Headphone jack is not working on a laptop

Hello and welcome everyone, today we will be talking about dreaded keyloggers, why they are dangerous, and how to know if you might have one in your system. Keylogger is a malicious application placed in your system and hidden with only one goal in mind, to get information about what are you typing and by that means for a person who infected you to get information about your credit card information or other sensitive data. They can be introduced into your systems in various ways and often can not be detected easily. Modern antivirus applications have ways of detecting them and removing but this tutorial aims to teach you how to spot them all by yourself since new keyloggers are produced daily and sometimes relying on antivirus alone is not enough. Unlike viruses and trojans, keyloggers are not heavy on system resources and you will not feel slow down on your computer if you have one which makes them harder to sport with regular work. Some of them can be even tracking you on the website and not even be physically present on your computer. Generally, we could categorize keylogger into 4 categories:

1. Web browser-based keylogger. Some websites would have CSS scripts, input web forms, or so-called man in the middle keylogger. Lucky for us even Windows defenders with the latest update can detect this type of keylogger and successfully deal with it and how keylogger itself is not present on our system we are safe.
2. General spyware keylogger. This keylogger is present in your system, usually, it infected it via email attachment, social media download, torrent download, some malicious so-called fixer application, etc. Most antivirus applications and windows defenders can detect these types as well and remove them successfully.
3. Kernel-level keylogger. This keylogger is a more dangerous type they tend to operate underneath Windows as a rootkit and can go undetected by antivirus and windows defenders.
4. Hypervisor-based keylogger. This is the most dangerous keylogger, they use virtualization techniques to hide and mask themselves as a replica of the operating system and they scan all keystrokes by the user. These are very rare keyloggers but they do exist.

If you suspect that you have a keylogger or just want to check your system for precaution reasons follow these tips and guides and luckily you will solve your issue in no time and your data will be safe.

1. Use Task Manager to find suspicious entries.

   Task manager is a great application implemented in Windows that is constantly monitoring and showing all services, applications, and processes currently running on your system and thus a great tool to monitor your system if you know how to use it. First, open task manager by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC Then take a good look into it, try to find suspicious names, probably duplicate of running application, something like Windows logon application, or keylog or anything similar which seems out of ordinary. If you manage to find a suspicious running application right-click on it and close it. Also while you are in task manager jump into the startup tab and check to see are there some unusual applications starting with your Windows, if you find anything, disable it right away. This is the most simple and quickest way to get some information right away if you suspect to have some simpler keylogger in your system.

2. Use the command prompt to monitor your network.

   In order to check connections to your computer and find potential suspicious ones start the command prompt in administrator mode, press ⊞ Win + X, and choose command prompt (administrator). type in netstat -b and press ENTER. All website and application connections to your computer are now visible. ignore svchost, edge browser, windows store, etc ad check the IP of the remaining ones using the internet.

3. Use keystroke encryption.

   Install encrypting software and even if you have a keylogger, the application will encrypt each stroke and all that attacker will get is gibberish

Please remember to always download files from trusted sources, do not open unknown emails, and do not share your information publicly. Take common protection steps in order to protect yourself in the digital world.

If you have a USB that has stopped working and does not show any signs of life do not throw it away just jet. Hello and welcome to another great tutorial on errortools.com, today we will explore how to bring back to life dead USB memories.

Detect a Corrupted  Drive:

If your computer is still able to detect your USB drive, you might want to know if it’s been corrupted. Select the Properties of the drive folder and check the device status. If it says This device is working properly this USB drive is worth saving. There’s no need to worry if you can’t see the USB drive folder.

Erase the USB Drive with Diskpart Tool

Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X top open start menu and choose Command prompt (admin) Type diskpart and press ENTER Type in list disk and press ENTER Locate your USB drive by size and type in select disk#, where # is the number of removable disks.

Reallocate the USB Drive Volume

Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog and type in diskmgmt.msc Select the USB drive and Right-click on it and select create simple volume. It will lead to a new simple volume wizard window. Once you click next, you can specify the volume size for the pen drive. Select the maximum volume, which is shown as a default unit in MB. As soon as you see the next step, select assign drive letter which will help you view your pen drive once again. Format the partition in the next step. This may be just an extra step because you have already wiped the data clean. But it is always better to be sure. Click Finish to complete the new simple volume wizard which will now be allocated to the USB drive. After you reallocate the unallocated USB drive space, you will be able to view the USB drive storage once again.

If you encounter the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT Blue Screen of Death error while using your Windows 10 computer then it is most likely caused by a specified processor which is not processing interrupts. This occurs when the processor is deadlocked or nonresponsive. Specifically, this kind of Stop error occurs when the processor is having a hard time with the cooperation of its threads and cores. The threads are the tasks performed by cores and some cores can have many threads at the same time. And this is where the problem begins – one thread is waiting for an adequate response from another thread or one kernel is waiting for a response from another kernel and those responses are not coming. In other words, when the processor is unable to continue the processing of tasks since its resources are occupied and are interdependent to get free, such a state is called Deadlock. The CLOCK WATCHDOG TIMEOUT bug check has a value of 0x00000101 which means that an expected clock interrupt on a secondary processor, in a multiprocessor system, was not received within the allocated interval. To troubleshoot the problem, you can check out the possible fixes provided below but before you proceed, make sure that you boot your computer into Safe Mode with Networking only.

Option 1 – Undo or disable overclocking if you have overclocked your system

• Go to the Start Menu and open Settings.
• Next, select Update and Security and go to the Recover tab.
• From there, click on Restart now in Advanced startup. This will restart your computer.
• Once you’re in the Advanced startup, go to Troubleshoot and then select the Advanced Options.
• From there, select the UEFU Firmware Settings.
• Now click on Restart. Once your computer has restarted, it will automatically open BIOS.
• From the BIOS, go to the Advanced tab and navigate to Performance and then look for Overclocking.
• Once you’ve found Overclocking, make sure that it is disabled. If it’s not, then disable it and then save the changes made by tapping the F10 key.
• Start your computer normally and check if the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT 0x00000101 error is now fixed.

Option 2 – Try running the Memory Diagnostic Tool

The Memory Diagnostic tool in windows can help resolve the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT 0x00000101 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.

Option 3 – Try to rollback, update or disable drivers

The next thing you can do to fix the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT 0x00000101 Stop error is to roll back, or update, or disable device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
• After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
• Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
• Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.

Note: You can install a dedicated driver on your computer in case you have it or you could also look for it directly from the website of the manufacturer.

Option 4 – Try running the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT 0x00000101. 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 5 – Try to disconnect or disable newly installed hardware

In this option, you will have to disable or remove the hardware you’ve just installed recently since external devices could be the one that’s causing the Blue Screen of Death error to appear. To do that, just disconnect any external device that’s connected to your computer physically and then check if it fixes the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT Blue Screen error.

Option 6 – Troubleshoot the BSOD error in Clean Boot State

You can also troubleshoot the Blue Screen error in a Clean Boot state. There are times when third-party applications cause BSOD errors. Putting your computer in this state can help you identify which program is the culprit and thus isolates the problem. In a Clean Boot state, your computer will start using only the pre-selected minimal set of drivers and startup programs. Note that you have to disable and enable one process at a time.

• Log onto your PC as an 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 to configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• From there, start to isolate the problem by checking which one of the programs you installed recently is the root cause of the problem.

Option 7 – Try to update the BIOS

Updating the BIOS can help you fix the CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT BSOD error 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.

Microsoft has released Windows 11 as a public beta release for all the people that are not willing to be in the insider program. Beta release as of this moment is identical to Insider Preview build 22000.100. and updates will not roll so fast as in insider preview and it is marked as unstable release, same as insider build. I would not install Windows 11 beta on the main PC since some drivers still have issues and may lead to some blue screens. Be aware that the beta build will have all Windows 11 system requirements including TPM 2.0. This is a big difference from insider build which can be installed on systems lacking official requirements. So basically if you have a spare PC that could run Windows 11 install it so you can see what it brings and feel it so you can make a decision will upgrade once it is released later this year.

Windows 11 is coming soon, from its typical view and color scheme, Windows 11 will natively support dark mode. The dark mode is very popular in many applications today, some large companies like Adobe, Autodesk, and many more have already adopted a dark color scheme for their software so it is logical for others to follow and Microsoft is aboard for it. The dark mode itself has its benefits, for people who work on computer for longer period of time dark mode inside applications will throw less white and blue light on their eyes making workhours easier and pleasant on them. As a person who does indeed spend a lot of time in front of the screen, I would advise you to switch to dark mode regardless of the time that you spend with a computer, your eyes will be grateful.

Switching to Dark mode in Windows 11

1. Open Windows 11 Settings by pressing ⊞ WINDOWS + I
2. Click on Personalization on the left sidebar
3. On the right side click on Color
4. In color options click on the drop-down menu right next to Choose your color
5. Select Dark

Your choice will be applied right away and you can safely close settings.

After you fresh install Windows 10 on your computer, it allows you to set up a PIN just before you can start using it. However, a number of users reported that the Windows 10 installation gets stuck on the “Set up a Pin” phase. If you are one of the users who experience the same thing, then read on as this post will walk you through fixing the problem. As users start to use their newly installed Windows 10 computer, they reported that the screen is still stuck even after they enter the correct PIN twice and there is no way for them to go forward or backward. Note that this is a part of the account setup and that your computer must stay connected to your internet connection before you finalize everything. And even though the PIN works when the computer is offline, the account setup still needs an internet connection, at least for a fresh installation. The solution for this kind of issue is quite easy and there won’t be any problem even if your computer shuts down or restarts since the installation is already complete and all that’s left is the account setup. To fix this problem, follow the steps given below. Step 1: The first thing you have to do is to turn off your internet connection or disable all connectivity from your computer. Note: If you are using either an Ethernet cable or a Wi-Fi switch to connect to the internet, you have to disable or remove them. But if you don’t have any options, just completely turn off your internet connection. Step 2: The next thing you have to do is to force your computer to shut down and then restart your computer. The setup process will eventually pick up exactly where it left off. The only difference is that there is no connection to the internet and your screen will no longer be stuck on the PIN setup screen so you now have the option to skip it and wait until you’re logged in for the first time. Step 3: Once you’re done, you can then you can choose to Setup Pin later on and turn your internet connection back on or connect your computer with an internet connection.

If you receive an error message saying, “Windows Update cannot currently check for updates because updates on this computer are controlled”, while trying to change the Windows Update preferences or manually update, then read on as this post will guide you in fixing it. You can mostly encounter this error in managed systems where an Administrator controls the permission on the operating system. The reason why you are not able to modify the Windows Update preferences or manually update your system is that a group policy prevents you from doing so and that the only user who can do these things is none other than the administrator of the system. Troubleshooting this kind of problem is the same as when you troubleshoot an error message that says, “Some settings are managed by your organization”. In such cases, you need to check both the Windows Update Group Policy and Registry settings. If you’re just a standard user, you have to contact your system administrator regarding this issue and if you are the administrator, you can make adjustments to the system settings via the Registry Editor and the Group Policy Editor. Refer to the instructions given below for detailed instructions.

Option 1 – via the Registry Editor

If you are using the Home edition of Windows 10 and you want to change the policy for non-admin users on your local computer, then you can use the Registry Editor for that. Here’s how you can do it:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• After that, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows

• From there, look for the key named “WindowsUpdate” in the Windows folder and if it does not exist, you can just right-click on the Windows folder and select New > Key.
• Now name the new key “WindowsUpdate” and create a new sub-key under the newly created key and input “AU” as its name.
• Keep AU selected and then right-click anywhere in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
• Then name the Value as “AUOptions” and right-click on AUOptions and select Modify.
• Next, change the value of the Value data to “5” and click OK to save the changes made to the settings. Note that the Value Data of 5 refers to the policy to allow the local admin to choose the setting.
• Now restart your computer once you’re done and check if non-admin users can now modify the Windows Update settings or update Windows.

Option 2 – via Group Policy Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type “gpedit.msc” and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
• Next, navigate to this folder: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
• Now look for the “Configure Automatic Updates” policy on the right pane and double click on it to open its Properties.
• After that, shift the Radio button to “Enabled” and from the drop-down menu for Configure automatic updating, select option 5: Allow local admin to choose the setting.
• Then click on Apply and OK to save the changes made to the settings.
• Restart your computer and check if the problem’s fixed or not.

Windows 7 was an operating system that had one thing which no other Windows had, even today. Official Microsoft desktop widgets. With an attractive design, users loved to exploit the adequacy and neatness of these gadgets. However, Microsoft had to discontinue these gadgets as they posed a serious security threat to the Operating System. It was believed that a potential attacker could even use a gadget to take complete control of your PC. With Windows 10, things have changed big time. You have all the fantastic apps and live tiles at your disposal providing a more native experience. Despite all this, if you still have a fondness for fancy gadgets, we have just the right tool for you to get started with similar “Widgets” on Windows 10. Win10 Widgets is a tool that places the most important information right in front of you, on your desktop.

Win10 Widgets

Win10 Widgets is a desktop app package provided by Rainmeter which is an effective system customization engine for Windows. It brings some informative widgets to Windows 10 which look almost native with their intuitive and sleek design. You can pin them on your desktop to keep an eye on various system figures like CPU usage, data storage, battery usage, detailed computer performance, etc.

Native looking Widgets for Windows 10

These widgets are designed in such a way that it looks totally indigenous to the Windows 10 UI. With a similar design language, visual style, accent color, and even font settings, these widgets almost look like an inseparable system component. You can choose between different size variants to pin on your desktop and arrange them in an orderly fashion to make the most of it.

Highly customizable desktop gadgets

Apart from the default size variants, you can configure several other parameters pertaining to the look and appearance of any widget. As Rainmeter is an open-source program, you are provided with the .ini configuration files which you can customize as per your wish. You can make adjustments to the widget coordinates, position and transparency as well. You can even create your own skins (.rmskin package) using the built-in Skin Packager and publish them for general usage through Rainmeter.

Illustro Skins

Over and above the cool widgets, Rainmeter also contains Illustro, a simple collection of skins that shows the range of Rainmeter’s capabilities. You can load the skins on your desktop for a brief look at your system internals. You can also start editing these skins to make them yours by taking advantage of the Rainmeter manual and forum link provided on the Welcome screen. Win10 Widgets is a great tool if you like widgets or gadgets on your Desktop. It blends into the background and puts the important piece of information right on your desktop without you having to look somewhere else. If you already have the Rainmeter application, you can download the Win10 Widgets .rmskin file from here, else you can download the combined bundle for both Rainmeter and Win10 Widgets from here.

Ever gotten an e-mail offer that seemed just a little bit too good to be true? Might’ve been a phishing attempt! These are everywhere and can come in many different forms. 

So what’s phishing exactly, how can you detect it and how can you keep safe?

What is phishing?

Phishing (pronounced like fishing) is a type of cyberattack that tricks the user into trusting the source and revealing sensitive information. Fishing being the perfect analogy, the bait is a legitimate-looking site, e-mail or file and when you take a bite, your identity, banking information and much more can be revealed and stolen.

Some phishing attempts are incredibly obvious, others are super elaborate. Like with most types of malware, cybercriminals have become extremely well-versed in phishing and anyone can fall for it. To help you recognize and avoid it, we’ll take you through a couple of phishing types and give you tips on what to do if faced with them.

Phishing techniques

E-mail phishing

This is actually the most common type of phishing. A cybercriminal creates an e-mail containing stuff like attractive offers, legitimate-looking attachments or links and makes it appear as though it’s coming from a trusted source.

For example, it looks like it’s coming from your bank or your favorite retailer. The logo looks legit and the structure of the e-mail seems familiar, so you might get tricked into clicking on whatever clickable content is in it.

Unfortunately this exposes your device to malware that hands your data off to the hacker, who can decide what to do with it further.

SMS and social media phishing

Like the above example, you could be approached with lucrative offers or links via text messages or social media messages. Typically, the messages seem relevant to the user as they will be made to look like they’re related to apps or services you’re using.

Voice phishing

Voice phishing attacks are schemes that appear as though they’re coming from a credible number. Normally, you’ll get a call about something related to credit cards or taxes to get you into a state of worry, leading you to disclose personal information on the phone.

Spear phishing, whaling and BEC

Spear phishing normally targets specific individuals within a company who are likely to have access to sensitive data. Spear phishers spend time collecting information they can use to reach out to the individual looking as trustworthy as possible. They’ll typically lead with something relevant, for example mentioning an upcoming company event, and make a seemingly legitimate request.

Whaling is a more elaborate form of spear phishing, which targets people in even stronger positions such as executives or high-value individuals. The ultimate goal is to get them to transfer financial or other sensitive information that can be used to compromise the entire business.

BEC, or Business e-mail compromise, is a specific spear phishing technique carried out via e-mail. While there are many ways this is done, most commonly you’ll see instances where the phisher poses as a CEO or similar executive, or as a lower-level employee in specific positions (e.g. sales managers or financial controllers).

In the first situation, the impersonator reaches out to employees requesting them to transfer certain files or pay invoices. In the second situation, the phisher takes control of the employee’s e-mail account and sends false instructions to other employees in order to obtain data and information from them.

What can you do?

There are many ways you can be aware and spot a phishing attempt. Here are some tips:

• Always check the sender’s address in your e-mails, even when they seem to come from a familiar source.
• In any instance where payment information is requested, be very, very careful.
• If you are receiving attachments you never asked for and definitely didn’t expect, better not click on them. 
• Beware of content that transmits a sense of urgency (sales deals, urgent updates to login credentials, etc.).
• Bad spelling and grammar are usually a telltale sign of phishing.
• Links that look shortened (e.g. Bit.ly) or just suspicious in general - if you have a bad feeling, do not click on them.
• If you are receiving threats, you probably shouldn’t be clicking on anything in that message.
• Always examine first-time senders in detail.
• Block suspicious e-mail addresses, numbers and social media accounts.
• If you are receiving a coupon for free stuff… You aren’t.
• If you’re being asked to update your payment details by a service you use, such as Netflix, chances are it’s an impersonator.

Those are some of the ways to identify and prevent phishing attacks. However, sometimes phishers disguise themselves a little too well or a misclick happens and there you go - you’ve been exposed to malware.

This won’t happen if you invest in powerful protection software from the get-go, though. A good antivirus program like Bitdefender will keep you safe from becoming a victim of phishing scams. In fact, it will protect you from malicious attacks overall.

Be it your household or your business you’re concerned about, there are a bunch of different packages and options available, providing different kinds of cybersecurity services. That’s the only way you can ever really be sure you aren’t at risk of a digital attack.

Summary

Have you ever been targeted by phishers and didn’t know that’s what it was until you read this article? Many can relate. Protect yourself before it’s too late!

During Windows 10 installation, you will see all the beautiful user interfaces, however, what’s more, important are the drivers, your processor, and free storage disk in order for the installation to be successfully completed. So if you are getting the CompareExchange128 error during the installation of Windows 10, this means that the CPU lacks a very important instruction known as “CMPXCHG16B”. Thus, if you don’t have CMPXCHG16B, then it will result in the CompareExchange128 error when you install Windows 10. In fact, CMPXCHG16B, PrefetchW as well as LAHF/SAHF is a criterion for you to be able to use Windows 10 64-bit version when upgrading from an earlier version of Windows. So what exactly is the CMPXCHG16B instruction? The CMPXCHG16B instruction is the one that performs an atomic compare-and-exchange on 16-byte values. This instruction can also be referred to as “CompareExchange128”. The atomic compare-and-exchange means that the CPU compares the contents of a memory location with a given value. So if the values are the same, it modifies the contents of that memory location to a new given value. Note that this kind of issue only happens to the 64-bit Windows 10 version and the only way to resolve it is by getting an update on the hardware level from the OEM. On the other hand, if nothing really works, it’s maybe time for you to get a new CPU but before you resort to that, in the meantime, you can try following the options given below to fix the CompareExchange128 error during the installation of Windows 10.

Option 1 – Try to update the BIOS and Chipset Drivers

One of the best things you can do to fix the CompareExchange128 error is by updating the BIOS and chipset drivers which is why you need to check if your OEM has an update available for your computer’s BIOS as well as the related chipset drivers. But before that, you need to first check the BIOS version. To do so, follow these steps:

• Type “msinfo32” in the search bar and hit Enter to open the System Information Tools.
• After opening the System Information Tools, check the BIOS version.
• Then take note of that BIOS version. You also need to use the BIOS utility that came with your computer and use it for the upgrade. Note that it is different for every computer and if you don’t have it, you can just go to the OEM website and see if there is an option to download it there.

Option 2 – Try to downgrade to the 32-bit Windows 10 version

If option 1 didn’t work as the BIOS update is not available, you can also try downgrading to the 32-bit version of Windows 10. Keep in mind that this will bring restrictions on the amount of RAM installed and other places but that won’t be a problem as you can still switch.

Option 3 – Try buying a new hardware

If none of the first two options didn’t work for some reason then maybe it’s time for you to purchase new hardware especially if your computer is way too old. In such cases, it’s better to buy new hardware or better yet, a new computer that can keep up for the next couple of years.