Fixing corrupted system files in Windows

If you are trying to update or upgrade your Windows 10 computer using the Windows Update and suddenly an “Error 0x800f0900” appears, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will help you resolve this Windows Update issue. When you encounter this error, you will see the following error message on your screen:

“There were problems installing some updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and you want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: 2018-03 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems (KB4088776) – Error 0X800F0900”

This kind of Windows Update error is most likely caused by some corrupted files in the system. It is also possible that the Windows Database might have become corrupted as well. So if you are currently experiencing this problem, refer to the options given below and see which one of them works best for you.

Option 1 – Try running the DISM Tool

Running the DISM Tool helps in repairing the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

• Open the Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in this command: exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

After you run this tool, a log file is created at C:WindowsLogsCBSCBS.log. On the other hand, if the Windows Update client is already broken, you will be prompted to use a running Windows installation as the repair source or use a Windows side-by-side folder from a network share, as the source of the files. Although the chances of this happening are less, if it turns out to be the case, you need to run an advanced command in the DISM tool to repair a broken Windows Update. Just repeat the process above but use the following command instead:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:RepairSourceWindows /LimitAccess

Option 2 – Try running the System File Checker or SFC scan

The SFC scan or System File Checker is a built-in command utility in Windows that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files that cause several issues in the computer like the Windows Update Error 0x800f0900. It replaces bad and corrupted system files with good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given 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 3 – Try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter could also help you resolve the Windows Update error 0x80073712. 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 4 – Perform a System Restore

You can also try to perform a System Restore as it can also help you fix the Windows Update Error 0x800f0900. You can do this option either by booting into Safe Mode or in System Restore. If you are already in the Advanced Startup Options, just directly select System Restore and proceed with the next steps. And if you have just booted your PC into Safe Mode, refer to the steps below.

• Tap 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 5 – Reset both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders

You have to stop a couple of services such as BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer, and Windows Update Services. And to do that, you need to flush the contents in the SoftwareDistribution 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. Aside from that, it also contains all the Windows Update History files and once you delete them, you will most likely lose the Update history. As a result, the next time you run the Windows Update, it may result in a longer detection time.

• 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 start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
• 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.

After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:

• Type each one of the following commands.

net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer, and then try to run Windows Update once more.

Recently, a lot of users reported to Microsoft about getting an error code 0x80096004 while trying to update their Windows 10 computers. This kind of Windows Update error occurs during the initial download and verification process. It also affects the Windows features (FODs) and when you encounter this error, you will also see this error code, “TRUST_E_CERT_SIGNATURE”. This error code indicates that the signature of the certificate could not be confirmed. This is caused by a broken certificate store or a corrupt copy of the Windows operating system is installed. Here’s the complete error message:

“There were some problems installing 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: (0x80096004).”

To fix Windows Update error 0x80096004, you can check out the options provided below.

Option 1 – Delete the contents in the Software Distribution folder and Catroot2 folder

• 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 start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
• 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.

After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:

• Type each one of the following commands.

net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer, and then try to run Windows Update once more.

Option 2 – 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 like error code 0x80096004. To run it, Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Settings.
• From there, click Update and Security and go to the Troubleshoot section.
• Next, select Windows Update and click the “Run the troubleshooter” button and wait until it’s finished, and then try to run Windows Update again.

Option 3 – Try to temporarily disable anti-virus and Windows Defender Firewall

As mentioned, the error could be due to the antivirus program or the Windows Defender Firewall installed on your computer. Thus, disabling them or any security software installed in your computer is always a good idea you can try when you’re not able to access the shared drive on your computer. There are times when you encounter problems like Error Code 0x80096004 due to interference of antivirus or security programs. Thus, you have to disable both your antivirus program and Windows Defender Firewall for the meantime and check if it fixes the error or not.

Option 4 – Try to replace the DLL file with a trusted source

You can also try to replace the crypt32.dll file as it could help in fixing the Windows Update error. Just make sure that you get one from a trusted source.

• First, you need to get the new DLL file from another computer with preferably the same file version number.
• After that, you need to boot your PC into Safe Mode and navigate to the paths listed below and then replace the file using a USB drive or other external storage devices.
  • x86: This PC > C:/Windows/System32
  • x64: This PC > C:/Windows/SysWOW64
• Next, type “cmd” in the Cortana search box and right-click on Command Prompt, and select “Run as administrator” to open it with administrator privileges.
• Now type the “regsvr32 crypt32.dll” command and hit Enter.
• Restart your PC and check if the error is now fixed.

Option 5 – Try downloading and installing the Windows Updates manually

Error Code 0x80096004 might be due to a Windows Update that has failed. So if it is not a feature update and only a cumulative update, you can download the Windows Update and install it manually. But first, you need to find out which update has failed, and to do so, refer to the following steps:

• Go to Settings and from there go to Update and Security > View Update History.
• Next, check which particular update has failed. Note that Updates that have failed to install will be displayed under the Status column which has a label of “Failed”.
• After that, go to the Microsoft Download Center and look for that update using its KB number and once you find it, download and then install it manually.

Note: You can also use the Microsoft Update Catalog, a service from Microsoft that provides a list of software updates that can be distributed over a corporate network. With the help of this service, it can be easier for you to find Microsoft software updates, drivers as well as fixes.

Option 6– Run System File Checker or SFC scan

System File Checker or SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files to good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given 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.

 Reboot your PC.

Option 7 – Try to run the Windows Update Service in a Clean Boot State

There are some instances that some conflicting programs installed in your computer might be the one that’s causing Windows Update error. To identify which program is causing the problem, you need to put your computer in 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.)
• Now try to run the Windows Update Service again and see if Windows Update error 0x80096004 is now gone.

There are instances when you might encounter an error that says, “Something went wrong, We couldn’t start your program” when you open any Office program. This could be due to an issue with the Office file and any Office app you open throws the same error message. This applies to Office 2019/2016, Office 365 Home, Office for Business as well as Business editions. In this post, you will be guided in what you can do to resolve this error. There are several potential fixes for this error, you might only have to restart your computer or you may have to repair Office from Apps and Features or you could also uninstall and install it back again. For more details, follow each one of the provided options below.

Option 1 – Restart your computer

You might be unable to launch any Office app due to some background process that got stuck or there might be some glitch in the system. Thus, the first thing you can do to resolve the error is simply restarting your computer. Once you’ve restarted your computer, open the Office app again or you could also try to sign in back with your Microsoft account that’s connected to Office. If you’re not quite sure which account you were using, you can follow these steps:

• Open any Office app.
• Then click on File and look for your name located in the top-right portion.
• Now click on it. This will display the email or Microsoft account that’s related to Office.

Option 2 – Try repairing Office from Apps and Features

Since Windows 10 offers some repair features that could replace some of the core files with the original files, you can take advantage of such a feature to fix the “Something went wrong, We couldn’t start your program” error when opening any Office app.

• Open Windows settings and click the Apps and Features option.
• Next, scroll down until you see the Microsoft Office installation option. Select it and click on Modify.
• This will open a window and from there, select Quick Repair or Online Repair and click on the Repair button.

Note: When you choose to repair, you might be given two options which depend on how Microsoft Office was installed. For instance, it was installed via Web Installer or Offline Installer (MSI-based). In Web Installer, select Online Repair > Repair when you’re prompted on how you would like to repair Office. While in MSI-based, you have to select Repair under “Change your installation” and then click on Continue. The repair process makes sure that the app data remains untouched.

Option 3 – Try to uninstall and reinstall Office

If neither of the two given options above worked, then you might want to uninstall Office and reinstall it. All you have to do is download the Microsoft Office Uninstall tool from the official site of Microsoft and run it. This will remove any incomplete Office installation as well as unwanted files. It will also get rid of all the Office apps and settings on your computer.

Error Code 0x802400d - What is it?

The Error Code 0x802400d most often occurs when users attempt to use the Windows Update tool on their computers to move from one version of the software to another. In some cases, this error is more likely to appear on your computer during the process if you have not performed regular updates to the software as they have been available.

Common symptoms include:

• Inability to finish the download of the necessary update to Windows 10
• Incomplete installation of the desired Windows 10 update

While it can take additional time to deal with the issues that cause Error Code 0x802400d to appear on your computer, there are several steps that you can take to address the problem. These are fairly simple to perform and do not require advanced knowledge of the system to employ.

Solution

Error Causes

The most basic cause for Error Code 0x802400d is that there is a file or a process that is causing the update process to hiccup. In many cases, this error appears when a user attempts to begin the process of updating their computer if they have several stacked updates to perform. Computers that are several updates behind where they should be will display this error more often than computers that are kept on a schedule of recommended updates.

Further Information and Manual Repair

While there are multiple reasons why the Error Code 0x802400d may appear on your computer during the Windows Update process, there are several methods that can be used to attempt to resolve the problem on your own. These are generally easy to do and do not require advanced techniques. However, if you do not feel comfortable addressing the issue on your own, contact a qualified Windows repair technician.

Here are some of the best methods that users can employ to resolve Error Code 0x802400d:

Method 1:  Run the System Update Readiness Tool

There are a number of different processes, files, and settings that could cause Error Code 0x802400d to appear on your computer during the Windows 10 Update process. For this reason, the most efficient way to determine what the culprit is for your specific issue is to download and use the System Update Readiness function.

This tool is available directly from Windows. Although there are other tools available on the Internet that claim to be able to fix the problem, these can contain viruses and malware, so be cautious if you decide to employ these instead. There are also several versions of the tool on the Windows website, so be sure to download the version that matches the operating system and version of your computer.

Once you have downloaded the Readiness tool from the Windows website, allow it to run a scan on your system. At a minimum, this process will take about fifteen minutes to complete. Although you will see a progress bar at the bottom of the window, it does not always update effectively. Some users have reported that the update appears to stop when it is two-thirds complete. Continue to let the scan run if this happens, rather than canceling it out. Even if the progress bar doesn’t update, the scan is still running.

Method 2: Remove New Software and Re-Attempt the Update Process

If you have recently installed new software on your machine, it can sometimes cause problems with the update process. The best way to resolve this issue is to remove or uninstall the software, run the update process again, and then reinstall the software once the Windows system has been successfully updated.

If the above methods are not successful in resolving Error Code 0x802400d from your machine and you are still unable to complete the Windows 10 Update process or if you are not confident in your ability to complete these steps successfully on your own, get in touch with a qualified computer repair technician who is familiar with the issues surrounding Windows 10 in particular. Microsoft offers certifications for Windows repair technicians, so look for a professional who has the experience, skills, and knowledge necessary to adequately address Error Code 0x802400d on your machine.

If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.

As you know, the Taskbar is one of the integral parts of the Windows desktop and it has been there since the release of Windows 1.0 and up until now with Windows 10. Since then, Microsoft has been modifying the Taskbar with a new design which makes it a home for new features such as Windows Search, Task View, and many more. However, there are times when you may that the Taskbar has disappeared or has stopped responding. If you experience either one of these scenarios, read on as this post will walk you through what you can do to resolve the problem. Here are some suggestions you can check out to resolve the issue with the Taskbar in Windows 10 but before you proceed, make sure that you create a System Restore point first. To do that, follow these steps:

• In the Start search, type in “create a restore point” and click the entry “System Properties”.
• Next, select the main system drive under Protection Settings and click on the Configure button.
• After that, select the “Turn on system protection” option and then click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.

Once you’ve created a System Restore point, refer to the troubleshooting steps below to fix the Taskbar in Windows 10.

Option 1 – Try to restart the Explorer process

This may sound really basic but it actually is a proven method to fix the Taskbar issue. So if anything gets stuck on the system tray or the Taskbar, you can always fix it by restarting the explorer.exe. How? Refer to these steps:

• First, right-click on the Taskbar and select the Task Manager.
• After opening the Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the process named “Windows Explorer”.
• Then right-click on that process and select the option to Restart. Afterward, you should now be seeing the Taskbar as this will reload the whole Windows Shell.

Option 2 – Unhide the Taskbar using the Settings app

It is possible that the Taskbar could be hidden so you can try to unhide it using the Settings app.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Settings.
• After that, go to Personalization > Taskbar.
• From the main section, make sure that the “Automatically hide the task in desktop mode” is toggled to the off position. However, if it’s already off then proceed to the next options below.

Option 3 – Make sure that you are not in Tablet Mode

Since Windows 10 is designed to work on both desktop and mobile devices, it could be that your computer has slipped into Tablet Mode which explains why you’re not seeing the Taskbar. To check if your computer is really in Tablet Mode, follow these steps:

• Go to the Start menu and select Settings.
• Next, select the System setting and from the left pane select the Tablet Mode.
• From there, make sure that the buttons next to the options given below are set to the off position:
  • Hide app icons on the taskbar in tablet mode
  • Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode

Option 4 – Try to check the Projection Settings

You might also want to check the Projection settings as it could be the reason why Taskbar has disappeared.

• Tap the Win + P keys to open the Windows Projection settings.
• Next, make sure that you select the “PC screen only” option and then check if your Taskbar has now appeared or not.

Like in Windows 10, Windows 11 will also support God mode to be enabled and used. For those readers that do know what God mode is, let me explain it in simple terms. God mode is the icon on the desktop that once clicked will open and let you adjust every option in the control panel and some hidden features for Windows inside one application. There are a lot of advantages to having this one-click fast access to features, especially if you are a power user. Luckily creating such an awesome icon and enabling God mode is very easy to accomplish, all you have to do is:

1. Create a new folder where you want to have the God mode icon
2. Rename folder exactly: {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
3. Enjoy God mode

As you can see creating and accessing all settings at your fingertips is much easier than most people think. Enjoy your ultimate access to Windows 11 features and if you wish you can drag and drop sections from it into the desktop or anywhere for easy access to that specific topic.

As you know, you can encounter Blue Screen errors at any given point after your computer boots up and can just reboot it randomly which results in loss of unsaved work. One of these Blue Screen errors is the “REGISTRY_ERROR”. This kind of Stop error has a bug check value of 0x00000051 which indicates your computer’s registry has encountered a severe error. There could be a number of causes for this error but at the time of writing, it is quite difficult to narrow them down to one component. If you face this kind of Blue Screen error, worry not as this post will guide you in fixing it. As mentioned, this error indicates that there is something wrong with the registry, particularly an I/O error while it tried to read one of its files. This may be caused by hardware issues or file system corruption. It could also be due to failure in a refresh operation which is only used by the security system and only when resource limits are encountered. To fix the Registry_Error Blue Screen, you can try to use the CHKDSK utility or the System File Checker, or the DISM tool or run the Blue Screen troubleshooter. You may also try to reset your computer or repair Windows by using installation media.

Option 1 – Run the Check Disk utility

The first thing you can do to fix the REGISTRY_ERROR Blue Screen error is to run the Check Disk utility. How? Follow these steps:

• In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
• After opening Command Prompt, type this command and tap Enter: chkdsk <Drive Letter>: /f /r /x /b
• The command you entered will start to check for errors and fix them automatically. Else, it will throw an error message saying, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like the schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”.
• Tap the Y key to schedule Disk Check the next time your computer restarts.

Option 2 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like REGISTRY_ERROR. It can be found in the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

Option 3 – Run System File Checker

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, execute this command: sfc /scannow
• Once the scan is completed, restart your computer and then check if the REGISTRY_ERROR is now fixed.

Option 4 – Run the DISM tool

You can try running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the REGISTRY_ERROR Blue Screen error. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

• Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish. Once it’s done, restart your computer.

Option 5 – Reset your computer

• Tap the Win key or click on the Start button located in the Taskbar.
• Then click on the Power button at the bottom right portion of the screen.
• Next, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard and then click on Restart. This will restart your Pc into the Advanced Startup options.

Note: Once you have access to the Advanced Startup options, you have to go to the setting which allows you to Reset your Windows 10 PC. All you have to do is select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC to reach the following screen Afterward, select either the “Keep my files” option and then proceed to the next on-screen instructions that follow to reset your Windows 10 computer without losing your files.

Option 6 – Try to perform repair install by creating a Windows 10 installation media

• Click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
• Next, click the “Use the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)…” option and follow the next given instructions on the screen.
• Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
• After that, you should now have an ISO file.
• Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
• Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with option and then select File Explorer.
• Now click on “setup.exe” and follow the next instructions that appear on the screen. When asked, you have to select either Nothing (clean install) or Keep personal files only option. Take note that you must not select the “Keep personal files, apps, and Windows settings”.

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!

Instagram posting has been reserved for mobile phones for a very long time but in October 2021 that privilege has come to an end. Instagram added the long-awaited ability to post to Instagram from the website. You get nearly all of the same filters and editing tools that you can find in the iPhone and Android app, too. In order to post via computer on your Instagram account all you need is a browser. The first step, of course, is to go to instagram.com and login into your account, if you do not have an account, you can make one for free. Next, click on the + icon in the upper right corner. Create a new post screen will open, in this screen click on the Select from computer blue button on the bottom. The file manager will open, choose your desired photo and confirm. After that, you will be presented will an adjustment screen for a photo, here you can crop the photo, zoom in, adjust the aspect ratio, or if you wish add more photos to create a slide show. Once you are done will all of these adjustments, click on Next in the upper right. From there you will be taken into a filter screen where you can apply one of many filters or if you want, you can adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, temperature, etc. just like in the application on your phone. Once you have the desired result, again click on Next in the upper right part of the screen. Lastly, you will be given an option to write a caption for the photo if you wish and add a location. Once this step is finished you can post the feed by clicking on share in the upper right part. That is all to it, just like in a mobile application you can now use your computer for Instagram posting.

If you suddenly encounter Activation Error codes such as 0xC004E016, 0xC004F210, 0xC004F034, and 0xC004F00F on your Windows 10 computer, then they all point to the same issue – Invalid Product Key or Version mismatch. When you see any of the aforementioned error codes above, it indicates that you are either entering a wrong product key or you are using an incorrect ISO when installing it on your computer. In such cases, you may see either of the following error messages:

“You are running Windows 10 Pro, but you have a valid digital license for Windows 10 Home.” Or: “The specified product key is invalid or is unsupported by this version.”

If you got the error code 0xC004F00F then it means that you’ve entered a product key for the Enterprise edition of Windows to activate Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Home. It could be that you have a key from your work and you accidentally use it on your Home PC. If you got the error codes 0xC004E016, 0xC004F210, then it means that you have entered a product key that is meant for a different edition or version of Windows. On the other hand, if you got the error code 0xC004F034 instead, then it means that you have entered an invalid product key or a product key for a different Windows version. Whichever error codes you have, refer to the possible solutions given below to fix the Invalid Product Key or Version mismatch Activation Error in Windows 10.

Option 1 – Try running the Windows 10 Activation Troubleshooter

The first thing you can do to resolve this Activation error is to run the Windows 10 Activation Troubleshooter. To do so, follow these steps:

• Go to Settings and then select Activation.
• After that, click on the Windows Activation and then troubleshoot. This will help you address most of the commonly found activation issues in Windows devices.

Option 2 – Try purchasing a new license

There is an exception offered by Microsoft – if you are connected to a Microsoft account prior to the hardware change, then you can most certainly use the same license key to reactivate Windows 10 again. Microsoft calls this an “Exception path” which should be fixed easily by the Windows Activation Troubleshooter as pointed out earlier. However, if the Windows Activation Troubleshooter isn’t able to resolve the error you can try purchasing a new license. In such rate case, even if you do have a Microsoft account available on your Windows 10 computer, and if Windows was never activated, this solution will not work. And if you haven’t connected your Microsoft account with your Windows 10 computer prior to the major hardware change, then your only option left is to purchase a new license. For you to do that here are some steps you can follow.

• To purchase a new Windows license, the first thing you have to do is click on the Start button > Settings > Update & Security.
• From there, go to Activation and select the “Go to Microsoft Store” option.
• After receiving your new license, you need to go back to Update & Security then go to Activation and select the “Change product key” option.
• Now update your Windows 10 computer using the new key and it should automatically activate your computer.
• Next, you have to create a Microsoft account or connect to your existing local account to your online account.
• Once the system links the key and the account, you need not buy a new license in case something like this happens again.

Note: If you are an IT administrator, you need to keep in mind that there is a limit to the number of times you can reactivate Windows on your computer. Moreover, if you don’t see any option to reactivate the license, and it is a work computer, you need to contact your organization’s tech support.

Option 3 – Try activating Windows 10 via mobile phone

Activating Windows 10 can also be done using your phone. Just note that you have to call Microsoft to do so.

• In the Start Search box, type in “Slui 4” and tap Enter.
• Next, select your country and click on Next.
• Keep the window open and call the toll-free number of the country you’re from.
• Afterward, a confirmation ID should be given by the automated system which you must take a note of.
• Finally, in the box on the window, type in the confirmation ID and click on the Activate button. That should do it.