How to start Windows 10 in safe mode

When Microsoft held Windows 11 presentation it took special time to present the upcoming new Windows 11 store as kind of a big deal. It was openly stated that with new Windows we will get a new store with a different attitude and new look.

New Microsoft store

Microsoft has stated that both customer and developer feedback over time has contributed to their redesign and rethinking of the store itself. They want to be sure that policies for developers are more straightforward and clear so more developers will decide to bring their product to Windows. As for customers, they want more safety and more security so they feel protected when making a purchase. The new store will come in Windows 11 but also in Windows 10 as well via update.

Stories and collections

Introducing the new store will be curated stories. Microsoft believes that stores should be focused on user experience so stories from customers themselves will play a big role here. They are rich editorial content to keep you informed about the best apps and inspire you to achieve more with your device. This approach to information is aimed at bringing unknown applications to users via presenting them in a professional manner. Android apps in the store As stated in Windows 11 unveiling and presentation, Android apps will work inside Windows 11. Microsoft has teamed up with Amazon to bring you Android apps directly inside Windows via the new Microsoft store.

Pop up store from within a browser

When you are surfing on a certain webpage and want to save and install the application from there, a new pop-up store window will show allowing you to install the app directly. Microsoft has not said will this feature work outside their Edge browser so we will have to wait and see about that.

Support for multiple types of applications

Since now developers were tied to certain formats if they wanted to publish their application in any kind of environment. Microsoft wants to bridge this. Windows developers can publish any kind of app, regardless of app framework and packaging technology – such as Win32, .NET, UWP, Xamarin, Electron, React Native, Java, and even Progressive Web Apps. For Progressive Web Apps Microsoft has made open-source tool PWABuilder 3.

Flexibility and choice of commerce platform

Starting July 28, app developers will also have an option to bring their own or a third-party commerce platform in their apps, and if they do so they don’t need to pay Microsoft any fee. They can keep 100% of their revenue.

Stop C00002lA Fatal System Error- What is it?

C00002lA Fatal System Error is a blue screen of death error that may occur when you start your Windows NT 4.0 based computer. This error causes the screen to turn blue and the system also shuts down. The stop C000021A error message is displayed in the following format:

Stop c000021a {Fatal System Error} The session manager initialization system process terminated unexpectedly with a status of 0xc0000017 (0x00000000, 0x0000000) The system has been shut down.

Error Causes

The stop C000021A error occurs when either Crsrss.exe or Winlogon.exe fails. When the Windows NT kernel identifies that either of these processes has failed, it stops and the error code stop C000021A appears on the computer screen. Here are some of the underlying causes for the stop C0000021A error:

• The incompatible third-party program
• Hard disk issues
• Service pack installation has failed
• Mismatched system files have been installed
• Bad and invalid registry keys

Further Information and Manual Repair

To resolve the stop C000021A Fatal System Error on your PC try the following solutions:

• Remove Incompatible Third Party Programs

If the error occurred after you recently installed a new program, then it is advisable to remove that program. The error occurs due to the incompatibility of the program. To remove the program go to the start menu and click on the control panel. Now click on Add/Remove Program tab and double click on the program name that you recently installed and remove it from the list. Once removed, not reboot your PC. Reinstall a compatible program and run it. It is most likely to resolve the issue. However, if the stop C000021A error still occurs, then it means the problem is critical. It is related to the registry.

• Repair and Restore the Registry

This procedure is slightly long and tricky. To try it, you need to be technically sound. Here’s what you have to do: first create a parallel installation of Windows NT. Start your PC to the parallel installation and then open the Registry Editor. On the Registry Editor’s Windows menu click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on Local Machine and then click Load Hive. Now type the path %systemroot%system32configsystem into the System hive of the prior installation. Then click open. Here you will be prompted to enter the name of the key, type TEST. Note the setting for the current DWord value in the preceding registry key. This is 0x1 and is denoted by CURRENT:Reg_Dword: 0x1. This value indicated that the Current Control Set for your original Windows NT installation corresponds to ControlSet001 in this window. Now if the value is 2, it indicated that the Current Control Set corresponds to ControlSet002. Now locate the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINETESTControlSetXXXControlSession Manager. XXX is the Current Control Set Value. And delete any pending file rename operation entries. Then click TEST hive and then click Unload Hive. After that again repeat the process, open the registry menu and click load hive, here type the path %systemroot%system32configSoftware to the Software hive of the prior installation and then click open. Now you type TEST 2 when you are prompted for the name of the key. Remove any pending file rename operations entries in the following registry keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINETEST2MicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunOnce HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINETEST2MicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunOnceEx Now click TEST2 hive and then click unload hive. Quit the Registry Editor and then restart your original installation. This will resolve the stop C000021A error.

Installing Windows updates, installing a new driver from the manufacturer, or even just installing an application or game can cause sometimes certain components of your computer to stop working properly or introduce issues that were not present just before mentioned installation. Luckily for all of us, Microsoft seems aware of this potential issue and we have the option to roll back an older driver which performed well and had no issues at all. In order to do this first press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden start menu and click on Device Manager. From the Device Manager choose the troublesome device and right-click on it, choose properties. Device properties floating Window will appear. Click on the top tab which says, Driver. From the Driver tab, click on Roll Back Driver. Note that if the device is working properly, the Roll Back Driver button will be greyed out and you will not be able to click on it meaning that chosen device is not the issue. If the device is not working properly and you can click on Roll Back driver, do it, choose the previous version, and reboot your computer. You can use this method to get back to the previous driver version for any device that is causing issues in your computer.

MovieGoat is a browser extension that allegedly lets you search for your favorite videos using its simple search engine. From the author:

Search for your favorite movies online, stay updated with the latest news and trends, and keep an eye on what’s up and coming in the world of cinema.

Simply type goat+ SpaceTab + query at the chrome search bar.

MovieGoat hijacks your browser, replacing your default search engine, displaying sponsored videos when you use its search and will display pop-up ads during your browsing experience. This extension has been detected as a Browser Hijacker by several anti-virus scanners and is not recommended to keep on your computer, especially because it serves no other purpose than to display pop-up ads and negatively impact your browsing experience.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijack is a common type of internet fraud where your internet browser configuration settings are modified to make it carry out things you never intend. There are numerous reasons why you may have an internet browser hijack; however commercial, advertising, and marketing are definitely the primary reasons for their creation. Usually, hijackers are made for the benefit of cyber hackers usually through income generation from forced ad clicks and site visits. Most people assume that these types of websites are legitimate and harmless but that is incorrect. Almost every browser hijacker poses an actual threat to your online safety and it’s important to categorize them under privacy risks. Some browser hijackers are designed to make particular modifications beyond the web browsers, like altering entries on the system registry and permitting other types of malware to further damage your PC.

How you can recognize a browser hijack

When your browser is hijacked, the following could happen: your homepage has been reset to some unfamiliar webpage; you find yourself regularly directed to some other site than the one you meant; The default search page of web browser is altered; you are finding new toolbars you have never witnessed before; you’ll notice random pop-ups start showing regularly; websites load very slowly and sometimes incomplete; Inability to navigate to particular websites, particularly anti-malware as well as other computer security software websites.

How it infects your computer

Browser hijackers can get into a computer in some way or other, for example via downloads, file sharing, and email too. They may also be deployed through the installation of a web browser toolbar, add-on, or extension. A browser hijacker can also come bundled up with some freeware which you unwittingly download and install the browser hijack, compromising your computer security. A good example of some infamous browser hijackers includes Anyprotect, Conduit, Babylon, SweetPage, DefaultTab, Delta Search, and RocketTab, however, the names are constantly changing. Browser hijacking can bring about severe privacy problems and even identity theft, affect your browsing experience by taking control over outbound traffic, substantially slows down your computer by consuming lots of resources, and cause system instability also.

Removal

One thing you could try to eliminate a browser hijacker is to locate the malicious software within the “Add or Remove Programs” list of the Windows Control Panel. It might or might not be there. If it is, uninstall it. But, most browser hijackers are hard to eliminate manually. Irrespective of how much you attempt to get rid of it, it could come back again and again. On top of that, manual removal demands you to carry out several time-consuming and complicated procedures which are very hard to complete for new computer users.

What you can do if Virus Prevents You From Downloading Or Installing Antivirus?

Malware can cause all sorts of damage if they invade your PC, ranging from stealing your personal information to erasing files on your computer. Some malware is created to restrict or block things that you want to do on your PC. It may not allow you to download anything from the net or it will prevent you from accessing a few or all of the internet sites, particularly the antivirus sites. If you’re reading this article, odds are you’re stuck with a virus infection that is preventing you to download or install Safebytes Anti-Malware software on your computer system. There are a few solutions you can attempt to get around with this particular obstacle.

Boot your computer in Safe Mode

If the malware is set to load automatically when Microsoft Windows starts, entering safe mode could block this attempt. Just the minimum required applications and services are loaded whenever you boot your computer or laptop in Safe Mode. Here are the steps you need to follow to boot into the Safe Mode of your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers (visit Microsoft site for directions on Windows 8 and 10 PCs). 1) At power on, hit the F8 key before the Windows splash screen begins to load. This would conjure up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Select Safe Mode with Networking using arrow keys and hit Enter. 3) Once you get into this mode, you will have internet access once again. Now, obtain the malware removal program you want by using the internet browser. To install the software, follow the directions in the installation wizard. 4) Following installation, do a complete scan and allow the program to remove the threats it detects.

Use an alternate web browser to download security software

Malicious code could exploit vulnerabilities in a particular browser and block access to all antivirus software websites. If you are not able to download the anti-virus software program using Internet Explorer, it means malware may be targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you need to switch over to another web browser such as Chrome or Firefox to download Safebytes Anti-malware software.

Install and run anti-malware from a USB drive

Here’s yet another solution which is utilizing a portable USB antivirus software package that can check your computer for viruses without the need for installation. Follow these steps to use a USB flash drive to clean your corrupted computer system. 1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or Windows Defender Offline onto a clean PC. 2) Insert the USB drive into the clean computer. 3) Double-click the exe file to run the installation wizard. 4) When asked, choose the location of the USB drive as the place in which you would like to store the software files. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. 5) Disconnect the flash drive. You can now utilize this portable anti-malware on the affected computer system. 6) Double-click the antivirus program EXE file on the USB flash drive. 7) Hit the “Scan” button to run a full computer scan and remove viruses automatically.

Protect your PC from Malware With SafeBytes Security Suite

If you are looking to install anti-malware software for your computer, there are plenty of tools on the market to consider nonetheless, you should not trust blindly anyone, no matter whether it is a paid or free software. A few are good ones, some are ok types, and some are simply just bogus anti-malware applications that can damage your personal computer themselves! You need to pick one that is efficient, practical, and has a strong reputation for its malware protection. On the list of strongly recommended software by industry analysts is SafeBytes Anti-Malware, the safest program for Microsoft Windows. SafeBytes anti-malware is a trusted software that not only secures your computer permanently but is also very user-friendly for people of all ability levels. With its outstanding protection system, this tool will automatically detect and remove most of the security threats, including browser hijackers, viruses, adware, ransomware, PUPs, and trojans. SafeBytes possesses a plethora of amazing features that can help you protect your PC from malware attack and damage. Here are a few of the best ones: Most effective AntiMalware Protection: Using its enhanced and sophisticated algorithm, this malware removal tool can identify and eliminate the malware threats hiding within your computer system effectively. Active Protection: Malware programs trying to get into the system are identified and stopped as and when detected by the SafeBytes active protection shields. It will constantly monitor your laptop or computer for hacker activity and also gives users advanced firewall protection. Web Protection: SafeBytes checks and provides a unique safety rating to every single website you visit and block access to web pages considered to be phishing sites, thus safeguarding you against identity theft, or known to contain malware. High-Speed Malware Scanning Engine: This tool has got one of the fastest and most efficient virus scanning engines in the industry. The scans are very accurate and take a little time to complete. Lowest CPU and Memory Usage: SafeBytes is a lightweight tool. It consumes a very small amount of processing power as it operates in the background so you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you really want. 24/7 Online Support: For any technical queries or product support, you can get 24/7 expert assistance through chat and e-mail.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove MovieGoat 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 MovieGoat

As you know, the Start Menu in Windows 10 is quite a stable experience. However, there are times when it can encounter some issues as well like getting corrupted. If your computer is going through the same problem, you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how you can fix the “Tile Data is corrupt” error. This kind of problem is actually quite common among a lot of Windows 10 users. This kind of problem prevents the Start Menu from working properly and no amount of clicking the keyboard keys or mouse will resolve the issue. Fixing it is important since the Start Menu is required for the operating system to function properly and even though there are several ways to get around in using the Start Menu, it can get quite problematic. Even if you manage to open the Start Menu, the ability to click on apps to open them is out of the question and you need to fix the problem. Worry not for the potential fixes provided in this post are not hard to follow. You can try to run the Start Menu troubleshooter or run the DISM tool. You could also reset the folder for Tile Database or re-register the Windows 10 Start Menu. For more details, refer to each one of the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try running the Start Menu troubleshooter

The first and basic thing you can do to fix the problem is to run the Start Menu troubleshooter as it can help you fix the problem automatically. Since this is not a built-in troubleshooter, you can download it from the official website of Microsoft. After you download it, run it and wait until it’s done identifying the problem and automatically fixing it.

Option 2 – Try running the DISM tool

You can run the DISM tool as well to help fix the “Tile Database is corrupt” error. 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
  • Dism(.)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, check if it was able to fix the corrupted Start Menu or not.

Option 3 – Try to reset the Tile Database folder

• First, you need to restart your computer and log into another user account where the Start Menu works.
• Next, navigate to this folder location, C:/Users/<userX>/AppData/Local/Tile/DataLayer.
• From there, copy the “TdlData.xml” file and save it to another drive.
• Once done, restart your computer and log into the user account where the Start Menu is corrupted.
• After that, navigate to this folder location, C:/Users/<userY>/AppData/Local/Tile/DataLayer.
• Now paste the TdlData.xml file you copied earlier and navigate to this location, %LocalAppData%MicrosoftWindowsShell.
• Afterward, copy the DefaultLayouts.xml file from the user account that’s working fine to the user account where the Start Menu is corrupted.

Option 4 – Try to re-register the Windows 10 Start Menu

• Tap the Win + X and select the “Windows PowerShell (Admin” option from the menu.
• After opening PowerShell, execute this command: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Foreach{Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}
• Wait until the command is executed and then see if it fixed the problem with the Start Menu or not.

This post will guide you through fixing the INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR Blue Screen Error on your Windows 10 computer. If you encounter this kind of Blue Screen of Death error, this means that the policy manager experienced a fatal error which in turn means that it can happen because of Drivers or Software or even due to external hardware. And so to resolve the issue, here are some suggestions that might be of help.

Option 1 – Update the Device drivers

As mentioned, the INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR BSOD error might have something to do with the drivers. It could be that the drivers are outdated so you need to update them in order to resolve the issue.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in devmgmt.msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. If you see a red or yellow sign that shows up against the driver, right-click on the driver’s name and select “Update Driver Software” or “Uninstall”. And if you find any drivers with a label saying, “Unknown device”, you need to update them as well.
• Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and then follow the instructions to complete the process.
• Restart your PC.

Option 2 – Check the Device performance and health

You can also try checking the device's performance and health in the Windows Defender Security Center.

• Open the Windows Defender Security Center.
• From there, check if there is a yellow exclamation icon in the Device performance and health section.
• After that, click on the View report option and you might see Health Report that points towards Storage Capacity, Device Drivers, or Apps and Software which should give you an idea of what the root cause of the problem really is.

Option 3 – Try to run the Chkdsk utility

Running the CHKDSK utility might also help you resolve the INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR Blue Screen error. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the CHKDSK utility comes in. The CHKDSK utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /f /r

• Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try increasing the size of the Hibernation file

• In the Cortana search box, type “command prompt” in the field, and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
• Next, type in the following command and hit Enter to execute it:

powercfg /hibernate /size 100

• Note that the default size of the Hibernation file is 75% and after executing the command, it should increase to 100%. Now exit Command Prompt and check if the problem’s now fixed or not.

Option 5 – Try to run the troubleshooters

Blue Screen Troubleshooter:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

Performance Troubleshooter:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “msdt.exe /id PerformanceDiagnostic” in the field and hit Enter to open the Performance troubleshooter.
• Then click on Next to get started. Wait until the process is completed.

System Maintenance Troubleshooter:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “msdt.exe /id MaintenanceDiagnostic” in the field and hit Enter to open the System Maintenance Troubleshooter.
• After that, click on Next to start troubleshooting the problem and wait until it’s done then check if it fixes the problem or not.

Option 6 – Uninstall the programs you installed recently

Chances are, some programs that you just installed might be the one that’s causing the BSOD error. Thus, you need to uninstall the program to resolve the problem.

• In the search box, type in “control” and then click on Control Panel (desktop app) among the search results.
• After that, select Programs and Features from the list which will give you a list of all the programs installed on your computer.
• From there, look for the concerned program and select it and then uninstall it.

Note: If you have downloaded the app from the Windows Store, you can simply right-click on it from the application list and then uninstall it.

Option 7 – Run Windows Defender offline

You also have the option to run Windows Defender offline and scan your computer to see if any malware has infected the computer and the one that’s causing the INTERNAL_POWER_ERROR Blue Screen Error.

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:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts] "Segoe UI (TrueType)"="segoeui.ttf" "Segoe UI Black (TrueType)"="seguibl.ttf" "Segoe UI Black Italic (TrueType)"="seguibli.ttf" "Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"="segoeuib.ttf" "Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuiz.ttf" "Segoe UI Emoji (TrueType)"="seguiemj.ttf" "Segoe UI Historic (TrueType)"="seguihis.ttf" "Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuii.ttf" "Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"="segoeuil.ttf" "Segoe UI Light Italic (TrueType)"="seguili.ttf" "Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"="seguisb.ttf" "Segoe UI Semibold Italic (TrueType)"="seguisbi.ttf" "Segoe UI Semilight (TrueType)"="segoeuisl.ttf" "Segoe UI Semilight Italic (TrueType)"="seguisli.ttf" "Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"="seguisym.ttf" "Segoe MDL2 Assets (TrueType)"="segmdl2.ttf" "Segoe Print (TrueType)"="segoepr.ttf" "Segoe Print Bold (TrueType)"="segoeprb.ttf" "Segoe Script (TrueType)"="segoesc.ttf" "Segoe Script Bold (TrueType)"="segoescb.ttf" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes] "Segoe UI"=-

Reboot your system and your Windows will now revert the font of your choice as its default system font.

nslookup is a command-line tool that helps in finding the DNS records of a website. It sends a name server query to the DNS and obtains the corresponding IP address. Aside from that, it can also perform some complex functionality such as finding details about FTP server, Mail server and many more but most of them are used by administrators. The best thing about nslookup is that it queries the DNS server directly and it does not rely on the cache. On the other hand, there is another tool called PING that is used to verify connectivity. PING sends a packet of information to the IP address or Domain and gets back a response in the form of packets. So if everything goes well, all packets are received but if not, it will help you find out where the delay in the network exactly is. However, the ping command does not always attempt a DNS lookup which means that it might be using the DNS cache and use the IP address available in that table. Although both nslookup and PING help you in identifying the host or IP address, however, they don’t always work and sometimes fail. So if your nslookup works but ping fails on your Windows 10 PC when querying the IP address of a website then it could be caused by many reasons. It could be that the nslookup queries work for you but when you try to use PING, it fails. For instance, if you open the abc.com website, here’s how it will look like:

nslookup xyz.com Server: dns.company.com Address: 192.168.1.38 C:> ping xyz.com Ping request could not find host xyz.com. Please check the name and try again.

The domain is converted into an IP address and then data is sent to that IP address when you use PING. So when a reply comes back it means that the data is going back and forth to that domain without any problem. However, if the DNS fails to resolve the IP address of the website or if your PC does not attempt a DNS lookup, you will receive a similar error message that says, “Could not find host” and so on. To resolve this issue, here are some options that might help.

Option 1 – Reset Winsock, TCP/IP & Flush DNS

Resetting Winsock, TCP/IP, and flushing DNS might help you resolve the issue with nslookup and PING. To do so, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator) so you can pull up an elevated Command Prompt.
• After that, execute each one of the commands listed below. And after you typed in one after the other, you have to hit Enter.

1. netsh winsock reset – type in this command to reset Winsock
2. netsh int ip reset resettcpip.txt – type in this command to reset TCP/IP
3. ipconfig /flushdns – type in this command to flush the DNS cache

• Next, restart your PC and check if the problem’s fixed.

Option 2 – Force Windows to do a DNS lookup using FQDN

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Change adapter options.
• From there, right-click on the network and select Properties.
• Next, in case you’re using IPv6, from the list of connections available in the list, select Internet Protocol Version 4.
• Then click on Properties and click Advanced.
• After that, switch to the DNS tab and select “Append these DNS suffixes (in order)” and click on the Add button and then add “.” as a suffix so that each time you query using PING and another tool, it will add a “.” at the end and will force the lookup.

Option 3 – Make sure that there is only one default gateway

If your computer has more than one NIC connected and there are multiple default gateways, then it will most likely create confusion which is why you need to remove the default gateway from the configuration of all NICs and make sure that there is only one default gateway.

Option 4 – Use the Google Public DNS

You might want to change your DNS to Google Public DNS as it could also help you in fixing the nslookup and PING issues. To do so, follow the steps below.

• The first thing you have to do is right-click on the network icon in the Taskbar and select Network and Sharing Center.
• Next, click on the “Change Adapter Settings” option.
• After that, search for the network connection that you are using to connect to the internet. Note that the option might be “Wireless Connection” or “Local Area Connection”.
• Right-click on your network connection and click on Properties.
• Then select the new window to choose the “Internet Protocol 4 (TCP/IPv4)” option.
• After that, click on the Properties button and click the checkbox in the new window for the option “Use the following DNS server addresses”.
• Type in “8.8.8.8” and “8.8.4.4” and click OK and exit.

Option 5 – Check the Windows Host file

You can also try to cross-check the Windows Hosts file to find out if the website you are trying to open has been blocked, because if it is, then it’s no wonder why PING fails even when nslookup works. There are instances when some third-party application modifies the file and adds some websites to the blocklists. So if the website is indeed blocked, you need to remove it from the list.

Option 6 – Delete the WLAN Profiles

Deleting the WLAN Profiles might be a good idea if you are not able to connect to the internet on your computer and if you’re using Wi-Fi. It could be that the networks that were connected previously have gone rogue which is why it is not connecting properly. And so deleting the WLAN profiles might help you in fixing the issue with nslookup and PING.

Option 7 – Reinstall the Network Adapter Drivers

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
• Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and select “Uninstall device”.
• Restart your PC.

When Windows is installed on a clean hard drive it usually finds most of the needed drivers for our computer to run, but if we by any chance have any old unsupported hardware or some exotic one chance are very high that Windows will not be able to locate and install drivers for it. And sometimes we do not even have drivers from where to download them, let's say for example you have purchased a second-hand laptop with Windows on it, you wish to create a clean and fresh copy of new Windows installation but you do not have drivers, and let us say the model is not supported so you can not download them. In this case, this shown method will help you a ton and save you a lot of time and frustration. So, in order to back all of your drivers from your Windows follow this simple guide step by step. Note please that this method will backup drivers themselves, you will not backup installation packages of drivers or similar stuff, only drivers installed in Windows itself.

Backing up the drivers

First thing first, create a folder where you want your drivers to be backed up somewhere in your HD and give it any name. Second, press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret Windows menu. From the menu choose Command Prompt (administrator) When the command prompt is active type the next command in it: DISM /online /export-driver /destination:C:\DriverBackup where: C:\DriverBackup is the folder and the hard drive where you want to store your backed-up drivers. Press ENTER That's it, you have now successfully backed-up all of your installed Windows drivers. Now, save all of your drivers on USB and reinstall Windows.

In order to now return backed drivers do the following:

Press again ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret Windows menu. but this time choose Device manager From decide, manager right-click on any device Windows has not been able to install appropriate driver and choose update driver

• Click on the Browse my computer for driver software option.
• Click the Browse button.
• Select the folder with the driver backup.
• Check the Include subfolders option.
• Click the Next button.
• Click the Close button.

Recently, a lot of users reported to Microsoft about getting an error code 0x80096004 while trying to update their Windows 10 computers. This kind of Windows Update error occurs during the initial download and verification process. It also affects the Windows features (FODs) and when you encounter this error, you will also see this error code, “TRUST_E_CERT_SIGNATURE”. This error code indicates that the signature of the certificate could not be confirmed. This is caused by a broken certificate store or a corrupt copy of the Windows operating system is installed. Here’s the complete error message:

“There 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: (0x80096004).”

To fix Windows Update error 0x80096004, you can check out the options provided below.

Option 1 – Delete the contents in the Software Distribution folder and Catroot2 folder

• 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 wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
• Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby 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 wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer, and then try to run Windows Update once more.

Option 2 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter is one of the things you can first check out as it is known to automatically resolve any Windows Update errors like error code 0x80096004. To run it, Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Settings.
• From there, click Update and Security and go to the Troubleshoot section.
• Next, select Windows Update and click the “Run the troubleshooter” button and wait until it’s finished, and then try to run Windows Update again.

Option 3 – Try to temporarily disable anti-virus and Windows Defender Firewall

As mentioned, the error could be due to the antivirus program or the Windows Defender Firewall installed on your computer. Thus, disabling them or any security software installed in your computer is always a good idea you can try when you’re not able to access the shared drive on your computer. There are times when you encounter problems like Error Code 0x80096004 due to interference of antivirus or security programs. Thus, you have to disable both your antivirus program and Windows Defender Firewall for the meantime and check if it fixes the error or not.

Option 4 – Try to replace the DLL file with a trusted source

You can also try to replace the crypt32.dll file as it could help in fixing the Windows Update error. Just make sure that you get one from a trusted source.

• First, you need to get the new DLL file from another computer with preferably the same file version number.
• After that, you need to boot your PC into Safe Mode and navigate to the paths listed below and then replace the file using a USB drive or other external storage devices.
  • x86: This PC > C:/Windows/System32
  • x64: This PC > C:/Windows/SysWOW64
• Next, type “cmd” in the Cortana search box and right-click on Command Prompt, and select “Run as administrator” to open it with administrator privileges.
• Now type the “regsvr32 crypt32.dll” command and hit Enter.
• Restart your PC and check if the error is now fixed.

Option 5 – Try downloading and installing the Windows Updates manually

Error Code 0x80096004 might be due to a Windows Update that has failed. So if it is not a feature update and only a cumulative update, you can download the Windows Update and install it manually. But first, you need to find out which update has failed, and to do so, refer to the following steps:

• Go to Settings and from there go to Update and Security > View Update History.
• Next, check which particular update has failed. Note that Updates that have failed to install will be displayed under the Status column which has a label of “Failed”.
• After that, go to the Microsoft Download Center and look for that update using its KB number and once you find it, download and then install it manually.

Note: You can also use the Microsoft Update Catalog, a service from Microsoft that provides a list of software updates that can be distributed over a corporate network. With the help of this service, it can be easier for you to find Microsoft software updates, drivers as well as fixes.

Option 6– Run System File Checker or SFC 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 to good system files. 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 PC.

Option 7 – Try to run the Windows Update Service in a Clean Boot State

There are some instances that some conflicting programs installed in your computer might be the one that’s causing Windows Update error. To identify which program is causing the problem, you need to put your computer in a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• Now try to run the Windows Update Service again and see if Windows Update error 0x80096004 is now gone.