How To Fix Error Code 652 On Windows PC

Error 0x8000ffff prevents you from using the Microsoft store. Altho it is not a critical error that will break Windows, it is annoying enough that will require fixing so we can use the store once again and install apps when we want to. Interesting thing is that this error was present inside Windows 10 as well causing some annoyance, you think Microsoft would learn, and then you see reality. Anyway, we have not come here to bash Microsoft, we came to solve errors. So there are several problems that can cause this error like issues with accessing the Microsoft servers, corrupt system files, settings being misconfigured, malware infections, or conflicting applications. We will cover all solutions for each scenario taking approaches from most simple solutions to more complex ones. Follow the guide and let's fix this annoyance.

Wait for Microsoft's servers to become accessible

Yes, just wait. If the problem is tied to Microsoft servers having heavy load or being temporarily down there is not much you can do except for their tech team to resolve the issue. Go to Twitter or Facebook and check the Microsoft page to see if anyone else has this issue, if several people are reporting the same error then it is due to server problems. In this case, the only thing you can do is to wait.

Run troubleshooter

If servers are working fine then the issue is within your system so let's get down to fixing. Most simple and easiest solution is to let Windows try and resolve the problem by itself. We will use troubleshooter for this, Windows's integrated fixing solution: Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open the settings app Click on System in the left panel, then on Troubleshoot on the right Click on Other troubleshooters In most Frequent section find Windows Update and click on the Run button Wait for the troubleshooter to finish and follow on-screen instructions

Clear Store cache

If the troubleshooter has not found the issue or was unable to repair it, the next step is cleaning the Microsoft store cache in order to eliminate corrupted or partial cache files. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog In run dialog type in: wsreset and press OK or press ENTER A black screen will appear and it will not give any kind of feedback about progress, so it might seem like Windows has frozen, but do not panic nor try to do anything, this kind of behavior is normal, just wait for the process to finish and once it is done Microsoft store will launch with the cleared cache.

Disable Proxy

Proxy setting can interfere with establishing a connection to the store servers and if previous solutions have not worked we will check proxy next. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog Inside run dialog type: inetcpl.cpl and hit ENTER or press OK button Inside Internet Properties click on the Connections tab and then on LAN settings Uncheck the box next to Use a proxy server for your LAN and click on OK

Turn off antivirus

If nothing worked so far, turn off your anti-virus software, there is a slight possibility that your antivirus is misconfigured or preventing the system from accessing the store. Turn off antivirus and firewall to make sure that this is not an issue.

Delete the software distribution folder

So, we have tried a lot of things, and the error still persists? Let's then go to the next step and delete the software distribution folder in order to be remade new so we can eliminate corruption in the folder itself. To do this follow the guide: Press ⊞ WINDOWS + S to open the search menu Inside search type in Windows terminal, right-click on the terminal and click on Run as administrator. Confirm with YES on UAC prompt pop up Inside terminal press CTRL + SHIFT + 2 to open command prompt inside command prompt type in: net stop wuauserv and press ENTER Then type in: net stop bits followed with ENTER Next press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog Inside run dialog type in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution and press the OK button or ENTER File Explorer will open and you will find yourself inside SoftwareDistribution folder. Press CTRL + A to select all files inside Press on the delete icon or press DEL, confirm with YES Once all files are deleted, the system will redownload new ones.

Enable Cryptographic service

Windows 11 has come with a cryptographic service that aims to make your computer more secure but if the service is turned off it can be the cause of 0x8000ffff error. In order to turn this service back ON, follow the guide: Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog In run dialog type in services.msc and press ENTER or click on the OK button In the list find Cryptographic Services and double click on it Inside properties click on Startup type dropdown menu and select Automatic from the list Click on the Start button to run service and then on the OK button to save the changes

Run SFC scan

SFC is an internal Windows tool for fixing corrupt system files, application will scan all system files and repair ones that are corrupted. To run an SFC scan do the following: Press ⊞ WINDOWS + S to open the search menu Inside search type in Windows terminal, right-click on the terminal and click on Run as administrator. Confirm with YES on UAC prompt pop up Inside terminal press CTRL + SHIFT + 2 to open command prompt inside command prompt type in: SFC /scannow and press ENTER Wait for the whole process to finish and reboot your system

Run DISM scan

Similar to SFC, DISM scan will scan your system Windows image and if required it will repair it. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + S to open the search menu Inside search type in Windows terminal, right-click on the terminal and click on Run as administrator. Confirm with YES on UAC prompt pop up Inside terminal press CTRL + SHIFT + 2 to open command prompt inside command prompt type in: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press ENTER Wait for the whole process to finish and restart your computer

In the last article, we have covered various advantages of Apple hardware over Windows PC, however, PC has their own strengths and advantages over MACs as well. Join us as we explore why would you choose Windows PC over MAC.

Hardware customization

If you like to customize and build your own hardware and customize your existing computer then MACs are out of the picture, on other hand, computers based on Windows operating system are much more flexible in terms of customization.

While Apple hardware is locked and only allows small changes to it, computers running on Windows are free and open to various upgrades and modifications so if you like to play with hardware Windows is your platform.

Gaming

There are games on MAC true but their numbers can not compare to games available for the Windows platform. On top of that, most latest and best gaming hardware is not even available on Apple platforms so if you plan to game in high resolutions and play the latest games there really is no option other than Windows.

Windows Platforms also has multiple emulators that you can use to play games from other older platforms and Microsoft since it owns Xbox has some great plans for both PC and Xbox gaming.

Software back compatibility

Since the introduction of the new MAC OS X, apple really lost a lot of application back compatibility, and a lot of old legacy software can not be run on modern Apple computers. Windows on the other hand have always tried and succeeded in keeping maximum compatibility with older and legacy software.

Also on the Windows platform, there is a lot of community support for old and legacy software so even if it is not officially supported it is backed up by the community.

Software variability

In terms of where can you find the most different software, you need to look no further than the Windows platform. How Windows itself has great backward compatibility and a lot of developers are using it to create new software thanks to Visual Studio and .NET Windows has cemented itself as a platform with the most available software.

The popularity of Windows as the home operating system and as a gaming platform has made it quite interesting in eyes of various developers and tons of small applications are made daily for it. Windows 11 has also brought native android support to it and that has just expanded its already impressive catalog of applications.

Freedom of choice

Overall Windows PC is most appealing for users that like to be able to choose everything, from hardware components to software they would like to use. No other platform will give you larger freedom of choice and better personalization options.

If your Windows computer is not booting up and displays Secure Boot Violation – The system found unauthorized changes on the firmware, operating system, or UEFI drivers error message on the screen, then you can follow this tutorial to troubleshoot the problem. When you encounter this kind of problem on your computer, you will get the following error message on your screen:

“Secure Boot Violation The system found unauthorized changes on the firmware, operating system, or UEFI drivers. Press [OK] to run the next boot device or enter directly to BIOS Setup if there are no other boot devices installed. Go to BIOS Setup > Advanced > Boot and change the current boot device into other secured boot devices.”

This kind of error message pops up due to the Secure Boot that protects your computer from running any non-OEM signed boot software during startup. In other words, the Secure Boot firmware is the one that scans for non-signed boot software each time your computer boots up and if it detects anything strange, it will block the boot and will display the error message. To fix this error, there are two things you can try. You can try to disable the Secure Boot or try using a System Restore Point. For more detailed instructions, refer to each one of the options provided below.

Option 1 – Disable the Secure Boot in the BIOS

Disabling the Secure Boot in the BIOS settings is definitely recommended to resolve the issue. To disable Secure Boot, here’s what you have to do:

• First, boot your computer into Windows 10.
• Next, go to Settings > Windows Update. From there, check if there is anything that you have to download and install if you see any available updates. Usually, OEMs send and update the list of trusted hardware, drivers, and operating systems for your computer.
• After that, go to the BIOS of your computer.
• Then go to Settings > Update & Security > Advanced Startup options. If you click on Restart Now, it will restart your computer and give you all the advanced options.
• Next, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options. As you can see, this screen offers you further options including System restore, Startup repair, Go back to the previous version, Command Prompt, System Image Recovery, and UEFI Firmware Settings.
• Select the UEFI Firmware Settings which will take you to the BIOS.
• From there, go to the Security > Boot > Authentication tab where you should see Secure Boot. Note that every OEM has its own way of implementing the options so it varies.
• Next, set Secure Boot to Disabled and set Legacy Support to On or Enabled.
• Save the changes made and exit. Afterward, your computer will reboot.

Option 2 – 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 “rstrui” and hit Enter to execute the command which will start the System Restore process.

Option 3 – 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.

As you know, the Windows 10 Action Center has a stack of all the notifications that come from different applications on your computer. So each time an app displays notifications, it will be displayed for about 5 seconds and then it disappears right away. Although the allotted time for the notifications to be displayed is quite enough to catch your attention and help you get a glance at the message, there are times when you might miss it and you hoped it could’ve been displayed a lot longer. So in this post, you will be guided on how you can increase or decrease the display time of the notification in Windows 10. The best way you can view the missed notification is to click on the Action Center. From there, you will see all the notifications that are grouped by the applications. This means that if you have a lot of notifications, it would be hard for you to find what you are looking for. Thus, in such cases, the best way you can do is to increase the display time for which notification to stay on the screen.

To get started, refer to the instructions given below.

Step 1: Tap the Win + I keys to open Settings. Step 2: Next, navigate to Home > Ease of Access > Display. Step 3: After that, scroll down to the end until you see the dropdown to change the notifications where you should see the “Show notifications for”. Step 4: Then you can change the time from the default 5 seconds to 7, 15, 30, and so on. Step 5: Once done, the display time of the notifications should stay longer but keep in mind that you must choose the length wisely so if you have notifications from a lot of apps, then the screen will also be filled with multiple notification cards.

If you encounter a Blue Screen error that points out to the CMUDA.sys, read on as this post will guide you in fixing it. The CMUDA.sys file is a Windows operating system driver file that is related to the USB Device Audio capabilities of a computer. There are times when this file causes Blue Screen error due to some conflicts in RAM or some incompatible firmware or hard disk issues, corrupted drivers or malware infection, and so on. There are various Blue Screen errors that are related to the CMUDA.sys file such as:

• KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
• PAGE FAULT IN A NONPAGED AREA
• IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL
• SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED (CMUSBDAC.sys)

In most cases, the CMUDA.sys file usually triggers the SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED Blue Screen error. Although this Blue Screen error may seem complicated, its workarounds are straightforward so you won’t have any problems in following them.

Option 1 – Try to update or rollback your device drivers

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

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• After opening the Device Manager, locate the device drivers that are marked with a small yellow exclamation mark icon and right-click on each one to open their Properties. On the other hand, you can also look for sub-entries under Sound, video, and game controllers like the C-Media USB Audio Class
• 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. You can download the as C-Media USB Audio Class driver from the cmedia.com website.

Option 2 – Try to recreate the CMUDA.sys file

The first thing you can try is to recreate the CMUDA.sys file. Every time your Windows 10 PC boots up, it looks for all the system drivers in place and if it is unable to find them, it tries to create them. Which is why if you remove your corrupt driver file, chances are, you might get a fixed file recreated just for you. How? Refer to the steps below.

• Boot your Windows 10 PC in Safe Mode.
• Then open File Explorer and navigate to this location: C:/Windows/System32/drivers
• From there, look for the file named sys and rename it to CMUDA.old.

Note: As you can see, the file’s extension has changed from .sys to .old.

• Now restart your computer and check if the CMUDA.sys Blue Screen error is now fixed.

Option 3 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

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

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

On the other hand, you can also try running the online Windows 10 Blue Screen troubleshooter from Microsoft. It is a wizard that could help you fix any Stop errors related to the CMUDA.sys file and will offer you helpful links as you use it.

Option 4 – Try running the DISM tool

You can try running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the Wdf01000.sys Blue Screen error. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

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

Option 5 – Run System Restore

Running System Restore might also help in fixing Blue Screen errors related to the CMUDA.sys file.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
• Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
• After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.

LINUX has become more than just a dedicated server Operating system, more and more it is gaining ground in home computers as well and as services like Steam and Gog are offering their titles for LINUX it is gaining more and more ground daily.

Why LINUX?

So, what makes LINUX so good? First of all security, no other Operating system has that high level of security like LINUX and that is the reason why it is widely used as a server. Other advantages are it is less resource hungry and its architecture is made in such a way that it does not has applications remains and traces which remain in the system, once an application is deleted from OS, it is deleted and every trace is removed from OS. Apple OS is based on LINUX kernel but made specifically for their hardware.

LINUX popularity

So naturally, the question pops up why LINUX is not more popular? One of the reasons is its difficulty, to work in LINUX you need to have some level of computer knowledge, Windows is more user-friendly and a lot of people prefer the ease of use to features. This is somewhat been fixed sort of speak in last years since we have LINUX distributions which aim to be more simple and user friendly but it is far from easy of use of one Windows. Another big reason was software support. Altho some powerhouse software has its LINUX versions and works just fine, even better than on Windows, your typical user applications lack and games were almost non-existent making LINU users rely on Windows emulation software for simple applications, and often it did not work properly. This has also changed for the better in later years but as with the previous point, it is still far from being Windows wide.

What is LINUX distro?

Linux comes in different versions called distributions. What this means is that the basic core of the Operating system is the same though all LINUX versions and all LINUX drivers and software will work on anyone, they will visually and feature-wise be different. Also, they will be more complex for use or they will have different hardware requirements. Choosing the right LINUX distribution is no easy task and we are here to help you by offering you certain points and guides in hopes to direct you on the right path.

What Do You Need the Distro for?

This might be perhaps the most crucial question when trying to decide which LINUX distribution you want to install. Depending on your preferences and goal like work, games, security, media you will need to consider the best distributions in the field of your preference. A very good place to get this kind of information is on DistroWatch. When on-site, navigate to the Distribution category search filter and choose the option best suited to your needs.

What Kind of Software Will You Be Using?

Like the previous question, this one is also your personal preference but it will make difference if you are planning to use a different type of software. If your plans are gaming for example you will want the latest and greatest LINUX kernel version for maximum hardware compatibility. If you are a regular desktop user you will aim for a distro that is updated constantly so you are working with the latest versions of Chrome or Firefox. In some cases, depending on your software you might want to run older but faster distribution.

What Kind of Hardware Will You Be Using?

If your computer is up to date you can run any distribution that you like but if it is an older rig your options might be a little limited. Now depending on the technical characteristics of your computer and its age it may come down to just a few available distributions which are specially tailored to run on old hardware. These kinds of distributions are lightweight and do not take much space but sadly can not offer you the latest and greatest in software but for usual everyday tasks like web browsing, word processing, email viewing, etc they work perfectly fine. You can have a great office machine with proper lightweight distribution offering you all that you need to be able to work.

How Much do you know about computers?

As stated before, LINUX is not as user-friendly as WIndows and your overall technical knowledge can play a big role in deciding which LINUX you want to adapt. If you are more of a casual user then avoid technical distributions which will require to manually tweak tons of stuff, go for more automated ones. If you are a power user however and enjoy wrestling with each detail then perhaps some distro with more command-oriented nature.

What Kind of Community Are You Looking For?

Now you might ask what does community has to do with the operating systems but the same as Windows, LINUX also can have some issues, and sometimes installing drivers will require certain steps to be taken. How it is much easier to find a solution when having a great community surrounding the project I suggest not dismissing this part when choosing your distro. Every community is helpful, but they’re all helpful in different ways. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.

It is a fact that Google Chrome is one of the world’s most used web browsers and it’s because this search giant is focused on following the standards of the web. Although this web browser has become quite bloated over the years, it still remains at the top of the list of browsers used most by users. If you are a user of Google Chrome for a long time now, you have most likely come across a couple of issues in the past while using this browser. In this post, we’ll help you fix one of the issues commonly encountered in Chrome which is the “No Data Received – ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE” error. This kind of error message in Chrome pops up when you try to log into a website. It isn’t clear what’s the cause of this error but worries not, for there are several ways you can try to fix it.

Option 1 – Try checking if your network connection is working

The No Data Received – ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE error is not usually related to a downed network. However, anything is possible so you need to check if your internet connection is working just fine or not as it might be the reason why you’re getting this error in Chrome.

Option 2 – Try resetting the network

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

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

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

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

Option 3 – Try to clear the browsing data of Google Chrome

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

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

Option 4 – Reset Google Chrome

If none of the options given above worked, you can try resetting the Chrome browser. To do that, follow these steps:

• Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
• After that, click on Settings.
• Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
• After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up an option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
• Restart Chrome and check if you can now open the webpage or not.

There are times when you encounter some issues while your Windows 10 computer. One of the errors you can encounter in the update process is the “Something went wrong, error code 0x8007042B”. This kind of error might be caused by several reasons and it could also pop up in lots of cases like upgrading to a new feature update or a new build using the Media Creation tool or Windows Update Assistant. There are times when the Windows Update error code 0x8007042B is followed by another error code like 0x2000d. Whatever the extra error code that follows, the core issue still remains the same. To resolve the problem, here are some options that could help. And while going over these troubleshooting tips, you have to keep clicking the Update button right after you carry out a troubleshooting option.

Option 1 – Try to restart the Background Intelligent Transfer Service

The Background Intelligent Transfer Service or BITS is a part of the Windows Update service and is the one that manages the background download of Windows Update, as well as scans for new updates and so on. And if Windows Update is experiencing some problems, you can try restarting BITS but make sure that you have admin privileges to do so.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open Windows Services.
• From the list of Services, look for the Background Intelligent Transfer Service and double-click on it to open Properties.
• After that, you need to set the Startup type to “Automatic (Delayed Start) and click on Apply.
• Now click the Stop button to stop BITS and then click the Start button to restart the service.
• Click OK to save the changes made and then restart your PC.

Option 2 – Try creating Windows 10 ISO media

In this option, you will have to create a Windows 10 bootable media and use it to install the latest Windows 10 version. The most user reported that this option works and the reason why it does have something to do with the Windows Update client since the Windows Updates downloaded from the regular Windows Update client seems to create issues such as the Windows Update error code 0x8007042B. However, issues like this one don’t occur when the very same Windows Updates are downloaded and installed via an ISO file. Take note that when using a Windows ISO file, you will be asked to choose what you want to do with the previous settings and apps. A lot of users opted for the “Not to keep the old Windows settings” option which has resolved the issue. So if you want to keep the previous settings then you must try to update Windows first while keeping the old settings. However, if it doesn’t work, you have to try installing the latest version of Windows without keeping the previous settings.

• Click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
• Next, click the “Use the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)…” option and follow the next given instructions on the screen.
• Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
• After that, you should now have an ISO file.
• Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
• Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with option and then select File Explorer.
• Now click on “setup.exe” and follow the next instructions that appear on the screen. When asked, you have to select either the Nothing (clean install) or the Keep personal files only option. Take note that you must not select the “Keep personal files, apps, and Windows settings since it doesn’t really work.

Option 3 – Run the DISM tool

You can run the DISM tool as well to help fix the error code 0x8007042B during Windows Update. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

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

Option 4 – Perform a System File Checker scan

The SFC or System File Checker scan could detect and automatically repair damaged system files that could be causing the Windows Update Error 0x8007042B to appear. SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files with good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

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

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

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

Option 5 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

You might also want to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter as it could also help in fixing Windows Update Error 0x8007042B. 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 6 – Contact Microsoft Support for assistance

If you’re at your wits’ end in trying to update your Windows 10 computer, you should consider contacting Microsoft Support for help as they can offer you various options that would make fixing Windows Update Error 0x8007042B a lot easier and faster.

Computer voice control has moved a long way from its beginning routes and in today's age controlling your PC with voice is truly a reality and fully possible. Voice control is taking up the steam in everyday life, from simple commands in cars, Alexa, smartphones, TVs, etc. to modern computers.

Windows 10 has introduced voice control into PC with Cortana even during the installation process but a lot has changed from having a virtual assistant in begging days and in today's modern Windows 11 OS. You can now freely open apps, move, copy delete files, and even dictate in order to create a word document.

However, in order to take this advantage, you will need to turn it off first since it is disabled by default. Of course, you will need a microphone and some spare time to train Windows in understanding you properly.

Setting up Voice Control

Just like in Windows 10, in Windows 11 voice control is also in accessibility options and the first step is to turn ON Windows Speech Recognition.

Click on the Start button and type Settings into the search bar, click on Open, or press ENTER. On the left side of the settings, window locate and click on Accessibility. On the right part once Accessibility is selected scroll down and find a section titled Interaction and click on Speech. Turn on the switch next to Windows Speech Recognition.

A pop-up will appear that will lead you through the rest of the setup and that's it.

Improving Voice Control

In order to make your voice control better, if you are not satisfied with the results, you can sample more of your voice into the algorithm to tune it more to your liking. Sadly this option is still deep in Control Panel.

Click the Start button and type in Speech recognition into the search bar, look for the search result with Control Panel displayed under it, and click on Open. Click on Train Your Computer to Better Understand You and follow the instructions.

The process will probably take a few minutes. The more data you provide to the speech recognition model, the more accurate it will be when interpreting your instructions. You can train the model multiple times, and each time you do, it should improve the accuracy.

If by any chance you are working on a touchscreen PC, tablet, or any similar device and have no access to a hardware keyboard there is a way to place Touch Keyboard on your screen for easy typing, and you can enable icon on the taskbar for easy access.

Enabling the Touch Keyboard

1. Right-click on the Taskbar
2. Select Taskbar Settings
3. Go to Personalization > Taskbar
4. Click on Taskbar Corner Icons to expand it
5. Click on the switch next to Touch Keyboard to turn it ON
6. Close settings

The icon will immediately appear on the Taskbar in the lower right corner. Clicking the icon virtual keyboard will appear on the lower part of the screen. You can use this keyboard to type in applications the same as you were typing on hardware one. By taping on X in the upper right corner, you will hide the keyboard. Tap on the icon in Taskbar to bring it up again.

Hide the Taskbar icon

If you do not want to use Touch Keyboard anymore you can easily hide the icon:

1. Right-click on the Taskbar
2. Select Taskbar Settings
3. Go to Personalization > Taskbar
4. Click on Taskbar Corner Icons to expand it
5. Click on the switch next to Touch Keyboard to turn it OFF
6. Close settings