As you know, Microsoft Store is the ultimate source of applications for Windows 10 devices and it’s turning to be the hub for various applications. In fact, aside from applications, it has also become a source for movies, books, TV and even buying hardware directly from Microsoft and many more. Although downloading goes smoothly most of the time, depending on your internet connection, there are also times when you might experience slow download speeds while downloading apps and other things in the Microsoft Store.
There are several factors that could be causing this kind of issue. It can be due to the Microsoft Store app itself or it could be enforced speed limiter on the application or it could be due to a corrupted Microsoft Store cache, or it could be due to the Windows Update service running in the background, and so on. To fix this problem, you can try to reset the Microsoft Store cache, or set the bandwidth limit for downloads, or try to re-register the Microsoft Store app via Windows PowerShell.
Before you proceed with the troubleshooting options provided below, make sure that your internet connection is stable enough to download apps and games. You also have to check if there is an update or a massive download in progress. Once you have these things covered, follow the given options below.
Option 1 – Try to reset the Microsoft Store cache
Just like browsers, Microsoft Store also caches as you view apps and games so it is most likely that the cache is no longer valid and must be removed. To do so, follow the steps below.
Right-click on the start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator).
Next, type in the command, “exe” and tap Enter. Once you do, the command will clear the cache for the Windows Store app.
Now restart your PC and afterward, try opening Microsoft Store again and then try to install your app or update your computer again.
Option 2 – Try to set the bandwidth limit for downloads
Tap the Win + I key combination to open the Windows Settings app.
After that, navigate to Update & security > Windows Update.
From there, select the Advanced options located on the right-side panel.
Next, select Delivery Optimization and check the box for “Limit how much bandwidth is used for downloading updates in the background under the Download settings section and then set the slider to 100%.
Option 3 – Try to re-register the Microsoft Store app via Windows PowerShell
Tap the Win + X key combination or right-click on the Start button and click on the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option.
If a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed and open the Windows PowerShell window.
Next, type in or copy-paste the following command to re-register the Microsoft Store app and tap Enter:
The quickest and easiest way to log into your computer is when you use the PIN feature in Windows 10. Even though it is a bit slower compared to biometric logins such as Fingerprint and Iris scanning that comes under Windows Hello, the PIN feature is definitely less complicated. However, just like any other module of the software, it is also prone to some errors. In this post, you will be guided in fixing several PIN errors such as 0xd00000e5, 0x8007139f, and 0x8009003. These errors could be caused at different points in time like when you change or create a PIN or when you log into your computer.
To fix the 0xd00000e5, 0x8007139f and 0x8009003 PIN errors, there are various solutions you can try. You may empty the contents of the NGC folder or remove and change the PIN or the password. You could also use the Group Policy Editor or reset the ACLs in the NGC folder as well as run built-in tools like System File Checker and the DISM tool.
Option 1 – Take ownership of the NGC folder and delete its contents
Boot your computer first into Safe Mode.
Next, you need to take ownership of the Ngc folder first and you can do that using Command Prompt.
Type “command prompt” in the Windows Search bar and then right-click on the relevant search result and select “Run as administrator”.
After that, if a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed.
Next, type and enter this command: TAKEOWN /F C:WindowsServiceProfilesLocalServiceAppDataLocalMicrosoftNgc
Note that the <path> is the location of the folder or file in File Explorer.
Now type and enter this second command: ICACLS C:WindowsServiceProfilesLocalServiceAppDataLocalMicrosoftNgc /grant administrators:F
Finally, once the command has been executed, restart your computer.
Once your computer has restarted, delete all the contents in the Ngc folder and check if the error is now fixed.
Option 2 – Try to remove and change the PIN or password
The 0xd00000e5, 0x8007139f, and 0x8009003 PIN errors could be caused by some conflicting issues with the PIN or password you have set for the User Account of your computer. Thus, you have to remove or change the PIN or password to fix these PIN errors.
Remove the PIN by going to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
From there, go to the PIN section and click on the Remove button.
You will be asked to verify your account to proceed in removing the PIN, enter your credentials.
Restart your computer and then set up a new PIN.
Once you’re done, restart your computer and check if the error is gone now.
Option 3 – Try to use the Group Policy Editor
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and type “gpedit.msc” in the field and tap Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
Next, navigate to this policy setting: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon
After that, double click on the “Turn on convenience PIN Sign-in” option located on the right-side panel.
Then set its radio button to Enabled. You will see the following description when you do so:
“This policy setting allows you to control whether a domain user can sign in using a convenience PIN. If you enable this policy setting, a domain user can set up and sign in with a convenience PIN. If you disable or don’t configure this policy setting, a domain user can’t set up and use a convenience PIN. Note: The user’s domain password will be cached in the system vault when using this feature. To configure Windows Hello for Business, use the Administrative Template policies under Windows Hello for Business.”
After setting the radio button to Enabled, it will turn on the Logins in your computer using the PIN.
Close the Group Policy Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Option 4 – Try to reset the ACLs in the Ngc folder
Type “command prompt” in the Windows Search bar and then right-click on the relevant search result and select “Run as administrator”.
After opening Command Prompt with admin privileges, execute this command: C:/Windows/Service/Profiles/Local/Service/AppData/Local/MicrosoftNgc /T /Q /C /RESET
The command you entered will start checking for errors and fix them automatically.
Option 5 – Run the System File Checker scan and the DISM tool
System File Checker:
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:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
Now restart your computer.
DISM tool:
Open Command Prompt.
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
Dism /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
After that, wait until the process is finished and do not close the window as the process will probably take a couple of minutes.
Valve has officially announced that Steam Deck will be compatible with Windows 11 despite TPM 2.0 Microsoft requirements.
From the beginning, Deck was announced like a mini handheld PC device. Powered with new Steam OS 3.0 based on Linux. However, besides out-of-the-box OS it was also stated that Deck will be a personal device meaning that other PC-based operating systems could be installed on it and even run your typical applications in it.
Since Microsoft announced Windows 11 hardware requirements, specifically the TPM 2.0 requirement many users voiced concern that Steam Deck will not be able to connect to Windows 11
TPM 2.0 is something that Microsoft requires for every internal and hardware component that is to connect on a Windows 11 device. This is to ensure that only trusted devices would be included in the array of a PC setup and avoid any problems like malicious hardware injecting software into a system.
This would also minimize the compromise Windows would have, as unverified or untrusted devices connect to a Windows PC.
However, Valve and AMD are ensuring us that Deck will not have any issue connecting to a PC running Windows 11 or even if you wish to transform Deck itself into a Device running Windows 11.
If you got the Microsoft Store error code 0x80072F30 while trying to open Microsoft Store, then it indicates that the Store fails to connect to the internet or is not able to launch successfully for some reason. It could be that the Windows Update Service has stopped or the Windows Store cache might be corrupted or it could just be due to a poor internet connection. Whichever the cause is, you have to fix this error so that you can use Microsoft Store again and you won’t be getting the following error message every time you open the app:
“Check your connection, Microsoft Store needs to be online, It looks like you are not, error code 0x80072f30.”
The error code 0x80072F30 is related to the Windows Store which prevents it from opening properly. To resolve this problem, you can try fixing the problem with the help of the options given below. Follow each one of them carefully.
Option 1 – Check your internet connection
The first and most obvious thing you can do is to check your internet connection. This may only be a basic tip but it sure works like a charm in most cases. And if you have another internet connection available, you can also try connecting to that and see if you can pull up Microsoft Store or not.
1] Change your internet connection:
A basic tip, but sometimes works like a charm. You may want to check if your internet connection has an issue, or you can also try opening a website and see if you can open it and if possible try connecting to a different internet connection and see if the Microsoft Store opens for you. We also suggest you try changing your DNS and see if it helps.
Option 2 – Check the date and time as well as the time zone of your PC
A lot of services and apps rely on the Date, Time, and Time Zone of your PC which is why if they are not configured correctly, a request from the client machine will be rejected from the server and the same thing happens with the Microsoft Store.
First, go to Settings > Time and Language.
From there, check if it is set to Automatic or not – if it is, switch the toggle button off to set the Time and Time zone manually.
Then select the right time zone manually.
On the other hand, if the Time and Time zone is set manually, you have to switch the toggle button on to set Time and Time zone automatically.
Restart your PC and afterward try opening Microsoft Store again and check if the problem’s fixed or not.
Option 3 – Run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter
Since Windows 10 is packed with various troubleshooters – one of which is the Network Adapter Troubleshooter – you can use it to troubleshoot the problem. To use it, follow these steps:
Open the Search bar on your computer and type in “troubleshoot” to open the Troubleshoot settings.
Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.
Option 4 – Try to reset the Microsoft Store cache
Just like browsers, Microsoft Store also caches as you view apps and games so it is most likely that the cache is no longer valid and must be removed. To do so, follow the steps below.
Right-click on the start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator).
Next, type in the command, “exe” and tap Enter. Once you do, the command will clear the cache for the Windows Store app.
Now restart your PC and afterward, try opening Microsoft Store again.
Option 5 – Check the Windows Update Service status
You might also want to check the status of the Windows Update Service since the proper functioning of this app depends on the Windows Update Service. It could be that there is some issue with the service which is why you’re getting the error code 0x80072F30 while trying to open Microsoft Store.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open Services.
Next, look for Windows Update Service from the list of available services in Windows.
Once you see it, check if its status is STOP or Pause and then change the status to Automatic.
If you encounter a Blue Screen error that points to the Wdf01000.sys file, then this post might be of help. Wdf01000.sys is a file related to the Windows Driver Framework which is the one that manages the system drivers. So if this file ends up being corrupted, the drivers would start to cause trouble in the system which would lead to a Blue Screen of Death error eventually. There are lots of error descriptions that are associated with the Wdf01000.sys file such as:
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
System_Thread_Exception_Not_Handled
Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area
System_Service_Exception
Kmode_Exception_Not_Handled
DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION
Although the troubleshooting steps you must take depends on the kind of BSOD error you are getting, there are a couple of options you can try to resolve the Blue Screen errors related to the Wdf01000.sys file. Refer to the options given below.
Option 1 – Try running the DISM tool
You can try running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the Wdf01000.sys 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.
Option 2 – Try to update or rollback your device drivers
If the first option didn’t work for you, then it’s time to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.
Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.
Note: You can install a dedicated driver on your computer in case you have it or you could also look for it directly from the website of the manufacturer.
Option 3 – Use the Driver Verifier Manager
The Driver Verifier Manager is another tool in Windows that could help you fix driver-related issues. And so if you want to fix the Wdf01000.sys Blue Screen error, you need to use the Driver Verifier Manager:
Type in the keyword “Verifier” in the Cortana search box to search for Verifier in Windows 10.
After that, select the option “Create custom settings”.
Make sure that you have checked everything except the options “DDI compliance checking” and “Randomized low resources simulation”.
Next, select the option “Select driver names from a list” option.
Afterward, you have to select all the drivers from any unofficial or third-party provider. To simply put it, you have to select all the drivers that are not supplied by Microsoft.
Then click on the Finish button.
Open Command Prompt as administrator and execute this command – verifier /querysettings
The command you just executed will display the Driver Verifier settings so if you see any of the flags enabled boot your Windows 10 PC into Safe Mode.
Open the Command Prompt as admin again and run this command – verifier /reset
The command will reset the Driver Verifier. Once the process is done, restart your PC and check.
Option 4 – Run the System File Checker 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:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
Reboot your computer.
Option 5 – 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 Wdf01000.sys. It can be found on 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.
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.
If you are trying to copy a folder or a file but encountered an error that says, “An unexpected error is keeping you from copying the folder. If you continue to receive this error, you can use the error code to search for help with this problem”, read on as this post will guide you on how you can fix this error.
This kind of error is a CHKDSK error. It is the “Volume is dirty” error message with error code 0x80071AC3 which indicates that the CHKDSK operation on your computer did not go through due to some corrupted sector of your hard drive, data corruption, corrupted system files, malware infection, as well as improper installation of an application that left some residual folders and files and many more.
To fix the Error 0x80071AC3, here are some potential fixes you can check out to resolve it:
Option 1 – Run the Check Disk utility
You can also run the Check Disk utility to fix the error when you connect your USB or external device.
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 /r /f <PARTITION LETTER>
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 – Try to check if a particular volume is dirty and exclude it
The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to check if the particular volume is dirty and exclude it. To do so, follow these steps:
In the Start Search, type “command prompt” in the field and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results, and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
After opening Command Prompt with admin privileges, execute this command: fsutil dirty query <PARTITION LETTER>
After that, you will see either of the following results of the command you just executed:
“Volume <PARTITION LETTER> is dirty”
“Volume <PARTITION LETTER> is not dirty”
If you see the “Volume <PARTITION LETTER> is dirty” message, then you can just skip checking the drive for errors by executing this command: CHKNTFS /X <PARTITION LETTER>
Option 3 – Try to format the destination drive
If the first two options above didn’t work, then you might want to try formatting the drive can also help you resolve the error. To format it, follow these steps:
To get started formatting your drive, tap the Win + E keys and then go to the access page of the drive.
Next, right-click on the drive and select Format.
After that, uncheck the “Quick Format” option and then format your drive properly.
Now once the formatting process is finished, unplug the drive and plug it back in afterward.
Check if the error is already fixed. If the drive is not initialized, tap the Win + R keys and hit Enter.
After opening the Run dialog box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Disk Management.
From there, right-click on the drive volume and select initialize disk.
Next, select the correct partition type and proceed.
RAM drive is basically a hard drive made of your RAM memory. Altho this kind of drive can not and is not available to save any data when the computer is shut down its advantage is lightning fast speed since the application is installed in RAM itself, it is loading from there and executing from there.
Creating this kind of drive which will use your RAM memory, well part of it can not be done natively in Windows, you will need some kind of application for this task. Luckily there is a free open source application for this kind of task.
ImDisk, you can download the application here.
ImDisk Toolkit is an application for managing virtual drives. It also includes a utility that allows the creation of RAM drives.
Download the application and install it, make sure that you select all components on the installation selection screen. After installation is finished double click on icon labeled RamDisk Configuration.
Once the application is running adjust the disk size in the box at the top of the window for your RAM drive. Click “OK” at the bottom of the window. This will create your RAM drive, which is just a virtual disk that’s assigned to your computer’s RAM. The process happens transparently, so there’s nothing you need to do. If you get a warning about shutdown settings, click on the “Shutdown Settings” button. Then unlock the settings pane with your administrator password. Finally, uncheck the checkbox next to “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” and click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the window. Your RAM drive is now ready for use.
Fast Startup speeds up the process of turning on your computer by saving a system state between completely off and hibernation to your hard drive. This happens when the computer writes the contents of your RAM to a stable hard drive. As you may guess, this could mess with your RAM drive’s ability to preserve and track its data. With Fast Startup off, boots may take slightly longer, but it’s doubtful that you’ll notice much.
Disabling a fast startup will satisfy the warning window, but let’s consider why. This will also allow ImDisk to save your RAM drive’s data to an image file when you shut down your computer. If you don’t, the contents of your RAM drive will be erased completely every time, with no saved image storage.
It would also disable the RAM drive’s ability to load the previous content. Basically, the drive would act much more like RAM and much less like a disk. Depending on your use case, that may be disappointing or unusable.
You can access and use it just like any normal hard drive. It shows up in Windows’s file explorer just like any other drive. However, a Ram drive is exponentially faster than traditional types of storage. And we mean exponentially. Whereas an SSD might offer 300 to 500 MB when reading from the disk, a RAM drive can offer more than 5000 MB, even on mediocre memory sticks.
Sometimes, some applications after they are installed will put their shortcut in the context menu (right-click on desktop) for easy access, most of the time these are some system tied applications like AMD and Nvidia control panels or archives like WinRAR or 7ZIP but it can happen even for some usual application to do this.
There are some applications that you use frequently and they could be worth putting in the context menu, if you want to avoid clutter on the desktop or in the taskbar this is the third place that you should consider placing shortcuts.
Doing this will require some playing and tweaking in the Windows registry editor so be careful when editing the registry since bad entries can lead to system crash or instability. Follow step-by-step instructions.
Adding apps to the context menu in the registry
Creating entry
Open the registry editor by searching Regedit and pressing enter than inside of the registry editor search for the next key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
Select shell and right-click on it, hover over New and in the submenu click on Key. In the next step, you need to name a key, this name will be the thing that will be shown in the context menu when you right-click on a desktop so type in the name that you would like or the name of the application that you wish to add to the menu.
If you wish you can even add a keyboard shortcut to launch this specific application. To do this select entry that you have created and edit the default value, inside the edit string in the Value data field type first & and after that key that you would like as a shortcut. Now after right click if you hit your shortcut key app will be launched right away.
Adding command
The next task is to create a command key that will actually hold the command to launch the application. Right-click on the entry that you have created, hover over New, and click on Key.
Next, you’ll need to create the command key that will actually hold the command used to launch the application. Right-click on the new Notepad key, and then choose New \ Key from the menu. Name this key 'command', all in lower case and without hyphens.
Now in order to finish setting the launcher, you need the full path of the file that you would like to run. Locate your file in file explorer or in another tool and copy its path by SHIFT + right-clicking on the file itself and choosing copy as path option.
Now click on the command key and double click on the default key on right to edit it, inside the field value data paste your path to executable. close and save the registry and you are done.
Anxiety from all these digital threats lurking everywhere? An antivirus program can help put your mind at ease.
What can a virus do to your device?
A virus is malicious software that can affect pretty much any device and does so in a variety of ways. Be it your computer, your phone or your smart lightbulb - as long as there’s access to the internet, malware can get to it.
How exactly does this kind of attack manifest itself? Well, there’s a wide variety of effects ranging from mild to severe. Among other things, they depend on which type of malware attacks your device - a virus, spyware, ransomware, adware or something else.
These are some of the things you can expect to happen:
Slow performance
System crashes
Theft of data and sensitive information
Connectivity issues
Constant browser redirects
Strange messages sent to your contacts
Interference with files
It really can be the stuff of nightmares. So, if you want to sleep peacefully knowing that your devices are completely safe, you should definitely consider getting an antivirus.
P.S. don’t let its name fool you - an antivirus does indeed protect your devices against more than just viruses.
What is antivirus software exactly?
Antivirus software is designed to help you battle and ward off malware. Basically, it scans your device to detect any suspicious activity and offers tools to get rid of the culprit.
At first, antiviruses were developed to fight against viruses only, but nowadays they cover a lot more ground. Here are some of the biggest benefits of getting yourself a powerful defender.
Advantages of antivirus software
1. It fights those pesky ads
Look, constant ads that pop up everywhere aren’t the absolute worst thing that can happen on your computer. If anything, they are annoying, like when you’re trying to sleep but that one fly in your room just won’t stop buzzing.
Now, there’s a free, well-established solution for that - installing an ad blocker. And we’re about a hundred and ten percent sure you’ve already done that on each and every browser you use.
However, “if I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist” isn’t the most ideal approach for your online safety. Ad blockers can’t block everything and they won’t protect you from potential adware. An antivirus on the other hand offers that layer of protection against malware snuck into pop-ups and spammy websites.
2. It protects you from hackers
Hackers don’t target government institutions only. They’ll target regular people too if they have something to gain.
There are different types of hacking, such as phishing e-mails, transmission of malicious programs, credential reuse, denial of service and more. In any case, they take control of your device and hijack your data.
The good thing is that, as threats evolve, antiviruses evolve too and there are tons of quality programs on the market that can keep you secure for an affordable price.
3. It keeps your files and data safe
When malware enters your device, it can target pretty much any file and get access to any and all data.
Installing an antivirus program will make sure that every single file, new or old, is monitored at all times, warning you against threats immediately. That way, you can make sure to react before your other files become infected and data is lost or stolen.
Another great thing for data protection is that the best antivirus software normally comes with a password manager, so no one can use malware to steal your passwords.
4. It blocks all kinds of malware
As we already stated, malicious attacks can be performed in many ways and malware comes in in different shapes an sizes, such as:
Trojan horse
Spyware
Ransomware
Adware
Rootkit
RAT (remote access Trojan)
Keyloggers
Worms
Botnets
Nowadays, antivirus software is designed to fight against all of these types. That’s why more often than not we hear the term 'antivirus' used interchangeably with 'anti-malware,' like in this article.
5. It keeps your children protected
You can’t keep your eyes on your kid every second of the day and you can’t protect them from everything. But at least you can limit their exposure to the threats they can encounter at every corner of the digital world.
An antivirus program will block harmful or suspicious websites and ads, which is great both for you and your children. To take it a step further, though, many such programs come with special parental controls and offer monitoring as well. It’s a great solution for keeping your kids safe online without sounding like the irritating, overbearing, controlling parent who “just doesn’t get it!”
How to pick one
There are definitely lots of different antivirus programs out there, both free and paid. We recommend you look for a paid option, since free ones are unfortunately a lot more susceptible to being compromised through malicious attacks.
Now, there are a few factors to consider when choosing the right software. If you use your PC for basic things then a basic antivirus will suffice. However, the more complex your use and the more sensitive the data you deal with, the stronger it needs to be.
It’s also crucial that you take into account the features it includes. As we already mentioned, some programs have additional security options. For example, depending on the package you select, Bitdefender provides:
Some are included in plans and some are separate products, so make sure to check out all the offers.
And don’t worry if you have multiple PCs or you’re looking for protection for your smartphone or tablet as well; Bitdefender has suitable solutions for your needs. Of course, you can also just pick their classic antivirus software if you’re not in need of advanced protection.
Another important point is how regularly the software is updated and enhanced. The more frequent the updates the better, as bugs can make the program more vulnerable. Other things we advise you consider are user-friendliness, impact on performance, reputation (user reviews especially) and, of course, price.
The bottom line
Fact is: anyone can be a malware victim. Don’t let it be you.
You can’t put a price on peace and security, so don’t be reluctant to pay for yours - especially since a lot of options out there are extremely affordable. Is $159.00 a year really too much to pay for cross-platform protection for up to 10 devices? We don’t think so.
Explore your options and protect your files and data before it’s too late.
The latest update from Panos Panay on Twitter is including New and redesigned Snipping tool inside Windows 11. From the shared video, we can see that it includes modern Windows 11 UI redesign and it looks and feels like a part of Windows 11.
More things that can be seen from the shared video is that it looks like the new snipping tool is a merged version of the old with snip & sketch.
It is good to see that it is still possible to capture screen with easier way natively inside Windows 11 but some more functionality would be more welcome I guess.
Users were asking for added functions for a long time like adding simple text for example but from shared video, no new features were presented so for some users 3rd party solutions will still be the way to go.
The new and redesigned Snipping tool will roll out with the next update and we will see then about all new features inside it firsthand. Until then, take care.
The Free Wifi Hotspot is offered to users that own a laptop and a desktop PC that has a wired connection to the Internet and no WiFi modem. The Free Wifi Hotspot is said to help users share their Internet connection with mobile devices that support the 2G/3G/4G/USB tethering connectivity. However, users will need a 2G/3G/4G modem attached to the computer/laptop with access to the Internet if they intend to benefit from the Free Wifi Hotspot software. Additionally, the Free Wifi Hotspot may collect data like your Internet history, downloads log, and software configuration for product placement optimization. PC users that run the Free Wifi Hotspot software may be shown pop-up windows with marketing materials from time to time and maybe redirected to promotional offers.
Several anti-virus applications have flagged Free Wifi Hotspot as a Potentially Unwanted Applications and may come bundled with other PUP-s that may harm your computer or steal some information, due to these risks it is marked for optional removal.
About Potentially Unwanted Applications
Everybody has experienced it – you download a piece of free application, then you see some unwanted applications on your computer or find a strange toolbar has been included with your browser. You didn’t install them, so how did they appear? These unwanted applications, which are referred to as Potentially Unwanted Programs, or PUPs in short, typically tag along as a software package when downloading the application and can ruin your PC or cause major annoyances.
PUP does not involve malware in the traditional sense. The reason is, the majority of PUPs end up in a computer not because they slip through the security holes, for example, but because the users have got installed them themselves – totally unintentionally needless to say. A PUP might not be regarded as malicious or harmful but nonetheless, it is a standard reason for clunky OSs; some PUPs are a lot more aggressive by deliberately slowing down your computer or laptop.
How does unwanted software impact you?
Unwanted programs come in many forms. Usually, they can be seen in adware bundlers that are known to utilize aggressive and misleading advertising. The majority of bundlers install many adware programs from several vendors, each of which has its own EULA policy. Safebytes Anti-malware totally eliminates this threat and safeguards your machine against PUP or adware infection. The PUPs likewise get installed into your computer in the form of browser add-ons and toolbars. They will modify web browser settings, change the default search engine, substitute the default home page with their very own websites, slow down browsing speed, and also will ruin your system also.
Potentially unwanted programs apply aggressive distribution methods to get onto your personal computer. The worst part of installing a PUP is the spyware, adware, and keystroke loggers that may hide inside. These are software programs that don’t do anything good for you; in addition to occupying space on the hard disk, they will also slow down your PC, often change settings without your approval, the list of troublesome features goes on and on.
Tips on avoiding PUPs
• When installing anything on your desktop, always read the fine print, like the license agreement. Do not accept terms of use that are for bundled programs.• Don’t accept standard, express, default, or any other installation settings which are recommended. Always opt for “custom” installation.• Make use of an antivirus program to boost your protection. Anti-malware programs like Safebytes Anti-malware has got real-time features that will block PUPs before they harm your computer.• Avoid adding freeware software you won’t make use of. Nowadays ‘freeware’ isn’t actually freeware – but ‘crapware’ bundling nonsense.• Always download programs from the original website. Most PUPs find their way onto your PC is through download portals, so avoid it entirely.
Comply with these tips and you will almost never get potentially unwanted programs on your computer.
How To Get Rid Of Malware That Is Blocking Antivirus Downloads?
Every malware is bad and the level of the damage can vary greatly depending on the type of malware. Some malware sits in between the computer and the internet connection and blocks some or all websites that you really want to check out. It will also block you from adding anything to your PC, especially the anti-virus program. If you’re reading this, you may have affected by a virus that prevents you from downloading a security application such as Safebytes Anti-Malware. There are some options you could try to get around with this particular issue.
Use Safe Mode to resolve the problem
In the event the malware is set to run at Windows startup, then booting in safe mode should avoid it. Since just the bare minimum programs and services launch in “Safe Mode”, there are rarely any reasons for conflicts to happen. Listed here are the steps you need to follow to boot into the Safe Mode of your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers (check out Microsoft site for directions on Windows 8 and 10 PCs).
1) At power on, press the F8 key before the Windows splash screen starts to load. This will conjure up the “Advanced Boot Options” menu.2) Make use of the arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Networking and hit ENTER.3) When you are into this mode, you should have access to the internet once again. Now, use your browser normally and navigate to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware.4) Following installation, run a complete scan and allow the program to delete the threats it detects.
Switch over to some other internet browser
Certain malware might target vulnerabilities of a particular web browser that obstruct the downloading process. If you suspect that your Internet Explorer happens to be hijacked by a trojan or otherwise compromised by cybercriminals, the most effective thing to do is to switch to an alternate browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to download your chosen security application – Safebytes Anti-Malware.
Install security software on a USB drive
Another solution is to download and transfer antivirus software from a clean PC to run a scan on the affected computer. Abide by these steps to run the antivirus on the infected computer.
1) On a virus-free PC, install Safebytes Anti-Malware.2) Plug in the pen drive to a USB slot on the uninfected computer.3) Double-click the Setup icon of the antivirus software to run the Installation Wizard.4) Select the flash drive as the destination for saving the software file. Follow activation instructions.5) Now, insert the thumb drive into the infected system.6) Double click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the pen drive to run the application.7) Click “Scan Now” to run a complete scan on the infected computer for viruses.
SafeBytes Anti-Malware Benefits
If you are looking to download anti-malware software for your PC, there are lots of tools on the market to consider however, you should not trust blindly anyone, regardless of whether it is free or paid software. Some are very good ones, some are decent, and some are just bogus anti-malware software that will harm your computer themselves! You should opt for a tool that has gained a good reputation and detects not only viruses but other kinds of malware too. On the list of recommended software by industry leaders is SafeBytes Anti-Malware, a popular security application for Microsoft Windows.
Safebytes is one of the well-established PC solutions companies, which provide this complete anti-malware software program. When you have installed this software, SafeByte's state-of-the-art protection system will ensure that no viruses or malware can seep through your computer.
SafeBytes anti-malware provides a plethora of enhanced features which set it apart from all others. Below are some of the best ones:
Live Protection: SafeBytes offers an entirely hands-free active protection and is set to monitor, block, and get rid of all computer threats at its first encounter. They’re very efficient in screening and getting rid of different threats because they are continuously revised with new updates and safety measures.
World-class AntiMalware Protection: This deep-cleaning anti-malware program goes much deeper than most anti-virus tools to clean out your computer. Its critically acclaimed virus engine finds and disables hard-to-remove malware that conceals deep inside your personal computer.
Safe Web Browsing: SafeBytes checks and provides a unique safety rating to every single website you visit and block access to webpages considered to be phishing sites, thus safeguarding you from identity theft, or known to contain malware.
Lightweight Tool: SafeBytes is a lightweight and easy-of-use antivirus and antimalware solution. As it uses minimum computer resources, this program leaves the computer power exactly where it belongs to: with you actually.
Fantastic Technical Support: Expert technicians are at your disposal 24/7! They will promptly resolve any technical issues you may be encountering with your security software.
SafeBytes can keep your PC protected from most advanced malware threats automatically with almost no input needed from you again. Once you’ve downloaded and installed SafeBytes Anti-Malware, you will no longer need to bother about malware or other security worries. If you want sophisticated forms of protection features & threat detections, buying SafeBytes Anti-Malware could be worth the dollars!
Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)
If you’d like to perform the removal of Free Wifi Hotspot manually instead of using an automated software tool, you may follow these steps: Go to the Windows Control Panel, click the “Add or Remove Programs” and there, select the offending application to uninstall. In case of suspicious versions of browser extensions, you can actually remove them via your web browser’s extension manager. You’ll probably also want to totally reset your internet browser to its default configuration settings.
To ensure the complete removal, manually examine your hard drive and Windows registry for all of the following and eliminate or reset the values accordingly. Please remember that only professional users should attempt to manually edit the registry because incorrect file removal leads to a major problem or even a computer crash. Furthermore, certain malware is capable of replicating itself or preventing deletion. It is advisable that you carry out the removal procedure in Windows Safe Mode.
Files:
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Free WiFi Hotspot
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Free WiFi Hotspot
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Start Menu\Programs\Free WiFi Hotspot
%Appdata%\Free WiFi Hotspot New Version Available
Registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\[APPLICATION]\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall..Uninstaller
Free WiFi Hotspot_is1