Protect Your PC With These 6 Reliable Security Products

As of the time of writing this article you no longer need or are required to have a password if you plan to log in to your Microsoft account. Microsoft explored various options for account security and came to the conclusion that passwords are obsolete. Microsoft is letting you access your account through the Microsoft Authenticator app, Windows Hello, a security key, SMS verification, or email verification code. All of these methods are way better in terms of security than passwords.

How to turn these features on?

To get rid of your Microsoft password, the process is simple. You simply need to go to your Microsoft account, click “advanced security options,” then “enable passwordless accounts” under the Additional security section.

One of the most useful utilities for advanced users in Windows is the Windows command line or Command Prompt. It is efficient in fixing system files, checking the disk for errors as well as other intensive tasks that are made convenient using this. One of the tasks you can carry out using Command Prompt is repairing the Windows bootup process if it encounters any issues. However, if you tried running the “bootrec/fixboot” command and you receive an error message saying, “Element not found”, read on as this post will guide you in fixing this error. This kind of error in the command line could be due to a damaged BCD or MBE, inactive system partition, or it could also be that there is no drive letter being assigned to the EFI partition. Whichever the case is, here are some possible fixes that should help you resolve the problem.

Option 1 – Try to repair BCD

As mentioned the error could be caused by a damaged BCD and so to fix the problem, you need to repair BCD by following these steps:

• First, make sure that you have a bootable Windows 10 USB drive with you and use it to boot your computer.
• Once you’re on the Welcome Screen, click on Next.
• After that, click on Repair your computer located at the bottom-left portion of the window.
• Then select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
• After you open the Command Prompt window, execute the following command:

bootrec /fixboot

• Afterward, enter the next command below to rename the BCD file:

ren BCD BCD.bak

• Next, type the following command and make sure to replace “b:” with the letter of your bootable drive attached to your computer.

bcdboot c:Windows /l en-us /s b: /f ALL

• Now, wait until the process is completed and restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.

Option 2 – Try assigning the drive letter to the EFI partition

• Tap the Win + X keys or right-click on the Start button and click on Command Prompt (Admin) to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type the following command to start the Diskpart utility:

diskpart

• After that, if you receive a UAC prompt, just click on Yes to proceed.
• Next, type the following command to list all the volumes created on your PC including both types of partitions that are visible to a normal user in the File Explorer as well as the ones created by Windows 10 by default which helps it in storing the boot files and other important system files:

list volume

• Now type the following command to select the desired volume:

select volume number

• Then type the following command to assign a letter to the selected volume:

assign letter=<LETTER>

Note: Make sure to replace “<LETTER>” with the letter you want to allocate to that partition. Afterward, it will assign a letter to the selected volume.

• Reboot your PC to apply the changes made.

Option 3 – Try setting the System Partition to Active

Like the first given option, you also have to make sure that you have a bootable Windows 10 USB drive before you proceed to set the System Partition to Active. Once you have it covered, refer to these steps:

• Boot your computer using the bootable Windows 10 USB drive.
• Next, click Next when you get to the Welcome Screen.
• Then click on Repair your computer located at the bottom left part of the window and select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
• After opening Command Prompt, type the following command and hit Enter to start the Diskpart utility. It is a command line-based utility just like Command Prompt but has a UAC prompt once you provoke it. So if you encounter a UAC prompt, just click on Yes to proceed.

diskpart

• Now type the following command:

list disk

• From there, select your primary disk by typing the following command:

select disk number

• After that, list all the partitions on the selected disk by entering the following command:

list partition

• The command you just entered will list all the partitions created on your PC including both types of partitions that are visible to a normal user in the File Explorer as well as the ones created by Windows 10 by default which helps it in storing the boot files and other important system files.
• Now type the following command to select the partition that is usually around 100 MB in size:

select partition number

• Finally, type the following command to mark the partition active:

active

• Then type the “exit” command to exit the disk part utility.

Error Code 0x80240020 – What is it?

Error code 0x80240020 is a Windows 10 upgrade error code that affects users who attempt to upgrade their Windows operating system. This may occur due to a particular program that blocks the upgrade from completing. It can also result when other PC issues interfere with the upgrade process by disrupting the ability of Windows Update to download updates on one’s machine. Common symptoms of error code 0x80240020 include the following:

• Message box detailing the presence of error code 0x80240020
• Inability to complete Windows 10 upgrade process

Solution

Error Causes

Upgrade error codes occur when Windows users experience upgrade failure while using Windows Update, the Microsoft Windows Update website, the Microsoft Update website, or the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server. Disruption may cause this process to fail, for instance, due to system file corruptions or problems related to the Windows Update services.

Further Information and Manual Repair

To correct issues related to error codes, it is often best to apply manual repair methods. These help Windows users determine the root causes of the error code and provide solutions that permanently fix these issues. For instance, if error code 0x80240020 on your machine is due to an issue within the Windows Update tool, you will need to first verify that this is the problem by using a troubleshooter option found within your machine’s settings. The troubleshooter will detect and fix the issue.

Most of these manual repair methods can be implemented by any Windows user, regardless of their background, technical abilities, or lack thereof. However, in certain cases, technical skills are required. If you have trouble implementing the procedures highlighted below or in any other error code article found on this site, consider getting help from a Windows repair technician or use a powerful automated tool.

Below are details regarding the manual repair methods for fixing error code 0x80240020. Ensure you follow the instructions correctly. After all, any error you make will likely cause further problems on your machine and prevent you from resolving error code 0x80240020 in Windows 10.

Method One: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

One way to fix error code 0x80240020 is to troubleshoot Windows Update. To do this you will need to access Settings within your machine then simply select the relevant troubleshooting options available. Follow the instructions below:

• Step one: Type Settings within search box near Start button then press Enter
• Step two: In the search box within Settings, type Troubleshooting
• Step three: Select the troubleshooting option
• Step four: Under System and Security, select Fix problems with Windows Update
• Step five: Under Windows Update, select Resolve problems that prevent you from updating Windows.
• Step six: Click Next and wait for the troubleshooter to detect and fix problems

If there are problems with Windows Update, the troubleshooter will be able to fix them. Once this process is complete, restart your PC and then reopen Windows Update. Attempt to upgrade your Windows operating system. If Windows Update completes the process and your machine downloads and runs the upgrade, you have successfully resolved error code 0x80240020.

If, however, there is another upgrade failure and the message box detailing the presence of error code 0x80240020 in Windows 10 appears, you will need to apply another manual repair procedure. Please see below for further details regarding manual repair method two.

Method Two: Use SFC to Scan and Fix Corrupted System Files

Corrupted or missing system files may interfere with your machine’s ability to successfully download an upgrade. For this reason, scan and fix any problems related to system files on your machine using Command Prompt. This manual repair method is often called a System File Check/ Checker (SFC).

• Step one: Right-click Start Menu
• Step two: Select Command Prompt (Admin)
• Step three: Type sfc /scannow

To ensure you follow this procedure correctly, enter the command as it is written above, with a space between “sfc” and “/scannow”. Once missing, corrupted or damaged files are present on your machine, the SFC command will enable Command Prompt to scan and fix these issues.  Wait until the process is complete then reboot your PC.

With your system successfully rebooted, reattempt the Windows 10 upgrade process in Windows Update or on the Windows Update website. If the issue causing error code 0x80240020 was related to problems with system files, you should be able to complete the upgrade after using the SFC tool.

Method Three: Download an Automated Tool

If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.

We’ve already covered disabling Security Questions If you want to disable Security Questions on your Windows 10 computer then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you in doing exactly that. In this post, you will be disabling Security Questions using a PowerShell script. This PowerShell script is called “Update-AllUsersQA”. It is designed to remove or disable the security questions and answers for local users on a Windows 10 computer. It lets administrators take control of the security questions in the environment and at the same time minimizes the risk that comes with them. If a user has a Microsoft account that’s configured to sign in to Windows 10 then he will not probably notice the Password Recovery questions. On the other hand, if he has a chosen local account for installing Windows, he will e prompted to create three security questions that can be used to reset the password and log into the Windows 10 account in case there is any misfortune. However, if you do not have much use for these Security Questions, then you can definitely have them disabled using a simple PowerShell script which you can download from GitHub. For more details on how to disable security questions in a Windows 10 machine, refer to the steps provided below. Step 1: You need to first download the .ps1 file from the GitHub repository. Step 2: Once you’ve downloaded the file, open the PowerShell window with admin privileges. Step 3: After that, navigate to the folder where you had saved the .ps1 file. Then copy the address of the folder location. Step 4: Next, change the directory by using the following command:

cd "folder location address"

Step 5: After that, enter the following script to disable the security questions:

Update-AllUsersQA

Once you’ve completed the steps above, the Security Questions should be disabled and you will be notified with a message stating that the feature has been disabled. On the other hand, if you have a change of heart and you want to enable the Security Questions back, here are some steps you need to take: Step 1: First, open the PowerShell window as admin. Step 2: Next, run the same script with one more parameter such as:

Update-AllUsersQA -answer SecretAnswer

Step 3: And that’s about it. Do not forget to replace the Secret Answer with your preferred one and once you’re done, it will be set as the answer for all the Security Questions. Step 4: Now all that’s left to do is go to the Settings app to change the answer to the questions and you should be good to go.

Recently Meta has gone viral that it is working on an AI video-making algorithm named Make a Video. AI will like in picture making AI take text input and produce a video from it.

Now, a new player enters the AI video battlefield, its name is GOOGLE!

The Google research project Imagen Video is also text to video generator similar to Meta's Make a Video with one little difference. unlike Meta's offering which includes only sign-up, Google is withholding access for now under the veil of safeguarding issues.

Google has been in the Ai space before with their Imagen, a DALL-E style generator capable of photorealistic picture generation based on text prompts. The new Google tool works in a similar way but with better functions. Ai can generate a diverse range of high-fidelity videos across different aesthetic styles and with a deep understanding of 3D models thus creating high-definition, 24-frames-per-second videos.

"With the help of progressive distillation, Imagen Video can generate high-quality videos using just eight diffusion steps per sub-model. This speeds up video generation time substantially, by a factor of ~18x,”

Jonathan Ho, author of the research paper

Despite filtering for “undesirable content”, the team admits “there is a risk that Imagen has encoded harmful stereotypes and representations”. So, until the AI - and its users - can be trusted, Google refuses to release Imagen Video without additional safeguards in place.

Oh, gamers rejoice, the Steam autumn sale is just around the corner!!!

The sale starts on November 22nd and lasts until November 29th. A great deal for any gamer, especially for ones that have plenty on their wishlist. Speaking of wishlists now would be a good time to place some interesting titles on them so you can be notified about discounts on them.

If you by any chance are unavailable to participate in the Autumn sale, do not worry, Steam winter sale is coming on December 22nd and it will last until January the 5th so you can save for it.

The best tactic for sale is not to jump on the train right away, it is best to wait until a few days, maybe even until the last 2 days since some games can go even lower on discount in the last days of the sale. Also, there might be also some packages that include games you wish to buy but are packed with other ones in a bundle and even with a higher discount.

So get prepared for the upcoming sale and treat yourself to something nice!

In the latest Windows 11 fiasco, it is reported that the operating system is slowing down some SSD drives. Good thing is that it does not affect all of SSD on the market but the ones which it is affecting can see even a 45% of speed drop. Microsoft has not published a solution to this issue, but users point out two potential problems. The first is a security mechanism based on disk virtualization, which is supposed to slow down the performance of SSDs. The second, in turn, is related to the place of installation of Windows 11 – users indicate that if the performance test is performed on a medium with no files associated with the system, its performance results are similar to the parameters given by the manufacturer. Transfer speeds were to be slightly improved with the latest Windows 11 update 22000.348. However, users are still waiting for a solution to the problem that significantly reduces the efficiency of SSD media.

More information

The details described leading to speculation that the problem could be related to drivers that Microsoft is providing. On further tests, all Nvme drives that use the Microsoft driver have this problem, but Intel 905P, which has its own driver provided by Intel, is working at full power,”.

Two monitor systems are not such a rarity like they were just a couple of years ago. More and more people are finding out the benefits of having 2 screens instead of one no matter if you play games or do serious work. So how technology has moved forward and new norms so have Windows and we can now set different wallpapers to different screens very easy, a task which was very difficult in the past.

1. Go to the Personalization option in the Control Panel.
2. Right-click on your home screen and select the Personalize option from the menu.
3. In the new window, you can browse for images you wish to set as wallpaper on both of your monitors. This way, the images would be preloaded in the “Choose your picture” option.
4. Right-click on the image. Doing this will open a new menu that will allow you to set wallpapers for each screen. There is also another option called “Choose a fit” which gives you the option to select the fit of the wallpaper.
5. Choose one wallpaper for “monitor 1” and a different wallpaper for “monitor 2.” You will now see your dual-screen setup customized with two different wallpapers.

Hello everyone, in today's tips and tricks we will focus on providing you with various solutions on how to solve the Device not migrated error that appears after the Windows update has been performed. Sometimes sadly updates to our operating systems can introduce us to various issues that look scary but in reality, they are solvable and not so scary at all. After all who would not find this message concerning, especially when it happens in the middle of work. The first thing that would pop into my mind is that I have lost tons of work and that something in my hardware has gone very wrong and it is dead. Luckily that is not the case and this error means that due to Windows update drivers were not properly transferred due to some compatibility issues, maybe it was a corrupt update file, etc. Of course, the reason could be hardware malfunction as well, but if everything was working fine before the update, it is a software issue, and I must say it is a common one and fixable. Please keep reading this guide in order to fix the Device not migrated error.

1. Update the Driver

   You should always try this first, if the device is not recognizable, try updating its driver and see if the problem vanishes. In order to update the driver, we will need first to locate which device has not been migrated properly, we will do this with help of a search engine on the internet like google for example. So open your browser of choice, go to a search engine (google for example) and type in the search box first line from your error message, yes, that scary one. You will be given which device has malfunctioned and was not migrated properly, now we will locate the device and update its drivers. To do this press WINDOWS + X on your keyboard to bring up Windows secret menu and choose device manager. Find device inside device manager, right-click on it, and choose properties. Go to the events tab and make sure that the device has migration issues. You have now 3 options for updating the driver, you can do it manually, automatically, or with the driver installer. We will cover all 3 options so you choose which one best suits you. OPTION 1: Manually. Close the Properties tab, go to the device manufacturer website and download the latest driver, if there are no drivers there, the only executable installer for the device skip this step and try the other 2. After you have downloaded the driver package from the website, right-click on the device and choose update driver. Now navigate to the folder where you have downloaded your driver package and update the driver. Reboot your system. OPTION 2: Automatic update. Close the Properties tab, right-click on the device and choose to uninstall. Once the device is uninstalled, restart your system, and Windows will automatically search and install the latest driver for the device. OPTION 3: Via driver installer. If you have downloaded .EXE or executable driver installer from device manufacturers web site try installing it, if the installation fails, try using compatibility mode for the installer. Navigate where the installer is located, right-click on it, and choose properties. Go to compatibility TAB and try installing it with administrator privileges in Windows 8 mode. Reboot your system after this step. This should solve the issues, however, if the issue still persists, follow the next steps.

2. Verify the Corrupted System Files

   Press WINDOWS + X on the keyboard to open the hidden system menu and choose Command prompt (administrator) In the command prompt type in: sfc /scannow and press ENTER. The scanning process and repair of files will take around 15 min. Leave it to finish completely, do not restart, work on the computer or shut it down while the process is active, and only after it is finished reboot your system.

3. Update Windows.

   If your Windows is not updated sometimes this issue can be resolved by updating it on the latest version. Click on start and then on settings. Once the settings screen is opened, find and click on Update and Security. Go to the Windows update tab and click on DOWNLOAD or click on check for updates for the latest Windows fix.

4. Reset BIOS to factory settings.

   Sometimes BIOS not being properly configured can cause issues in Windows itself and prevent it from detecting PnP devices thus creating this error. Restoring BIOS back to the factory setting can help. Turn off your computer and turn it back on. Press delete, f12, f11, or any other key which will take you to BIOS (default key is delete but sometimes manufacturers map this to another one. Once your screen turns ON you will see in the bottom message which key needs to be pressed in order to enter BIOS). Sadly since every BIOS could be different we can not cover step by step guide for each but you need to find the option where you load BIOS defaults, click on it save, and exit. Your computer will restart and boot into Windows, check to see if the problem still persists.

5. Update BIOS

   BIOS can cause issues with certain PnP devices when the newest Windows update is rolled. If reverting BIOS to the factory setting has not been successful try update. Go to your motherboard manufacturer website, find the update and read step by step guide there since updating BIOS differs from version to version and from manufacturer to manufacturer. After the update is done, restart the computer and hopefully, the error is gone.

6. Perform a System Restore

   If everything else fails, perform a system restore to get Windows back into the state before the update was installed and when everything was working fine. Press WINDOWS + R on the keyboard to open the run dialog. In the run dialog, type control panel and press enter to enter control panel, locate recovery and click on it. Inside the recovery screen click on Open System Restore. Choose a date when everything was working in order, the best bet is the date before Windows update and roll it back. Click on date, and then on next.

Default Taskbar inside Windows 11 is pretty good if we are talking about its height. Sitting at 48 pixels it is a pretty decent size considering functionality and size ratio but if you want to make it a little larger or smaller know that you can do that as well in order to customize it for your personal needs. Sadly in order to actually change height size, you will have to do it inside the registry editor, but worry not, we are here with you to guide you all the way, one step at a time. Also, note that you can only change Taskbar from normal size of 48px to either small of 32px or large gapping at 72px. Icons will also be scaled proportionally with the taskbar.

Guide

1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog
2. Inside run dialog type in RegEdit and press ENTER
3. In registry editor locate and find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
4. Right Click on it to select it and create a new DWORD (32-bit) value
5. Name the value TaskbarSi
6. Inside TaskbarSi double click in order to set the value to 0 if you want a small size Taskbar, 1 is if you want to revert back to medium (standard one), or type in 2 if you want a large Taskbar.
7. Save and close the Registry editor
8. Reboot PC

And there you go, you have successfully changed Taskbar size inside Windows 11. If you want to revert back to standard size just repeat steps and place 1 as a value in point 6.