Run Windows Updates from Command Line

We have often talked about the security of your computer, we have been giving you tips and tried to explain how to best protect your computer from various attacks and malicious software. Today we will be talking about antivirus applications. Antivirus software has become the kind of a must-have in every computer in this day and age. When you think about it, our systems are connected to the internet most of the time if not always, and therefore kind placed in from the line of various cyber-attacks. Here antivirus software comes into focus, especially because it has evolved long from just a simple virus removal tool to full security suites. We will be going through the best of these applications in order to present both their good and bad sides and hope that we will help you in picking the right one for you. Remember, picking either one of the presented solutions is way better than not having one at all. The list is made from best down in our opinion so number one is highly recommended.

List of Best antivirus applications of 2021

1. BitDefender

   In our opinion the best overall security protection suite for this age and time. Bitdefender has cemented itself as number one a few years back and it holds that status even today. It has top-of-the-game virus protection, an incredible amount of features, safepay banking online protection and it is amazingly cheap. Its downside we could say is that it can be annoying sometimes, especially if you set it to maximum protection and paranoid mode. In this case, it will often ask what to do and how to behave leading to minor annoyances.

2. Norton antivirus

   Norton antivirus is well known to older computer users, this package has been around a long time and it is our pick for closest one to challenge top place because of its packed features. The number of features it has are really stunning and it comes also with great and maybe best-browsing protection of all candidates. It also has a backup tool bundled with it but the reason why it is in the second place is that it is taxing to the system and can have a real impact on computer performance. Great protection is important, but so it is working on it without slowdowns.

3. Kaspersky

   Another one of the old antivirus software on the list. Kaspersky Lab was once top tier antivirus software but it dropped down due to its high prices, later they have changed their pricing to be more in trend with other rival companies but many have switched to something else. Today it still packs one of the best antivirus engines with fast and configurable scans. It also has very impressive anti-ransomware features but sadly most of the things it just simply does for you leaving you to fully trust it since you cannot really configure much. It is not in step with new technologies and it is lacking some features like support for the Chrome browser that places it lower in our ranking.

4. Trend Micro antivirus

   The biggest sell point for this antivirus application is probably its ease of use and user-friendliness. It also packs a great antivirus engine and impressive anti-ransomware performance but sadly it comes with very limited configurability and somewhat lack of features comparing it with the top three entries. Never the less a very user-friendly application that you can configure without knowing any kind of tech talk, everything is laid out in simple English.

5. Avira

   Perhaps best known for its free version, Avira has a premium one that is well better worth than the free version. Strong suites of this software are mostly aimed at the internet with its great anti-phishing and web protection along with a low price for all of its features. Sadly in the domain of virus protection, there are some reports from independent websites that its antivirus engine is not so great, it will offer you moderate protection but not the best.

6. Webroot Secure Anywhere

   If you are on the lookout for software that has a great virus database and plenty of features but is also incredibly light weighted and fast then look no further, Webroot Secure Anywhere is an application for you, incredibly fast and incredibly small is a great solution for older machines. It keeps all of its databases up in the cloud and this feature among its great advantages is also its greatest disadvantage since if you are out of the internet you will not be able to have the latest virus definitions available to you making this tool very situational.

7. Avast

   Avast has many great protection features and it is very highly configurable. The firewall comes also in its premium edition and it offers great virus protection including a file shredder and awesome WI-FI inspector for an extra layer of security. This package would be higher on the list if it was not for its lack of WEB protection and its tool on the system resources.

8. Sophos home antivirus

   Lack of features and somewhat strange user interface are downsides of this software but on its positive side it has good antivirus engine and its user interface is very friendly. Where it shines though is in its price, for one affordable price you get protection for 10 devices making this option a great choice for anyone wanting to protect more devices or just use a single license for the whole family.

9. ESET antivirus

   Greatly configurable antivirus software with tons of options and very light on system resources makes ESET one of the best out there. Virus engine and database is also top tier but some testing labs have reported that protection offering is not really what it is advertised and if we talk about its strong suite of a great many options and configurations it is at the same moment its downside since it is not very friendly to novice and beginner users.

10. McAfee antivirus

    McAfee antivirus comes in its package with unlimited VPN service and if we take look at the top tier pricing plan it is a great investment. Sadly for its entry-level price, it covers only a single device and it was reported that it packs little outdated virus engine if we compare it with its rivals. Nevertheless, it still offers good virus protection and if you take into account the VPN that comes with it, it can find its users.

Conclusion

No matter which antivirus you choose you will not go wrong, after all any protection is way better than none.

In case you don’t know, the Title bar comes with the Maximize, Minimize, as well as the Close button. However, there are instances when you might notice that the Title bar, Maximize, Minimize and Close buttons are missing in the File Explorer. This kind of problem might be due to some glitch in the computer, or it could also be caused by some built-in tool or an installed program in your computer. Moreover, there are also other factors that you have to consider such as corruption in the system files as well as errors in the user profile which is generated on a domain network, and so on. There are several suggestions you can check out to fix the problem. You can try to boot your computer in a Clean Boot State to see if a third-party program is the root cause of the problem. You can also try to run built-in tools like System File Checker and the DISM tool. You could also get the video buffer emptied, reset or reinstall the program, or recreate the User Profile.

Option 1 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State

As pointed out, it is possible that some third-party program or service is the one that’s behind the problem. To isolate this possibility and to identify the culprit, you have to put your computer into a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Log onto your PC as administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• You need to disable one third-party app after the other to really isolate the issue. And once you’ve narrowed down the problem, you can either disable the third-party app that’s causing the problem or remove it.

Option 2 – Run System File Checker scan

You might also try running the System File Checker or SFC scan to fix the issue. System File Checker is a command utility built into your computer that helps restore corrupted files and missing files. Refer to the following steps to run it:

• Hit the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow

The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

• Restart your computer and see if the System32 folder still pops up at startup or not.

Option 3 – Try running the DISM tool

You can try running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the Windows Upgrade problem. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

• Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

Option 4 – Try to empty the Vide buffer

These kinds of problems could also be due to bad data in the Video Buffer. Thus, you can try to empty the Video buffer to resolve the problem. All you have to do is tap the Shift + Ctrl + Win key + B keys on your keyboard. After that, leave your computer idle for about 10 seconds until you notice it blink once. Now you try using your computer as usual and see if the glitch is now fixed or not.

Option 5 – Try to reset or reinstall the program

Another thing you can do to fix the issue is to reset or reinstall the program where you encounter the problem. Chances are, you are running the application in the Full-screen mode but you can exit it by simply tapping the Esc or F11 key. However, if nothing changed, then consider resetting or reinstalling the program. Just go to the Windows 10 Settings app and navigate to Apps > Apps & Features. From there, look for the entry of the application you’re having problems with and select it and then click on the Advanced options. After that, click on the Reset button under the Reset section.

Option 6 – Try recreating the User Profile

You might also want to try recreating the User Profile on your computer since some errors in the creation of a User Profile can result in problems like this one. Thus, you have to try deleting the User Profile and then recreate it.

Email Access Online is a browser extension published by Polarity Technologies Ltd. That offers users quick and easy access to emails and weather reports. While this might sound interesting and useful, there is nothing this extension offers that cannot be solved with a few simple bookmarks.

While installed Email Access Online monitors the user's browser activity and records visited websites, clicked links, and bought products, this data is later used to serve partner ads if the user looks for the covered categories, additionally, it will hijack your new tab page, changing your search engine to Yahoo to allow easier ad placement.

Browsing the internet with this extension enabled will result in additional ad placement, pop-up ads, and sponsored links throughout your browsing sessions.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that this extension is a repack of MyEmailXP, which was a repack of Fast Email Checker. Due to its suspicious delivery methods and information gathering, several anti-virus scanners have marked this extension as a browser hijacker and it is recommended to remove it from your computer.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking means that a malicious code has taken control over and modified the settings of your web browser, without your consent. Browser hijacker malware is designed for many different reasons. The idea is to force users to visit specific websites which are aiming to increase their visitor traffic and generate higher advertisement income. It may appear naive, but the majority of such websites are not legitimate and can present a significant risk to your online safety. In a worst-case scenario, your internet browser could be hi-jacked to download malicious software that can do a lot of damage to your PC.

Major signs that your internet browser has been highjacked

There are many signs that could indicate a browser hijacking: 1. the home page of the web browser is changed suddenly 2. you observe new unwanted bookmarks or favorites added, usually directed to ad-filled or porn websites 3. the default search engine is changed and the web browser security settings have been brought down without your knowledge 4. you see unwanted new toolbars added 5. your internet browser will display constant pop-up windows 6. your web browser starts running sluggishly or presents frequent errors 7. Inability to navigate to particular sites, especially anti-malware and other computer security software websites.

So how does a computer get infected with a browser hijacker

There are a number of ways your computer can get infected by a browser hijacker. They usually arrive through spam e-mail, via file sharing websites, or by a drive-by-download. They could also come from add-on software, also referred to as browser helper objects (BHO), web browser extensions, or toolbars. Browser hijackers sneak to your computer in addition to free software application downloads that you unintentionally install along with the original. The presence of any browser hijacker on your system could substantially diminish the web browsing experience, monitor your internet activities that lead to critical privacy concerns, create system stability problems and finally cause your PC to slow down or to a practically unusable condition.

How to repair a browser hijack

Certain kinds of browser hijackers can be effortlessly removed from your PC by deleting malicious software programs or any other recently installed shareware. However, most hijacking codes are certainly not very easy to remove manually, as they go deeper into your operating system. And there’s no denying the very fact that manual repairs and removal methods can certainly be a difficult job for an inexperienced PC user. Besides, there are several risks connected with fiddling around with the system registry files. Anti-malware program is incredibly effective when it comes to discovering and removing browser hijackers that regular anti-virus application has missed. To get rid of any kind of browser hijacker from your computer, you can download the following certified malware removal application – SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

What you can do if Virus Stops You From Downloading Antivirus?

Practically all malware is bad, but certain kinds of malicious software do much more damage to your PC than others. Some malware goes to great lengths to stop you from downloading or installing anything on your personal computer, especially anti-malware software. If you are reading this right now, you’ve probably realized that virus infection is the reason behind your blocked net traffic. So what to do when you want to install an anti-malware application such as Safebytes? There are a few actions you can take to circumvent this issue.

Make use of Safe Mode to fix the issue

If the malware is set to run automatically when Windows starts, getting into safe mode may block this attempt. Since only the bare minimum programs and services start-up in “Safe Mode”, there are rarely any reasons for conflicts to happen. You will need to do the following to remove malware in Safe mode. 1) At power on/start-up, tap the F8 key in one-second intervals. This will bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Use the arrow keys to choose Safe Mode with Networking and press ENTER. 3) When you are into this mode, you will have access to the internet again. Now, use your internet browser normally and navigate to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download Safebytes Anti-Malware. 4) Once the software is installed, let the diagnostic scan run to remove viruses and other threats automatically.

Obtain the antivirus software in an alternate browser

Certain viruses may target vulnerabilities of a particular web browser that obstruct the downloading process. If you seem to have a virus attached to Internet Explorer, then switch to an alternate browser with built-in safety features, such as Firefox or Chrome, to download your favorite antivirus program – Safebytes.

Run anti-virus from a pen drive

Here’s yet another solution which is using a portable USB anti-malware software package that can scan your computer for viruses without needing installation. Follow these steps to run the anti-malware on the infected PC. 1) Make use of another virus-free computer to download Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Plug the Flash drive into the uninfected computer. 3) Double-click on the downloaded file to run the installation wizard. 4) Choose the drive letter of the USB drive as the location when the wizard asks you exactly where you want to install the anti-virus. Follow activation instructions. 5) Now, insert the USB drive into the infected system. 6) Double click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the thumb drive to run the software. 7) Click on “Scan Now” to run a complete scan on the infected computer for malware.

Let's Talk About SafeBytes Anti-Malware!

Nowadays, anti-malware software can protect your PC from different forms of internet threats. But wait, how to select the right one among plenty of malware protection application that is available on the market? As you may be aware, there are numerous anti-malware companies and tools for you to consider. Some of them are good, some are ok types, while some will affect your computer themselves! When looking for an antivirus program, select one which gives solid, efficient, and full protection against all known computer viruses and malware. On the list of the recommended tool by industry experts is SafeBytes Anti-Malware, well-known security software for Microsoft Windows. SafeBytes anti-malware is really a powerful, highly effective protection software intended to help end-users of all levels of IT literacy in identifying and removing malicious threats from their computers. Once you have installed this tool, SafeBytes advanced protection system will ensure that absolutely no viruses or malware can seep through your personal computer.

SafeBytes possesses a plethora of amazing features that can help you protect your computer from malware attacks and damage. The following are some of the great features included in the application.

Real-time Active Protection: SafeBytes offers a totally hands-free active protection and is set to observe, prevent and wipe out all threats at its first encounter. It’ll constantly monitor your pc for hacker activity and also gives users superior firewall protection. Anti-Malware Protection: Using its advanced and sophisticated algorithm, this malware removal tool can detect and remove the malware threats hiding in your PC effectively. High-Speed Malware Scanning Engine: This computer software has got one of the fastest and most efficient virus scanning engines in the industry. The scans are extremely accurate and take a short amount of time to complete. Web Security: SafeBytes gives an instant safety rating on the pages you are about to check out, automatically blocking risky sites and making sure that you’re certain of your online safety while browsing the web. Lowest Memory/CPU Usage: SafeBytes gives you complete protection from online threats at a fraction of the CPU load due to its enhanced detection engine and algorithms. Fantastic Tech Support Team: For any technical inquiries or product guidance, you could get 24/7 expert assistance through chat and email. SafeBytes will keep your personal computer protected from most advanced malware threats automatically, thus keeping your online experience safe and secure. You now may know that this particular software does more than just scan and delete threats on your computer. If you want advanced forms of protection features and threat detections, buying SafeBytes Anti-Malware could be well worth the dollars!

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

To remove Email Access Online manually, navigate to the Add/Remove programs list in the Windows Control Panel and choose the program you want to remove. For browser plug-ins, go to your browser’s Addon/Extension manager and choose the plug-in you want to remove or disable. You will probably also want to reset your internet browser. To make sure of complete removal, find the following Windows registry entries on your system and eliminate it or reset the values accordingly. However, this is a difficult task and only computer professionals can perform it safely. Additionally, certain malware is capable of replicating itself or preventing deletion. You’re suggested to do this process in Windows Safe Mode.

The Volsnap.sys is a Windows operating system file that is related to the Volume Shadow Copy Service or VSS. It is known to cause a Blue Screen of Death error. The main cause of the Volsnap.sys Blue Screen errors include conflicts with the RAM, issues with the hard disk, incompatible firmware, corrupted drivers, malware infection, and many more. Despite its many possible causes, its fixes are quite straightforward so won’t have any problem following them. The Blue Screen errors that are related to the Volsnap.sys file are:

• KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
• PAGE FAULT IN A NONPAGED AREA
• SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
• IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL

You might want to try performing System Restore as it could resolve Blue Screen errors like the ones related to the Volsnap.sys before you proceed with the troubleshooting tips given below. To run System Restore, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
• Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
• After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.

If System Restore didn’t help in fixing the Blue Screen error, now’s the time for you to resort to the troubleshooting tips provided below but before you get started, make sure that you create a System Restore point first.

Option 1 – Check if the Volume Shadow Copy service is running and restart it

The first thing you need to do is check if the Volume Shadow Copy service. To do that, refer to the following steps:

• Click on Start and type “cmd” and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
• Then select the “Run as administrator” option to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, type “net stop sdrsvc” and hit Enter to execute the command in stopping the Volume Shadow Copy service.
• Next, type the “net start sdrsvc” command and hit Enter to start the service again.

Note: You can also restart the service using the Windows Services Manager.

• In the Cortana search box, type “services” and click on the Services icon to open the Services Manager. Alternatively, you can also tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run prompt and then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
• From there, look for the Volume Shadow Service (sdrsv) from the list of services. Its Startup type should be set to Manual by default.
• Restart the service and if you don’t encounter any error while you turn it on, re-run the backup service and see if the backup process runs successfully.

Option 2 – Try checking the Memory for the Errors using Memory Diagnostic Tool

The Memory Diagnostic tool in windows can help resolve the Volsnap.sys Blue Screen error by checking and automatically fixing any memory-based issues. To run it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and type mdsched.exe and hit Enter to open the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.
• After that, it will give two options such as:
  • Restart now and check for problems (Recommended)
  • Check for problems the next time I start my computer
• Once your computer has restarted, perform a basic scan or you could also go for the “Advanced” options such as “Test mix” or “Pass count”. Simply tap the F10 key to start the test.

Note: After you select your preferred option, your computer will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them and if there’s no issue found, then it’s most likely not a memory-based issue so you should try the other options given below.

Option 3 – Try to update or rollback your device drivers

If the first option didn’t work for you, then it’s time to either update or rollback 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 go to the section of IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers as well as Storage Controllers 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 4 – Try to run the CHKDSK utility

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

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

chkdsk /f /r

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

Option 5 – Run the System File Checker Scan

System File Checker or SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files with good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow

The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

• Restart your computer.

Option 6 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like Volsnap.sys. It can be found on 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.

Installing Windows Updates in your Windows 10 computer does not always go smoothly as there are instances when you could encounter some errors along the way. One of these errors is error code 0x80244022 –WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_SERVICE_UNAVAIL HTTP 503. This kind of error can be encountered when you check, download or install any updates. At the time of writing, it isn’t known yet what the exact cause of this error is. However, there are some potential fixes you can check out to fix it. When this error occurs, you will see the following error message on your screen:

“There were some problems installing updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information, this may help: (0x80244022).”

To fix error code 0x80244022, refer to the potential fixes provided below.

Option 1 – Disable the Proxy server

The first thing you can do is to try disabling the Proxy server as it might be the reason why you’re getting error 0x80244022 for Windows Updates. To disable the proxy server, refer to the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it. In addition, if you are also using a VPN, you can try to disable it as well.

Option 2 – Run the DISM tool

You can run the DISM tool as well to help fix the error code 0x80244022 during Windows Update. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

• Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

Option 3 – Perform a System File Checker scan

The SFC or System File Checker scan could detect and automatically repair damaged system files that could be causing error code 0x80244022 to appear when you try to update your Windows 10 computer. 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 with good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow and hit Enter.

The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

• Once done, restart your computer.

Option 4 – Try disabling the Firewall or antivirus program

Disabling the antivirus program or Firewall or any other security software installed in your computer is always a good idea you can try when the Windows Update process does not go smoothly. So before you try updating your computer again, make sure to disable the antivirus or security program and once the Windows Update is done, don’t forget to enable the antivirus program back again.

Option 5 – Try resetting the Windows Update components

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After that, type each one of the following commands and hit Enter after you key in one after the other.
  • net stop wuauserv
  • net stop cryptsvc
  • net stop bits
  • net stop msiserver

Note: The commands you entered will stop the Windows Update components such as Windows Update service, Cryptographic services, BITS, and MSI Installer.

• After disabling WU components, you need to rename both the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders. To do that, type each one of the following commands below, and don’t forget to hit Enter after you type one command after the other.
  • ren C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution/SoftwareDistribution.old
  • ren C:/Windows/System32/catroot2/Catroot2.old
• Next, restart the services you’ve stopped by entering another series of commands. Don’t forget to hit Enter after you key in one command after the other.
  • net start wuauserv
  • net start cryptsvc
  • net start bits
  • net start msiserver
• Close Command Prompt and reboot your PC.

Option 6 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

You might also want to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter as it could also help in fixing Windows Update Error. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.

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:

1. USB drive with a minimum size of 20GB
2. Working computer with Windows 10 running on it
3. Rufus or another ISO to UBS tool, get Rufus here: https://rufus.ie/en_US/
4. Windows 10 ISO file

Making Windows 10 UBS drive

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.

CPU Not Compatible – What Is It

Some users wanting to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 experienced errors with installation. One of these errors is CPU Not Compatible. When you click and run the “Get Windows 10” from your system tray bar, you’ll receive the “CPU is not compatible with Windows 10” error. When this happens, it might be good to check if there’s a bug or if your NX feature (a requirement for the Windows 10 installation) is enabled.

Solution

Error Causes

The “CPU is not compatible with Windows 10” error normally occurs when:

• NX feature is not enabled
• You experienced the Windows 10 bug

Further Information and Manual Repair

To successfully upgrade to Windows 10, your CPU must support Physical Address Extension (PAE), SSE2, and NX features. If any of these features are not activated on your system, it’ll cause the CPU not compatible error. However, some users still reported experiencing this error even though their CPU has these features activated. Normally, this is due to the bug that Windows acknowledged.

If any of these two scenarios apply to your computer, the following methods will help you fix the problem:

Method 1 – Check for bugs

The bug applies to some Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 systems. The bug occurs when the “Get Windows 10” app fails to recognize CPUs as being compatible. This produces a false negative result with a message, “Here’s why Windows 10 cannot be installed on this PC: The CPU isn’t supported”. To fix this bug, Microsoft released an update.

Unfortunately, the patch update (KB2976978 for Windows 8/8.1 and KB2952664 for Windows 7 SP1) to fix the bug may not be automatically downloaded to your computer. If this is the case, you need to verify first if the patch was installed correctly. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Click ‘Start’ and type in View Installed Updates. The “View installed updates” icon should appear. Click the icon.

2. Go to the Search bar (Top right portion) then type the patch name for your system. Make sure that you type the correct patch name for your system since Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 have different names. If you find the patch, it means it’s already installed. You can now upgrade to Windows 10 without the CPU not-compatible error.

3. But, if you can’t find it you need to install the patch manually.

4. Go to Windows Update then click the “Check for Updates” button.

5. Browse through the available updates and look for KB2976978 for Windows 8/8.1 or KB2952664 for Windows 7 SP1

6. Download the right patch. You may need to reboot your system once it’s done.

7. The downloaded patch should be applied after a day or two with the Windows Task Scheduler. Once the patch is applied, you can now upgrade to Windows 10.

Method 2 – Check CPU features and activate them if needed

A major requirement for Windows 10 upgrade is for the CPU to have Physical Address Extension (PAE), SSE2, and NX features enabled on your system. If you receive the CPU not compatible error, one possible cause is that any of the mentioned features are not available OR not enabled on your system. Here’s how you can fix this:

1. Verify if your CPU supports the three instruction sets. You can use software that provides information like this. If all three are available, proceed to the next step.

2. Go to your computer’s BIOS. To do this, reboot your computer. You will need to press a key specific to your computer’s manufacturer (usually it’s F12, F8, F2, or DEL).

3. Look for the NX (No Execute Bit) settings. This is normally found in the “Advanced Configuration” menu, or something similar to this. Just take note that the NX setting can be named differently in BIOS. Some other names include EDB (Execute Disabled Bit), EVP (Enhanced Virus Protection), Execute Disabled Memory Protection or No Excuse Memory Protect.

4. Once you’re in the NX settings, make sure that it’s enabled.

5. Exit the BIOS and SAVE your changes.

6. Boot your computer normally, then try upgrading to Windows 10 again through the “Get Windows 10” app found in the system tray.

Method 3 – Force enabling NX Bit

If changing the settings in your BIOS doesn’t do the trick, your final option is to force enable the NX bit in your Windows system. However, this is only applicable IF and ONLY IF your CPU does support it. To force enable NX bit, do the following:

1. Click Start and go to command prompt (Type “cmd” – no quotes) and press enter.

2. Copy and paste the text below to the command prompt.bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOn

3. Execute the command. You will need to reboot your computer once this is done.

4. Download and install Windows 10

Method 4 – Use a trusted automated tool

If you still experience the error after doing the methods above, you might want to try a powerful and trusted automated tool to fix the job.

ActiveX Controls are plugins you may constantly come across when working with Internet Explorer. An illustration of these kinds of control is the MICROSOFT IE Flash Player. They frequently result into significant problems for the Computer, yet they're vital for IE to operate correctly. You shouldn't ever overlook that after you install Active Controls in your Personal Computer, you effectively provide them with access to other areas of your PC. The ActiveX Controls not only tracks your search routines, but in addition puts malicious software, which might possibly be hazardous to your Computer.

Solution

Error Causes

ActiveX Controls make your Internet Explorer work as required and are usually great and beneficial to your own Computer. Yet, they can function as a source of problems because of the following factors.

• You should stop installing  ActiveX Controls from Un Trustworthy Resources

In the event they are installed by you from un trustworthy resources new threats are likely introduced by ActiveX Controls to your PC. One of the more regular types of ActiveX Controls worth necessary for installation is Flash Player. Yet, never be in a hurry to install these Controls from resources that you don't trust.

• Limit The Number of ActiveX Controls You Install on your PC

Prevent installing java/oracle ActiveX controls, because of its weak security measures which could make your Personal Computer and any additional information there in, open to attacks. Limit to the variety of ActiveX Controls that you install on your PC as these could increase the vulnerability canvas on your computer.

Further Information and Manual Repair

You can manually fix any malfunction that springs up from ActiveX Controls. Yet, more than mending the harm, produce the setting that ensures you never have troubles from them to start with. Just how do you do that?

a) Stop installing or downloading ActiveX Controls from Un Trustworthy Sources

This has been mentioned above, but it's worth repeating because it's the most common reason behind ActiveX Controls malfunctions. You might anticipate that for this kind of obvious reason for ActiveX Controls malfunctions, PC consumers would be extra cautious, however that is never true.

b) Limit ActiveX Controls Softwares

You can restrict ActiveX controls from running automatically on your PC. To limit them, head to Tools in Internet Explorer, and choose Internet Options. Proceed to the Security tab, and select Customs level Browse completely down before you get to the area designated "ActiveX". Subsequently, mark "Prompt" under every choice that you encounter. But don't mark the choice indicated "Run ActiveX Controls and Plug-Ins", together with, "Script ActiveX Controls Marked Safe for Scripting". By performing the measures emphasized above, you happen to be in substance stating that, you will not permit any installation of ActiveX Controls, without express authorization by you. In this manner, you have better control over different forms of ActiveX Controls you permit to be installed, therefore reducing potential threats to your PC.

Things have stirred lately with Chinas ban on crypto mining and many used GPUs will flow the market probably. But should you buy a used GPU? Short answer: NO, long answer: keep on reading to find out why.

GPU shortage and its cause

As you all know by now, we live sadly in a world struck by a global Pandemic. Due to this awful disease and measures taken against it, many people are either working from home or are at home making the manufacturing of new chips problematic while demand on the market has raised. Throw into that mix crypto mining which has raised in popularity and you have, well today's market where we have GPU shortage. Now with the latest news that China has banned the mining of cryptocurrency, there is to be expected that at some point in time mining cards used there will fit the market in the whole world. Sadly even with a large quantity of GPUs that will become available, the overall price of cards will not be much lowered I am afraid since demand is still very high and many people would not want to purchase used mining cards and neither should you.

Be prepared for the worst scenario

Although this sounds very pessimistic and in most cases, it will not turn out to be true, you should always prepare yourself mentally that you might be in that lower percentage that will end up with a really bad GPU. What has come up to be absolutely true when considering GPU that were mining is that if anything at all can be done to GPU in order to increase performance, it has been done. Miners want to optimize and almost every GPU if could be overclocked, it was overclocked. Extensive mining also means that thermal paste has been dried and it is pretty useless at this point and there is a very high chance that fans and heat sinks will need much cleaning or even replacement raising the price of the card itself for mentioned paste, fans, and heat sinks. There's no way to tell what the previous owner might have done with a graphics card when you're shopping online, so our advice is to assume the worst. Don't trust the seller to give truthful information. Any listing that says it was "never used for mining" at this point is probably a lie.

Age of the GPU matters

Date when GPU itself has manufactured really matters. Newer cards even if used extensively have been used for a much shorter period of time and are not so damaged were ones produced a few years ago have seen a lot of action. Let’s say that you get RTX 3060, In the worst-case scenario it has been mining since late February of 2021 and basically, it is still under warranty so it should behave OK and put some good work in gaming even in that state. On another hand, if we take for example GTX 1080Ti which is 4 years old GPU things start to change drastically. 4 years GPU could be worn out even if it was used just for extensive gaming sessions let alone for mining.

No return policy and seller rating

Most of the time you will run into a product that cannot be returned or no refunds policy. This should bring a red flag right away and deter you from purchase. Sellers with the highest ratings are more trustworthy since many of them will not want to destroy their reputation but these will probably not even have these kinds of merchandise in their store. Buying with a poor rating seller and no return policy on a product is just asking for trouble. And although some stores do have arbitration and will stand on the customer side there is no guarantee for that and it will take too much time to process.

If you really must buy a second-hand GPU

Of course in these troubled times sometimes due to malfunction or any other reason, there would not be another choice than to buy a second-hand GPU. In this case, if there is no other option consider sellers with many positive ratings. If you can buy locally that would even be better or the best-case scenario would be if you could visually see and inspect GPU itself in order to see in what state it is. Look for warranty stickers to see if they are thorn and the card has been tampered with. Also take a good look at screws, if they have scratches card has been opened, probably to replace fan or heating sinks which means that it has worked a lot.

Conclusion

It is very difficult to give the best possible advice on this situation since of GPU shortage, but I would much prefer a new GPU with lower performance than a hi-performance one which was mining.

A couple of Windows 10 users have reported an error on domain-connected systems when they tried accessing their computer systems remotely. This occurs when the network level authentication or NLA is enabled on the computer. If you are one of these users, you better keep reading as this post will guide you on how you can fix this error. To resolve this issue, there are several workarounds you can try. You can either disable this option directly via properties or you can also modify some registry entries or sub-keys and restart the system. When you encounter this problem, an error message pops up that states:

“The remote computer that you are trying to connect to requires network level authentication (NLA), but your windows domain controller cannot be contacted to perform NLA. If you are an administrator on the remote computer, you can disable NLA by using the options on the Remote tab of the System Properties dialog box.”

Or you could also see this error message instead:

“The remote computer requires Network Level Authentication, which your computer does not support. For assistance, contact your system administrator or technical support.”

Before you proceed in troubleshooting the problem using the options provided below, you need to create a backup for your data or system restore point as well as make a copy of any registry entries you are going to modify.

Option 1 – Disable Network Level Authentication via Properties

The NLA is a useful tool that provides your computer with extra security and helps network administrators in controlling who can log into the system with just a click of a single box. However, there are times when it can become a disadvantage and could prevent you from accessing your system remotely. Thus, you need to disable it using Properties.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” and tap Enter to open System Properties.
• Next, go to the remote tab and uncheck the checkbox for the “Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended)” option.
• Now click the Apply button to save the changes made and exit System Properties and then try logging into the remote computer again and see if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 2 – Disable NLA via Registry Editor

Note that you can only use this option if the first one didn’t work for you. Take note that this option will require you to restart your PC completely which could mean some downtime if your computer is running a production server. So make sure to save all your work.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type in “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• From there, click on File > Connect Network Registry and input the details of the remote computer and then try to connect.
• Navigate to the path below after you’re connected:

HKLM >SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control >Terminal Server > WinStations > RDP-Tcp

• After that, change the values given below to “0”
  • SecurityLayer
  • UserAuthentication
• The navigate to PowerShell and execute this command – restart-computer

Option 3 – Disable NLA via PowerShell

PowerShell allows you to tap into the remote computer and once you’ve targeted the machine, you can execute the commands given below to disable NLA.

• Tap the Win + S to open Search and then type in “PowerShell” in the field. Right-click on the related result and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening PowerShell, execute the command below:

2. Once in the PowerShell, execute the following command:

$TargetMachine = “Target-Machine-Name” (Get-WmiObject -class “Win32_TSGeneralSetting” -Namespace rootcimv2terminalservices -ComputerName $TargetMachine -Filter “TerminalName=’RDP-tcp'”).SetUserAuthenticationRequired(0) Note: In the command given, the “Target-Machine-Name” is the name of the machine you are targeting.

Option 4 – Use the Group Policy Editor to disable NLA

Another option you can use to disable NLA is via the Group Policy Editor. This is ideal for you if you are blanket disabling. Just take note that the Group Policy Editor is a powerful tool and that if you make some mistakes by changing values you have no clue about, you can render your computer useless so make sure that you create a backup for all the values before you proceed.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type in “gpedit.msc” and tap Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
• From there, go to this path – Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security
• After that, search for “Require user authentication for remote connections by using Network Level Authentication” and set it to disabled.
• Now check if the error is fixed or not.