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Over time Applications change, some for the better some for worse. Some of them even stop receiving updates and are old and vulnerable. Sometimes standards change and some file types are not used anymore. Software evolves along with technology and that is good. Keeping old and useless applications inside your Windows is not so good. From various exploits to simply taking up space, maybe even slowing down OS it is always wise and good to clean your Windows from unwanted old applications. In this article, we will be mentioning some relics of old and providing you with an explanation of why you should remove them from your system if by any chance you still have them on it.

Silverlight

Silverlight was meant to be a competitor for Adobe Flash, it is a WEB framework that enables rich media content inside your WEB browser. The issue is that it is not developed anymore and today's browsers do not support it. The only browser that actually can support it is internet explorer which itself is not supported and how there is practically 0 content on today's modern WEB that will require Silverlight, it is safe and recommended to remove it.

Adobe Flash

Speaking of Adobe Flash, you should remove it as well. Flash has stopped receiving support as of January 2021 and browsers have dropped support for it and even blocked it due to security issues. However, there still might be some local installation of Flash itself inside Windows along with the old Shockwave player that stopped receiving support in 2019. You should remove them both.

JAVA

Now this one is tricky, by itself JAVA does not present any security issues since browsers do not support it anymore and the desktop version is not really slowing down your computer. This one has simply put just another media runtime that is not used and simply takes up space and resources. However if you have some applications that you do use that rely on it (I can really just think of JAVA Minecraft at this point) leave it of course but in any other case, it is just purely not needed.

Quicktime

While we are at media runtime and stuff that just simply is not needed, Quicktime is one of them. Now this Apple Video player and codec is still pretty developed and active in Apple’s iOS environment, Windows version has not been updated since 2016 and it was discovered that it contains some critical vulnerabilities. Uninstall it and if you need a player that could play MOV files, just use a VLC player that can play them without any separately installed codec.

uTorrent

This one, the same as CCleaner was once a good application, as a matter of fact, it was the best torrenting application. Sadly it has fallen from its grace very low, from getting tons of ads in its interface to findings in 2015 that code of torrent client was packed with a crypto miner that used system resources of an installed computer to mine crypto without user’s awareness. You should uninstall this torrent client if you would like to get your PC back and not provide it for cryptocurrency mining for the company that developed it. Use qBittorrent or TIxati, open-source and free ones that have everything needed for any torrenting needs.

Toolbars and Browser extensions

There are a lot of toolbars for browsers and extensions that are malicious in nature or simply not updated providing security issues. It is very advisable to remove this as soon as possible.

WinRAR

WinRAR has gained its large popularity solely for the reason that you could download it from the official site like shareware and use it forever. The license never expired and you could use it indefinitely. Sadly not much has been improved in the application itself and it is slowly falling out in its range of what it can do. There are better open source and free options today like 7zip, PeaZip, ZIPvare, and more that are working the same as WinRAR if not even better.

Windows and manufacturers Bloatware

Yes, applications that come bundled with Windows and with some laptops that include manufacturers made software for different tasks like its own specific media players, calculators, etc. It is known that these applications are not better than their open-source rivals and there are too many of them including some that you will probably never use. It is the same as buying a new phone bundled with tons of applications that you do not need, did not ask for, and do not use. Delete all of them. Considering Windows there are also some Store application like Candy Crush Saga demo and other are safe to remove if not needed. That’s it, our advice for old and not needed applications so you can keep your PC safe and fast.

In case you didn’t know, the new Windows 10 v1903 has brought tons of new features around Windows 10 Updates. One of these features is the ability to automatically adjust the Active Hours based on your computer activity. This feature is really useful as it tells the operating system when to install the Windows Updates. A lot of users use the Active Hours feature to ensure that the Windows Update won’t force them to restart their PCs to install the update. So if your computer is turned on, it won’t apply the update during the active hours you’ve specified. In addition, the active hours change for many users and they are not that strict. For instance, if you set the active hours between 10 am to 5 pm, Windows Update won’t be forcing you to restart your computer to install the updates at those times. Note that Windows Update allows enabling an option using where it can monitor the active hours in your computer and change it. To configure this setting, here’s what you have to do:

• Frist, go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update.
• Next, take note of your current active hours and click on the “Change active hours” link.
• Then toggle the option that says, “Automatically adjust active hours for this device based on activity”. This will change the active hours and if you match it with the previous one, it should be different.

As you can see on the image given above, the earlier active hours were between 8:00 to 17:00 and were changed to 11:00 to 19:00. If you have been using this feature for a while you’ll find how useful and handy it is especially when you’re using your computer and don’t want any notifications like the prompts for Windows Updates to bother you while working.

Recently, a number of users reported that their Google Chrome browsers keep on opening new tabs no matter what they do. This issue could be due to lots of reasons but the main ones are corrupt installation, background applications, adware, dubious browser extensions, malware, and so on. Although there are a lot of possible causes for this particular issue in Chrome, its potential fixes are straightforward so you should not have any problem following the given options below.

Option 1 – Get rid of any conflicting browser extensions

As mentioned, shady browser extensions can cause unusual behavior in a browser. Chances are, these extensions or toolbars might be conflicting with the loading of the website. Thus, you have to get rid of these unwanted extensions and toolbars to fix the issue.

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

Option 2 – Try to disable applications from running in the background

• Open Google Chrome and then click on the menu button located in the top-right corner.
• From the drop-down, select Settings and then scroll down until you see the Advanced button. Click on it.
• Next, turn off the toggle for “Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed” under the System section.
• Now restart Chrome and check if it is working properly.

Option 3 – Try to configure the search settings of Chrome

• Open Google Chrome and type any search query in the address bar and then tap Enter.
• After that, it will open the Google search engine. From the top-right corner, click the Settings button.
• Next, select Search settings from the drop-down menu.
• Then scroll down to the new page that appears and make sure that the “Open New Window for each result” option is set to Uncheck.
• Once you’re done, save the changes made and restart Google Chrome.

Option 4 – Reset Chrome

Resetting Chrome can also help you fix the error. This means that you will be restoring its default settings, disabling all the extensions, add-ons and themes. Aside from that, the content settings will be reset as well and the cookies, cache, and site data will also be deleted. To reset Chrome, here’s what you have to do:

• Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
• After that, click on Settings.
• Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
• After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
• Now restart Google Chrome.

Option 5 – Try to clean reinstall Chrome

There are instances when programs leave files behind after you’ve uninstalled them and the same thing can happen to Chrome so before you reinstall Chrome, you have to make sure that you have deleted the User Data folder. To do so, refer to the following steps:

• Hit the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “%LOCALAPPDATA%GoogleChromeUser Data” in the field and hit Enter to open the User Data folder.
• From there, rename the default folder and name it something else, e.g. “Default.old”.
• After that, install Google Chrome again and check if the issue is now fixed.

Option 6 – Try scanning your computer using Windows Defender

As mentioned, the error when accessing the security settings or properties of a folder or file might be due to a virus or malware. It could be that it had made some modifications that prevents you from accessing security settings or properties. To eliminate it, you have to scan your computer using security programs like Windows Defender.

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

Recently, a number of users reported not being able to use the Restore, Minimize and Close buttons on their Windows 10 computers. This kind of issue can be quite annoying as you won’t be able to use your computer properly, especially when you navigate between programs and windows. In such cases, the buttons on the right side of the title bar won’t respond to any inputs which could be caused by a number of factors such as different input modes, corrupted system files, and many more. If you are one of the users who are currently facing this problem, worry not for this post will guide you on what you can do to resolve it. There are several potential fixes you can check out to fix the issue. You can try to check if Tablet Mode is enabled and if it is, you have to disable it. You could also boot your computer in a Clean Boot State to check if a third-party program is the one that’s causing the problem. In addition, you could also reinstall the program where you experience the problem or run built-in utilities like System File Checker and DISM tool.

Option 1 – 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 2 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State

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

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• Once your computer is in a Clean Boot State, try to open the program where the problem occurred.

Option 3 – Try reinstalling the program

If the first two options didn’t work, then you might want to consider uninstalling the program and then install it back with its latest version. This should resolve the problem.

Option 4 – Try to run System File Checker

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 that might be the cause why the Restore, Minimize and Close buttons don’t work. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Type “cmd” in the Start search and then right-click on the appropriate search result.
• Next, select “Run as administrator” to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• 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.

• Now restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 5 – Run the DISM tool

You can try running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the problem. 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.

Error Code 0x800ccc13– What is it?

0x800ccc13 is an error message related to sending email using Outlook. Many people are receiving this error after making an upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. The error message appears when you try to send an email message with the use of a POP3 account or an IMAP account in an Outlook profile that has an Exchange Server 2010 mailbox configured. A common complaint would be: Since upgrading to Windows 10 I cannot send email from Outlook 2013. Mail stays in the Outbox, and I get: Error 0x800CCC13. Cannot connect to the network.

Symptoms

This problem may arise under the following situations:

• You are using Microsoft Office Outlook in online mode to connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 mailbox
• When you add an additional POP3 or IMAP account in the same Microsoft Outlook profile
• You are sending an attachment through email.
• You try sending an email by selecting POP3 or IMAP account as the sender

During these circumstances, the email message stays in the Outbox and you receive the following error message: Task '<the POP3 account or the IMAP account> - Sending' reported error (0x800CCC13): 'Unable to connect to the network. Check your network connection or modem.'

Solution

Error Causes

Error Code 0x800ccc13 occurs because the system files in Windows 10 during the upgrade became corrupted and most likely caused authentication issues. It can happen with any version of Outlook. Damaged data files will also cause error code 0x800ccc13 to manifest. Overall, the corruption of the Microsoft Windows System could be a result of an installation partially done (or an incomplete one), deletion of any application or hardware erroneously, and or malware or adware infestation.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Method 1:

Use the Windows System File Checker to repair corrupted files Verify that your SMTP, username, and password settings are correct. Now, in order to correct missing or corrupt Windows System files, try the following solution by running a command. This is known as the System File Checker. Follow the steps below to invoke the program using a command prompt command:

1. At first, you need to open the command prompt. To do so, right-click the Windows button in the bottom left of the screen, and select Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Now, enter the following command

sfc/scannow

When it is done, a message will confirm that Windows found some corrupt or missing files and it has successfully repaired those. Check the Outlook and see if your emails are sending. If the problem persists, don’t worry there is another way to solve this. Users have found another command helpful is using the NetShell utility from the command prompt, which is similar to the above solution.

1. Open the Command prompt by Right-clicking the Windows button in the bottom left of the screen and select Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Enter the following command

netshwinsosk reset

This helpful command will reset the network adapter to its default settings. Hope this will solve your problem. If not, you may want to try the Method 2 listed below.

Method 2:

For this method, you need to consider the following things:

• Are you using POP3, IMAP, or Exchange server for your email account?
• How many email accounts have you configured in your Outlook?
• Is there an undelivered email stuck in your Outbox?
• If you are trying to send an attachment, what is the size of the attachment?

Try the following:

1. Move or delete any undelivered email that is stuck in the Outbox folder, and then try sending an email and verify the result
2. Start Outlook in Safe Mode by following the instructions below

Hold down Windows key + R. Copy this command Outlook /safe Note, there is a space between Outlook and / Paste it in the open box and press Enter If Outlook in Safe Mode works, disable the add-ins by following the steps below and determine if the problem is caused by add-ins.

• Click File menu, click Options, Add-ins, Go button beside Manage Com-in Add.
• If there are add-ins listed, clear the checkbox.
• Close Microsoft Office and restart it.
• Disable the add-ins one at a time. Now, restart Outlook and repeat the procedure once more. If the problem appears again, it will help you find which add-in is causing the problem.

3. Start the computer using the clean boot. Now, try to send an email and see the result.
4. If the problem still lingers, create a new profile and configure the email account.

If you do not possess the technical expertise required to accomplish this yourself or do not feel comfortable doing so, download and install a powerful automated tool to get the job done.

D3dx9_43.dll Error - What is it?

D3dx9_43.dll is a type of Dynamic Link Library containing small programs. This file is associated with Microsoft DirectX software. It is used and utilized by most Windows-based games and DirectX advanced graphic programs. The error D3dx9_43.dll pops on your computer screen when there is some issue when running or loading Microsoft DirectX programs. This error is often displayed in any one of the following formats:

• “D3dx9_43.DLL Not Found"
• "D3dx9_43.dll not found. Reinstalling might help fix this."
• "The file d3dx9_43.dll is missing"
• "File d3dx9_43.dll not found"

The good news is that this error code is not fatal. This means it will not result in system crashes, failure, or data loss. But it may hamper your ability to access, run and load Windows-based games associated with DirectX therefore to avoid the inconvenience it is advisable to repair it immediately.

Solution

Error Causes

D3dx9_43.dll error code can occur due to several reasons. These include but are not limited to:

• Missing or corrupt D3dx9_43.dll file
• Outdated drivers
• Corrupt registry
• Viral infection

Further Information and Manual Repair

To fix the D3dx9_43.dll error on your PC, try the manual easy to do methods illustrated below. To perform these methods to repair the issue, you don’t need to be a technical whiz. These are simple methods and easy to perform.

Method 1 - Check Your Recycle Bin or Download D3dx9_43.dll File

If you just recently uninstalled a program from your PC, then there is a possibility that the D3dx9_43.dll file got accidentally deleted during the process. This happens because DLL is a shared file. The program you uninstalled might be running with the same file. In case of accidental deletion of the D3dx9_43.dll file, it is advisable to check your recycle bin to repair the issue. Simply go to the recycle bin and look for the deleted file; if you locate it simply reinstall. However, if you are unable to find it, then if you have access to an internet connection, simply download the D3dx9_43.dll file from a reliable DLL website.

Method 2 - Update Drivers

If the error code occurs due to outdated drivers, then it is recommended to update drivers on your system. For example, the D3dx9_43.dll file error indicates an outdated video card driver since this file is linked to video game software. Therefore, simply update the drivers for your video card. Drivers can be updated in Windows by using a driver update wizard from within Device Manager. The wizard will walk you through the entire driver update process, making the updating task a lot simple and hassle-free.

Method 3 - Install an Antivirus

In case of malware infection, it is advisable to install a powerful antivirus. Simply run it to scan your entire PC for viruses. Then remove them to resolve the issue.

Method 4 - Clean and Repair the Registry

D3dx9_43.dll error may also pop up due to registry corruption. This happens when the registry loads with unnecessary and obsolete files like cookies, junk files, internet history, and bad registry entries. These files take up all the space and damage the registry. It also results in DLL file corruption and disk fragmentation. To resolve this it is important to clean the registry and repair it. A quick way to perform registry clean-up is to download Restoro. This is an advanced PC Fixer embedded with a powerful registry cleaner. It scans for all registry-related errors instantly, removes them, cleans the registry, and repairs the damaged files. Click here to download Restoro on your PC and resolve error D3dx9_43.dll today!

Windows 10 setup is a bit complicated which is why it’s uncommon to encounter errors along the way. One of these errors you can encounter when running Windows Setup is the error code 0x80070006. If you are trying to fix this error, you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how to do so. When you get the error code 0x80070006, you will see the following error message:

“Windows cannot install required files. Network problems may be preventing Windows from accessing the file. Make sure the computer is connected to the network and restart the installation. Error code: 0x80070006.”

As stated in the error message, this kind of error in Windows Setup is due to an unstable or unreliable network connection. Such problems can also be triggered by network hardware which includes the network adapters and the network routers. To fix this error, you need to check your internet connection and router or run the built-in network troubleshooter. You could also try using a different USB port or recreate a bootable USB drive as well as get a new Windows image file.

Option 1 – Try checking your internet connection and router

As mentioned, this Windows 10 setup error could be due to an unstable internet connection. To fix it, the first thing you have to do is to check the status of your internet connection and see if it is stable and has enough speed to run the setup. If it’s slow, then it’s no wonder that the setup process failed. To fix that, you can try to reboot your router from its admin panel or you can just turn it off manually and then turn it back on after a couple of seconds. In addition, you also have to check if it’s plugged in properly.

Option 2 – Try to run the Network Adapter troubleshooter

The next thing you can do is to run the Network Adapter troubleshooter. This built-in troubleshooter can help resolve any network issues. It can reset the adapters, remove cached settings, and many more. To run it, follow these steps:

• Go to Settings > Update & security and from there select Troubleshoot.
• 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 3 – Try to use a different USB port

You might want to check the integrity of the USB port where connected the device if you are using a bootable USB storage device to run the setup for Windows 10. All you have to do is switch the USB port or try to use another bootable USB device and see if it fixes the problem.

Option 4 – Try recreating the Windows 10 installation USB

Recreating the Windows 10 installation USB might help in fixing the problem. You can use a USB drive to do so but make sure that it has a great read-write speed. Follow the steps below to recreate Windows 10 installation USB”

• 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 since it doesn’t really work.

Option 5 – Try getting a new Windows image file

If none of the four given options above worked, you might want to get a newer installation image using the Windows Media Creation tool. After that, create the bootable USB drive and once completed and then try to run the Windows 10 setup again.

Error Code 0x8007000d - What is it?

Error Code 0x8007000d is a common error code that can be found on the Windows 10 Operating system, although it can also appear in previous versions of the operating system, as well.

Common symptoms include:

• Inability to download new updates.
• Inability to run the Update tool through to completion.

There are four basic ways to try to resolve Error Code 0x8007000d on your Windows machine. Three of these are pretty simple for even the most basic users, while the final method requires some familiarity with running commands in the Command Prompt. If you don’t feel that you have the skill or confidence to complete the steps listed below, it is generally recommended that you get in touch with a qualified computer repair technician that can assist you in error resolution.

Error Causes

The main cause for the appearance of Error Code 0x8007000d on a Windows machine is that one of the files that the Update tool uses to run one or more updates cannot be found or has experienced damage. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can try on your machine that can be used to attempt to resolve the issues at hand.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Three primary methods exist for the resolution of Error Code 0x8007000d on a Windows machine. As mentioned above, two of these methods can usually be accomplished by basic users, while the third requires some degree of familiarity with the tools associated with the Command Prompt. If you don’t feel that you have the knowledge or skill necessary to follow these steps, contact a computer repair technician to aid you.

Here are the best ways to try to resolve Error Code 0x8007000d on your device:

Method One:  Use the Troubleshooting Tool from Windows Update

From the Windows Update tool, you can attempt to run a scan using the Windows Update Troubleshooter, which can try to identify the specific issue that is occurring and to fix it automatically.

Not only will this tool often fix the problem at hand, but it can also help you to avoid other errors that you may have encountered later on in the Update process. This tool should always be your starting point when you encounter an error as you attempt to download or install updates for your Windows machine.

After the tool has been run, restart your computer to apply any changes and then reopen the Update tool to reattempt installation.

Method Two:  Reset Your Computer

In some cases, the missing or corrupted files may be extensive enough that you need to restore your computer to an earlier point. If you create regular backups of your information or have a past version of the software that you can install, this can help you to resolve the issue. Otherwise, you may need to restore your device to its factory settings to resolve the error.

Always make sure to backup your important files and information before you perform a reset of your device, in order to ensure that you are able to return the computer to its original state when you have finished.

Method Three:  Use Command Line Tools to Resolve the Issue

One of the ways that you can try to resolve this particular error code is the use a DISM tool. This is accessed through the Command Prompt. In order to use this method, follow the steps below:

• Step One: Open up the search bar in the Start Menu and type in the words “Command Prompt,” selecting it and choosing to run it as an administrator.
• Step Two: Enter each of the commands below, hitting the “Enter” key when you finish each one:
  • exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth
  • exe /Online /Clean-upimage /Restorehealth
  • Exit
• Step Three: Attempt to run the Update program again. In some cases, you may want to restart your computer before you attempt to run the Update tool again.

If you have not been able to resolve the error code using the steps above or if you are unsure of your ability to follow these steps on your own, get in touch with a trusted computer repair professional that is familiar with the Update process and the errors associated with it.

Ever gotten an e-mail offer that seemed just a little bit too good to be true? Might’ve been a phishing attempt! These are everywhere and can come in many different forms. 

So what’s phishing exactly, how can you detect it and how can you keep safe?

What is phishing?

Phishing (pronounced like fishing) is a type of cyberattack that tricks the user into trusting the source and revealing sensitive information. Fishing being the perfect analogy, the bait is a legitimate-looking site, e-mail or file and when you take a bite, your identity, banking information and much more can be revealed and stolen.

Some phishing attempts are incredibly obvious, others are super elaborate. Like with most types of malware, cybercriminals have become extremely well-versed in phishing and anyone can fall for it. To help you recognize and avoid it, we’ll take you through a couple of phishing types and give you tips on what to do if faced with them.

Phishing techniques

E-mail phishing

This is actually the most common type of phishing. A cybercriminal creates an e-mail containing stuff like attractive offers, legitimate-looking attachments or links and makes it appear as though it’s coming from a trusted source.

For example, it looks like it’s coming from your bank or your favorite retailer. The logo looks legit and the structure of the e-mail seems familiar, so you might get tricked into clicking on whatever clickable content is in it.

Unfortunately this exposes your device to malware that hands your data off to the hacker, who can decide what to do with it further.

SMS and social media phishing

Like the above example, you could be approached with lucrative offers or links via text messages or social media messages. Typically, the messages seem relevant to the user as they will be made to look like they’re related to apps or services you’re using.

Voice phishing

Voice phishing attacks are schemes that appear as though they’re coming from a credible number. Normally, you’ll get a call about something related to credit cards or taxes to get you into a state of worry, leading you to disclose personal information on the phone.

Spear phishing, whaling and BEC

Spear phishing normally targets specific individuals within a company who are likely to have access to sensitive data. Spear phishers spend time collecting information they can use to reach out to the individual looking as trustworthy as possible. They’ll typically lead with something relevant, for example mentioning an upcoming company event, and make a seemingly legitimate request.

Whaling is a more elaborate form of spear phishing, which targets people in even stronger positions such as executives or high-value individuals. The ultimate goal is to get them to transfer financial or other sensitive information that can be used to compromise the entire business.

BEC, or Business e-mail compromise, is a specific spear phishing technique carried out via e-mail. While there are many ways this is done, most commonly you’ll see instances where the phisher poses as a CEO or similar executive, or as a lower-level employee in specific positions (e.g. sales managers or financial controllers).

In the first situation, the impersonator reaches out to employees requesting them to transfer certain files or pay invoices. In the second situation, the phisher takes control of the employee’s e-mail account and sends false instructions to other employees in order to obtain data and information from them.

What can you do?

There are many ways you can be aware and spot a phishing attempt. Here are some tips:

• Always check the sender’s address in your e-mails, even when they seem to come from a familiar source.
• In any instance where payment information is requested, be very, very careful.
• If you are receiving attachments you never asked for and definitely didn’t expect, better not click on them. 
• Beware of content that transmits a sense of urgency (sales deals, urgent updates to login credentials, etc.).
• Bad spelling and grammar are usually a telltale sign of phishing.
• Links that look shortened (e.g. Bit.ly) or just suspicious in general - if you have a bad feeling, do not click on them.
• If you are receiving threats, you probably shouldn’t be clicking on anything in that message.
• Always examine first-time senders in detail.
• Block suspicious e-mail addresses, numbers and social media accounts.
• If you are receiving a coupon for free stuff… You aren’t.
• If you’re being asked to update your payment details by a service you use, such as Netflix, chances are it’s an impersonator.

Those are some of the ways to identify and prevent phishing attacks. However, sometimes phishers disguise themselves a little too well or a misclick happens and there you go - you’ve been exposed to malware.

This won’t happen if you invest in powerful protection software from the get-go, though. A good antivirus program like Bitdefender will keep you safe from becoming a victim of phishing scams. In fact, it will protect you from malicious attacks overall.

Be it your household or your business you’re concerned about, there are a bunch of different packages and options available, providing different kinds of cybersecurity services. That’s the only way you can ever really be sure you aren’t at risk of a digital attack.

Summary

Have you ever been targeted by phishers and didn’t know that’s what it was until you read this article? Many can relate. Protect yourself before it’s too late!

What is the Error Code 652?

Error code 652 is a runtime error. It hampers you from accessing and running your program on your system. If not resolved, it can also lead to program corruption.

Solution

Error Causes

Runtime Error 652 can occur due to several causes. These include:

• Conflict of color depth within icons, the desktop, or a particular application in the Visual Basic environment.  This happens when the Image
• List control consists of more colors than the depth of what Windows can support.

Other causes include:

• Malicious software and malware attack
• Conflict with Terminate
• Invalid or corrupt registry

Further Information and Manual Repair

If you are not a computer programmer and don’t have any sound technical expertise, then you might think of hiring a professional to resolve the error on your PC. But this can be costly as you may have to pay hundreds of dollars to the technician. However, an alternative way to resolve the error code 652 is to download the Total System Care. This PC repair tool is integrated with an intuitive registry cleaner and a powerful anti-virus. It is safe, efficient, user-friendly, and available for free. Restoro is a multi-functional error tool and a one-stop solution to resolve practically all kinds of PC-related problems. By running this repair tool, you can fix runtime error code 652 on your system in seconds.

Restoro

What makes Restoro a hot favorite among PC users is that it is simple and easy to use. To operate this PC fixer, you don’t need to have the sound technical knowledge or be adept at computer programming. It can be used by all levels of PC users including beginners and intermediates. It has a neat and clean layout with simple instructions and navigation making it easy for users to resolve even the mightiest errors in just a few clicks.

Restoro features

Whether the underlying reason for the error code 652 is malicious software or registry corruption, Restoro takes care of all. Registry corruption occurs due to unnecessary files and data overload in the hard disk. This includes junk files, internet history, invalid registry entries, and bad registry keys. The registry cleaner embedded in Restoro intuitively detects and scans all registry issues. It wipes and clears the hard disk from all the unnecessary and obsolete files and thus cleans up your disk space. It repairs the corrupt registry and also boosts your PC’s performance. Thus it not only repairs the error code 652 but also resolves system slowdown issues by optimizing your system’s speed. With the help of its in-built anti-virus, it removes all the malicious software on your system that could be triggering the error code 652. Data security threats such as malicious software are detected and scanned and listed under the privacy error utility. It is compatible with all Windows versions including both the latest and old versions. You can run it to scan error code 652 on any Windows version you have installed on your computer.

Restoro for error Code 652

Furthermore, as mentioned above Error Code 652 is safe to use. It is bug-free and besides, it offers users outstanding data safety. It has a backup file feature that helps you save and create backup copies of all the data you have on your system. This is carried for safety purposes. It enables users to retrieve and recover data in case the data and files are lost during the repair thus sparing you from a big loss. The error code 652 may be critical but it can be resolved in seconds with Restoro. Here’s how:

1. To get started click here to download and install Restoro on your system
2. Once installed, run it to scan for errors. It will take only a few seconds to scan your entire PC.
3. Then simply create a backup and click on repair to resolve and resume your desired program.

For best results, it is advised to run Restoro on the computer often. This will help you detect PC errors and repair them timely. It will help you ensure proper PC maintenance, health, and performance.