Fix CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT in Windows

If you are trying to copy large files that are over 4GB to a USB flash drive or SD card, but you suddenly get an error message saying, “File Too Large, The file is too large for the destination file system”, read on as this post will help you fix this problem. A user recently reported that while trying to copy a 4.8GB zipped file from a Windows 10 PC to a new 8GB USB drive but only got the File Too Large error message instead. If you share the same problem with this user and you know that there is more than enough available space for the file in your USB drive or SD card, continue reading until you get to the instructions provided in this post so that you will be able to copy the file successfully. It is most likely that the USB drive has been FAT32 formatted which is why you’re unable to copy the file and got an error. The FAT32 file system has a built-in limitation on the size of the individual file that it may contain. For instance, it’s 4GB so even though collectively, it may have files or even 1TB individually it shouldn’t be more than 4GB. Thus, you need to change the file system from FAT32 to NTFS. To do that, carefully follow the instructions provided below.

• Step 1: Connect the USB drive and open the Windows File Explorer.
• Step 2: Afterwards, right-click on the USB drive letter and select Format from the context menu.
• Step 3: Next, select NTFS instead of FAT32 the instant a dialog box appears from the drop-down menu for the file system.
• Step 4: Now click on the Quick Format option and then click the Start button to reformat the USB drive.

Note: There is also another way you can change the file system. In this alternative way, you need to open an elevated Command Prompt and type the convert X: /fs:ntfs /nosecurity command, and hit Enter to execute it. Remember that in this command, “X” is the letter of your USB drive so whatever the letter of your drive is, you need to make sure to put it instead of “X”. Once the process is completed, try copying the file again.

Athwbx.sys or the Qualcomm Atheros driver file is known to trigger several Blue Screen of Death errors. This occurs when the driver gets corrupted or when the operating system is unable to access or find it. In addition, bad sectors in the hard disk or RAM can also cause BSOD errors. The athwbx.sys file is known to cause the following BSOD errors listed below:

• SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (athwbx.sys)
• STOP 0x0000000A: IRQL_NOT_LESS_EQUAL (athwbx.sys)
• STOP 0x0000001E: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (athwbx.sys)
• STOP 0×00000050: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (athwbx.sys)
• Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. You can search online later for this error: athwbx.sys

Before you proceed with the troubleshooting tips given below, you might want to try performing System Restore as it could resolve Blue Screen errors caused by the athwbx.sys file. To run System Restore, follow these steps:

• 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.

If System Restore didn’t help in fixing the Blue Screen error, now’s the time for you to resort to the troubleshooting tips provided below but before you get started, make sure that you create a System Restore point first.

Option 1 – Try recreating the athwbx.sys file

The first thing you can try is to recreate the athwbx.sys file. Every time your Windows 10 PC boots up, it looks for all the system drivers in place and if it is unable to find them, it tries to create them. This is why if you remove your corrupt driver file, chances are, you might get a fixed file recreated just for you. How? Refer to the steps below.

• Boot your Windows 10 PC in Safe Mode.
• Then open File Explorer and navigate to this location: C:/Windows/System32/drivers
• From there, look for the file named sys and rename it to athwbx.old.

Note: As you can see, the file’s extension has changed from .sys to .old.

• Now restart your computer and check if the athwbx.sys Blue Screen error is now fixed.

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 – 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 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.

• Restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try to run the CHKDSK utility

Running the CHKDSK utility might also help you resolve the athwbx.sys Blue Screen error. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the CHKDSK utility comes in. The CHKDSK utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /f /r

• Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.

Option 5 – Run the Memory Diagnostic Tool

Running the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool in Windows 10 might also help you in fixing the athwbx.sys Blue Screen error. Refer to the steps below on how to run this tool:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and type exe and hit Enter to open the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.
• After that, it will give two options such as:
  • Restart now and check for problems (Recommended)
  • Check for problems the next time I start my computer
• Once your computer has restarted, perform a basic scan or you could also go for the “Advanced” options such as “Test mix” or “Pass count”. Simply tap the F10 key to start the test.

Note: After you select the option, your PC will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them and if there’s no issue found, then it’s most likely not a memory-based issue so you should try the other options given below.

Option 6 – 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 athwbx.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.
• 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.

ConvertDocsOnline is a Browser Extension for Google Chrome developed by Mindspark Inc. This extension offers users a quick and easy way to convert documents without any additional applications installed on their computer, it also has quick access links to popular websites that the average user might find interesting. While all this may look appealing and nice, this extension injects itself into your browser.

While installed, ConvertDocsOnline will monitor your browsing activity and record visited websites, clicked links, downloads, and even viewed products. All this information is later used/sold to Mindsparks Ad network to better serve user-targeted ads.

Browsing the internet with this extension installed will result in ad placement throughout your browsing sessions. These ads might appear as normal links (sponsored content), ad links, or even pop-up ads.

ConvertDocsOnline has been marked as a Browser Hijacker by several Anti-Virus scanners and is therefore recommended for optional removal from your PC.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijackers (sometimes referred to as hijackware) are a type of malware that changes web browser settings without the user’s knowledge or permission. These types of hijacks are increasing at an alarming rate around the globe, and they can be truly nefarious and sometimes dangerous too. There are plenty of reasons why you may have a browser hijack; however commercial, marketing, and advertising are definitely the primary reasons for their creation. In most cases, browser hijacking is used for earning advertising revenue that comes from forced ad mouse clicks and site visits. It might appear naive, but the majority of these sites are not legitimate and may pose a significant threat to your online safety. In a much worst case, your internet browser could be hijacked to download malicious software that can do a lot of damage to your PC.

Symptoms of browser hijacker malware

Symptoms that a web browser is a hi-jacked include: 1. the browser’s homepage is modified 2. your internet browser is constantly being redirected to adult websites 3. the default online search engine and/or the default browser settings are altered 4. you see many toolbars in your internet browser 5. you might find endless pop-up adverts on your computer screen 6. your web browser gets slow, buggy crashes very often 7. you can’t navigate to certain web pages, such as computer security software-related websites.

How they infect computer systems

Browser hijackers can enter a PC in some way or other, for example via downloads, file sharing, and e-mail also. Many browser hijackings come from add-on software, i.e., toolbars, browser helper objects (BHO), or plug-ins added to browsers to give them extra functionality. Browser hijackers sneak to your computer in addition to free software downloads also that you unwittingly install alongside the original. Examples of popular browser hijackers are Fireball, CoolWebSearch. GoSave, Ask Toolbar, RocketTab, and Babylon Toolbar. The existence of any browser hijacker on your computer could drastically diminish the web browsing experience, record your internet activities that lead to critical privacy issues, degrade overall computer efficiency, and result in application instability also.

Removing browser hijackers

Certain hijackers could be removed by simply uninstalling the related freeware or add-ons from the Add or Remove Programs in the Windows control panel. But, many hijacking codes are certainly not very easy to get rid of manually, since they go deeper into your operating system. Beginner PC users should not try for the manual form of removal methods, as it calls for thorough system knowledge to perform fixes on the system registry and HOSTS file. Browser hijackers can be effectively removed by installing and running anti-malware software on the affected PC. To get rid of any browser hijacker from your laptop or computer, you should download this particular certified malware removal application – SafeBytes Anti-Malware. Along with the antivirus tool, a system optimizer, like SafeBytes’s Total System Care, will help you in getting rid of all related files and modifications in the computer registry automatically.

Virus Blocking Access To Safebytes Website And Preventing Anti-Malware Downloads - What You Should Do?

All malware is bad and the level of the damage will vary greatly in accordance with the type of infection. Some malware types modify browser settings by including a proxy server or modify the PC’s DNS configuration settings. In such cases, you’ll be unable to visit some or all of the websites, and thus unable to download or install the necessary security software to remove the malware. If you are reading this now, you may have probably realized that a malware infection is the cause of your blocked net traffic. So how to proceed when you want to install antivirus software such as Safebytes? Do as instructed below to remove malware through alternate ways.

Get rid of viruses in Safe Mode

The Windows operating system includes a special mode known as “Safe Mode” where just the bare minimum required programs and services are loaded. If the malicious software is set to load immediately when PC boots, switching into this particular mode can prevent it from doing so. In order to enter into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press the F8 key while the PC is starting up or run MSConfig and look for the “Safe Boot” options under the “Boot” tab. Once you are in safe mode, you can try to download and install your antivirus software application without the hindrance of the malware. Now, you can actually run the antivirus scan to eliminate computer viruses and malware without hindrance from another malicious application.

Switch to an alternate internet browser

Some malware only targets certain internet browsers. If this is your situation, make use of another internet browser as it can circumvent the malware. If you’re not able to download the anti-virus program using Internet Explorer, this means the virus could be targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you need to switch to a different internet browser like Firefox or Chrome to download the Safebytes Anti-malware program.

Install antivirus on a USB drive

Another option would be to make a portable anti-malware program on your USB stick. Adopt these measures to run the anti-malware on the infected PC. 1) On a clean PC, download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug the pen drive into the clean PC. 3) Double click on the downloaded file to open the installation wizard. 4) When asked, choose the location of the pen drive as the place where you would like to store the software files. Follow the instructions on the computer screen to finish up the installation process. 5) Now, transfer the thumb drive to the infected PC. 6) Double-click the anti-malware program EXE file on the pen drive. 7) Run Full System Scan to detect and clean-up up all kinds of malware.

Review of SafeBytes Anti-Malware

If you are planning to purchase anti-malware for your desktop, there are plenty of brands and utilities for you to consider. Some are good ones, some are decent, while some are simply just bogus anti-malware applications that can ruin your personal computer themselves! You have to pick a tool that has got a good reputation and detects not only computer viruses but other sorts of malware also. When thinking about trustworthy programs, Safebytes Anti-Malware is certainly the strongly recommended one. Safebytes is one of the well-established PC solutions companies, which provide this all-inclusive anti-malware software. Using its cutting-edge technology, this application will assist you to get rid of multiples types of malware including computer viruses, trojans, PUPs, worms, ransomware, adware, and browser hijackers.

SafeBytes anti-malware takes computer protection to a whole new level with its advanced features. These are some of the highlighted features included in the tool.

Real-time Active Protection: SafeBytes gives real-time active monitoring and protection against all known viruses and malware. It’ll monitor your PC for suspicious activity continuously and safeguards your PC from illegal access. Robust, Anti-malware Protection: Built upon a highly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal tool has the capacity to find and get rid of several stubborn malware threats such as browser hijackers, PUPs, and ransomware that other typical antivirus applications will miss. Extremely Speed Scanning: SafeBytes Anti-Malware has got a multi-thread scan algorithm that works up to 5 times faster than any other anti-malware software. Web Protection: Through its unique safety score, SafeBytes informs you whether a site is safe or not to access it. This will make sure that you’re always certain of your safety when browsing the world wide web. Light-weight: SafeBytes is really a lightweight tool. It uses up an extremely small amount of processing power as it operates in the background so you’re free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want. 24/7 Assistance: Support service is available 24 x 7 x 365 days through chat and email to answer your concerns. SafeBytes can keep your personal computer protected from most advanced malware threats automatically, thus keeping your online experience secure and safe. Malware issues will become a thing of the past once you put this software program to use. You’ll get the best all-around protection for the money you spend on SafeBytes AntiMalware subscription, there is no doubt about it.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

To eliminate ConvertDocsOnline manually, go to the Add/Remove programs list in the Control Panel and choose the program you want to get rid of. For internet browser extensions, go to your web browser’s Addon/Extension manager and select the add-on you intend to remove or disable. You might also want to reset your home page and search engine providers, as well as delete browsing history, temporary files, and internet cookies. In order to ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and Windows registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values as needed. But bear in mind, this can be a tricky task and only computer professionals could carry it out safely. Furthermore, certain malicious programs are capable to defend against its removal. It is advised that you carry out the removal process in Safe Mode.

In recent times, some Windows 10 users have seen an error code BCM20702A0, when using Bluetooth and they are concerned as to what it is all about. We can say for certain that it has something to do with your Bluetooth driver. The error message in question is:

The drivers for this device are not installed. There are no compatible drivers for this device.

The problem here tends to no longer allow specific Bluetooth components to properly communicate with your Windows 10 operating system. It also affects laptops that do not have native Bluetooth support; therefore, the manufacturer installed a dongle on the inside to deliver the service. This is not the best way to do things because native support is always better. On the other hand, maybe you’re using a Broadcom USB Bluetooth dongle that is acting up, and as such, the error is showing. Below are solutions provided for this particular error and how to eliminate it.

1. Run the Bluetooth Troubleshooter

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS to open the menu and select settings In settings choose Update & Security Go to troubleshoot and on the right panel click on additional troubleshooters Click on Bluetooth Select Run the troubleshooter, then sit back and allow the tool to do its thing. Once you’ve completed the task, click on Apply this fix if any repairs are needed Reboot your computer

2. Install Broadcom driver from official website

   Windows drivers for Broadcom Bluetooth devices are no longer posted on their website. They should be available through Microsoft’s Windows Update service. If drivers were not downloaded automatically by Windows Update, use Device Manager to refresh the driver from Windows Update. However, the Broadcom Bluetooth drivers seem to be available here on the Lenovo website. To fix the BCM20702A0 driver error, you may download and install them. After downloading it, right-click on the downloaded item, and select Run as administrator. After installation, restart your computer, then check again if it works.

3. Remove all Bluetooth drivers and USB controllers

   If previous solutions did not work, go to device manager and remove all Bluetooth devices along with all USB controllers. Reboot your computer and Windows will automatically reinstall and set all devices.

USB storage devices, peripherals, and other devices are almost used on a daily basis. And as you know, when removing the USB storage devices, it is recommended to always use the “Safely remove the USB storage device” option in order to prevent data corruption in the USB storage device. However, there are times when you may see the following error message after you use the “Safely remove the USB storage device” option:

“Problem ejecting USB Mass Storage – This device is currently in use, close any programs or windows that might be using this device, and then try again.”

This kind of error message occurs when the device is still interacting with the operating system in the background. There are several ways you can fix this error but before you check them out below, you need to close all the open windows and programs that may be using the USB storage device and then wait for a couple of seconds and then try safely removing it again. However, if you are still getting the same error message, then here are some tips you should try:

Option 1 – Try to use the Task Manager

• Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
• After that, look for the running processes and programs hogging on your USB Storage device. The error could be due to a program or process that’s using the USB device. This program or process will hog onto some Disk or CPU while transferring data and interacting with the device.
• Once you find the culprits, right-click on each one of them and select End Process or End Task. You could also try to restart the process for “Explorer.exe” and see if it fixes the problem.

Option 2 – Try using DISKPART

The next thing you can try to resolve the issue is to use DISKPART. Refer to the given steps below to do so.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run and then type “cmd” in the field and tap Enter or click OK to open an elevated Command Prompt.
• Next, type and enter this command to execute it: diskpart
• The command you entered will initiate the DISKPART utility. After that, type and enter this second command: list disk
• Next, type and enter this third command: list volume
• The commands you just executed will help you in either listing all the Disk connects or all the partitions on those disks formed and from there, you need to select one command depending on the “list” command you entered. You can execute either of the two following commands:
  • select disk #
  • select volume #

• After that, it will select the Disk or Partition you want to select.
• Now type either one of the following commands:
  • offline disk #offline volume #
• The command you entered will mark the selected disk is Offline. Afterward, try to safely remove your USB Storage device. Just remember that when you plug it back in again, you have to carry out the same method except for the last given command as this time you will have to enter either of these commands in order to get your USB storage device back online:
  • online disk #
  • online volume #

Option 3– Try using the Disk Management utility

• Tap the Win + R keys to open Run.
• Then type “diskmgmt.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Disk Management utility.
• Next, look for the entry for your USB Storage device and once you’ve found it, right-click on it and select Offline.
• After that, try to safely remove your USB Storage device again and see if the error is fixed. Note that you need to go over the same steps again if you want to plug your USB Storage device back in but make sure to select the Online option instead of Offline to get your device back online.

What is this particular error?

One common issue when trying to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8 is incompatible software. Any installed software or app that isn’t compatible with Windows 10 will prevent you from continuing with the set-up. Normally, you’ll get an error message “What needs your attention” and it will ask you to uninstall a list of apps manually. Unfortunately, some users reported that they couldn’t find the app it asks to uninstall. In some cases, users said they’ve already uninstalled the app but it still won’t start the Windows 10 Setup.

Solution

Error Causes

This type of issue normally occurs because of the following:

• Incompatible software/apps
• Corrupted software/apps
• Incomplete uninstallation

Further Information and Manual Repair

Here are some steps you can take whenever you encounter this error.

Note: Before taking any steps, make sure that you’re highly equipped to do so. Some steps might affect the system and even do more damage to your computer. You might also want to consider using an automated tool instead.

Method 1 – Perform a clean boot, then retry upgrading

A clean boot is normally done to start Windows using the least set of drivers and startup programs available. By doing this, it eliminates possible software issues that happen when installing or uninstalling a program in Windows 10.

Before performing a clean boot, make sure to take note of the following:

• You need administrative privileges in order to perform this action.
• When doing this, your computer might lose temporarily functionality. However, it will return after start-up.
• It is highly advisable to not use the System Configuration to change advanced boot options.

Here are the steps to perform a clean boot.

• Step 1 – Go to Start and search for msconfig
• Step 2 – Go to System Configuration
• Step 3 – Under Services tab, click on the “Hide all Microsoft services” checkbox. Then, choose to Disable all
• Step 4 – Go to the System Configuration’s Startup tab. Then, click on “Open Task Manager”
• Step 5 – In the Task Manager dialog box, you will see a Startup tab. Choose items that you want to disable and then click the Disable button
• Step 6 – Close the Task Manager dialog box.
• Step 7 – Go back to the Startup tab of the System Configuration box. Click “Ok” then proceed with restarting.

Method 2 – Manually uninstall programs from the Program Files folders

Instead of using the “add or remove programs” feature in Windows, you might need to manually install the program directly from the C drive. To do this, follow the steps below:

• Step 1 – Go to the C drive, and look for the Program Files folders. For 32-bit users, you can find it at C:\Program Files. If you’re using the 64-bit version of Windows, go to C:\Program Files (x86) folder.
• Step 2 – Find the “uninstall” application file
• Step 3 – Right-click, and run the file as administrator. Wait for the uninstallation to finish. In some software, you need to restart your system before the uninstallation will take effect.

Note: In some cases, you may also need to search for files related to the program. You can use the search bar under Drive C to do this. Delete those files as well.

Method 3 – Create a new user account

Before upgrading to Windows 10, create a new user account. Make sure it has administrative privileges. From there, run the upgrade.

Method 4 – Use third-party uninstaller services

If you still can’t run Windows 10 Setup after the above methods, you might need to rely on a third-party service. Microsoft recommends Revouninstaller that can help you.

Before using this software, reinstall the application or utility that Windows 10 wants you to install. Then, use Revouninstaller to delete the program completely.

Method 5 – Disable third-party antivirus software

Some users who experienced this issue reported that it was solved after disabling or completely uninstalling the anti-virus software installed in their system.

Method 6 – Use a trusted automated tool

If after trying the above methods, the problem still persists, it might be best to use a trusted automated tool to fix the issue.

STOP 0x00000000 Error Code - What is it?

Stop 0x00000000 error code is a type of a Stop error popularly known as a blue screen of death error code. This is a critical error. It can pop up while loading or using the Windows program on your PC. When this error occurs, the computer screen turns blue and you, the user, get locked out of the program. Furthermore, it can also result in sudden system shut down or system freeze. If not fixed timely, the error may start to pop up more and more frequently which then may lead to complete system corruption and system crash.

Solution

Error Causes

The two most common causes for the STOP 0x00000000 error code are:

• Malware infection
• Registry corruption

This is a fatal system error and must be resolved immediately. Delay may lead to system crashes and data loss. And recovering lost data is not easy.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Though this is a fatal error the good news is that it is easy to resolve. To repair the STOP 0x00000000 error on your system, here are some methods that you can try:

Method 1 - Use System Restore to Bring Your Computer Back to its Previous State

To resolve this error on your system, try using the System Restore tool. Use this tool to bring your computer back to its previous state. The Windows System Restore utility is one of the most valuable recovery tools. To use it, simply type System Restore in the search box. Once you find it, click on it and select a restore point to bring your PC back to its normal state. To activate changes, reboot the PC.

Method 2 - Scan for Viruses

If the underlying cause of the Stop 0x00000000 error code is related to malware infection, then you must download a powerful antivirus to resolve it. Run it to scan your entire PC. Make sure you remove all types of malware including adware, spyware, viruses, and Trojan. Once your PC is malware-free, the error will be fixed in no time.

Method 3 - Clean and Repair the Registry

The registry is an important part of the PC. It stores practically all the activities you perform on your system. It saves all the files including both important and unnecessary files such as junk files, cookies, internet history, bad and invalid entries. If these obsolete and unnecessary files are not deleted frequently and keep on accumulating it takes up all the registry space and corrupts it. This results in registry errors like runtime and BSoD errors and sometimes may also lead to disk fragmentation. To resolve it is advisable to repair the registry. This can be done manually but that will take too much time and also require technical expertise. However, another way to resolve it is to download Restoro. This is a user-friendly PC Fixer with a powerful registry cleaner. It removes all obsolete and unnecessary files, cleans the registry and repairs the damaged files, thereby removing the error right away. Click here to download Restoro and resolve Stop 0x00000000 today!

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.

What is a QR Code

QR code or if you want to be more technical Quick Response code is a two-dimensional code made of square dots creating a pattern that can be scanned via QR scanner and then interpreted. Usually, they are present on product packaging, on business cards, websites, etc. When you decode a QR code you can get a link to a website or link to a file or whatever, you can get text, image, email, contact information, etc.

QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator sample code

How to decode a QR Code? You can scan it with your mobile devices like iPhone, iPad, Android or Blackberry equipped with additional software for scanning QR Codes. You might want to check out tools like Barcode Scanner or Red Laser. If you don’t have a mobile device or you need to scan a barcode on your PC, simply use CodeTwo QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator.

How this program works

QR Code reading

CodeTwo QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator is a free tool that will let you quickly scan any QR Code from your screen – be it a part of the website, email, banner, or document. Simply run the program and hit From the screen on the top menu. Your standard mouse cursor will change into a cross to help you make a selection on your screen. Simply select an area with a QR Code and the program will automatically scan it. You can scan QR codes from websites, documents, movie files – you name it. You can also select an image file that contains a QR Code and the program will locate it automatically and decode it. To do that, simply click From file on the top menu of the program and select the desired image from your hard drive. If you have a file copied to your clipboard, or if you make a screenshot of a QR Code, QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator will let you decode those QR codes in one click. Just click From clipboard and the program will automatically locate and decode the QR code for you. That is not all, you can also use your camera to scan QR codes. If you have more than one camera, the program will let you choose which one to use. To use this option, simply click From webcam, and you will be able to scan QR codes with your recording device.

QR Code generation

• CodeTwo QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator also acts as a QR code generator. Creating QR codes is as easy as reading them. Here is how to generate a QR code:
• In the top menu, click Generate mode on and enter the text you want to translate into QR Code
• Choose if you want to copy it to the clipboard or save it in a file. The QR Code will be scaled automatically, but you can resize it in the Size settings tab.
• The resulting QR code can be used however you like. To name just a few options, you can:
• Upload it to your blog/website which is especially useful for mobile users.
• Print it on a poster, providing easily accessible links with more information on your event.
• Send it in newsletters, or include it in your email signature.

QR Codes in email signatures

Inserting QR codes in email signatures lets mobile users quickly grab your contact details, or provides them with links so that they can get more information on your company or topic you were discussing. You can also provide your recipients with a link to QR Code Desktop Reader & Generator. This will help them easily decode QR codes when they open your email on a PC.

QR code

If you want to include a QR code automatically in email signatures throughout a whole organization, try CodeTwo central email signature management solution. It is a very useful tool, which enables you to unify email signatures on Exchange Server and Office 365 (Microsoft 365).

The error 0x0000001 also known as APC_INDEX_MISMATCH is one of the fatal errors that users encounter upon starting their computers. This error appears when there is a sequence mismatch in the driver or system file when it is disabling or re-enabling Asynchronous procedure calls. The mismatch happens maybe because of a virus or malware attack, not shutting down your computer properly and incomplete installation of the system files. There are many ways to fix this error. The easiest way is to download a repair utility program. The use of these programs perfectly fits those that are not so technical. All you have to do is download the program and install it on your computer. As soon as it is installed, the program will now scan and diagnose your computer for any errors. After it identifies the errors, it will then repair your PC through either manual or automatic tools. To those who are techie and enjoy the manual resolution, you may take advantage of Microsoft’s analyze debug extension which tells you the cause of the error. After determining the cause then you can now start fixing the error. Check if Hardware is functioning properly. If the cause is due to a hardware malfunction, you will have to make sure that all the pieces you are using are working. All the wires should be attached to their respective ports. Not only that, but you also must make sure that before installing the hardware, it is compatible with the Windows version that is installed into your computer. Use Compatible software. If the problem was caused by software or a driver, you can uninstall and reinstall it. Always make it a rule that whenever you install a program or new software to your computer, make sure it is compatible with your operating system and never skip a step during the installation process. You also have to see to it that the program you are installing does not contain any viruses, malware, or spyware that can be harmful to your computer. Update your Drivers Regularly. In most cases though, the cause of the APC_INDEX_MISMATCH error are outdated device drivers. To resolve this, you will have to go to your Control Panel then look for Device Manager. As soon as you are in the Device Manager window, you can now see the different devices running on your computer. You right-click on each device and check the Properties.  In the Properties window, click on the Driver Tab and look for the date when it was last updated. You can then go to the manufacturer’s website and compare the dates. For a new Windows operating system, you no longer have to go to the manufacturer's website though. All you have to do is click on Update Driver and it will automatically search for updates online. Use a Genuine Operating System. There are also cases where the 0x0000001 error won’t allow you to access your computer. In this case, we have to suspect that the problem could be in your Operating system. To resolve this, you can reinstall your Operating System or update your current operating system. Only use a genuine licensed Windows Operating System because this will not only protect you from Malware and Viruses but it allows you to get all the recent update available from Microsoft. Update your Windows 10 regularly by going to Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates. You may also turn on the Automatic Update by going to the Advanced options is found on the Windows Update Page. You can always get help online but it really helps to know the basics and determining the root cause of the error.