How to Fix Explorer.exe System call failed

If by any chance you are working on a touchscreen PC, tablet, or any similar device and have no access to a hardware keyboard there is a way to place Touch Keyboard on your screen for easy typing, and you can enable icon on the taskbar for easy access.

Enabling the Touch Keyboard

1. Right-click on the Taskbar
2. Select Taskbar Settings
3. Go to Personalization > Taskbar
4. Click on Taskbar Corner Icons to expand it
5. Click on the switch next to Touch Keyboard to turn it ON
6. Close settings

The icon will immediately appear on the Taskbar in the lower right corner. Clicking the icon virtual keyboard will appear on the lower part of the screen. You can use this keyboard to type in applications the same as you were typing on hardware one. By taping on X in the upper right corner, you will hide the keyboard. Tap on the icon in Taskbar to bring it up again.

Hide the Taskbar icon

If you do not want to use Touch Keyboard anymore you can easily hide the icon:

1. Right-click on the Taskbar
2. Select Taskbar Settings
3. Go to Personalization > Taskbar
4. Click on Taskbar Corner Icons to expand it
5. Click on the switch next to Touch Keyboard to turn it OFF
6. Close settings

If there are any third-party add-ons or proxy settings that interfere with your Windows 10 computer’s internet connection, then you will most likely encounter a problem where you see an error message saying, “Website is online but isn’t responding to connection attempts” when you try to run the Network Adapter troubleshooter. Like pointed out, this kind of error can be caused by some proxy settings that prevent the connection. On the other hand, it could also be caused by some third-party add-ons. To fix this error, read on as this post will guide you on what you can do to fix it. You can try to turn off the proxy settings or disable the add-ons on your browser. You can also try resetting both the TCP/IP and DNS as well as reset the network. For more details, refer to the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try to turn off the proxy settings

There are some users who reported that they’ve fixed the problem after they’ve disabled the use of a proxy server using the built-in way. Follow the steps below to disable the proxy server.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it.

Option 2 – Try disabling the add-ons or browser extensions

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to disable any extensions or add-ons on your browser. For instance, if you are using Chrome, here’s what you have to do:

• 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 3 – Try to update the Network Adapter Driver

Follow the steps below to update your Network Adapter Driver:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “MSC” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• From there, expand the list of all the network drives and update each one of them.

Note: If updating the network drivers didn’t help in fixing the problem, you can also try to uninstall the very same drivers and restart your Windows 10 PC. After that, the system itself will reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled. Alternatively, you can also download and install the drivers from the manufacturer’s website directly.

Option 4 – Try to reset the TCP/IP and the DNS cache

As you know, the TCP/IP or the Internet Protocol is the most important thing if you want to use the internet on your computer. That’s why if it ends up getting corrupted, you need to reset the TCP/IP to fix the problem. To reset TCP/IP, refer to these steps:

• In the Windows start to search, type “command prompt” and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
• Then select the “Run as administrator” option to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, execute this command: netsh int ip reset resettcpip.txt
• Next, execute this second command: ipconfig /flushdns
• Once it’s done, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer and then check if the error is now fixed.

Option 5 – Try to reset the Network

You can also try to perform a Network Reset to resolve the problem. This will reset the entire network configuration including your IP address. To perform Network Reset, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Settings.
• From there, go to the Network and Internet section.
• Next, scroll down and look for “Network Reset” under the status pane.
• After that, click on Network Reset and then on Reset now to start resetting the network configuration. Once done, check if it is able to fix the error or not.

VSSControl: 2147467259 Backup jobs failed. Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing the writer’s data. VSS asynchronous operation is not completed. Code: [0x8004231f]

This message pops up when you are creating a snapshot system restore, usually, the issue is tied with insufficient space or service stopping. We will go into detail about how to fix both so you can finish the operation without any issue.

1. Check Volume Shadow Copy Services

   Easier and faster fix than the next one. Launch Services from the Start Menu, look for Volume Shadow Copy, double-click on it, and check the Service status. If it is stopped, click on the Start button. If it’s running, restart it by clicking Stop > Start.

2. Increase Shadow Storage Space

   If the first fix didn’t resolve the issue then you need to increase Shadow Storage Space. Launch Command Prompt as an administrator. Now, type the following command to check your Shadow Storage Space. vssadmin list shadowstorage Now, type the following command to allocate more storage (you can change 10GB with the amount of space you want to allocate) vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=10GB

Razer is a well-known brand among PC gamers and users, it started as a peripheral manufacturer focused on keyboards and mouse but after years passed Razer expanded its inventory offerings. It soon started offering headphones and lately has branched into wider product lines like gaming chairs and protection masks. It is not a big surprise that Razer is expanding into other branches of the PC industry. This time, however, it has revealed not one but three new hardware for your PC. Case fans, all in one liquid cooler and power supply. There are not many details about the products themselves but one thing is one hundred percent confirmed, they come with Razer Chroma, all of them, even the fans.

Katana Chroma ATX PSU

Most interesting for me personally is Razers Katana, the power supply unit. It is a modular power supply ranging from 750W to 1200W with the additional option of Titanium rated one with an impressive 1600W of power. Power supply will start shipping in early 2022 and at the time of writing this article no price range has been released.

Razer Hanbo AIO

Hanbo liquid cooler will feature an optimized intake design so it can ensure greater heat transfer and fluid dynamic for improved reliability and silent operation. Radiator comes in 240mm size with two fans and a larger one of 360mm with three fans. The pump will be able to rotate in any direction of full 360 degrees so it can fit in any case. Hanbo will be released in November this year but no pricing has been released so far.

Razer Kunai Chroma case fans

Kunai fans will boast high static pressure performance with lowered noise. They will go as far as 2200rpm for the 120mm version where the 140mm version will go up to 1600rpm. They will come with addressable LEDs and up to eight fans will be able to be connected to Razer’s PWM fan controller that will come with a magnet at the back for easy attachment to any steel part of PC casing. PWM will use Razer’s Synapse software to customize pulse width modulation in order to improve airflow and noise. PWM will be priced at $49.99 in the Razer Store and it is available for preorder. Fans are priced at $44.99 for one 120mm or $129.99 for a three-pack of 120mm. One 140mm will go for $49.99 and a three-pack will be $129.99.

Windows 11 is released and its adoption goes slower than Microsoft would like but nevertheless, it is slowly getting adopted, especially among new computers. Windows 11 has brought us a new modern look of OS but if you would like to personalize it a little more you can. Follow the guide on various things that you can change inside Windows 11.

Personalize list of recently added apps, opened items, folders

The recommended section that shows recently added apps and recently open items can be turned off and hidden now to be shown. In order to do this follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Settings by pressing WINDOWS + I
2. Click on personalization in the sidebar
3. Click on START and go through the options
4. Turn OFF switch beside recently accessed files
5. Additionally, you can also change which folders appear on the Start menu.

Remove apps or change app order on the Start Menu

To remove application not to be shown in the Start menu at all follow this simple guide:

1. Right-click on app
2. Choose unpin
3. To place the application on Start click on All Apps, right-click on the app and choose Pin to Start
4. To drag and rearrange apps, simply click on them and drag them to the new place.

Change the Start Menu location

When Windows 11 was first released Start Menu could only be located in the middle of the screen but thanks to plenty of backlash from users now it is possible to move it on a more traditional left side.

1. Press WINDOWS + I to open the settings app
2. Click on Personalization
3. Look for taskbar behaviors
4. Inside taskbar behaviors look for Taskbar alignment
5. Change alignment to left

Change the Start Menu color

In order to change the color of the Start Menu follow the next steps:

1. Open Settings app
2. Go to personalization settings
3. Go to Colors
4. Switch to custom
5. Under accent color pick a color you like or make your custom one.

What Is 0xc000001d Error?

The 0xc000001d error is a common yet critical error that can occur when Windows is damaged or fails to work as a result of either missing system files or corrupt system components. This error can be extremely dangerous to Windows as it can inflict major damage to data and component files.

Error Causes

A 0xc000001d error code can occur because of a number of reasons, of which corrupt registry files are the most common, and about 94% of the time, this results in the error. However, virus infection or an adware or spyware invasion can also result in this error. Outdated drivers and missing DLL files can also be critical and will lead to this error causing major damage to computer files. Contrary to popular belief, incomplete installation and unfinished uninstalls can also because of this error. Other causes include improper shutting down of computers and improper hardware or software deletion.

Solution

Further Information and Manual Repair

Because of this 0xc000001d error code, Windows can fail in starting some processes and the system’s performance can significantly slow down. In some cases, Windows has problems starting up and the system can freeze. Lastly, this error code can even result in the Blue screen of death error message, just like other critical Windows errors. If any of the above problems and symptoms occur in your PC, then you should immediately seek to resolve this problem. In order to resolve this 0xc000001d error code or repair the corrupted and damaged Windows files, you will need a 0xc000001d repair tool. There is more than one method of treating this kind of error code, and here is how you can manually do it:

• Start the computer and log in as administrator
• Go to the start button and select All Programs. Go to Accessories, System Tools, and then System Restore
• Click on System Restore and in a new window, select the ‘Restore my computer to an earlier time’ option and click Next
• On the new confirmation window that appears, click Next
• Restart your computer after the restoration has been completed

Another way to manually repair this 0xc000001d error code is to:

• Manually edit the Windows registry
• Update all the drivers for the device

If you are trying to install a Feature Update in Windows 10 but you got the error code 0x80190001, then it means that there is something wrong with the installation files. The installation files are either corrupted or some of them failed to be downloaded. On the other hand, the issue might also have something to do with a driver issue. When you encounter error 0x80190001, you will see the either of following error message on your screen:

“Something went wrong Couldn’t download Windows 10, please check your network settings and try again. You can contact Microsoft support for help with this error. Here’s the error code 0x80190001”. Or: “An unexpected error was encountered while attempting to download files required for the upgrade”.

Here are some fixes that could help you resolve the error 0x80190001. Follow them carefully.

Option 1 – Run the Network Troubleshooter

As mentioned in the error message the issue might have something to do with the network settings of your computer so you can try to run the Network Troubleshooter and then try updating or installing Windows 10 again.

Option 2 – Update Network drivers

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, look for Network Adapters from the list of device drivers displayed. Once you find it, expand it to see the Network drivers.
• Right-click on it and select the option “Uninstall device” – do the same thing for the other Network drivers.
• Restart your PC so Windows can detect and reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled.

Option 3 – Use Storage Sense to clean up temporary and junk files

• Open Setting > System > Storage from the WinX Menu.
• From there, you will see a list of all the local and connected storage devices along with the details on the free space.
• Now make sure that the Storage Sense feature is turned On then go find a link that says “Free Up Space” and click it to open.
• After that, a screen which is the built-in program in Windows 10 will appear and will scan your computer for the following junk files so you can free up disk space:
• Windows Upgrade Log Files
• The system created Windows Error Reporting Files
• Thumbnails
• Temporary Internet Files
• Previous Windows Installation Files
• Delivery Optimisation Files
• DirectX Shader Cache

Note: Once you’re done freeing up space on your drive, try to run the setup file again.

Option 4 – Delete the contents in the SoftwareDistribution folder

The Software Distribution folder in the Windows operating system is a folder that can be found in the Windows directory and is used to store files temporarily which might be required to install the Windows Update on your PC. Thus, it is required by the Windows Update and maintained by WUAgent. A lot of users tried deleting the files in this folder to fix the problem and so far it has worked. Like them, you can try clearing the Windows Update cache by simply deleting the contents of the folder named “SoftwareDistribution” since Windows apparently can’t clear and re-download the update contents once they are corrupted. Thus, deleting the contents of this folder will make Windows download the contents again which will fix the problem. To do that, follow the steps below.

• Open the WinX Menu.
• From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.

net stop wuauserv net stop bits

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service and the Background Intelligent Transfer Service.
• Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.
• Once all the contents in the Software Distribution folder are deleted, restart your PC and then go back to Command Prompt and input the following commands again.

net start wuauserv net start bits

 Since the folder has already been flushed, it will be populated afresh the instant your restart your computer and open Windows Update.

Option 5 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

You might also want to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter as it is also known to help users resolve Windows Update errors like error 0x80190001.

Option 6 – Try to disable your antivirus program

Disabling the antivirus program or any security software installed in your computer is always a good idea you can try when the Windows Update process does not go smoothly. So before you try updating your computer again, make sure to disable the antivirus or security program and once the Windows Update is done, don’t forget to enable the antivirus program back again.

Option 7 – Try to use the Media Creation tool

The Media Creation tool in Windows allows you to use the ISO installation file to make a bootable device that you can use to install Windows on your PC. Note that this is kind of different from the usual installation process as it could erase your computer’s current settings and data on the primary drive. Thus, before you proceed, you need to backup all your data into some removable drive and then use the Media Creation Tool to make a bootable drive.

• After making the bootable drive, you need to plug it into your computer and then reboot.
• Next, tap the F10 or Esc key to open the boot options.
• Now set the boot priority of the removable drive the highest. Once the setup comes forth, follow the next onscreen instructions and install Windows without any problems.

Steam is one of if not the largest online store for the digital distribution of games on the PC platform. The game gets downloaded to your PC when you are planning to play it and its saves are synched in the Steam cloud. They get automatically downloaded when you install the game but you can also get your saves by directly downloading them from Valve's website in your browser. If Steam isn’t automatically downloading your old save games after you install a game, ensure Steam Cloud is enabled for that game within Steam. Locate the game in your Steam library, right-click it, and then select Properties. Click the Updates tab and ensure the Enable Steam Cloud synchronization option is checked for the game. If this option isn’t checked, Steam won’t automatically download your cloud saves. If you don’t see a Steam Cloud option for a game here, that game doesn’t support Steam Cloud. Not all games on Steam do, it’s up to each game developer.

Download the Files in Your Web Browser

Valve lets you download your Steam cloud save files via a web browser, too. You can download just your saved files without re-downloading the entire game. To find your saved files, visit Valve’s View Steam Cloud page in your web browser and sign in with your Steam account. You’ll see a list of games using your Steam Cloud storage. Locate the game in the list and click Show Files to see all the files for a game. Each game has a page showing all the files it’s storing in Steam Cloud, as well as the date they were modified. To download a file, click Download. Download all the save files for your game, and you’ll have a copy of its save games. This feature is especially useful for multi-platform games that don’t automatically synchronize save files between platforms.

If you encounter an error message saying, “ERR SSL VERSION OR CIPHER MISMATCH” while visiting a website, then it is not primarily your fault as an end-user. In fact, it can happen on any website like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and even Internet Explorer. Getting this error means that the website you are visiting is using an SSL certificate which your browser seems to be rejected because there is some issue with the certificate. It is also possible that the certificate that’s downloaded on your computer is corrupted or that your computer configuration for TSL/SSL is misconfigured. Here are the complete details of the error message:

“A secure connection cannot be established because this site uses an unsupported protocol, Error code ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH”

To resolve the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error, refer to the options given below and see which one works for you.

Option 1 – Try to access the website with the only HTTP

The first thing you can do is to try accessing the website using HTTP instead of HTTPS. If you can open the website using HTTP then it means that the problem is in the website itself. And if you are the website owner, you can check the following:

• Check if your website’s SSL certificate name is mismatched. Here you need to ensure that the name and alias of the websites match with the actual website URL where the certificate is installed.
• Second, check if your server is using the RC4 Cipher. If it is, then you need to fix that.

On the other hand, you may also check if your CDN also supports SSL since most of the CDN nowadays supports SSL. All you have to do is configure it correctly and it should be good to go.

Option 2 – Try enabling SSL 3 / TLS and disable QUIC Protocol

If you were using Google Chrome when you got the ERR SSL VERSION OR CIPHER MISMATCH error, then you need to follow the protocol fixes for SSL3/TLS and QUIC which are usually some of the reasons that cause the SSL version / Cipher Mismatch. It also has a few fixes for Windows 10 computer where you can clear the certificates and make sure that your computer date and time is in sync with your time zone and so on. If you were using Edge or Internet Explorer when you got the error, then you have to follow the steps below.

• Type “Internet” in the search box of your browser. After that, you should see the Internet Options from the search results.
• Next, open the Internet Properties window and switch to the Advanced tab and then scroll down to the Security section.
• From there, check the “Use TLS 1.1” checkbox as well as the “Use TLS 1.2” checkbox and then click OK to save the changes made.
• Restart the browser.

On the other hand, if you were using Firefox when you go the error, here’s what you have to do.

• Open Firefox and in the address bar, type “about:config” and hit Enter.
• If a warning appears, just click on the “I accept the risk!” button to proceed.
• Next, type in “TLS” in the search field and hit Enter.
• Then look for “security.tls.version.min” and double click on it and set its integer value to 3 to force the protocol of TLS 1.3.
• Now click OK and restart Firefox and do the same thing with SSL.

We have talked about gaming on old computers and have covered new and upcoming Steam deck handheld console. Today we are combining old gaming with a handheld console and our target of talk is Retroid pocket 2. This product is packed with really high-quality plastic and with some great features in it. So let's dive into this cool handheld in more detail and find out why we like it so much.

Good manufacturing quality

Plastic and overall manufacturing quality are really, really good. The battery is great, packing 4000mAh that can hold over 3 hours of nonstop gaming, and all buttons and joysticks are great. The screen is a 640 x 480 60Hz 3.5″ IPS screen (4:3 aspect ratio) that performs really great for its purpose, retro gaming. There is a Digital D-Pad and dual analog joysticks. The right joystick is the lower profile to avoid being accidentally moved when pressing the four gaming buttons. There are three buttons at the bottom which are Home, Start, and Select. On either side are good-quality stereo speakers. On the bottom of the device are a Micro SD Card slot and a 3.5mm headphone port. On the top of the device are Left and Right shoulder and trigger buttons. There are the power button and volume adjustments. There are a USB Type-C OTG port and a Micro HDMI output for connection to a TV.

Good technical statistics

Good, not great but then again since this is retro handheld you cannot really expect some crazy stuff like alder lake inside. So the console is punching ARM Cortex A7 CPU with 2 cores and a clock of 1.5GHz paired with ARM Mali 400-MP2 500MHz GPU. The console has 1GB LPDDR3 RAM memory and 8GB eMMC Storage where 5GB is freely available, the rest is taken for OS. As mentioned before the display is 640x480 resolution with a size of 3.5″. The battery is Lithium-Ion with a power of 4000mAh and on the handheld, there is a USB Type-C connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Micro-HDMI. It also has Wifi/Bluetooth 4.0

Retroid Pocket 2 OS and support

Pocket 2 comes with Android 6 but you can update its firmware to the 8.1 version on the official site that I would highly recommend. New versions of the handheld will come with 8.1 on it from the box. Having Android as OS opens many possibilities like you can download Android apps such as Steam Link, allowing you to play actual PC games on your Retroid Pocket 2. Not just that, if it does get a newer version of Android it could even have the ability to use xCloud, Xbox’s cloud gaming service. Of course, hardware will not be able to handle modern games but the option is still there and for some old PC titles available on steam like Commander Keen, for example, this is a great option. The console can emulate basically everything up to Dreamcast, including N64, PSP, and Playstation 1. It can emulate Nintendo DS also, but it can only do so with one screen. The only problem with this console is you will need to install and update Apps. You’ll need to learn about RetroArch, an app that lets you download emulators or cores to play games.

Retroid price

The last thing on the list is the price of the console itself. Going just under the 100$ mark this really makes it an affordable option for plenty of people that would like to experience retro handheld gaming or for ones like me, nostalgic gamers wanting to relive some era of playing games on the road.

Conclusion

Among Chinese handheld devices for retro gaming, Retroid Pocket 2 is really on top of what the market can offer. If you are looking for a great handheld retro console and are not afraid of little dive-ins into the OS and various configurations, Pocket 2 will reward you with plenty and wide emulation support.