Setting default applications in Windows 11

DirectX encountered unrecoverable error usually face gamers when they try to star certain game. In this guide, we will help you to get over it and solve the issue. Follow steps in this guide one after another since they go from most simple ones to complex ones so following is advised in order not to waste a ton of time and resources doing wrong tasks.

1. Check your game page and your DirectX

   The first and most common thing that can cause this type of error is when your installed DirectX is not the same version that the game requires. Check the game store page to see system requirements and write down which DirectX version it requires in order to run. Then press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to bring run dialog and type in it DXDIAG and press ENTER DX diagnostic window will pop up and at the bottom, you can find which DirectX version is installed on your system. If versions are different, install the required DirectX version and run the game.

2. Update or reinstall GPU drivers

   DirectX can get corrupted via bad driver update, in order to fix this, reinstall or update your Graphic drivers to the latest version from the official manufacturers' website.

3. Set custom scaling to 100

   Go into Windows settings and set custom Display scaling to a value of 100, sign out, and then sign back in.

4. Delete registry key

   Note that you should do this as the last option and be very careful since you can crash whole Windows in this way. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog and type RegEdit in it to open the registry editor. Find this key: ComputerHKEY_CLASSES_ROOTPROTOCOLSFiltertext/XML and delete it from the registry, you might want to do a backup of the registry first, just in case.

If you are frequently experiencing slow loading of folders in your Windows 10 computer, Downloads folder for instance, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will help you resolve such issue. Slow loading of folders is a common problem faced by many users even when they are using the latest hardware like SSDs. So if you experience the same thing, be it with the Downloads folder or other folders on your computer, there is a way to resolve that issue and make the folder load faster. Slow-loading means when you attempt to open the folder, it takes a couple of seconds before it displays its contents. In such cases, you’ll see a green loading address bar that says “Working on it” which can get quite annoying especially if you are in a hurry. And if you notice that this only happens in the Downloads folder, there certainly is something wrong. This kind of problem can occur on SSDs and normal hard drives. The main reason behind the occurrence of this problem is that the folder may have been optimized for viewing photos or other media formats which is why it takes quite longer than usual to load all the files and their thumbnails. However, since the Downloads folder usually contains all kinds of files like documents, zip files, audio/video files, etc. there is no need to optimize this folder for media files only because doing so is only going to make the Windows File Explorer slow in loading the folder’s contents and thumbnails which does not exist for many files.

Option 1 – Configure the Downloads folder

• Right-click on the Downloads folder or the folder you’re having trouble opening.
• Then click on Properties and go to the Customize tab.
• After that, click on the “Optimize this folder for” option in the drop-down menu.
• Next, select General items from the drop-down which might have been set by default to Pictures or Video.
• You also have the option to apply this template to all the subfolders, that is if your folder has any subfolders.
• Now apply the settings and restart Windows Explorer.

Note: Once you’ve completed the steps above, it should now make the folder content display a lot faster than before. Now try to open the Downloads folder which would not take much time as you will see the changes right away.

Option 2 – Run CHKDSK to check your disk for errors

When it comes to some issues concerning the hard drive or removable devices, there is a utility in Windows that might help which is called “chkdsk”. This error check utility can help with several issues in the system including File System Error -2147219196.

• Tap the Win + S keys to open the Search box.
• Then type “command prompt” in the field and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
• After opening an elevated command prompt, copy and paste the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /r /f

• Now if you are prompted to run CHKDSK after your reboot your PC, just tap Y and reboot your PC.
• If CHKDSK is not able to find any errors, tap the Win + E keys and navigate the access window. From there, right-click on the concerned drive and click on Properties.
• After opening Properties, click on the tab Tools and then click on the “Check” button under the Error-checking section.
• Wait until the process is completed and then restart your computer.
• Once your computer has restarted, try accessing the file and check if the error persists.

Dxgkrnl.sys is a file related to the Microsoft DirectX driver – a suite of technologies developed by Microsoft to provide hardware acceleration for heavy multimedia applications like 3D games as well as HD videos. However, there are times when you encounter Blue Screen errors for this system file which is quite a lot. So when you encounter a Blue Screen error that’s related to this file, then it could be that the dxgkrnl.sys file is infected with some virus or malware and this might go unnoticed since antivirus programs regard dxgkrnl.sys as a system file. Here are some Blue Screen errors related to the dxgkrnl.sys file:

• SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION .
• BAD_POOL_HEADER
• STOP 0x0000000A: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL.
• STOP 0x0000001E:

KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

• STOP 0x00000050:

PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA

To fix the dxgkrnl.sys Blue Screen error, here are some suggestions you have to check out.

Option 1 – Try running the DirectX Diagnostic Tool

Since the dxgkrnl.sys error has something to do with the DirectX Graphics APIs, you can run the DirectX Diagnostic tool to resolve the problem.

Option 2 – Try updating or re-installing DirectX

If the DirectX Diagnostic tool didn’t work, you can try to update or reinstall DirectX instead. This can help in fixing the problem because when you reinstall or update DirectX, it will replace the incompatible or corrupted components of DirectX from your computer.

Option 3 – Try to run the DISM commands

You might want to repair potentially corrupted files in your system as having them could also trigger the dxgkrnl.sys Blue Screen error. To repair these corrupted system files, you can run the DISM commands:

• Tap the Win + X keys and click on the “Command Prompt (Admin)” option.
• After that, input each one of the commands listed below sequentially to execute them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Once you’ve executed the commands given above, restart your computer and check if the dxgkrnl.sys Blue Screen error is now fixed.

Option 4 – Try updating or reinstalling your Graphics drivers

Updating or reinstalling the Graphics drivers in your computer can also help in resolving compatibility issues between the operating system and the driver that also cause this kind of BSOD error.

• First, boot your computer into Safe Mode.
• After that, tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in devmgmt.msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. From there, look for the Display Adapters and click on them.
• After that, right-click on each entry under the Display Adapters and select the “Uninstall Device” option from the menu.
• Now restart your computer.
• After restarting your computer, go to the Settings app and Check for Updates in the Windows Update section.

Note: You also have the option to go directly to the website of your graphics card manufacturers like NVIDIA, Intel, or AMD and go to the section called Drivers then check if there’s a new available update – if there is, download and install it.

Option 5 – Try to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

As you know, the Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like dxgkrnl.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.

Option 6 – Try disabling the SLI Technology in NVIDIA Control Panel

In case you don’t know, there is a technology called SLI that comes with the NVIDIA graphics cards. With the help of this technology, the usage of various GPUs is allowed on a computer and hence helps in triggering the Alternate Frame Rendering and boosts the Graphics Performance directly. This is why this option to disable the SLI technology is suitable in fixing the problem if you are using an NVIDIA Graphics card.

• Search for NVIDIA Control Panel in the Cortana Search box and then click on the related search result or you can also right-click on the NIVIA icon located in the system tray and then select the NVIDIA Control Panel to open it.
• After that, navigate to the 3D settings section.
• Then select the “Set SLI Configuration” option and click on the “Do Not Use SLI Technology” option.
• Now click on Apply located at the bottom-right corner of the window to save the changes made.
• Restart your computer.

Option 7 – Try turning off NVIDIA Surround

Note that this option is only applicable if your computer is using the NVIDIA Graphics card.

• In the Cortana Search box, search for NVIDIA Control Panel and click on the related search result.
• After opening the NVIDIA Control Panel, go to 3D Settings > Configure Surround, PhysX.
• Now uncheck the “Span displays with Surround” option and then click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
• Restart your computer.

Typical use of file explorer will probably not need any kind of elevated privileges, but from time to time you might encounter some tasks that will require administrator rights in order to perform them. If this is the case you will need to run file explorer with these rights but inside Windows 11 that is somewhat hidden and not 1 click away. How this is the case we have decided to put a little tutorial on how to accomplish this very task and run file explorer with administrator privileges.

Open File Explorer via EXE file

1. Open File Explorer typically
2. Navigate to This PC > Windows (C:) > Windows
3. Locate file explorer application
4. Right-click on it and select Run as Administrator
5. Run File Explorer

A new instance of file explorer will pop with elevated administrator privileges.

Run it as an administrator using the Task Manager

1. Open the Task Manager ( CTRL + SHIFT + ESC )
2. Click on More details (at the bottom)
3. After the task manager expands click on the File tab
4. Click on Run New Task
5. Type in explorer.exe and check the box next to it that says Create this task with administrative privileges
6. Click on OK

File Explorer will now run as administrator.

Counter strike has evolved from half-life mod into the full-featured game and has kept in popularity for years, even today game is wildly popular and has a huge player base. Sadly game can crash in Windows 10. Here in this article, we will address how to fix csgo crashing in Windows 10 so you can play it smoothly and crash-free as it was meant to be played.

1. Update your display drivers

   Often in the gaming world having the latest display drivers can mean a world of difference. Counterstrike GO is no different, make sure that your drivers are updated to the latest version, if they are not, go to your manufacturer's website and download the latest version.

2. Update Windows

   Just how much important is it to have the latest display drivers so it is to have the latest Windows update. Often problematic things are addressed in the update itself.

3. Turn off compatibility mode

   Compatibility mode is most often the cause of crashes. Go to the game installation folder and search for csgo.exe. Once you locate it right-click on it and choose properties. Under properties, find the compatibility tab and turn off compatibility mode if it is ON. Uncheck run as administrator also

4. Delete CSGO.EXE and add cl_disablehtmlmotd 1

   If disabling compatibility mode has not solved the issue do next: Pull up the installation directory folder, find csgo.exe, and delete it Pull up the Steam Library and locate Counter-Strike Global Offensive Right-click on it to select properties Find the local tab and click on verify integrity of game files When that is complete, go back into the Counter-Strike Global Offensive installation folder and search for cgo.exe Turn compatibility OFF like in the previous step Return to the Steam Library, right-click on Counter-Strike Global Offensive and click on properties again Go under the launch options settings In the new window, type in cl_disablehtmlmotd 1 Save the changes and restart the game

5. Lower game settings

   If previous steps did not help and the game still crashes, try lowering game graphic settings. Crashes can happen if a game is heavy on the current system resources.

A number of users reported lately that their Windows 10 PCs automatically boots into the BIOS whenever they start their computers. And when they tried to exit the BIOS and restart their computers, it still boots into the BIOS. If you are one of the users who experience the same problem, worry not for this post will walk you through what you can do to resolve the problem. Each time a Windows 10 computer boots, it goes through a lot of processes and one of them is where it checks the computer for any hardware issue such as hard drives, peripherals, as well as external devices. So if it finds some issue, the computer will halt the boot process and will boot into the BIOS. To fix this, there are several suggestions you can try. You have to check if you’ve pressed any key, especially the F2 or F12, or Del keys. You also have to check the peripherals and external devices in your computer or update the BIOS or reset it. For more information, make sure to follow each one of the options laid out below.

Option 1 – Try to check for any pressed key

The first thing you can do is to check for any pressed key. This might not make any sense but a pressed key can actually cause this problem. So you have to check if you have the F2 or F12 or Del buttons pressed since these are hardware keys that are usually set by the OEM to boot into the BIOS.

Option 2 – Try checking the physical device connections

You might also want to try checking if there are other devices that are connected to your PC. This is because the configuration of the BIOS or UEFI might be configured in a way that any external device connected to the computer has a higher boot priority compared to the hard disk.  And if it’s really the case, the externally attached disk might be the drive your computer is trying to boot into and not the hard disk. In such cases, Pen Drives, USB storage devices, CDs, DVDs, and so on, are included in this category of physical device connections.

Option 3 – Try to set a proper boot device

If the Boot Manager wasn’t able to locate a proper boot device, then it could be the reason why your computer boots into the BIOS when you turn it on. Thus, you have to check if there is an available proper boot device. You can usually find it under the Boot priority section. However, if you’re unable to locate your hard drive or SSD under the Boot device, then you have to change the hard drive but you have to check first if it is properly plugged in and that it works on other computers. If it works on other PCs, then the problem lies in the motherboard of your computer, and in that case, you have to consult its manufacturer.

Option 4 – Try to update the BIOS

Updating the BIOS can help you fix the issue but as you know, BIOS is a sensitive part of a computer. Even though it is a software component, the functioning of the hardware depends on it largely. Thus, you must be careful when modifying something in the BIOS. So if you don’t know much about it, it’s best if you skip on this option and try the other ones instead. However, if you are well-versed in navigating the BIOS, then follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “msinfo32” in the field and press Enter to open System Information.
• From there, you should find a search field on the bottom where you have to search for the BIOS version and then press Enter.
• After that, you should see the developer and version of the BIOS installed on your PC.
• Go to your manufacturer’s website and then download the latest version of BIOS on your computer.
• If you are using a laptop, make sure that you keep it plugged in until you have updated the BIOS.
• Now double click on the downloaded file and install the new BIOS version on your computer.
• Now restart your computer to apply the changes made.

Note: If updating the BIOS didn’t help, you might want to consider resetting it instead.

Option 5 – Try resetting the BIOS/UEFI configuration

You might also want to reset the BIOS configuration which will lead to arranging the boot configuration since it is intended by the manufacturer. Note that this will get rid of any blockage in the boot process. All you have to do is take out the CMOS battery for a couple of seconds and then put it back again. After that restart, your computer and will be booted directly into Windows. Resetting the BIOS would also get rid of any password set for BIOS and you need to change your CMOS battery in case it didn’t work.

Faraday bag is a new take on security and privacy for people using a lot of electronic devices and credit cards. So what is exactly a Faraday bag?

Faraday bag explained

Faraday bag is designed in the same manner as the Faraday cage which was invented by Michael Faraday, who was an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and electrolysis.

The idea of the Faraday cage is that anything inside a cage that is made of specific grid size is completely isolated from outside current and magnetic fields since the cage itself will pick up everything upon itself. This means that for example, a human could be inside a cage that is struck by lightning and be perfectly safe and fine.

This idea led to the Faraday bag design, which takes this concept and places a wiring pattern inside clothing in order to isolate all magnetic fields from the outside so your devices and cards are completely cut off from any kind of influence and electromagnetic waves. If the pattern and quality of material for the bag are good, you have a fully safe placeholder for your stuff.

Advantages of Faraday bag

The main advantages, of course, are the privacy and safety of mobile phones and credit cards from outside influences and this is why this bag has been designed in the first place. If the bag is designed properly your phone would not be able to be hacked nor accessed from any outside source, GPS tracking will also be disabled and your phone location will not be visible. Credit cards will also be completely safe from any malicious attack via wi-fi signals.

Disadvantages of bag

Well, the disadvantage of using this bag is a very simple one, since your phone is isolated from outside influence that will also mean that you will not be able to take messages or calls on it while it is in the bag. Notifications from the internet would also be disabled so it is security vs usability deal.

Error Code 0xc004f210 – What is it?

Error code 0xc004f210 is one of the many activation errors that affect Windows 10 users. Users will be able to identify error code 0xc004f210 because of the following common symptoms which occur:

• Inability to activate Windows 10 operating system
• Message box with error code 0xc004f210

Solution

Error Causes

Error code 0xc004f210 usually occurs due to issues related to one’s product key or digital entitlement. Both the product key and digital entitlement are used by Microsoft to enable customers to activate the version of Microsoft that they have legitimate access to. If you enter the wrong product key or if you upgrade to Windows 10 but the current version of Windows to which you are attempting an activation does not match the edition of your digital entitlement, error code 0xc004f210 may occur. To correct this issue, you will need to implement one or more manual repair procedures. This will depend on the problem that caused the error to occur in the first place.

Further Information and Manual Repair

The methods below are simple procedures that Windows users lacking technical knowledge will be able to successfully complete. However, do contact a Windows repair technician if you have difficulty completing the manual repair methods listed below, or if the problem persists after completing these steps.

Method One: Enter Valid Product Key

In order to successfully activate your Windows 10 operating system and resolve error code 0xc004f210, you will need to enter a valid product key. Ensure you enter the 25-character code in the order it is given as making a simple mistake while typing the product key can lead to the reoccurrence of the error code. Follow the instructions below to enter the product key.

• Step one: Click the Start button then select Settings
• Step two: Select Update & security then Activation
• Step three: Click the Change product key
• Step four: Type in your valid product key with its 25 characters in the correct order

You should be able to successfully activate Windows 10 once you complete the process. However, move to the next manual method suggested below if the problem persists as error code 0xc004f210 could be due to an issue with your digital entitlement.

Method Two: Reinstall Windows 10 Edition that Matches Your Digital Entitlement

Digital entitlement, a new form of activation that doesn’t require the use of a product key, could be the real reason you are experiencing error code 0xc004f210 on your device. To combat any issues related to your digital entitlement, ensure the version of Windows 10 installed on your system matches your digital entitlement. This will require that you reinstall your operating system as well. After reinstalling Windows 10, follow the steps below to complete the process.

• Step one: Click the Start button then select Settings
• Step two: After selecting Settings, click Update & Security
• Step three: Select Windows Update then the Check for updates tab
• Step four: Activate Windows 10 update

If this method is successful, you will no longer see the error code 0xc004f210 pop up on your screen. However, contact a Windows repair technician to evaluate your system if the issue persists.

Method Three: Use an Automated Tool

This method involves the use of a powerful automated tool. But why is this important you might ask? A third-party tool is often the best solution when all manual repair efforts fail. Automated tools come equipped to tackle the most serious PC problems including error codes which can cause frustration and result in reduces PC performance.

There are some new generation motherboards for laptops and PCs that bring in support for both the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface or UEFI as well as the Basic Input Output System or BIOS. The main advantage of UEFI over the traditional BIOS is the fact that UEFI supports a hard drive that has a capacity of more than 2 terabytes. However, the disadvantage of UEFI is that it only supports the x64 Windows operating system versions and that the hard drive is supposed to use the GPT structure. So if your PC is compatible with and supports UEFI and you want to change from Legacy to UEFI, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how you can exactly do that without having to reinstall it. There are two ways to change Legacy to UEFI. You can convert MBR to GPT using either the built-in utilities in Windows or using the Recovery Environment. Before you proceed, make sure that your computer fulfills the following prerequisites:

• Your PC’s motherboard should support both Legacy and UEFI.
• Your PC should be running at least the 1703 Windows 10 version or newer on an MBR partition.

Once you’ve made sure that your computer covers the aforementioned prerequisites, refer to the given options below.

Option 1 – Convert MBR to GPT via Windows built-in utilities

• In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After that, execute this command: exe /convert /allowfullOS
• Now, wait until the process is completed since you can track its process on your screen.
• Once it’s done, go to Settings > Update & Security > Advanced Startup options and from there, click on Restart Now. This will restart your computer and give you advanced options.
• Next, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options where you will see further options including System Restore, Startup Repair, Go back to the previous version, Command Prompt, System Image Recovery, and UEFI Firmware Settings.
• Now select the UEFI Firmware Settings. This will take you to the BIOS. Boot Mode is typically available under Boot > Boot Configuration. Once you’re there, set it to UEFI and then save the changes you’ve made. After that, your computer will restart.

Option 2 – Convert MBR to GPT via the Recovery Environment

• When the message appears on your screen while running Windows Setup, you need to tap the Shift + F10 keys to open Command Prompt.
• Make sure to run Command Prompt as admin and then execute this command: exe /convert
• After that, wait until the process is completed. When it’s done, you have to go to the BIOS just like in the first given option above.
• As mentioned, you can usually find the Boot Mode under Boot > Boot Configuration. Once you’re there, set it to UEFI.
• Now save the changes made and exit as your computer will restart.

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