Animated background on desktop on Windows 10

As you know, Windows 10 comes with the option to create Mobile Hotspot for other devices. This allows you to share your Ethernet connection. However, there are times when one of your devices might fail to reconnect to the mobile hotspot again. For instance, you moved out of the Wi-Fi range because you have somewhere to be and whatnot and when you’re back you find that you are now unable to reconnect to the Windows 10 Hotspot or the shared network. Although you can always restart the mobile hotspot to resolve the problem, however, it might only be a temporary fix. So in this post, you will be given options for a much better solution to the problem. This kind of problem seems unusual and does not occur that often. To fix it, you can try to set up DNS on your Windows 10 device and then configure the settings on the mobile device. It seems that what’s happening here is that the mobile device is unable to lock on to the Mobile Hotspot when the IP address changes for some reason.

Option 1 – Try changing the DNS settings on your laptop

In this option, you need to make sure that IPv4 and IPv6 are selected on your Ethernet connection. You also have to change the Preferred DNS server as well as the Alternate DNS server to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, respectively. You also have to validate the settings before you exit just to ensure that you’ve entered everything correctly. After that, open Command Prompt and run the ipconfig command and then take note of the IP address, Gateway DNS 1 and DNS 2.

Option 2 – Try changing the Wi-Fi settings on your mobile device

This option should be mostly the same on all your mobile devices. And given that OEMs build their customization and skin, you might have to fiddle around a little to get the settings. Refer to the steps below to change the Wi-Fi settings:

• Go to the Settings of your mobile device and tap on Wi-Fi.
• Then click the Mobile Hotspot connection that you’ve created on your laptop.
• After that, input the password and tap the Advanced options.
• From there, tap on IP settings and select the Static option instead of DHCP.
• Now you have to enter the IP address, Gateway, DNS 1, and DNS 2 of the laptop you’ve taken note of earlier and that’s it.

Note: If you are already connected to the Mobile Hotspot, long press on the Wi-Fi network and select the Modify Network option and then follow the steps given above to change from DHCP to static. Once you’re done, your mobile device should now be able to connect to the Windows 10 Mobile Hotspot all the time.

As you know, Windows operating system comes with tons of features. Some of which are not intended to be used by normal customers or users directly which means that only a small percentage of the huge user base of the operating system leverages the use of such features. However, they’ve added some major value to the feature list of the operating system. You can find these features under the “Turn Windows Features on and off” option. This indicates that if you want to, you can just type in “Turn Windows Features on and off” in the search box and then enable any feature that you want to enable. Aside from that, there are other ways you can disable or enable the optional Windows Features in your Windows 10 computer.

Option 1 – via Control Panel

• Open Control Panel and select Uninstall a Program.
• After that, select the “Turn Windows features On or Off” option on the left side.

Option 2 – via Command Prompt

• Tap the Win + X combination on your keyboard or right-click on the Start button and then click on Command Prompt (Admin). Alternatively, you can also type “cmd” in the Cortana search box and right-click on the Command Prompt icon, and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• If a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, click on Yes.
• Next, type in the following command to see the list of the available features.

DISM /online /get-features /format:table | more

• Now all you have to do is copy the name of the feature that you want to enable and for you to do that, you need to execute the following command:

DISM /online /enable-feature /featurename:[Enter the name of the feature here] –All

Note: Now if you want to disable a feature that’s already enabled in your computer, refer to these sub-steps:

• First, you need to check what features are enabled, and for you to find out, enter this command: DISM /online /get-features /format:table | find “Enabled" | more
• And if you want to check the detailed information about a particular feature, you can enter this command: DISM /online /get-featureinfo/featurename:[Enter the name of the feature here]

Option 3 – via Windows Powershell

As you know, the Windows Powershell is a very important tool in Windows 10, and a powerful one at that since you can do a lot of things using this command line. So while you use this tool you need to populate the list of available features first and then you have to download the feature your desired feature.

• Search for PowerShell in the Cortana search box and then run it with administrator privileges.
• Next, type in the following command to populate the list of available features:

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature –Online

• After that, enter the following command to install any feature you want to enable from the list of available features:

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName *Type feature name*

• Now enter the following command to enable your desired feature:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName “Type feature name” –all

• And if you want to disable any enabled feature, just enter the following command:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName “Type feature name”

Option 4 – via an external installation source

You also have the option to fetch the latest features from an updated offline source. The source could be an ISO any other type of image or just a folder. So you need to decide if you want to use Windows Powershell or Command Prompt.

• If you want to use Command Prompt, just enter this command: exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:< /All /Source:<Enter the path of the feature here>
• If you want to use Windows Powershell, use this command: Install-WindowsFeature –Source “<Enter the path of the feature here>”

Note: If you want to get the latest features, you need to get the latest version of the image of the operating system that you are trying to install the feature from.

Apple introduced the Live Photo feature way with iPhone 6S in their iOS9. Live Photo idea was that each time you take a photo, your phone will capture a few seconds of video along with sound and all of that is sent when you share your photo. This of course can sometimes be really bad when some not wanted audio gets recorded in the background.

Since the feature was introduced it has been set as the default option when taking pictures so each time you snap one you just capture a small amount of video and audio along. Good thing is that this feature can be turned off and the even better news is that you can edit your old photos to remove back video and audio.

How to share only photo

You can keep your Live Photos but share only a single still typical photo if you wish. Go to the photos app on your phone and select the photo you wish to share. Press the Share button on the bottom left part of the screen and once the Share menu appears tap on the Live button in the upper left corner of the selected photo. The button should turn grey and become slashed and now you can share only still photo. This is only temporary for this one specific share so next time you want to do this you will have to go through the process again.

How to disable Live Photo

If you are not happy with the previous solution and really do not want to turn off the Live feature each time you want to share a photo or you just simply do not want the feature at all there is way to turn if off for good. Take note that you can temporarily not use this feature just by opening the camera, switching to photo mode, and then tapping on the Live photo button on the toolbar that looks like three circles one inside another. This will temporarily turn the Live Photo feature for this session but next time when you open the camera by default it will be turned on again. This is a good approach if you want the feature but sometimes you just want not to use it.

In order to turn it off completely go to the settings of your phone and go to Camera and then preserve settings. inside the preserve setting turn the switch Live Photo to ON position, now go-to camera and again click on the live photo button to turn it off but this time setting will be saved and next time you open the camera it will not be ON.

Editing old Live Photos

As stated before you can edit your old pictures in order to make them stills. You can edit them to remove audio only but keep the video part, or you can completely remove everything and convert them into typical still images.

In order to only remove audio from your Live Photos go to pictures and select one that you wish to change, click on edit, and inside edit tap on the Live Photo icon (three circles). Next tap on the audio icon located in the top left corner of your screen and it will change into the mute icon. Click on done and you are finished.

To completely remove the Live photo go to Photos, select picture, click on edit and select the live photo button again. This time tap and hold the Live button next to the sound until it turns gray with a strike through it. Click on done and you are finished.

Microsoft has started building a unified store with Windows 8 and later with Windows 10 in order to make it easier for users to get safer and more modern applications for their Windows 10 devices. This unified store is called the Microsoft Store which is tied up with the Windows Update. The delivery for them both are quite similar which is why they also have some common errors as well as fixes for them. So in this post, you will be guided on how you can fix error 0x80246019 for both Microsoft Store and Windows Update in your Windows 10 computer. The error 0x80246019 might be caused by corrupted system files or missing ones or be due to some glitch in the component services and other possible causes but whatever the cause is, you can fix it with the help of the following fixes, make sure to follow each one of them carefully.

Option 1 – Reset Windows Update components

• 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:WindowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32catroot2 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 2 – Toggle the Windows Insider Program settings

This option is only applicable to you if you are a part of the Windows Insider Program. If you are, then follow the steps below.

• First, you have to open Settings and go to the Update & Security section.
• From there select the Windows Insider Program.
• After that, select the “Stop Insider Preview builds” option and then restart your computer.
• Now open the Windows Insider Program again and check if it fixes error 0x80246019 or not.

Option 3 – Run the System File Checker Scan

System File Checker or SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files with good system files that might be the cause why you’re getting error 0x80246019. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow

The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

 Reboot your computer.

Option 4 – Run the DISM tool

You can also run the DISM Tool as it helps in repairing the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth” which could help in fixing error 0x80246019.

• 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 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 afterward, try opening Microsoft Store again and then try to install your app or update your computer again.

Option 6 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

You might also want to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter as it could also help in fixing error 0x80246019. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.

If you like to schedule different tasks on your Windows 10 computer and automate them, then you would find the Windows Task Scheduler very useful. It is commonly used by a lot of users to schedule various tasks like scheduling periodic execution of scripts and some programs to make sure that the intended tasks are automatically carried out. Apart from being a preinstalled application, the Task Scheduler is already available on your computer. However, there are times when you might encounter some errors while using it. One of these errors is error 0xFFFD0000. You can encounter this error while executing some PowerShell scripts. It can occur to any tasks as well especially to the ones that have a file executed using a particular program. And just like the PowerShell script, files also use PowerShell to be executed. To fix Error 0xFFFD0000, you need to follow the instructions provided below carefully. Step 1: In the Start Search, type “task scheduler” and click on Task Scheduler from the results to open it. Step 2: After opening Task Scheduler, right-click on the task that’s giving you the error and then click on Properties. Step 3: After that, navigate to the Actions tab in the new mini window that appears. Step 4: From there, select the action for the task and click on the Edit button which will open another mini window. Step 5: Next, make sure that the path to the executing program is properly typed inside the field of Program/script. Note that it should be set to the executable file for that particular program. For instance, you have to set it to “C:WindowsSystem32WindowsPowerShellv1.0powershell.exe” for the Windows PowerShell program. Step 6: You can also utilize the Browse button and navigate through Windows Explorer to locate that particular executable file for the program. Step 7: Now make sure to use the file argument in the Add arguments field followed by the path of the file to be executed. It should look like this:

-file "C:/Users/Ayush/Desktop/Powershell Script Sample.ps1"

Step 8: Once done, click on OK to save the changes made and see if the task is still giving you an error or not. On the other hand, if you are still getting the same error, you can try to repair the Task Scheduler by deleting corrupted tasks. Note that a single corrupted file can cause big problems so this option is quite important. And for you to delete a corrupted task or any task from the Task Scheduler, you have to use the Registry Editor if you are not able to use the Task Scheduler interface. To do so, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the dialog box for Run.
• Next, type in regedit and click on OK or tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Then navigate to this path: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheTree

Note: In this path, you can see all the tasks that are currently set in the Task Scheduler. And since it would be hard to tell which one of them is corrupted, you have to delete the latest one in Task Scheduler last. But before you do so, make sure that you take a note of the ID of the tasks. And for you to get the ID, you have to select the task you wish to delete and double click on the ID string located on your right-hand side, and then copy it in the Notepad.

• Right-click on the task name and then delete it.
• After that, delete the very same GUID which you have copied earlier from these folders:
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheBoot
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheLogon
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheMaintenance
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCachePlain
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheTasks

Note: You might not see the same GUID from these folders but if you see it, delete it right away.

• Next, navigate to this location: C:WindowsSystem32Tasks
• Delete the very same tasks you just deleted from the Registry Editor.
• Restart your PC and check if the Task Scheduler is back to its normal state or not.

When we get ourselves a new USB stick, new hard drive, or any storage device not including optical drives they are usually preformatted and ready to be used out of the box. However, reformating them has several benefits and while we are reformatting we can choose in which file system format we want the memory to be formatted. In this article, we will compare and explore 3 typical and standard format options you can get while formating a new media in Windows 10.

FAT32

The oldest one on the list, coming all the way from DOS days. Great for devices that need to be plugged in different operating systems and for USB flash drives. Its advantages are compatibility with all major operating systems and little memory usage comparing to other ones. However, the file system is limited to file sizes of the maximum capacity of 4GB and partitions can not exceed more than 32GB.

NTFS

First introduced in Windows NT this file system offered slower performance than FAT32 and somewhat limited usability but the main advantages were more stability and fewer errors. Its main advantages are support for files larger than 4GB and partitions larger than 32GB along with the ability for on the file encryption, main disadvantage would be limited operating system usage, NTFS can not be used on systems that work on FAT32 like MS-DOS for example or older versions of Windows. The best usage for this file system is in internal hard disk drives and system drives.

exFAT

New kid on the block, well at least from the perspective of the previous 2. exFAT offers unlimited file sizes and unlimited partition sizes but at a price that is even more limiting than NTFS. Some Linux distributions will require a driver to be installed in order to see the exFAT partition. The best use is in storage, in external hard drives. That's it, 3 major file systems, we hope that you have managed to learn something new today, and remember to drop by tomorrow for more articles about advice, tips, tricks, and troubleshooting.

Error Code 0x800ccc13– What is it?

0x800ccc13 is an error message related to sending email using Outlook. Many people are receiving this error after making an upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. The error message appears when you try to send an email message with the use of a POP3 account or an IMAP account in an Outlook profile that has an Exchange Server 2010 mailbox configured. A common complaint would be: Since upgrading to Windows 10 I cannot send email from Outlook 2013. Mail stays in the Outbox, and I get: Error 0x800CCC13. Cannot connect to the network.

Symptoms

This problem may arise under the following situations:

• You are using Microsoft Office Outlook in online mode to connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 mailbox
• When you add an additional POP3 or IMAP account in the same Microsoft Outlook profile
• You are sending an attachment through email.
• You try sending an email by selecting POP3 or IMAP account as the sender

During these circumstances, the email message stays in the Outbox and you receive the following error message: Task '<the POP3 account or the IMAP account> - Sending' reported error (0x800CCC13): 'Unable to connect to the network. Check your network connection or modem.'

Solution

Error Causes

Error Code 0x800ccc13 occurs because the system files in Windows 10 during the upgrade became corrupted and most likely caused authentication issues. It can happen with any version of Outlook. Damaged data files will also cause error code 0x800ccc13 to manifest. Overall, the corruption of the Microsoft Windows System could be a result of an installation partially done (or an incomplete one), deletion of any application or hardware erroneously, and or malware or adware infestation.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Method 1:

Use the Windows System File Checker to repair corrupted files Verify that your SMTP, username, and password settings are correct. Now, in order to correct missing or corrupt Windows System files, try the following solution by running a command. This is known as the System File Checker. Follow the steps below to invoke the program using a command prompt command:

1. At first, you need to open the command prompt. To do so, right-click the Windows button in the bottom left of the screen, and select Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Now, enter the following command

sfc/scannow

When it is done, a message will confirm that Windows found some corrupt or missing files and it has successfully repaired those. Check the Outlook and see if your emails are sending. If the problem persists, don’t worry there is another way to solve this. Users have found another command helpful is using the NetShell utility from the command prompt, which is similar to the above solution.

1. Open the Command prompt by Right-clicking the Windows button in the bottom left of the screen and select Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Enter the following command

netshwinsosk reset

This helpful command will reset the network adapter to its default settings. Hope this will solve your problem. If not, you may want to try the Method 2 listed below.

Method 2:

For this method, you need to consider the following things:

• Are you using POP3, IMAP, or Exchange server for your email account?
• How many email accounts have you configured in your Outlook?
• Is there an undelivered email stuck in your Outbox?
• If you are trying to send an attachment, what is the size of the attachment?

Try the following:

1. Move or delete any undelivered email that is stuck in the Outbox folder, and then try sending an email and verify the result
2. Start Outlook in Safe Mode by following the instructions below

Hold down Windows key + R. Copy this command Outlook /safe Note, there is a space between Outlook and / Paste it in the open box and press Enter If Outlook in Safe Mode works, disable the add-ins by following the steps below and determine if the problem is caused by add-ins.

• Click File menu, click Options, Add-ins, Go button beside Manage Com-in Add.
• If there are add-ins listed, clear the checkbox.
• Close Microsoft Office and restart it.
• Disable the add-ins one at a time. Now, restart Outlook and repeat the procedure once more. If the problem appears again, it will help you find which add-in is causing the problem.

3. Start the computer using the clean boot. Now, try to send an email and see the result.
4. If the problem still lingers, create a new profile and configure the email account.

If you do not possess the technical expertise required to accomplish this yourself or do not feel comfortable doing so, download and install a powerful automated tool to get the job done.

Error Code 0xC1900101, 0x20017 – What is it?

Error code 0xC1900101, 0x20017 in Windows 10 occurs when Windows users attempt to upgrade to Windows 10 but fail to complete the installation process. This Windows error code may occur due to issues with a third-party antivirus program or problems related to a driver or hardware. When this occurs users will receive an error message and their machine will automatically revert to the original operating system on the device. Common symptoms of the error code include the following:

• Error code 0xC1900101-0x20017 message box
• Inability to complete Windows 10 upgrade

Solution

Error Causes

Like many other error codes affecting Windows 10 users, 0xC1900101-0x20017 may result due to several different reasons. Oftentimes, error code 0xC1900101 -0x20017 affects users who attempt to upgrade their operating system but have incompatible drivers or hardware as well as antivirus or other security systems which prevent the upgrade from occurring. If this error message is not resolved, it could give birth to other error messages such as error code 0x80070652. 

Further Information and Manual Repair

To fix this particular error code affecting Windows 10 devices, you will need to employ at least one manual repair method mentioned within this article. Manual repair methods offer effective solutions as they seek to address the root causes related to Windows error codes. When the manual repair methods are implemented correctly, users are usually able to quickly overcome issues that cause Windows error codes and can thereafter access all the benefits Windows has to offer to its users.

Note, however, that in a few cases where technical skills are required, the need for a Windows repair technician may present itself. In such a case, resort to Windows forums and other resources to access help from a certified Windows professional. Also, consider using an automated tool where necessary.

Method One: Temporarily Disable or Uninstall Third-party Security Software

Some third-party security programs or antivirus software may interfere with the installation process when Windows users attempt to upgrade to Windows 10. To verify if this is the issue causing error code 0xC1900101-0x20017 on your device, temporarily uninstall or disable these applications. You may easily do so by checking the settings of these programs or visiting Settings within the Windows Start Menu.

Once you have disabled these programs on your device, reboot your machine and attempt to update to Windows 10. If the issue was caused by a third-party app, error code 0xC1900101-0x20017 will no longer occur and your machine will successfully upgrade to the version of Windows 10 you attempt to download.

However, in the case where error code 0xC1900101-0x20017 in Windows 10 reoccurs during the installation process, you will need to resort to another manual repair method listed below.

Method Two: Disable Firewall Software

Like method one, this manual repair method can be effective in combating issues related to 0xC1900101-0x20017. This is of course, dependent on whether or not the error code is due to an incompatible security program.

Temporarily disable your firewall by adjusting its settings. Once this step is complete, reboot your machine and attempt to install the latest version of Windows 10. If you are able to complete the process, this means the problem was due to an issue with your firewall. You can then enable the firewall you previously disabled or download another program as its replacement.

If the error code reoccurs, however, consider implementing the next manual repair method on this list.

Method Three: Use Command Prompt to Check for Damaged System Files

Command Prompt can be very effective in helping regular as well as technically skilled users repair issues with their PC. In the case of error code 0xC1900101-0x20017 in Windows 10, access Command Prompt using the following instructions.

• Step one: Right-click Start Menu
• Step two: Select Command Prompt (Admin)
• Step three: Type sfc /scannow

Be sure to enter the command as it is written above, with a space between “sfc” and “/scannow”. Wait until the scan is complete. If there are any errors related to system files, i.e. if any system files are damaged, corrupted, or missing, your machine will begin to fix it. Once the process is complete, reboot your PC then reattempt the Windows 10 upgrade process via Windows Update. If you are successful, it means that you have rectified error code 0xC1900101-0x20017. Otherwise, you may need to contact a Windows repair technician.

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.

There are cases when your Windows 10 PC can encounter an issue where it gets stuck and will display a message that says, “Preparing Security Options”. If this is happening to your Windows 10 PC, you won’t be able to use your keyboard or even mouse and your screen will only be stuck on the screen as mentioned above. As your computer is still stuck, you will be left with no choice but to shut it down and restart it. Tap the F11 key as soon as your PC powers on. This will take you to the Advanced Startup options where you can carry out some steps. If it still didn’t work, you have to boot your Windows 10 PC into Safe Mode and then try out the troubleshooting options below.

Option 1 – Try using System Restore

You can do this option either by booting into Safe Mode or in System Restore. If you are already in the Advanced Startup Options, just directly select System Restore and proceed with the next steps. And if you have just booted your PC into Safe Mode, refer to the steps below.

• 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

The issue could be caused by Windows Updates so you need to check if it’s indeed the case. The best way you can do so is via Safe Mode.

• 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

You can do both SFC and CHKDSK using Safe Mode and Advanced Startup options. For Advanced Startup options, click on the Command Prompt option and proceed with the steps. And if you have booted your computer into Safe Mode, follow these steps:

• 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

You can reset your Windows 10 PC using either the Advanced Startup Options or by booting into Safe Mode.

• 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

In this option, the Command Prompt is supposed to be like the one in option 4. You can use both ways there to open the Command Prompt.

• 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

Note: You can also rename the SoftwareDistribution folder to “SoftwareDistribution.bak” or “SoftwareDistribution.old” after you boot your PC into Safe Mode.

Option 7 – Try rebuilding BCD

Rebuilding the BCD can help you in fixing the stuck Windows 10.

• 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

What is the Error 421?

Error 421 is a common SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) Outlook error message. MS Outlook is one of the best and popular email applications widely used by PC Windows users for sending and receiving emails within and outside workplaces. It is most commonly used in offices by professionals for faster communication. This error may occur while sending and receiving emails on the server. The error 421 messages is displayed in either of the following formats:

“An unknown error has occurred: Server error 421” "Could not send your message. Error 421" 421 4.2.1 : (DYN:T1) http://postmaster.info.aol.com/errors/421dynt1.html 421 4.3.1 Out of disk space for temp file 421 4.3.2 All server ports are busy 421 Downstream server error 421 Fork failed 421 Greylisting enabled, please try later “An unknown error has occurred. Subject ‘Testing’, Account: ‘pop.charter.net’, Server: ‘mail.charter.net’, Protocol: SMTP, Server Response: ’421 Message rejected’, Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 421, Error Number: 0x800CCC67”

Solution

Error Causes

Some common causes for this critical Outlook error are:

• PST storage size exceeds 2GB file size
• Improper ISP settings
• Slow internet connection
• PST file corruption
• Trojan attack and viral infection

This is a critical Outlook error that should be resolved timely. If you delay, it may cause you a great deal of inconvenience. The error code 421 hampers your ability to access your email account, send and receive emails, add new contacts, view emails, calendar entries, and journals. In other words, it just brings your email activities to a standstill locking you out of the account.

Further Information and Manual Repair

To resolve this error code on your system, you don’t always have to hire a professional or call the network personnel to do the job. It may be a critical error but the good news is that it is quite easy to fix. Even if you don’t have technical expertise, you can still repair it. Here are some of the best methods to repair this issue on your system:

1. Change the Server Settings to its Maximum Limit

Try changing your server settings. Here set the inbound connections limit at the maximum limit.

• To do this, open the Microsoft Exchange Server Administrator utility. The access path of this utility will vary depending on the installation procedure used to set up Exchange Server.
• Once you open the MS Exchange Server Administrator utility, click the ‘Connections’ icon in the left side navigation pane. Now double click the internet mail service icon in the right side pane. As you click it, the Properties window will open.
• Now click the ‘Connections’ tab in the Properties window and then click the ‘Advanced’ button. This will open the configuration window.
• Here reset the number for ‘Maximum Number of Inbound Connections’ to a high number, its maximum limit. After changing the settings, close all open Exchange Server Administrator program windows to successfully complete the process.

After the process is complete, try accessing your Outlook email account again; if it works, then that’s great the error 421 is resolved. However, if it doesn’t, then the problem could be related to viral infection.

2. Download a PST Repair Tool

If the cause of the error is PST files corruption, then not only will you be locked out of your email account, you are also at risk of losing all the data stored in your email account. However, the best way to resolve the error and ensure full data recovery is to download a reliable PST repair tool. By running a PST repair tool on your system, you can resolve the error 421 right away. It recovers your data, repairs corrupt and damaged PST files.

3. Scan Your PC with Restoro.

If viral infection and Trojans are causing the error 421 to pop up on your system, then it is recommended to download and scan your PC with Restoro. This is an advanced, intuitive, and user-friendly PC fixer. It is not just an antivirus but also a system optimizer and a registry cleaner. Unlike common antivirus software that only removes viruses and simultaneously slows down the system’s speed, Restoro removes all types of malicious software on your PC including malware, spyware, Trojans, and viruses, and also boosts the speed of your PC significantly. It is safe, easy to operate, and a quick fixer. It is compatible with all Windows versions. Click here to download Restoro and resolve error 421 today!