Cortana is your personal digital assistant fully integrated into Windows 10 designed to help you make your life easier. The more you use it, the more Cortana can learn about you, and the experience becomes more personalized and accurate. It can perform a variety of tasks, and it's full of handy tricks, but perhaps one of the best features is the advanced speech recognition that enables Cortana to understand the context of a natural voice conversation.
On Windows 10, and across platforms with the Cortana app on iPhone and Android, the assistant can understand virtually any voice command and perform tasks. For example, by just speaking you can find facts, create reminders and manage your calendar, launch applications, change settings, and a lot more.
Now, if you're looking for an official list of all the voice commands Cortana supports, you'll never find it because it doesn't exist. Cortana can understand natural language and context, there's no particular set of commands to make things happen. In a sort of way, you are speaking to Cortana as you would to any other person.
Invoking Cortana
Before using voice commands, it's important to know the ways in which you can invoke Cortana using natural language:
You can click the microphone icon in the taskbar next to the Start menu.
You can use the Shift + ⊞ Windows + C keyboard shortcut to open Cortana in listening mode.
You can use the Hey Cortana feature, which lets you invoke the assistant by simply saying Hey Cortana followed by the command. For example, Hey Cortana: How's the weather?.
On Windows 10 Mobile devices, you can press and hold the search button to open Cortana in listening mode.
Comprehensive list of Cortana voice commands
The following list of commands are examples you can use to learn how to control Cortana with voice commands. Keep in mind that there isn't a specific way to speak the commands. For example, Hey Cortana: Let me listen to some tunes is the same as asking for a more systematic command like Hey Cortana: Play music.
Cortana basic voice commands:
Getting the time for any location:
"What time is it?"
"What time is in New York?" or "What time is in Greece?"
Getting weather information for any location:
"What's the weather like?"
"What's the weather in Madrid?" or "What's the weather in Slovakia?"
"When does the sun set?"
"Is it hot in Hawaii?"
"How's the weather looking for tomorrow/next week?"
Opening (Store and desktop) apps and websites:
"Open Photoshop" or "Go to Firefox"
"Open errortools.com."
Getting news information:
"Show me top headlines."
"Show me the latest news."
"Show me weather news."
"Show me Blizzard stock."
"Show me bitcoin exchange rate."
"What was the score of the last Brazil football game."
Creating a note:
"Create a note."
"Create Shopping note."
"Create Shopping note: Buy a basket of eggs"
"Take a note."
"Draft a note."
"Write a note."
Translating to a different language:
"Translate."
"Translate Hello to German"
"Translate Where is the nearest park? to Spain"
Doing math:
"What's 34% or $764.89?"
"What's 43 times 59?"
"What the square root of 26509?"
"What's 29 times 6 divided by 12?"
"Convert 6.9 cups to fluid ounces."
"How many miles are in 89 Kilometers?"
Defining a word:
"Define Space."
Tracking packages:
"Where is my package?"
"Show me my packages."
Cortana search voice commands:
Finding documents, photos, videos:
"Find photos from August 1998."
"Find cat videos."
"Find document called Collection of poems."
Searching the web:
"Search the web for Heroes of Might and magic."
Finding facts:
"How tall is Mount Everest?"
"Who is Steve Jobs?"
"When Arnold Schwarzenegger was born?"
"Who is Mercedes CEO?"
"When does spring begin?"
"What's the capital of Zimbabwe?"
"When is Thanksgiving?"
It's important to note that Cortana is capable of conversational understanding, which means that you can also ask follow-up questions without having to be very specific.
For example, if you ask Cortana: "Who is the president of the United States", you can then ask a follow-up question, such as "Who is his wife?" or "When was he born?" and the assistant should be able to answer those questions accurately.
Discovering food places nearby:
"Find food places near me."
"Find restaurants near me."
"Find bars near me."
"What's a good restaurant near me?"
"What's interesting nearby?"
"Show me Chinese restaurants near me."
"Show me Italians restaurants in Los Angeles."
Cortana health and fitness voice commands:
"How was my sleep last night?"
"What was my step count yesterday?"
"How many calories did I burn today?"
These commands require a tracking device, such as the Microsoft Band 2 to enable your fitness and health activities, and you need to connect Cortana with the Microsoft Health (Microsoft Band) service.
Cortana settings voice commands:
Opening the Settings app:
"Open Settings."
"Open Action Center."
Controlling settings:
"Turn on/off Bluetooth"
"Turn on/off Wi-Fi"
"Turn on/off Airplane Mode"
Cortana reminders voice commands:
Creating reminders:
"Remind me to wash the car."
Creating location-based reminders:
"Remind me to buy CDs next time I go to Walmart."
Creating person-based reminders:
"Remind me to ask for vacation time next time I talk to Goran."
Creating time-based reminders:
"Remind me to watch the basketball game at 6 PM."
"Remind me to buy the food for the d&d session on Sunday at 3 PM."
Viewing reminders:
"Show me my reminders."
Cortana calendar voice commands:
Viewing calendar events:
"How's my schedule looking today?"
"Show me my appointments for next week."
"When is my dentist appointment?"
Adding new calendar events:
"Add dental appointment for Monday at 2 PM."
Moving calendar events:
"Move dental appointment to Friday at 5 PM."
Cortana alarms voice commands:
Creating alarms:
"Set an alarm for next Monday at 5:30 AM."
"Set an alarm for Saturdays at 9 AM."
Viewing alarms:
"Show my alarms"
Removing alarms:
"Cancel alarm for Saturdays at 9 AM."
Cortana timer voice commands:
Creating a timer:
"Set a timer for 5 minutes."
You can only start a one-timer at one point in time. If there is a timer already running, Cortana will ask you to restart it at a new time.
Viewing timer:
"Show timer."
"How much time is left on the timer?"
Canceling timer:
"Stop timer."
Cortana location voice commands:
Knowing your exact location:
"Tell me where am I?"
Cortana messaging voice commands:
Sending text messages:
"Send a text to Milan: I'll be late for lunch today."
Sending quick emails:
"Send email to Milena: See you later tonight."
"Send email to John and Claudia: How is the project coming along?"
Cortana location voice commands:
Getting directions:
"What's the traffic like on the way home?"
"How do I get home."
"How long would it take to drive to Madison Square Garden?"
"Get me directions to Port Authority."
"How do I get from my location to Long Beach, New York?"
"How far away is the moon?"
"Show me walking directions to the nearest gas station."
"Show me public transit to 11 Times Sq, New York, NY 10036."
"Show me the map of San Francisco."
Tracking flights:
"Track flight 1056."
"Is my flight delayed?"
"Is my flight on time?"
Cortana entertainment voice commands:
Controlling music:
"Play Metallica."
"Put some Symphonic music."
"Shuffle music."
"Play and Justice for all by Metallica."
"Stop music"
"Pause music"
"Pause song."
"Play next"
"Next track"
"Skip track."
Identifying what's playing:
"What is this song?"
"What's playing?"
Movies & TV:
"What's Blade Runner run time?"
"Who was the director of Gladiator?"
"What movies are playing near me?"
"What are the showtimes for Star Trek lower decks?"
Cortana technical support voice commands:
"How do I install a printer?"
"How do I project my screen?"
"How do I change my background?"
"How do I update Windows?"
"How do I make a backup?"
"How do I change default apps?"
"How do I change Privacy?"
"How do I connect a wireless device?"
Sometimes asking a "How to do I" question will result in a web search response.
Fatal error C0000034 happens during the installation of the Windows update and if you are one of the unlucky users who sadly run into this, keep reading as we will provide solutions to this error and how to get around it.
Start from point 1 to the bottom and hopefully you will have your PC back into working order in no time.
Run Windows Update troubleshooter
Usually, a built-in Windows troubleshooter can solve issues painlessly and fast, my advice is to try this as the first option, it is a simple and clean solution worth trying and in 90% it solves the issue all by itself.
Do a clean boot
Using task manager, remove all nonessential applications and services from starting up, reboot your computer, and once it is cleanly booted try re-running the update process again, if the issue was running the application this time everything will work since the problematic application is not running.
Reset Windows update components to the default
This solution requires you to use the Reset Windows Update Agent Tool to reset Windows Update components to default or use this PowerShell script to reset Windows Update Client. You can also manually reset each Windows Update component to default and then re-run the update.
Disable firewall and antivirus
Altho not likely it is still a possibility that some firewalls and antivirus can detect windows updates as malicious software and cut them off. If everything else failed, disable the firewall and your PC protection and when it is fully disabled try updating.
Do automatic startup repair
This should be the last thing to do but if everything else failed, do it. Perform Windows 10 Startup Repair. Once the startup repair completes successfully, you can re-run the update. The update should install without errors.
Encountering errors is never a pleasant experience and fixing errors can sometimes take a large amount of time. Also depending on your expertise and knowledge about computers and the operating systems themselves could be determining factor would you try to wrestle with error.
We will explore and analyze the advantages of both methods so you can choose and know when to apply one and when to reach for the other.
Advantages of manual method
Full control is the main advantage of manually solving errors, when you go deep dive into manually fixing problematic issues you are one that has control. Complete freedom is also another, sometimes fixing things can be done in several different ways and when you are the man behind the wheel, you are the one that can choose how to approach and what solution to apply in order to solve the issue.
Disadvantages of using manual method
The main disadvantage that some users might encounter is that they will need to know ins and outs of computer and operating systems' workings. Of course, the more complicated errors, the more knowledge it will require in order to apply the proper fix. There is also a risk to break something else if the person that is doing the fixing is not fully competent so this is also something to think about.
Another thing that goes against manual fixing is the time it will require in order to actually fix it, some more complex stuff will probably depend on searching for some external resources like searching for compatible drivers for example, or navigating complex registry keys inside Windows.
Advantages of automatic solutions
If you are a user that has no knowledge about how the operating system works, if you do not know what is a registry or how to properly navigate through the Windows folder then the automated solution is for you. The main advantage of automated systems is that you can easily fix errors without any kind of technical knowledge and usually with just one click of a button.
Saving time is also one of the advantages of fully automated solutions because they will work much faster than manually locating the problem and then fixing it. Also, most of these systems will have in place active monitoring that will check always if your system is in top form and alert you when something is not right.
Disadvantages of one-click solutions
Automated solutions are great, they can solve various issues and errors without any knowledge from the user, but they are not perfect. Like security suites sometimes an automated system can misinterpret something as an error when in fact it is not and fixing it could mean some apps not working anymore, luckily you can choose would you like to apply the suggested solution. So if you are using one do not just click fix without looking at what it is trying to fix and maintain.
Another problem with this is the price it is carrying, manually solving your computer error will cost you your time and knowledge but good automated software will come with a price tag. Some people might not be too happy to pay for this kind of application but at the end of the day, it will still be cheaper than a professional technician. The last thing that you should be aware of is that in order for the app to do its work properly it will need to be active all the time, now for modern computers, this is not the issue but for some older ones with a small amount of memory might lead to some slowing them down. This is a price to be paid in order to have your system always errors free.
Should you use an automated solution at all?
This depends on your knowledge and time available, professional IT technicians will not need this type of solution nor will power users but for most common people this will offer computers free of errors for an affordable price.
In today's age of smart gadgets and complete replacement of even some simple things with their smart counterpart, it is not really a surprise to see some strange innovations that try to take advantage of modern technology.
One of these innovations is a smart book, or to be more precise smart note, a reusable notebook that could be connected to your phone.
Why Rocketbook Fusion smartbook
One thing that could justify, well it should justify buying Rocketbook is the preservation of trees and the environment since it can be reused. The second argument would be its price since it is not expensive considering what it offers.
On top of all, you also have a free application for your phone in order to take full advantage of it.
What is a smartbook?
Imagine this scenario, you have a notebook of 42 pages with several different page styles inside. You write in it and after it is filled you upload its content to your email or cloud service of your choice, get a cloth, erase everything and start again from zero.
So as mentioned notebook comes with 42 pages of various page styles. Most of the pages are either lined or dotted but the notebook also includes a monthly calendar, two-week detailed calendar pages, and three pages for project or idea tracking. Since everything can be erased this is enough variety to cover all basis and eliminate any need for another workbook ever.
When you feel like you want to save work or once it is filled you can easily upload and save the workbook from the scan page option in the free Rocketbook app. Once scanned pages can be uploaded to your preferred cloud service or sent to your email.
Now in order to write and be able to erase any of Rocketbook's notebooks, you will have to use Pilot's Frixion writing pens. They will dry around 15s on the page and can be of course easily wiped with a damp microfiber cloth that is included with the purchase. One pen also comes with a workbook when purchased.
Application
Application has cool features, of course, the most important and most useful one is setting your upload scan destination so when you scan your pages they get automatically uploaded to your chosen destination.
In the application settings, you can also toggle some handwriting recognition features that will allow you to easily search your uploaded documents. For example, you can search through documents just by writing now or two words. There is also a Smart List feature as well that will take your checklist and make it into a virtual checklist.
The app also has a fun Explore section where you can find all sorts of fun hacks and different ideas on how to use your Rocketbook.
Error code 0x80240017 is associated with installing or updating a Windows Store app. This error is more common in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. It appears due to missing certain system files and also corrupt registry.
Common symptoms
When you try to install a Windows Store app on a PC running Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1, or Windows Server 2012 R2, the installation fails and you receive an error message: 0x80240017
Certain apps may become unresponsive.
You may not be able to download apps or Windows update
You may have difficulty updating or installing and uninstalling other built-in programs inside Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
When you have multiple applications running, you may experience crashes and freezes.
Solution
Error Causes
The error code 0x80240017 in Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 usually appears due to the fact that your system has changed after you installed a third-party application. It might also appear if registry entry has changed after a reboot of the operating system and you do not have the required permissions. Other causes may be due to:
Corrupted, broken, or missing system files.
Malware/spyware infection or virus attack
Hardware/RAM decline
Fragmented file
Unnecessary or redundant program installations
Further Information and Manual Repair
Repairing Error Code 0x80240017 in Windows 8/Windows 8.1
Method 1:
Resetting Windows Store app:
Press and hold the Windows key and press R. This will open up the Run command
Now, type exe and hit Enter
Just wait for it to finish and it will re-launch Windows Store. Now, try and install the app you were trying to install which was previously showing an error.
This basic solution will delete the cache and reset Windows Store.
Method 2:
Using Windows troubleshooter:
Click on Search on the Charm bar and type Troubleshooting. Click on the very first option.
A new window will open. Click View all from the left pane.
Scroll down to the bottom and click on Windows update.
Troubleshooter window for Windows update will pop up. Click on NEXT. It may ask you for administrative permission.
The troubleshooter will automatically detect problems and fix them.
Now, close this window and try download/install the app which was previously showing an error.
Method 3:
Disable Proxy Settings:
Disable proxy server on Internet Explorer
Press the Windows + R Run window will appear.
Type cpl and hit Enter
Click the Connections tab and click LAN settings
Under proxy server uncheck “Use a proxy server for your LAN”
Click OK
Now try to install apps from Windows Store.
Method 4:
Boot in Safe Mode:
Open Run command as previously described
Type MSConfig
Click on the Boot tab
Tick Safe boot in Boot option
Select Network
Click Apply and OK
Reboot your system
Your system will boot in Safe mode with Networking. You may now try and open Windows Store and should not see any errors.
Method 5:
Note: It is recommended that you back up your files and folders before attempting this step:
Move the mouse cursor over to the upper right side of the screen.
A menu will pop up on the left. Click on the “Settings” feature on the menu.
On the Settings window, click on the “Change PC settings.”
Now, left-click on the “Update and recovery” feature.
For the next step, left-click on the “Recovery” feature.
There is an option here saying “Refresh your PC without affecting your files.” There, left-click on the “Get started” button.
Now, follow the instructions on the screen to finish the Refresh process.
After the Refresh process has finished restart your Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 device.
Check again to see if the error 0x80240017 has been fixed.
If you do not possess the technical expertise required to accomplish this yourself or do not feel comfortable doing so, download and install a powerful automated tool to get the job done.
As you know, the USB security keys are a secure medium to validate a lot of components in a computer. They can be used to log in to Windows 10. Now with the advancement of APIs, you can authenticate across the website as well using the same key. However, there are times when it may not work and it could be caused by several factors. It could be due to corrupted or incompatible drivers or it could also be due to compromised integrity of the key, and many more.
So if you happen to encounter an issue with the USB security key on your Windows 10 computer, then there are several potential fixes you can try. You can try toggling the Internet Options settings or reinstall the respective USB drivers. You could also try changing the PIN of the security key or disable the antivirus program on your computer or troubleshoot the web browser. Refer to the potential fixes provided below to fix the problem.
Option 1 – Try to toggle the settings of the Internet Options
In the Windows Search box, search for Internet Options to open it.
Next, go to the Security tab and drag the security slider to the lowest possible security for all the given zones.
After that, click on OK to save the changes made and close the Internet Options.
Note that this option is only a temporary measure as it can make your computer vulnerable. Make sure to press the Reset all zones to default level button.
Option 2 – Try to update or reinstall the respective drivers
If updating the drivers of the device did not fix the problem with the USB security key, you can try to update or reinstall the Universal Serial Bus Controller drivers instead of using the Device Manager. Refer to the following steps:
First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
From there, look for the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” option and then right-click on each one of the USB drivers and select the Update Driver from the menu.
Note: If it is a regular USB drive, then it will be listed as a USB Mass Storage Device but if you have a USB 3.0 device, then look for a USB 3.0 Extensible Host Controller.
Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.
Note: If updating the USB Controller drivers didn’t work, you can try to reinstall them instead.
Option 3 – Try to change the PIN of the security key
If the first two options didn’t work, you can try changing the PIN of the security key. There are instances when the PIN for the security key might have been corrupted. Thus, resetting it can help you resolve the problem.
Option 4 – Temporarily disable Firewall and third-party antivirus
Firewall and antivirus programs are known to block the proper functioning of the USB security key. Thus, your antivirus or firewall programs might be the reason why you can’t download anything on your Windows 10 computer. To isolate the issue, you need to temporarily disable both the Firewall and antivirus programs and then check if you can now download anything from the internet. Do not forget to enable them again as disabling them can leave your computer vulnerable to cyber threats.
Option 5 – Try to troubleshoot the web browser
Troubleshooting your web browser can also help you fix the USB security key problem. You can do that by checking if your web browser supports the security key and you can do that by checking on the official website of your browser. You can also try to update your web browser to its latest version but if it didn’t help, you can try to reinstall it or switch to another web browser.
Many Linux users if not all of them can run their distros from a USB drive but did you know you can run Windows 10 from a USB drive as well?
Microsoft has introduced all the way back to Windows 8 one feature called Windows To Go and it kept it in Windows 8.1 and in Windows 10 as well.
This feature is intended as a convenient way for workers to carry their corporate environments with them, but having your own copy of Windows on a thumb drive could be handy for backup purposes, too, or if you frequently use public machines that lack your preferences/applications or that have a restricted OS.
What you will need?
In order to actually make Windows 10 run from a USB drive you will need the following things:
Install Rufus on your Windows 10 and run it. Stick USB in PC and open Rufus. On the screen that follows choose your Windows 10 ISO image and under Image options choose Windows To Go. Click on ready and you are finished, that’s it.
After Rufus finishes you have now fully working Windows 10 bootable drive which you can use on another PC for whatever reason.
Nvidia announced the third generation of GeForce RTX GPUs called Ada Lovelace. New technology is bringing 76 billion transistors with 18,000 CUDA cores along with new gen ray tracing cores and improved Tensor cores as well. The new lineup also comes with DLSS 3 which is vastly improved from its previous version pushing a 4 times increase in frame rates over native rendering.
RTX 4090, a better model of GPU will come with 16,384 CUDA cores and a boost clock speed of 2.52 GHz. Also, it is packed with stunning 24 GB of GDDR6V VRAM. In Nvidia's words, its performance is twice faster than the 3090 Ti in games like Flight simulator, three times faster on Portal RTX, and four times faster on RacerX.
RTX 4080 comes in two modes, one with 12GB VRAM and a stronger one with 16GB VRAM but differences do not end here. The lower model is packing 7,680 CUDA cores while the stronger one is going to 9,728 CUDA cores. We will wait to see how will these cores count impact real-world performance in games.
As for prices, the flagship model RTX 4090 will be $1,600 USD and it will hit the market on October 12th. RTX 4080 12GB model will be $900 USD and the model with 16GB VRAM will go up to $1,200 USD. This, of course, is the price for Founders Edition cards, OEM cards from third parties like ASUS, MSI, Gigatech, etc will cost more.
The author of the famous software library mode-ipc that gets over a million downloads per week found that it has some questionable code inside. The code itself behaves like this: if it finds out that your location is within Russia or Belarus it will try to replace the contents of all files on the computer with a heart emoji.
One important thing is that we here are not supporting the current Ukrainian situation and are against any type of violence or war but we also do not support this kind of behavior as well. If we look at this only from a technical perspective, we would then classify the mode-ipc library as malware and a harmful piece of code no matter the motivation behind it.
So this so-called protestware is well basically malware, but not always, it will protest when certain conditions are met. The issue with this is that companies and users should not be placed under harm if they do not share the personal view of the code author. Imagine if, for example, I would publish code to delete all pictures from your computer if my code found out that you do not like metal music. I guess you not liking metal music and war in Ukraine are two very different things but the source is the same, unreliable code that invades your privacy in order to serve one purpose, punishment for disagreeing with my personal views and that should not be allowed.
Not all protestware are equal, some will not harm your computer on purpose, they will just annoy you with some messages like viruses did in their infancy stages, others might place some developer sanctions but no matter the outcome basic principle is the same, it does something without user consent and without informing the user that something like that might happen.
On the internet, many blog posts and discussions were open about this issue and its morality. Discussion is still active with different takes on the situation and how to prevent it. Our take on this matter is that professional developers should have standards and not submit to doing harm for the sake of personal views and feelings.
In the long run, this kind of behavior and practice can only harm developers involved in this kind of entanglement. Infected libraries will in time stop being used since people would not trust them and authors will have a stain on their name as impulsive or not trustworthy.
The 0x0000001A is a severe memory management blue screen of death error code.
This is Windows error is also called a Stop code The system is automatically forced to reboot state which means any unsaved work is likely to be lost.
This error code pop-up locks you out of the program running on the screen and prevents you from working on it.
Solution
Error Causes
Experiencing error codes on your PC is an unusual activity that triggers that there is definitely something wrong with your system which should be repaired before it becomes a serious threat. The underlying causes of each error code are different.
When you come across a 0x0000001A error message this triggers several issues on your PC but largely it’s related to defective or mismatched RAM (Random Access Memory).
This could be due to disk De-fragmentation, cluttered registry, and overheating of PC hardware, or perhaps the power supply units that have been used to overcapacity which prompts your PC to show a 0x0000001A error message on your screen.
In addition to this, another reason could be a fault in the BIOS motherboard that could be outdated.
No matter what the underlying cause of the 0x000001A may be, it is imperative to get it resolved as it seriously damages your computer and leads to system failure.
Further Information and Manual Repair
Restoro is the best way to resolve almost all types of error codes including 0x0000001A in just a few clicks. It is a multi-functional PC registry cleaner that serves as a one-stop solution for all PC issues.
This tool can be used to resolve the blue screen of death errors like 0x0000001A in seconds and help you resume and get access to the program that you were working on before you experienced the error code.
With this helper, you don’t need to have the technical expertise or sound knowledge about the underlying cause of 0x0000001A.
This is an intuitive and advanced tool with built-in cutting edge technology that scans and identifies the cause of 0x00000001A and fixes it right away.
It has a neat design layout and a user-friendly interface that is easy to use for even novice users.
Restoro registry cleaner cleans up registry disk space, occupied by unnecessary files including junk files, invalid registry entries, temporary internet files, and entries of uninstalled programs that are still present in the registry.
It cleans and clears up disk space and wipes out clutter stored in the registry of your system which is likely to trigger RAM and memory mismanagement issues triggering an error code 0x0000001A pop-up message.
Restoro is feature-filled which makes it multi-functional. It is safe, secure and efficient. For optimum data security during repair, it creates backup files. This helps recover data in the event of data loss during repair, which is quite rare.
So what are you waiting for? Download Restoro Registry Cleaner today and resolve the error pop-up 0x0000001A now!
If you’ve been using your Windows 10 PC for a long time now, you might have come across a couple of issues – from minimal ones to critical ones like the Blue Screen of Death or BSOD stop errors. One of these BSOD errors you can encounter is the DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Blue Screen error. This particular BSOD error is caused by iaStorA.sys, iaisp64 sys, Netwtw04.sys, nvlddmkm.sys, ndis.sys, wrUrlFlt.sys, and other driver files on Windows 10. This error indicates that a kernel-mode driver tried to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high. When you encounter this error, just like a typical BSOD error, your computer will abruptly stop and you will see a blue screen with an error message saying:
“Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you. (100% complete)If you’d like to know more, you can search online later for this error:DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (wrUrlFlt.sys)”
The iaStorA.sys file is a software component that’s related to the Intel Rapid Storage Technology by Intel. It is a software solution supported by Intel Smart Response Technology which allows the PC to communicate with the hardware as well as externally connected devices. The Intel Rapid Storage Technology enables the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express or PCIe storage support, serial ATA RAID or Redundant Array of Independent Disks 0, 1, 5, and 10 support, and the PUIS or power-up in standby is also supported.
To resolve this kind of BSOD error, you have to update, roll back or fresh-install the problematic driver. Refer to the options laid out below for detailed instructions.
Option 1 – Try removing the Intel Rapid Storage Technology or IRST drivers
The first thing you can try is to fix the Wi-Fi driver or the Ethernet driver on your computer to resolve the BSOD error. Take note that this option works not only on Windows 10 but also other Windows versions.
Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
After that, type “devmgmt.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
After opening the Device Manager, click on the “IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller” entry and expand it.
Next, right-click on all the driver entries that are appropriately labeled, and then click on Uninstall device.
Now restart your PC and check if the problem’s fixed or not. If not, proceed to the next given option below.
Option 2 – Try updating the Intel Rapid Storage Technology or IRST drivers
If you’ve already tried uninstalling the IRST driver but you’re still getting the DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL Blue Screen error when you use your Windows 10 PC, then this means that the drivers might be corrupted or not compatible with the operating system version that you are using right now. So to fix the problem, you have to update your drivers. To do that, follow the steps below.
The first thing you need to do is to go to your OEM’s website.
Once you’re already on the OEM’s website, go to the Drivers section and get the latest version for your device and then try to overwrite it.
Alternatively, you can also update the drivers via the Device Manager:
Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
After that, type “devmgmt.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
After opening the Device Manager, click on the “IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller” entry and expand it.
Next, right-click on all the driver entries that are appropriately labeled, and then click the Update driver option.
Now restart your PC and check if the BSOD error is fixed or not.
Option 3 – Try using the System File Checker via Command Prompt
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 that might be causing the DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL Blue Screen error. 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:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.