If you connected headphones to your Windows 10 computer to listen to audio but when you check it in the playback devices, you’re not able to find it, read on as this post will guide you in what you can do to figure out what exactly caused this kind of problem and how you can resolve it.
This kind of issue could simply be with the headphone itself or the headphone port or your operating system. So if it turns out that the problem is with the hardware, you might have to replace the components. However, it is recommended that you troubleshoot the problem first before doing that. The most basic thing you can do is to try changing the headphone port, although this can be quite difficult since most computers don’t have any extra port for headphones if your computer has one, then give it a go. If it still didn’t work, follow each one of the options provided below.
Option 1 – Try to run the Playing Audio troubleshooter
Since the Windows 10 operating system has the Playing Audio Troubleshooter, you can use this troubleshooter to try and fix the problem with the “No Audio Output Device is installed” error. You can access this tool in the Control Panel or in the Taskbar Search and even on the Troubleshooters page of Windows 10.
Run this troubleshooter and see if it can fix the issue or not.
Option 2 – Try to update the Audio driver
If the error has something to do with software, chances are it might be related to the audio driver – it could be that the newest version of your Windows 10 does not work well with the old version of the driver. This is why you have to update your audio driver to the newest available version.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type in MSC and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
Expand the section of the Audio inputs and outputs.
And then from the drop-down menu, select the Update Driver option and follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version of the driver.
Then also click on the option, “Search automatically for updated driver software.
Restart your PC after the installation.
Note: If updating the Audio driver didn’t work, you can go to the website of your PC manufacturer and look for the support section where you can download the drivers for your computer. You just need to take note of your PC’s correct model and model number so you can find the appropriate driver.
Option 3 – Try enabling the headphones from the playback devices
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type the “CPL” command.
Tap Enter to open the Playback devices.
Next, right-click on any open space section and check the boxes for the “Show Disconnected Devices” and “Show Disabled Devices” options.
After that, this should help in displaying the headphones in the section of Playback devices.
And if they are disabled, you can just right-click them to have them enabled.
There are times when system files get corrupted and if the Windows Update process finds the system’s integrity questionable, chances are, the update, upgrade or the installation may fail and you will only be getting an error code 0x80073712 instead of completing the process.
The error code 0x80073712 indicates that a file needed by the Windows setup or the Windows Update is most likely missing or damaged. To resolve the problem, here are some suggestions you can try.
Option 1 – Try running the DISM Tool
Running the DISM Tool helps in repairing the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.
Open the Command Prompt as admin.
Then type in this command: 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.
After you run this tool, a log file is created at C:WindowsLogsCBSCBS.log. On the other hand, if the Windows Update client is already broken, you will be prompted to use a running Windows installation as the repair source or use a Windows side-by-side folder from a network share, as the source of the files. Although the chances of this happening are less, if it turns out to be the case, you need to run an advanced command in the DISM tool to repair a broken Windows Update. Just repeat the process above but use the following command instead:
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 that might be causing the error 0x80073712. 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:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
Option 3 – Try running the Chkdsk utility
You can also try running the Chkdsk utility to resolve the Windows Update error 0x80073712. 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 commands listed below, and don’t forget to hit Enter right after you type in each one of them and if you have installed Windows to some different directory, you must replace “C” with the name of the drive you’ve installed Windows with.
chkdsk C: /r /x
chkdsk C: /f
Note: The Chkdsk function might take a while before it finishes its operations so you need to be patient and wait until the entire process is completed.
Option 4 – Try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter
Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter could also help you resolve the Windows Update error 0x80073712. 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.
In today's age, free cloud storage is no longer anything exclusive and plenty of companies will offer some free amount of it in hopes that you will buy a premium plan. Among plenty of starter and free options, there are of course some that are more generous and more appealing and offer a larger quantity of free space and even some other services.
In this article, we are taking a look and recommending some of the best ones in our opinion.
Google drive
First on the list is of course google with its google drive. With an amazing 15GB of free could storage just given to anyone who makes a google account this had to be the first recommendation. Also since google drive is requiring a google account you will be given all google office tools for free as well as the Gmail service. Completely free 15GB at your fingertips if you do not mind google tracking policies.
Microsoft one drive
Another company on the list, with only 5GB storage seems little compared to google this entry was simply included because google Microsoft also offers you Office 365 WEB for free with skype along with their Hotmail. So all in all another full package of apps with some free storage that requires also just an account.
IceDrive
With the free offer of 10GB this comes as an easy recommendation, IceDrive is a cloud storage company that is not offering anything of productivity apps but it has some great features in their cloud solution like being able to see encrypted files in your cloud. All you have to do to get this 10GB of storage is to make a free account.
MEGA
With an amazing 20GB of free storage, MEGA is certainly one that gives the most space for free. Sadly a few years ago it was hacked and files and user information were leaked, for that reason, it is on our last place of recommendation but if you are not worried about their security and plan just to use this as a temporary file sharing service with that amount I am sure it will fill your needs.
This post will guide you in what to do if the DisplayLink in Windows 10 is not working. There are several users who reported that their DisplayLink device has stopped working with the Windows 20 Anniversary or the Creators update all of a sudden. According to users, this issue occurs right after they finish installing a big Windows Update like the Anniversary Update or the Creators Update or right when the DisplayLink driver is updated using Windows Update.
DisplayLink is a graphics transport technology that allows users to connect to any computer that supports USB or Wi-Fi. Aside from that, it is also an excellent universal docking solution to any platform which makes it a great solution for enabling multiple displays. Thus, it can be quite annoying when DisplayLink suddenly stops working. There really is no actual error message when it happens. The only telltale sign is that all the devices that use the DisplayLink technology will also stop functioning. There could be tons of reasons why DisplayLink stopped working. It could be due to an incompatible driver, or the DisplayLink driver itself is corrupted or is connected to a USB 2.0 port. In addition, the problem could also be due to the Nvidia Share (ShadowPlay) that conflicts with DisplayLink or that the Universal Serial Bus is broken. To resolve the issue, refer to the following options laid out below.
Option 1 – Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter
As you know, Windows comes with a built-in tool that you can use to troubleshoot the problem with DisplayLink. You can find it in Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot. For further instructions, follow these steps:
The first thing you need to do is click on Start and then on the gear-like icon to pull up the window for Settings.
After opening Settings, look for the Update and Security option and select it.
From there, go to the Troubleshoot option located on the left-hand side of the list.
Next, select Hardware and Devices from the list and open the Troubleshooter and run it. Once it is doing its job, wait for it to complete the process and then restart the system.
After the system restarts, check if the problem’s now fixed. If not, refer to the next option given below.
Option 2 – Try to uninstall DisplayLink and reconnect the docking station
If the Hardware and Device troubleshooter is of no help, you can try uninstalling DisplayLink and reconnecting the docking station. To do so, follow these steps:
Disconnect the docking station or any other device that uses DisplayLink.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “cpl” and hit Enter to open Programs and Features.
From there, look for DisplayLink, right-click on it and click Uninstall.
After that, follow the next on-screen instructions that appear on your screen to completely remove DisplayLink from your computer.
Once you’ve uninstalled DisplayLink, click this link to download and install DisplayLink again.
Now reconnect the docking station as well as other devices that use DisplayLink and follow the next on-screen instructions to reinstall the required drivers in your computer.
Restart your computer and then check if DisplayLink is now working fine or not.
Option 3 – Try using a USB 3.0 port
If you are experiencing this issue with DisplayLink with a monitor that you’re trying to connect using DisplayLink, then you have to make sure that you are using a USB 3.0 port. Based on some reports, there are certain monitors that will not work with DisplayLink while connected to a USB 2.0 port since they have insufficient power to run the monitor.
Like pointed out earlier, the problem with DisplayLink might have something to do with the Nvidia ShadowPlay. This streaming feature was often reported to crash the DisplayLink monitors which is why you might want to try disabling it for a while to check if it’s really true. Once you’ve disabled Nvidia ShadowPlay, restart your computer and check if your DisplayLink monitor now works.
Option 5 – Reinstall the Universal Serial Bus controller
You can also reinstall the Universal Serial Bus controller to fix DisplayLink since a malfunctioning USB port can sometimes cause issues with DisplayLink.
Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Then type “msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Device Manager.
From there, look for the Universal Serial Bus controllers and expand its drop-down menu.
Next, right-click on every Host Controller and then click on Uninstall Device.
After uninstalling every entry, restart your computer to force your system to reinstall the drivers you’ve just uninstalled.
Once your computer has rebooted, wait until the drivers are reinstalled and then try opening DisplayLink again.
Option 5 – Reinstall the Universal Serial Bus controller
You can also try to perform a System Restore as it can also help you fix DisplayLink. You can do this option either by booting into Safe Mode or in System Restore. If you are already in the Advanced Startup Options, just directly select System Restore and proceed with the next steps. And if you have just booted your PC into Safe Mode, refer to the steps below.
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.
Dsound.dll is a type of Dynamic Link Library. This is one of the many files that are associated with DirectX software. And DirectX software is used by most Windows-based games.
Dsound.dll contains small programs that help run and load Windows-based games on your system.
The Dsound.dll error pops when Windows-based games are unable to load and run on the computer.
The error code appears on the screen in one of the following formats:
"The file dsound.dll is missing"
"File dsound.dll not found"
"Dsound.dll not found. Reinstalling might help fix this."
"Dsound.DLL Not Found"
Solution
Error Causes
Dsound.dll error is generated due to multiple reasons. These include:
Corrupt, damaged, or missing Dsound.dll file
Malware infection
Outdated drivers
To play the games on your computer, it is important to fix the Dsound.dll error immediately.
Further Information and Manual Repair
To resolve Dsound.dll error at home on your own without hiring a professional and spending hundreds of dollars in repair, here are some methods you can try:
Method 1 - Restart Your PC to Resolve
Sometimes the error may be a fluke and can be resolved by simply restarting your PC. So, before you try other methods, it is recommended that you restart your system first.
If it resolves the issue, then that’s great. If it doesn’t, then try other methods given below!
Method 2 - Reinstall the Deleted Dsound.dll File
Since DLL files are shared files, there is a possibility that while uninstalling a game on your PC, you might have accidentally deleted this file too.
If so, check your recycle bin and search for the deleted file. If you locate it, simply restore it. But if you can’t, then download the Dsound.dll file from a reliable DLL website. Make sure that the site is authentic because the last thing you want is to download malware instead of a DLL file.
Method 3 - Update Driver for Your Video Card
If Dsound.dll error occurs because of outdated drivers, then update them to resolve. You can do this by using a driver update wizard from within Device Manager. The wizard will guide you through the process, making updates simple.
Method 4 - Remove Malware
Download a powerful antivirus to scan and remove malware from your system. A malware infection can trigger a Dsound.dll error too.
Method 5 - Uninstall the Game and then reinstall it again
Try uninstalling the game during which you experienced this error. Sometimes the error may pop because of improper game installation. Uninstall it and then reinstall it. Once you’ve reinstalled it, try accessing it again. If it is accessible, the error is resolved.
Method 6 - Repair the Registry
DLL errors are also related to the registry. These files can get damaged if the registry gets loaded with junk files and cookies. In such as situation clean and repair the registry. You can do this manually but it can be time-consuming and tricky if you are not technically sound.
Therefore download Restoro. It is a powerful and user-friendly PC Fixer embedded with a registry cleaner. The registry cleaner scans and removes all junk files clean the registry and repairs damaged DLL files immediately.
Click here to download Restoro and resolve error Dsound.dll today!
As of late, many users reported getting an error in Windows Sandbox that has an error code of 0x80070015. According to users, they encountered this error when they tried to start Windows Sandbox. Based on the error code, it seems that there are some problems with the supporting services of Windows Sandbox that trigger the error. It is possible that these services are misconfigured or that they are outdated and have to be updated. Here’s the complete message of the error:
“Windows Sandbox failed to start. Error 0x80070015. The device is not ready. Would you like to submit feedback about this issue?”
If you are one of the users who encountered this kind of error in Windows Sandbox, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will help you sort this problem out. All you have to do is follow each one of the options provided below.
Option 1 – Make sure that all the supporting processes and services of Windows Sandbox are running properly
If running Windows Sandbox as an administrator didn’t fix the error, you have to ensure that all related processes for Windows Sandbox are running properly. To do that, follow these steps:
Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
Next, from the list of services, look for the following services in the given order:
After you find the aforementioned services, restart each one of them.
Once done, try to open the Windows Sandbox again and see if the error is fixed or not.
Option 2 – Try to install any pending Windows Updates
If the second option still didn’t work, then you might want to check Windows Updates on your computer and see if there are any pending Windows Updates you have to install. All you have to do is go to the Windows 10 Settings app and then go to the Windows Updates section and click on the “Check for updates” button to check if there are any pending updates that are needed to be installed. This could fix the Windows Sandbox Error 0x80070015.
Option 3 – Try to run Windows Sandbox as an admin
In the Start Menu, scroll down until you see the entry for the Windows Sandbox.
Then right-click on it and select More and then select the “Run as administrator” option to open it with admin privileges.
Next, if a User Account Control or UAC prompt pops up, just click on Yes to proceed.
You should now be able to open the Windows Sandbox without the error. However, if the error persists, proceed to the next given option below.
If you suddenly encounter the SPECIAL POOL DETECTED MEMORY CORRUPTION Blue Screen error with a bug check value of “0x000000C1” while you are using your computer then it might be due to some problem with the hardware of your Windows 10 computer. According to security experts, it is most likely caused by the physical RAM which could be due to some error in the Realtek driver for Wireless USB 2.0 as well as corruption of the files inside the RAM, and so on.
This kind of problem indicates that the driver wrote to an invalid section of the special pool. On the other hand, system files like the rtwlanu.sys or nvlddmkm.sys can also trigger the SPECIAL_POOL_DETECTED_MEMORY_CORRUPTION Blue Screen error.
To resolve this Blue Screen error, you can use the options provided below as reference but before you do that, make sure to create a System Restore point first. After you have that covered, proceed to the given options below.
Option 1 – Delete the settings of the Driver Verifier Manager
Open the Driver Verifier Manager using the Start search.
After that, select or click on the “Delete existing settings” option and then click on Finish.
Reboot your computer and see if it fixes the Blue Screen error or not.
Option 2 – Try to update or rollback your Network driver
If you have updated the driver software as of late and you suddenly got this BSOD error, you might have to roll back the device driver – in other words, switch back to the previous working version. To do that, follow these steps:
Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
From the list of Network Drivers, look for “Realtek <Model> Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC” and then right-click on it and select Update Driver.
Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the BSOD error.
Note: If you see any of the following entries under the Network drivers, you might want to download their latest available versions from each one of their manufacturer’s websites.
Realtek High-Definition (HD) Audio Driver
Realtek Card Reader Driver
Realtek Local Area Network (LAN) Driver
On the other hand, if updating the Network driver didn’t help, you can also try to roll back to its previous version.
Open the Device Manager again and then look for Network Drivers.
Next, select Realtek <Model> Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC from the list of Network Drivers and then double click to open a new mini window.
After that, make sure that you’re on the Driver tab and if you are not, just navigate to it then click the Roll Back Driver button to switch back to the previous version of the Realtek driver.
Now restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.
Option 3 – Try running the ChkDsk utility
You can also run the ChkDsk utility to fix the SPECIAL_POOL_DETECTED_MEMORY_CORRUPTION Blue Screen error.
First, open This PC and right-click on your operating system partition for Windows.
Next, click on Properties and navigate to the Tools tab.
Then click on Check under the Error Checking section.
After that, a new mini window will be opened and from there click on Scan drive and let it scan your disk drive partition for any errors and then restart your computer.
Option 4 – Use the Windows Memory Diagnostics
Since the problem has something to do with the physical RAM, you need to use Windows Memory Diagnostics. To run it, refer to these steps:
Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and type 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 the option, your PC will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them.
Option 5 – 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 SPECIAL_POOL_DETECTED_MEMORY_CORRUPTION. It can be found in the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:
Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.
If you encounter an error message that says, “<Drive>: is not accessible, The File or directory is corrupted and unreadable” when you try to connect your USB or external device, then the File System could have been corrupted or the external device might be infected with malware. On the other hand, it is also possible that the device might have some physical damage.
To fix the “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” error, you can try to run Check Disk or scan your computer for malware or you could also format the destination drive. For more details, refer to each one of the given options below.
Option 1 – Run the Check Disk utility
You can also run the Check Disk utility to fix the error when you connect your USB or external device.
In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results, right click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
After opening Command Prompt, type this command and tap Enter: chkdsk <Partition Letter>: /f /r /x /b
The command you entered will start to check for errors and fix them automatically. Else, it will throw an error message saying, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like the schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”.
Tap the Y key to schedule Disk Check the next time your computer restarts.
Option 2 – Try to format the destination drive
Formatting the drive can also help you resolve the error. To format it, follow these steps:
To get started formatting your drive, tap the Win + E keys and then go the access page of the drive.
Next, right click on the drive and select Format.
After that, uncheck the “Quick Format” option and then format your drive properly.
Now once the formatting process is finished, unplug the drive and plug it back in afterwards.
Check if the error is already fixed. If the drive is not initialized, tap the Win + R keys and hit Enter.
After opening the Run dialog box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Disk Management.
From there, right click on the drive volume and select initialize Disk.
Next, select the correct partition type and proceed.
Option 3 – Try scanning your computer for malware using Windows Defender
Your computer could be infected with malware which might have triggered the “The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable” error. To fix this, you need to scan your computer using a reliable program like Windows Defender.
Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.
The dialog boxes that you see on your Windows computer exist to send you a message or to notify you. However, you can also encounter issues with them. Recently, some users reported that they’re getting empty or blank dialog boxes. It’s definitely hard to choose between Yes or No or to click OK when you don’t know the context of the dialog box. If the same thing happened to you, worry not for there are some possible solutions that can help you fix the problem.
This kind of problem usually happens when there are some issues with the graphics driver or when there is some corrupted software. Whichever the case is, here are some fixes you can check out to fix the empty or blank dialog boxes on your Windows 10 computer.
Option 1 – Run the System File Checker
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 that might be the cause why you’re getting the errors 0x8024a11a and 0x8024a112. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.
Type “cmd” in the Start search and then right-click on the appropriate search result.
Next, select “Run as administrator” to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
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:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
Now restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed or not.
Option 2 – Try to update or rollback the Graphics driver
You can try to update your Graphics card driver using the Device Manager in your computer to resolve the blank dialog boxes problem or you can also 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.
To update your Graphics driver via Device Manager, refer to these steps:
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: If updating the Graphics driver didn’t fix the problem, you can also try to roll back to its previous version and see if that helps.
Option 3 – Run the DISM tool
The next thing you can do is run the DISM tool. This tool is known to repair potentially corrupted files in your system as having them could also system issues like the blank dialog boxes. 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 problem is now fixed.
Option 4 – Try to repair or reinstall the software
If the issue with the empty dialog boxes only occurs in a specific program, you can either try to repair the program or reinstall it. You can find the Repair option in the Add/Remove program section when you select the concerned program. If repairing the program didn’t work, you might have to uninstall it and then reinstall it.
Option 5 – Try troubleshooting the problem in a Clean Boot State
You might also want to troubleshoot the problem in a Clean Boot State. Doing so will help you isolate the problem. Refer to the steps below to do so:
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 configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
When it comes to booting an operating system on a computer, one of the most essential pieces of software you can use is the UEFI. In fact, a lot of users now prefer to use UEFI instead of BIOS. It also depends on whether the UEFI or the BIOS is supported on the motherboard. Recently, a number of users reported an issue with UEFI where they were unable to find it under the Advanced Options screen where it’s supposed to be located.
The missing UEFI Firmware settings in the Advanced Options could be caused by several reasons. It is possible that the access to the UEFI menu is blocked or it could also be due to the Extra Fast Startup feature being enabled. It is also possible that the operating system is installed in Legacy mode.
There are several options to try to fix this issue. You need to check if your computer supports UEFI or you could also try to disable Fast Startup or bypass the Extra Fast Startup feature. You can also use a boot to UEFI shortcut as well as check the CMOS battery.
Option 1 – Try checking if your computer supports UEFI
The first thing you have to do is to verify if your computer supports UEFI. If your computer does not support UEFI, then it’s no wonder why you don’t see the UEFI Firmware settings in the Advanced Options.
Option 2 – Try turning off Fast Startup
First, boot your computer in Safe Mode.
Once your computer is booted in Safe Mode, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type in “control” to open the Control Panel.
Next, click on the Hardware and Sound section and click on Power Options.
Afterward, select the “Choose what the power buttons do” option from the left side menu pane.
Now click on Change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck the entry that says, “Turn on fast startup (Recommended)”.
Then click on Save Changes and restart your computer and see if it has fixed the problem or not.
Option 3 – Try bypassing the Extra Fast Startup feature
As mentioned, the missing UEFI Firmware settings could be due to the Extra Fast Startup feature. To fix it, you have to disable this feature. All you have to do is tap and hold the Shift key and click on the Shutdown button from the Start button. This will boot your PC with the UEFI booting from the beginning and then use the hotkey for your motherboard to boot into the UEFI setup.
Option 4 – Try using a boot to UEFI shortcut
Right-click on any empty space on your Desktop and select New > Shortcut.
This will open a new mini window. And here, you have to type this in the text field: shutdown /r /fw
After that, click on Next and name the desktop shortcut and then click on Finish.
Next, right-click on the newly created shortcut and select Properties.
Click on the Advanced button and select the “Run as administrator” option.
Now click OK to save the changes made. Each time you execute this shortcut, your computer will automatically be booted to the UEFI Firmware Settings.
Option 5 – Try to check the CMOS battery
Another thing you can do is check the CMOS battery physically on the motherboard and see if it has to be replaced since a damaged CMOS battery can also cause the issue with the missing UEFI Firmware settings.
Option 6 – Set your computer from Legacy to UEFI
If applicable, you can try to set your computer from Legacy to UEFI to resolve the problem.
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: mbr2gpt.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.
It really sucks when you can’t fully enjoy the newest version of your favorite OS.
Windows 11 is still relatively fresh and consequently has some annoying little bugs that really ruin our experience. The good news is that you’re not alone and most of them are easy to fix.
Here are 5 commonly reported Windows 11 issues and what you can do to get rid of them.
1. Windows 11 audio problems
One of the absolute most irritating things in the world is struggling with the sound on your computer. Windows 11 users have reported facing the issue of low or no sound. If you’re currently experiencing the same frustration, you can be relieved. Chances are fixing it will only take a few minutes.
The first thing to check would be whether you accidentally muted your device by pressing the mute button on your keyboard. Yes, we know it sounds a lot like the old “have you tried turning it off and on again?” But it’s important to leave no stone unturned, and the most obvious things are usually the ones we easily overlook.
Moreover, if you have several audio output sources, check whether the right one is selected. You can do this via the Action Center or through Settings. If you want to use the same source every time, we also recommend you set it as the default one.
It’s also important to have a good, up-to-date audio driver. More often than not, this will be the true cause of your audio struggles. Make sure to update your driver, and if that doesn’t work out, you can always un- and reinstall it or install a different one.
Lastly, if all attempts remain unsuccessful, run the audio troubleshooter to figure out what’s actually going wrong.
2. Unable to find files
Such a powerful new operating system, yet it can’t seem to do the simplest thing imaginable? The File Explorer not responding on Windows 11 is one of the most frustrating and most common problems with Microsoft’s newest iteration of its awesome OS.
However, 9/10 times it can be fixed by simply restarting your PC. You could also try killing the Windows Explorer process in the Task Manager and then rerunning it.
If these don’t help, check whether there are any pending Windows 11 updates. A single missing update can compromise your PC’s functionality, so always make sure to install them all on time.
Should none of that work, then there are other ways to solve the File Explorer problem. However, then the issue is probably a bit deeper and it’s no longer in the ‘easy fix’ territory.
3. Start menu not working
Just like the File Explorer, the Start menu is a fundamental element of your OS. So, it’s only natural that its malfunction grinds your gears. It may be more customizable than on previous Windows versions, but it doesn’t always work smoothly.
If you’re facing the so-called Start menu critical error, there are a few things this could be caused by. Usually it means you turned off your system while an important update was still being installed, there is a corrupt file on your PC, or Windows forcefully stopped a program.
Whatever the reason, the solution should be pretty simple. Try the basic steps: restarting your File Explorer (like we explained above) and signing out and back into your account. If that doesn’t do anything, you may want to try uninstalling third-party start menu apps (if you have any), since they can interfere with your default programs’ functionality.
Now, those are the easy fixes. If you get nowhere with them, you might need to identify the root cause and search for more complex solutions than that.
4. Snipping tool not working
Our beloved screenshot tool was introduced with Windows 10 and Microsoft decided to keep it. However, you were probably just as disappointed as us when you tried to run it and failed.
Normally, this can be fixed by installing the latest Out-of-band (OOB) update, or even pending updates in general. Even if your system appears to be up-to-date, run the checker just in case.
Another cool thing Windows 11 lets you do is ‘Repair’ and ‘Reset’, which is the easiest way to troubleshoot your Snipping tool. If this fails, you can also try the good old un- and reinstall method. Simply uninstall the tool through the Control Panel and reinstall it from the Microsoft Store.
Furthermore, in the case of an upgrade from Windows 10 to 11, it may be that the old Snipping tool version is interfering with the launch of the new one. If you don’t care that much about the additional options available with the enhanced screenshot tool, you can use the old version instead.
Simply go to your C Drive, find the Windows.old folder, search for the tool and open it from there. Make sure to pin it to your taskbar as well, if you know you’re going to use it often.
5. Can’t install the latest update
The latest Windows 11 version, 22H2, has brought tons of enhancements to our dearest operating system. Unfortunately, a lot of users still haven’t had the opportunity to experience it. A mere update of your OS version should be the one thing that goes smoothly, but sometimes that’s not the case.
Failure to install 22H2 can be caused by a few things. Most commonly, the issue is caused by lack of storage space or corrupted files, but there could be other culprits.
There are a couple of things you could try. For example, it’s crucial that your drivers be up-to-date and some important services be enabled. These are: Windows Modules Installer, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, Cryptographic Service, Windows Update services.
To enable them, search ‘Services’, find the service you need and right-click on it. Open ‘Properties’ and select the startup type ‘Automatic’.
It may also be necessary to unplug all peripherals that aren’t crucial and disable third-party antivirus tools until after the update is finished.
Ultimately, you can run the Windows Update troubleshooter to detect and fix other possible issues.
Summary
Tiny bugs like these are nothing out of the ordinary. That said, we still all hate when they happen.
Hopefully some of our solutions have helped you to a smoother Windows 11 experience. But if you’re still struggling, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to help!
