In case you don’t know, the Windows Script Host provides capabilities such as batch files but it also includes many other features like it can be used by a user manual as well as created by the operating system to automate the flow of operations in the system. However, there are a lot of errors that could take place in such a process. One of them is the following error:
“Script: <PATH of the VBS Script>
Line: x
Char: x
Error: The description of the error.
Code: xxxxxxxx
Source: (Source of the error)”
At the time of writing, it isn’t clear yet what the root cause of the error really is but there are several potential fixes you can check out to fix it. You can try to run the System File Checker or set the default value for the .vbs key, or troubleshoot the problem in a Clean Boot State. You could also try to repair Install Windows 10 or scan your computer for malware. For more detailed instructions refer to the following options.
Option 1 – Try to run a System File Checker scan
In the Windows Start Search, type “command prompt” and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results, and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
After opening Command Prompt with admin privileges, type the “sfc /scannow” and tap Enter to execute it.
Once the scan is finished, restart your computer and see if the Windows Script Host error.
Option 2 – Try setting the default value for the .vbs key
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Next, navigate to this registry path: ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.vbs
From there, double click on the default string and change its Value data to “VBSFile”.
Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Option 3 – Try troubleshooting the problem in a Clean Boot State
Setting your computer in a Clean Boot State can help you diagnose and later troubleshoot the problems in your computer. During this state, the system will start with a minimal number of drivers and startup programs that help in isolating the problem with the interfering software. To put your computer in a Clean Boot State, follow the given steps below.
Log onto your computer 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.
Option 4 – Try to repair install Windows 10
First, you have to click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
Next, click the “Use the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)…” option and follow the next given instructions on the screen.
Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
After that, you should now have an ISO file.
Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with option and then select File Explorer.
Now click on “setup.exe” and follow the next instructions that appear on the screen. When asked, you have to select either Nothing (clean install) or Keep personal files only option. Take note that you must not select the “Keep personal files, apps, and Windows settings”.
Option 5 – Try scanning your computer using Windows Defender
It is possible that your computer is infected with malware which could be why you’re getting the Windows Host Script error. Thus, you need to scan your computer using Windows Defender.
Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 have automatic dynamic screen brightness depending on the surrounding light inside the room. Please take note that this option is available only on devices with build-in screens like laptops, tablets, and all in one desktop PC. If you are connected with your PC via an external monitor you will not have these settings available and probably feature is not even working.
Some computers will also allow automatic brightness changes also on what is displayed on the screen. This option is meant to save battery life on devices. Microsoft calls this automatic brightness feature Content adaptive brightness control. In order to change this setting, we will go to settings inside Windows.
Disabling automatic brightness inside Windows
Open Settings inside Windows, in Windows 11 press WINDOWS + I to open settings, then click on the system in the sidebar and then go to Display. Click on the small arrow beside the Brightness slider in order to expand a small menu and then uncheck Help improve battery by optimizing the content show and brightness. If you see Change brightness automatically when lighting changes, uncheck that as well. Close the settings and you are good to go, now brightness will always be as set in settings.
Inside Windows 10, go to Settings and then go to System and then in Display under the Brightness and Color section look below and locate the box that says Automatically adjust contrast based on the displayed content to help improve battery and uncheck it, if the box below with text Change brightness automatically when lighting changes exists, uncheck it as well. Close settings and you are done.
In previous versions of Windows changing the system, the font was a pretty straightforward process, but it seems Microsoft did not want this feature to keep for whatever reason and there is no option as of the time of the writing of this article to do it in standard options in Windows 10.
But do not worry, you are still able to customize your Windows and choose which font would you like to see inside it in all of its dialogs. You can choose whichever font you desire, the only prerequisite is it to be installed on your system.
This guide will require you to change values in the registry of Windows itself so please follow step-by-step instructions and always make a backup of the registry before changing it in order to prevent some permanent Windows issues.
All of that being said, let's start.
Setting new font
First thing is to open notepad, in the notepad paste the next block of code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]"Segoe UI (TrueType)"="""Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"="""Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"="""Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"="""Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"="""Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"="""Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"=""[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]"Segoe UI"="NEW_FONT"
Where in "Segoe UI"="NEW_FONT" instead of NEW_FONT you need to write the exact name of the font that you wish to use as a system font.
Once you have replaced the default system font with your desired one, go to File and save as, from file type drop-down menu, choose all files and save this file as .REG type giving it whatever name you wish.
When the file is saved, close notepad, right-click on the saved file and choose the merge option. Confirm with YES and click on OK. Reboot your system and your Windows will now use the font of your choice as its default system font.
Restoring default font
If you wish to return the old default system font as it was, follow the same steps but in your notepad paste this code:
What is DISM Error 1726? Every time you encounter some issues in your Windows 10 computer, especially when it comes to corrupted system files, you can always use the SFC scan and if the SFC can isn’t able to resolve the issue, there is also the DISM tool you can use which usually resolve the vast majority of system file corruption sufficiently. However, there are times when even the DISM commands experience issues as well. Such is the case with the 1726 error: “The remote procedure call failed”.
Some users reported that this DISM problem happens right before the process is supposed to end. According to experts, this error in DISM occurs due to any of the following reasons:
A third-party program might have interrupted the DISM operation and is the one that triggered the 1726 error: “The remote procedure call failed”.
The error could also pop up when there is a pending corruption repair. This usually happens when you tried to run a DISM command previously that was terminated manually or was halted because of some malfunction.
Lastly, the error could also occur because the process that’s responsible for the procedure is disabled or was prevented from running.
Whichever the case is, here are some suggestions that might help you in resolving the 1726 error: “The remote procedure call failed”.
Option 1 – Try updating your PC to the latest Windows build available
Since the problem is specific to certain builds in Windows 10, you need to make sure that your computer is updated before you try other troubleshooting steps. Thus, follow the steps below to update your Windows 10 PC.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “ms-settings:windowsupdate” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Update screen.
After that, click on Check for Updates and then follow the next on-screen instructions to apply the latest Windows update.
Once the update has been installed, restart your PC and run the DISM command again and see if the problem is fixed.
Option 2 – Try to change the Startup Type of the Remote Procedure Call service
As stated early on, the error might also be caused by a disabled Remote Procedure Call service or RPC or that it might be prevented from running for some reason.
In case you don’t know, RPC is the service control manager for both COM and DCOM servers and it’s responsible for performing object variation requests, exporting resolution as well as distributing collection for the servers. And so if the server is disabled, all programs that are using COM and DCOM including the DISM commands, will not function correctly. Thus, you need to make sure that the RPC service is scheduled to enable itself on every system boot. To do so, here’s what you have to do:
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open Services.
From there, scroll down until you see the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service and then right-click on it and select Properties.
Then go to the General tab and change the drop-down menu next to Startup type to Automatic.
After that, click the Apply button and then OK to apply the changes made.
Restart your PC and run the DISM command once again at the next startup.
Option 3 – Try to modify the RpcSs registry key value
If the option didn’t work, you can also try enabling the RPC service using the Registry Editor. Before you proceed, make sure to create a System Restore point first and then follow the steps below afterward.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Registry Editor. And if a User Account Control prompt appears, just click on Yes.
After that, navigate to this registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Services RpcSs
After selecting the aforementioned registry key, go to the right pane and double-click on the Start value.
Next, change the Value data of start to 2 and click OK to save the changes made.
Exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC and check if the 1726 error in DISM has already been resolved or not.
Option 4 – Try to disable the Windows Search service temporarily
Some users also recommended disabling the Windows Search service for the meantime as it could be the one that’s interrupting the DISM process.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
In the field, type “services.msc” to open the Services window again and hit Enter to open it.
Next, scroll down over the services list and double-click on the Windows Update service.
Afterward, go to Windows Search properties and click the General tab and then click the Stop button to stop the service from running temporarily.
Now try running the DISM commands again and see if the problem’s fixed or not.
Restart the Windows Search service and then restart your PC as well.
Recently Meta has gone viral that it is working on an AI video-making algorithm named Make a Video. AI will like in picture making AI take text input and produce a video from it.
Now, a new player enters the AI video battlefield, its name is GOOGLE!
The Google research project Imagen Video is also text to video generator similar to Meta's Make a Video with one little difference. unlike Meta's offering which includes only sign-up, Google is withholding access for now under the veil of safeguarding issues.
Google has been in the Ai space before with their Imagen, a DALL-E style generator capable of photorealistic picture generation based on text prompts. The new Google tool works in a similar way but with better functions. Ai can generate a diverse range of high-fidelity videos across different aesthetic styles and with a deep understanding of 3D models thus creating high-definition, 24-frames-per-second videos.
"With the help of progressive distillation, Imagen Video can generate high-quality videos using just eight diffusion steps per sub-model. This speeds up video generation time substantially, by a factor of ~18x,”
Jonathan Ho, author of the research paper
Despite filtering for “undesirable content”, the team admits “there is a risk that Imagen has encoded harmful stereotypes and representations”. So, until the AI - and its users - can be trusted, Google refuses to release Imagen Video without additional safeguards in place.
Creating a new Windows 10 account comes with options related to privacy. For instance, you will see the options to disable or enable Speech recognition, Find my device, Location service, Inking & typing, and many more. And if you often have to create a test account in Windows 10 v1809 and you don’t want to give this option, you can just disable the Privacy Settings Experience at sign-in on your Windows 10 PC using a couple of instructions given in this guide.
To disable the Privacy Settings Experience, you can use the Registry Editor and the Group Policy Editor. But before you get started, you need to log in as an administrator. Moreover, it would also be better if you create a backup copy of the Registry files as well as create a System Restore Point before you make any changes. After you have those things covered, refer to the steps given below to disable the Privacy Settings Experience at sign-in on your Windows 10 PC. Since there are two ways to get things done, choose one option that you prefer.
Option 1 – via 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 this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsOOBE
From there, look for the OOBE value and if you can’t find it there, you can just create it. To do so, right-click on the Windows key and select New > Key, and then name it “OOBE”.
After that, right-click on the OOBE value and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value, and name it “DisablePrivacyExperience”.
Then double click on DisablePrivacyExperience and set its value to “1”.
Now exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
Option 2 – via the Group Policy Editor
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “gpedit.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
After that, navigate to this path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > OOBE
Next, look for a setting named “Don’t launch privacy settings experience on user login” located on your right-hand side and then double click on it and select Enabled.
Now click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
The Boot Configuration Data or BCD files have the instructions required by the Windows operating system in order to properly boot the computer. So if you experience any trouble when you boot your computer, then it is possible that it is due to some misconfiguration or even corrupted Boot Configuration Data files. And if you also encounter an error saying,
“The boot configuration data store could not be opened”
while you try to carry out any command on the bcedit.exe, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how you can fix this error in Windows 10.
This kind of error could pop up if the system is not able to locate the specified file. It is also possible that the requested system device can’t be found or that the boot configuration data store could not be opened. In addition, when you open the System Configuration or MSConfig, you might notice that there is no Boot data, and according to the reports, is that when you try to dual boot the computer, the installer will replace the default bootloader.
Explanation
In case you don’t know, Windows’ earlier versions were stored in the “Boot.ini” file. You can find the entry in the EFI firmware boot manager of the EFI-based operating system which is located at EFIMicrosoftBootBootmgfw.efi.
Whatever the cause of the error is, there are several suggestions you can check out to resolve the problem. You can try to set an entry option value in BCD or enable the Advanced options menu, as well as rebuild the BCD. Before you proceed with the troubleshooting options provided below, make sure that you boot your computer into the Advanced Recovery Mode first since that’s where you can find Command Prompt under the Advanced Options. In addition, you also have to suspend or disable BitLocker and Secure Boot on your PC.
Option 1 – Try to set an entry option value in BCD
Once you’re in the Advanced Options, select Command Prompt.
Next, execute this command to set an entry point: bcdedit /set {current} Description "TheNameYouWant"
After the command has been executed, it will enable the system to trust a version of Windows that is not trusted by default. This should fix the problem, if not, follow the next given options below.
Option 2 – Try to specify the BCD file
In the elevated Command Prompt, execute this command: bcdedit /store c:BootBCD
Once done, the command will give you a list of options and then execute this next command: bcdedit /store c:BootBCD /set bootmenupolicy legacy
After that, restart your computer and select your Windows and then tap the F8 key right away.
Note: When you select the legacy option, the Advanced Options menu will be available during the computer boot up and then you can select into which operating system you can boot your computer into.
Option 3 – Try to rebuild the BCD files
The first thing you can do to resolve the issue is to Rebuild Boot Configuration Data or BCD files.
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.
From there, select Command Prompt and once you open it, enter each one of the commands given below by sequence.
bootrec /FixMbr
bootrec /FixBoot
bootrec /ScanOS
bootrec /RebuildBcd
Once you’re done executing the commands given above, type “exit” to close the Command Prompt window and then restart your computer and see if it fixed error code 0xc000014c.
As you know, both the Windows Update and Windows Store are inter-dependable services in Windows 10 operating system. So when one of these services encounters an error like the “0x80070424, ERROR_SERVICE_DOES_NOT_EXIST”, the other service will most likely get this error as well. Note that this kind of error can occur to both the Windows Update Standalone Installer and to the Windows Update section in the Windows 10 Settings app. Some users also reported getting this error while trying to update Windows Defender as well.
You can see the following error message in the Windows Update Standalone Installer:
“Installer encountered an error: 0x80070424, The specified service does not exist as an installed service.”
While you’ll see the following error message in the Windows Store:
“The were some problems installing updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (0x80070424).”
To fix this error, you can try to re-register the Background Intelligent Transfer Service DLL file or run the Windows Update and Store apps troubleshooters. You can also reset the Windows Update-related folders or the Microsoft Store or fix the Windows Update files by using the DISM tool. On the other hand, you can also use the Registry Editor or check Windows Services. For more details regarding these potential fixes, refer to each one of the given options below.
Option 1 – Try to re-register the Background Intelligent Transfer Service DLL file
You may have to re-register the Background Intelligent Transfer Service DLL file using the regsvr32.exe before you can successfully install the program and fix ntdll.dll file crash error. The Regsvr32 tool is a command-line utility that can be used to register and un-register OLE controls as DLL and ActiveX (OCX) controls in the Windows operating system. Follow the steps below to use it.
Open Command Prompt as admin from the WinX menu.
Next, type the following commands in the elevated Command Prompt and hit Enter to execute the command. This will re-register the affected DLL file using the Windows operating system tool, regsvr32.exe.
regsvr32 Qmgr.dll /s
regsvr32 Qmgrprxy.dll /s
Note: Replace “[DLL file]” with the name of the DLL file that was pointed out in the error.
After you execute the given commands, you should see a message saying, “DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded” if the Regsvr32 tool was able to run successfully.
Now restart your computer and check if the error is now fixed.
Option 2 – Try to run the Windows Store or the Windows Update Troubleshooters
The Windows 10 Store Apps Troubleshooter will help you in fixing the Error code 0x80070424. This is a great built-in tool from Microsoft that helps users fix any app installation issues. So this is worth a try to solve the problem. This built-in tool also helps you fix the Windows 10 Store if it isn’t working.
To use the Windows Store Troubleshooter, follow the steps below.
Tap Win + I keys again to open the Windows Settings panel.
Go to Update & Security and then go to Troubleshoot.
On your right hand side, scroll down to find the Windows Store Apps and then click on Run the troubleshooter option and see if it fixes the problem.
Note:You can also try running the Windows Update troubleshooter to fix the error. You can run it under the Windows Update section of Update & Security.
Option 3 – Delete the files from Software Distribution Folder & Catroot2 folders
The downloaded Windows Updates are placed in a folder called “SoftwareDistribution”. The files downloaded in this folder are automatically deleted once the installation is completed. However, if the files are not clean up or if the installation is still pending, you can delete all the files in this folder after you pause the Windows Update service. For complete instructions, refer to these steps.
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 wuauservnet start cryptSvcnet start bitsnet start msiserver
After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic and the MSI Installer
Next, got to the C:WindowsSoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files there by 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.
After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:
Type each one of the following commands.
net start wuauservnet start cryptSvcnet start bitsnet start msiserver
After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer and then try to run Windows Update once more.
Option 4 – Try to reset the Microsoft Store cache
Just like browsers, Microsoft Store also caches as you view apps and games so it is most likely that the cache is no longer valid and must be removed. To do so, follow the steps below.
Right click on the start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator).
Next, type in the command, “wsreset.exe” and tap Enter. Once you do, the command will clear the cache for the Windows Store app.
Now restart your PC and afterwards, try opening Microsoft Store again and then see if Error Code 0x80070424 is resolved or not.
Option 5 – Try to check the Windows Update or WU setting in the Registry
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and type “regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Next, go to this registry path: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindowsUpdate
Here, look for the DWORD named “DisableWindowsUpdateAccess” and double click on it and then set its value data to “0”.
Exit the Registry Editor once you’re done and restart your computer.
Option 6 – Try to check the status of some Windows Update Services
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open Services.
From the list of Services, look for the following services and make sure that their Startup type is as follows:
Windows Update Service – Manual (Triggered)
Background Intelligent Transfer Service – Manual
Workstation Service – Automatic
After that, check if the Service status of the listed services above are set to Running. If they’re not, click on the Start button to start these services and then check if you can now enable the Windows Update service or not.
Option 7 – Run the DISM tool
You can also run the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the error code 0x80070424. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.
Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.
Once it’s done, reboot your computer and check if it has fixed the error.
Ever gotten an e-mail offer that seemed just a little bit too good to be true? Might’ve been a phishing attempt! These are everywhere and can come in many different forms.
So what’s phishing exactly, how can you detect it and how can you keep safe?
What is phishing?
Phishing (pronounced like fishing) is a type of cyberattack that tricks the user into trusting the source and revealing sensitive information. Fishing being the perfect analogy, the bait is a legitimate-looking site, e-mail or file and when you take a bite, your identity, banking information and much more can be revealed and stolen.
Credit: Anne Nygård on Unsplash
Some phishing attempts are incredibly obvious, others are super elaborate. Like with most types of malware, cybercriminals have become extremely well-versed in phishing and anyone can fall for it. To help you recognize and avoid it, we’ll take you through a couple of phishing types and give you tips on what to do if faced with them.
Phishing techniques
E-mail phishing
This is actually the most common type of phishing. A cybercriminal creates an e-mail containing stuff like attractive offers, legitimate-looking attachments or links and makes it appear as though it’s coming from a trusted source.
Credit: Justin Morgan on Unsplash
For example, it looks like it’s coming from your bank or your favorite retailer. The logo looks legit and the structure of the e-mail seems familiar, so you might get tricked into clicking on whatever clickable content is in it.
Unfortunately this exposes your device to malware that hands your data off to the hacker, who can decide what to do with it further.
SMS and social media phishing
Like the above example, you could be approached with lucrative offers or links via text messages or social media messages. Typically, the messages seem relevant to the user as they will be made to look like they’re related to apps or services you’re using.
Voice phishing
Voice phishing attacks are schemes that appear as though they’re coming from a credible number. Normally, you’ll get a call about something related to credit cards or taxes to get you into a state of worry, leading you to disclose personal information on the phone.
Spear phishing, whaling and BEC
Spear phishing normally targets specific individuals within a company who are likely to have access to sensitive data. Spear phishers spend time collecting information they can use to reach out to the individual looking as trustworthy as possible. They’ll typically lead with something relevant, for example mentioning an upcoming company event, and make a seemingly legitimate request.
Whaling is a more elaborate form of spear phishing, which targets people in even stronger positions such as executives or high-value individuals. The ultimate goal is to get them to transfer financial or other sensitive information that can be used to compromise the entire business.
Credit: Azamat E on Unsplash
BEC, or Business e-mail compromise, is a specific spear phishing technique carried out via e-mail. While there are many ways this is done, most commonly you’ll see instances where the phisher poses as a CEO or similar executive, or as a lower-level employee in specific positions (e.g. sales managers or financial controllers).
In the first situation, the impersonator reaches out to employees requesting them to transfer certain files or pay invoices. In the second situation, the phisher takes control of the employee’s e-mail account and sends false instructions to other employees in order to obtain data and information from them.
What can you do?
There are many ways you can be aware and spot a phishing attempt. Here are some tips:
Always check the sender’s address in your e-mails, even when they seem to come from a familiar source.
In any instance where payment information is requested, be very, very careful.
If you are receiving attachments you never asked for and definitely didn’t expect, better not click on them.
Beware of content that transmits a sense of urgency (sales deals, urgent updates to login credentials, etc.).
Bad spelling and grammar are usually a telltale sign of phishing.
Links that look shortened (e.g. Bit.ly) or just suspicious in general - if you have a bad feeling, do not click on them.
If you are receiving threats, you probably shouldn’t be clicking on anything in that message.
Always examine first-time senders in detail.
Block suspicious e-mail addresses, numbers and social media accounts.
If you are receiving a coupon for free stuff… You aren’t.
If you’re being asked to update your payment details by a service you use, such as Netflix, chances are it’s an impersonator.
Those are some of the ways to identify and prevent phishing attacks. However, sometimes phishers disguise themselves a little too well or a misclick happens and there you go - you’ve been exposed to malware.
Credit: FLY:D on Unsplash
This won’t happen if you invest in powerful protection software from the get-go, though. A good antivirus program like Bitdefender will keep you safe from becoming a victim of phishing scams. In fact, it will protect you from malicious attacks overall.
Be it your household or your business you’re concerned about, there are a bunch of different packages and options available, providing different kinds of cybersecurity services. That’s the only way you can ever really be sure you aren’t at risk of a digital attack.
Summary
Have you ever been targeted by phishers and didn’t know that’s what it was until you read this article? Many can relate. Protect yourself before it’s too late!
Windows 10 error code 0x80072EE2 usually occurs as a result of a disruption during the upgrade process when users attempt to upgrade their operating system using Windows Update. The disruption may be caused by a loss of Internet connection. Error code 0x80072EE2 may also occur due to problems related to one’s firewall. Common symptoms of this error code include the following:
Upgrade process fails to complete
A message box pops up highlighting the presence of error code 0x80072EE2
Solution
Error Causes
Upgrade error codes like error code 0x80072EE2 usually occur when disruptions or problems related to system files, or third-party apps prevent Windows Update from completing an upgrade. In the case of error code 0x80072EE2, the most likely cause is a bad Internet connection.
Further Information and Manual Repair
Windows 10 error codes are numerous and so are the solutions to fixing these problems. In most cases, Windows users have access to several manual repair solutions depending on the error code present on their device. These manual repair methods are usually easy to implement, with the exception of a few solutions that require technical knowledge and skills. In such cases, you may need to consider using an effective automated tool or you may contact a Windows repair technician to assist you.
In terms of error code 0x80072EE2, however, no technical skills are required. Manual repair solutions for this error code involve checking and troubleshoot network problems if your connection was disrupted. Also, you may need to check your firewall settings and disable it temporarily to verify whether or not your firewall is preventing you from accessing the upgrade. Further details are provided below.
Method One: Verify Internet Connection
If for whatever reason you lost Internet connection while attempting to upgrade your operating system via Windows Update, your upgrade will time out and error code 0x80072EE2 in Windows 10 may occur. For this reason, it is important for you to check your connection once you notice the presence of error code 0x80072EE2 on your device.
There are many ways you can verify your Internet connection but one of the simplest ways is to first open your preferred Internet browser and type the web address of a site you normally visit. Once you are able to access the website, you will know for sure that your connection is not an issue. Simply restart your PC and reattempt the upgrade.
If you are unable to complete the upgrade process, however, this simply means that there is another issue causing error code 0x80072EE2 to occur. Proceed to the next manual repair method. This method may also apply if you were unable to connect to the Internet.
Method Two: Troubleshoot Network Problems
Though you may be able to access a website or open your Internet browser, there may be other issues affecting your network that are causing the error code to occur. To verify for certain whether or not the issue causing error code 0x80072EE2 in Windows 10 is related to your network, troubleshoot your network using the Network Troubleshooter tool found on your PC.
Step one: Type Network Troubleshooter in the search box near the Start button
Step two: Select Identify and repair network problems
Step three: Wait until the troubleshooter has verified and fixed problems related to the network
Step four: Restart PC
Once the issue has been resolved, it is time to verify if the error code is fixed. Open Windows Update then select the option which enables you to access the latest upgrades to your machine. Wait to see if the error code reoccurs or if you can now access the upgrade to your operating system. If the error code reoccurs, move to the next manual repair method.
Method Three: Disable Firewall Settings
Another issue that may be causing an error code to occur is your firewall. To verify if your firewall is preventing you from accessing the upgrade, disable your firewall. If you are using third-party security software, simply open the security app and check its firewall settings. Select disable or turn off the firewall.
Restart your computer, then open Windows Update to reattempt to upgrade your device. If this proves successful, you will be able to access the upgrade. Error code 0x80072EE2 in Windows 10 will no longer be present.
Method Four: Download an Automated Tool
If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.
Microsoft sent an email to users on the Dev build channel saying that the company intends to push some builds that don’t represent what consumers will receive with Windows 11 when it officially releases. In other words, these are going to be some rather buggy builds that won’t be too enjoyable to use.
The company recommends users switch from the Dev to the beta channel if they aren’t prepared to deal with the instability.
We’ll have to wait and see just how buggy these builds are, but if Microsoft is actually sending out a warning about them it is very likely that builds will be plagued with issues and maybe even stability problems.
Back to Windows 10
How we can expect some buggy build of Windows 11 if you prefer a stable system over new features maybe best decision would be to switch back to Windows 10 until the new OS hits official release.
Switching from dev build channel to beta channel
Another solution, if you do not want to deal with too many issues, is to switch from Dev build channel to beta where things will be more stable. Follow the guide below in order to quickly switch to the beta channel.
Following instructions only apply to Windows 11 installations that are linked up to the Windows Insider program, not clean installation of OS.
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open settings
Inside settings click on Windows update
In Windows Update click on Windows Insider Program
Inside click on Choose your Insider Settings
Click on the button next to Beta Channel to select it (you can switch back to the Dev channel here if you change your mind)
The setting will be saved automatically and from now on you will only receive beta channel updates.