How to fix Windows 10 Store Error 0x801901F7

Windows 11 is released and its adoption goes slower than Microsoft would like but nevertheless, it is slowly getting adopted, especially among new computers. Windows 11 has brought us a new modern look of OS but if you would like to personalize it a little more you can. Follow the guide on various things that you can change inside Windows 11.

Personalize list of recently added apps, opened items, folders

The recommended section that shows recently added apps and recently open items can be turned off and hidden now to be shown. In order to do this follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Settings by pressing WINDOWS + I
2. Click on personalization in the sidebar
3. Click on START and go through the options
4. Turn OFF switch beside recently accessed files
5. Additionally, you can also change which folders appear on the Start menu.

Remove apps or change app order on the Start Menu

To remove application not to be shown in the Start menu at all follow this simple guide:

1. Right-click on app
2. Choose unpin
3. To place the application on Start click on All Apps, right-click on the app and choose Pin to Start
4. To drag and rearrange apps, simply click on them and drag them to the new place.

Change the Start Menu location

When Windows 11 was first released Start Menu could only be located in the middle of the screen but thanks to plenty of backlash from users now it is possible to move it on a more traditional left side.

1. Press WINDOWS + I to open the settings app
2. Click on Personalization
3. Look for taskbar behaviors
4. Inside taskbar behaviors look for Taskbar alignment
5. Change alignment to left

Change the Start Menu color

In order to change the color of the Start Menu follow the next steps:

1. Open Settings app
2. Go to personalization settings
3. Go to Colors
4. Switch to custom
5. Under accent color pick a color you like or make your custom one.

When you try to open Outlook 20016 and other programs on your Windows 10 PC and end up getting an error instead saying, “Failed to register a VB Script DLL. Reinstall or run Regsvr32.exe Vbscript.dll to self-register”, read on as this post will help you resolve the problem and help you re-register the vbscript.dll file. Follow each one of the steps below carefully to fix the problem.

• Step 1: In the Start search, type “cmd” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option from the context menu.
• Step 2: After opening Command Prompt as admin, type the regsvr32.exe vbscript.dll command and hit Enter to execute it.
• Step 3: After entering the command, it will re-register the concerned DLL file using the regsvr32.exe, a Windows OS tool. The Regsvr32 tool is a command-line utility that allows users to register or unregister OLE controls like the DLL and ActiveX (OCX) controls in the Windows operating system. After the command you entered has successfully run, you will see a message saying, “DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded.”

On the other hand, if re-registering the DLL file didn’t work, you might have to log on to your computer using an administrator account and then try re-registering the DLL file once more. But before you do that, you need to create a system restore point first so that if anything goes wrong, you can always undo the changes you’ve made. After creating a system restore point, double-click on the downloaded .reg file to add its contents to the Registry. After that, try opening the program you were trying to open but weren’t able to because of the error. If it doesn’t work, you can always reinstall the affected programs that throw up the error and see if it resolves the problem. You could also seek the help of a one-click solution to fix the problem for you. This program is a useful tool that does not only repair corrupted registries and optimize your PC’s overall performance but also resolves any DLL issues like the Failed to register a VB Script DLL. Reinstall or run Regsvr32.exe Vbscript.dll to self-register” error. Aside from that, it also cleans out your computer for any junk or corrupted files that help you eliminate any unwanted files from your system. This is basically a solution that’s within your grasp with just a click. It’s easy to use as it is user-friendly. For a complete set of instructions for downloading and using it, refer to the steps below.

SearchAnonymo is a Google Chrome browser extension. This extension allegedly allows you to browse the internet anonymously without your data being tracked. From the Author: Search Anonymo – Search the Web Privately

Switch your default search to Search Anonymo and become safer on the web. Search through our Search Anonymo extension instead of search engines that track your personal profile and your search history. Search Anonymo provides you with an easy and safe search tool. -Advanced Security -No User Profiling -No Tracking -No Search Leakage This extension replaces your Default Search to Search Anonymo. This extension reroutes your search algorithms through a few websites before finally forwarding it to Yahoo Search. It changes your default search engine to Yahoo, which keeps track of any search information you make. It will change your homepage, search provider, and in our testing added considerable delay to the speed of search. This browser hijacker is considered a low-risk threat but is detected for optional removal for previous reasons.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking means that a malicious program code has power over and altered the settings of your internet browser, without your permission. Nearly all browser hijackers are created for marketing or advertising purposes. In most cases, it will force users to predetermined websites that are trying to increase their advertising campaign revenue. Nonetheless, it isn’t that harmless. Your web safety is compromised and it is also really irritating. Browser hijackers can also let other malicious programs without your knowledge further damage your PC.

How one can know whether the web browser is hijacked?

There are many symptoms that could indicate a browser hijacking: the browser’s home-page is changed; you see new unwanted favorites or bookmarks added, typically directed to ad-filled or porn sites; the default browser configurations have been changed and/or your default search engine is altered; you’re getting browser toolbars you have never found before; never-ending pop-up ads appear and/or your web browser popup blocker is disabled; web pages load very slowly and at times incomplete; you can’t visit specific sites like homepages of security software.

How they get into your computer or laptop

There are a number of ways your PC can get infected by a browser hijacker. They usually arrive by way of spam e-mail, via file-sharing networks, or by a drive-by download. They can be included with toolbars, BHO, add-ons, plugins, or browser extensions. Also, certain freeware and shareware can put the hijacker in your PC through “bundling”. Examples of well-known browser hijackers are Fireball, GoSave, Ask Toolbar, CoolWebSearch, Babylon Toolbar, and RocketTab. The presence of any browser hijacker on your computer can considerably diminish the browsing experience, record your internet activities that lead to major privacy issues, develop system stability problems, and eventually cause your computer to slow down or to a practically unusable condition.

Getting rid of browser hijackers

Certain hijackers could be removed by just uninstalling the related freeware or add-ons through the Add or Remove Programs in the Windows control panel. Having said that, the majority of hijackers are very tenacious and need specialized tools to get rid of them. And there’s no denying the very fact that the manual fixes and removal methods can be a complicated job for a novice computer user. Additionally, there are plenty of risks connected with tinkering around with the system registry files. You can opt for automatic browser hijacker removal methods by simply installing and running an efficient anti-malware application. To eradicate any browser hijacker from your PC, you can download this particular certified malware removal application – SafeBytes Anti-Malware. In addition to anti-malware, a system optimizer software can help you correct registry errors, get rid of unwanted toolbars, secure internet privacy, and stabilize software programs installed on your computer.

What you can do if Virus Stops You From Downloading Or Installing Anti-malware?

All malware is inherently harmful, but certain kinds of malicious software do a lot more damage to your PC than others. Some malware is designed to hinder or prevent things that you want to do on your computer system. It may not allow you to download anything from the web or stop you from accessing some or all websites, especially the anti-virus sites. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re stuck with a malware infection that is preventing you to download or install Safebytes Anti-Malware software on your system. Do as instructed below to get rid of the malware by alternate methods.

Use Safe Mode to fix the problem

In Safe Mode, you could change Windows settings, un-install or install some software, and get rid of hard-to-delete viruses. In the event the malware is blocking internet connection and affecting your computer, starting it in Safe Mode enables you to download antivirus and run a scan while limiting possible damage. In order to get into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press the F8 key while the PC is starting up or run MSConfig and locate the “Safe Boot” options in the “Boot” tab. As soon as you restart the PC into Safe Mode with Networking, you could download, install, as well as update anti-malware software from there. After installation, run the malware scanner to remove standard infections.

Switch to an alternate web browser

Some malware mainly targets particular internet browsers. If this sounds like your case, make use of another web browser as it might circumvent the virus. When you suspect that your Internet Explorer happens to be hijacked by a trojan or otherwise compromised by online hackers, the best thing to do is to switch over to an alternate browser such as Firefox, Chrome, or Safari to download your chosen security software – Safebytes Anti-Malware.

Run anti-malware from your USB drive

Another technique is to download and transfer anti-malware software from a clean PC to run a scan on the infected system. Do these simple actions to clean up your infected computer by using a portable antivirus. 1) On a virus-free computer, download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug in the pen drive into the clean computer. 3) Double-click the executable file to run the installation wizard. 4) Select the USB flash drive as the location for saving the software file. Follow the onscreen instructions to finish the installation process. 5) Now, transfer the USB drive to the infected PC. 6) Run the Safebytes Anti-malware directly from the USB drive by double-clicking the icon. 7) Run Full System Scan to identify and get rid of all kinds of malware.

Overview of SafeBytes Anti-Malware

Do you want to install the very best anti-malware software program for your PC? There are numerous applications in the market that comes in paid and free versions for Windows systems. A few of them are great and some are scamware applications that pretend as legitimate anti-malware programs waiting to wreak havoc on your personal computer. When searching for anti-malware software, choose one that gives dependable, efficient, and comprehensive protection against all known viruses and malware. Amongst few good applications, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is the strongly recommended tool for the security-conscious individual. SafeBytes can be described as a powerful, real-time anti-malware application that is created to assist the everyday computer end user in protecting their PC from malicious threats. With its cutting-edge technology, this application will help you get rid of multiples types of malware such as computer viruses, worms, PUPs, trojans, adware, ransomware, and browser hijackers. SafeBytes anti-malware offers an array of enhanced features that sets it apart from all others. Listed below are some of the features you may like in SafeBytes. Most effective AntiMalware Protection: Built on a highly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal tool can find and remove numerous obstinate malware threats like browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs, and ransomware that other common anti-virus applications will miss. Real-time Threat Response: SafeBytes offers a completely hands-free real-time protection that is set to monitor, block and destroy all threats at its first encounter. It will regularly monitor your pc for hacker activity and also gives end-users superior firewall protection. Web protection: SafeBytes checks the hyperlinks present on a webpage for possible threats and tells you whether the site is safe to visit or not, through its unique safety rating system. Lightweight: SafeBytes is renowned for its low effect on computer resources and great detection rate of countless threats. It runs quietly and efficiently in the background so you’re free to utilize your computer or laptop at full power all the time. 24/7 Guidance: You will get 24/7 technical assistance to immediately resolve any issue with your security application. To sum it up, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is pretty great for securing your computer against all sorts of malware threats. Malware problems can become a thing of the past once you put this tool to use. If you want advanced forms of protection features & threat detections, purchasing SafeBytes Anti-Malware will be well worth the dollars!

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove SearchAnonymo without using 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 web browser plug-ins, going to the browser’s AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. Additionally, it is suggested to reset your browser to its default state to fix corrupt settings. In order to ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and computer registry for all the following and eliminate or reset the values as needed. But bear in mind, this is often a complicated task and only computer professionals could accomplish it safely. Furthermore, certain malware is capable of replicating itself or preventing deletion. Carrying out this in Safe Mode is recommended.

This post will show you how to fix the Windows update error 0xca00a000 which you can encounter during the installation of Windows updates. Here’s the full error message of this Windows Update error:

“Updates failed There were problems installing some updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: 2018-07 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems (KB4345421) – Error 0xca00a000”

This kind of Windows Update error pops up when Windows has missed installing one of the cumulative updates needed or when there is some problem with the driver that won’t let the installation of the updates push through. There are also instances when the system files are modified with incorrect permission that may result in the Windows update error 0xca00a000. Thus, you need to fix the trusted installer permission as well as resolve the issue with the driver. To do these things, you need to follow the options laid out below.

Option 1 – Run the Windows Module Installer

The Windows Module Installer is a built-in service in the Windows operating system that could help you resolve the Windows update error 0xca00a000. You need to make sure that this service is Started and that its Startup type is set to Automatic – you can do this via Services Manager or by executing the command given below in an elevated Command Prompt.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “command prompt” in the field and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
• And in the elevated Command Prompt type in the following command and hit Enter:

SC config trustedinstaller start=auto

• After executing the command successfully, you should see the “[SC] ChangeServiceConfig SUCCESS” message on the Command Prompt window.

Option 2 – Try manually installing the updates

As mentioned, the error might be because Windows missed installing a particular update which is why you are not able to proceed with the current update. So to resolve the issue, you need to install the update that wasn’t installed by downloading it from the Microsoft Update Catalog website. You also have to make sure that you didn’t turn off the Windows update or have it delayed.

Option 3 – Delete the files from the Software Distribution folder

The Software Distribution folder in the Windows operating system is a folder that can be found in the Windows directory and is used to store files temporarily which might be required to install the Windows Update on your PC. Thus, it is required by the Windows Update and maintained by WUAgent. A lot of users tried deleting the files in this folder to fix the problem and so far it has worked. Like them, you can try clearing the Windows Update cache by simply deleting the contents of the folder named “SoftwareDistribution” since Windows apparently can’t clear and re-download the update contents once they are corrupted. Thus, deleting the contents of this folder will make Windows download the contents again which will fix the problem. To do that, follow the steps below.

• 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 stop bits

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service and the Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
• 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.
• Once all the contents in the Software Distribution folder are deleted, restart your PC and then go back to Command Prompt and input the following commands again.

net start wuauserv net start bits

Since the folder has already been flushed, it will be populated afresh the instant your restart your computer and open Windows Update.

• Now Open Settings and check for Windows Updates. Windows 10 should begin the download right away.

Option 4 – 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” 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 that, try to install the Windows Updates or upgrade again.

Option 5 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter could also help you resolve the Windows update error 0xca00a000. 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 6 – Run Microsoft’s online troubleshooter

Running Microsoft’s online troubleshooter might also help you fix the Windows update error 0xca00a000. This online troubleshooter is known to help in fixing Windows Update errors, it scans your computer for issues that might be causing the problem and then fixes them automatically.

In today's age of smart gadgets and complete replacement of even some simple things with their smart counterpart, it is not really a surprise to see some strange innovations that try to take advantage of modern technology.

One of these innovations is a smart book, or to be more precise smart note, a reusable notebook that could be connected to your phone.

Why Rocketbook Fusion smartbook

One thing that could justify, well it should justify buying Rocketbook is the preservation of trees and the environment since it can be reused. The second argument would be its price since it is not expensive considering what it offers.

On top of all, you also have a free application for your phone in order to take full advantage of it.

What is a smartbook?

Imagine this scenario, you have a notebook of 42 pages with several different page styles inside. You write in it and after it is filled you upload its content to your email or cloud service of your choice, get a cloth, erase everything and start again from zero.

So as mentioned notebook comes with 42 pages of various page styles. Most of the pages are either lined or dotted but the notebook also includes a monthly calendar, two-week detailed calendar pages, and three pages for project or idea tracking. Since everything can be erased this is enough variety to cover all basis and eliminate any need for another workbook ever.

When you feel like you want to save work or once it is filled you can easily upload and save the workbook from the scan page option in the free Rocketbook app. Once scanned pages can be uploaded to your preferred cloud service or sent to your email.

Now in order to write and be able to erase any of Rocketbook's notebooks, you will have to use Pilot's Frixion writing pens. They will dry around 15s on the page and can be of course easily wiped with a damp microfiber cloth that is included with the purchase. One pen also comes with a workbook when purchased.

Application

Application has cool features, of course, the most important and most useful one is setting your upload scan destination so when you scan your pages they get automatically uploaded to your chosen destination.

In the application settings, you can also toggle some handwriting recognition features that will allow you to easily search your uploaded documents. For example, you can search through documents just by writing now or two words. There is also a Smart List feature as well that will take your checklist and make it into a virtual checklist.

The app also has a fun Explore section where you can find all sorts of fun hacks and different ideas on how to use your Rocketbook.

Many Linux users if not all of them can run their distros from a USB drive but did you know you can run Windows 10 from a USB drive as well? Microsoft has introduced all the way back to Windows 8 one feature called Windows To Go and it kept it in Windows 8.1 and in Windows 10 as well. This feature is intended as a convenient way for workers to carry their corporate environments with them, but having your own copy of Windows on a thumb drive could be handy for backup purposes, too, or if you frequently use public machines that lack your preferences/applications or that have a restricted OS.

What you will need?

In order to actually make Windows 10 run from a USB drive you will need the following things:

1. USB drive with a minimum size of 20GB
2. Working computer with Windows 10 running on it
3. Rufus or another ISO to UBS tool, get Rufus here: https://rufus.ie/en_US/
4. Windows 10 ISO file

Making Windows 10 UBS drive

Install Rufus on your Windows 10 and run it. Stick USB in PC and open Rufus. On the screen that follows choose your Windows 10 ISO image and under Image options choose Windows To Go. Click on ready and you are finished, that’s it. After Rufus finishes you have now fully working Windows 10 bootable drive which you can use on another PC for whatever reason.

Finally upgraded to Microsoft’s newest OS, but the performance is a bit sluggish? Here are a few useful tips you may not have thought about that could significantly transform your experience!

How to speed up Windows 11?

1. Disable startup programs

There are many programs that launch right on startup that really aren’t essential. This, in turn, causes your PC to launch and run more slowly.

To check which programs are enabled on startup, go into the Task Manager and select the Startup tab. Find every program that doesn’t need to launch immediately, right-click on it and press ‘Disable’.

This will not shut down the program in that instant. It’ll just prevent it from running automatically as you turn on your PC. You can always launch it manually when you need it.

2. Expand your memory and storage

If you want your PC to run super smoothly, you need to have enough memory to support that. This is especially significant for those of you who love to multitask. Upgrading your RAM gives your PC more space to store the temporary data it needs to complete processing tasks. In other words, processing takes a lot less time.

Your long-term storage is equally important. Hopefully at this point you’re already using SSD over HDD, since this type of storage offers a faster boot time.

In any case, we recommend expanding your storage capacity. The more files and data you store, the more there is to load, significantly influencing your PC’s speed. Larger storage capacity means new data and essential updates can be stored comfortably, preventing any strain on your PC’s performance.

3. Clean up disk space

If you aren’t willing to upgrade your storage just yet, the least you can do is clean up your storage right now. 

Aside from manually deleting stuff you no longer need, you can also get rid of temporary files that clutter up your storage and eat up performance for no reason. To get to them, click Windows + X and select ‘Run’ (or just type it in the search bar).

A small window will pop up, where you need to type %temp%. This will take you to a whole folder full of all the temporary files you can remove without thinking twice. 

For those who upgraded from Windows 10, there’s a neat trick to get rid of potential leftover files you don’t need on your brand new iteration. Only do this if you’re 100% sticking with Windows 11, though. Go to System > Storage > Temporary files. Make sure to only leave ‘Previous Windows Installation’ and ‘Windows Update Clean-up’ checked and click on ‘Remove files’.

Lastly, make use of Windows 11’s fantastic Storage Sense feature. Turning it on will enable your PC to constantly watch out for junk or unused files to optimize your PC’s performance to the maximum.

4. Install pending updates

This one should go without saying, but pending updates can be detrimental to your Windows 11 performance. The longer you leave them untouched, the more bugs the outdated programs and patches can cause. So, make sure to regularly check for updates and install them as soon as they’re available.

5. Disable visual effects

As cool as visual effects, animations, shadows and transparency are, they can also put quite a toll on your computer’s speed. On a newer setup this generally shouldn’t be a problem, but if you do notice a drop in performance, definitely consider turning off some of these settings.

To do this you can go to the Control Panel, System Properties and click the ‘Advanced’ tab. In the Performance section, choose Settings. If you’d like a quicker way to get to the dialog (Performance Options) with Visual Effects, you can also type sysdm.cpl in the search bar.

Once there, you can either have your PC choose what’s best, choose the best appearance or the best performance. The other option is to manually toggle the effects off and on. The biggest obstacles to speed are taskbar animations, window shadows, control/element animations and animations upon minimizing/maximizing.

In the same vein, you should go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and disable Transparency, to prevent your computer from doing overtime just to hit the aesthetic appeal.

6. Get rid of bloatware

Bloatware is one of the biggest culprits of slow computer speed. 

Pre-installed software that’s pretty much useless but takes up valuable system resources has been around since day one. No matter which device or platform you’re talking about. Luckily, a lot of it is removable, making it easy to lighten the load on your device.

To boost your Windows 11 computer, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. You’ll probably see a bunch of apps you don’t want or need. Click on the three dots next to each one you want to remove and press ‘Uninstall’. 

Aside from helping optimize performance, removing bloatware has another great benefit. Unfortunately, often this pre-installed software is quite vulnerable, exposing you to great risk of cyberattacks. So, removing it definitely improves your device’s security and gives you at least some peace of mind.

Summary

These are a few of our fastest tips for boosting performance. There are other, more complex and time-consuming ways, of course. If you’ve tried these quick ones and still need advice on how to improve your PC’s speed, feel free to reach out!

If you like to travel but you do not have a navigation device and a place where you are traveling does not have internet coverage do not worry, Windows offline maps are here to help. Traveling in today's world often requires that we have some sort of navigation system, wherever that be a dedicated navigation device, maps on your mobile phone, or something similar. Maps on mobile-phone are nice but they drain the battery of the phone fast and being on a road might require that we have access to our phone, just in case of an emergency call, and dedicated navigation devices often cost a lot of money. Lucky for us Windows comes with a maps feature where you can check local maps and orientate with their help and even if you are in an area where you do not have internet coverage you can still use maps via offline mas mode in Windows. This feature will require that you sacrifice little HDD space because you will need to download maps that you will need and some time preparing in order to find and download maps that you will need but in the end, it is worth it, you have a full map system completely offline and independent of the internet. So in order to prepare all maps that you will need, follow this guide step by step and enjoy your trip.

1. Select Settings from the Start menu.
2. Click System.
3. Select Offline maps.
4. Click the + button next to "Download maps".
5. Select the continent where your desired country is located.
6. Select the region you want to download. Depending on the area, you can download a whole country or you'll have to drill down to a smaller region (for example, with Canada and the USA).
7. Repeat for any additional regions you want to have as offline maps. You can download more maps while other maps are currently downloading.
8. Pack your bags
9. GO!

Hello everyone, last time we were talking about disk cleanup and its benefits, but as you need to keep your System clean you should also clean and keep your hardware clean as well. Many system issues could be traced and could happen due to dirty PC. In this article, we will give you tips on how to perform safely cleaning on your computer and hopefully point good sides to it so you can develop a healthy habit of regularly cleaning it and keeping it tidy. Keeping your PC clean is not rocket science and you can do it with things you already and probably have in your house. One thing that I would recommend tho to purchase is antistatic gloves since they could prevent any kind of electrostatic discharges thus protecting your electric components. If you have the option to disconnect your PC and get it outdoors, I would highly recommend this approach since all the dust will be dusted outside and not in the room where your computer is. If you can not it is still ok, but since some portion of dust will be set in the room, you might need to dust your room after cleaning your computer.

Cleaning outside case & redusting inside

The first thing after disconnecting your computer is to dust it from outside, here you will need a vacuum cleaner and a brush, gently brush outside dust from your casing and vacuum it with your vacuum cleaner. You can use dustcloth for larger parts but use the brush for fans and connectors. After you have done cleaning the outside part, open the side of your computer casing, put on your antistatic gloves, and get a fine and soft brush, repeat dusting and vacuuming of the inner parts of your computer. If your computer is not regularly been cleaned this part will take a little longer since there would be excess dust inside and it will take a longer time to vacuum it all but keep going until you are left with no dirt.

Cleaning it inside

Fans are troublesome to clean since they will rotate when brushed and that could make you miss certain sports, in order to battle this get a tape and stick the fan into one position, brush areas that you can reach, then unstick it, rotate the head, stick it again in another position and dust off remaining areas which you could not reach before. If your computer is very dirty and some hard dirt is at bottom of the connectors, disconnect desired component and clean the connection properly. plug it back in immediately after cleaning to avoid connecting it somewhere else. Harder stains that could not be dusted could be cleaned with little alcohol. Get your dustcloth just a little wet with alcohol, just a corner, and gently wipe out sticky dust or spills if they are present. Leave it 10 minutes for alcohol to evaporate before plugging it back into an electric socket.

Thermal paste and cable management

If you have money and expertise, every 2 years would be a good idea to change the thermal paste on your processor, all you need to do is buy it from your local computer store online, remove the CPU fan clean the CPU and bottom of the fan and apply new thermal paste, place fan back and lock it. If you do not have expertise in this area, call someone who has to show you how it is done. When cleaning it would be a good idea if you do not have any cable management to do it now, nice and tidy cables not only look good, they also improve your air circulation inside your casing making your computer cooling better. once you are done with it, close back the casing side and plug it back in the wall.

Peripherals

When you are cleaning your computer, do yourself a favor and clean your keyboard, mouse, and screen as well. the keyboard can be quickly cleaned with compressed air in the can and screen and mouse with dustcloth. That's it, remember, keep your PC clean and tidy and enjoy the benefits of non-hardware malfunctions caused by dirt and dust.

Recently, a number of users reported an error in Google Chrome that says, “ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED”. If you are one of these users, read on as this post will guide you in resolving this error. This kind of error in Chrome is kind of vague so it could be caused by a couple of factors like DNS server issues, Socket Pools, third-party plugins or extensions, and many more. Whatever the cause may be, there are several options you can check out to resolve the problem. You can try to flush the Socket Pool or change the DNS address or remove unwanted extensions or reset your Google Chrome browser.

Option 1 – Try to flush the Socket Pool

• Open Google Chrome and in the address bar, type “chrome://net-internals/”.
• After that, select Sockets on the left side panel.
• Next, select Flush socket pools from the right-side panel.
• And once it’s done, restart your Chrome browser and check if the “ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED” is fixed or not.

Option 2 – Try to change the DNS Server

In this option, you can try changing your current DNS settings to the Google Public DNS as it could also help in fixing the “ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED” error. To do so, follow the steps below.

• The first thing you have to do is right-click on the network icon in the Taskbar and select Network and Sharing Center.
• Next, click on the “Change Adapter Settings” option.
• After that, search for the network connection that you are using to connect to the internet. Note that the option might be “Wireless Connection” or “Local Area Connection”.
• Right-click on your network connection and click on Properties.
• Then select the new window to choose the “Internet Protocol 4 (TCP/IPv4)” option.
• After that, click on the Properties button and click the checkbox in the new window for the option “Use the following DNS server addresses”.
• Type in “8.8.8.8” and “8.8.4.4” and click OK and exit.

Option 3 – Get rid of any conflicting browser extensions

• Open Chrome and press Alt + F keys.
• Go to More tools and click Extensions to look for any suspicious browser extensions or toolbars.
• Click the Recycle bin and select Remove.
• Restart Chrome and press Alt + F keys again.
• Proceed to On Startup and mark Open a specific page or set of pages.
• To check if the browser hijacker is still active, click Set pages, if it is active, overwrite the URL.

Option 4 – Try to reset Google Chrome

Before you proceed, make sure that the Chrome browser is not running anywhere in the background via Task Manager. Once you’ve made sure that it’s no longer running, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “%USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalGoogleChromeUser Data” in the field and tap Enter to open this location.
• From there, look for the Default folder and then tap the Shift + Delete button and if a confirmation prompt appears, click on Yes.
• After deleting the Default folder, open Google Chrome and click on the three vertical dots icon located in the top-right corner to open the menu.
• Next, click on Settings and scroll down and then click on Advanced to open the Advanced Settings.
• Then scroll down until you see the “Reset and clean up” section and click the “Restore Settings to their original defaults” option.
• After that, you will see a confirmation box and from there, click on the Reset settings button to reset your Google Chrome browser.