How to Permanently Disable Active History

ExpressFiles is a program developed by Express Solutions. A number of Anti-Virus programs have flagged this program as a Potentially Unwanted Application. In many instances, it is bundled with additional programs on installation.

The program claims it offers users easy to search for various currently popular search terms. During our testing, the software never displays any search results, no matter the search words. Upon installation and setup, it defines an auto-start registry entry which makes this program run on each Windows boot for all user logins. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times. The program defines an exception rule in Windows Firewall, allowing it to connect to the internet without limitations and auto-update itself.

About Browser Hijackers

Precisely what is a PUP?

If you’ve ever downloaded a free application or shareware, chances are high that the computer can get installed with a bunch of unwanted applications. A PUA / PUP (potentially unwanted application / potentially unwanted program) is a software program that comes bundled with free software and you consent to install it on your PC. These are programs you almost certainly don’t want on your computer simply because it doesn’t give any valuable service. Despite being regarded as very detrimental, PUPs aren’t always viruses or malware One simple difference between PUP and malware is distribution. Malware is normally dropped by silent installation vectors like drive-by downloads while PUP gets installed with the consent of the computer user, who purposefully or unknowingly approves the PUP installation on its PC. Having said that, there is no doubt that PUPs remain bad news for PC users as they can be incredibly damaging to the computer in numerous ways.

Exactly how do unwanted programs look like?

Potentially Unwanted Programs appear in different forms and varieties, however, in the majority of instances, they are adware programs that exhibit irritating pop-up ads and advertisements on websites you explore. In addition, the majority of free programs these days come with some unwanted add-ons; in most cases an internet browser toolbar or browser modification like a homepage hijacker. They’ll keep track of your online routines, redirect your search results to risky websites where viruses can be downloaded and installed, hijack your home page, and slow your browser down to a crawl. Potentially Unwanted Programs occasionally act quite much like computer viruses or spyware. They might carry keyloggers, dialers, browser hijackers, and tracking components that gather system details, or tracks customer habits and relays this information to third-party firms. Even if the PUPs really aren’t basically malicious, these software programs still do absolutely nothing good on your personal computer – they will take valuable system resources, slow down your PC, weaken your computer security, and make your system more susceptible to trojans.

How do you avoid PUPs?

• Read cautiously before accepting the license agreement as it may have a clause about PUPs. • Always opt for the custom if you’re presented an option between “Custom” and “Recommended” Installations – never click Next, Next, Next blindly. • Have a top-notch antivirus program like Safebytes Anti-Malware which can protect your computer from PUPs. As soon as you install this software, protection from malware and PUPs is already switched on. • Think carefully before you download any kind of shareware or freeware. Disable or get rid of toolbars and browser extensions you don’t really need. • Only use official product websites for downloading programs. Stay away from download portals altogether as most websites compel users to download the software using their own download manager, which is often bundled up with some sort of PUPs.

What To Do If You Cannot Install Any Anti-Malware?

All malware is bad, but certain types of malicious software do a lot more damage to your computer than others. Some malware types modify browser settings by adding a proxy server or modify the PC’s DNS settings. In these instances, you will be unable to visit some or all of the websites, and therefore not able to download or install the required security software to remove the infection. If you are reading this right now, you have perhaps recognized that a malware infection is a reason for your blocked web connectivity. So how to proceed when you want to install an anti-malware application like Safebytes? Follow the instructions below to eliminate malware by alternative methods.

Install in Safe Mode

The Windows-based PC comes with a special mode called “Safe Mode” where just the bare minimum required applications and services are loaded. If the malware is set to load immediately when the computer starts, shifting to this mode may well prevent it from doing so. In order to enter into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press the F8 key while the PC is starting up or run MSConfig and locate the “Safe Boot” options under the “Boot” tab. As soon as you restart the PC into Safe Mode with Networking, you could download, install, and update anti-malware software from there. Right after installation, run the malware scanner to get rid of standard infections.

Utilize an alternate internet browser to download antivirus software

Web-based malware could be environment-specific, targeting a specific web browser or attacking particular versions of the web browser. If you’re not able to download the anti-virus application using Internet Explorer, this means the virus is targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you need to switch to a different web browser such as Chrome or Firefox to download the Safebytes Anti-malware program.

Install and run antivirus from a Thumb drive

Here’s yet another solution which is creating a portable USB anti-virus software that can scan your computer for malware without the need for installation. Try these simple actions to clean up your infected computer using portable anti-malware. 1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or Microsoft Windows Defender Offline onto a clean PC. 2) Mount the pen drive on the same PC. 3) Run the setup program by double-clicking the executable file of the downloaded software, which has a .exe file extension. 4) Select the drive letter of the USB drive as the location when the wizard asks you exactly where you would like to install the anti-malware. Follow activation instructions. 5) Now, insert the thumb drive into the corrupted PC. 6) Run the Safebytes Anti-malware directly from the pen drive by double-clicking the icon. 7) Click the “Scan” button to run a full computer scan and remove viruses automatically.

Overview of SafeBytes Anti-Malware

If you are looking to download the anti-malware program for your computer, there are lots of tools in the market to consider nonetheless, you just cannot trust blindly anyone, irrespective of whether it is free or paid software. A few of them do a great job in removing threats while some will ruin your PC by themselves. You need to pick a company that develops industry-best antimalware and has achieved a reputation as trustworthy. When considering commercial tool options, most people opt for well-known brands, such as SafeBytes, and they are quite happy with it. SafeBytes anti-malware is really a powerful, very effective protection software made to help users of all levels of computer literacy in detecting and removing malicious threats out of their computer. Using its outstanding protection system, this utility will quickly detect and get rid of the majority of the security threats, which include adware, viruses, browser hijackers, ransomware, PUPs, and trojans. SafeBytes anti-malware takes computer protection to a totally new level with its advanced features. Here are a few typical features present in this software: Live Protection: SafeBytes offers complete and real-time security for your laptop or computer. It’ll regularly monitor your computer for hacker activity and also gives end-users superior firewall protection. Most Reliable AntiMalware Protection: With its enhanced and sophisticated algorithm, this malware elimination tool can find and eliminate the malware threats hiding in your PC effectively. “Fast Scan” Features: SafeBytes’s high-speed malware scanning engine minimizes scanning times and extends battery life. Simultaneously, it will effectively identify and remove infected computer files or any online threat. Web Protection: SafeBytes checks and gives a unique safety ranking to each and every website you visit and block access to webpages considered to be phishing sites, thus safeguarding you from identity theft, or known to contain malicious software. Low CPU/Memory Usage: SafeBytes is well known for its low effect on computer resources and great detection rate of diverse threats. It runs quietly and efficiently in the background so you’re free to use your PC at full power all of the time. 24/7 Premium Support: SafeBytes gives you 24/7 technical support, automatic maintenance, and upgrades for the best user experience.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove ExpressFiles without the use of an automated tool, it may be possible to do so by removing the program from the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu, or in cases of browser extensions, going to the browsers AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. You will likely also want to reset your browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. Please note that this is for advanced users only and may be difficult, with incorrect file removal causing additional PC errors. In addition, some malware is capable of replicating or preventing deletion. Doing this in Safe Mode is advised.

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

The Gardening Enthusiast toolbar is another product that is advertised as a helpful addition to your browsing experience when it is really nothing more than the software you should remove as soon as possible. It is touted as a toolbar that will provide you with a lot of useful gardening tips. That is the hook to get you to install it. But, in truth, the only thing that it does is provide you with links to popular gardening websites that you can easily find on any search engine.

When installed the extension will change your default search engine and home page to MyWay.com

While browsing the internet with this extension you will see additional sponsored ads and links throughout your browsing session.

Anti-virus applications have marked this extension as a Browser Hijacker and are therefore marked for removal. While not considered malware, the fact that many users find it to hinder browser performance has led to its detection and flag for optional removal.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking means a malicious program code has control over and modified the settings of your browser, without your permission. Practically all browser hijackers are made for marketing or advertising purposes. Usually, hijackers will force hits to internet sites of their preference either to increase web traffic producing higher ad earnings, or to obtain a commission for every user visiting there. Nevertheless, it isn’t that harmless. Your internet safety is jeopardized and it is extremely annoying. Once the malware attacks your laptop or computer, it starts to mess things up a whole that slows your PC down to a crawl. In the worse case, you will be forced to tackle serious malware threats too.

Browser hijacking symptoms

The typical symptoms that suggest having this malware on your PC are: your home page has been reset to some unfamiliar website; you see new unwanted favorites or bookmarks added, usually directed to ad-filled or pornography sites; the default online search engine has been changed and the web browser security settings have been lowered without your knowledge; find new toolbars that you didn’t add; you notice lots of pop-up ads on your screen; your web browser gets sluggish, buggy, crashes quite often; Inability to navigate to certain sites, especially anti-malware and also other security software webpages.

Exactly how browser hijacker finds its way to your PC

A browser hijacker can be installed on your computer when you go to an infected site, click an e-mail attachment, or download something from a file-sharing website. They could be included with toolbars, BHO, add-ons, plug-ins, or browser extensions. Other times you might have accidentally accepted a browser hijacker as part of a software program package (generally freeware or shareware). Examples of popular browser hijackers are Fireball, Ask Toolbar, GoSave, CoolWebSearch, Babylon Toolbar, and RocketTab. Browser hijackers can record user keystrokes to gather potentially invaluable information that leads to privacy issues, cause instability on computers, significantly disrupt user’s browsing experience, and ultimately slow down the PC to a point where it will become unusable.

Removing browser hijackers

Certain browser hijacking could be easily reversed by identifying and eliminating the corresponding malware application from your control panel. Unfortunately, many of the software products used to hijack an internet browser are deliberately designed to be hard to detect or get rid of. You should think of undertaking manual fixes only if you are a tech-savvy person, as risks are associated with tinkering with the computer registry and HOSTS file. Browser hijackers can be effectively removed by installing anti-malware software on the affected PC. If you need to remove persistent hijackers effectively, install the award-winning anti-malware tool Safebytes Anti-Malware. And employ a system optimizer, like Total System Care, to eliminate all related files in the registry and fix browser issues.

How To Get Eliminate Malware That Is Preventing Anti-Malware Installation?

All malware is inherently harmful, but certain kinds of malicious software do more damage to your computer or laptop than others. Certain malware types alter internet browser settings by including a proxy server or change the computer’s DNS configuration settings. When this happens, you’ll be unable to visit certain or all of the sites, and thus unable to download or install the necessary security software to get rid of the computer virus. If you are reading this, chances are you’re stuck with a virus infection that is preventing you to download and/or install Safebytes Anti-Malware software on your computer. Even though this sort of problem can be harder to get around, there are some steps you can take.

Remove viruses in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a special, basic version of Microsoft Windows where only the bare minimum services are loaded to prevent viruses as well as other problematic applications from loading. In the event, the malware is set to load immediately when PC boots, shifting to this particular mode can prevent it from doing so. To enter into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press F8 while the PC is starting up or run MSCONFIG and locate the “Safe Boot” options under the “Boot” tab. Once you reboot into Safe Mode with Networking, you could download, install, as well as update anti-malware software from there. At this point, you can run the antivirus scan to eliminate viruses and malware without any interference from another application.

Switch over to an alternate internet browser

Malicious code might exploit vulnerabilities on a specific browser and block access to all antivirus software websites. In the event you suspect that your Internet Explorer happens to be hijacked by a virus or otherwise compromised by cybercriminals, the most effective thing to do would be to switch over to a different browser like Firefox, Chrome, or Safari to download your chosen computer security software – Safebytes Anti-Malware.

Install security software on a flash drive

To successfully get rid of the malware, you need to approach the problem of installing the anti-malware program on the affected computer system from a different perspective. To run antivirus from a USB drive, follow these simple measures: 1) Make use of another virus-free computer to download Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug the USB drive into the clean computer. 3) Double click on the downloaded file to open the installation wizard. 4) When asked, select the location of the pen drive as the place in which you want to store the software files. Follow the activation instructions. 5) Unplug the pen drive. You may now use this portable antivirus on the infected computer. 6) Double-click the anti-malware program EXE file on the pen drive. 7) Click on “Scan Now” to run a complete scan on the affected computer for viruses.

Benefits and Features of SafeBytes Security Suite

If you’re planning to purchase anti-malware for your desktop, there are numerous brands and utilities for you to consider. Some are well worth your money, but most aren’t. You must select a company that creates industry-best anti-malware and has earned a reputation as trustworthy. Among few good applications, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is the highly recommended software program for security-conscious people. SafeBytes anti-malware is a very effective and easy-to-use protection tool that is designed for end-users of all levels of IT literacy. Using its cutting-edge technology, this application will help you get rid of several types of malware like viruses, worms, PUPs, trojans, adware, ransomware, and browser hijackers.

SafeBytes anti-malware takes PC protection to a totally new level with its enhanced features. Here are some of the features you will like in SafeBytes.

Anti-Malware Protection: Built upon a highly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal tool can detect and remove several stubborn malware threats such as browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs, and ransomware that other typical antivirus programs will miss. Real-time Threat Response: SafeBytes offers real-time active supervision and protection from all known viruses and malware. It will constantly monitor your computer for hacker activity and also gives end-users sophisticated firewall protection. Safe Browsing: Safebytes allots all sites a unique safety ranking that helps you to have an idea of whether the website you’re about to visit is safe to browse or known to be a phishing site. Lightweight: SafeBytes is renowned for its low impact on processing power and great detection rate of countless threats. It works silently and efficiently in the background so you are free to make use of your personal computer at full power all the time. 24/7 Premium Support: You will get 24/7 technical support to quickly resolve any issue with your security software. SafeBytes will keep your personal computer safe from the latest malware threats automatically with hardly any input needed from you again. Malware problems will become a thing of the past once you put this software to use. You’ll get the best all-around protection for the money you spend on SafeBytes Anti-Malware subscription, there is no doubt about it.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you do not wish to use malware removal software and like to remove Gardening Enthusiast manually, you could do so by going to the Add/Remove Programs menu in the Control Panel and deleting the offending program; in cases of browser add-ons, you may uninstall it by visiting the browsers Add-on/Extension manager. You might also want to reset your home page and search engine providers, and also delete browsing history, temporary files, and internet cookies. To make sure of complete removal, find the following Windows registry entries on your computer and remove them or reset the values appropriately. However, editing the Windows registry is really a difficult job that only experienced computer users and professionals should attempt to fix the problem. In addition, certain malware keeps replicating which makes it difficult to eliminate. Completing this task in Safe Mode is advised.

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.

Error Code 45 – What is it?

Error Code 45 is a common device manager problem that users encounter on any Windows 2000 and later operating system versions.

The error occurs when your Windows system fails to acknowledge the connected device by either stating that the device is not present or that it was previously attached to a computer.

The error pops up and appears on your computer screen with the following message:

“Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer” (Code 45)

Solution

Error Causes

The error is prompted either due to a temporary system file malfunction or a problem in the Windows registry system files. In the latter case, it could be due to a damaged or corrupted Windows registry.

Further Information and Manual Repair

While it may appear that Error Code 45 is a serious threat to your computer, it cannot be farther from the truth. Error Code 45, unlike other error codes, is the easiest one to fix. Here is how you can do it.

Method 1 – Reconnect the device to your computer

Unplugging and plugging the USB cable of the device into the computer is the easiest way to solve the error.

Doing this will help refresh the system and increase the likelihood of the device driver files loading and function properly.

It is often only a case of reconnecting the device back to your computer which helps eliminate the error and does not require any particular resolution other than this.

Method 2 – Install DriverFIX

Although reconnecting the disconnected device is all you need to fix the error code, it is always safer to fix your Windows registry system files by using a program like DriverFIX.

DriverFIX, with its user-friendly approach to help you fix your PC issues, comes with an integrated database that detects which drivers you need to reconfigure within just a few seconds and downloads it automatically.

It further ensures that your drivers are installed in their entirety leaving no room for any corrupted or damaged registry.

It also has the added advantage of being able to backup and restores your files should there be the slightest possibility of system file damage.

Thus, registry damage can be averted by letting the software roll back the system files to an earlier healthy checkpoint. DriverFIX is the answer to fixing your PC error codes accurately and quickly.

Click here to download DriverFIX now!

One of the biggest annoyances in Windows 10 is that it’s upgrading from one version to another. Although these upgrades are necessary to fix some bugs or improve user experience, some of them actually bring bugs into the computers instead. And in one of the recent Windows 10 updates, a lot of issues were found especially for users who use Remote Desktop on a daily basis. The error stacks up as Windows 10 Remote Desktop Protocol client is not working or won’t connect and can’t find the computer HOSTNAME generally. Based on the reports by users who experienced this issue, there are two cases around it:

1. Users who try to reach a specific website or folder on the network

Some users encounter this error when they try to run the Network Troubleshooter. Even when they add the server name inside it, it still won’t identify the problem, and unpredictably, the driver seems to appear and disappear every now and then. And even after connecting, the network commands don’t work at all. This is really troublesome for users who have lots of PCs and all the other systems do not appear on the network.

2. Remote Desktop isn’t able to find the computer HOSTNAME

Some other users reported that the error appeared when they use the classic remote desktop software. It keeps on failing and throwing the error message, “Remote Desktop can’t find the computer “HOSTNAME”. If this is the same scenario you are having, it means that “HOSTNAME” does not belong to the specified network. So you need to verify the computer name and domain where you are trying to connect to. There are times when it used to work after some users tried connecting to the domain a couple of times. However, when users try to use the UWP version of Remote Desktop, it seems to connect most of the time. This kind of problem is definitely a DNS issue. It could be that there are two different records on the DNS server which is why it connects and other times it doesn’t. When it is able to resolve the correct address, the drives connect to the PC however, after a couple of minutes, they will suddenly go missing. Using “nslookup” for the hostname, multiple times, you can check this and see if you’ll get identical results all the time.

nslookup [–SubCommand …] [{ComputerToFind| [–Server]}]

If you’ve determined that the drives disappear each time, you may have to change the DNS server or ask your admin to resolve the problem for you. Alternatively, you can also check out another option that has worked for a lot of users. This second option is disabling the IPv6 on the network adapter. In case you don’t know, Windows 10 prefers IPv6 over IPv4 so if you now have issues using IPv6 to connect to the servers, you can change your computer’s settings so that it’ll only use IPv4 instead of IPv6. To do so, follow these instructions:

• Open Settings > Network and Internet > Ethernet > Change Adapter options.
• From there, right-click on the adapter for where you want to disable it and then select Properties.
• Next, look for the checkbox labeled, “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” then uncheck it.
• Now click on OK and restart your PC to save the changes made.

The first major update for Windows 11, 22000.65 has brought some bug fixes and some new features. The previous update was just a bunch of small fixes but this time Microsoft has brought much more with this one.

Bug and security fixes:

• Patch for the PrintNightmare vulnerability.
• Taskbar icons not displaying after you rotate the screen back and forth.
• Date and time not following format settings.
• Contrast issues with File Explorer title bar
• Search dropping the first keystroke when you press the Windows key and type
• Blurry windows in ALT + Tab

Besides bug and security fixed newest update has also brought us some functional changes:

• The start menu can no longer be moved from center
• A search box appears at the top of the Start menu.
• Taskbar appears on secondary monitors.
• The refresh option appears on the jump list when you right-click the desktop. It was on the "Show more options" list before.
• New look for certain dialog boxes such as "battery low" or "display change"
• New snap layouts for portrait mode screens.
• Option to troubleshoot sound problems when you right-click the volume icon.
• Power mode settings on Power & battery settings menu.
• Right-clicking .ps1 files offers a "Run with PowerShell" option.
• New GIFs in the emoji panel in China

Honestly, I really like a search box on top of the start menu but really dislike the option to move it to left, I am sure that there are a lot of users who would feel more like at home if they could still move and set Windows to function and work how they want. It is very strange to me that Windows 10 was made to be so user-focused and been able to be user specific and Windows 1 takes most of these things away. I am not sure why Microsoft is going this way but I cannot really see how moving the taskbar on left is a programming issue or why it is wrong for example.

There is one service in the Windows operating system that is responsible for managing all the print jobs as well as handles the interaction with the printer. This service is known as the Print Spooler service. However, if it stops running, then you won’t be able to print anything on your computer. In such a case, you can try to restart the Print Spooler service, and to do that, you have to open the Windows Services Manager and look for the Print Spooler Service. Once you found it, right-click on it and select Restart. If it isn’t running, select Start and if the Service starts working again, then good but if not and you got an error message instead that says, “Windows could not start the Print Spooler service on Local Computer, Error 1068, The dependency service or group failed to start”, then read on as this post will give you a couple of suggestions you can try to resolve the issue. The reason why you could not start the service is most likely because the Print Spooler service is dependent on other services which might not be properly running. If the following services are not running then it’s no wonder why you’re getting the error.

• HTTP Service
• Remote Procedure Control (RPC) Service

You might not see the RPC service which means that the Print Spooler Service does not recognize its dependency on the RPC service. In such a case, you have to manually configure the dependency by following the options given below.

Option 1 – Try configuring the dependency via CMD

The first thing you have to do is to configure the dependency using CMD. Refer to the steps below to do so:

• Open an elevated Command Prompt.
• Then type in “sc config spooler depend= RPCSS” and hit Enter.
• After the command has been executed, restart your computer and then check if it fixed the problem. If not, proceed to the next given option below.

Option 2 – Fix dependency via the Registry Editor

You can also resolve dependency using the Registry Editor. How? Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• After that, navigate to this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesSpooler
• Next, right-click on the “DependOnService” entry located on the right pane and select Modify.
• Now change its value data to “RPCSS” and click OK to save the changes made and then exit the Registry Editor.
• Reboot your computer and see if the issue is resolved.

Option 3 – Try running the Printer Troubleshooter

Another option you can check out is the Printer Troubleshooter. This built-in troubleshooter in Windows 10 can help you fix most print issues. It checks if you have the latest printer drivers and then tries to fix and update them automatically. Aside from that, it also checks if you have connectivity issues or if the Print Spooler and the required Services are running fine. To run it, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “exe /id PrinterDiagnostic” in the field and click OK or hit Enter to open the Printer Troubleshooter.
• Then click the Next button and follow the next on-screen instructions to fix the issue with the printer.

Many Windows 10 users use a Bluetooth headset as these kinds of Audio devices, as you know, lack wires since wires tend to get entangled and break which could get quite inconvenient. This is why using a wireless headphone is more preferable since it’s much simpler, however, using a wireless headphone also means it comes with a charging requirement and if it fails to charge, there is no music or audio or anything that you need a Bluetooth headphone for. However, wireless headphones are also susceptible to problems as you might encounter some problems when connecting your wireless headphone to your Windows 10 computer. One of these problems include when you try to get sound from the wireless device but nothing happened. This indicates that the Bluetooth headphone is disconnected in some way for some unknown reason even if you’ve already plugged it in. Thus, if you encounter this scenario, then there are several options you need to check out to fix the problem. To start troubleshooting the problem, here are the options you need to use as a reference.

Option 1 – Try turning off the device and turning it back on

The first thing you can do to resolve the problem is to turn off your wireless audio device and wait for a couple of seconds before you turn it back on. In most cases, this should fix the problem. In fact, you can also try to unpair and pair the Bluetooth audio device and see if it fixes the problem or not.

Option 2 – Try to set the headphone as the default device manually

There are times when you plug a headphone, it does not toggle the default audio device. Thus, to fix this issue, you have to set the default audio device to the headphones manually. To do that, follow these steps:

• First, right-click on the volume icon located on the system tray.
• Next, select the Open sound settings option to open the Sound section in the Windows 10 Settings app.
• After that, go to the Output section and select Headphones for the “Choose your output device” option. This should fix the problem for you.

Option 3 – Try running the Bluetooth Troubleshooter

As you know, Windows 10 has various troubleshooters with user-friendly interfaces where you can utilize them to fix issues in your PC. And since you’re dealing with some Bluetooth problem, you have to run the built-in Bluetooth Troubleshooter. To do this, follow these steps:

• Open the Windows 10 Settings.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• You should find the option for Bluetooth on your right-hand side – click on it then click on the “Run the troubleshooter” option.
• Now follow the next screen options.

Option 4 – Try to update or reinstall the Bluetooth driver

The issue might have something to do with the Bluetooth drivers. It could be that it is outdated and needs to be updated or that you recently updated it and since then you have trouble in removing the Bluetooth devices and so to fix the issue, you can update, roll back or uninstall the Bluetooth drivers. How? Follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + X keys to open the Device Manager.
• Next, look for the Bluetooth device and right-click on it.
• Select the option “Update driver”.
• After that, a new popup window will appear. In there, select the option, “Search automatically for updated driver software”.

Note: Checking the update may take a few minutes so you’ll have to wait until it finishes. If it is able to find an update, you must install it. And if you want to reinstall the Bluetooth driver, just select the “Uninstall driver” option and follow the next on-screen instructions that follow.

A newfound bug in Google docs is causing it to crush and upon reopening it will crush again making it very difficult to re-access your document. The bug is manifested when a series of the same word is typed into a document and Show grammar suggestion is turned on.

How was it found

A Google Docs user, Pat Needham brought up the issue on Google Docs Editors Help forum.

"I've only tried in Google Chrome, with documents from three separate Google accounts (personal, G Suite Basic, and work one which might be enterprise). All three experience this same issue".

"It's case-sensitive. So trying with 'and. and. And. and. And.' doesn't cause it to crash."

While Needham publicly reported the bug, it appears that the issue was discovered by Eliza Callahan who was writing a poem novel for her novel using Google Docs.

Needham's findings have also been confirmed by other users running Firefox 99.0.1

Another user, Sergii Dymchenko, said strings like "But. But. But. But. But." triggered the same response. Some also noticed putting any of the terms like "Also, Therefore, And, Anyway, But, Who, Why, Besides, However," in the same format achieved the outcome.

A YCombinator HackerNews reader suspected the cause to be the "Show grammar suggestion" option in Google Docs.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the presence of the issue adding, "we're aware of this issue and the team is working on a fix."

How to recover your document

First thing first, turn off Show grammar suggestions so you do not run into issue by accident. In order to turn it off go to Tools and then into Spelling and grammar and untick Show grammar suggestions.

Now, if you already have a document that has been crushed, fear not because there is a workaround to access it. For some strange reason this bug does not manifest on Google Docs mobile app, so you can open the crushed document in the mobile app, delete words that have caused the bug and reopen the document on your desktop.

Until Google comes up with the solution this is currently the only way to address the issue.

What is Mastodon? Mastodon is an open-source microblogging network very similar to Twitter. You can make 500 characters post messages called toot (tweet), share videos or images, and follow other people. But unlike Twitter, Mastodon is decentralized, meaning the entire Mastodon is not run by a single company pulling all strings.

Mastodon can be used directly in your web browser or through a mobile client on a smartphone or tablet. It includes features that seem copied from Twitter-like replies, boosts (retweets), favorites (loves), a timeline view, blocking, and voluntary content warnings that hide sensitive content.

Mastodon also has some great features that Twitter does not have like automated post deletion for the older post of a certain age, requiring approval for follows without restricting your account, and opting out of search engine indexing.

Currently, there are also no ads on Mastodon meaning no ad tracking or ad network surveillance.

How Does Mastodon Work?

Mastodon is a social media network made of nodes called servers or instances each running special software meaning anyone can run their own Mastodon instance (if they have a proper dedicated server). When you have your own instance it can be linked in the federation or remain private, so individuals or companies can have control over individual Mastodon servers.

The software itself is open source based on the social networking protocol ActivityPub which was developed by WWW Consortium.

While using Mastodon, people sign up for accounts with specific instances. Once logged in, you can view a local timeline (of posts from that instance only) or, if the instance is federated with others, see a federated timeline comprised of toots from people in other instances. Mastodon users can send messages to each other using their Mastodon account names that are similar to email addresses in that they feature the server address as well as the user name.