Almost complete List of Cortana commands

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.

Cortana phone voice commands:

  • "Call wife on speakerphone."
  • "Call David at home."
  • "Call Goran."
  • "Redial."
  • "Send a photo to my PC."

Cortana random voice commands:

  • "Tell me a joke."
  • "Tell me a riddle."
  • "Tell me something interesting."
  • "Tell me something funny."
  • "Tell me a scary story."
  • "Sing me a song."
  • "Surprise me."
  • "Do an impression."
  • "What do you look like?"
  • "Which is the best smartphone?"
  • "What is love?"
  • "Which is better, Google or Bing?"
  • "Why should I buy this phone?"
  • "What do you think about Google?"
  • "Do you like Google?"
  • "What do you think about Yahoo?"
  • "Do you like Windows 10?"
  • "Play the movie game."
  • "Are you better than Siri?"
  • "Where is Clippy?"
  • "What do you think about Clippy?"
  • "Heads or tails?"
  • "Rock, paper, scissors."
  • "Roll a dice."

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What is the error code 0x800ccc90?

The 0x800ccc90 is a common Outlook Express error. This error occurs when Outlook Express fails to connect to the mail server that handles incoming and outgoing emails.

The error is usually displayed as:

“There was a problem logging onto your mail server. Your User Name was rejected.”

Though this error does not pose any security threats to your PC if it is not fixed immediately, it may limit your ability to send and receive emails on your Outlook email address.

Error Causes

The error 0x800ccc90 is usually triggered by the following causes:

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Further Information and Manual Repair

If you come across the error 0x800ccc90, then don’t you worry! You don’t have to hire a professional to resolve this issue. In fact, you can fix it all by yourself. Here are some DIY solutions to repair this problem.

Solution 1:

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  • To bring the changes into effect, restart Outlook and then try to send emails again. Hopefully, this will work.

Solution 2:

However, if you are still unable to resolve the problem, then this means the PST files are corrupt and damaged and there is no problem from the server's end. When this happens, then the best way to resolve this problem is to download a PST repair tool.

We suggest downloading the PST repair tool from a trusted website.

After downloading it, run and scan it on your PC to detect errors. You will have to be patient because scanning may take a couple of minutes. Once the scanning is complete, click on repair to resolve the problem.

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Turning Bluetooth using the Quick Settings menu

The easiest and fastest way to turn the Bluetooth ON is using the quick setting menu:
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Switch it ON via Windows Settings

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  3. Inside settings turn Switch to ON beside Bluetooth
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Removing devices

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About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijack is a very common type of online fraud where your web browser settings are modified to make it do things you do not intend. Browser hijackers can do more than simply modifying home pages. It redirects you to the sponsored internet sites and inserts ads on the internet browser that helps its creator generate ad revenue. A lot of people assume that these kinds of websites are legitimate and harmless but that is not true. Nearly every browser hijacker poses an actual threat to your online safety and it is necessary to classify them under privacy dangers. In a worst-case scenario, your internet browser could be hi-jacked to open up your computer to a host of additional computer infections.

Indications of browser hijack

Below are some symptoms that indicate you’ve been hijacked: 1. the browser’s home page is changed 2. bookmark and the new tab are also modified 3. default online search engine is modified 4. you see unwanted new toolbars added 5. you notice a lot of pop-ups on your computer screen 6. web pages load very slowly and often incomplete 7. you’ve disallowed entry to particular web pages, for example, the website of an antimalware software firm like SafeBytes.

So how exactly does a browser hijacker infect a computer?

A browser hijacker could be installed on your PC when you go to an infected website, click an email attachment, or download something from a file-sharing website. They also come from add-on applications, also referred to as browser helper objects (BHO), browser extensions, or toolbars. Sometimes you may have mistakenly accepted a browser hijacker as part of a software program bundle (usually freeware or shareware). Typical examples of browser hijackers include CoolWebSearch, Conduit, RocketTab, OneWebSearch, Coupon Server, Searchult.com, Snap.do, and Delta Search.

Tips on how to remove browser hijackers

Certain browser hijacking can be easily stopped by discovering and eliminating the corresponding malware application from your control panel. However, certain hijackers are more difficult to find or eliminate as they might get themselves associated with certain crucial system files that enable it to work as a necessary operating-system process. You should think about carrying out manual repairs only if you’re a tech-savvy person because there are possible risks associated with fiddling around with the system registry and HOSTS file.

How One Can Eliminate Malware that is Blocking Websites or Preventing Downloads

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Start Windows in Safe Mode

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Switch over to an alternate browser

Some malware may target vulnerabilities of a specific browser that block the downloading process. The most effective solution to avoid this problem is to pick a browser that is renowned for its security features. Firefox has built-in Phishing and Malware Protection to help keep you secure online.

Install antivirus on a thumb drive

To effectively remove the malware, you have to approach the problem of running an anti-malware software program on the affected computer from a different angle. Adopt these measures to run the anti-virus on the affected computer. 1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or Windows Defender Offline onto a virus-free computer system. 2) Plug the USB drive into the clean PC. 3) Double-click the Setup icon of the anti-malware program 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 activation instructions. 5) Unplug the flash drive. You may now utilize this portable anti-virus on the infected computer. 6) Double-click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the flash drive to run the program. 7) Press the “Scan Now” button to begin the virus scan.

SafeBytes Anti-Malware: Lightweight Malware Protection for Windows Computer

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Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

To remove WeatherBlink manually, go to the Add or Remove programs list in the Control Panel and select the program you want to get rid of. For internet browser plug-ins, go to your browser’s Addon/Extension manager and select the plug-in you want to remove or disable. You will probably also want to reset your internet browser. Finally, examine your hard drive for all of the following and clean your registry manually to remove leftover application entries after uninstallation. Please remember that only experienced users should try to manually edit the registry because incorrect file deletion results in a major problem or perhaps a PC crash. Furthermore, certain malware is capable of replicating or preventing deletion.

Carrying out this malware-removal process in Safe Mode is recommended.

Files: C:Program FilesWeatherBlink C:ProgramDataWeatherBlink C:UsersYOUR_USERAppDataRoamingWeatherBlink Registry: Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.DynamicBarButton Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.FeedManager Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.HTMLMenu Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.HTMLPanel Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.MultipleButton Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.PseudoTransparentPlugin Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.Radio Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.RadioSettings Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.ScriptButton Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.SettingsPlugin Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.SkinLauncher Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.SkinLauncherSettings Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.ThirdPartyInstaller Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.ToolbarProtector Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.UrlAlertButton Key HKLMSOFTWAREClassesWeatherBlink.XMLSessionPlugin Key HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerBrowser Helper Objects9b9dcae3-be34-424c-8d73-75e305a9e091 Key HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerBrowser Helper Objectsdc9051c2-8f55-479a-97a4-747980d9047f Key HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUninstallWeatherBlinkbar Uninstall Firefox Key HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUninstallWeatherBlinkbar Uninstall Internet Explorer Key [email protected]/Plugin Key HKLMSOFTWAREWeatherBlink Key HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunValue: WeatherBlink Search Scope Monitor Data: C:PROGRA~1WEATHE~2bar.bingcsrchmn.exe Key HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRunValue: WeatherBlink Browser Plugin Loader Data: C:PROGRA~1WEATHE~2bar.bingcbrmon.exe
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Option 1 – Try to show the missing drive letters manually

  • Open the Folder Options from the Start Search and go to the View tab,
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Option 2 – Make sure that the drive has a drive letter assigned in Disk Management

As you know, every drive is assigned a drive letter in Disk Management. However, if it goes missing, you can still get it back through Disk Management. To do so, follow the steps below.
  • Open Disk Management and from there, right-click on the menu of a partition or volume and you should see a function named “Change Drive Letter and Paths”.
Note: This function allows you to add the drive letter, remove the drive letter and change the drive letter. If the last option, namely, “Remove”, is selected and applied, the letter of the drive will be removed and won’t appear in Disk Management. Thus, this could be one of the reasons why a drive letter is missing.
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  • If the original letter is already taken by a new drive, you need to change the letter of that new drive to another available letter.
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Option 3 – Try assigning the letter using a Registry tweak

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to assign the letter using a tweak in the Windows Registry but before you do that, make sure that you create a System Restore point first, after that, follow these steps:
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  • Next, navigate to this registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMMountedDevices
  • From there, check if a device is shown as being mounted at the specific drive letter and then right-click on that drive letter.
  • Select the “Rename” option from the right-click menu to change the letter to any other available letter.
  • Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try to format the destination drive

Formatting the drive can also help you resolve the error. To format it, follow these steps:
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  • Next, right-click on the drive and select Format.
  • After that, uncheck the “Quick Format” option and then format your drive properly.
  • Now once the formatting process is finished, unplug the drive and plug it back in afterward.
  • Check if the error is already fixed. If the drive is not initialized, tap the Win + R keys and hit Enter.
  • After opening the Run dialog box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Disk Management.
  • From there, right-click on the drive volume and select initialize disk.
  • Next, select the correct partition type and proceed.
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Fix DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL
If you suddenly encounter the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL Blue Screen error on your Windows 10 computer along with the error codes, 0x000000D5, 0xb10BBD9E, 0x0D82DA24, 0Xfecd479D, 0x779827CB then read on as this post will provide you some troubleshooting tips that could help you resolve the BSOD error. Getting this kind of BSOD error means that a driver has referenced memory that was freed earlier and it could also mean that the Driver Verifier Special Pool option has caught the driver accessing memory which was freed earlier. Follow the given options below to fix the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL BSOD error.

Option 1 – Use the Driver Verifier Manager

The Driver Verifier Manager is another tool in Windows that could help you fix driver-related issues.
  • Type in the keyword “Verifier” in the Cortana search box to search for Verifier in Windows 10.
  • After that, select the option “Create custom settings”.
  • Make sure that you have checked everything except the options “DDI compliance checking” and “Randomized low resources simulation”.
  • Next, select the option “Select driver names from a list” option.
  • Afterward, you have to select all the drivers from any unofficial or third-party provider. To simply put it, you have to select all the drivers that are not supplied by Microsoft.
  • Then click on the Finish button.
  • Open Command Prompt as administrator and execute this command – verifier /querysettings
  • The command you just executed will display the Driver Verifier settings so if you see any of the flags enabled boot your Windows 10 PC into Safe Mode.
  • Open the Command Prompt as admin again and run this command – verifier /reset
  • The command will reset the Driver Verifier. Once the process is done, restart your PC and check.

Option 2 – Try updating SSD firmware

If you have installed SSD on your computer recently and you have started getting the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL Blue Screen error since then you may have to update the SSD firmware. To fix this, you can download the Intel Solid-State Drive Toolbox from the official website. This toolbox is compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 7 and later versions.

Option 3 – Try running the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL. It can be found in the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:
  • 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.

Option 4 – Try running Microsoft’s online Blue Screen Troubleshooter

If running the built-in Blue Screen Troubleshooter didn’t work, you can also try running Microsoft’s online Blue Screen Troubleshooter. All you have to do is go to Microsoft’s website and from there, you will see a simple wizard that will walk you through the troubleshooting process.

Option 5 – Try to reinstall or update device drivers of recently installed hardware

If the first few options didn’t work for you, then it’s time to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.
  • Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
  • Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
  • After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
  • Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
  • Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.
Note: You can install a dedicated driver on your computer in case you have it or you could also look for it directly from the website of the manufacturer.

Option 6 – Try disabling Hardware Acceleration

You might want to disable Hardware Acceleration system-wide or for a particular program like Google Chrome and see if it resolves the DRIVER_PAGE_FAULT_IN_FREED_SPECIAL_POOL BSOD error
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Intel Arc A770 GPU

intel's first gaming card that will hit the market soon has been shown in its innovation event, the Intel Arc A770. In its core ticks ACM-G10, coming with 32 Xe-cores and all the way up to 16GB of GDDR6 memory (the basic entry-level version will have 8GB of GDDR6). The card will support ray tracing and supersampling with Intel's XeSS.

intel arc a770

This is Intel's first gaming desktop GPU and after testing with some YouTube channels it turned out that the card itself sits somewhere between nVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti and an RTX 3070 so it will still be low in performance compared with the new RTX 4090 or AMD's new RDNA3 upcoming lineup. But as stated this is Intel's first gaming graphics card and having this kind of performance is no small feat for the first-time product.

One thing that is really great tho and that is going for Arc A770 GPU is its price! The Limited Edition card will cost $329 which is at this moment most cheapest GPU currently on the market in that performance range. nVIDIA is between $500 and $700 for comparison and if Intel can hold on to its performance with almost half the price card could be a great hit among gamers. GPU itself will launch on October 12th.

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Some Steam tips and tricks for easy life
steamSteam has cemented itself as the largest digital game shop in the World. First, release all the way back on September 12th, 2003, it was meant to be a standalone software client aimed to deliver updates to Valve’s games. It was soon expanded to include titles from third parties. The greatest Steam expansion and its popularity started in 2004 with the release of Half-life 2. Steam allowed prepurchased editions to be downloaded before the official release of the game making it available for play the moment it was officially out. Very soon after Steam gained its popularity, Valve has opened doors to other developers and offered them to use Steam as means for a digital distribution platform. Today it hosts over 30000 different game titles, not including DLC or applications. And how soon Valve’s steam deck is coming out soon we would like to share some great tips and tricks about Steam itself for easy everyday gaming.

Steam guard account security

Security of any of your accounts should be something that you really take seriously. So as always use a strong password for Steam but if you want an extra layer of security for it, and you should, use the Steam built-in feature: Guard Account Security. In order to activate Security Guard go to Steam>Settings>Account>Manage Steam Guard Account Security. Once enabled you will be able to use the Steam mobile application for special code when opening Steam or your email address.

Use Steam beta feature

Once a Steam account is created by default you will download and install the client. In the client, you will have the latest features available but there are more Steam features than default ones, beta features that can offer some improved and new functionality, and do not worry, they are stable and bug-free. I have been in Steam beta for years and not even once have I had any issues with the client itself but I have always had the latest features that will come to regular users later. To enable beta participation to go to Steam>Settings>Account, open the drop-down Beta participation menu, and choose Steam Beta Update. Confirm on OK and restart the Steam client. You will now get all the latest features first.

Manage your library via Collections

The collection is a neat idea for organizing your large game library into different collections or sections easily expanded and contracted for easier navigation and organization. To add the game to a collection just right-click on it and select Add To>New Collection, make a name for a collection like action, RPG, or whatever rocks your boat, and you are done. Once the collection is created other games can be added to it simply just by dragging it into the desired collection.

Make shelves

Shelves are ways to see your collections in the larger areas of the Steam clients. By clicking Add Shelf>Choose a Shelf, you can now add your collection to a shelf on the larger part of the client as a horizontal scrolling container with your chosen games. There are also some predefined shelves like All Games, Recent friend activity, and more.

Hide Game from Library

By right-clicking on a game and selecting Manage>Hide This Game you will remove the game from the active view of your Steam library. Note that the game will still be owned and a part of your library, you will just not be able to see it. This is a great feature when for example you have some things that came as a part of the game pack you are not really interested in when you have 2 different versions of the same game as for example standard and deluxe edition or just by simply not wanting to have game visible in the library. You can find a hidden game by typing its name in the search box and from there you can unhide it.

Play game soundtracks inside Steam

Some games offer you to purchase their soundtracks if you like music from them and some even include OST with a regular purchase. Steam lets you play these soundtracks and even lets you import your own music library folder into it in order to play all of your music inside the client itself. It has even options to automatically stop music playing once the game is run and you can make playlists as well. Your purchased game soundtracks are automatically included, the rest you will need to add by pointing Steam to the folder where you keep music in.

Configure gamepad

Inside Steam, you can configure your gamepad’s general settings, big picture settings, desktop settings, etc. Steam embraced the idea that many OC users these days own and play with gamepads so it has implemented configuration options inside it. To configure your pad go to Steam>Settings>Controller.

Use big picture Steam mode

Big picture mode is Steam's idea of making Steam an entertainment center. Once it is activated it switches from the application into full-screen mode aimed at large TV screens or monitors. You can easily navigate through it via gamepad, mouse, keyboard, or other devices. You have access to the store, your game library, etc. Same as your typical steam app but a little different. You can easily activate it via View> Big Picture Mode and see for yourself is this something you prefer over a standard application layout.

Enable Steam Cloud

Steam Cloud is a great feature that uses cloud storage to save your game progress meaning that you can easily switch to another PC, install games there and continue where you have left off. Many games support this feature instead of keeping saves locally and it is a great feature worth turning it ON. To turn and use Steam Cloud service go to Steam>Settings>Cloud>Enable Steam Cloud Synchronization. Just remember to check does game you are playing supports this option.

Share your Games via Family sharing

Family sharing is a Steam feature allowing you to share your game library with up to 5 accounts on up to 10 different devices. This is a great way to let other members of your family or even close friends enjoy some games you have or vice versa. They will get as well their own save games so you can sleep safe knowing that your progress can not be changed or hindered. Family sharing can be turned ON by logging into PC Steam client where you would like to share your library and navigate to Steam>Settings>Family and then clicking on Authorize Library Sharing On This Computer.

Refund a game

Sometimes the game is not the same as advertised, sometimes it will not work on your PC, sometimes hardware specifications are too high making the game unplayable, etc. For whatever reason, you might have Steam offers you a full game price refund if you wish to do so, you only need to meet 2 criteria, the game must have been purchased within 2 weeks period, older purchases cannot be refunded, and your game playtime must not be over 2 hours of game time. If you fit into this category all you need to do in order to get the full money back is going to Help>Steam Support, pick a recent game from the eligible list, and ask for a refund.

Gift a game

As you can buy gifts for your friends or loved ones in real life, Valve made sure you can do it in digital as well. Gifting game via Steam is simple and straightforward. Choose a game you wish to gift, go to your shopping cart and instead of clicking Purchase for myself, click on Purchase As a Gift, from there you will be taken to your friend list to choose to whom you would like to gift a game along with the option to write a little note to the receiver like happy birthday, enjoy or whatever.

Stream games in Steam itself

Although Steam is not there yet in streaming as Twitch or Facebook gaming is, there is an option to stream your game sessions on it. Click on Steam>Settings>Broadcast to make all adjustments and start streaming. You can also watch streams from your friend list and Steam is now broadcasting popular streams directly to its client if you want to watch it.

Take a game screenshot

By pressing F12, you can take a screenshot from any game and save it inside your Steam cloud library. You can change of course this default screenshot key via Settings>In-Game and if you would like to see your screenshots you can always do it under View Screenshot Library on a game’s page. That’s it, our Steam tips and tricks for easy and good gaming life, I hope to see you soon on errortools.com for your daily articles, tips, and tricks.
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Checking the Bluetooth Battery level
In case you don’t know, Windows 10 now allows users to check the Bluetooth battery level of devices. More often than not, the accessories or peripherals users use for their Windows 10 devices are connected to it using Bluetooth technology. This high-speed low-powered wireless technology is designed to link mobile devices, computers, and other network devices over a short distance wirelessly. Monitoring the battery level of a device where Bluetooth is enabled isn’t an easy task as most of these devices do not support the Bluetooth battery monitor or the battery level display. And even when on devices that do, you still have to install additional software to find it. However, Windows 10 eliminates this requirement and all you have to do is add a Bluetooth device and connect that Bluetooth device. How? Follow the instructions provided below. Step 1: Adding a Bluetooth Device The easiest way to get your Bluetooth device battery to be displayed on your Windows 10 screen is to simply add a Bluetooth device. To do so, follow these sub-steps:
  • First, turn on the Bluetooth mode on your device.
  • Next, go to Windows Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices.
  • From there, click on the “+” button next to the ‘Add Bluetooth or other devices” option and select the type of device you want to add.
Step 2: Connecting the Bluetooth Device Once you’ve added the device, it will be visible under the “Add a device” screen.
  • Now select the newly added Bluetooth device and click the “Done” button.
  • After that, it will now be connected. Go back to the “Bluetooth & other devices” window and scroll down to the section of “Mouse, Keyboard, and Pen”.
  • From there, move the cursor alongside the connected device to display its battery level.
Keep in mind that there are several ways in which you can display the battery information of the Bluetooth device. However, Windows 10 understands only one of them per se. So if your device is not a Bluetooth Low Energy device, Windows 10 won’t be able to show its battery information and won’t display its battery level.
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Diablo 2 Resurrected facing server issues
It has been some time since the release of Diablo 2 resurrected and overall reception was pretty good. People are enjoying the old classic game in hi-def. resolution and with new and improved visuals. Sadly some server issues are present still until this day and somewhat spoil the experience for players. diablo 2 server statusThe greatest lag and server crashes are pinpointed to game-creating events. When a player creates a new online game, the server needs to pull a lot of details from the database and make a game, due to some legacy code present this process takes some time and it is demanding a bit on the server-side, and although code was optimized to cater to more modern approach some legacy code still remains. Another thing that was spotted to affect performance itself is player behavior, to be more specific, modern gamer behavior. Where players find good builds and runs on the internet and then go to farm-specific areas or bosses for loot or experience points, which in return boils down to making plenty and short runs that are made by creating games and after run eliminating them. Now pair that with the previous statement about legacy server and database code and you can add 1 and 1 and see how this might be an issue. A lot of short games over legacy code are placing games in a state it was not designed for back in 2001 and therefore we have issues. Sadly solutions without completely rewriting the whole code are not very promising and they include rate limiting, which will prevent players to create many games in succession in a short period of time and maybe even login queues to drop a load on servers. Blizzard reached to people in the whole company, even old diablo 2 developers to ask for advice and they say that they are working on solutions so they could lift limitations and have everything running fine.
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