Fix Windows Error Code 0x80070017

Things have stirred lately with Chinas ban on crypto mining and many used GPUs will flow the market probably. But should you buy a used GPU? Short answer: NO, long answer: keep on reading to find out why.

GPU shortage and its cause

As you all know by now, we live sadly in a world struck by a global Pandemic. Due to this awful disease and measures taken against it, many people are either working from home or are at home making the manufacturing of new chips problematic while demand on the market has raised. Throw into that mix crypto mining which has raised in popularity and you have, well today's market where we have GPU shortage. Now with the latest news that China has banned the mining of cryptocurrency, there is to be expected that at some point in time mining cards used there will fit the market in the whole world. Sadly even with a large quantity of GPUs that will become available, the overall price of cards will not be much lowered I am afraid since demand is still very high and many people would not want to purchase used mining cards and neither should you.

Be prepared for the worst scenario

Although this sounds very pessimistic and in most cases, it will not turn out to be true, you should always prepare yourself mentally that you might be in that lower percentage that will end up with a really bad GPU. What has come up to be absolutely true when considering GPU that were mining is that if anything at all can be done to GPU in order to increase performance, it has been done. Miners want to optimize and almost every GPU if could be overclocked, it was overclocked. Extensive mining also means that thermal paste has been dried and it is pretty useless at this point and there is a very high chance that fans and heat sinks will need much cleaning or even replacement raising the price of the card itself for mentioned paste, fans, and heat sinks. There's no way to tell what the previous owner might have done with a graphics card when you're shopping online, so our advice is to assume the worst. Don't trust the seller to give truthful information. Any listing that says it was "never used for mining" at this point is probably a lie.

Age of the GPU matters

Date when GPU itself has manufactured really matters. Newer cards even if used extensively have been used for a much shorter period of time and are not so damaged were ones produced a few years ago have seen a lot of action. Let’s say that you get RTX 3060, In the worst-case scenario it has been mining since late February of 2021 and basically, it is still under warranty so it should behave OK and put some good work in gaming even in that state. On another hand, if we take for example GTX 1080Ti which is 4 years old GPU things start to change drastically. 4 years GPU could be worn out even if it was used just for extensive gaming sessions let alone for mining.

No return policy and seller rating

Most of the time you will run into a product that cannot be returned or no refunds policy. This should bring a red flag right away and deter you from purchase. Sellers with the highest ratings are more trustworthy since many of them will not want to destroy their reputation but these will probably not even have these kinds of merchandise in their store. Buying with a poor rating seller and no return policy on a product is just asking for trouble. And although some stores do have arbitration and will stand on the customer side there is no guarantee for that and it will take too much time to process.

If you really must buy a second-hand GPU

Of course in these troubled times sometimes due to malfunction or any other reason, there would not be another choice than to buy a second-hand GPU. In this case, if there is no other option consider sellers with many positive ratings. If you can buy locally that would even be better or the best-case scenario would be if you could visually see and inspect GPU itself in order to see in what state it is. Look for warranty stickers to see if they are thorn and the card has been tampered with. Also take a good look at screws, if they have scratches card has been opened, probably to replace fan or heating sinks which means that it has worked a lot.

Conclusion

It is very difficult to give the best possible advice on this situation since of GPU shortage, but I would much prefer a new GPU with lower performance than a hi-performance one which was mining.

Corsair is well known for RAM memory modules for PC but then it has expanded to PC peripherals and even selling some pre-build computers as well in past few years. New Corsair expansion now includes a laptop line, starting with their new gaming laptop Voyager.

Voyager laptop is packed with a mechanical keyboard and MacBook-like touch bar for your typing and pointing needs. It is built with a 16-inch QHD+ screen packing 240Hz that is run by Radeon 6800M GPU. Also inside lurks AMD 16 thread Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU, Wi-Fi 6E support, Dolby Atmos audio, and full HD 1080p WEB camera.

The keyboard has low-profile mechanical Cherry MX switches with per-key RGB lightning and above is what Corsair calls a macro bar, with 10 shortcut buttons and a small LCD in the center.

Corsair is also including a few features that tie in with its other products. Many of the company’s keyboards, mice, and other accessories use the ‘Slipstream’ USB wireless adapter, which is built into the Voyager laptop. The macro bar is also configured using the same software used for the Elgato Stream Deck, a popular product sold by Corsair.

What is Error 1723?

Error Code 1723 is a peculiar error type common in Windows PC. It is related to the Windows Installer package. This error is displayed in the following format:

"Error 1723- There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. A DLL required for this install could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor...”

You are most likely to come across the error code 1723 if the Java installation is not completed successfully. In other words, the error indicates that the installation process has failed.

Solution

Error Causes

The 1723 error may occur due to several reasons, the most common being:

• Corrupted installers
• Files are not extracted successfully
• Registry problems
• Missing DLL files

Further Information and Manual Repair

To resolve this issue on your PC, you don’t always have to hire a professional technician and pay hundreds of dollars to get it fixed. The error code 1723 may not be a common Windows PC error but it is easy to fix. Here we have listed some of the best and easiest DIY ways to resolve this error on your system. These solutions are so easy to perform that even if you are not a computer programmer or technically adept, you can work through them and resolve the error in just a few simple clicks. So, let’s get started:

Solution 1: Install the latest Java Version

If the Java version previously installed on your system is not working properly and showing 1723 error messages then it is advisable to install the latest Java version. However, to do this first you will have to uninstall the old version and then download the latest Java version on your PC from a trusted website to ensure it does not contain malicious viruses and malware.

Solution 2: Ensure the Required Files are extracted in the ‘Temp’ Folder for Installers

Another method to resolve the 1723 error code is to check whether the required files are extracted in the temp folder for installers or not. The error may occur if the location is incorrect and the account is not permitted to extract files in the temp folder. In this scenario, the best way to resolve the issue is to change the permissions of the temp folder. This can be done by logging in to your account and opening file explorer or ‘My Computer’. Now copy and paste this link address in the address bar: DL:UsersUSERNAMEAppDataLocal. Please note, here DL is the drive letter of the Windows drive, and in the username insert the username of the account that you are using. Now right-click the ‘temp’ folder. Select properties and click on the Security tab. After that click edit below the list and press add. Again type the username here and click OK. The next step is to select the added account from the list and tick ‘FULL CONTROL’ box under ‘Permissions for Username’. Click OK and then close the properties. Once this process is complete, now try running the installer again. This will most likely resolve the issue. Nonetheless, if the error still persists, then this means the underlying cause of the error is deeper than you think. The error may be related to registry issues. In such situations, try solution 3 to fix the error 1723 on your system.

Solution 3: Download Restoro.

When the error code 1723 is triggered due to registry issues, then it is advisable to scan your PC with Restoro. Registry issues should be resolved immediately because they pose serious threats to your system. It can lead to system failure, crash and valuable data loss. Registry basically saves practically all the information and activities performed on your PC including the unnecessary and obsolete files like junk files, cookies, temporary files, and invalid entries. If these files are not removed they can corrupt the registry, damage dll files and installers thereby generating error codes like 1723 on your system. The easiest way to repair and clean the registry in seconds is to run Restoro on your PC. It is a smart, intuitive, advanced, and multi-functional PC repair tool. It is embedded with multiple powerful utilities and is a one-stop solution for all PC related issues. This software is compatible with all Windows versions. It is deployed with a highly functional registry cleaner that scans and detects all registry issues on your PC and removes them right away. It wipes out the unwanted files, repairs the damaged dll files and restores the registry. Other powerful utilities that are embedded in this software include an antivirus, a system optimizer and Active X controls and class modules. To resolve 1723 error code on your PC today, click here to download Restoro.

Well if anyone told me just a few years ago that I will see the day when Microsoft releases a new OS based on Linux I would be very amused, but that day has come. Mariner is the newest OS out of nowhere. Microsoft’s new Linux Distro, dubbed Common Base Linux (CBL)-Mariner, isn’t the type of distro you’d want to install directly on any old machine. It’s primarily meant for cloud infrastructure and edge products. Specifically Microsoft’s Cloud and Edge products. But if you are curious, it’s possible to run. Juan Manuel Rey, a Microsoft Senior Program Manager for Azure VMware, recently published a guide to ISO CBL-Mariner image. With that, you can easily get it up and running. And you can build CBL-Mariner on an Ubuntu 18.04 desktop. So you can try it out since it is free. You can get it from here: https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner It is obvious that Microsoft aims to set itself as a leader in enterprise server environments with this move and it is very likely that it may succeed or at least give a good shake to its competitors, mainly red hat and Suse which are two dominant distros in that field. Many believe that they can win over by providing regular updates and package delivery via their already established system and that feature could be a turning point for some. In any case, time will tell and we shall see.

The File Explorer in Windows 10 provides several ways to organize the contents of folders and files in the system. Windows users can utilize some efficient styles to view the contents of the file system as per the user’s requirement. A user may opt to display the file picture in large size thumbnails while the other one could opt to set the icons of folder and files in a small or medium size list. On the other hand, while setting up several styles for the folder and file icons, some Windows 10 users have experienced some unusual issues where there is the Black background showing up behind folder icons. They tried refreshing the File Explorer a couple of times but it didn’t help in fixing the problem and the black squares are still visible on some folder icons. The black squares behind the folder icons might look disturbing though it’s not really a big problem and is merely a graphical glitch that does not cause any damage or whatsoever to the content of the folder and files. The most likely cause of this glitch might have something to do with the corrupted system files or it could also be caused by outdated thumbnail caches. In addition, graphical glitches like this one could also occur if you are using out outdated graphics drivers. To fix this problem, you need to follow the options laid out below.

Option 1 – Try using the Disk Cleanup to remove Thumbnail files

The Disk Cleanup tool is one of the options you can try to fix the black squares behind the folder icons. Through this tool, you can delete all the Thumbnail files on your disk. To use it, refer to these steps:

• Open the Search bar and type “disk cleanup” in the field.
• After opening Disk Cleanup from the search results, then from the drop-down menu select the C: drive to clean up and click OK.
• Wait for the scanning process to complete. Once it’s done, select the files you want to delete.
• Ensure that you select the box labeled “Thumbnails” under the Files to Delete section then click on OK.
• After that, a confirmation box will appear, just click on Delete files to delete the files permanently.
• Restart your PC.

Option 2 – Try resetting the Thumbnail cache

You have the option to manually delete the Thumbnail Cache to resolve the black square background behind the folder icons issue. Follow the steps given below to reset the Thumbnail cache.

• Open the File Explorer.
• Next, navigate to the View tab and select the option with Hidden items to display all the hidden folders and files.
• Next, go to this path: C:Users<username>AppDataLocal
• In the given path, make sure that you put your actual username in the username field. Then look for a file named “IconCache.db”. Right-click on this file and click on Delete.
• After that, go to this path: C:Users<username>AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer
• From there, select all the files and delete them.

Note: If a prompt appears saying, “The files are in use and cannot be deleted”, simply select the “Do this for all current items” option and then click on Try Again. If you get an error message, click on Cancel to close the window and restart your computer.

Option 3 – Try updating or reinstalling the Graphics driver

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type in devmgmt.msc and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• Expand the section for the outdated device drivers.
• And then select the outdated driver(s) and right-click on it/them.
• From the drop-down menu, select the Update Driver option if you wish to update the driver or select the Uninstall device if you want to uninstall the driver and then follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version of the driver.
• Restart your PC after the installation to allow the system to reinstall the driver.

Error Code 22 - What is it?

Code 22 is a type of Device Manager Error code. Device manager errors are reported by the drivers causing the problem. It indicates that the devices are disabled in the Device Manager. This error code is displayed in the following format:

This device is disabled. (Code 22)

It looks like a very simple matter to enable a device from the Device Manager interface but if the device fails to load then there are likely greater underlying problems with the drivers. Drivers allow hardware devices to communicate with other hardware devices and the operating system. Drivers contain instructions and operating procedures for devices. Without a driver, a hardware device will not function and may not even appear in the Device Manager.

Solution

Error Causes

Common causes of error code 22 are:

• Device is disabled
• Driver is outdated
• The driver is missing or corrupt
• The previous attempt to update the driver failed
• Device is damaged
• The device is not configured as the default device

This means that though the error code 22 typically indicates that the device reporting the error is disabled but other causes can also be associated with the error occurrence.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Here are some of the best and easy do-it-yourself methods to resolve error 22 on your PC. Try these methods to repair the issue.

Method 1

If the error code 22 is triggered due to a disabled device, then all you need to do to resolve the issue is enable the device. To enable the disabled device, follow these steps. Simply go to the start menu and type Device Manager in the search bar. Now click on the Device Manager and then click Actions. After you Click Actions, double click Enable Device. The Enable Device Wizard will pop up. Follow all the prompts from the Enable Device Wizard. This will hopefully resolve the issue.

Method 2

If method 1 doesn’t work then this means the problem is deeper than you think.  The problem can be triggered by the missing, corrupted, or outdated driver for the device reporting the error. In such a situation it is advisable to reinstall the driver for the device. To do this first uninstall the driver for the device reporting error code 22 then reinstall the driver.

• For this simply click the Start menu, go to the control panel and then click Performance and Maintenance, and then System.
• In the new window, you will then see a tab called Hardware and the Device Manager.
• Double click on the device whose driver you need to uninstall.
• Click on the properties window with a tab marked driver. Then click on the driver you want to uninstall.

To activate changes reboot your PC. Now reinstall the latest and updated version of the driver uninstalled using the Plug and Play feature.

Method 3

Sometimes devices can also get damaged due to registry issues. In such an event, install Restoro. It is a PC Fixer deployed with a registry cleaner. The registry cleaner wipes out all the unnecessary and obsolete files damaging the registry and repairs them in a few minutes. Click here to download Restoro.

The speed at which the CPU runs varies depending on any Windows laptop or desktop. And in case you don’t know, the CPU does not run at full speed all the time as it depends on how the operating system distributes the load so it works accordingly. However, there are instances when it runs at full speed especially if your Windows 10 computer is on a heavy workload. But if you find that even when your computer is already on a heavy workload and the CPU is still not running at full speed, then you need to look into this situation. To verify that your CPU’s speed, you can use any CPU stress test tool. This kind of issue is common on laptops compared to desktop computers since laptop runs on battery. The Intel Processor on laptops uses the Speed Stepping Technology which means that when you are doing some small tasks on your laptop, the processor’s speed is reduced. On the other hand, if this happens when you are using a heavy application, it can be due to a low charge on the laptop’s battery. Thus, Windows will try its best to keep the computer running for as long as possible by reducing the CPU speed or processor. But there are times when you are ready to sacrifice battery to make sure that the work gets done on time. To achieve that, here are some options you can check out.

Option 1 – Try setting the processor state to the maximum in Power Options

• Type “control” in the search box to view the classic Control Panel as well as the popular options.
• Next, click on Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
• Then navigate to Processor power management > Maximum processor state.
• Now select 100% when it is on Battery and Plugged in.
• After that, expand the System cooling policy option and make sure to set it as Active to make sure that the battery won’t overheat.
• Finally, apply the changes made to all the profiles of the power management and restart your computer. This will ensure that your CPU will run at maximum power at all times.

Option 2 – Try to update or disable the Intel Power Management driver

The next option you can try is to update or disable the Intel Power Management driver. The Intel-powered computers have dedicated software that controls CPU speed and Fan speed when it needs to save battery. You can try disabling it temporarily and check if there are any changes with the CPU fan speed.

• First, restart your computer by holding the Shift key to boot your computer into Troubleshooting or Advanced mode.
• Next, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
• Then change the directory to C:/Windows/System32/driver and then rename the file named “Intelppm” by entering the “ren intelppm.sys intelppm.sys.bak”.
• Now restart your computer.

Note: If you were not able to find the drivers in C:/Windows/System32/driver, check if they are available under C:/Drivers/IntelPPM. After that, the CPU speed should change now with the Intel driver missing from the system. And in case you want to enable it, simply follow the same steps given above and rename the file again.

Option 3 – Try disabling the IPPM using the Command Line or Registry Editor

• Command Prompt:
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “cmd” and tap Enter to open Command Prompt.
  • Next, type this command and hit Enter: sc config intelppm start= disabled
  • The “sc config” command you entered modifies the value of a service’s entries in the registry as well as in the Service Control Manager database.
• Registry Editor:
  • Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  • Next, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesintelppm.
  • From there, double click on the intelppm and change the Start key value to
  • Now close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer.

Note: The steps given will make sure that the CPU will run at maximum power at all times.

Windows and Devices chief Panos Panay has revealed new focus sessions feature that will be in Windows 11 on his Twitter account today. He himself is referring to it as a game-changer especially with Spotify integration.

So what is a focus session?

From the video clip provided on Twitter, we can see that focus session users will be able to choose a specific task from the previously made task list, choose songs that will play in the background while the task is active, and set a timer for the chosen task with breaks. Maybe the best comparison and explanation would be a desktop google calendar task with music, basically, that’s it. A neat and good organizer inside your Windows 11 operating system. I think that this is generally a good idea and for sure it will find its audience.

What software are you using to keep your information and all your files and memories safe? 

None? Yikes. Let’s hope no damage has been done to your data yet then. Because with how the digital world has evolved, your data might be getting leaked and you have no idea.

Why do you need to invest in security software?

There’s really no good excuse not to purchase a quality platform for PC protection. Especially since top security solutions are available at such affordable prices nowadays, your wallet would barely even notice it.

At this point, only people who barely use their PCs and have zero sensitive information on them can get away with simply using the built-in Windows 10/11 security software. But we guarantee that those people are extremely hard to find and that you’re not one of them, and here’s why.

Even if you don’t use your computer for things that are very obviously sensitive, such as internet banking, you still have some personal data at risk of being stolen. How so? Well, think about the data you enter into your social media profiles, for example. How devastating would it be if somebody got a hold of any of it? Yep, that’s what we thought.

In the hands of a skilled cybercriminal, your phone number alone could put you at risk of scams, ransomware, identity theft and more. Also think about the stuff you share in texts and social media chats. Think about the websites you visit and how many times you may have accidentally clicked on an ad, which could very well contain malicious software. Those all seem harmless until someone’s actually used them against you. 

Now imagine the dangers involved when you actually store truly confidential data on your PC and browsers. Sends shivers down your spine, doesn’t it?

In the case of a successful cyberattack of whatever type (virus, phishing, worms, etc.), there’s so much that is at stake. Businesses/legal persons will suffer from financial loss and damaged reputation, at the very least. Natural persons may be threatened or exploited, get their banking or medical information and even their identity stolen, etc. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

These are our biggest reasons for investing in Windows PC protection software:

• Cyberthreats are constantly evolving to the point where built-in or free software won’t cut it anymore.

• Those working remotely can have peace of mind knowing both personal and business data is completely secure.

• Businesses using top security solutions ensure their customers trust them. 

• Data breaches are a pain in the you-know-what to handle. Fighting a cyberattack and going back to normal is a demanding process, and not to mention the stress it’ll cause. We’d rather prevent all that by using trustworthy security products!

• It helps parents worry a little less about their children’s safety in the online world. 

• Added bonus: with most products, you get an ad-free browsing experience!

Obviously, there are a lot more reasons to get your PC secured. But we think you get it. So let’s cut to the chase and take a look at our 6 favorite protection solutions and the wonders they can do for you.

*Note that in this article we’re looking at products primarily suited for households and home offices, some for small businesses. No enterprise solutions will make the list today, but stay tuned for a future article on those.

Top 6 best PC protection solutions

1. Bitdefender Total & Internet Security\

One of the biggest security product vendors out there, Bitdefender offers several awesome solutions. We want to introduce two of our favorites, Bitdefender Total Security and Bitdefender Internet Security.

Bitdefender Total Security is great for both households and smaller offices. You can choose to protect 5 or 10 devices, and not necessarily just Windows devices. It also works for macOS, Android and iOS. It offers a range of powerful features, such as:

• Real-time data protection
• Webcam and microphone protection
• Device optimization options
• Anti-phishing/-fraud/-spam technology
• Ransomware protection
• Anti-loss and anti-theft tools
• VPN and privacy firewall 
• Anti-tracking technology
• Parental controls
• 24/7 support

Bitdefender Internet Security shares almost all of these features, but there are a few important differences to note. Unlike Total Security, Internet Security has more options in terms of the number of protected devices: 1, 3, 5 or 10. However it’s only compatible with the Windows platform and it doesn’t offer device optimization tools or anti-theft options. Whether or not this is a deal-breaker depends on your needs alone - we still find it a great security tool.

2. ESET Internet Security

An award-winning Windows security product, ESET Internet Security is essential on this list. It has an outstanding protection rate of 99.9% and a range of amazing options you’ll definitely want to make use of. It can be installed on up to 10 devices, making it an awesome tool for your household, home office or a small business. It’s also compatible with macOS and Android.

These are ESET Internet Security’s best features:

• Protection against ransomware and spyware
• Protection against malware specifically designed to avoid detection
• In-depth scans when the computer is not in use
• Firewall to prevent unauthorized access to your PC
• Anti-spam tool
• Anti-phishing and botnet protection technologies
• Tool to scan your router and smart devices for vulnerabilities
• Special browser for secure internet banking 
• Parental controls
• Prevention of unauthorized webcam access 

If you ask us, ESET has it all!

3. Kaspersky Total & Internet Security

Having a deja vu? Didn’t you just read Total Security and Internet Security somewhere? Oh, that’s right - the first entry on our list! But here we’re talking about Kaspersky, a vendor you’ve also definitely heard about before.

Just like Bitdefender, Kaspersky is another one of those renowned names in the cybersecurity world that always make it to every ‘best of’ list. And for good reason - its products really fulfill their purpose. So let’s take a closer look at the two we chose.

These are the features both Kaspersky Total Security and Kaspersky Internet Security have in common:

• Real-time virus and spyware blocking
• Webcam protection
• Wi-Fi security notifications
• Advanced identity theft protection
• Free technical support on several channels
• Remote security management
• Multiple devices (up to 10)

The main difference between Kaspersky Total Security and Internet Security is that the former offers more capabilities. These are the features KTS offers that KIS does not:

• System cleanup
• File shredding
• Password management
• Data backup and encryption

Both are excellent security tools, though we do prefer KTS a little more because of these additional options.

4. Norton 360 Deluxe

Of course one of the industry-leading solutions makes the list. Norton 360 Deluxe can protect up to 5 devices, be it Windows, iOS, macOS or Android. It’s worth noting that its features are best developed for Windows. Here’s what you get with Norton 360 Deluxe:

• Protection against viruses, hackers, malware
• 100% virus protection promise
• VPN included for all devices
• Unlimited VPN on Windows
• Password manager
• Parental controls

So is there anything aside from these standard protection features that makes it such a favorite among us techies? Let us tell you! Norton added a little bit of spice here with two really powerful capabilities. The Deluxe product offers 50GB of cloud backup and dark web monitoring. The latter means the software notifies you if any of your personal information is found on the dark web, which helps protect you against identity theft.

5. McAfee Antivirus

Don’t be misled by the name of this product. Antivirus software may have started as protection against viruses only, but it’s developed quite a lot. The name simply stuck. All that to say that McAfee Antivirus - another award-winning security solution - protects you against several different threats.

The basic and essential plan allow 1 and 5 devices respectively, while McAfee+ Premium and Advanced work on an unlimited number of devices. The latter two also offer more capabilities, as you can imagine. Here’s what you can expect from all of them:

• Secure unlimited VPN
• File shredder to delete sensitive files completely
• Ultimate safety while browsing
• Protection against hackers
• 100% virus protection promise
• Advanced firewall to block dangerous traffic
• Online support from specialists
• Protection score (shows how safe you are and detects vulnerabilities)
• Identity monitoring (notifies you if any of your information is on the dark web)
• Password management

Unlike the previous products, McAfee Antivirus does not offer parental controls. Otherwise it’s a pretty strong and comprehensive protection tool and might just be the right choice for you!

6. Trend Micro Maximum Security

Last but definitely not least, we’ve got Maximum Security by Trend Micro. And yes, you guessed it, Trend Micro is also an award winner in terms of cybersecurity. Its products have been recognized as industry-leading security solutions by AV-Test since 2003. Among all its fantastic solutions, our favorite for households or small offices is Maximum Security.

You can use Trend Micro Maximum Security to protect 3-5 devices for a year or two years before needing to renew your license. Aside from Windows, it’s compatible with iOS, Android, Mac and Chromebook devices. Here’s what you can expect from this protection software:

• Powerful malware protection
• Phishing detection and prevention (email)
• Password management and protection
• Maximum security for online banking and shopping
• System optimization
• Social media privacy protection
• Parental controls 
• 24/7 technical support
• No notifications during gaming

It’s truly one of the most effective platforms out there dedicated to protecting your digital life. Using this product, ransomware, identity thieves and malicious websites don’t stand a chance.

The bottom line

If you’ve made it all the way here, congratulations, you’ve made the right choice: to invest in securing your valuable data! Now the question is: which one of these 6 awesome antivirus/antimalware products to select?

The paradox of choice is a very real thing - we feel you. As mentioned, it comes down to what your specific needs are. So before you go ahead and purchase your security software, make sure to explore all options.

And if you really can’t handle the decision-making anxiety, feel free to reach out. We’ll happily assist you in finding the right product to keep your digital life secure!

As you know, one of the useful and efficient utilities in Windows 10 is the DISM tool. It can be used with the Command Prompt command line which allows users to carry out various tasks. However, there are instances when the DISM tool could encounter some errors when you try to execute a command. One of these errors is the one that states, “The component store has been corrupted”. This kind of DISM error is due to an error in the image file. When you encounter the DISM Error 14098 when running the DISM tool, you will see the following content in the command line:

“C:>Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:c:testmountwindows /LimitAccess Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool Version: 10.0.10586.0 Image Version: 10.0.10586.0 [==========================100.0% Error: 14098 The component store has been corrupted. The DISM log file can be found at C:WINDOWSLogsDISMdism.log C:>”

There are several fixes you can check out to fix the DISM Error 14098, “The component store has been corrupted”. You can try to run the Restore Health command or reset the Windows Update components, or whitelist the dism.exe in your antivirus program, as well as try to uninstall any recently installed updates. Follow the options provided below for more details.

Option 1 – Run the Restore Health command in a Clean Boot State

• First, you need to put your computer in a Clean Boot State.
• 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.)
• Now open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type and enter this command to execute it: Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
• Wait until the process is completed and restart your computer.

Note: If the Restore Health command fails, you can use the “/StartComponentCleanup parameter” by executing this command: Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

Option 2 – Try to reset the Windows Update components

If by any chance that the second option didn’t work, resetting the Windows Update components could also help you resolve the problem. How? Refer to the following steps:

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, type each one of the following commands and hit Enter after you key in one after the other.
  • net stop wuauserv
  • net stop cryptsvc
  • net stop bits
  • net stop msiserver

Note: The commands you entered will stop the Windows Update components such as Windows Update service, Cryptographic services, BITS, and MSI Installer.

• After disabling WU components, you need to rename both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders. To do that, type each one of the following commands below, and don’t forget to hit Enter after you type one command after the other.
  • ren C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution/SoftwareDistribution.old
  • ren C:/Windows/System32/catroot2/Catroot2.old
• Next, restart the services you’ve stopped by entering another series of commands. Don’t forget to hit Enter after you key in one command after the other.
  • net start wuauserv
  • net start cryptsvc
  • net start bits
  • net start msiserver
• Close Command Prompt and reboot your PC.

Option 3 – Whitelist the “dism.exe” in your antivirus program

The DISM error 14098 might also be caused by your antivirus program which could be interfering it from running. To fix this, you have to whitelist dism.exe. How? Refer to these steps:

• Open the Windows Defender Security Center from the system tray area.
• Next, click the “Virus & threat protection” option and then open the “Virus and threat protection settings”.
• After that, scroll down until you find the “Exclusions” and click on the “Add or remove exclusions” option.
• Then click the plus button and select the type of exclusion you want to add and from the drop-down list, select Folder.
• Next, navigate to this path and select the WinSxS folder: C:/Windows/WinSxS
• When a User Account Control or UAC prompt, just click on Yes to proceed.

Option 4 – Try to uninstall recently installed updates

There are times when some Windows Updates affect some mechanism internally when you update your Windows 10 computer. As a result, it causes issues with other components of the operating system which could be the reason why you’re getting the DISM error 14098.

• Go to Settings and select Update and Security > Windows Update.
• From there, click on the “View update history” option and then click on the “Uninstall Updates” option.
• This will open a new window that contains the list of installed Windows Updates.
• Now right click on the Windows Update you wish to uninstall and click Uninstall.