How to Fix Windows 8 Error Code 0x8007007e

There are times when it is really inevitable to delete your hard drive partitions especially if you are already running low on disk space in your Windows 10 computer. Users typically delete the volume which is not being used in such cases in order to free up some space for the volume that’s running low on disk space. To resolve the problem, users tend to use the Disk Management utility to delete hard drive partitions. However, some users reported that the “Delete volume” option is not available as it is grayed out. Thus, users aren’t able to delete hard drive partitions and aren’t able to free up disk space. This kind of problem usually occurs when there is a Page file on the volume that you are trying to delete and so on. Oftentimes, this issue is mistaken for the problem where you are unable to delete an EFI-protected partition. However, in this case, not only you are unable to delete EFI-protected partition but also NTFS file systems. This is really hard to deal with but worries not for there are some potential fixes you can check out to resolve this problem.

Option 1 – Try to manage the Page file in the Partition

As mentioned earlier, if a Page file exists in a partition, you won’t be able to delete it. The page file is what stores your data when the system’s random access memory fills up. To resolve this, follow these steps:

• Go to the Start menu and type “View advanced system settings” in the field and open it from the search results.
• Next, click on Settings in the Advanced tab.
• On the new window that pops up, go to the Advanced tab and select Change.
• Next, uncheck the checkbox of “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” and highlight the drive you want to delete.
• Then select “No paging file” and click on Set.
• Now click on the Apply and OK buttons on all the windows and restart your computer.

Option 2 – Delete storage partition via Command Prompt

• Tap the Win + X keys or right-click on the Start button and select Command Prompt (Admin) or you could also type in “cmd” in the Cortana search box and right-click on the Command Prompt icon and then select the “Run as Administrator” option from the context menu.
• Once you have Command Prompt pulled up as admin, type in and enter this command – diskpart
• After entering this command, the Diskpart Utility will start. Diskpart Utility is a command-line-based utility just like Command Prompt but it will get a UAC Prompt after you invoke it so you have to click Yes for the UAC Prompt.
• After that, type in list volume and tap Enter to see the list of all the partitions created on your PC. This includes both types of partitions that are visible to the normal users in the File Explorer as well as the ones that are created by Windows 10 by default which helps it in storing the boot files and other essential system files.
• You should see a list of all the partitions made on your computer. Select the partition you want to delete by its Unique Identification number as Volume X where X denotes the Unique Identification Number.
• Next, type in the select volume number command and hit Enter to select the desired volume.
• Then delete the volume you’ve selected and type in the delete volume command and hit Enter to delete the volume you just selected and convert it into unallocated space.

Option 3 – Delete storage partition via Windows PowerShell

• Start by tapping the Win + X keys or simply right click on the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or you could also type in “Windows PowerShell” in the Cortana search box and right-click on the Windows PowerShell icon and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• Once you’ve opened the Windows PowerShell, type in the Get-Volume command and hit Enter to get a list of all the partitions on your PC.
• Next, select the drive letter you want to delete and then type in the Remove-Partition –DriveLetter command and hit Enter to delete the selected partition. Note that you need to replace the drive letter with the letter of the partition you want to get rid of.
• After that, it will ask you for confirmation. Just hit the Y key for Yes or hit the A key to say Yes to All. This will delete all the partition you’ve selected and will move them in as unallocated space.

As you know, Excel sheet is frequently acclaimed as one of the most useful software that allows users to create spreadsheets, crunch numbers as well as prepare a business report. Usually, tapping the arrow keys to move from one cell to another. However, there are times when you might experience trouble in tapping them – for instance, they won’t work when you tap them. This kind of problem can be quite frustrating since no matter what you do, especially when you tap the arrow keys, instead of a single cell, it moves the entire spreadsheet. If you are one of the users who experience this problem, worry no more for this post will guide you on what you can do to fix it. When arrow keys won’t function as intended in Excel spreadsheets, it could be due to unintended behavior of the Scroll key or it could be related to some issues with the keyboard driver. Whatever the cause is, here are some suggestions you can check out to fix it.

Option 1 – Try to disable the Scroll Lock

The first thing you can do to fix this problem with arrow keys is to disable the Scroll Lock. Although doing this is easy, newer laptops don’t actually come with it so if your keyboard does not come with a scroll key, all you have to do is tap the Fn key and disable Scroll Lock. Aside from that, you could also use the on-screen keyboard to turn off the Scroll Lock. You will see its status on the Excel sheet which will help you to double-check. Moreover, you could also tap the Shift + F14 keys to toggle off the Scroll Lock. To use the on-screen keyboard to turn off Scroll Lock, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Windows key and type “on-screen keyboard” and then tap Enter.
• Once the on-screen keyboard is opened, you should see that the Scroll Lock is on the “On” position since the ScrLk keys are in blue.
• Like pointed out earlier, you can utilize the Scroll Lock indicator located in the status bar as well as disable or enable the scroll key by using this feature on Microsoft Excel.

Option 2 – Try turning on the Sticky key

If disabling the Scroll Lock did not fix the problem, you can try turning on the Sticky Key instead. A lot of users reported that this option fixed the problem for them. So you should try to turn on the Sticky key and to do that, follow the steps below.

• First, type “control panel” in the Start Search and click on Control Panel from the search results.
• Next, select the “Turn On Sticky Keys” option and click on OK.
• After that, go back and uncheck the “Turn On Sticky Keys” option. This should fix the malfunctioning arrow keys on Excel.

Option 3 – Try running the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

The first thing you can do to fix the problem is by running the Hardware Troubleshooter. Although it won’t make much of a difference, there’s still a possibility that it could automatically fix the problem with these function keys. To use it, refer to these steps:

• The first thing you need to do is click on Start and then on the gear-like icon to pull up the window for Settings.
• After opening Settings, look for the Update and Security option and select it.
• From there, go to the Troubleshoot option located on the left-hand side of the list.
• Next, select Hardware and Devices from the list and open the Troubleshooter and run it. Once it is doing its job, wait for it to complete the process and then restart the system.
• After the system restarts, check if the problem’s now fixed. If not, refer to the next option given below.

Option 4 – Update the keyboard driver

You can also update the keyboard driver to fix the problem. There are cases when an outdated or corrupted driver can fix the problem. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “devmgmt.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Device Manager.
• From there, look for the keyboard driver and click on it.
• Next, right-click on the keyboard driver and select the Update driver option.
• After that, click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option to proceed.

Option 5 – Reinstall the keyboard driver

If updating the keyboard driver didn’t help, then you might want to reinstall it. How? Follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in MSC into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. Look for the keyboard driver, right-click on it and then select “Uninstall device”.
• After that, unplug the device and restart your PC.
• Then plug your device back in. Assuming your device is connected to your PC, open the Device Manager again.
• Next, click on the Action button and click the Scan for hardware changes button. That should fix the problem

Note: You could also completely uninstall the driver and go directly to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest driver for your hardware and then install it.

Hello and welcome to our Business Email Etiquette. Most people have experience in writing emails at some point before in their lives. However, the emails an average person writes are probably personal emails and not mails for work purposes. Emails you send to friends are incredibly different in content and context to business emails you would send to customers or employers or even other colleagues in your workforce. So, if you have a job that involves you writing emails to people in business style, learning business email etiquette is an absolute must for you.

 1. Heading layouts

When you are sending emails to friends, you generally lay them out like a memo. This means there is very little detail in the layout besides basic greetings and paragraphs, usually starting with the greetings. However, with a business email, it is best to lay it out exactly like you would lay out a formal letter. You need to put the company’s address in the right-hand corner and the date as well. Only then must you go on to the greetings. This will make your email look more formal, making you seem like a professional who knows what they are doing as opposed to someone who just couldn’t be bothered spending the extra time to get the layout right.

 2. Proper greetings

 When you are sending an email to a friend, you usually greet them informally. If their name was Mary Johnson, you’d probably start your letter with a ‘Hey Mary’ or a ‘Hello Mary.’ However, this is not considered a professional way to write an email to a customer or other important person in your business. Again, you must use the proper method that you would greet someone with were you writing them a formal letter instead. If your customer is Mary Johnson again, you should greet her with respect. ‘Dear Ms. Johnson’ would be the most appropriate way to start off your letter’s actual body in this case. If you do not know the recipient’s name, then you should start with a simple ‘Dear Sir or Madam.’ Politeness will always get you incredibly far, no matter what line of work you are in.

 3. Informal language

 You should get straight to the point with your email. Don’t dawdle on with it like you would if chatting to a friend and don’t write it how you would speak either. You use language that sounds impressive and smart while not using such obscure language that your recipient doesn’t know what you are saying. All the time, you must keep it informal where possible, possibly even impersonal as well. It will make you seem very professional in the long run.

 4. Signing off

When you are sending your email, you must end it as you would with a letter also. Don’t just say ‘Bye’ and your first name; that is too personal. You need to say ‘yours sincerely if you know the name of the recipient and ‘yours faithfully’ if you do not. Then you should end with your full name and whatever position you have at the company. (CEO, technical staff etc.) So there you have it! All you need to do now is to show your boss that you can handle the emails from now on!

We couldn’t update system reserved partition” - What is it?

Customers will most likely encounter the “We couldn’t update system reserved partition” error when upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. This error may also come with error code 0xc1900104 or error code 0x800f0922.

Solution

Error Cause

“We couldn’t update system reserved partition” Windows 10 upgrade error is normally caused by too little space on the System Reserved Partition (SRP). The System Reserve Partition is an additional small partition created by Windows, which stores boot files. The SRP can be filled up with security apps and third-party anti-virus. Once this partition has insufficient space, the system will not be able to upgrade to Windows 10.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Caution: The following steps are complex and need to be done by experienced users especially using the command line. Once an error is made in entering commands, there’s a chance that your device can be put in a no-boot situation, or data stored on the device can possibly get lost.

To upgrade to Windows 10, your device needs to have at least 15MB free space on the System Reserved Partition. Follow the procedure below and then try upgrading again.

First, know if the System Reserved Partition is whether in GPT or MBR partition style:

1. Open the Run window by pressing the Windows key + R. Type msc in the window then press Enter.
2. Right-click on the Disk where SRP is located then select
3. Click over the Volumes
4. On the Partition Style line, you’ll see which partition style your device is using, either Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT)

Second, determine which method you will need:

Depending on what partition style your device has and whether you’re currently on Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1, there are various methods you need to do.

Method 1: Windows 7 or 8/8.1 with GPT partition

1. Click on the Start button and search for cmd. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.
2. Type mountvol y: /s at the command prompt then press Enter. This command will add the Y: drive letter where you can access the System Partition.
3. Type taskkill /im explorer.exe /f then hit Enter. Afterward, restart explorer in Admin mode by typing exe and hitting Enter.

NOTE: While in Admin mode, some apps like OneNote will not run.

4. Open File Explorer then type Y:EFIMicrosoftBoot in the address bar. Hit Enter.
5. Choose the language folders you want to permanently delete. Language folders are named with four letters split with a hyphen. For instance, you want to delete the German language: choose de-DE.
6. Optional: You can also delete unused font files for more space. Type Y:EFIMicrosoftBootFonts in the address bar then press enter.
7. Once you permanently deleted the unnecessary files, reboot the device to return to explorer.exe to normal mode and remove the Y: drive letter.

Method 2: Windows 7 with MBR partition

Doing this method will make a permanent, but small increase in the free space of the device’s SRP.

1. Delete language folders

a. Open the Run window by pressing the Windows key + R. Type diskmgmt.msc then hit Enter. b. Select System Reserve partition then right-click on it.

c. Choose Change Drive Letter and Paths then select Add.

d. Type Y for the drive letter then click OK.

e. Click on the Start button and search for cmd. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.

f. Type Y: at the command prompt then press Enter.

g. Once you’ve switched to drive Y, type takeown /d y /r /f . then hit Enter.

NOTE: Ensure that the space and period after “f” is included in order for the command to work properly      

h. Type icacls Y:* /save %systemdrive%NTFSp.txt /c /t then hit Enter to back up the permission to the drive.

NOTE: Ensure that all files are marked as successful and that no files are marked as failed.

i. Type whoami then hit Enter. Record the username that appears. Afterwards, type icacls . /grant <username you got from whoami>:F /t then press Enter.

NOTE: Ensure that there’s no space between the username and “:F” or the command will not work.

j. In the File Explorer, open the SRP drive and select the Boot folder. Choose the             language folders you want to permanently delete. Language folders are named      with four letters split with a hyphen. For example: de-DE is the German language          while en-US is the U.S. English language.

2. Truncate the NTFS Log:

a. Open the Command Prompt then type chkdsk /L Y: to check the size of the NTFS Log. If the NTFS Log size is less than 5000KB, you need not truncate the file.

b. Type chkdsk /L:5000 /X /F then hit Enter to truncate the NTFS Log.

c. Return to Disk Management window. Select Action menu then select Check if the device’s SRP now has a larger amount of free space. Once there’s enough space, right click the System Reserve Partition then select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Choose Y: then select Remove.

3. If there’s still not enough available space after truncating the NTFS Log, resize the USN journal:

a. Open the command prompt then type fsutil usn queryjournal Y: to display the size in hex value. Convert the hex value to decimal then divide it by 1048576. The result you will get will be in MB. If the journal size is 30MB or more, proceed with truncating the file.

NOTE: To convert the Hex value to Decimal, open the Calculator app in Windows then choose View menu. Select Programmer then choose Hex. Type the Hex value then choose Dec.

b. Type fsutil usn deletejournal /D /N Y: then hit Enter to delete the journal. Type fsutil usn createjournal m=1500 a=1 Y: to recreate the journal having the new log size value.

4. Restore permissions

a. Type icacls Y: /restore %systemdrive%NTFSp.txt /c /t in the Command Prompt. Check if the files were successfully processed before proceeding. If you see a message saying some files failed while processing, this is normal since some of the files have already been deleted before performing a backup. However, if there are no successful files indicated, the command was not properly executed.

b. Type icacls . /grant system:f /t then hit Enter to adjust the ACL back to System. Now, you can set the owner of the drive by typing icacls Y: /setowner “SYSTEM” /t /c then press Enter.

c. Check if the device’s SRP now has enough free space by going back to Disk Management and refreshing the data. If the SRP already has sufficient space, you can now remove the drive letter. Right-click on the System Reserved Partition then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths. Select the Y: drive then choose Confirm deleting the drive letter by clicking OK.

Method 3: Windows 8/8.1 with MBR partition

This method makes a larger, but temporary, increase in the SRP free space.

1. Be sure you have an external drive having at least 250 MB free space and formatted as NFTS.

2. Open Run by pressing the Windows key + R. Type mscthen to choose the Recovery Partition. Right-click on it then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.

3. Select Add then type Y for the drive letter, click

4. Click on the Start screen then type cmd in the search bar. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.

5. Switch to another drive by typing Y: in the command prompt. Once you’re in the drive Y, type takeown /d y /r /f .

NOTE: Ensure that space and period after “f” are included in order for the command to work properly.

6. Type whoami then hit Enter. Record the username that appears. Afterward, type icacls . /grant <username you got from whoami>:F /t then press Enter.

NOTE: Ensure that there’s no space between the username and “:F” or else the command will not work.

7. Once the command is completed, type attrib -s -r –h Y:RecoveryWindowsREwinre.wim then hit Enter.
8. Open File Explorer and check the drive letter of the external drive you’re using (In this case, let’s assume F: is the drive letter of the external drive so when you see F: for the rest of the steps, this means the drive letter of the external drive you’re using).
9. Type mkdir F:RecoveryWindowsRE in the Command Prompt then hit Enter. Afterward, type xcopy Y:RecoveryWindowsREwinre.wim F:RecoveryWindowsREwinre.wim /h
10. Type C:WindowsSystem32Reagentc /SetREImage /Path F:RecoveryWindowsRE /Target C:Windows to map the new path
11. Verify if the copy was successfully done then type del Y:RecoveryWindowsREwinre.wim /F
12. Return to Disk Management window. Click on the Action menu then hit Check if the device’s SRP now has a larger amount of available space. Once there’s enough space, you can proceed with the upgrade.
13. Upon completion of the upgrade, move back the wim file to the Recovery Partition. At this point, you can re-map now the location by:
    1. Open the Command Prompt then type xcopy F:RecoveryWindowsREwinre.wim Y:RecoveryWindowsREwinre.wim /h and press Enter.
    2. Type C:WindowsSystem32Reagentc /SetREImage /Path Y:RecoveryWindowsRE /Target C:Windows to re-map to the original path.
14. Return to the Disk Management window. Right-click on the Recovery Partition then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths. Select the Y: drive then choose Remove.

Method: Download a Powerful Automated Tool

Not inclined to go through a long and technical process (as highlighted above)? Download and install a powerful automated tool and get the job done in a jiffy.

The Event Viewer in the Windows operating system is used to troubleshoot any computer issues. It is one of the most useful tools that keep logs of both security and system events. It also monitors for both software and hardware problems in the computer. This tool is the only one with amazing features that maintain logs about everything that’s going on in the computer system. It keeps track of all the information to the point where going over them will take a lot of time. Luckily, the Event Viewer tool now allows users to create custom views where you can set the filters and sort the data recorded to limit the information details to only what you’re interested in seeing. For instance, if you want to troubleshoot with one hard drive, you can just create a special custom view to display only the hard drive warnings in the security logs. This will save you hassle and time. Take note that the logs in the Event Viewer are divided into two main categories namely the Window logs and the Application and Services logs. You can just set the filter to the logs by their event id, specific date, and many other events when you have to troubleshoot some problem in your computer. So if you are trying to troubleshoot a problem in your Windows 10 computer and you’re checking the Event Viewer, read on as this post will guide you in creating custom event views in the Event Viewer. To get started, refer to the instructions given below. Step 1: Go to the Start menu and in the search box, type “event viewer” and then click on Event Viewer from the search results to open it. Step 2: After opening Event Viewer, click on Custom Views located in the left pane of the window. Step 3: Next, click on the Administrative events under the Custom View to create special log views. Step 4: Then on the right side of the window, click on Create Custom View to open the Create Custom View window. Step 5: There is a logged drop-down list under Filter. From there, you have the option to choose an appropriate predefined time or use a custom time range for your Custom log views. Step 6: After that, select an appropriate event level for your custom view. You have fine entry-level options to choose from such as critical event level, error, warning, information and verbose.

• Critical – select this if you want to see the events that require your immediate attention in the custom view.
• Error – select this if you want your Event Viewer to display the events that are less critical but hints at the problems.
• Warning – select this event-level if you want to see the event with the potential problem but may not bound to happen.
• Verbose – select this if you want to see detailed information about all the events.

Step 7: After you’ve selected the event level, you now have to select how you want the events to be filtered. They can either be filtered By the log or By the source.

• By the log – you can select two options called Windows log and, Application and Service logs. The Windows logs allow you to filter the logs created during events like setup, security, applications, and system events. While the Application and Service logs filter the log created by the installed applications in your system.
• By the source – select this if you want your Custom View to search for information in event sources. It allows you to view events in detail for various applications and devices.

Note: You have the option to further customize the event logs with more filters like Event IDs, task category, keywords, User, and Computer. Using these additional filters, you can choose to filter the events in the special views by specifying event id numbers in the Event IDs, entering predefined Windows words in the Keyword, specify the user accounts in the User field, as well as choose the system from the server to maintain logs in the Computer field. Step 8: Once you’re done customizing the log filter, click on OK to apply the changes made. Step 9: After that, a Save Filter should be displayed in the Custom View window. Just enter the Custom View name and select the Event Viewer folder where you want to save the Custom view. The folder name should be Custom View by default. And if you want, you can also create your own folder if you want your custom views to be visible to all the system users. Step 10: Next, check all the Users box located in the lower corner of the window and then click the OK button after you’re done. You should now see the customized filter you just created on the left side of the window. Just click on it to check your filtered events in the center of the Event Viewer window. And for you to save the custom view logs, simply right-click on the Custom views you created and then click on Save All Events in the Custom View As from the drop-down menu. Then put a name on the file and select the appropriate location where you want to save the logs and click on the Save button. Note that the log file is saved with the “.EVTX” file extension and when you double click on it, it will open the file in the Event Viewer.

Parallels is an application developer for MAC OS mostly known for its PC virtualization software Parallels Desktop, a PC virtualization software running on Macs enabling running Windows and Linux with respective software on your MAC. With its latest Desktop 17 version, the software can run natively on both Intel-based and M1-based MACs. Thanks to this feature MAC users will be able to benefit from various speed improvements while running both Windows 10 or Windows 11 preview. On both Intel and M1 setups, Parallels resumes Windows and Linux up to 38% faster, provides an up to 25% bump in 2D graphics and a six-time increase in OpenGL graphics processing. M1-centric stats include 33% faster Windows start-up times, up to 28% faster DirectX 11 performance, and up to 20% better disk performance on Windows 10 Insider Preview. Parallels Desktop 17 delivers a set of fresh features including a new video driver that enhances video and game playback and boosts Windows UI responsiveness. An improved Coherence mode lets users run Windows apps within the Mac environment, cutting down on distracting changes in appearance during Windows sign-in, shut down, and software updates. Drag-and-drop operations are also improved, with support for text and graphics between Mac and Windows applications. This function works well with MAC OS Monterey's Quick Note feature, which can accept content from any Windows app. USB support, disk management, copy and paste unformatted text, and automatic virtual machine optimization also receive upgrades.

If you are frequently experiencing slow loading of folders in your Windows 10 computer, Downloads folder for instance, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will help you resolve such issue. Slow loading of folders is a common problem faced by many users even when they are using the latest hardware like SSDs. So if you experience the same thing, be it with the Downloads folder or other folders on your computer, there is a way to resolve that issue and make the folder load faster. Slow-loading means when you attempt to open the folder, it takes a couple of seconds before it displays its contents. In such cases, you’ll see a green loading address bar that says “Working on it” which can get quite annoying especially if you are in a hurry. And if you notice that this only happens in the Downloads folder, there certainly is something wrong. This kind of problem can occur on SSDs and normal hard drives. The main reason behind the occurrence of this problem is that the folder may have been optimized for viewing photos or other media formats which is why it takes quite longer than usual to load all the files and their thumbnails. However, since the Downloads folder usually contains all kinds of files like documents, zip files, audio/video files, etc. there is no need to optimize this folder for media files only because doing so is only going to make the Windows File Explorer slow in loading the folder’s contents and thumbnails which does not exist for many files.

Option 1 – Configure the Downloads folder

• Right-click on the Downloads folder or the folder you’re having trouble opening.
• Then click on Properties and go to the Customize tab.
• After that, click on the “Optimize this folder for” option in the drop-down menu.
• Next, select General items from the drop-down which might have been set by default to Pictures or Video.
• You also have the option to apply this template to all the subfolders, that is if your folder has any subfolders.
• Now apply the settings and restart Windows Explorer.

Note: Once you’ve completed the steps above, it should now make the folder content display a lot faster than before. Now try to open the Downloads folder which would not take much time as you will see the changes right away.

Option 2 – Run CHKDSK to check your disk for errors

When it comes to some issues concerning the hard drive or removable devices, there is a utility in Windows that might help which is called “chkdsk”. This error check utility can help with several issues in the system including File System Error -2147219196.

• Tap the Win + S keys to open the Search box.
• Then type “command prompt” in the field and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
• After opening an elevated command prompt, copy and paste the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /r /f

• Now if you are prompted to run CHKDSK after your reboot your PC, just tap Y and reboot your PC.
• If CHKDSK is not able to find any errors, tap the Win + E keys and navigate the access window. From there, right-click on the concerned drive and click on Properties.
• After opening Properties, click on the tab Tools and then click on the “Check” button under the Error-checking section.
• Wait until the process is completed and then restart your computer.
• Once your computer has restarted, try accessing the file and check if the error persists.

Windows 10 has displayed one of the most efficient and user-friendly interfaces. However there have been many issues on the backend of this commonly praised operating system: For example, Windows Update is still a wonky and error-laded system application. One example of this error is Windows Update Error 0x80073712 which stands in the way of users just wanting to keep their PCs updated hassle-free. The error code 0x80073712 signifies that a file needed by Windows Update to function is either damaged, missing, or corrupted. However, this does not mean that your Windows version will forever stay as-is with no mode to update it. Windows Update Error 0x80073712 is perfectly fixable with the set of provided steps below and some of Windows’ built-in troubleshooting steps:

Solution 1: Open Windows Update Troubleshooter

1. Open the Windows Update Troubleshooter by pressing the Windows and S keys simultaneously.
2. Enter the word “Troubleshoot” in the search box and select the Troubleshoot result
3. On the new window, select “Windows Update” to troubleshoot.
4. Run the troubleshooter, then open Windows Update and try to install the update again.

Solution 2: Run the DISM tool

1. Open the command prompt by pressing Windows and S keys simultaneously
2. Enter “cmd” in the search box. Right Click command prompt among the results and select “Run as administrator”
3. In the Command Prompt window type the following and press the Enter key after every command

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

4. To close the Administrator: Command prompt window, type Exit, and then press Enter.
5. Run Windows Update again.

Solution 3: Rename the Software Distribution folder

1. Open the command prompt as previously mentioned
2. Input the following command pressing Enter after every line net stop wuauserv net stop cryptSvc net stop bits net stop msiserver rename c:/windows/SoftwareDistribution/softwaredistribution.old net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver exit
3. Restart the PC and run the updater if it works again.

Solution 4: Restart Windows Update Services

1. Press the Windows logo key and R together to open Run -> Input services.msc -> and press Enter
2. Search for the Windows Update service -> Check its status
3. If it is not indicated, right-click on the service and select Start to force start your Windows Update
4. If you see an error, locate the Startup Type option and set it to Automatic
5. Now you should reboot your computer and see if your Windows Update is OK

Solution 5: Fix Registry Issues

If after all the aforementioned solutions, you still experience problems with Windows Update, the problem may lie in the registry that is either damaged or corrupted. You may choose to do manual editing of your Windows registry by opening your Windows registry editor. But doing so is risky as one wrong letter may do incalculable damage to your system. To do so safely for more inexperienced users we recommend using a third-party registry cleaner/tools, many of which can be found online.

So, what is Electron bot, and why it even matters if it is in the MS store. Electron bot is malware that somehow found its way inside MS Store via game clones of popular games temple run and subway surfer. This infiltration led to the infection of around 5000 systems over the globe in a very short period of time.

This malware is a backdoor that gives complete system control to the attacker. Any type of execution can be performed remotely in real-time. Usually, this kind of attack was aimed at a spread of click fraud over popular social media like Facebook, google, youtube, etc.

Primary goal

Electron Bot's primary goals in the ongoing campaign analyzed by researchers are:

• SEO poisoning – Create malware-dropping sites that rank high on Google Search results.
• Ad clicking – Connect to remote sites in the background and click on non-viewable advertisements.
• Social media account promotion – Direct traffic to specific content on social media platforms.
• Online product promotion – Increase store rating by clicking on its advertisements.

These functions are offered as services to those who want to increase their online profits illegitimately, so the gains for the malware operators are indirect.

Publishers that contain malware

For now, users may take note of the publishers who released confirmed malicious game apps using the following names:

• Lupy games
• Crazy 4 games
• Jeuxjeuxkeux games
• Akshi games
• Goo Games
• Bizzon Case

100sOfRecepies is a Browser Extension developed by MindSpark Inc. that provides users with hundreds of recopies for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. This extension may appear very handy at the start, however, it may monitor your browser activity, and send it back to the developer to better serve ads. This extension injects itself into the System Registry allowing it to run each time your computer is restarted.

While browsing the internet with this extension installed you may see additional ads, sponsored links, and pop-up ads displayed in your browser. Many anti-virus scanners have detected this extension as a Browser Hijacker and are therefore not recommended to keep on your computer.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking is actually a form of an unwanted program, often a web browser add-on or extension, which causes modifications in browser settings. They are made to disrupt web browser programs for various reasons. Usually, it’ll force users to predetermined sites which are aiming to increase their advertisement income. Nevertheless, it’s not that harmless. Your internet safety is compromised and it is also very annoying. In a much worst case, your browser could be hi-jacked to download malware that may do a great deal of damage to your laptop or computer.

Major symptoms that your web browser has been highjacked

The typical symptoms that indicate having this malware on your computer are: 1. the browser’s home page is changed 2. bookmark and the new tab are also modified 3. the default search engine is changed and the browser security settings have been lowered without your knowledge 4. find new toolbars which you did not add 5. unstoppable flurries of pop-up ads show up on your personal computer screen 6. your web browser gets slow, buggy crashes often 7. Inability to navigate to certain websites, particularly anti-malware and also other security software webpages.

How does a browser hijacker infect a computer?

There are several ways your computer can become infected with a browser hijacker. They generally arrive by way of spam e-mail, via file sharing websites, or by a drive-by-download. They could also come from add-on software, also known as browser helper objects (BHO), web browser plug-ins, or toolbars. Some browser hijackers spread in user’s computer systems using a deceptive software distribution technique known as “bundling” (generally through freeware and shareware). An example of some well-known browser hijacker includes Babylon, Anyprotect, Conduit, DefaultTab, SweetPage, RocketTab, and Delta Search, but the names are continually changing. Browser hijackers could record user keystrokes to gather potentially valuable information that leads to privacy issues, cause instability on computers, drastically disrupt the user experience, and eventually slow down the PC to a point where it will become unusable.

Browser Hijacker Malware – Removal

Some browser hijacking could be quite easily stopped by discovering and eliminating the corresponding malware program from your control panel. But, most hijackers are hard to get rid of manually. No matter how much you try to remove it, it can come back over and over. Moreover, browser hijackers could modify the Computer registry so that it could be very tough to restore all of the values manually, particularly when you are not a very tech-savvy person.

Can't Install Safebytes Anti-malware due to the presence of Malware? Try This!

All malware is bad, but certain kinds of malicious software do a lot more damage to your PC than others. Some malware sits in between your computer and the internet connection and blocks some or all sites which you want to check out. It would also block you from adding anything to your machine, especially anti-virus programs. So what to do when malicious software keeps you from downloading or installing Anti-Malware? Do as instructed below to eliminate malware through alternate ways.

Eliminate malware in Safe Mode

In the event the malware is set to load at Windows start-up, then booting in safe mode should avoid it. Just the minimum required applications and services are loaded when you boot your computer in Safe Mode. Listed below are the steps you need to follow to start your computer into the Safe Mode of your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers (go to Microsoft website for instructions on Windows 8 and 10 computers). 1) At power-on/startup, press the F8 key in 1-second intervals. This will invoke the “Advanced Boot Options” menu. 2) Choose Safe Mode with Networking with arrow keys and hit Enter. 3) When this mode loads, you should have an internet connection. Now, use your internet browser to download and install Safebytes. 4) As soon as the software program is installed, allow the scan run to remove viruses and other threats automatically.

Switch over to an alternate web browser

Malicious program code could exploit vulnerabilities on a particular web browser and block access to all anti-virus software sites. The best way to overcome this problem is to choose a browser that is known for its security measures. Firefox contains built-in Malware and Phishing Protection to keep you secure online.

Install and run anti-malware from the Thumb drive

To effectively get rid of the malware, you might want to approach the issue of running an anti-virus program on the affected PC from a different perspective. Do these simple measures to clear up your infected computer by using a portable antivirus. 1) On a virus-free PC, download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Insert the pen drive on the same PC. 3) Run the setup program by double-clicking the executable file of the downloaded software, with a .exe file format. 4) When asked, select the location of the USB drive as the place where you want to put the software files. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish off the installation process. 5) Now, transfer the USB drive to the infected computer system. 6) Double-click the EXE file to open the Safebytes program right from the thumb drive. 7) Simply click “Scan Now” to run a scan on the affected computer for viruses.

Protect Your Computer and Privacy With SafeBytes Anti-Malware

To help protect your computer or laptop from a variety of internet-based threats, it’s important to install an anti-malware application on your personal computer. However, with countless numbers of antimalware companies in the marketplace, nowadays it’s tough to decide which one you should buy for your laptop. Some of them are excellent, some are ok types, while some will affect your PC themselves! You need to be careful not to pick the wrong product, particularly if you purchase a premium application. Amongst few good applications, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is the strongly recommended software for security-conscious people. Safebytes is one of the well-established computer solutions firms, which provide this complete anti-malware software program. Through its cutting-edge technology, this software protects your personal computer against infections caused by different types of malware and similar internet threats, including adware, spyware, trojans horses, worms, computer viruses, keyloggers, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), and ransomware. SafeBytes carries a plethora of wonderful features which can help you protect your computer from malware attack and damage. Here are some of the good ones: Robust Anti-malware Protection: By using a critically acclaimed anti-malware engine, SafeBytes provides multi-layered protection which is made to catch and remove threats that are concealed deep in your PC. Active Protection: SafeBytes offers complete and real-time security for your PC. It’ll check your PC for suspicious activity at all times and shields your PC from unauthorized access. Website Filtering: Through its unique safety rating, SafeBytes informs you whether a website is safe or not to visit it. This will assure that you’re always certain of your safety when browsing the online world. Lightweight Utility: SafeBytes is really a lightweight application. It consumes an extremely small amount of processing power as it runs in the background therefore you will not observe any computer performance issues. 24/7 Premium Support: Skilled technicians are at your disposal 24/7! They will immediately fix any technical issues you may be experiencing with your security software.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you’d like to carry out the removal of 100sOfRecepies manually rather than using an automated software tool, you may follow these simple steps: Navigate to the Windows Control Panel, click on the “Add or Remove Programs” and there, select the offending program to uninstall. In cases of suspicious versions of web browser extensions, you can easily remove them through your browser’s extension manager. You may also want to reset your web browser settings, as well as delete browsing history, temporary files, and internet cookies. To ensure the complete removal, find the following Windows registry entries on your system and delete them or reset the values appropriately. Please keep in mind that only advanced users should try to manually edit the registry because incorrect file removal leads to a major problem or even a PC crash. In addition, certain malware is capable of replicating itself or preventing deletion. It is recommended that you carry out the removal procedure in Safe Mode.