The File Explorer in Windows 10 provides several ways to organize the contents of folders and files in the system. Windows users can utilize some efficient styles to view the contents of the file system as per the user’s requirement. A user may opt to display the file picture in large size thumbnails while the other one could opt to set the icons of folder and files in a small or medium size list. On the other hand, while setting up several styles for the folder and file icons, some Windows 10 users have experienced some unusual issues where there is the Black background showing up behind folder icons. They tried refreshing the File Explorer a couple of times but it didn’t help in fixing the problem and the black squares are still visible on some folder icons.
The black squares behind the folder icons might look disturbing though it’s not really a big problem and is merely a graphical glitch that does not cause any damage or whatsoever to the content of the folder and files. The most likely cause of this glitch might have something to do with the corrupted system files or it could also be caused by outdated thumbnail caches. In addition, graphical glitches like this one could also occur if you are using out outdated graphics drivers. To fix this problem, you need to follow the options laid out below.
Option 1 – Try using the Disk Cleanup to remove Thumbnail files
The Disk Cleanup tool is one of the options you can try to fix the black squares behind the folder icons. Through this tool, you can delete all the Thumbnail files on your disk. To use it, refer to these steps:
Open the Search bar and type “disk cleanup” in the field.
After opening Disk Cleanup from the search results, then from the drop-down menu select the C: drive to clean up and click OK.
Wait for the scanning process to complete. Once it’s done, select the files you want to delete.
Ensure that you select the box labeled “Thumbnails” under the Files to Delete section then click on OK.
After that, a confirmation box will appear, just click on Delete files to delete the files permanently.
Restart your PC.
Option 2 – Try resetting the Thumbnail cache
You have the option to manually delete the Thumbnail Cache to resolve the black square background behind the folder icons issue. Follow the steps given below to reset the Thumbnail cache.
Open the File Explorer.
Next, navigate to the View tab and select the option with Hidden items to display all the hidden folders and files.
Next, go to this path: C:Users<username>AppDataLocal
In the given path, make sure that you put your actual username in the username field. Then look for a file named “IconCache.db”. Right-click on this file and click on Delete.
After that, go to this path: C:Users<username>AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
From there, select all the files and delete them.
Note: If a prompt appears saying, “The files are in use and cannot be deleted”, simply select the “Do this for all current items” option and then click on Try Again. If you get an error message, click on Cancel to close the window and restart your computer.
Option 3 – Try updating or reinstalling the Graphics driver
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type in devmgmt.msc and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
Expand the section for the outdated device drivers.
And then select the outdated driver(s) and right-click on it/them.
From the drop-down menu, select the Update Driver option if you wish to update the driver or select the Uninstall device if you want to uninstall the driver and then follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version of the driver.
Restart your PC after the installation to allow the system to reinstall the driver.
Error 2032 is a Windows stream error. The error is generated when running applications like Flash. It shows that the application is unable to request ads from server.
Error Causes
The error 2032 is triggered due to multiple reasons including:
The URL cannot be located or is blocked
HTTP Service is not found
Incorrect proxy settings
Automatic cookies handling
Corrupt Flash Player
Viral infection
Registry issues
Further Information and Manual Repair
Here are some easy and best do it yourself methods to resolve the error 2032 on your system:
Fix the Proxy Settings
To do this, first, go to the start menu and press RUN, type regedit in the RUN box and press enter. Now from the left-hand panel of the registry path open: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionInternet Settings. Now double click the proxyenable string and replace its value with 0.
After that, right-click on proxy server and select delete option. Then exit Regedit and restart your PC to activate changes.
Verify the URL
Sometimes the error 2032 may be generated due to wrong or incorrect URL in the HTTP Service URL property. So, verify your URL and look for typos. Specifying the correct URL can fix the error right away.
Check Cookies Handling
Automatic cookies handling can also trigger this error code. Therefore, to resolve the error, it is advisable to disable automatic cookies handling. This can be done by launching your web browser.
Go to tools and then press the privacy tab. Now click on the advance tab from settings and un-check override automatic cookie handling. To confirm changes press OK.
Uninstall and then Reinstall the Flash Player
It is possible your Flash Player is corrupt. Therefore, another way to fix error 2032 is to uninstall the Flash Player and then reinstall it on your system.
Scan for Viruses
Programs usually get corrupted due to two reasons, viruses or registry issues. Therefore, to remove viruses on your PC, download and run an antivirus program.
In case you don’t know, Microsoft Edge, the new default browser of Windows 10, is equipped with the essential tools that are needed to help web developers in testing their websites in the Edge browser. However, it is not without its flaws as there are instances when you could also encounter some errors when using DevTools. One of these errors is the “An error occurred while starting the profiling session” error. You can see this error message in the DevTools Memory Panel, worry not for this post will help you resolve it.
A memory panel is one that primarily measures your memory resource usage and compares heap snapshots in different states of code execution. The Memory panel also provides profiling of three different types, such:
Head Snapshot
Record Allocation timeline
Record Allocation profiles
Using a memory panel, you can find issues that affect the page performance in the most common scenarios like bloats and memory leaks.
There are two steps you need to carry out to fix this error that’s associated with the Memory Panel of Microsoft Edge (Chromium) DevTools. First, you need to access the Microsoft (R) Diagnostics Hub Standard Collector Service. Second, you need to restart this service. For detailed steps, follow the instructions provided below.
Step 1: Access the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Standard Collector Service
To access the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Standard Collector Service, follow these steps:
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK.
This will open the Services Manager. Here, look for the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Service from the Services panel that opens on the right-hand side.
Step 2: Now restart the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Hub Standard Collector Service
After accessing the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Standard Collector Service, right-click on it and select the Restart option.
Once it’s done, exit the Microsoft Edge Developer Tools as well as the tab.
Next, open a new tab and navigate to your page and tap the F12 key.
Error code 0xc004f050 refers to a problem with activating the Windows key. The problem appears when you try to activate a copy of Windows by using Windows Activation wizard. This happens when the system becomes unstable and critical system files start missing. Though Windows 10 is a free upgrade for Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1 users, the activation error is still an issue. If you already had Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1 activated and did an upgrade successfully, then there should be no problem. This Problem Occurs only when you do a clean install.
Symptoms
When you try to activate a copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7 by using the Windows Activation wizard, you receive an error similar to the one below:
An error has occurredCode:0xC004F050Description:The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid
Solution
Error Causes
This causes due to an invalid product key.
This problem may occur if the license validity interval has expired, or if the license is not signed correctly.
Error Code 0xc004f050 occurs when the system becomes unstable and critical system files start missing.
Improper way of installing, deletion of some very important system files, misconfigured system files, etc. may also cause this error.
When you do a clean install, it wipes everything from the Primary Drive and after the install, windows can't find the Hardware ID which is used to verify your license.
For Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista-based computers, this error may occur if you have entered the key for a beta version of the operating system while using the released version of the operating system.
Further Information and Manual Repair
This error is not something that can be fixed in seconds but will require some time and technical knowledge.
Method 1:
Re-insert the product key by using the Change Product Key tool:
Click Start, click Computer, and then click System properties on the toolbar.
In the Windows activation section, click Change product key.
If you are prompted for an administrator password, type the password or click Continue.
In the Product key box, type the product key, and then click Next.
Follow the steps in the Windows Activation Wizard to complete the activation process.
Method 2:
Activate Windows by using the automated telephone system:
Click Start, and then click Computer.
Click System properties on the toolbar, and then click Click here to activate Windows now in the Windows activation
If you are prompted for an administrative password, type it and click Continue.
Click Show me other ways to Activate.
Click Use the automated phone system and follow the instructions.
Method 3:
Clean install Windows 7/Windows 8/Windows 8.1 using the installation disk and activate your copy.
Now, download all the updates to see the Windows 10 Upgrade notification or download Windows Media Creation Tool and use the option Upgrade this PC to get Windows 10 right away.
Once the upgrade is done, check the Activation Status. It will be fully activated as it should be. The Error code 0xc004f050 should not appear anymore.
If you want to get rid of the old Windows installation folder, then use the Windows Media Creation Tool to create a Flash Drive. Clean Install Windows 10. Now, every time when it asks for a product key, skip it. After installation is complete, Windows will automatically identify and activate your Copy.
NOTE: Clean Install will make Sure you cannot roll back to your previous Windows 7 or Windows 8. So do it only if you are confident of using Windows 10 from here on.
To verify the Windows activation status, follow these steps:
Click the Start button, and then click Computer.
Click System properties on the toolbar, and then view the activation status in the Windows activation section.
In today's modern world many households have internet access, most of the connection nowadays is done via Wi-Fi or wireless but there is a high probability that you have also a few devices connected via cable. There are of course many disadvantages and advantages between cable connection and wireless connection.
The main advantages of a hard cable connection are of course faster speed and stability compared to Wi-Fi. But if we look into the cables themselves there is also a big difference between them. Not all cables are the same and quality as well as speed vary a lot between them. Choosing the right cable is essential in order to make a maximum of your internet and we have some great tips and explanations of what cables do so you can make the right choice and enjoy your full internet potential.
Not all cables are the same
Cheap cables and expensive ones are not the same no matter what everyone tells you. The old proverb you get what you pay is true and more expensive cables will be made from better materials and will have a higher transfer rate.
Quality network cables are separated into different categories with proper markings and when buying one you should always look for these markings on the cables themselves, do not buy cables that do not have markings since they will often provide lower transfer rates or will not be shielded from outside influences resulting in packet drops and instability in a network.
Categories and what they mean are:
Cat-5 with a maximum speed of 100Mbps, typically unshielded.
Cat-5e with a maximum speed of 1Gbps, available in both shielded and unshielded varieties.
Cat-6 with a maximum speed of 10Gbps for runs under 55 meters (around 180ft), available in both shielded and unshielded varieties.
Cat-6a with a maximum speed of 10Gbps, shielded.
Cat-7 uses a proprietary GG45 connector rather than the standard RJ-45 connector seen on other cables for speeds of 10Gbps, shielded.
Cat-8 with a maximum speed of 25Gbps (Cat-8.1) or 40Gbps (Cat-8.2) at a distance of around 30 meters (around 100ft), shielded.
Unless stated, these standards are typically rated at their quoted speeds for a run of around 100 meters (around 330 ft) and use a standard RJ-45 Ethernet connector. Each generation of cable is designed to be compatible with the generations that came before it, so it’s possible (for example) to use a Cat-6a cable with a router that only supports speeds of 1Gbps.
Shielded cables
When purchasing higher quality cable you might not be able to choose if you have shielding or not since some standards like Cat-6a, Cat-7, and Cat-8 are always shielded. But if you do not have the need for these and you are satisfied with Cat-5e for example you can choose.
Shielded cables are a little more expensive but they will provide you with a coating that will eliminate interference from outside waves making cables more reliable. Of course, if the cable will go through a room that does not have many radio waves or some other interferences then buying a shielded cable is a waste of money.
Cable platings
Usually, there are two types of connector platings on connectors, silver, and gold, and people usually think that gold is much better but there are major differences between silver and gold platings and truth to be told there is no better one, both are different and should be considered depending on your need.
Silver plating will provide you with faster speed since its conductivity is larger than gold, but gold is slower on the oxidation front so its life span is longer. On the other hand, if your cables are always connecting and disconnecting gold will be first to be scrubbed off from the surface since the gold coating is much thinner.
Overall if you would only connect cable once and have slower internet than cable capacity gold is the way to go, in another case if you would use the cable as always connecting and switching and your internet plan is the same as cable transfer capacity you might want to go with silver one.
Cable material quality
Network cables are made from copper, your standard conduction material but even here there are differences in quality and therefore the chance of pocket losses over it. More quality less loss and more stable connection and this will depend on the purity of copper that is used in the cable itself. More purity in copper, more stability, simple as that.
Conclusion
So as you can see, there are a lot of different things that will influence your pick of proper network cable but the overall best advice is to get one that will fit well into your needs and setup. pair it up with your router and your internet plan since just simply buying something that you can not use is really a waste of money.
This is a Windows Vista printer error. It occurs when you try to use the plug-and-play service to install a WSD printer on your PC.
WSD is the abbreviation for Web Services for Devices.
It is a Microsoft API to simply programming connections to web service enabled devices such as printers, file shares and scanners. The error 0x00000643 code is displayed in the following format:
“Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000643)”
Solution
Error Causes
The error 0x00000643 may occur due to multiple reasons, including:
No suitable driver installed for your printer
A firewall or other security program is too restrictive
Registry file has invalid entries
Virus and Trojan
Outdated system drivers
Further Information and Manual Repair
To resolve this error code on your PC, you don’t have to hire a professional technician and spend hundreds of dollars to perform system repair. You can resolve it all by yourself, even if you are not a computer programmer or lack technical expertise.
Here are some of the easiest and proven methods to fix the error 0x00000643 on your PC:
1. Update Outdated Drivers
This can be done by accessing the ‘Device Manager’. All you have to do is, go to the start menu and type Device Manager in the start search box. Then click on the Device Manager in the list. On the action menu, click the scan for hardware changes or update the driver.
2. Delete the WSD Port to Resolve Error
Go to the start menu and type printers in the search box. Click printers in the given program list and then click the option add a new printer.
After that, select the existing WSD port and any printer driver. Now delete the printer. The WSD will be deleted automatically. Once this is done, connect the printer to your computer. You will see the plug-and-play service will begin to install the printer again. This process is most likely to resolve the issue and reinstall your printer.
3. Disable Firewall
Sometimes the error may occur if the security programs are too restrictive such as the Firewall. To fix the problem simply disable Firewall.
4. Viral Infection
If the underlying cause of the error is a viral infection, then download a powerful antivirus and run it on your PC. Scan for viruses and delete them.
5. Registry Invalid Entries
If you don’t clean the registry regularly, this overloads with unnecessary, redundant and obsolete files like cookies, internet history, junk files, bad registry keys and invalid entries. This damages the registry and generates such error codes. Although you can resolve and repair the registry manually, but that method is slight tricky and time consuming. It may require technical expertise.
However, another quick and easy way to clean and restore the registry and resolve error 0x00000643 on your system is to download Restoro. This is a next-generation, advanced, and highly functional PC Repair Tool. It is deployed with an intuitive algorithm and multiple utilities such as a smart registry cleaner, a powerful antivirus, and a system optimizer.
The registry cleaning utility detects all registry issues on your PC, removes invalid entries cluttering the registry, and repairs it right away thereby resolving error 0x00000643.
The antivirus simultaneously detects malware on your PC and removes them while the system optimizer boosts the speed of your computer significantly.
Restoro is bug-free, safe, and efficient. It has simple navigations and a user-friendly interface. This software is compatible with all Windows versions including Vista.
To fix error 0x00000643 on your system in seconds, click here to download Restoro now!
As you know, storage devices are an important part of the computer system for porting, saving, and extracting data files. And for you to differentiate between storage devices on your computer system, each one of the storage devices is labeled with a unique number referred to as Disk Signature for identification.
The unique disk identifier is stored as a part of the MBR or Master Boot Record. Disk signature is used by operating systems in order to identify and set apart different data storage devices and hard disk drives in the computer for data access.
These days, Disk cloning has become a regular practice in upgrading to larger hard disk drives. Drives are cloned in order to produce a similar copy to use both the original drive and cloned copy together. Moreover, lots of virtualization tools are being used to virtualize the physical hard disk drives to create virtual hard disk drives and several virtual machine clones that are created with the existing virtual hard disk drives. And since these are identical copies, chances these copies may have identical disk signatures. As a result, when you use both disks that have identical signatures at the same time you run into the Disk Signature Collision problem. This kind of problem does not often occur as the Windows system does not really allow two disks to function simultaneously when they have the same disk signature.
When you encounter a Disk Collision problem in your Windows 10 computer, you may see the following error messages:
The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible
The disk is offline because it has a signature collision
This disk is offline because it has a signature collision with another disk that is online
You can fix the disk collision problem by changing the disk signature which you can achieve using the command line utility diskpart in Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt or using Windows Disk Management utility.
To fix the disk collision problem, you can make use of the command-line utility called diskpart in Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt to view and change the signature, or can make use of Master Boot record in the Windows Registry. You can also make use of Windows Disk Management Utility to change the signature. Simply follow the given options below to change the disk signature either way.
Option 1 – Change Disk Signature via Diskpart
Type “command prompt” in the Windows Search bar and then right-click on the related search result and select the “Run as administrator” option.
After that, type the “diskpart” command and hit Enter to open Diskpart.
Next, type the “list disk” command to display all the disks available in the system.
Next, take note of the problematic disk number with the status Offline from the list and then type the “Select disk x” command where x is the offline disk to select the offline disk. For instance, if you type “select disk 1”, it will display the “Disk 1 is now the selected disk” message.
Now type the “Uniqueid disk” command to display the disk signature and to change the disk’s signature and set the disk online, type the “unique disk ID= (New signature)” where (New signature) is the new ID in hexadecimal. For instance, you can set the new id as “unique disk ID= 1456ACBD”.
Note: If you have given the wrong format ID, the command prompt will display the following error:
“The specified identifier is not in the correct format. Type the identifier in the correct format: in hexadecimal form for an MBR disk or as a GUID for a GPT disk.”
After you’re done, the disk will be online, and then restart your computer.
Option 2 – Change Disk Signature via Disk Management Utility
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type “diskmgmt.msc” and hit Enter or click OK to open Disk Management.
Next, right-click on the disk that is marked as Missing or Offline.
After that, select the Online command from the drop-down menu.
Then from the selecting option Online, Windows will generate a new disk signature.
When clean Windows is installed or when you place new hardware in your computer usually Windows itself detects the device and installs its driver. The question that comes now is, do you keep that driver or do you install the manufacturer's one.
In order to answer this question let's analyze what is difference between the two drivers and other factors which could influence your decision.
Difference between drivers
First of all, know that drivers Windows installs are also drivers from the device manufacturer which have gone through Microsoft quality control in order to be included in Windows itself. Now naturally question which occurs, what is the difference, well answer to that would be this: in Windows, you have stripped down driver, just a driver in order for Windows to know what device is plugged and how to use it, meaning that for example if you install printer device, you will be able to print documents and Windows will know it is a printer but ...
You will not get the control panel for that printer where you can adjust the printer itself and all of its features like let's say paperweight, etc. So if you need these kinds of features in that case it would be better to install a complete driver suite from the manufacturer and get the whole package. Windows will recognize the RAZER mouse for example but you will not be able to change its colors of program custom buttons on it until you install RAZER drivers.
One more important thing to note is that drivers which are in Windows are less updated than drivers from the manufacturer's site. That being said, if you prefer and want to have the latest drivers you will prefer to get them again from the manufacturer.
Conclusion
So it seems that manufacturer's drivers are always in some form of advantage and that you will always want them and most of the time this is true, as a matter of fact, the only time I could think that you could use bare down Windows drivers is when new drivers update breaks something in Windows and device start behaving improperly. in this particular case, it is better to roll back to the previous Windows driver which has passed Microsoft quality control and is working for sure.
In any other case, you are better off with the latest manufacturers drivers
If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.
Among other things and innovations, Windows 11 brings to the table is the game mode. The game mode is a system designed to release some resources and optimize your system when Windows 11 detects that you are playing games. It also turns off automatic updates while the game is active.
The game mode is active at all times and usually, everything works great but in some instances, it can sadly cause some performance issues. If you are one of these unlucky people where game mode is not working as supposed to do, don’t panic, we have a quick guide for you on how to turn it off.
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open settings
Inside click on Gaming
Select Game mode
Click switch beside Game mode to turn it off
Close settings
Everything will be automatically saved and applied and you should not have any issues from now on. If for any reason you wish to turn game mode back ON, just follow the same steps and turn the switch to ON.
As of the time of writing this article you no longer need or are required to have a password if you plan to log in to your Microsoft account. Microsoft explored various options for account security and came to the conclusion that passwords are obsolete.
Microsoft is letting you access your account through the Microsoft Authenticator app, Windows Hello, a security key, SMS verification, or email verification code. All of these methods are way better in terms of security than passwords.
How to turn these features on?
To get rid of your Microsoft password, the process is simple. You simply need to go to your Microsoft account, click “advanced security options,” then “enable passwordless accounts” under the Additional security section.
Today most people have Facebook accounts where they keep in touch with friends and family. But large Facebook network of users is also very interesting to another party as well, hackers.
There are many ways hackers can steal your data via direct hacks, trickery, and social engineering in order to get your credentials, emails, and many other things using them to wreak further havoc.
Once a hacker has needed information it is very difficult to minimize impact and all of your information could be compromised from a list of friends to credit card numbers. Keep on reading to learn how can you protect yourself against these attacks and learn about common practices that hackers use in order to steal your data.
Stealing Facebook data via email
A couple of years ago there was a lot of talk about not opening suspicious emails. Well, it still holds today. The difference is that today’s fake emails have become very difficult to differentiate from official ones since hackers put the effort into creating them copying fonts and layout, making them identical to original ones.
So if emails look and feel like original ones how do you know if it is fake? Very simple, you do not click anything in it. If Facebook or for that matter any company wants to contact you they will do via their platform.
Clicking inside a hacker's email will lead you probably to a fake Facebook website replica where you will have to type in your username and password providing an attacker with your login credentials, etc.
If you receive this kind of mail where there are threats about terminating an account, missing payments, etc. it is always the best thing to go directly to Facebook and see if you have any kind of notifications there. Do not trust any emails that ask for account information, request money, or threaten to suspend your account.
Phishing attacks
As stated previously if you click on the link inside fake mail it will probably lead you to a website replica of the original.
Although hackers can pretty much copy all things from an original website like layout, fonts, colors, etc. There is one thing that he cannot, web address. Take a good look into your browser address bar to see if there is a typo or anything strange in the address of a website.
Also, make sure to check for the secure icon in the web address before signing in.
Fake Facebook buttons
If by any chance and for whatever reason, you end up on a fake Facebook site be vary careful about like and other buttons since buttons themselves behave and act like links inside your browser.
IF when you click on like you get a prompt to sign in, it is almost 100% that you ended up on a phishing fake website.
Password brute force attack
Having complex and long passwords is a must. If your Facebook password is 12345 there is a very high chance that if a hacker wants he can easily guess it via trying out the most used and simple passwords via simple guessing.
To avoid being hacked just for having poor passwords try to think of something longer, combine letters and numerical characters, place special characters inside it or just simply as the best solution use a password manager and create passwords with it.
Password grab outside Facebook
If you use the same password for multiple accounts which is a big no-no and you should not do it then hackers can use passwords from other services and login into your Facebook in order to steal data.
Avoid these situations by having different passwords for different accounts or use a password manager to keep everything in order.
Hacking via key logger
Some time ago we have made an article which explained in detail everything you need to know about key loggers here: https://errortools.com/windows/how-to-know-if-you-have-keylogger-in-windows/
Anyway, this is a more advanced hacking technique in order for hackers to steal your data and it includes placing malicious applications into your system that records your keystrokes and sends them directly to hackers.
Since this is an application best protection against this type of attack is to have a security suite installed and active on your PC or device you use to go to Facebook.
Connecting and surfing on an unsecured network
Using no password and unsecured WI FI or any other type of network is risky at least. You can have all protection installed on your device and have a strong password but hackers also logged in to the same network can track all outgoing stuff going through mentioned network leaving you again exposed to attacks.
It is better to connect to your mobile operator network than on free WI FI, at least there is some level of security in your operator network while free WI FI is completely unsecured.
Getting a virtual private network or VPN is also one thing you could think about for protection since almost all VPN services will encrypt your data thus providing you with a security layer even on unsecured Wi-FI.
Conclusion
Hacking and stealing have come a long way from their infant stages and in today’s world when we use a lot of gadgets and have plenty of online presence taking some steps for security is a must.
I hope that you have found anything here informational and helpful so you can avoid getting your data compromised.