Fix 0x8000ffff error in Windows 11

It really sucks when you can’t fully enjoy the newest version of your favorite OS.

Windows 11 is still relatively fresh and consequently has some annoying little bugs that really ruin our experience. The good news is that you’re not alone and most of them are easy to fix.

Here are 5 commonly reported Windows 11 issues and what you can do to get rid of them.

1. Windows 11 audio problems

One of the absolute most irritating things in the world is struggling with the sound on your computer. Windows 11 users have reported facing the issue of low or no sound. If you’re currently experiencing the same frustration, you can be relieved. Chances are fixing it will only take a few minutes.

The first thing to check would be whether you accidentally muted your device by pressing the mute button on your keyboard. Yes, we know it sounds a lot like the old “have you tried turning it off and on again?” But it’s important to leave no stone unturned, and the most obvious things are usually the ones we easily overlook.

Moreover, if you have several audio output sources, check whether the right one is selected. You can do this via the Action Center or through Settings. If you want to use the same source every time, we also recommend you set it as the default one.

It’s also important to have a good, up-to-date audio driver. More often than not, this will be the true cause of your audio struggles. Make sure to update your driver, and if that doesn’t work out, you can always un- and reinstall it or install a different one. 

Lastly, if all attempts remain unsuccessful, run the audio troubleshooter to figure out what’s actually going wrong.

2. Unable to find files

Such a powerful new operating system, yet it can’t seem to do the simplest thing imaginable? The File Explorer not responding on Windows 11 is one of the most frustrating and most common problems with Microsoft’s newest iteration of its awesome OS.

However, 9/10 times it can be fixed by simply restarting your PC. You could also try killing the Windows Explorer process in the Task Manager and then rerunning it.

If these don’t help, check whether there are any pending Windows 11 updates. A single missing update can compromise your PC’s functionality, so always make sure to install them all on time. 

Should none of that work, then there are other ways to solve the File Explorer problem. However, then the issue is probably a bit deeper and it’s no longer in the ‘easy fix’ territory.

3. Start menu not working

Just like the File Explorer, the Start menu is a fundamental element of your OS. So, it’s only natural that its malfunction grinds your gears. It may be more customizable than on previous Windows versions, but it doesn’t always work smoothly. 

If you’re facing the so-called Start menu critical error, there are a few things this could be caused by. Usually it means you turned off your system while an important update was still being installed, there is a corrupt file on your PC, or Windows forcefully stopped a program. 

Whatever the reason, the solution should be pretty simple. Try the basic steps: restarting your File Explorer (like we explained above) and signing out and back into your account. If that doesn’t do anything, you may want to try uninstalling third-party start menu apps (if you have any), since they can interfere with your default programs’ functionality.

Now, those are the easy fixes. If you get nowhere with them, you might need to identify the root cause and search for more complex solutions than that.

4. Snipping tool not working

Our beloved screenshot tool was introduced with Windows 10 and Microsoft decided to keep it. However, you were probably just as disappointed as us when you tried to run it and failed. 

Normally, this can be fixed by installing the latest Out-of-band (OOB) update, or even pending updates in general. Even if your system appears to be up-to-date, run the checker just in case.

Another cool thing Windows 11 lets you do is ‘Repair’ and ‘Reset’, which is the easiest way to troubleshoot your Snipping tool. If this fails, you can also try the good old un- and reinstall method. Simply uninstall the tool through the Control Panel and reinstall it from the Microsoft Store.

Furthermore, in the case of an upgrade from Windows 10 to 11, it may be that the old Snipping tool version is interfering with the launch of the new one. If you don’t care that much about the additional options available with the enhanced screenshot tool, you can use the old version instead.

Simply go to your C Drive, find the Windows.old folder, search for the tool and open it from there. Make sure to pin it to your taskbar as well, if you know you’re going to use it often.

5. Can’t install the latest update

The latest Windows 11 version, 22H2, has brought tons of enhancements to our dearest operating system. Unfortunately, a lot of users still haven’t had the opportunity to experience it. A mere update of your OS version should be the one thing that goes smoothly, but sometimes that’s not the case.

Failure to install 22H2 can be caused by a few things. Most commonly, the issue is caused by lack of storage space or corrupted files, but there could be other culprits.

There are a couple of things you could try. For example, it’s crucial that your drivers be up-to-date and some important services be enabled. These are: Windows Modules Installer, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, Cryptographic Service, Windows Update services.

To enable them, search ‘Services’, find the service you need and right-click on it. Open ‘Properties’ and select the startup type ‘Automatic’.

It may also be necessary to unplug all peripherals that aren’t crucial and disable third-party antivirus tools until after the update is finished. 

Ultimately, you can run the Windows Update troubleshooter to detect and fix other possible issues.

Summary

Tiny bugs like these are nothing out of the ordinary. That said, we still all hate when they happen.

Hopefully some of our solutions have helped you to a smoother Windows 11 experience. But if you’re still struggling, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to help!

So you have just got home from that new computer store with your fancy and all-new mouse, screen, keyboard, etc. You plugged in your new component, Windows detected it, installed drivers for it and it is working like a charm. A few months later down the road and the computer starts little by little to slow down. Plug and play is a great concept, and automatic detection is even greater but how time passes old unused stuff piles in your hard drive and in Windows itself thus slowing down your computer and taxing it more and more as new components and software are added. Old drivers from old components sadly are not removed from Windows itself and over some larger period of time they can pile up and slow down your daily operations on the computer or even cause some problems in it. This guide will teach you how to manually remove old unused device drivers from your Windows so it is fresh and like new again.

Making old devices visible

In order for us to remove old drivers, the first thing we must do is make them visible in our device manager, old drivers are hidden and will not show up, we must make this happen. We do this by pressing WINDOWS + X keys on your keyboard to bring up a hidden menu in Windows. Once the menu appears, click on Command Prompt (admin) Once the command prompt with administrator privileges comes on-screen type in it following string: The device manager will open, go to view > snow hidden devices in order to show unused devices.

Removing old device

Open any category and if there is a device that was once used and still has its drivers in the system it will be shown as faded out. Right-click on the device and click on uninstall device to remove it completely from your system. Please always be careful when removing devices so you do not remove the device which is being used by mistake and always double-check that you are removing something that you used to have on your system. This method will show all hidden devices even ones that are hidden but crucial to the system working properly.

Odyssey Neo G9 is a successor to Odyssey G9 curved gaming monitor and it is aimed again at the gaming community with its specifications but of course, it can be used for work as well. Gapping at a stunning $2500 USD price it is not really a cheap piece of hardware so it is normal to see what do you get for this kind of price and do features justify it, so let’s dive in.

Size and resolution

The first thing that you can notice about the screen is that it is big and curved, 49 inches big which is pretty big, and with it, I believe you can forget about using 2 or 3 screens because this single one will cover everything you need really. Going as far as 5120 X 1440 resolution is the strange definition, basically, this is 5K which is kind of nice but I do not see the advantage. Sure it is larger than 4K, but for the price of $2500 I expected an 8K monstrosity so if the resolution is not the main price justification then what is? Let’s move on and find out.

Odyssey tech specs

The monitor comes with HDR and 240Hz refresh rate which is very nice and coupled with 1ms pixel response time, adaptive sync, and Variable Refresh Rate you get pretty good other tech specs. All of this is very nice but the monitor's strongest selling point is Mini Led tech. Mini Led is a next-gen tech currently found only in high-end TVs. With this technology, monitors can produce truer blacks sort of speak thanks to a greater number of dimming zones. Odyssey Neo G9 is rated at 2000 nits in the brightness values and local dimming zones go to stunning 2048. It comes also with Quantum HDR that supports 10+, Freesync, and G-Sync capability. In connection, the department monitor comes with a single display 1.4 port and two HDMI 2.1 ports. It also includes a headphone jack along with two USB 3.0 ports.

Conclusion

While the resolution of the monitor is nothing impressive for the given price, its size and the rest of the tech specs surely are. Now I will not lie, the price is still a little too high but if you could afford it easily I think you should.

If you got the Microsoft Store error code 0x80072F30 while trying to open Microsoft Store, then it indicates that the Store fails to connect to the internet or is not able to launch successfully for some reason. It could be that the Windows Update Service has stopped or the Windows Store cache might be corrupted or it could just be due to a poor internet connection. Whichever the cause is, you have to fix this error so that you can use Microsoft Store again and you won’t be getting the following error message every time you open the app:

“Check your connection, Microsoft Store needs to be online, It looks like you are not, error code 0x80072f30.”

The error code 0x80072F30 is related to the Windows Store which prevents it from opening properly. To resolve this problem, you can try fixing the problem with the help of the options given below. Follow each one of them carefully.

Option 1 – Check your internet connection

The first and most obvious thing you can do is to check your internet connection. This may only be a basic tip but it sure works like a charm in most cases. And if you have another internet connection available, you can also try connecting to that and see if you can pull up Microsoft Store or not. 1] Change your internet connection: A basic tip, but sometimes works like a charm. You may want to check if your internet connection has an issue, or you can also try opening a website and see if you can open it and if possible try connecting to a different internet connection and see if the Microsoft Store opens for you. We also suggest you try changing your DNS and see if it helps.

Option 2 – Check the date and time as well as the time zone of your PC

A lot of services and apps rely on the Date, Time, and Time Zone of your PC which is why if they are not configured correctly, a request from the client machine will be rejected from the server and the same thing happens with the Microsoft Store.

• First, go to Settings > Time and Language.
• From there, check if it is set to Automatic or not – if it is, switch the toggle button off to set the Time and Time zone manually.
• Then select the right time zone manually.
• On the other hand, if the Time and Time zone is set manually, you have to switch the toggle button on to set Time and Time zone automatically.
• Restart your PC and afterward try opening Microsoft Store again and check if the problem’s fixed or not.

Option 3 – Run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter

Since Windows 10 is packed with various troubleshooters – one of which is the Network Adapter Troubleshooter – you can use it to troubleshoot the problem. To use it, follow these steps:

• Open the Search bar on your computer and type in “troubleshoot” to open the Troubleshoot settings.
• Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
• Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
• After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.

Option 4 – Try to reset the Microsoft Store cache

Just like browsers, Microsoft Store also caches as you view apps and games so it is most likely that the cache is no longer valid and must be removed. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Right-click on the start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator).
• Next, type in the command, “exe” and tap Enter. Once you do, the command will clear the cache for the Windows Store app.
• Now restart your PC and afterward, try opening Microsoft Store again.

Option 5 – Check the Windows Update Service status

You might also want to check the status of the Windows Update Service since the proper functioning of this app depends on the Windows Update Service. It could be that there is some issue with the service which is why you’re getting the error code 0x80072F30 while trying to open Microsoft Store.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open Services.
• Next, look for Windows Update Service from the list of available services in Windows.
• Once you see it, check if its status is STOP or Pause and then change the status to Automatic.

Having a PC is a great thing, more often we are enjoying it than we have issues, but as time passes it seems that our computer is slowing more and more as new applications and games are coming which demand more powerful computers. Before you decide to throw away your computer and buy a new one because you feel it is a bit slow, read through this guide where we will guide you to common tips & trick to make your PC run faster:

1. Keep your PC clean and tidy

   Slowdowns and many other issues, even hardware failures can come from dirty PC. Make sure your PC is clean and tidy for maximum performance.

2. Optimize airflow through PC casing

   Airflow is very important so your GPU and CPU and overall all hardware components can be kept in optimal working temperatures. If any device inside the casing is working in abnormal temperatures you will experience slowdowns and freezing on daily basis. Make sure that all fans are working and that your temperatures are in the optimal range to prevent overheating and make sure to have maximum performance.

3. Check PC for malware

   Viruses, worms, and overall all malware can drastically reduce system performance. Make sure that your protection software is up to date with the latest definitions and that you have the latest Windows updates installed.

4. Create a Hi-Performance power plan

   Windows power plans can be a very useful feature, especially if you are working on laptop but in order to boost performance and drain maximum, you will need to switch to a hi-performance power plan.

5. Free space on the system drive

   Having little to no space on your Windows system drive can lead to extreme slowdowns, make sure that your hard drive is not on red when viewed from File explorer or you will experience even 50% poorer performance.

6. Choose startup applications

   If you have many applications starting up with your Windows and many of them running in the background you will experience performance issues. Each application that runs in the background is taking RAM and CPU time for themselves which could be free and used for the program that you need.

7. Do not open too many tabs in Browser

   Having too many tabs in Browser while working on a computer can also cause slowdowns, each tab is taking RAM for itself and even can cause Browser poor performance if a tab is LIVE and refreshing with new content all the time.

8. Remove browser extensions

   Speaking of browser, having too many installed extensions which are active as soon as the browser is up and running can also lead to poor performances. Remove all which you really do not need and your computer will gain in speed.

9. Make hardware upgrade

   Sometimes your system is just a little outdated, upgrading more RAM or switching to a new SSD with the greater speed can cause a world of difference in PC performance. Check to see how RAM is standard and upgrade accordingly, you can also upgrade the CPU and other bottlenecks in your system this way instead of completely buying a new PC.

10. Format and reinstall system

    Drives, application traces, registry entries, etc. are piling up in your system over time, and if enough time is given it will clog your computer. From time to time it is a good idea to backup files and do a completely clean full format of HD and install a new and fresh copy of Windows with new and clean copies of applications and drivers.

That's it, 10 tips on how to make your Windows and PC perform better and speed it up. I hope that you found the read informative and helpful and I hope that I will see you soon.

What is BuzzDock?

Buzzdock is a browser extension. Buzzdock will be automatically enabled on IE and Chrome following installation, and you may begin using Buzzdock with no further action required. If you elect to optimize Buzzdock performance, the settings preferences of your browser may be adjusted after installation. This browser extension changes your default search provider to Buzzdock.com custom search. It displays additional unwanted ads, banners & sponsored links on web pages that you visit, and it hijacks your browser home page. This browser extension has been flagged as malware by many anti-virus scanning programs.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijackers (sometimes called hijackware) are a type of malicious software that modifies web browser configuration settings without the user’s knowledge or consent. These hijacks are rising at an alarming rate worldwide, and it could be actually nefarious and sometimes dangerous too. They’re created to interfere with web browser programs for many different reasons. In most cases, hijackers are made for the benefit of online hackers often through income generation from forced ad clicks and site visits. Nonetheless, it’s not that harmless. Your online safety is jeopardized and it is extremely irritating. They not only screw up your browsers, but browser hijackers can even modify the computer registry, leaving your PC susceptible to other attacks.

Symptoms of browser hijacker malware

There are several signs that indicate the web browser is hijacked: 1. the home page of your browser is changed unexpectedly 2. you find new unwanted bookmarks or favorites added, typically directed to ad-filled or porn sites 3. The default search page of your web browser is changed 4. you see unsolicited new toolbars added 5. you notice a lot of pop-ups on your computer screen 6. your web browser gets slow, buggy crashes frequently 7. you are prohibited access to specific web pages, including the site of an anti-malware software firm like SafeBytes. Exactly how browser hijacker finds its way onto your computer system Browser hijackers infect computer systems in numerous ways, including through a file-share, a drive-by download, or an infected email. They are usually included with toolbars, BHO, add-ons, plug-ins, or browser extensions. Browser hijackers sneak to your computer along with free software downloads also that you unknowingly install alongside the original. Some of the most well-known hijackers are BuzzDock, Babylon Toolbar, Conduit Search, Sweet Page, OneWebSearch, and CoolWebSearch. Browser hijacking can cause severe privacy problems and even identity theft, affect your web browsing experience by taking command over outbound traffic, substantially slows down your computer by consuming lots of resources, and result in system instability as well.

The best ways to get rid of browser hijackers

Certain browser hijacking can be quite easily corrected by discovering and removing the corresponding malware application from your control panel. However, most hijackers are hard to remove manually. No matter how much you try to get rid of it, it may keep returning over and over again. You should consider doing manual fixes only if you’re a tech-savvy person because there are potential risks associated with fiddling around with the system registry and HOSTS file. Browser hijackers could be effectively removed by installing and running anti-malware software on the affected PC. Safebytes Anti-Malware can counter relentless browser hijackers and provide you proactive computer protection against all kinds of malware. Together with anti-malware, a system optimizer program, similar to Safebytes Anti-Malware, can help you correct registry errors, remove unwanted toolbars, secure online privacy, and enhance overall system performance.

Find Out How to Get rid of Malware that is Blocking Websites or Preventing Downloads

Malware could cause all sorts of damage when they invade your computer, starting from stealing your personal information to erasing files on your PC. Some malware sits in between the computer and the internet connection and blocks a few or all internet sites which you want to visit. It might also block you from adding anything to your system, especially anti-malware applications. So what should you do when malicious software prevents you from downloading or installing Safebytes Anti-Malware? There are a few fixes you can attempt to get around with this problem.

Boot Windows in Safe Mode

The Windows OS includes a special mode called “Safe Mode” where only the minimum required programs and services are loaded. In the event, the malicious software is set to load automatically when the computer starts, shifting to this mode may well prevent it from doing so. To get into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press the F8 key while the computer is booting up or run MSCONFIG and find the “Safe Boot” options in the “Boot” tab. After you restart the PC into Safe Mode with Networking, you could download, install, as well as update anti-malware software from there. Right after installation, run the malware scanner to eliminate standard infections.

Use an alternate internet browser to download the anti-malware application

Malicious program code might exploit vulnerabilities in a specific browser and block access to all antivirus software sites. In case you suspect that your Internet Explorer has been hijacked by malware or otherwise compromised by online hackers, the best plan of action would be to switch to an alternate internet browser like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Apple Safari to download your favorite computer security program – Safebytes Anti-Malware.

Create a portable USB antivirus for removing malware

Another way is to download and transfer an anti-malware program from a clean PC to run a scan on the affected computer. Adopt these measures to run the antivirus on the affected computer. 1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or Windows Defender Offline onto a clean computer. 2) Plug the Thumb drive into the uninfected computer. 3) Double-click the executable file to run the installation wizard. 4) Pick a USB flash drive as the location when the wizard asks you where you intend to install the software. Follow the directions to finish the installation process. 5) Transfer the thumb drive from the uninfected computer to the infected PC. 6) Run the Safebytes Anti-malware directly from the pen drive by double-clicking the icon. 7) Run Full System Scan to identify and clean-up up all types of malware.

A Look at the Best AntiMalware Program

If you’re looking to download an anti-malware application for your PC, there are various tools out there to consider however, you just cannot trust blindly anyone, irrespective of whether it is free or paid software. Some of them are excellent, some are ok types, and some will harm your PC themselves! You need to pick a tool that has gained a good reputation and detects not just computer viruses but other types of malware as well. Amongst few good programs, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is the highly recommended program for the security-conscious individual. SafeBytes anti-malware is a trustworthy tool that not only secures your PC completely but is also quite user-friendly for people of all skill levels. This software could easily detect, remove, and protect your computer from the latest malware threats including spyware, adware, trojan horses, ransomware, worms, PUPs, along with other possibly damaging software programs. There are numerous great features you will get with this security product. The following are some of the great features included in the software. Robust Anti-malware Protection: With its advanced and sophisticated algorithm, this malware removal tool can find and eliminate the malware threats hiding within your PC effectively. Live Protection: SafeBytes gives real-time active monitoring and protection against all known computer viruses and malware. This software will continuously monitor your PC for any suspicious activity and updates itself regularly to keep current with the constantly changing threat landscape. Website Filtering: Safebytes assigns all websites a unique safety score that helps you to get an idea of whether the webpage you are going to visit is safe to view or known to be a phishing site. Low CPU and Memory Usage: SafeBytes is really a lightweight application. It consumes an extremely small amount of processing power as it runs in the background so you’re free to use your Windows-based PC the way you really want. 24/7 Online Tech Support: For any technical issues or product support, you could get 24/7 expert assistance through chat and email. To sum it up, SafeBytes Anti-Malware offers great protection combined with an acceptable low system resources usage with both great malware detection and prevention. You now may understand that this particular software does more than just scan and delete threats from your PC. For optimum protection and the best value for your money, you can’t get better than SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove BuzzDock without the use of 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 browser extensions, going to the browsers AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. You will likely also want to reset your browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. Please note that this is for advanced users only and may be difficult, with incorrect file removal causing additional PC errors. In addition, some malware is capable of replicating or preventing deletion. Doing this in Safe Mode is advised. The following files, folders, and registry entries are created or modified by BuzzDock

Windows Updates are checked for their validity every time they are downloaded from Microsoft servers just like how browsers check websites for a valid certificate. And so if you got an error message saying, “ Some update files aren’t signed correctly, error code 0x800b0109 ” while trying to update your computer, it indicates that the Windows service was unable to verify the validity of the Windows Update. To fix this error, you can try out the options prepared in this post.

Option 1 – Reboot your computer and try again

Save your work and reboot your computer and then try checking for updates again. In some cases, all you need is a restart to fix errors like error code 0x800b0109.

Option 2 – Try to update Windows after an hour or so

There are times when the issue is from Microsoft’s end. It could be that there’s some issue with Microsoft’s server so it would be better if you give it an hour or so before trying to run Windows Update again.

Option 3 – Try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter is one of the things you can first check out as it is known to automatically resolve any Windows Update errors like Error 0x8007001E. 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 4 – Delete the contents in the Temporary folder

You can also try deleting the contents in the Temporary folder – all the downloaded, pending, or failed Windows 10 updates. You can do that using the simple and easy steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “%temp%” in the field and press Enter to open the Temporary folder.
• After that, select all the folders and files within the Temp folder and delete all of them.

Option 5 – Clear the contents in the Software distribution and Catroot2 folders

• Open the WinX Menu.
• From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.

net stop wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
• Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.

After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:

• Type each one of the following commands.

net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer, and then try to run Windows Update once more.

Option 6 – Install the updates in a Clean Boot State

You might want to try putting your computer in a Clean Boot state and then install Windows Updates again without any trouble. During this state, you can start the system with a minimum number of drivers and startup programs that will surely help you in isolating the root cause of the issue.

• 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.)
• After that, try to install the Windows Updates or upgrade again.

BSOD or Blue Screen of Death errors are one of the toughest issues you can encounter in Windows 10 as well as the hardest ones to resolve as they simply shut the system down or restart it abruptly and claims that it isn’t possible to boot Windows again. One of the difficult BSOD errors is the Machine Check Exception BSOD error. The reason why it is hard to fix is that in most cases, it occurs soon after Windows loads which gives users little to no time in resolving it. To make things worse, the system also freezes right before it displays the blue screen error and shuts the system down. Usually, the Machine Check Exception Stop error occurs due to the failure or overstressing of the hardware components. And in the case of almost all Blue Screen of Death errors, the issue usually has something to do with the drivers. So if you frequently see this BSOD error from time to time, now’s the time to act on it by following the solutions given in this post.

Option 1 – Update the Device drivers

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in devmgmt.msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. Look for the device driver you and then select either “Update driver” or “Uninstall device”. And if you find any “Unknown device”, you need to update it as well.
• Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and then follow the instructions to complete the process.
• If you have chosen to uninstall the driver, follow the screen options to complete the process and then restart your PC.
• Connect the device and Scan for hardware changes – you can see this option under Device Manager > Action.

Option 2 – Try running the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that 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.
• From there, 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.

Option 3 – Try running the System File Checker

System File Checker or 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 that might be causing the Machine Check Exception BSOD error. 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

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 4 – Run the Startup Repair

In the Blue Screen where the Machine Check Exception error is displayed, tap the F8 key to go to the Startup Settings where you can find Startup Repair and then run it. Note that this is a must-try option especially if you are unable to start your computer and if you can use your computer for a few moments.

Option 5 – Run the DISM tool

There are cases when the Machine Check Exception error is caused by the Windows System Image so you need to repair it using the DISM or Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management tool. The DISM tool is another command-line tool in the Windows operating system that could help users fix various corrupted system files. To use it, follow these steps:

• Open the Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in this command: Dism /Online /CheckHealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

Option 6 – Try resetting the BIOS

If you have made some modifications in the BIOS that might have caused this error, you have to revert those changes to resolve the issue. On the other hand, if you have made a couple of changes and you do not remember which is which, you might have to reset the BIOS.

Option 7 – Try resetting Windows 10

To fix this BSOD error, you can try resetting Windows 10. Doing so won’t get rid of any file in your system – instead of erasing all your media files and documents, this reset option resets all the system settings and files.

Error Code 0x800F0922 – What is it?

Error Code 0x800F0922 refers to an issue with downloading the newest version of Microsoft Windows, Windows 10. It could mean that your PC doesn't have enough free space in the System Reserved partition, or that it couldn't connect to the Windows Update servers. This issue is not very common, most users will never see this error code. Some, however, will need to follow the below fixes in order to download and upgrade their systems properly. Common symptoms include:

• Dialog box appears with the Error Code 0x800F0922
• Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade is unsuccessful and/or incomplete
• Users are unable to open applications after attempting the Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade

Solution

Error Causes

There are two standard reasons why this error occurs during the Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade.

• There may not be enough free space in the “System Reserved” partition of your hard drive.
• Error Code 0x800F0922 could also mean that your PC was not able to successfully connect to the Microsoft Windows update servers due to a VPN (virtual private network) connection in your home or office network.
• The .Net framework installation portion of the Windows 10 upgrade fails.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Error Code 0x800F0922 as stated is somewhat rare, but it does occur occasionally. Users who have experienced this error while attempting to upgrade their system to Microsoft Windows 10 have the following options for do-it-yourself fixes.

Method 1:

Use this method if you are operating on a network that uses a VPN connection.

1. Disconnect from your office or home network.
2. Turn off your VPN software.
3. Run the Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade.
4. Restart your PC.
5. Reconnect to your home or office network.
6. Turn your VPN software back on.

Method 2:

This will run the Windows 10 Update troubleshooter that is built into your PC.

1. Click on the Windows icon on the lower-left corner of your desktop.
2. Press the “w” key to open the SEARCH function.
3. Type “troubleshooting” in the search field and press ENTER
4. When the troubleshooting window opens, select the “view all” option from the left window pane.
5. Select “Windows update”.
6. Select “advanced” and then choose the “run as administrator” option.
7. Click the NEXT button and follow the on-screen prompts.
8. This troubleshooter will walk you through the steps needed for your specific situation.

Method 3:

This method will run the DISM (deployment image servicing and management) tool built into your PC.

1. Press the “windows key” on your keyboard followed by the “x” key.
2. Select the “command prompt admin” option.
3. Type the command “exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth” into the command prompt field and press ENTER.
4. Wait for the scan to run completely.
5. When the scan is complete, a message will appear telling you that “the operation completed successfully”.
6. Type the command “dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth” into the command prompt field and press ENTER.
7. This will take a while to run completely, but it will restore any missing or corrupted files necessary for the Microsoft Windows 10 update.
8. Restart your computer.
9. Attempt the Windows 10 upgrade again.

Method 4: Use this option if you believe the issue is a result of the .NET framework being disabled.

1. Press the “windows” key followed by the “x” key.
2. Select the “control panel” option.
3. When the control panel window opens, click your cursor in the search field on the upper right hand corner.
4. Search for the phrase “windows features”, then select the link “turn Windows features on or off”.
5. Select the check box (add a check) to the box next to “.Net framework”.
6. Click the OK button.
7. Proceed with your Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade.

To resolve this, all you need is third-party software to increase the size of the System Reserved partition. One of the four methods listed above should fix your Error Code 0x800F0922 issue and allow for a successful Windows 10 upgrade. On an occasion where there isn't enough space, use third-party software to increase the size of the System Reserved partition.  If you do not possess the technical expertise required to accomplish this yourself or do not feel comfortable doing so, download and install a powerful automated tool to get the job done.

In case you don’t know, Windows now comes with an all-new Light Mode theme which gives a light accent color to the Taskbar, Start, and Notification Area. Aside from that, it also brings new improvements and features. This new theme is somewhere between dark and completely white and in this post, you will be guided on how you can enable this new feature in your Windows 10 computer. Although the Light Mode sure looks stunning and a lot of users love it, it actually switches all the apps plus the Taskbar and Start Menu to the light mode which was not the case before. In addition, the icons in the system tray area, as well as the notification center, are also inverted. To resolve that, there are several ways you can customize the light mode theme as well as activate it in the Windows 10 v1903. How? Refer to each one of the options given below.

Option 1 – Via Theme settings

Windows 10 brought a new theme called “Windows (Light)” which will enable the light mode automatically and will set the accent colors to automatic. This will also apply the new Windows 10 wallpaper on your desktop. To enable Windows (Light), all you have to do is right-click on the desktop and select Themes from the left menu. After that, select the Windows (Light) option under the Change Themes section. This will apply to the Windows (Light) mode.

Option 2 – Via Color settings

The second and more customizable way to activate the light mode is via Settings. Aside from the Light and Dark, Windows also introduced a Custom color option which allows you to decide the default Windows and App mode independently. To enable Light mode via Settings, refer to the steps below.

• First, open Settings and go to Personalization.
• After that, select “Colours” from the left menu.
• Next, select Light under the “Choose your color” section to activate the light mode in Windows 10. This will activate light mode all over your computer.

Note: If after activating light mode, you find that you don’t like it and you want to keep things as they were before (Light App Mode and Dark Windows Mode), you can achieve that using the Custom option. All you have to do is select Custom from the drop-down menu to decide the default Windows and app mode independently. After that, select light under the default app mode and dark under the default Windows mode so that you can keep things as they were before the update. On the other hand, you can also try the opposite version of the light Windows mode and Dark app mode since Windows increased the level of customizability which allows users to use an option of a completely light mode.