How to turn off auto brightness

If you are running the Windows Update service but decided to stop it but you encountered an error message instead that says, “The Windows Update service could not be stopped”, read on as this post will help you fix the problem. This kind of error appears when you use the Command Prompt to stop the Windows Update service, especially if you are using cmd without admin privileges. A lot of users reported that they were not able to disable the automatic Windows Update in Windows 10 using Command Prompt. The command used to stop the Windows Update service is the “net stop wuauserv” command. However, when some users executed this command, they got the error message. So if you are one of these users that can’t stop the Windows Update Service via Command Prompt, you can try to fix that using PID as well as checking the Service dependencies. For more details, follow the given options below.

Option 1 – Try to stop the Windows Update service via PID

In case you don’t know, each running service or process has its own unique ID or PID and you can find it in the Task Manager. You can use it to stop the Windows Update service. How? Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager.
• Next, go to the Services tab and look for the service named “wuauserv” and get its PID.
• After that, type “cmd” in the Windows Start search and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt with admin privileges, execute this command: taskkill /f /pid <PID>

Note: You need to replace “<PID>” with the PID of the “wuauserv” service. For instance, the PID is 6676, then this is how the command should be “taskkill /f /pid 6676”.

• After you execute the command, you will this message on your screen, “SUCCESS: The process with PID 6676 has been terminated” which indicates that you have stopped the Windows Update service successfully.

Option 2 – Try to check the Service dependencies

Dependencies of a Windows Service in Windows 10 are when windows services depend on other services. Such is the case with the Windows Update service – it also depends on three different services such as the Remote Procedure Call or RPC service, DCOM Server Process Launcher, and the RPC Endpoint Mapper. Meaning to say, if two of these services are not working as expected, then the dependant service will also be affected. This could be the reason why the Windows Update service could not start.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open Windows Services.
• From the list of Services, look for the following services:
  • Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Service
  • DCOM Server Process Launcher
  • RPC Endpoint Mapper
• After you find these services, double click on each one of them and check whether the Startup type for all is set to Automatic and the Service status is set to Running or not.
• If the service status is not running, then click the Start button. Afterward, check if you can now run the Windows Update service.

If VirtualBox suddenly displays a black screen without any text or mouse cursor when you are trying to boot a guest operating system, then read on as this post will guide you in fixing such an issue. This black screen occurs when Windows 10 failed to provide a specific setting that VirtualBox requires. Consequently, you will not be able to install or use any guest operating system in VirtualBox even if your PC has virtualization support, the best thing you can do now is to fix this black screen issue. There are two ways you can fix this black screen in VirtualBox, you can either try to disable Hyber-V or disable 3D Acceleration. For more details, refer to each one of the given options below.

Option 1 – Try to disable Hyper-V

Hyper-V is a built-in virtualization tool available in Windows that helps users in creating a virtual machine as well as install a guest operating system without using any third-party tool like VMware, VirtualBox, and many more. However, the problem with this virtualization tool is that some systems cannot run it and VirtualBox simultaneously which is most likely why the screen abruptly turns into black. Thus, you have to disable Hyper-V to resolve the problem. How? Refer to these steps:

• In the Start Search, type “Turn Windows features on or off” and then click on it from the results.
• Once you’ve opened the Windows Features window, remove the checkmark from the Hyper-V box.
• Click the OK button and then restart your computer.
• Now try to use VirtualBox again and see if the problem is fixed.

Option 2 – Try to disable 3D Acceleration

The guest operating system will use the host computer’s GPU to render 3D graphics if you enable the 3D Acceleration for the virtual machine. To simply put it, it will enhance the graphics of the virtual machine and will let you use 3D graphics. Although it may seem nice, it can actually cause the black screen to appear as well so you might have to disable it to isolate the problem. In fact, a lot of operating systems have failed to use the 3D Acceleration for the guest operating system because of this black screen issue. To disable it, follow these steps:

• Open VirtualBox on your computer and select the virtual machine.
• Next, click on the Settings button and go to the Display section.
• After that, look for a checkbox named “Enable 3D Acceleration” located on your right-hand side and then uncheck it.
• Save the changes you’ve made and reboot your PC and see if you can now run the virtual machine without any problem.

In this post, you will be guided on how to import and export the WSL distros in your Windows 10 computer. WSL, also known as Windows Subsystem for Linux, is a compatibility layer needed to run Linux binary executable in Windows 10, as well as the Windows Server 2019. In case you don’t know, when you reinstall or reset Windows 10, all of its configuration data stored with the WSL distros gets deleted. Going back or restoring the configuration can be quite challenging but worry not for Microsoft has already got this covered as you can now import and export the WSL or Windows Subsystem for Linux distros. There are three aspects that you have to deal with when you import or export WSL distros in your Windows 10 computer, such as importing WSL distro, exporting WSL distro, and uninstalling the imported WSL distros. Before you proceed to the instructions provided below, make sure that all your installed distros are updated via Microsoft Store. Once you have this covered, follow the options below.

Option 1 – Import the WSL distro

• Type “command prompt” in the Start Search and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt as admin, execute this command: wsl --list –all
• The command you entered will list all the installed WSL distros on your computer. And now it’s time for you to import a WSL distro by executing this command: wsl --import <Name of the distro> <Fill path to save the backup .tar file>

Note: In the given command above, replace “<Name of the distro>” with the name of the distro you want to import and replace “<Fill the path to save the backup .tar file>” with the location where you want to save the .tar file.

Option 2 – Export the WSL distro

• Type “command prompt” in the Start Search and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt as admin, execute this command to see the list of all the installed WSL distros in your computer: wsl --list –all
• After that, execute this command to export a WSL distro: wsl --export <Name of the distro> <Fill path to save the backup .tar file>

Option 3 – Uninstall the imported WSL distro

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Next, execute this command to view the list of all the installed WSL distros: wsl --list –all
• After that, execute this command to uninstall an imported WSL distro: wsl --unregister <Name of the distro>
• Once it’s done, close Command Prompt and restart your computer.

Disk Write Error in Steam is thrown at you while you try to download or update the game in your library. If you are an unfortunate user of Steam that has encountered this error do not sweat, the error is usually tied to permission in windows or file corruption and not to hardware issues and can be easily resolved.

In this guide, we will go through solutions for this specific error and it is advisable to go through solutions as they are presented since they go from the easiest and most common issues.

Restart PC and Steam

The easiest and quickest way of resolving this issue is just a simple restart of the Steam client. Just completely quit Steam and they run it again, if this has not solved the issue try rebooting your PC. In most cases, this can solve the issue since this error is known to be introduced with some communication issues with OS (Windows)

Set Write permissions

Disk write permissions could also cause this error because if by any chance the Steam library folder has been set or changed to the read-only client would be unable to write anything in it. To easily solve this issue completely exit the Steam client and rerun it as administrator. Just right-click on it and select Run as Administrator. If this has solved your issue run Steam always as an administrator.

To run always as an administrator right click on the steam executable, go to properties, and inside properties go to the compatibility tab. In the compatibility tab check run as administrator and click on OK.

Clear download cache

If for any reason cache has become corrupted there is a big chance that this might be an issue why there is a disk drive error in Steam. To clear download, cache goes into your client, and on top drow down menu click on steam. Find and open settings and inside go to the downloads tab. Locate a clear download cache and immediately you will be prompted to restart Steam. After restart, you will be asked to login into steam and the issue with disk write should be gone.

Repair library folder

Library folder issues can also be the source of disk write annoyance so let's repair them. Click steam in the top left and go to the settings. Locate and click on Downloads and then go to Steam library folders. You will be here shown all disk drivers you are using for steam games and all of the games that are downloaded.

Select the game you are getting errors with and click on three dots on the far right. From the menu choose the repair folder option. Take note that the more games you have installed, the more time the repair process will need.

Change download server

Sometimes the issue is not at your end at all, servers can experience problems and outrages and this can directly reflect at your end with a disk write error. If any of the previous solutions have not resolved the issue this is the next logical step to try. If the server is facing issues then changing the download server will resolve the issue at your end.

Click on settings in the top drop-down menu and then click on the Steam library folder. Find the downloads page and then click on download region, Choose another server than one nearest to your location since that's what will Steam choose by default.

22H2 update for Windows 11 will arrive later this year and although Microsoft is not releasing anything big there will be some interesting improvements and fixes. We take a look at some that caught our attention.

Phishing protection

One of the most interesting upcoming features is enhanced phishing protection. Microsoft Defender SmartScreen will be upgraded to alert users when they try to store passwords in plain text files and also if they accidentally type in a Microsoft account password on phishing sites.

"These enhancements will make Windows the world's first operating system with phishing safeguards built directly into the platform and shipped out of the box to help users stay productive and secure without having to learn to be their own IT department,"

Microsoft

File Explorer gets tabs, a modern sidebar, and contextual suggestions

Finally, Windows File explorer is getting tabs that will allow much easier management of folders and files inside it.

It is confirmed that Microsoft is also working on a new 'HOME' sidebar that should be modern in design and in features including OneDrive so you can find everything in one place.

Pinning of favorite files was also mentioned so you can easily pin favorites for quick access.

Full-screen widgets

Windows 11 has brought back widgets in a new way and from all the feedback users are loving them. Currently, you have a widget sidebar on the left part of the screen where you have your chosen store widgets but from the Microsoft teaser, we will have soon the option to have them in full screen.

If you are using a widget for reading news, blogs, etc. this feature will be very good since you will be able to use your whole screen for information and not just a part of it.

Suggested actions

Another new feature is 'suggested actions' which is going to be particularly useful in apps like Microsoft Teams. With this new feature, you can highlight a date in a Teams message and Windows will suggest actions.

For example, if you highlight a date, you'll see a recommendation to create an event in Microsoft Calendar for that day.

If you encounter the ERR_SSL_VERSION_INTERFERENCE error on your Google Chrome browser then this means that the browser is trying to load a website with SSL protocol but is not able to do so. This error can occur for many reasons and in this post, you will be given potential fixes that could help you in resolving the problem. But bear in mind that these potential fixes are not that straightforward forward so if you encounter an option you don’t understand much, just skip to the options you have the knowledge of. There is no direct fault in the browser for the ERR_SSL_VERSION_INTERFERENCE error as there are issues with caching the website data locally on your computer. Moreover, this kind of error can also appear when a website is coded incorrectly or if there are conflicting browser extensions installed in the browser that prevents the website to function properly. Refer to the suggestions given below to fix the ERR_SSL_VERSION_INTERFERENCE error in Chrome on Windows 10.

Option 1 – Try clearing browser data

There are times when some data in the browser is conflicting with the loading of the website and triggers errors like ERR_CACHE_MISS. And so you can try to clear your browser’s data. This might be a very basic solution but oftentimes it works in fixing this kind of error in Google Chrome. Follow the steps below to clear the data in your browser.

• Open your Google Chrome browser.
• After that, tap the Ctrl + H keys. Doing so will open a new panel that allows you to delete the browsing history and other data in your browser.
• Now select every checkbox that you see and click on the Clear browsing data button.
• Then restart your Chrome browser and check if you can now open any website or not.

Option 2 – Try disabling TSL 1.3

If clearing the browser data didn’t fix the problem, you can also try to disable TSL 1.3 in Chrome. To do so, refer to these steps:

• Open Google Chrome.
• Next, type in “chrome://flags/#tls13-variant” in the address bar and tap Enter.
• After that, you should see the experimental features page for Google Chrome where you can set TSL 1.3 to disabled.
• After disabling TSL 1.3, restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 3 – Reset Winsock, TCP/IP & Flush DNS cache

Resetting Winsock, TCP/IP, and flushing DNS might help in resolving the ERR_SSL_VERSION_INTERFERENCE error just 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 4 – Get rid of any conflicting browser extensions

• Open Chrome and press Alt + F keys.
• Go to More tools and click Extensions to look for any suspicious browser extensions or toolbars.
• Click the Recycle bin and select Remove.
• Restart Chrome and press Alt + F keys again.
• Proceed to On Startup and mark Open a specific page or set of pages.
• To check if the browser hijacker is still active, click Set pages, if it is active, overwrite the URL.

Option 5 – Reset Google Chrome

Resetting Chrome can also help you get rid of the error. Resetting Chrome will restore its default settings, disabling all the extensions, add-ons, and themes. Aside from that, the content settings will be reset as well and the cookies, cache, and site data will also be deleted. To reset Chrome, here’s what you have to do:

• Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
• After that, click on Settings.
• Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
• After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
• Now restart Google Chrome.

New malware with extensive spyware capabilities steals data from infected Android devices and is designed to automatically trigger whenever new info is read to be exfiltrated. The spyware can only be installed as a 'System Update' app available via third-party Android app stores as it was never available on Google's Play Store. This drastically limits the number of devices it can infect, given that most experienced users will most likely avoid installing it in the first place. The malware also lacks a method to infect other Android devices on its own, adding to its limited spreading capabilities. However, when it comes to stealing your data, this remote access trojan (RAT) can collect and exfiltrate an extensive array of information to its command-and-control server. Zimperium researchers who spotted it observed it while "stealing data, messages, images and taking control of Android phones."

What happens when malicious software is installed

"Once in control, hackers can record audio and phone calls, take photos, review browser history, access WhatsApp messages, and more," they added. Zimperium said its extensive range of data theft capabilities includes:

• Stealing instant messenger messages;
• Stealing instant messenger database files (if the root is available);
• Inspecting the default browser's bookmarks and searches;
• Inspecting the bookmark and search history from Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Samsung Internet Browser;
• Searching for files with specific extensions (including .pdf, .doc, .docx, and .xls, .xlsx);
• Inspecting the clipboard data;
• Inspecting the content of the notifications;
• Recording audio;
• Recording phone calls;
• Periodically take pictures (either through the front or back cameras);
• Listing of the installed applications;
• Stealing images and videos;
• Monitoring the GPS location;
• Stealing SMS messages;
• Stealing phone contacts;
• Stealing call logs;
• Exfiltrating device information (e.g., installed applications, device name, storage stats).

How does it work?

Once installed on an Android device, the malware will send several pieces of info to its Firebase command-and-control (C2) server, including storage stats, the internet connection type, and the presence of various apps such as WhatsApp. The spyware harvests data directly if it has root access or will use Accessibility Services after tricking the victims into enabling the feature on the compromised device. It will also scan the external storage for any stored or cached data, harvest it, and deliver it to the C2 servers when the user connects to a Wi-Fi network. Unlike other malware designed to steal data, this one will get triggered using Android's contentObserver and Broadcast receivers only when some conditions are met, like the addition of a new contact, new text messages, or new apps being installed. "Commands received through the Firebase messaging service initiate actions such as recording of audio from the microphone and exfiltration of data such as SMS messages," Zimperium said. "The Firebase communication is only used to issue the commands, and a dedicated C&C server is used to collect the stolen data by using a POST request."

Camouflage

The malware will also display fake "Searching for the update.." system update notifications when it receives new commands from its masters to camouflage its malicious activity. The spyware also conceals its presence on infected Android devices by hiding the icon from the drawer/menu. To further evade detection, it will only steal thumbnails of videos and images it finds, thus reducing the victims' bandwidth consumption to avoid drawing their attention to the background data exfiltration activity. Unlike other malware that harvests data in bulk, this one will also make sure that it exfiltrates only the most recent data, collecting location data created and photos taken within the last few minutes. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.

1. Open the Steam app and select Add a Game.
2. Click Add a Non-Steam Game and choose Browse.
3. Access: C:\Windows\
4. Then, scroll down, open explorer.exe, and click Add Selected Programs.
5. Hold Windows + R keyboard shortcut, type shell:AppsFolder, then press Enter.
6. Select the game you want to add, right-click on it, and choose Create Shortcut.
7. Right-click on the desktop shortcut, go to Properties, type in Target Type or Target, delete the shortcut.
8. Go to Steam, access Library, select Games, right-click on the game explorer, choose Properties, choose the name of the game you want to add.
9. Choose Select Launch Options, write: shell:AppsFolder\<Target Type or Target Here>
10. Click OK, then Close.

If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.

Hello and welcome to How To Speed Up PC Startup where we will explore how to make your PC boot-up system faster. When your computer gets older, you'll see a decrease in your PC's load time. This can be very annoying and frustrating, especially if you're not accustomed to exercising patience. Your computer's boot time does not need to be sluggish, even if it's old. While there are reasons why your computer is acting up and giving you the 'slow' sign, there are ways that you can optimize how fast your PC starts up at the beginning. Once you start speeding things up, you’ll never look back!

Start With your BIOS

You may need to tweak your PC’s start-up menu. Since the majority of issues encountered on your PC might not be related to the software running in the back end, you can focus on your computer's hardware. The ideal way to speed up your PC startup is to access your computer's BIOS when booting up. This can be accessed by holding the DEL key or whichever button is used to tap into your BIOS. You can change where your computer boots from. You can opt to put your hard disk right at the top which would elude searching for CDs and other storage media devices when your PC starts up.

Tweak Startup Programs

There are many programs that execute when your computer starts up. These programs normally run in the back end. Most times back-end programs are unnecessary and do not contribute to the productivity or performance of your computer when in use. Instead of allowing these programs to execute when your PC boots up, why not disable them?  By deactivating these programs, you'll be reducing the amount of CPU usage which will accelerate your PC performance. Additionally, there are some installed programs that you never use. Instead of leaving these programs to occupy needed space on your computer system, you can uninstall these to create more room on your computer. This actually increases your PC startup speed.

Put Malware on a Leash

Malware and spyware can cause problems for your start-up. A slow computer is an indication that your computer is plagued by malware. This affects your computer's boot time and whether or not it'll startup as quickly as you intend it to. If your computer gives you the 'virus alert', you need to download an antivirus program that will be able to eradicate all virus threats. Be mindful of where you download antivirus programs since many of them are viruses or have viruses attached to them. Some viruses are tough on your computer. This means that if an antivirus works for your best friend, it may not work for you. Since malware differs in functions and the havoc they cause, it's best to know what you're up against by doing research.

Clean Your Registry

You should also clean out your registry. The fewer unused registry keys you have lying around on your computer, the faster your computer will go. Getting a good registry cleaner from a clean source can help tremendously, but be careful; registry cleaners have the potential to be very dangerous so make sure you backup everything on your computer and only download registry cleaners from a reliable source. By implementing the above tips, you'll see quick improvements when using your computer.

If you see the following error message in the File History tab of the File Recovery utility of the Windows Backup module in your Windows 10 computer, read on as this post will guide you in fixing it with the help of two potential fixes.

“An internal error has occurred: The specified resource name cannot be found in the image file. (0x90070716).”

You can also encounter this error when you run the System Image Backup function. As mentioned, you can resolve this error using two potential fixes namely checking the status of the Windows Backup Service and checking the settings in the Windows Registry. For more details, refer to the instructions provided below but before you proceed, it would be better if you create a System Restore point first.

Option 1 – Try checking the status of the Windows Backup Service

• First, you need to tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “services.msc” in the field and click OK or tap Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• After that, you will see a list of services and from there, look for the Windows Backup Service and double click on it to open its Properties.
• Then check if its Startup type is set to Disabled. If it is, then change it to “Manual”. Note that this service is essential as it provides backup and restores capabilities.
• Now click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made and then restart your computer. Check if the error is now gone.

Option 2 – Try checking the Registry setting of Windows Backup

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• After opening the Registry Editor, navigate to this registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWindowsBackup
• From there, look for DWORDs named “ValidConfig” and “ValidSystemImageBackup” located in the right-side panel.
• Once you found them, delete them or set both of their values to “0” and make sure that the base is Hexadecimal and click OK.
• Now exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer to apply the changes made.