A Quick Guide to Fixing Error Code 17

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.

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

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:

• Webcam and mic monitoring
• Parental control
• Firewall
• VPN
• Password management
• Identity theft protection

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.

Keeping your system updated is a must and Windows updates are definitely a great way to do that. These updates are essential since they provide important security and various fixes for bugs in your Windows 10 computer. However, there are plenty of instances when you encounter issues with Windows Updates and one of them is when the Windows Updates turn off automatically at random times. Some users reported that they saw a notification about Windows Updates being turned off. Note that the issue is not with the update itself since many users turned on the Windows Update and the system was properly updated. The issue is that the Windows Updates turned off all by itself. There could be several reasons why the Windows Updates turned off by themselves. It could be due to the antivirus program installed on your computer. Antivirus programs are known to cause issues with other programs, Windows updates components included. This can occur due to false positives as well as odd compatibility issues. Aside from antivirus programs, the Windows Update service itself could also be the root cause of the problem. There could be a corrupted file in the Windows Update folder or it could be that the Windows Update service wasn’t started properly. Any of these issues can be resolved by following the troubleshooting options given below. Make sure to follow each one of them carefully for better results.

Option 1 – Try to disable your antivirus program

Disabling the antivirus program or any security software installed in your computer is always a good idea you can try when the Windows Update process does not go smoothly. So before you try updating your computer again, make sure to disable the antivirus or security program and once the Windows Update is done, don’t forget to enable the antivirus program back again.

Option 2 – Try to make some changes in the Registry

• Tap the Wins key once and type in “command prompt” in the field.
• From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option to run it with admin privileges.
• Next, type the following command and tap Enter:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWindowsUpdateAuto Update" /v AUOptions /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

• After that, type the following command and hit Enter again:

sc config wuauserv start= auto

 The command you entered will set the Windows Update to auto so you should be good to go.

Option 3 – Try to reset the Windows Update components

If by any chance that the second option didn’t work, resetting the Windows Update components could also help you resolve the problem. How? Refer to the following steps:

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, type each one of the following commands and hit Enter after you key in one after the other.
  • net stop wuauserv
  • net stop cryptsvc
  • net stop bits
  • net stop msiserver

Note: The commands you entered will stop the Windows Update components such as Windows Update service, Cryptographic services, BITS, and MSI Installer.

• After disabling WU components, you need to rename both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders. To do that, type each one of the following commands below, and don’t forget to hit Enter after you type one command after the other.
  • ren C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32catroot2 Catroot2.old
• Next, restart the services you’ve stopped by entering another series of commands. Don’t forget to hit Enter after you key in one command after the other.
  • net start wuauserv
  • net start cryptsvc
  • net start bits
  • net start msiserver
• Close Command Prompt and reboot your PC.

Option 4 – Run 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. 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.

HWiNFO (Hardware Information) is a professional hardware information and diagnostic tool supporting the latest components, industry technologies, and standards. It's targeted to recognize and extract the most possible amount of information about computer hardware which makes it suitable for users searching for driver updates, computer manufactures, system integrators, and technical experts too. Retrieved information is presented in a logical and easily understandable form and can be exported into various types of reports. System health monitoring and basic benchmarking available too. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.

Microsoft wants to escalate the situation from Australia to the EU, what a surprise. Hello all and welcome to another news article, this time we are focusing on Microsoft pushing the EU to accept law proposition from Australia. For all of you who are not familiar with the given situation let me quickly explain. The feud began when the Australian government proposed a new law that targeted Facebook and Google specifically. The government said that it believed that both of the tech giants were using content from news outlets without paying. Have you ever seen the little news snippets that Google or Facebook sometimes show its users to keep them up to date? These are lifted directly from news websites, and the Australian government claimed that this practice meant that people didn't bother visiting the news website. This then staved news websites of revenue. As such, the government put forward a new law that would mean Google and Facebook would have to pay the source website for every time they displayed a news snippet. Facebook responded by removing its Australian news coverage in light of the law. Google, however, put up a fight. It argued that its snippets encouraged people to click on it to read more, thus driving more traffic to the news website. It also said that such a law would be too expensive to maintain in the long run. As such, Google threatened to remove itself from Australia if the law passed. This was likely a scare tactic, as 95 percent of Australian web users use Google; however, it actually opened the door for its rival, Microsoft. Microsoft saw how it could push its own search engine BING to replace google. It of course went and reached the Australian government to assure them that BING is more than capable to fulfill its needs and fully abide by the proposed law. Now Microsoft knows that if this law passes it could see a similar situation happening in Europe and it is pushing it. US News reported on how Microsoft plans to encourage EU countries to adopt this new law too. The company has teamed up with the European Publishers Council and News Media Europe to make the following statement: Publishers might not have the economic strength to negotiate fair and balanced agreements with these gatekeeper tech companies, who might otherwise threaten to walk away from negotiations or exit markets entirely

Outlook PST Mailbox Errors Malfunctions

Can you use an MS-Outlook e-mail account to send and get workplace e-mails on a daily basis? Are you using the exact same Outlook e-mail account for a long time? Are you getting PST Mailbox Errors? Then you have developed awareness and knowledge about Outlook PST Errors. Ms-outlook essentially stores the email items in a PST record. This includes all attachments, contacts, calendar items, your e-mails and records. You might encounter various kinds of Outlook Inbox error messages exhibited on the display in extended formats eg. 0x80040600 0x8004060c or 0x80040116. All all these are Outlook mailbox malfunctions that stop the Outlook program from executing jobs correctly and thus restricting your capacity to gain access to your e-mail account, see attachments, contacts, and calendar items that are significant.

Error Causes

There's not a single particular trigger for Outlook email malfunctions. A few causes can trigger these, but, the most frequent are virus contamination, 2 GB limit is exceeded by PST file and broken. There are no specific signals which will help help you identify but some pointers to look at include the following:-

• You cannot access certain parts of your Outlook interface
• Obscure error messages start popping on your screen
• You can’t add new contacts or change entry data in your calendar

Further Information and Manual Repair

When you experience these signs related to PST Inbox errors, it is advisable to repair the problem immediately to ensure it does not cause inconvenience for you and hampers your communication via Outlook emails. Remember this error not only inconveniences you but also hinders proper communication between various business partners. Determining the ultimate reason for distinct Outlook email malfunctions could be tricky, time-consuming, and might need specialized knowledge to nail it down with regards to fixing the Outlook mailbox malfunctions. In case you are not a specialist, working out and fixing this problem is an uphill process. To simplify this process, obtain and install an Outlook PST Repair Tool! This is an intelligent solution to fix all kinds of Outlook errors. You do not have to go deeper into the technical details of the problem. The Outlook PST Repair tool does it for you. An inbox repair tool identifies and also repairs all sorts of MS Outlook errors in seconds. It is easy to use, highly functional, safe and efficient. By installing an Outlook repair tool, Outlook errors can be easily removed from your computer and keep the errors from happening again. It also fixes damaged PST files and damaged e-mails can help regain data. Whatever you should do is to begin:

1. Click here to download the inbox repair tool
2. Install the software on your system
3. Run it and click restore to resolve Inbox errors

The System32 folder contains vital configuration and information that are essential to the operating system. It is located inside the “Windows” folder and it consists of important DLL files as well as executable files. You probably have noticed some errors that have the “System32” word in them but that does not necessarily mean that the System32 folder is the one that triggers them as these kinds of errors have only occurred when some important files are corrupted or missing. Some users recently reported that each time they start their computers, the System32 folder will automatically open up in the File Explorer. If you encounter the same problem, read on as this post will guide you on what to do to fix it. This kind of issue is most likely caused by service or application interference – it is possible that there is a third-party application installed in your computer or a Windows service that triggers the System32 to pop up during startup. It is also possible that this is a result of system modification. Thus, you need to identify the third-party program or restore your computer to its previous state.

Option 1 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State

As pointed out, it is possible that some third-party program or service is the one that’s behind the problem. To isolate this possibility and to identify the culprit, you have to put your computer into a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.

• 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 putting your PC in a Clean Boot State, try creating a system restore point and see if the problem still occurs. Clean Boot troubleshooting is designed to help you isolate the problem. For you to execute a clean boot troubleshooting, you must do a couple of actions (the steps given above) and then restart your PC after every action. You might have to disable one third-party app after the other to really isolate the issue. And once you’ve narrowed down the problem, you can either disable the third-party app that’s causing the problem or remove it. Note that you must switch your PC back into the Normal Startup mode after you’re done troubleshooting the problem. Here’s how you can do it:

• From the “Start” menu, go to System Configuration.
• After that, switch to the General tab and click the option for “Normal Startup”.
• Next, go to the Services tab and clear the checkbox for “Hide all Microsoft services”.
• Then find and click “Enable all” and if prompted, you have to confirm.
• Afterward, go to the Task Manager and enable all the Startup programs and confirm the action.
• Restart your PC when prompted.

Option 2 – Perform System Restore

• 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.

Option 3 – Run System File Checker scan

You might also try running the System File Checker or SFC scan to fix the issue. System File Checker is a command utility built into your computer that helps restore corrupted files and missing files. Refer to the following steps to run it:

• Hit the Win + R keys 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.

 Restart your computer and see if the System32 folder still pops up at startup or not.

The “Unknown Hard” error that keeps on appearing in Windows 10 can put users in an unpleasant situation. This kind of error leads to the freezing of the taskbar, blackening of the screen, and sudden disappearance of the icons on the Desktop. And each time you try to open Windows, the system will only give you an error message saying that it’s a critical error and some applications like Start and Cortana won’t work. Upon analysis, it seems that the “sihost.exe” is not responding and that it is the one that’s causing the c000021a Unknown Hard error to pop up. Sihost.exe files represent the Shell Infrastructure Host which is an essential component in the Windows operating system. The Windows Shell Infrastructure Host is primarily responsible for handling some graphical elements of the operating system interface such as the Start menu and the taskbar transparency. And so if the Shell Infrastructure or Sihost.exe has stopped, has been removed, or corrupted, you will most likely have issues with the overall functionality of the Windows operating system and you’ll get the Unknown Hard error In addition, the ctfmom.exe Unknown Hard error may also occur due to incompatible drivers installed on your PC. Ctfmom is a process that identifies inputs such as handwriting, languages, and many more. It’s the one that controls the functions of background behavior. To resolve this issue, you need to first try to identify which application is the one that’s running the sihost.exe file. And if needed, you need to either update or reinstall or completely uninstall the problematic application.

Option 1 – Try to run the System File Checker

The SFC Scan or System File Checker, us a built-in utility in Microsoft Windows that can be found in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. This tool allows users to scan and restore any corrupted system files in Windows that might be causing the Unknown Hard error to appear. Before you use this tool, make sure to find out whether the sihost.exe on your computer is a Trojan that you have to remove or if it’s a file that belongs to a trusted Windows application. Once you have that sorted out, follow the steps 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 2 – Try to use System Restore

You can also try using System Restore. This is one of the ways you can use it to back up your PC. Since restore points are created automatically each week by System Restore, you can use System Restore to restore your computer back to an earlier good point in time.

Option 3 – Try to troubleshoot the error in a Clean Boot State

Putting your PC in a Clean Boot state can help you diagnose and troubleshoot the issues in your system. 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 Unknown Hard Error.

• 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” checkbox 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” checkbox.
• 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 putting your PC in a Clean Boot State, try creating a system restore point and see if the problem still occurs. Clean Boot troubleshooting is designed to help you isolate the problem. For you to execute a clean boot troubleshooting, you must do a couple of actions (the steps are given above) and then restart your PC after every action. You might have to disable one third-party app after the other to really isolate the issue. And once you’ve narrowed down the problem, you can either disable the third-party app that’s causing the problem or remove it. Note that you must switch your PC back into the Normal Startup mode after you’re done troubleshooting the problem. Here’s how you can do it:

• From the “Start” menu, go to System Configuration.
• After that, switch to the General tab and click the option for “Normal Startup”.
• Next, go to the Services tab and clear the checkbox for “Hide all Microsoft services”.
• Then find and click “Enable all” and if prompted, you have to confirm.
• Afterward, go to the Task Manager and enable all the Startup programs and confirm the action.
• Restart your PC when prompted.

As you probably know, uTorrent is one of the best software you can use to download torrents over the web. It has been around for many years now and is trusted by lots of users despite having competition here and there. Over the years, uTorrent has changed as it is now packed with tons of features. What’s more, is that this program is no longer the smallest client when it comes to file size. However, just like other software, it is not always working smoothly as there are instances when it’s not responding even when it’s already running. The first thing you can do is to close all the processes of uTorrent and then try opening it again. There are various reasons why your uTorrent program fails to respond. However, it is most likely caused by some virus that was brought on by the file you’ve just downloaded. On the other hand, it could also be caused by other factors as well but whichever the case is, here are some fixes you can check out to resolve the uTorrent issue.

Option 1 – Delete the file you’ve downloaded

As pointed out earlier, uTorrent might have failed to respond due to some file you’ve just downloaded which is why you have to delete it since there really is no point in keeping a file that’s causing this kind of issue. After deleting the file, try opening uTorrent again and see if it now works or not.

Option 2 – Allow uTorrent to run via Windows Defender Firewall

• Click on the Cortana or the Start button and type “firewall” in the field.
• From the search results that appear, click on the “Allow an app through Windows firewall”.
• After that, a new window will pop up and from there, you will see a list of apps that can be allowed or disallowed using a Windows firewall. From this list, you have to search for uTorrent and once you find it, set it to Publick if you are on a public network or Private if you’re in a private network.

Option 3 – Uninstall or reinstall uTorrent software

You can also try to completely uninstall uTorrent from your computer and then reinstall it right back. to do so, follow the steps below.

• In the search box, type in “control” and then click on Control Panel (desktop app) among the search results.
• After that, select Programs and Features from the list which will give you a list of all the programs installed on your computer.
• From there, look for uTorrent and select it and then uninstall it.
• Once uTorrent is uninstalled, go to uTorrent’s official website and download its latest version.

Option 4 – Try scanning your computer using Windows Defender

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
• Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
• Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
• Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.

Windows has tendencies to remember WIFI passwords so it can reconnect automatically to them. But from time to time we change passwords and Windows does not let us change it since he has network remembered. In this case, we will not be able to connect to the internet. In this helpful guide, we will let you know which steps you will need to take in order to solve this issue and to be able to connect to the internet again.

1. Restart Modem

   First thing first, restart your modem. Windows might see it as a new network and offer you to type in the password for it.

2. Update driver

   Sometimes the issue could be due to driver problems, open device manager and update WIFI driver or reinstall it.

3. Reset WIFI password

   Press ⊞ Windows + R type “Control” > hit Enter. Now click Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings. Right-click on the connected Wifi and select Status. Click Wireless Properties, change the password from the Network security key section, and then click OK to reset your WiFi password.

4. Forget the network

   Click on Start > Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Click the Manage known networks link Select the network you are looking for Select Forget.

5. Delete your WIFI profile

   Press ⊞ Windows + X to open the secret menu and click on Command prompt (admin) In command prompt windows type: netsh wlan show profile netsh wlan delete profile name=<profile name> Reboot

So, you just made some popcorns, dimmed light, relaxed in from of the TV, pressed play on your application and Blu-ray drive can not read your movie. Your movie night failed sadly, but there is hope and in this article, we are going to explore and offer you solutions on what to do when something like this happens so you do not miss another movie night and some hard-earned relaxation. Please note that in this article we are assuming that you are using a Blu-ray player on your PC, so some of the solutions presented are meant only for this case. So the first thing that you are supposed to do is to check the disc itself. You can turn the disc around and visually check the disc for fingerprints and scratches which can be fatal for disc playing, alternatively, you can try to play the same disc on another device and if it fails there also it is not the disc, it is your drive. So if it is no issue with the disc let's see that seems to be a problem with the drive. The common thing that could stop disc reading are cables, check all connections and cables in the back of your device to be sure that everything is plugged in correctly and nicely. After checking cables if the issue persists lens cleaning is the next step. Over time lens from the Blu-ray, the device becomes dirty and dust accumulates on it, there are special cleaning discs on market made especially for this purpose, to clean the dirty lens of optical devices. If you have one put it in and clean your lens. After lens cleaning with a specialty disc, a good idea would be to use compressed air in a can to reduce the dust inside so no excess dust will accumulate quickly again on the lens itself.

So the device is cleaned and checked and still no disc playing?

Update firmware first. In order to accomplish this visit your device manufacturer's website and follow instructions there on how to upgrade firmware. If this did not helped also update or reinstall device drivers. Go to device manager and update drivers for your device by right-clicking on it and choosing update driver. If none of the things helped, go to command prompt as administrator and type in SFC /scannow, leave the process to finish, and reboot.