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
There is a central location in Windows 10 that allows users to view all the notifications from its Action Center. Aside from viewing notifications, users can also manage them and take necessary actions in just one single place. Notifications in Windows 10 look similar to a message icon but can be at variance in function. However, recently, a number of users reported that even though they receive notifications about new actions but when opening them, they see nothing. In other words, the notification is false, and to fix this, read on as this post will provide you a couple of workarounds.
The Windows 10 Notifications and Action Center notification messages might show a mismatch. For instance, Windows 10 may say that you have some notifications but when you open Action Center, you find it empty and there are actually no notifications there. Take the case of the following screenshot, the Windows 10 Notification says that there are 6 new notifications available for viewing but the Action Center says otherwise.
Before you troubleshoot the problem, you might want to run System Restore especially if you’ve made some changes in your computer prior to this issue which might have messed with the Windows 10 Notifications and Action Center. To perform System Restore, refer to these steps:
First, press 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.
If the problem wasn’t fixed and you’re still getting false notifications, you might want to troubleshoot the problem further using the options given below.
Option 1 – via Windows PowerShell
In the Start search, type “PowerShell” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Windows PowerShell window.
Next, copy and paste this command and hit Enter to execute it: Get-AppxPackage | % { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppxManifest.xml” -verbose }
After that, reboot your computer and check if the false notifications are now gone.
Option 2 – Try renaming the Usrclass.dat file
DAT errors like the ones that are associated with the Usrclass.dat file, most likely occur during computer startup, program startup, or while you try to use a specific function in your program. Even so, it can easily be fixed. How? Refer to the given steps below.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type %localappdata%MicrosoftWindows and hit Enter to get to the location of the UsrClass.dat file.
After that, look for a file named UsrClass.dat and once you’ve found it, right-click on it and select the Rename option.
Now rename the file to UsrClass.old.dat and then restart your computer and see if the problem is now fixed or not.
Anxiety from all these digital threats lurking everywhere? An antivirus program can help put your mind at ease.
What can a virus do to your device?
A virus is malicious software that can affect pretty much any device and does so in a variety of ways. Be it your computer, your phone or your smart lightbulb - as long as there’s access to the internet, malware can get to it.
How exactly does this kind of attack manifest itself? Well, there’s a wide variety of effects ranging from mild to severe. Among other things, they depend on which type of malware attacks your device - a virus, spyware, ransomware, adware or something else.
These are some of the things you can expect to happen:
Slow performance
System crashes
Theft of data and sensitive information
Connectivity issues
Constant browser redirects
Strange messages sent to your contacts
Interference with files
It really can be the stuff of nightmares. So, if you want to sleep peacefully knowing that your devices are completely safe, you should definitely consider getting an antivirus.
P.S. don’t let its name fool you - an antivirus does indeed protect your devices against more than just viruses.
What is antivirus software exactly?
Antivirus software is designed to help you battle and ward off malware. Basically, it scans your device to detect any suspicious activity and offers tools to get rid of the culprit.
At first, antiviruses were developed to fight against viruses only, but nowadays they cover a lot more ground. Here are some of the biggest benefits of getting yourself a powerful defender.
Advantages of antivirus software
1. It fights those pesky ads
Look, constant ads that pop up everywhere aren’t the absolute worst thing that can happen on your computer. If anything, they are annoying, like when you’re trying to sleep but that one fly in your room just won’t stop buzzing.
Now, there’s a free, well-established solution for that - installing an ad blocker. And we’re about a hundred and ten percent sure you’ve already done that on each and every browser you use.
However, “if I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist” isn’t the most ideal approach for your online safety. Ad blockers can’t block everything and they won’t protect you from potential adware. An antivirus on the other hand offers that layer of protection against malware snuck into pop-ups and spammy websites.
2. It protects you from hackers
Hackers don’t target government institutions only. They’ll target regular people too if they have something to gain.
Credit: Clint Patteron (Unsplash)
There are different types of hacking, such as phishing e-mails, transmission of malicious programs, credential reuse, denial of service and more. In any case, they take control of your device and hijack your data.
The good thing is that, as threats evolve, antiviruses evolve too and there are tons of quality programs on the market that can keep you secure for an affordable price.
3. It keeps your files and data safe
When malware enters your device, it can target pretty much any file and get access to any and all data.
Installing an antivirus program will make sure that every single file, new or old, is monitored at all times, warning you against threats immediately. That way, you can make sure to react before your other files become infected and data is lost or stolen.
Another great thing for data protection is that the best antivirus software normally comes with a password manager, so no one can use malware to steal your passwords.
4. It blocks all kinds of malware
As we already stated, malicious attacks can be performed in many ways and malware comes in in different shapes an sizes, such as:
Trojan horse
Spyware
Ransomware
Adware
Rootkit
RAT (remote access Trojan)
Keyloggers
Worms
Botnets
Credit: Growtika (Unsplash)
Nowadays, antivirus software is designed to fight against all of these types. That’s why more often than not we hear the term 'antivirus' used interchangeably with 'anti-malware,' like in this article.
5. It keeps your children protected
You can’t keep your eyes on your kid every second of the day and you can’t protect them from everything. But at least you can limit their exposure to the threats they can encounter at every corner of the digital world.
An antivirus program will block harmful or suspicious websites and ads, which is great both for you and your children. To take it a step further, though, many such programs come with special parental controls and offer monitoring as well. It’s a great solution for keeping your kids safe online without sounding like the irritating, overbearing, controlling parent who “just doesn’t get it!”
How to pick one
There are definitely lots of different antivirus programs out there, both free and paid. We recommend you look for a paid option, since free ones are unfortunately a lot more susceptible to being compromised through malicious attacks.
Now, there are a few factors to consider when choosing the right software. If you use your PC for basic things then a basic antivirus will suffice. However, the more complex your use and the more sensitive the data you deal with, the stronger it needs to be.
It’s also crucial that you take into account the features it includes. As we already mentioned, some programs have additional security options. For example, depending on the package you select, Bitdefender provides:
Some are included in plans and some are separate products, so make sure to check out all the offers.
And don’t worry if you have multiple PCs or you’re looking for protection for your smartphone or tablet as well; Bitdefender has suitable solutions for your needs. Of course, you can also just pick their classic antivirus software if you’re not in need of advanced protection.
Another important point is how regularly the software is updated and enhanced. The more frequent the updates the better, as bugs can make the program more vulnerable. Other things we advise you consider are user-friendliness, impact on performance, reputation (user reviews especially) and, of course, price.
The bottom line
Fact is: anyone can be a malware victim. Don’t let it be you.
You can’t put a price on peace and security, so don’t be reluctant to pay for yours - especially since a lot of options out there are extremely affordable. Is $159.00 a year really too much to pay for cross-platform protection for up to 10 devices? We don’t think so.
Explore your options and protect your files and data before it’s too late.
Lately on EA forums question has appeared on what to do when Origin client does not load library. It seems that the latest update for the Origin client has brought some issues as not properly showing one library which appears empty.
Do not worry, we have a solution for you, several to be precise and it will fix the issue guaranteed. It is advisable to try solutions in order how they are presented since they go from the most simple and fastest and most common ones.
Delete the cache
Close origin client completely
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to bring the run dialog
In the run dialog type in %ProgramData%/Origin and press ENTER
Go into the Origin folder
Delete all files and folders except the LocalContent folder
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to bring the run dialog
In the run dialog type in %AppData% and press ENTER
Delete the Origin folder
In the address bar click on AppData
Go into the local folder
Delete Origin folder
Reboot your PC
Clear the temporary files
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to bring the run dialog
In the run dialog type in %AppData% and press ENTER
Go into the roaming folder
Delete Origin folder
Go to the AppData folder and delete the Origin folder from there also
Reboot system
Try Windows built-in tools to check compatibility
Locate where Origin is installed and right-click on the executable file
Click on properties
Go to the compatibility tab
Click on Run the compatibility troubleshooter and follow on-screen instructions
Update Origin
Rarely this is the case but check manually to see if you can update your Origin client. Sometimes due to network issues client does not update automatically and can cause this strange behavior.
Add origin as an exception to antivirus and firewall
Not rarely game clients can be detected as some form of malicious software and antivirus along with firewall can automatically block it. Go to your security software settings and add it as the exception.
Reinstall Origin
If everything else fails, reinstall the Origin client
Finally, some good news for Blizzard entertainment after tons of bad stuff happening around it regarding lawsuits and people layoffs. Diablo 2 has become the most-watched game on Twitch after its official release and sold copies are on a satisfactory level.
For people not familiar with recent events, the state of California has sued Blizzard for various things including discrimination and offensive behavior. Later Blizzard executives were caught shredding some evidence and things just started to go to worse from there.
After much drama, many people believed that this is the end for Blizzard entertainment and that they would not be able to recover from this since the community has sided with California and Blizzard has received a large punch as many subscribed WOW players have left the game.
Things are not so grim as they were looking as their Diablo 2 remake has made moderate success despite being released in these troubling times and there are rumors of Overwatch 2 planned release date as of the first quarter of 2022.
Error C00D11B1 is a type of Windows Media Player error code.
The error C00D11B1 hampers your ability to play videos, MP3 files and songs on Windows Media Player. The error is displayed in the following format:
Error C00D11B1:’Windows Media Player can’t play the file.’
Solution
Error Causes
The cause of error C00D11B1 message pop up on your computer can be narrowed down to one particular reason virtually because this error may be triggered due to several reasons, these include:
Corrupt DRM license
Enabled codec of the video in Windows Media Player codecs section
Registry Corruption
The good news is that this error is not fatal and does not pose serious PC threats like runtime and BSoD error codes.
However, it is still advisable to resolve to ensure you are able to watch movies and listen to songs on Windows Media Player without any difficulty.
Further Information and Manual Repair
Here are some of the best and effective do it yourself methods to resolve the error C00D11B1 on your PC right away:
Method 1- Disable the codec of the video option in the Codecs Section
If you are unable to play downloaded movie files on your PC on Windows Media Player, then try this method to resolve the issue. Simply open Windows Media Player, Go to Tools, Options, DVD and then click Advanced Tab.
Here find the codecs section, scroll down to the codec of the video you are trying to play and see if it says enabled. If it does, then disable it and then select a decorder for the codec. Now try running the video again on your Windows Media Player. This will hopefully resolve the issue.
Nonetheless if the error still persists, try method 2.
Method 2- Delete DRM Licenses & cache and Download it Again
Sometimes the error C00D11B1 can also be trigged by corrupt DRM licenses & cache.
To resolve the issue, simply delete all files. First open Windows Explorer (Windows key + E) and then go to C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsDRM. Now delete all files in this folder. Once deleted, Let Windows Media Player download your license again.
After downloading the DRM license again, run the Windows Media Player to see if it works.
Method 3- Disable Firewall Temporarily
Firewall can also be responsible for blocking the Windows Media Player streaming. Firewalls often block important ports that are required in order to run some programs. If this is the cause, then simply disable Firewall temporarily to resolve the issue.
Method 4- Repair the Registry
Registry is that part of your computer that saves all the activities performed on the PC and all the files too including both important and unimportant files like cookies, junk files and bad registry entries.
If these unimportant and obsolete files are not removed frequently, the registry gets corrupt and damaged. And due to this reason you may experience error code C00D11B1 on your system.
To resolve this issue, simply repair the damaged registry by downloading Restoro. This is a powerful PC Fixer integrated with a registry cleaner. The registry cleaner removes all unnecessary files, cleans and repairs the registry in seconds.
Click here to download Restoro and fix error C00D11B1 on your PC right now!
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL will cause your computer to go to the blue screen of death but do not worry there are solutions around this and we are here to instruct you on how to solve this.
Uninstall and install network drivers
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is most commonly tied to bad network drivers, whatever that be a corruption of the driver files or their incompatibility. So first thing is to check if this is the case.
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden menu in Windows and click on Device Manager.
In the Device Manager expand Network adapters, choose adapter, right-click on it and choose Uninstall.
Install latest driver or reboot so Windows will install the driver automatically
Update driver
If you do not want to reinstall the driver or you are unable to for whatever reason updating the driver might do the trick. To update driver:
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden menu in Windows and click on Device Manager.
In the Device Manager expand Network adapters, choose adapter, right-click on it and choose Update Driver.
Fix via Command prompt
If both of the beforementioned solutions fail, try running the command prompt and fix the issue from there.
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden menu in Windows and click on Command Prompt (administrator)
In command prompt type next line and press ENTERDEL /F /S /Q /A “C:\Windows\System32\drivers\mfewfpk.sys
Reboot the system
Scan your PC for malware
Sometimes corruption in the system is caused by malware, Scan your system for malware, viruses, etc.
Check connections or other hardware issues
If all methods fail, open your PC case and check to see if connections everywhere are properly connected and tight. Clean your PC and turn it back ON
Use system restore
If anything fails, use Windows system restore and bring back computer into a state where everything was working fine.
If you are trying to install Microsoft Office on your Windows 10 computer but encounter an error code 30068 instead, read on as this post will guide you in fixing this problem. One of the causes of this error is an issue with the Office Click-to-Run service. It can also occur due to issues with the installation. And aside from the error code 30068, the error codes could also appear like this: 30068-29 (2), 30068-4 (3), 30068-4 (1715), 30068-39 (3), and many more.
In most cases, the installation of Microsoft Office happens directly from the Microsoft servers which work via Click-to-Run service. This service is an alternative to MSI or offline installation. It is a Microsoft streaming and virtualization technology that helps in reducing the time that’s required to install Microsoft Office. Although it saves a lot of time, it also requires a good and stable internet connection for it to properly work. So if you encounter error code 30068 or any of the aforementioned error codes above when using this service, here are some potential fixes that could help.
Option 1 – Try to restart your computer and reinstall Office
The first thing you can do is restart your computer and then try installing Office again. It is possible that there’s some glitch and a restart might fix it. Once you’ve restarted your computer, install Office again. And if the online installation didn’t work, you can also try to download an offline Office setup.
Option 2 – Try checking if the Click-to-Run service is disabled
The next thing you can do is to verify if the Click-to-Run service is enabled or disabled. You can check its status in Services. How? Refer to these steps:
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type “services.msc” in the field and tap Enter or click OK to open Services.
Next, look for the Microsoft Click-to-Run service from the list of services and once you found it, double click on it.
After that, go to the General tab and in the Startup type section, click on the drop-down menu and select Automatic.
Then click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
Once you’re done, try to install Office again and see if the error is now fixed.
Option 3 – Try to uninstall and reinstall Office
If neither of the two given options above worked, then you might want to uninstall Office and reinstall it. All you have to do is download the Microsoft Office Uninstall tool from the official site of Microsoft and run it. This will remove any incomplete Office installation as well as unwanted files. It will also get rid of all the Office apps and settings on your computer. This same option can be also applied if you encountered error code 30068-4 (3) when installing Office. On the other hand, if the Uninstaller tool throws an error that says, “Office installation is missing”, you have to check if there is an ongoing installation of Office.
OneXPlayer is a direct competitor to Valve’s upcoming steam deck. This device is clearly inspired by Valve’s offering and it shows all over the place, from its looks to its purpose and aims to PC gamers as a handheld device.
Hardware under the hood
This device is packing a 7-inch 1080p display, 11th generation Intel Core i7-1195G7 CPU, stunning 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD drive with the option to purchase 1TB or 2TB model. GPU of choice is Intel iris Xe Graphics that is in our opinion a bottleneck in the whole system and for more demanding games, we believe switching them to 720p would be a better option. Everything here is powered with a 10455 mAh lithium-ion battery.
OneXPlayer inputs and other stuff
Handheld is equipped with dual bumpers and dual linear triggers. The console comes with dual speakers on both sides of it. Inside the console, there is an aluminum heat sink with copper heat pipes and a fan in order to cool internal hardware. On the outside, we have two USB-C ports and one USB-A port for connections, and of course, a headphone jack for headphones. The console comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity.
Price
The base entry model will cost you a whopping $1.259, 1TB model $1.399 and 2TB one will go as far as $1,599. With this kind of price, I am not sure it can come up as a winner against Valve. Sure it is packing fully licensed Windows 11 that will for sure offer more options than Stem’s OS based on Linux but even with that advantage I do not think it justifies such a big price difference.
Conclusion
Of course, this kind of console or handheld PC will still find its customer base, many users will probably like it since it comes Windows ready out of the box. Sure, you can place Windows on Steam deck as well but you will need to know how, where everything is ready and you can run beside steam other launchers without issues like origin, uplay, gog, etc.
How this will be accepted by community time will tell but it is good to see that there is variety and competition in handheld PC space.
The number of Hertz is the number of how many images your screen draws in one second. So monitor with a refresh rate of 60Hz will draw 60 images each second on your screen. To most users, this will look fine and enough but actually, if you would place them in front of a 120Hz screen difference will be visible right away.
Benefits of higher refresh rates
In most simple words just looking at a screen that has a higher refresh rate will produce a more natural feel of things, although some people would argue that flickering can not be seen on 60Hz monitors and that should be enough, I would argue that they never watched the movie, played the game or used high refresh rate screen when they can state something like that.
Yes, 60Hz might be enough to look at the web page or read some documents but long exposure to 60Hz can have a tiring effect on the eyes in the long run. 120Hz and above just feel more relaxed and it is far less demanding on the eyes. Watching movies also is much better on a higher refresh screen, with way much less motion blur in fast scenes giving the overall experience a greater natural feel.
Gaming is perhaps an area where a refresh rate of 120Hz and above will show its best. Having a higher refresh rate will be easier on your eyes and can even give you a competitive edge. When for example you have twice more images per second on your screen than your opponent his movement will be more fluid and predictable because of that and overall precision will be much higher when moving the cursor in the game since more frames per second means more precision and smoother movement.
The dark side of high refresh rates
After all the positive things that were said about the advantages of high refresh rates, it is just fair to look at some negatives or in this case only negative one and that is Computer power. As said in the previous section having a 120Hz refresh rate means having 120 frames displayed on the screen per single second. Having even higher monitors like 360Hz means even more frames per second and in order to actually see all of that frames you will need to have enough computer power to back it up. Having for example screen with a refresh rate of 240Hz means nothing if your GPU and rest of the computer are able only to push 150 frames per second, in this case, you will still have 150 frames in one second despite the monitor being able to go to 240.
Conclusion
Generally and with all of my heart I would recommend moving away from 60Hz monitors, yes they are cheaper and more affordable but at the end of the day if you are someone like me who spends most of his daily time in front of the computer you would be grateful to have higher refresh rate screen and save your eyes, and after all, why not enjoy some smoother and better movie and game experience as well as saving your eyesight.
Error code 0x80073afc deals with an antivirus program first built into Windows 8/8.1 This error occurs when Windows Defender, the built-in anti-virus software in Windows 8/8.1 and higher, does not start automatically and users attempt to manually start the program. During the initialization period of the program start-up, something goes wrong and users get a 0x80073afc Error message. The error message states there was a problem with the initialization of the program. Windows Defender provides protection of your computer and it is advised by the Microsoft Corporation that you ensure it starts up automatically on every start-up.
Solution
Further Information and Manual Repair
Users have found several manual repairs that have fixed the problem without needing to contact technicians for extra help. While the methods below should solve your problem easily, if this is the first time you have encountered the issue you may want to do a simple restart. This has fixed the problem for some users and is the easiest first troubleshooting move. If it doesn’t work move on to the methods listed below, which are easily completed without extra help.
Before trying any of these methods, please make sure that you are logged into a profile that is listed as the administrator of the computer of his administrative powers enabled. If this is not the case you will not be able to complete the following methods. Please log out and log back in on the administrator profile.
Method 1:
First, check to see if you have a third-party anti-virus program installed on your computer. Some users believe that the built-in Windows Defender program is not powerful enough to handle the safety of their computer so they usually download a third-party program. However, that program may have caused a conflict with Windows Defender and may not allow it to open. If you do have a third-party program installed, try uninstalling it then manually starting Windows Defender.
Method 2:
If method one does not work, you may be infected by malware or a virus that has tampered with the settings on your computer and will not allow Windows Defender to start automatically or manually.
First, open Run by holding the “Win” key and pressing the “R” key. Then type “Regedit”. The program will ask for permission to follow through with this action. Click on “Yes” and the Open Registry Editor will open.
Find the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionImage File Execution Option and check to see if there are any files similar to MSASCui.exe or MpCmdRun.exe. If there are any file entries that resemble that, you will want to right-click on them before selecting the “Delete” option. If you do not see any entries that match, this is not the issue with your Windows Defender and you will want to try another method.
The Registry on your computer is very important. It helps tell your computer what programs are safe to run, what programs should be run, and what programs should not be run. If it is tampered with by a virus or Malware, multiple system operations can be affected.
However, if you did find similar file names, and you deleted them, try to start Windows Defender manually. If it does not work again, move on to the next method.
Method 3:
If the first two methods do not work for your issue, and you are still receiving error code 0x80073afc when attempting to start Windows Defender, this step should solve the problem if you have Restore Point installed on your computer, which you most likely do.
For this method, we will be restoring your computer to a previous Restore Point. First, just like in method two, hold the “Win” key and press the “R” key. This will open run. Next type “Rstrui.exe” and click “ok”. After some time, you will see System Restore Windows. Click “Next” and select the restore point that you would like to go back to. After your computer has restored to the point you selected, check to ensure that Windows Defender has started correctly.
If the above methods aren't able to rectify the issue, you might have to download and install a powerful automated tool to get the job done.