How to Fix Plugin.dll Error

Wondering if upgrading to Windows 11 will boost your gaming experience? We can’t give you a straightforward answer, sadly. But we can take you through the tweaks you can expect if you have all the right requirements and help you make a final decision.

Is Windows 11 good for gaming?

Essentially, the answer to this question is yes. Microsoft has definitely added a bunch of enhancements and features to its latest OS to give gamers the best possible experience. However, you have to keep in mind that this may not work out smoothly for every single user.

Whether you’ll be able to fully take advantage of the Windows 11 gaming features really depends on your setup. As expected, Windows 11 has more demanding system requirements than its predecessor.

So, unless your hardware can run the new OS comfortably, you might not be able to make the most of all these gaming perks. In that case, we recommend you first upgrade your hardware and then make the switch. Be prepared to be a little surprised by a few other interesting changes in comparison to Windows 10, though!

For some of the new gaming features to work, it’ll also be necessary for you to have an NVMe SSD and an HDR-compatible monitor. So let’s take a look at 4 big improvements you can expect if your setup is compatible.

Gaming enhancements on Windows 11

1. Enjoy faster loading speed with DirectStorage

For this powerful feature to work, you need a compatible graphics card and, as stated before, an NVMe SSD. It’s also important for your GPU to support the DirectX 12 graphics API at least. And since we’re on that subject, you’ll be happy to know that Windows 11 has also introduced a new version of the API called DirectX 12 Ultimate. 

Now, what does DirectStorage do? It’s a new feature designed to make full use of the speedy storage of NVMe SSDs. It also transfers game data directly onto the graphics card, lightening the load on your CPU. Normally the CPU would have to decompress the data first, but DirectStorage helps bypass this. That’s how loading times are reduced and games run more smoothly.

2. Fully immerse yourself through Game Mode

Windows 11’s Game Mode is certainly a welcomed addition. When you turn on Game Mode, usage of background apps that aren’t essential to your game is reduced. This results in the game you’re running becoming a priority process. This way, it uses your hardware and system resources to the max. Ultimately, the Game Mode means less lag and higher frame rates so you can play undisturbed and fully enjoy your gaming session.

3. Vibrant visual experience thanks to AutoHDR

For this one you’ll absolutely need an HDR-compatible monitor. Basically, HDR (High Dynamic Range) means a wider range of contrasts and colors that can be displayed on a monitor.

Windows 10 has an HDR feature, but you have to turn it on and off manually (“Use HDR”). Plus, users have reported that, if left on, it results in an unappealing appearance of content other than movies and games. 

Windows 11 fixes that problem with its AutoHDR feature. Toggling it results in the system automatically adjusting the color contrast, balance and brightness based on what you’re currently looking at. For gamers, this means vivid imagery in every single game, resulting in a supreme visual experience. You can check out Microsoft’s own video showcasing the power of AutoHDR.

Aside from AutoHDR, another way Windows 11 improves the visual aspect is through its support for refresh rates of up to 360Hz.

4. Xbox Game Pass & Game Bar

It’s no secret that Microsoft wants to integrate Windows and Xbox. We’ve seen some attempts with Windows 10, but they’re pretty wonky compared to the new OS.

Windows 11’s built-in Xbox Game Bar enables quite a few options all gamers desire. You can take screenshots and videos of your game and send them, for starters. Furthermore, you can use it to see audio settings and monitor your PC’s performance without having to leave the game or open the Task Manager.

Widgets are also a really cool part of the Game Bar. You can choose from a wide variety of widgets, such as Xbox Achievements, Spotify, Gallery, Xbox Social and more. 

Moreover, the Xbox Game Pass has been streamlined on Windows 11. Game Pass is a subscription service that unlocks hundreds of awesome games and supports cloud streaming. Do keep in mind that the games are only unlocked for a certain period of time, as the selection rotates once in a while.

What can you do for a better gaming experience?

Windows 11 does offer tweaks that require zero input from you. However, there are a few things you can do manually to get even more out of your new OS while gaming.

• Turn off enhanced pointer precision. Most games enhance precision by default, so having this feature on might interfere with that.
• Make sure to select your high performance graphics card for each game. Go to Settings > Gaming > Game Mode and tap ‘Graphics’ from the ‘Related settings’ menu. Find the game you want to adjust, click on ‘Options’ and choose your high performance graphics card to be the default setting. While there, you can also turn on ‘Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling’ at the top.
• Disable unnecessary apps and programs. As long as they aren’t essential to running your game, they might take up valuable system resources, so disable them to make space for your gaming requirements.
• Check for pending updates and install them. It’s well-known that out-of-date software causes bugs, latency and crashes. The same goes for your GPU drivers.
• Use the High-performance power plan (Control Panel > Power Options > Additional plans) to maximize the use of resources for the best possible performance.

Summary

Windows 11 has done quite a bit for avid gamers. We hope your setup is compatible with all these new features and you can experience these enhancements ASAP!

Option 1 – Try to run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter

Option 2 – Restart Cortana’s process in the Task Manager

• Tap the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys to open the Security options window.
• From there, look for the Task Manager in the given list and open it.
• Next, look for the process of Cortana and right-click on it, and then select the End Task option to end its process.
• After that, the Cortana process will restart by itself and re-initialize.

Option 3 – Try resetting Cortana

• Open Cortana and go to the Settings section where you’ll see the “Turning off Cortana clears what Cortana knows on this device, but won’t delete anything from the Notebook. After Cortana is off, you can decide what you’d like to do with anything still stored in the cloud” option. Turn this option off.
• Restart your PC.
• After your computer boots, launch Cortana again and check.

Option 4 – Try running the DISM tool

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

Option 5 – Try to reinstall Cortana

• First, right-click on the Start button and click on the Windows Powershell (Admin) option from the list.
• Next, type the following command and hit Enter to execute it:

Get-AppXPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.Cortana | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

• Restart your computer and check if Cortana is now able to connect.

Option 6 – Try troubleshooting the problem in a Clean Boot State

• 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.)
• From there, start to isolate the problem by checking which one of the programs you installed recently is the root cause of the problem.

Error Code 0x80070004 on Windows 10 – What Is It?

Some users trying to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 reported experiencing installation rollback with error code 0x80070004. This error normally appears when the Computer Name is set to names that can’t be used for the computer. It’s also possible this error occurs if users or program files folder were redirected to a different partition.

Solution

Error Causes

The Error code 0x80070004 on Windows 10 is normally caused if any of the following were used as the Computer Name and the user tried to upgrade to Windows 10:

• System (or SYSTEM)
• SELF
• LOCAL
• Network

Further Information and Manual Repair

If you don’t solve this error, you won’t be able to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 to Windows 10. Note that this error will continuously bring you back to the original OS unless fixed.

Please note that if you’re not confident in doing these steps, you might want to consider seeking the help of an expert or using an automated tool that will help fix this.

Here are a few methods to try.

Method 1: Check and Change the Computer Name

The most common cause of this error is if your computer uses any of the following reserved names:

• LOCAL
• System (or SYSTEM)
• Network
• SELF

These reserved names are not meant to be used as computer names. If this is what your computer uses and you try to upgrade to Windows 10, you will surely get this error. Check your computer name and if you see any of the reserved names, change it right away.

Changing Computer Name in Windows 8.1

If you’re trying to upgrade from Windows 8.1, you can change the name of the computer by following these steps:

• Step 1: Open the Start menu then simply type “rename computer”. After that, choose “Rename this computer”
• Step 2: A dialog box will open. Just click the “Change” button
• Step 3: A new dialog box will open. Type the new name. Click Apply then Ok.

Changing Computer Name in Windows 7

If you’re trying to upgrade from Windows, you can follow the steps below to change the name of your computer.

• Step 1: Go to the Start menu then on the Computer section, right-click the mouse and choose “Properties”.
• Step 2: A new dialog box will appear. Go to “Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings” then click “Change settings”. In case you’re asked for administrative access, make sure to grant it.
• Step 3: Find the “Computer Name” tab then click “Change”
• Step 4: Change the computer name and click Ok.

Method 2: Fix the “Users” directory issue

If the first method doesn't work, it probably means the computer name isn’t the cause of this error. Another reason why users experience Error code 0x80070004 when upgrading to Windows 10 is if the “Users” directory was relocated. So, when you try upgrading to Windows 10, the installer wasn’t able to find the user profiles on the “%systemdrive%”, where the current operating system is installed.

If you changed or moved any of the Users, Program Data, or Program Files folders, this will cause the error. Before you upgrade to Windows 10, you might be required to reset or reinstall your current operating system (Windows 7 or Windows 8.1).

If you haven’t made any changes or haven’t moved any of the mentioned folders, there’s a great chance that your users' profiles are corrupted. You can also reinstall your current operating system. However, you might want to check for the corrupter user profile first. To do this, follow the steps below:

• Step 1: Go to the Start menu and type System
• Step 2: Click System  then go to the Advanced tab
• Step 3: Go to Settings, which you’ll find under User Profiles

On the Users Profiles, make a copy of all the accounts somewhere. Sign out from the current user account then try logging in back using the accounts you’ve copied. For each account, you get an error, delete it. However, make sure that you don’t delete the UpdateUser and Administrator account ever.

After this is done, try upgrading your operating system to windows 10 again.

Method 3: Try a trusted and secured Automated Tool

If the above methods still not useful, you might want to rely on an automated tool. Find a secured and trusted tool. It will help fix this issue.

Option 1 – Delete the user account using Windows Account settings

• First, go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
• Next, select the account you want to delete and click on the Remove button. This will open a confirmation window along with a warning message and two buttons that say, “Delete account & data” and “Cancel”.
• Click on the Delete account & data button to delete the user account.

Option 2 – Delete the user account using the command line

• In the Start Search, type “command prompt” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• Next, type the “net user” command and hit Enter to execute it. This will show you the exact usernames on the computer.
• After that, type the “net user <username> /delete” command and hit Enter to execute it. This will delete the account and all of its data without any warning. You have to replace “<username>” with the name of the user account.

“We couldn’t install Windows in the location you choose. Please check your media drive. Here’s more info about what happened: 0x80300002”

Option 1 – Check if the BIOS is compatible with the installation media

• In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After that, execute this command: exe /convert /allowfullOS
• Now, wait until the process is completed since you can track its process on your screen.
• Once it’s done, go to Settings > Update & Security > Advanced Startup options and from there, click on Restart Now. This will restart your computer and give you advanced options.
• Next, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options where you will see further options including System Restore, Startup Repair, Go back to the previous version, Command Prompt, System Image Recovery, and UEFI Firmware Settings.
• Now select the “Legacy” option. This will take you to the BIOS. Boot Mode is typically available under Boot > Boot Configuration. Once you’re there, set it to Legacy and then save the changes you’ve made. After that, your computer will restart.

Option 2 – Try recreating a new bootable drive

• Insert your USB drive into your PC.
• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type in “cmd” and tap Enter to open the Command Prompt. Alternatively, you can also search for “cmd” in the Cortana search box to open Command Prompt.
• Once you’ve opened CMD, type in this command to open the DISPART utility – diskpart
• After that, you should see a new black and white window that would say, “DISKPART>”.
• Next, type in “list disk” in the command line and tap Enter to see the list of all the Storage devices as well as your hard disk connected to your PC. Here, you have to identify your disk’s number.
• Type in this command where “X” is the disk number you have identified and then tap Enter – disk X
• Type in this command and hit Enter to clear the table records and all the visible data on the drive – clean
• Now you have to recreate a new primary partition of the drive so you’ll have to type in this command and tap Enter right after – create part pri
• A new primary partition has been created so you have to select it by typing this command and tapping Enter – select part 1
• Now you have to format it to make it visible to normal users by typing – format fs=ntfs quick

• After that, type in this command and tap Enter after – active
• Finally, type this command and hit Enter to exit the utility – exit
• After you prepare the image for the operating system, save it to the root of your USB Storage device.

Option 3 – Try to recreate all the partitions

Free Ride Games is a desktop casual game program and potentially unwanted application. It sets its player to run in startup boot with Windows and installs additional files outside of its designated installation folders. The software reads PC information to display targeted advertising and runs a background process that cannot be shut down even by exiting the FreeRide Player. The player runs in full screen with no visible window controls to exit or minimize, and contains unskippable advertising in its function. While not malicious, the FreeRide Player possesses many traits that as of publication time have caused some AntiVirus programs to designate it as potentially unwanted adware. It has also been associated with adware distribution toolbars such as GameVance.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking signs

How it infects your computer

How to remove a browser hijacker

Can't Install Safebytes Anti-malware due to the presence of Malware? Try This!

Install the anti-virus in Safe Mode

Download the antivirus program in an alternate browser

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

The following files, folders, and registry entries are created or modified by FreeRideGames.

In 2014 Proton mail started as an end-to-end encrypted email service offering secure and private email services. Proton mail is still live and going with the same dedication to privacy and security but the company has expanded its offering into cloud storage drive services.

Starting as a public beta at the end of 2020, Proton Drive is keeping its privacy and security policy philosophy with the new service. Proton Drive is the newest service besides Proton Calendar, Proton VPN, and Proton Mail.

Drive has end-to-end encryption for everything on it including files themselves, filenames, folder structure, folder names, extensions, and file sizes. This means that you and only you can access your files. Servers are located in Geneva, Switzerland and they are under Swiss privacy laws making sure that your files are protected. Proton services in general are all open source so anyone can take a look at them to be sure that nothing is lurking under the hood. For now, sync is done either via the android app or web interface but the desktop client will come soon since currently, it is under development.

Sadly free plan of Proton Drive will give you only 1GB of storage which is much less than other services and sadly payments plans are also not so jaw-dropping going for $4 USD per month for a 200GB plan or with Proton ultimate subscription that will set you $10 behind but you will get 500GB of drive storage. Of course, if you value privacy for your files these options are good but if you do not mind that part other services have much better options.

All in all Proton Drive is a great cloud storage solution if you need privacy and well worth the investment. With the ultimate subscription, you will get enough space for most people and company needs with other services and guaranteed privacy and security, on the other hand, if you just need a large amount of cloud storage not caring too much about privacy other options are better.

Option 1 – Try to toggle the settings of the Internet Options

• In the Windows Search box, search for Internet Options to open it.
• Next, go to the Security tab and drag the security slider to the lowest possible security for all the given zones.
• After that, click on OK to save the changes made and close the Internet Options.

Option 2 – Try to update or reinstall the respective drivers

• First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
• Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
• From there, look for the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” option and then right-click on each one of the USB drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.

• Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.

Option 3 – Try to change the PIN of the security key

Option 4 – Temporarily disable Firewall and third-party antivirus

Option 5 – Try to troubleshoot the web browser

Option 1 – Try using System Restore

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
• Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
• After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 2 – Uninstall the Windows Updates you’ve installed recently

• Boot your PC into Safe Mode and then tap the Win + I keys to open Settings.
• After that, click on Update and Security and then select Windows Update from the left side menu column.
• Next, select the “View installed update history” option on the right-side column and click on Uninstall Updates which will open a window that will show the list of all the installed updates on your PC.
• From there, select the update you want to uninstall and click the Uninstall button located in the lower right corner of the window.

Option 3 – Try disabling the Fast Startup

• Boot your PC into Safe Mode.
• Then tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type in “control” to open Control Panel.
• After that, select Hardware and Sound and click on Power Options.
• Select “Choose what the power buttons do” from the left side menu pane and click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
• Afterward, uncheck the “Turn on fast startup (Recommended)” entry and click on Save Changes.
• Now restart your PC and check if the problem’s fixed.

Option 4 – Try running both the SFC scan and CHKDSK utility

• Tap the Win + X keys or right-click on the Start button and click Command Prompt (admin).
• After that, type in this command and tap Enter to run the System File Checker or SFC – “Sfc /scannow”.
• Alternatively, you can use this command instead if the previous command didn’t work – “sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c: /offwindir=c:windows”.
• Wait until the SFC scan is done with the process and then restart your PC.
• Next, run the CHKDSK utility and once it’s done checking your disk for errors and then reboot your PC to save the changes made.

Option 5 – Try resetting Windows 10

• Tap the Win + I keys and go to Update and Security > Recovery.
• Then click on Get Started under the Reset this PC section.
• After that, follow the on-screen instructions with how you want to reset your PC and what files and settings you want to revert.
• Then it will reset your PC by reinstalling it

Option 6 – Try to rename the SoftwareDistribution folder

• Open an elevated Command Prompt as admin and type in the commands below and tap Enter right after you typed in each one of them
• net stop wuauserv
• net stop bits
• rename c:windowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak
• net start wuauserv
• net start bits

Option 7 – Try rebuilding BCD

• You can start by booting into the installation environment for Windows 10 from an installation media.
• After that, click on Repair your computer and on the blue screen, select Troubleshoot and then select the Advanced options menu.
• Next, select Command Prompt and type in the commands below one by one, and tap Enter right after you do so.
• exe /FixMbr
• exe /FixBoot
  • exe /RebuildBcd

Error Code 14 - What is it?

Generated due to temporary device and Window system conflicts, Error code 14 is a typical Device Manager error.  This error code can pop up anytime and usually displayed in the following format:

“This device cannot work properly until you restart your computer. (Code 14)”

Though it is not a fatal error code like the infamous Blue Screen of Death and runtime error codes, nonetheless it is still advisable to repair it immediately before any delay to avoid inconvenience.

It can lower your PC’s performance and hamper you from using certain hardware devices as a result of driver problems.

Solution

Error Causes

Error 14 is triggered when your system is unable to correctly read the files and settings which is important for running a certain piece of your PC hardware. Now this conflict may occur due to reasons like outdated, corrupted, or poorly installed drivers. Other causes may include corrupted registry entries.

Simply put, Error code 14 is a good reminder that PC users should pay attention to updating device drivers to ensure healthy systems and optimum PC performance.

Further Information and Manual Repair

The good news is that error code 14 is quite easy to resolve. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to hire a professional programmer to get it fixed. To repair, simply follow the DIY methods listed below.

We have compiled some of the best, proven, and easy to perform solutions for PC users to resolve Device Manager error codes like error code 14. Follow the instructions here to resume the functionality of your PC.

Let’s get started:

Method 1 - Reboot Your System

Sometimes, an action as simple as rebooting your PC can also resolve technical problems like error code 14. So, before you try any other method, try giving this a shot.

The moment the error code pops on your screen, simply close all the programs running on your system and restart your PC. This refreshes your system settings, processes and services allowing it to run smoothly.

However, if the error still persists, then try other methods given below.

Method 2 - Delete the Corrupted Registry Entries

Corrupted registry entry can also trigger error code 14. To resolve delete the corrupted registry entries. For this, go to the start menu and type Regedit. A dialog box will open. Now navigate through the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key. Expand further to locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass. Once located, now in the right pane click upper filters and then click delete on the edit menu. Click yes when prompted to confirm the deletion.

Now in the right pane, click lower filters. Repeat the same steps as performed to delete upper filters. Confirm deletion and then exit the registry editor. To activate changes, restart your PC. This will hopefully resolve the issue. If the error code pops up on your computer screen, then try method 3.

Method 3 - Update Corrupted/Outdated Drivers

Drivers are basically software applications that communicate and provide instructions to your system to operate hardware devices.

When these become corrupt or outdated, you start experiencing problems like error code 14. To resolve, locate corrupted drivers and update them. You can do it both manually and automatically. We’ll discuss both ways.

For a manual driver update, go to the start menu, control panel, and then Device Manager. Now go through all devices listed to locate problematic drivers. To identify problematic drivers, look for yellow exclamation marks next to each device. Devices with yellow exclamation marks indicate that driver issues. To repair, right-click on each hardware device and select update driver.

Method 4 - Install DriverFIX - Alternative to Manual Driver Update

Updating each driver separately and manually is a stressful and frustrating task. This can take a lot of your time. Sometimes, you may also have to download new driver versions from the internet to install perform updates. To avoid the hassle and save time, it is advisable to install a program like DriverFIX.

This user-friendly and intuitive software is based on sophisticated technology featuring an intelligent programming system that automatically detects all your PC drivers in seconds.

Once you install this software on your system, it instantly identifies problematic drivers and matches them to the latest versions. It updates PC drivers immediately thereby resolving the error code 14 problem in a few seconds. It enables accurate installations and ensures that your PC runs at its optimum level.

More importantly, with this software installed on your PC, you don’t have to worry about keeping track of your driver updates anymore. The software updates drivers on a regular basis with new and compatible versions ensuring that your PC functions properly and you don’t experience any type of Device Manager error code. It is easy to use and install. It is compatible with all Windows versions.

Click here to download DriverFIX to resolve error code 14 on your system right away.