dir

• If you can see the “Users” folder, that is your system’s drive. However, if you can’t see it, you can just change the drive-by assigning “D” as its alphabet volume.
• Then execute this command where “C” is the system drive: sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C: /offwindir=C:Windows
• Now repeat the given steps sequentially.

Option 2 – Try to run DISM tool

You can also run the DISM tool to repair the potentially corrupted system image. First, you have to check the health of the system like checking the integrity of the system files and Windows services. To run DISM, follow the given steps below sequentially.

• Open Command Prompt from the Advanced Startup options.
• After that, execute this command where “C:” is the system volume: DISM /Image:C:Windows /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:WindowsWinSxS
• If you encounter an error after executing the given command, insert the Windows USB or DVD and then execute this next command where “E:” is the USB or DVD drive: DISM /Image:C:Windows /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:esd:E:SourcesInstall.esd:1 /limitaccess
• In some cases, “install.esd” would be “install.wim” and in such case, you have to modify and execute this command: DISM /Image:C:Windows /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:wim:E:SourcesInstall.wim /limitaccess

Option 3 – Try to repair corrupted BCD

As mentioned, the error could also be due to corruption in BCD, and to fix it, you can use Bootrec.exe – a built-in command-line tool used to troubleshot issues related to boot up and Windows Startup. Before you run this tool, make sure that you have inserted a bootable USB or DVD into your computer. Once you have that covered, follow these steps:

• You need to go to the Advanced Startup Options.
• Then click on Troubleshoot.
• Next, select the Advanced Options and then Command Prompt.
• Once Command Prompt has been pulled up, enter each one of the following commands and in the sequence that they are given to rebuild BCD files and repair MBR files:
  • Bootrec /Fixmbr
  • Bootrec /FixBoot
• After you execute the commands given above, you should see a confirmation message that says, “The operation completed successfully”.
• Now type the “Bootrec /RebuildBCD” command to rebuild BCD.
• Finally, close Command Prompt and then restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.

Option 4 – 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 in 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 5 – Try to use the Windows Recovery Environment

If the four options given above didn’t help fix the problem, you could try running Windows Repair and 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 6 – Try running System Restore in Advanced Startup Options

Since you probably 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 the Advanced Startup Options screen.
• From there, you will see some options to troubleshoot when you can’t log in to Windows in the usual way.
• Now select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
• After that, type “exe /OFFLINE:C:Windows” and hit Enter to execute the command which will start the System Restore process.

Note: You need to replace “C” with the drive where Windows Installation is located.

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 various complex tasks that take place under the hood while you upgrade or clean install the Windows operating system on a computer. Because of its complexity, there are times when you might encounter some errors when you upgrade or clean install Windows 10. One of the errors you could encounter is the error that states, “Windows could not prepare the computer to boot into the next phase of installation. To install Windows, restart the installation”. This error does not only occur in Windows 10 as it could also occur on the other versions of Windows. There are a lot of possible causes for this error. It could be due to incompatible BIOS, corrupted system files, improper installation media or it could also be due to excessive hardware plugged into your computer and so on. Whatever the cause is, here are some potential fixes you need to check out to fix the problem.

Option 1 – Try to disconnect or disable newly installed hardware

In this option, you will have to disable or remove the hardware you’ve just installed recently since external devices could be the one that’s causing the Blue Screen of Death error to appear. To do that, just disconnect any external device that’s connected to your computer physically and then check if it fixes the error.

Option 2 – Try to update the BIOS

As you know, the BIOS is a sensitive part of a computer. Even though it is a software component, the functioning of the hardware depends on it largely. Thus, you must be careful when modifying something in the BIOS. So if you don’t know much about it, it’s best if you skip on this option and try the other ones instead. However, if you are well-versed in navigating the BIOS, then follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “msinfo32” in the field and press Enter to open System Information.
• From there, you should find a search field on the bottom where you have to search for the BIOS version and then press Enter.
• After that, you should see the developer and version of the BIOS installed on your PC.
• Go to your manufacturer’s website and then download the latest version of BIOS on your computer.
• If you are using a laptop, make sure that you keep it plugged in until you have updated the BIOS.
• Now double click on the downloaded file and install the new BIOS version in your computer.
• Now restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Option 3 – Try to reconfigure all the created partitions

You could also try to reconfigure the partitions by deleting and recreating all the available partitions on your computer and then see if it fixes the problem.

Option 4 – Make a proper bootable USB Drive/Stick

To make a proper bootable USB drive, you need to use the Windows Media Creation tool. The Media Creation tool in Windows allows you to use the ISO installation file to make a bootable device that you can use to install Windows on your PC. Note that this is kind of different from the usual installation process as it could erase your computer’s current settings and data on the primary drive. Thus, before you proceed, you need to backup all your data into some removable drive and then use the Media Creation Tool to make a bootable drive.

• After making the bootable drive, you need to plug it into your computer and then reboot.
• Next, tap the F10 or Esc key to open the boot options.
• Now set the boot priority of the removable drive the highest. Once the setup comes forth, follow the next onscreen instructions and install Windows without any problems.

One of the most interesting innovations that were released by Microsoft is the Surface Dial. This only goes to show that Microsoft is very competent not just in hardware but in overall innovation. Although it’s quite a piece of technology and as far as the consensus is concerned, it works pretty well, there are still some issues encountered by users. One of the particular issues experienced by users is that the Surface Dial fails to pair with every Windows 10 PC. At a time of writing, it is still not clear what the cause of the problem really is. However, their possible solutions are provided in this post that might help you resolve the problem. Before you get started troubleshooting the problem, make sure that there are two AAA batteries fitted inside properly.

Option 1 – Check if your PC supports Bluetooth 4.0 LE

In case you don’t know, the Surface Dial only works with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update and later PCs that support Bluetooth 4.0 LE. Thus, you have to check if this is supported or not before you troubleshoot further.

• Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “devmgmt.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Device Manager.
• From there, click on Bluetooth and select “Microsoft Bluetooth LE Enumerator” from the drop-down menu. However, if it is not there, then it simply means that your computer does not support this standard which is most likely why you were unable to pair with other Windows 10 PCs. On the other hand, if you were able to see it, then proceed to the next troubleshooting steps below.

Option 2 – Check if Bluetooth is on

The next thing you have to do is to check if Bluetooth is turned on. As you know, the Surface Dial connects to your computer using Bluetooth and so you need to check if it’s really on or not. Aside from that, you also have to verify pairing.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Next, select Devices from the menu and click on Bluetooth.
• After that, make sure that the toggle switch for Bluetooth is turned on.
• Now all you have to do is to verify pairing by pressing and holding the pairing button located beside the batteries and then wait for a few seconds until the Bluetooth light begins to flash.
• Then go back to the Bluetooth section and click on Bluetooth or other devices.
• From there, click on Add Bluetooth and select Surface Dial.
• Follow the next instructions on the screen and click on Done once everything is completed. That should fix the problem.

Option 3 – Check if Surface Dial is connected to another PC

If you think that connecting a Bluetooth device to two different PCs at the same time is wise, then think again as it does not really bode well for the overall user experience. Thus, you need to disconnect the Surface Dial from the system that you are currently using. On the other hand, if everything fails, then it’s most likely that the Bluetooth adapter is the one at fault. So you may have to get a third-party device that connects to your system via USB and then see if it works or not.

This post will guide you in fixing yet another annoying Blue Screen of Death error, “BUGCODE_USB_DRIVER”. This particular BSOD error occurs due to some issue with usbhub.sys, winusb.sys, or usbport.sys system driver file. When you encounter this kind of Stop error on your Windows 10 PC, it indicates that an error has occurred in the Universal Serial Bus or USB driver. The USB driver is issued by Microsoft themselves and it comes along with the Windows 10 system which is why it is difficult to download its latest version using a web browser. Thus, you need to take some basic steps to resolve the problem. Carefully follow the given fixes below to fix the BUGCODE_USB_DRIVER Blue Screen error and before you proceed, you need to create a System Restore Point, this way you have some backup in case something goes out of hand.

Option 1 – Update the USB Controller Drivers

• First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
• Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
• From there, look for the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” option and then right-click on each one of the USB drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.
• Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.

You also have the option to update the motherboard and the USB driver from the manufacturer’s official website.

Option 2 – Check for any available Windows Updates

Another you can try is to check if there are any Windows Updates available to make sure that your Windows 10 PC has all the latest updates installed. All you have to do is go to Settings > Update &security. From there, just click on the Check for updates button.

Option 3 – Uninstall conflicting programs and services

There are certain programs like VMWare, Virtual Box, Hyper-V Virtualization services that might be in conflict with the USB port drivers on the parent operating system. Thus, you can try uninstalling the aforementioned programs and other similar ones to see if it fixes the BSOD error.

• In the search box, type in “control” and then click on Control Panel (desktop app) among the search results.
• After that, select Programs and Features from the list which will give you a list of all the programs installed on your computer.
• From there, look for the concerned program and select it and then uninstall it.

Note: If you have downloaded the app from the Windows Store, you can simply right-click on it from the application list and then uninstall it. If uninstalling the programs mentioned above didn’t help, you might want to try putting your PC in a Clean Boot State to help you find the faulty program.

• 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.)

Option 4 – Modify the Power Settings

• In the Cortana Search box, type “power options” and then select Power Options from the search results.
• After opening Power Options, click on Change plan settings for your selected power plan.
• Next, click on Change advanced power settings.
• Then look for USB Settings and click on it to expand it.
• Now expand the USB selective suspend setting and then disable it.
• After that, click on the Apply and then OK buttons to save the changes made.

Option 5 – Check for any hard disk errors

• On your desktop, right-click on the “This PC” or computer icon and then select Manage to open the Disk Management. Here you get to check your drive’s health.
• Next, click on Disk Management on the left side panel.
• From there, check the state of your drives. If it shows that all your partitions are healthy then it means all is good and that the problem may have something to do with some physical issues with your hard drive.

You might also want to run the CHKDSK utility to help you fix any issues with your hard disk. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the CHKDSK utility comes in. The CHKDSK utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /f /r

• Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.

Error Code 12 - What is it?

Error code 12 is a typical Device Manager error code. It usually pops on the computer screen when the computer experiences device driver problems or system resource conflicts.

Error code 12 is mostly displayed on the computer screen in the following format:

‘This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use. If you want to use this device, you will need to disable one of the other devices on this system.’

Solution

Error Causes

The error code 12 occurs when 2 devices installed on your PC are accidentally assigned the same I/O (input/output) ports or the same direct memory access channel.

This assignment is known to be made either by BIOS (Basic Input/output system) or by the operating system. It can sometimes be assigned by a combination of the two. Also, code 12 can also appear on your monitor screen if the BIOS didn’t allocate enough resources to the device.

Although this error code is not fatal, it is nonetheless advisable to fix it immediately to avoid inconvenience and hassle. This error is most likely to lower and hamper the performance of your system.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Here are some of the easiest and most effective do-it-yourself methods to resolve error code 12 on your PC. To perform these fixes, you don’t have to be technically sound or a computer programmer for that matter. Simply follow the steps to fix the problem right away.

Method 1 - Use the Troubleshooting Wizard to identify the Conflict

To repair error code 12, simply go to the start menu and type Device Manager in the search box. Now go to the Device Properties dialog box. After that click on the ‘General Tab’ and now access Troubleshoot to start the Troubleshooting Wizard.

The Wizard will ask you some questions and provide you a solution accordingly. Follow the instructions and resolution steps provided by the troubleshooting wizard to repair error code 12 on your PC.

Method 2 - Disable the Device to Resolve

By disabling the problematic device in the Device Manager, Windows will ignore that piece of hardware. Once disabled, Windows will then no longer assign system resources to that device and no driver/software will be able to use that device.

To disable, go to the Device Properties in the Device Manager and then click the Driver tab. Click disable located at the bottom of the window. Then you will be prompted with a message stating ‘Disabling this device will cause it to stop functioning. Do you wish to disable it?’ Click yes to continue and then click OK to save changes.

Method 3 - Restore Your PC to its Previous State

Another method to resolve error code 12 is to restore your PC to its previous state when it was working properly.

For this, it is important to backup all your data first to avoid data loss issues that are likely to occur during this process. Creating backups manually can be a time-consuming and tedious task. To save time and quicken the process, it is best to install a program like DriverFIX.

DriverFIX is a user-friendly and intuitive device driver management software that helps backup all your data automatically and efficiently, while simultaneously restores your PC back to its previous state before you encountered problems.

Click here to download DriverFIX on your system to resolve error code 12

Prompted For A Product Key – What Is It?

Some Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 users are having a hard time upgrading to Windows 10 as they are being prompted for a product key. By default, the Windows 10 operating system does not require a product key and users should not be prompted for one, given you upgraded your computer from an activated Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license or from the Windows 10 Preview build. However, there are some users encountering this problem and there are several reasons for this.

Solution

Error Causes

There are a few reasons why some users are being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10:

• Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license is not activated.
• You’re upgrading to Windows 10 final release from a preview build.
• There are broken operating system files.
• Activation servers get overwhelmed due to the high volume of upgrades.
• The Windows 10 copy you downloaded does not correspond with the current Windows system you are upgrading from.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Before you can fix this problem, you need to know why you’re being prompted for a product key. Some things you should know about Windows 10 product key activation are the following:

• You cannot activate Windows 10 using your Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 product key. Windows 10 has a unique product key.
• Error codes such as 0x8007232b, 0XC004E003, 0x8007007B, or 0x8007000D might pop up during system upgrade especially when the activation servers get overwhelmed with the high volume of upgrades.
• You don’t really need to know your Windows 10 product key.

Now, if ever you’re prompted for a product key when you’re upgrading to Windows 10, you can apply the following methods:

Method One: Give It A Few Days

If you’ve been prompted for a product key upon upgrading to Windows 10, you should click on the “Do this later” option. Wait for a few days then Windows 10 will get activated automatically.

Method Two: Download A Copy of Windows 10 Corresponding Your Current System

One of the reasons Windows users are being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10 is that they have downloaded a wrong edition of Windows 10 and do not correspond with your current system.

• Users of Home Basic, Home Premium, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 8.0 Core, and Windows 8.1 Core should download Windows 10 Home ISO.
• Users of Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 8.0 Pro, and Windows 8.1 Pro should download Windows 10 Pro ISO.

NOTE: Users of Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8.0 Enterprise, and Windows 8.1 Enterprise are not eligible for the free upgrade offer.

Method Three: Ensure Windows Is Activated

If your Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 is not genuine or activated, you will get prompted for a product key. You need to make sure first your current system is activated.

1. Click on Start then right-click Computer. For Windows 8 and up users, you can simply press on Windows key + X then select Choose Properties.
2. When the Properties window appears, check if the Windows you’re running is activated.

Method Three: Reset License Status

1. Press on Windows key + X.
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Once the command prompt window appears, type vbs –rearm then press Enter.
4. Exit Command Prompt then restart your PC.
5. Input the product key by following the instructions given.

Method Four: Force Activation

1. Press on Windows key + X
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Once the command prompt window appears, type vbs –ato then press Enter.
4. Exit Command Prompt then restart your PC.

Method Five: Run System File Checker

Another thing you can try doing is to run the system file checker utility to scan if there are any broken operating system files. In doing so, you’ll be able to detect problems that might be preventing the product activation of your Windows 10 upgrade.

Method Six: Contact Microsoft Activation Center

If in case you’ve exhausted all your resources and you are still being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10, you can try contacting the Microsoft Activation Center for further details. Check here for the appropriate telephone numbers to contact.

Method Seven: Download An Automated Tool

If you still experience the error after doing the methods above, you might want to try a powerful and trusted automated tool to fix the job.