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Activation errors in Windows 10 can interfere with your ability to fully use the system. When Error Code 0xC004C4AE appears on your computer, you may see a message that shows that the validation process has been stalled due to binaries that appear to have been tampered with.
While the text of this message may sound intimidating to people who are not familiar with the inner workings of the Windows 10 system, the basic meaning of the error message is that something has been introduced to the system that is not natively supported in Windows 10. During the Activation process, Windows checks to ensure that all of the Windows elements that are currently on the computer are valid and authentic to the Windows system. Usually, this particular error code refers to a language package that has been downloaded into the system using an outside application, which the Windows 10 operating system does not support.
This particular error can easily be resolved with a few simple steps. However, if you are not confident in your ability to use the methods below or they do not fully remove the issue on your computer, you may want to seek the assistance of a qualified repair technician who is well versed in the Windows 10 Activation process.
The most basic cause of Error Code 0xC004C4AE is that an unsupported language package has been enabled in the computer. This most often occurs when third-party applications have been used to introduce additional display languages to your system. While third-party applications that provide language packs are acceptable in some versions of the Windows operating system, the Windows 10 Activation process will not be able to complete if the system detects that one of these unofficial language packs exists on your machine.
There are several methods that may be helpful in resolving the basic issue in the display languages that causes Error Code 0xC004C4AE to appear:
Use a backup copy to restore your computer to an earlier date, in effect undoing the changes that caused the error. When your system has been restored, you will be able to go through any language packs that are not native to the Windows operating system and remove them before re-attempting the installation and activation of the Windows 10 system.
This method is most useful if you keep a regular backup of your system and files. If you do not regularly back up the information on your computer, attempt one of the other methods instead. If you are unsure of how to use a backup to revert your changes or are not comfortable completing this step on your own, contact a certified Windows technician to assist you in the process.
If you are unable to restore your system using a backup, the other option to resolve Error Code 0xC004C4AE is to halt your installation of Windows 10 and go back to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, from which you will be able to remove the language pack in question. Once the offending language pack has been completely removed from your computer, the Windows 10 Activation process should be able to proceed normally.
Several versions of windows don’t support language packages, so the best way to prevent this error from occurring is to avoid using any kind of third-party tool to install additional languages onto your Windows system. Activities Language You may be able to use third-party tools to instead complete alternative language actions without installing these languages as language packs.
If the above solutions do not help you to resolve Error Code 0xC004C4AE on your machine, get in touch with a qualified Windows repair technician, who may be able to perform the operations needed to remove the problematic language pack from your computer and allow the Windows 10 Activation process to continue to completion.
Ever gotten an e-mail offer that seemed just a little bit too good to be true? Might’ve been a phishing attempt! These are everywhere and can come in many different forms.
So what’s phishing exactly, how can you detect it and how can you keep safe?
Phishing (pronounced like fishing) is a type of cyberattack that tricks the user into trusting the source and revealing sensitive information. Fishing being the perfect analogy, the bait is a legitimate-looking site, e-mail or file and when you take a bite, your identity, banking information and much more can be revealed and stolen.
Some phishing attempts are incredibly obvious, others are super elaborate. Like with most types of malware, cybercriminals have become extremely well-versed in phishing and anyone can fall for it. To help you recognize and avoid it, we’ll take you through a couple of phishing types and give you tips on what to do if faced with them.
This is actually the most common type of phishing. A cybercriminal creates an e-mail containing stuff like attractive offers, legitimate-looking attachments or links and makes it appear as though it’s coming from a trusted source.
For example, it looks like it’s coming from your bank or your favorite retailer. The logo looks legit and the structure of the e-mail seems familiar, so you might get tricked into clicking on whatever clickable content is in it.
Unfortunately this exposes your device to malware that hands your data off to the hacker, who can decide what to do with it further.
Like the above example, you could be approached with lucrative offers or links via text messages or social media messages. Typically, the messages seem relevant to the user as they will be made to look like they’re related to apps or services you’re using.
Voice phishing attacks are schemes that appear as though they’re coming from a credible number. Normally, you’ll get a call about something related to credit cards or taxes to get you into a state of worry, leading you to disclose personal information on the phone.
Spear phishing normally targets specific individuals within a company who are likely to have access to sensitive data. Spear phishers spend time collecting information they can use to reach out to the individual looking as trustworthy as possible. They’ll typically lead with something relevant, for example mentioning an upcoming company event, and make a seemingly legitimate request.
Whaling is a more elaborate form of spear phishing, which targets people in even stronger positions such as executives or high-value individuals. The ultimate goal is to get them to transfer financial or other sensitive information that can be used to compromise the entire business.
BEC, or Business e-mail compromise, is a specific spear phishing technique carried out via e-mail. While there are many ways this is done, most commonly you’ll see instances where the phisher poses as a CEO or similar executive, or as a lower-level employee in specific positions (e.g. sales managers or financial controllers).
In the first situation, the impersonator reaches out to employees requesting them to transfer certain files or pay invoices. In the second situation, the phisher takes control of the employee’s e-mail account and sends false instructions to other employees in order to obtain data and information from them.
There are many ways you can be aware and spot a phishing attempt. Here are some tips:
Those are some of the ways to identify and prevent phishing attacks. However, sometimes phishers disguise themselves a little too well or a misclick happens and there you go - you’ve been exposed to malware.
This won’t happen if you invest in powerful protection software from the get-go, though. A good antivirus program like Bitdefender will keep you safe from becoming a victim of phishing scams. In fact, it will protect you from malicious attacks overall.
Be it your household or your business you’re concerned about, there are a bunch of different packages and options available, providing different kinds of cybersecurity services. That’s the only way you can ever really be sure you aren’t at risk of a digital attack.
Have you ever been targeted by phishers and didn’t know that’s what it was until you read this article? Many can relate. Protect yourself before it’s too late!
MyWebFace is a browser extension developed by Mindspark. This extension claims to allow users to easily access websites that allow them to make a cartoon portrait of themselves. While this may seem interesting in the beginning, all this extension does is to add links to already popular websites that are easy to find.
When installed MyWebFace changes your default search engine and your home page to MyWay.com.
While the extension is running it gathers user browsing information, allowing it to mine data and better server unwanted ads throughout your browsing sessions. MyWebFace has been marked as a Browser Hijacker by many anti-virus programs, and while not considered malware, it is not recommended to keep it on your computer.
Social media is here to stay it seems, from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc each site has its users and its rules. Companies, bloggers, public figures, and people, in general, are using them on a daily basis and some are posting cool ads, nice graphics, videos, and many more in order to gain followers or just to share something that they think is worth.
Making your post look good is somewhat essential if you plan on reaching a larger audience and Adobe's Express aims to fill that gap. It is the latest Adobe product that is purposely made for graphic and video creation for social media.
Adobe is well known in the world of professional design in all spheres like print, web, and motion, with this application, they want to take over social media design with Express. The direct competitor to Spark and canva, Express is filled with high-quality adobe templates and some great stuff found in photoshop like automatic background removal which gives it an edge over other applications.
The good thing about Express is that there is a completely free version and premium, like its competitors but with some benefits that clearly show that Adobe is determined to place its application on top of the game. The free plan includes:
For 10 USD per month of 100 USD prepaid annual fee, you get a premium plan that includes:
The application itself is incredibly easy to learn and to work with and literally, anyone can pick it up and start creating immediately. No matter are you just starting with social media or using Canva or Spark, give Express a go, make a free account and try it, I guarantee that you will find some features amazing, and its ease of use relaxing.
Long working hours on a laptop can have some issues with laptop heating and thus slowing down. Today we will take a look at how can you prevent it from heating and keep it in a normal temperature range so it lasts longer and works better.
Usually, the main reason for high laptop temperature is the heavy and constant workload. Of course, the solution is very simple, turn off unnecessary browser tabs or applications running in the background, and less power will be needed for operation thus directly reducing workload and temperature.
Laptops generally have vents on the side and even under them, these vents, of course, are made so hot air is disposed of through them but if they are covered that will create issues. Placing computers on textiles, pillows, and legs can obstruct their venting holes and increase heat also since they are materials that are not taking heat away.
Your best practice should be placing the laptop onto a hard flat surface so air can flow freely and if you need to keep it in your lap there are lap desks made for this purpose.
With some good cleaning, the laptop can stop overheating, and generally, it will be cooler. Vents that has for ventilation can get clogged over large periods of time due to dust which is always present. Compressed air can be a quick easy solution to open the vents and redust it. Other methods include a compressor, vacuum, or brush in order to quickly remove any dust clogs. Taking it into service for complete redusting and paste change is also a great option.
There is some disagreement about using dedicated cooling pads for laptops, some say they are not effective at all, and some swear by them but from my experience good paired laptop and pad can indeed help with cooling it down. Usually, cooling pads will come with fans that will take away heat from the laptop itself reducing its overall heat.
If your laptop is constantly hot but you are not doing much with him check Windows power settings. There is a good chance it is set to run on a high-performance plan and if this is the case switch it back to a balanced power setting. Power plan like high performance will drain more power and more power will mean more heating. Of course, this will affect performance as well but for regular work that excludes some power gaming, video, and picture manipulations and other demanding tasks this power plan will work just fine.
Internal cooling is important and sometimes fans are not running to their full capacity so increasing their speed or changing their plan of work can cool down the computer nicely. Some laptops have fans controlling application already on them, especially gaming laptops but most of them do not. If your laptop does not have it, go to your laptop brand website and see if such an application exists for your model, if it does, download and install it but if there is no such application try general free ones like SpeedFan or Argus Monitor.
How more power means more heat, reducing the power that CPU and/or GPU take can be reduced inside BIOS by lowering voltage of these 2 components. First, go to BIOS and write down the voltage that is currently assigned to your CPU and/or GPU so you can bring it back if ever needed, also take note that reducing voltage and thus power will not affect negatively your components but increasing it thus overclocking can and will so be careful when bringing voltage back not to overdo it. You can always also reset your BIOS settings to bring them back to factory settings.
When the laptop is placed on the charger in order to be charged and used at the same time, more power is drawn to it, and since the battery is taking electric charge instead of providing it more heat will be generated now since two different sources will be generating it, the battery itself and computer. When you really can not wait for the laptop to be charged, use it, but turn it off and wait to be fully charged if you can.