Keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys are not working

After a lot of backlash about choosing the default Windows browser, Microsoft has officially backed up and brought back a one-click browser change into Windows 11. For anyone who is not aware, when Windows 11 was released if you wanted to switch to another browser you had to go into the settings app and choose the default browser for different types of file extensions like HTML, HTM, PDF for opening on the web, etc. Of course, this was completely unnecessary and it was not well received by users. So after some time, Microsoft backpedaled to standard one click, choose your default browser solution that existed in the previous version of Windows OS. Altho sometimes Microsoft knows how to irritate its users base, it is good to know that they can also listen and fix things that are required.

As you know, all the web browsers come with the support of auto-updates which include both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. However, with these updates, the browser comes with the support of a new web APIs and better rendering. Although there could be a lot of problems that may arise due to these updates. These problems consist of depreciation of features, incompatibility with some websites, to name a few. It includes incompatibility with some websites, depreciation of features, and more. This might push someone to stop the auto-updates of these web browsers. So, in this guide, we will be checking out how to stop auto-update in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox on Windows 10. Thus, if you want to be rid of these issues, then you can disable the Chrome & Firefox auto-update and you can do that by either using the Windows Services Manager and the System Configuration utility.

Option 1 – Disable Chrome & Firefox auto-update via Windows Services Manager

The first thing you can do to disable the Chrome auto-update is through the Windows Services Manager. To do so, follow these steps:

• First, tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• After that, you will see a list of services and from there, look for the Google Update Services (gupdate) and Google Update Service (gupdatem).
• Once you find these services, right-click on each one of them and select Properties and then make sure that the Service Status is set to be Stopped.
• You should also select the Startup Type to Disabled and click on the Apply and OK buttons.
• Now restart your computer. This should stop the automatic update of the Chrome browser.

Option 2 – Disable Chrome & Firefox auto-update via System Configuration utility or MSConfig

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility and type “msconfig” in the field and tap Enter to open the System Configuration.
• After that, go to the Services tab and uncheck the two entries, namely Google Update Service (gupdate) and Google Update Service (gupdatem).
• Next, click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made.
• Restart your computer.

Note: Now that you’ve stopped the auto-update in Firefox, it’s time for you to stop the auto-update in Mozilla Firefox. To get started, follow the steps below.

• Open the Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the hamburger menu located on the top-right portion of the screen.
• After that, select Options and under the General panel and then go to the Firefox Updates section.
• Next, click on the radio button for updates but select the option to let you install them.
• You also have to uncheck the options named “Use a background service to install updates” and “Automatically update search engines”.
• Once done, restart the Firefox browser. This should stop the automatic update.

If you are running the Windows Update service but decided to stop it but you encountered an error message instead that says, “The Windows Update service could not be stopped”, read on as this post will help you fix the problem. This kind of error appears when you use the Command Prompt to stop the Windows Update service, especially if you are using cmd without admin privileges. A lot of users reported that they were not able to disable the automatic Windows Update in Windows 10 using Command Prompt. The command used to stop the Windows Update service is the “net stop wuauserv” command. However, when some users executed this command, they got the error message. So if you are one of these users that can’t stop the Windows Update Service via Command Prompt, you can try to fix that using PID as well as checking the Service dependencies. For more details, follow the given options below.

Option 1 – Try to stop the Windows Update service via PID

In case you don’t know, each running service or process has its own unique ID or PID and you can find it in the Task Manager. You can use it to stop the Windows Update service. How? Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager.
• Next, go to the Services tab and look for the service named “wuauserv” and get its PID.
• After that, type “cmd” in the Windows Start search and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results and then select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt with admin privileges, execute this command: taskkill /f /pid <PID>

Note: You need to replace “<PID>” with the PID of the “wuauserv” service. For instance, the PID is 6676, then this is how the command should be “taskkill /f /pid 6676”.

• After you execute the command, you will this message on your screen, “SUCCESS: The process with PID 6676 has been terminated” which indicates that you have stopped the Windows Update service successfully.

Option 2 – Try to check the Service dependencies

Dependencies of a Windows Service in Windows 10 are when windows services depend on other services. Such is the case with the Windows Update service – it also depends on three different services such as the Remote Procedure Call or RPC service, DCOM Server Process Launcher, and the RPC Endpoint Mapper. Meaning to say, if two of these services are not working as expected, then the dependant service will also be affected. This could be the reason why the Windows Update service could not start.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open Windows Services.
• From the list of Services, look for the following services:
  • Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Service
  • DCOM Server Process Launcher
  • RPC Endpoint Mapper
• After you find these services, double click on each one of them and check whether the Startup type for all is set to Automatic and the Service status is set to Running or not.
• If the service status is not running, then click the Start button. Afterward, check if you can now run the Windows Update service.

InternetSpeedTracker is a browser extension developed by MindSpark Inc. This browser add-on offer uses tips on how to boost their “bad” internet connection speed. It displays false internet speed in order to get you to open the sponsored links listed in the toolbar.

This extension also hijacks your browser home page and replaces your default search engine with MyWay. While browsing the internet you will see additional unwanted sponsored ads and links throughout your search results, and sometimes even pop-up ads might appear. While active this extension gathers personal information, website visits, links, and clicks and uses this data to serve ads.

InternetSpeedTracker has been flagged as a Browser Hijacker by several anti-virus scanners, and due to its data mining behavior, it is not recommended to keep it on your computer, especially because it gives false data about your internet speed.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijack is a very common type of online fraud where your internet browser settings are modified to allow it to carry out things you don’t intend. They’re created to disrupt browser functions for several purposes. It redirects you to the sponsored sites and inserts ads on the web browser which helps its developer generate earnings. Nevertheless, it’s not that naive. Your web safety is jeopardized and it is also extremely irritating. They don’t just ruin your web browsers, but browser hijackers could also modify the computer registry, making your PC vulnerable to other attacks.

How one can know if your web browser is hijacked

Signs that an internet browser is a hi-jacked include: the browser’s home-page is modified; you find yourself regularly directed to a different site than the one you meant; the default search engine is changed; unwanted new toolbars are added to your web browser; never-ending pop-up ads show up and/or your browser pop-up blocker is disabled; your web browser starts running sluggishly or displays frequent glitches; You simply can’t access specific sites, particularly anti-virus sites.

How they infect PCs

A browser hijacker can be installed on your computer when you check out an infected website, click an e-mail attachment, or download something from a file-sharing website. They are usually included with toolbars, BHO, add-ons, plugins, or browser extensions. A browser hijacker could also be installed as a part of freeware, shareware, demoware, and fake programs. A good example of a notorious browser hijacker is the most recent Chinese malware known as “Fireball”, which has attacked 250 million computer systems worldwide. It acts as a hijacker but can be turned into a fully functioning malware downloader afterward. Browser hijackers could affect the user’s browsing experience greatly, keep track of the websites visited by users and steal private information, cause difficulty in connecting to the internet, and ultimately create stability issues, making software programs and systems freeze.

How to repair a browser hijack

Some hijackers could be removed by uninstalling the freeware they came with or by eliminating any extension you have recently added to your system. But, many hijackers are hard to get rid of manually. No matter how much you attempt to eliminate it, it can keep coming back over and over again. And there’s no denying the fact that the manual fixes and removal methods can be quite a complicated job for a rookie PC user. Furthermore, there are several risks connected with fiddling around with the system registry files.

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

Malware could cause all kinds of damage after they invade your system, ranging from stealing your private information to deleting data files on your computer system. Certain malware variants modify web browser settings by adding a proxy server or modify the computer’s DNS configuration settings. In such cases, you’ll be unable to visit some or all of the websites, and thus not able to download or install the necessary security software to remove the infection. If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re stuck with a virus infection that is preventing you to download or install the Safebytes Anti-Malware program on your PC. There are some fixes you can try to get around with this issue.

Install antivirus in Safe Mode with Networking

If the malware is set to load at Windows startup, then booting in Safe Mode should prevent it. Since only the minimal programs and services start-up in safe mode, there are rarely any reasons for issues to take place. Listed below are the steps you should follow to start your computer into the Safe Mode of your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers (visit Microsoft site for instructions on Windows 8 and 10 PCs). 1) At power on/start-up, tap the F8 key in one-second intervals. This will bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Select Safe Mode with Networking with arrow keys and hit Enter. 3) As soon as this mode loads, you will have an internet connection. Now, utilize your web browser normally and navigate to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 4) Right after the software program is installed, let the diagnostic scan run to remove trojans and other malware automatically.

Switch to an alternate web browser

Web-based viruses can be environment-specific, aiming for a particular internet browser or attacking specific versions of the browser. The best solution to avoid this issue is to opt for a browser that is known for its security features. Firefox comprises built-in Phishing and Malware Protection to keep you safe online.

Run anti-virus from a pen drive

Another technique is to download and transfer an anti-malware application from a clean PC to run a scan on the affected computer. Follow these steps to use a flash drive to clean your infected system. 1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or Microsoft Windows Defender Offline onto a clean PC. 2) Insert the pen drive on the same system. 3) Double-click the Setup icon of the anti-malware software package to run the Installation Wizard. 4) Pick a USB flash drive as the place when the wizard asks you exactly where you would like to install the application. Follow the instructions on the computer screen to complete the installation process. 5) Now, transfer the pen drive to the infected computer. 6) Run the Safebytes Anti-malware directly from the thumb drive by double-clicking the icon. 7) Click the “Scan” button to run a full system scan and remove malware automatically.

Let's Talk About SafeBytes Anti-Malware!

Want to install the best anti-malware application for your laptop or computer? There are many applications available in the market which comes in free and paid versions for Windows computers. Some of them are great and some are scamware applications that pretend as legitimate anti-malware programs waiting to wreak havoc on your PC. When looking for an antimalware program, pick one which gives reliable, efficient, and total protection against all known viruses and malware. One of the recommended tools by industry leaders is SafeBytes Anti-Malware, the most dependable program for Windows computers. SafeBytes anti-malware is a reliable tool that not only secures your system permanently but is also quite user-friendly for people of all ability levels. This application could easily identify, remove, and protect your personal computer from the most advanced malware attacks such as spyware, adware, trojan horses, ransomware, worms, PUPs, and other possibly damaging software applications. SafeBytes has excellent features when compared to other anti-malware programs. Below are a few of the great ones: World-class AntiMalware Protection: Built upon a greatly acclaimed anti-virus engine, this malware removal application can identify and remove numerous obstinate malware threats such as browser hijackers, PUPs, and ransomware that other common antivirus applications will miss. Live Protection: SafeBytes gives real-time active supervision and protection from all known viruses and malware. They’re very effective in screening and eliminating different threats because they are regularly improved with new updates and alerts. Web Security: SafeBytes provides an instant safety rating on the web pages you are going to visit, automatically blocking risky sites and making sure that you are certain of your safety while browsing the internet. Very Low CPU and Memory Usage: SafeBytes provides complete protection from online threats at a fraction of the CPU load due to its enhanced detection engine and algorithms. Premium Support: SafeBytes provides 24/7 technical support, automatic maintenance, and updates for the best user experience.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove InternetSpeedTracker without the use of an automated tool, it may be possible to do so by removing the program from the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu, or in cases of browser extensions, going to the browsers AddOn/Extension manager and removing it. You will likely also want to reset your browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually check your hard drive and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. Please note that this is for advanced users only and may be difficult, with incorrect file removal causing additional PC errors. In addition, some malware is capable of replicating or preventing deletion. Doing this in Safe Mode is advised.

The following files, folders, and registry entries are created or modified by InternetSpeedTracker

The Winload.efi file is an Extensible Firmware Interface or EFI file. EFI files are executable files for the firmware of the computers that are mainly based on UEFI and execute the tasks of loading the files to the bootloader of the computer. They are used for a specific set of tasks such as turning on the computer, installing Windows, restarting the computer or resetting it, and so on. This is why the Winload.efi file is a significant file so if it gets corrupted, lost, or damaged, it would be impossible for the Windows operating system to proceed. Here are some errors you can encounter that are related to the Winload.efi file:

• efi is missing
• efi cannot be found
• efi is missing or contains errors
• This program can’t start because winload.efi is missing from your computer
• This application requires the file winload.efi, which was not found on this system.
• There was a problem starting [path]winload.efi. The specified module could not be found.

In addition, the 0xc0000225 , 0xc00000e and 0xc0000001error codes are also associated with the Winload.efi file. Before you start troubleshooting the problem, you can try to perform System Restore first. This will help undo any changes you’ve made in your computer that might have triggered the Blue Screen error. To perform System Restore, here’s what you have to do:

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

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

Option 1 – Try rebuilding the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) and repairing MBR

• Once you get to the Welcome Screen part, click on Next.
• Afterwards, click on the Repair your computer option located on the bottom-left part of the window.
• Then click on Troubleshoot.
• Next, select the Advanced Options and then Command Prompt.
• Once Command Prompt has been pulled up, the following commands to rebuild BCD files and repair MBR. Don’t forget to hit Enter right after you type each command.
  • bootrec /repairbcd
  • bootrec /osscan
  • bootrec /repairmbr
• Once the command line is successful in finding out a Windows installation, hit Y to let it boot from the list which will successfully rebuild BCD.
• Now type “exit” to close Command Prompt and then restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.

Option 2 – Disable the Secure Boot in the BIOS

Disabling the Secure Boot in the BIOS settings is definitely recommended to resolve errors related to the Winload.efi file. To disable Secure Boot, here’s what you have to do:

• First, boot your computer into Windows 10.
• Next, go to Settings > Windows Update. From there, check if there is anything that you have to download and install if you see any available updates. Usually, OEMs send and update the list of trusted hardware, drivers, and operating systems for your computer.
• After that, go to the BIOS of your computer.
• Then go to Settings > Update & Security > Advanced Startup options. If you click on Restart Now, it will restart your computer and give you all the advanced options.
• Next, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options. As you can see, this screen offers you further options including System restore, Startup repair, Go back to the previous version, Command Prompt, System Image Recovery and UEFI Firmware Settings.
• Select the UEFI Firmware Settings which will take you to the BIOS.
• From there, go to Security > Boot > Authentication tab where you should see Secure Boot. Note that every OEM has its own way of implementing the options so it varies.
• Next, set Secure Boot to Disabled and set Legacy Support to On or Enabled.
• Save the changes made and exit. Afterward, your computer will reboot.

Option 3 – Run System File Checker scan

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

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

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

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

• Reboot your computer.

Option 4 – Disable the Early Launch Anti-Malware Protection

• You need to restart your computer in the Start Menu first while holding down the Shift key on your keyboard.
• After that, it will restart your computer to Startup Settings.
• Now ensure that the 8^th option is labeled as “Disable early launch anti-malware protection.
• Then tap the F8 key since the aforementioned option above is listed at number 8. This should launch and load Windows on your PC with the Early Anti-malware protection disabled for that session only when you try to carry out the same task and then check if the error related to the Winload.efi file is now fixed.

There are times when it is really inevitable to delete your hard drive partitions especially if you are already running low on disk space in your Windows 10 computer. Users typically delete the volume which is not being used in such cases in order to free up some space for the volume that’s running low on disk space. To resolve the problem, users tend to use the Disk Management utility to delete hard drive partitions. However, some users reported that the “Delete volume” option is not available as it is grayed out. Thus, users aren’t able to delete hard drive partitions and aren’t able to free up disk space. This kind of problem usually occurs when there is a Page file on the volume that you are trying to delete and so on. Oftentimes, this issue is mistaken for the problem where you are unable to delete an EFI-protected partition. However, in this case, not only you are unable to delete EFI-protected partition but also NTFS file systems. This is really hard to deal with but worries not for there are some potential fixes you can check out to resolve this problem.

Option 1 – Try to manage the Page file in the Partition

As mentioned earlier, if a Page file exists in a partition, you won’t be able to delete it. The page file is what stores your data when the system’s random access memory fills up. To resolve this, follow these steps:

• Go to the Start menu and type “View advanced system settings” in the field and open it from the search results.
• Next, click on Settings in the Advanced tab.
• On the new window that pops up, go to the Advanced tab and select Change.
• Next, uncheck the checkbox of “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” and highlight the drive you want to delete.
• Then select “No paging file” and click on Set.
• Now click on the Apply and OK buttons on all the windows and restart your computer.

Option 2 – Delete storage partition via Command Prompt

• Tap the Win + X keys or right-click on the Start button and select Command Prompt (Admin) or you could also type in “cmd” in the Cortana search box and right-click on the Command Prompt icon and then select the “Run as Administrator” option from the context menu.
• Once you have Command Prompt pulled up as admin, type in and enter this command – diskpart
• After entering this command, the Diskpart Utility will start. Diskpart Utility is a command-line-based utility just like Command Prompt but it will get a UAC Prompt after you invoke it so you have to click Yes for the UAC Prompt.
• After that, type in list volume and tap Enter to see the list of all the partitions created on your PC. This includes both types of partitions that are visible to the normal users in the File Explorer as well as the ones that are created by Windows 10 by default which helps it in storing the boot files and other essential system files.
• You should see a list of all the partitions made on your computer. Select the partition you want to delete by its Unique Identification number as Volume X where X denotes the Unique Identification Number.
• Next, type in the select volume number command and hit Enter to select the desired volume.
• Then delete the volume you’ve selected and type in the delete volume command and hit Enter to delete the volume you just selected and convert it into unallocated space.

Option 3 – Delete storage partition via Windows PowerShell

• Start by tapping the Win + X keys or simply right click on the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or you could also type in “Windows PowerShell” in the Cortana search box and right-click on the Windows PowerShell icon and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• Once you’ve opened the Windows PowerShell, type in the Get-Volume command and hit Enter to get a list of all the partitions on your PC.
• Next, select the drive letter you want to delete and then type in the Remove-Partition –DriveLetter command and hit Enter to delete the selected partition. Note that you need to replace the drive letter with the letter of the partition you want to get rid of.
• After that, it will ask you for confirmation. Just hit the Y key for Yes or hit the A key to say Yes to All. This will delete all the partition you’ve selected and will move them in as unallocated space.

Every computer has to have a graphic card, it is one of the essential components in order for the computer to work. If you have a second-hand computer, got one as a gift, or similar, there is a high chance that you do not really know which components are inside. Luckily finding out which graphic card you have inside is quite easy. Right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager Click the Performance tab at the top of the window, if you don’t see the tabs, click “More Info.” Select “GPU 0” in the sidebar. The GPU’s manufacturer and model names are displayed at the top right corner of the window. You’ll also see other information, such as the amount of dedicated memory on your GPU, in this window. Windows 10’s Task Manager displays your GPU usage here, and you can also view GPU usage by application. If your system has multiple GPUs, you’ll also see “GPU 1” and so on here. Each represents a different physical GPU.

Sticky Notes is one of the useful programs and in the early days, the option is available for users to change the font size of the text a lot easier. However, for some unknown reason, Microsoft decided to get rid of this feature in the latest Windows Update. One would expect that the feature will be replaced by an even more useful feature but it’s not which makes the Sticky Notes app worse than before. Worry not though for it doesn’t have to stay that way as there is another thing you can try to change the font size in your Sticky Notes app and that’s what we’re going to cover in this post. As mentioned, Microsoft removing this font feature is quite strange and in the past, users asked for this feature and since it’s no longer available, you can try following the steps given below to bring it back. And for that, you need to go to the Ease of Access section in the Settings app. Refer to the steps given below for more instructions. Step 1: First, tap the Win + I keys to open Settings and then go to the Ease of Access section. Step 2: After going to the Ease of Access menu and select Display from the list of options. Step 3: From there, you should see an option that says “Make text bigger”. And then use your mouse to navigate to the slider to change the size of the font. Note: Take note that after doing all the steps above, it will change not just the Sticky Notes app but also everything in Windows 10. This method is actually the best since it only changes the size of the apps rather than a wholesale change in your Windows 10 computer. Step 4: Next, scroll under Display until you see the “Change the size of apps and text on the main display” option where you’ll see that the option is 100% but you’ll want to change that to 125%. Step 5: After that, click on the drop-down menu and select 125% and then restart your Windows 10 computer. Step 6: Now open the Sticky Notes app and check if you can now change the font size in the Sticky Notes app.

The Error Code 0x80070057 is rather typical with Win7. Customers of Win7 maintain reporting that each moment they strive to install this Operating system, it shows this problem error. Often, the total information that comes with this specific error is:

"Error Code 0x80070057: The parameter is wrong"

When this problem happens, you will end up struggling to move private documents from one person to another.

Solution

Error Causes

You could get the error message when you attempt installing Win7,

"An Internal Error has occurred. Incorrect parameters".

If this happens to you, realize that you are dealing with malfunction code 0x80070057. This error occurs mostly when you are trying to build a full backup of your Windows 7 OS.

The primary source of Error 0x80070057 is huge registry values.

Extensive registry values usually occur when you are trying to back up your Windows 7 OS. This means that you need to immediately create a bigger virtual memory space to avert the occurrence of the error.

Error Code 0x80070057 can be a result of incompatibility between the motherboard and some drivers.

Check whether the computer's motherboard and the installed drivers are compatible. If you can't do this effectively on your own, it might be a good idea to enlist the services of a qualified technician.

The Problem Signal 0x80070057 has a close Connection with RAID Installations

RAID installations have a tendency of sparking off the Error Code 0x80070057. If you experience this error while using RAID, first turn off the RAID setup and check whether that resolves the problem.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Error Code 0x80070057 is repairable. Thus, there's absolutely no cause for alarm when you see it with respect to your own Windows 7 Operating System. So what can you do to resolve it? a) Increase Virtual Memory: This is perhaps the most common solution to Error Code 0x80070057. In most cases, simply raising the virtual memory especially on Windows 7 Operating-System completely eliminates the error. Moreover, you don't have to be technically advanced to effect the change. Simply follow these steps:-

• Click the Start Button and visit Control Panel
• Click System Security, and proceed to System.
• Click the Advanced System Settings, subsequently proceed to the Advanced Level Tab.
• Click Change, which can be under the Virtual Memory
• Change the virtual memory value. For instance, you can customize entirely from 2000MB to 6000MB.
• Click Set, then Ok. You are done

As with each additional change you make with respect to your Computer, you will have to conclude by re-booting it. This way you make certain that they'll stay as you've established them and apply the necessary modifications. If the error still persists after attempting the preceding fix, download a registry-cleaning software. The software will clean up your disk and free up memory thus increasing the available virtual memory for your computer. This should solve your persistent Error Code 0x80070057.

If by any chance your search result in Windows is misleading, missing, or incorrect then it is a high probability that your search index is out of date. To repair this issue follow this guide step by step. Please take note that rebuilding the whole search index can take a long time on some systems depending on the size of the index itself, CPU speed, HD speed, etc. Sometimes it can take even hours on large drives. First, press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog and type in it Control panel to open the control panel. Once you are in the control panel, switch your view to large icons and locate Indexing options. Inside indexing options, click on advanced. In advanced options click on the rebuild and confirm. Leave your computer to finish and your searches should be working fine now.