Location services are greyed out in Windows

PC Optimizer Pro is a PC optimizer utility developed by Xportsoft Technologies. It is classified as a potentially unwanted program, due to its aggressive scan and registration reminders, and that it is often distributed bundled with other programs in a manner that leads many users to not know how it got on their computer. While not inherently malicious, PC Optimizer Pro adds numerous registry keys, startup entries and while running consumes a relatively high amount of system resources, especially during its scans. The software installs from a .exe file that is around 5.20 MB or 5.453.240 Bytes (depending on the version). As of the publication of these videos, the current version of PC Optimizer Pro was detected as malicious or potentially unwanted by at least 21 AntiViruses.

About Potentially Unwanted Applications

If you have ever installed freeware or shareware, chances are high that your computer can get installed with a bunch of unwanted applications. A Potentially Unwanted Program, also called PUP, in short, is actually software that contains adware, installs toolbars, or has other hidden goals. These kinds of programs are almost always bundled up with free software which you download from the net or are also bundled within the custom installers on many download sites. PUPs did not really constitute pure “malware” in the strict sense of the term. Just like malicious software, PUPs cause problems when downloaded and installed on your PC, but what makes a PUP different is that you give consent to download it – although the truth is vastly different – the software installation package actually tricks you into accepting the installation. Irrespective of whether it is regarded as malware or not, PUPs are nearly always harmful to the user as they might bring on adware, spyware, keystroke logging, and also other bad crapware features on your computer.

What do PUPs do on your computer, exactly?

Potentially Unwanted Programs come in many forms and varieties, but in most instances, these are adware programs that show annoying pop-up adverts and advertisements on websites you check out. The PUPs also get installed into your computer in the form of web browser add-ons and toolbars. Not only they needlessly take up space on your computer screen, but toolbars may also manipulate search engine results, watch your web browsing activities, decrease your web browser’s efficiency, and decelerate your internet connection to a crawl. Potentially Unwanted Programs at times act quite similarly to viruses or spyware. Some PUPs include keyloggers, dialers, along with other software to gather your private details that may result in identity theft. These are programs that don’t do anything good for you; in addition to taking over space on your hard drive, they also slow down your computer, often modify settings without your approval, the list of bothersome features goes on.

Ways to avoid PUPs

• Always study the EULA and privacy statement. Don’t agree until you know precisely what you are acknowledging. • Choose the “custom” install whenever installing a software program. In particular, look closely at those small boxes that have been checked as default, where you may ‘agree’ to receive promotions or install software bundlers. • Use good antivirus software, like Safebytes Anti-Malware that offers real-time protection against PUPs. • Avoid adding a freeware program you do not use. Turn off or remove toolbars and web browser extensions you don’t really need. • Always download software from reliable sources like official sites as opposed to untrustworthy sharing space. Avoid file-hosting sites where/when possible.

What you can do if Malware Prevents You From Downloading Or Installing Antivirus?

Practically all malware is bad, but certain types of malware do much more damage to your computer than others. Certain malware goes to great lengths to stop you from downloading or installing anything on your personal computer, particularly antivirus applications. If you are reading this right now, you have probably recognized that a malware infection is the real cause of your blocked web connectivity. So what to do if you need to install an antivirus program like Safebytes? There are a few steps you can take to circumvent this problem.

Install in Safe Mode

The Windows OS has a special mode known as “Safe Mode” in which just the bare minimum required programs and services are loaded. In the event the malware is blocking the internet connection and affecting the computer, running it in Safe Mode will let you download antivirus and run a diagnostic scan while limiting possible damage. To start the computer into Safe Mode, press the “F8” key on your keyboard right before the Windows boot screen comes up; Or right after normal Windows boot up, run MSConfig, look over “Safe Boot” under Boot tab, and click Apply. After you reboot into Safe Mode with Networking, you can download, install, and update anti-malware software from there. Right after installation, run the malware scanner to remove standard infections.

Switch to an alternate browser

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

Install and run anti-virus from the USB drive

Another solution is to create a portable anti-malware program on your USB stick. Adopt these measures to employ a thumb drive to clean your infected computer system. 1) Download Safebytes Anti-Malware or MS Windows Defender Offline onto a clean PC. 2) Plug the Thumb drive into the clean computer. 3) Run the setup program by double-clicking the executable file of the downloaded software, with a .exe file format. 4) Choose the flash drive as the location for saving the file. Do as instructed on the screen to complete the installation process. 5) Now, plug the pen drive into the corrupted computer. 6) Double-click the anti-malware software EXE file on the USB flash drive. 7) Press the “Scan” button to run a full system scan and remove viruses automatically.

SafeBytes Anti-Malware: Lightweight Malware Protection for Windows PC

These days, an anti-malware tool can protect your computer from different types of online threats. But how to choose the best one amongst numerous malware protection application that’s available out there? You may be aware, there are numerous anti-malware companies and tools for you to consider. A few are well worth your money, but many aren’t. You have to be very careful not to choose the wrong application, especially if you buy a paid application. In terms of commercial anti-malware application options, many people select well-known brands, such as SafeBytes, and are quite happy with it. SafeBytes anti-malware is a powerful, highly effective protection tool created to help end-users of all levels of IT literacy in detecting and eliminating malicious threats from their computer. Using its cutting-edge technology, this software can assist you to eliminate several types of malware such as computer viruses, trojans, PUPs, worms, ransomware, adware, and browser hijackers. SafeBytes has excellent features when compared to other anti-malware programs. Let’s have a look at a few of them below: Robust, Anti-malware Protection: Safebytes is made on the best virus engine within the industry. These engines will find and get rid of threats even during the initial phases of a malware outbreak. Active Protection: Malware programs aiming to enter the system are discovered and stopped as and when detected by the SafeBytes active protection shields. It’ll check your PC for suspicious activity at all times and safeguards your personal computer from unauthorized access. High-Speed Malware Scanning Engine: SafeBytes’s high-speed malware scanning engine minimizes scan times and extends the life of the battery. Simultaneously, it will effectively detect and eliminate infected computer files or any online threat. Website Filtering: SafeBytes checks the hyperlinks present on a webpage for possible threats and informs you whether the site is safe to explore or not, through its unique safety rating system. Lowest CPU/Memory Usage: SafeBytes is a lightweight and user-friendly antivirus and antimalware solution. Since it utilizes negligible computer resources, this tool leaves the computer’s power exactly where it belongs to: with you. Premium Support: You may get high levels of support round the clock if you’re using their paid software.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you wish to manually remove PCOptimizerPro 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 PCOptimizerPro

Trojan. Kryptik is a malicious computer infection known as a Trojan horse. Trojan. Kryptik can load at startup and recreate itself which makes it difficult to manually remove from the infected computer. Trojan. Kryptik can compromise the infected system by allowing a remote hacker to gain access without the user's permission or knowledge. Trojan. Kryptik can also lead to the infection of other unknown malware parasites.

Trojan.Kryptik creates the following registry entry or registry entries:

Directory %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\windrivgr 19.7 %LOCALAPPDATA%\DsHcaJnIIz File name without path scaalqtw.exe Regexp file mask %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\sqldump.exe %APPDATA%\b[NUMBERS].exe %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].com.url %APPDATA%\Origin\update.vbe %APPDATA%\Stanfind.exe %APPDATA%\vpn gui.exe %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Symbols\wvfilters.sys %TEMP%\nvc.exe %TEMP%\system.exe %TEMP%\winsrvcs32.exe

The new Windows 10 update has brought some fixes, improvements, and little things to personalize our computer more. One of these personalization updates we have received is that we can now finally change the color of our START menu and taskbar and it is easy as 1,2,3. In order to change and personalize your START menu and/or title bars all you have to do is click on your windows icon to bring the start menu up and then click on settings. Once you are in setting windows go to personalization settings. When the personalization setting opens go-to color tab on left and scroll down until you find 2 checkboxes under "show accent color on the following surfaces:" check ones you wish to apply the effect to and you are done. Now your START menu and/or title bars are using the color scheme of your choice.

As you know, one of the most highlighted features of Windows 10 is Windows Updates. It was offered to the customers as a service rather than a product with the release of Windows 10 under the scenario of Software as a Service which led to Windows Updates being set by default on Windows 10 and without an option for any users to disable it. Although not all users are happy with what Microsoft did, this is an ultimate step towards the greater good of all its customers since Windows Updates helps users in keeping their computers secured against all kinds of threats as well as provide them with the greatest and latest updates from Microsoft. So if you are one of those users who approved of the Windows Updates service, then read on as this post will guide you in running Windows Updates from Command Line either via Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. For the complete set of instructions, refer to the options given below.

Option 1 – Run Windows Update via Command Prompt

Command Prompt in the Windows operating system exists for a very long time now compared to the comparatively new Windows PowerShell. That’s why it has similar capabilities to run Windows Updates. However, the highlighting point here is that you don’t have to download any module for Windows Updates. To get started running Windows Updates using Command Prompt, refer to the steps below.

• First, type “cmd” in the Cortana search box, and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select the Run as Administrator option to open it with Administrator privileges.
• If a User Account or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed.
• Next, type in the commands listed below, and don’t forget to tap Enter right after you type each one of them.
  • UsoClient StartScan – use this command to start checking for updates.
  • UsoClient StartDownload – use this command to start downloading updates.
  • UsoClient StartInstall – use this command to start installing the downloaded updates.
  • UsoClient RestartDevice – use this command to restart your computer after you install.
  • UsoClient ScanInstallWait – use this command to check, download and install updates.

Note: Keep in mind that the commands in Command Prompt listed above are only meant for Windows 10. On the other hand, if you are using an older Windows version, you can try using the following commands instead:

• wuauclt /detectnow – use this command to start checking for updates.
• wuauclt /updatenow – use this command to start installing the updates detected.
• wuauclt /detectnow /updatenow – use this command to check, download and install updates.

Option 2 – Run Windows Updates via Windows PowerShell

If you run Windows Updates in the Windows PowerShell, it will require you to install the Windows Update module manually. Hence, you have to get the Windows Updates downloaded and install Windows Updates.

• Search for PowerShell in the Cortana search box and then run it with administrator privileges.
• Once you’ve opened the Windows PowerShell, type the following command and hit Enter.
  • Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate – use this command to install the Windows Update module for Windows PowerShell.
  • Get-WindowsUpdate – use this command to connect to the servers of Windows Update and download the updates if found.
  • Install-WindowsUpdate – use this command to install the Windows Updates you’ve downloaded to your computer.

Living in today's world sadly is still living in the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been more than a year and sadly pandemic is still very strong and we are battling it on a daily basis. Governments all over the world are trying to battle pandemics in their own way with their own ideas and prevention measures. We as individuals can not very much influence how will the pandemic itself go but fortunately in this modern age of information we can at least follow and be in the loop at the current state of the situation regarding it. Today instead of having a troubleshooting article or tips and trick for your PC we are doing something else but in the domain of internet technology, you know, just to keep everything still IT related ???? Below you will find websites with small descriptions of what they do to keep yourself informed and hope to get over this dreadful pandemic.

1. The WHO’s COVID-19 Dashboard

   If you are interested in real-time COVID-19 information about active cases, death tool so far, new cases and the number of vaccines administrated so far I would recommend WHO's dashboard. How WHO is a non-government institution composed of doctors from all over the world with just a single goal in mind, to help and put an end to this pandemic is a great non-biased source of information on the current state of virus spread.

2. Vaccine Finder

   Please be aware that Vaccinefinder is working only on the territory of the United States of America. The reason why it was included in this list is that basically it is a great idea and I hope to see this site expand on other world regions or at least that inspires the emergence of another worldwide website with this type of content. If you live in the USA, this site will be a great help since you can track where and how many shots are distributed to states and even towns in America.

3. COVID tracking project

   This site is also for U.S. residents, this time it is about tracking cases in each state with details and statistics. If you are interested in more detailed statistics of hospitalized patients per state or overall you are just interested in statistics about the pandemic in the U.S. this site might provide all the information about your needs.

4. NPR

   On national public radio or NPR for short, there is a special section devoted to the coronavirus where new articles about pandemic are released daily with new information and new findings on how to battle it and the current state of things. A great informational site to keep up with the current state of things.

5. Google's COVID-19 page

   Google has not been inactive during this pandemic and on its page specially dedicated to the COVID-19 virus you can find a lot of free information updated daily. From safety and prevention tips to data about pandemics there is a lot of ground covered on-page and we recommend at least going through the prevention section to inform yourself how to keep yourself and others safe.

6. Coronavirus tracker

   This daily updated chart can show how many cases and deaths are from chosen time period all in form of a chart, you can see charts for each country in the world how COVID cases rose or dropped along with the death tool it brought.

There you go, 6 websites to track and inform yourself about this dreaded pandemic which has managed to change the world and people's lives forever, sadly on the bad side.

Microsoft has presented its next version of their flagship product, Windows 11, and feelings are divided among users. Some users like it very much and eager to upgrade, some do not like the graphic overhaul it went through, but overall I think Microsoft has done a good job with it. Here in this article, we will discuss some of the new features which Windows brings to the table, well at least ones that were showed, I am sure there are plenty more which we will see once OS has been released.

New Start menu

One of the first things that everyone saw when Microsoft has unveiled Windows 11 is its Start menu. Funny enough this is what has caused most of the divide among users, some find it interesting, and some do not like it. Truth is, it is different, and it is centered in the middle instead of the lower left part of the screen. It has been confirmed however that the Start menu can be moved to any part of the screen so if you want, you could place it on the lower left as it has always been. Live tiles do not longer exist in the Start menu, instead, we have styled simple icons.

Windows 11 Snap controls are great

If you have used the cascade option in previous Windows versions then it is most likely that you will like the new Snap controls. You can quickly snap windows side by side, or arrange them in sections on your desktop just by hovering over maximize button on the title bar.

Windows 11 File Explorer

File explorer has gone through some visual and design changes, the ribbon on top has been completely removed and replaced with a header-like feature with a slick and clean design. The header contains a nice organized and designed single row of icons like cut, paste, copy, rename, delete, and new folder icons.

Settings app ovberhaul

The settings app also has gone through visual and design changes. It has a new design that is very visually appealing and navigation has been simplified and more organized. Finding the right and desired setting is much faster and clearer now.

Widget tab makes comeback in Windows 11

Yes, widgets are back but not like you remember them. Instead of being all-time present at your desktop like once they used to be, now there is a button on the taskbar which brings the widget bar up that contains desired widgets. This way they are easily accessible and do not clutter desktops. So far we have weather, news, calendar, and stocks widget but we will see how development on these goes. I expect to have community-made widgets like in old days for all of our needs.

XBOX app

The new Xbox app is now integrated into Windows 11, offering quick access to Xbox Game Pass games, the social parts of the Xbox network, and the Xbox store.

Security and TPM 2.0 in Windows 11

As widely known by now Windows 11 will require you to have a TPM 2.0 module capable CPU in order to install it. This system requirement has caused a lot of controversies but essentially it seems that MS's goal is to protect your personal data by using this module. The upside of course is that your data will be protected much more than in previous Windows versions, the downside, of course, will be that you will need newer hardware to run OS on it. and that is essentially it, keep on tuned on more Windows 11 information and overall articles tied to PC and technology here at errortools.com

Steam Deck release is almost upon us and more news comes to light. The Latest officially confirmed technical detail is that the user will have access to device's BIOS and that dual booting will be officially supported. This, of course, means that you will be able to have both Proton and Windows on your device letting you play anything that you wish if the hardware is strong enough. Valve also said that you can launch OS from an SD card! This of course will save space available for games themselves, especially for entry models with less than one available. All of this information really pushes Deck into the territory of a handheld PC and not just another console and I must admit that this announcement left a smile on my face.

Brave browser has gained popularity very rapidly and many websites have gone into the territory of recommending it. Sadly although the browser kind of offered better performance, it seems that so much advertised privacy and security was a lie. Several months ago, Brave was involved in a “scandal”. Unfortunately, this incident did not get much media attention, and it’s hard to search for and discover as of today. There is an article on the Android police website explaining this issue in detail, you can check it here: https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/06/07/brave-browser-caught-adding-its-own-referral-codes-to-some-cryptcurrency-trading-sites/ But to sum things up and keep them short if you do not want to go through the full article, Brave had been injecting their affiliate codes into popular crypto-currency websites. This means that they had been intercepting your traffic, which they promised was secure by the way, and modifying it. This means Brave Software has access to all of your information on those crypto-currency sites as well. They can see your payments/purchases, and your activity on the websites (through affiliate statistics). Now some people might point out that they are not interested in crypto or have been visiting some of the sites but the issue still remains and that is they did all of this, without telling the user. They intentionally didn’t tell the user because they knew it would cause backlash and disruption. They knew one hundred percent what they were doing, and they knew it was unethical. And the point remains if something like this was already done, who knows what will come up in the future. Personal recommendation is to avoid Brave and go back to other browsers.

There are times when after you upgrade your Windows operating system, the System Logs under the Event Viewer will display an error message saying, “Event ID 10010 error – The server did not register with DCOM within the required timeout”. What is DCOM? DCOM stands for “Distributed Component Object Model”. It is a proprietary Microsoft technology that allows the Component Object Model or COM software to communicate across a network. You can consider it as an extension of COM which is equipped with the capability of solving a couple of inherent problems related to the COM model to the better use over a network. COM is a tool that’s used for advanced configuration and troubleshooting in Windows 10. Developers usually use it to configure routine components and application behavior like participation in transactions and object pooling and so on. The Component Services needs the DCOM wire protocol in order to communicate with the Component Object Model components on other computers. By default, in a Windows-based system, the network computers are configured initially to enable DCOM. There are also some components in Windows that might require registering themselves with DCOM. However, if they fail to do so, you will encounter the “The server did not register with DCOM within the required timeout” error. To fix this, here are some suggestions you can check out.

Option 1 – Try to use the Component Services

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “dcomcnfg” in the field and tap Enter to pull up Component Services.
• Next, double click on the Computers folder located in the right pane and right-click on My Computer, and select the Properties option.
• After that, switch to the COM Security tab under My Computer Properties and then go to the Access Permissions section.
• From there, click the Edit Default button and in the new window that appears, apply the correct permission to objects under the Group or user names section.
• Once you’re done, click OK and exit. This should fix the error.

Option 2 – Make sure that Function Discovery Resource Publication Properties Services is running

• In the Cortana search box, type “services” and click on the Services icon to open the Services Manager. Alternatively, you can also tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run prompt and then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
• Next, scroll down and look for the “Function Discovery Resource Publication” entry and double click on it.
• Then switch to the General tab and from there, make sure that the Startup Type is set to “Manual (Triggered).
• You also have to make sure that the service is running so if it’s not, just click on the Start button to start the service.
• Now click on Apply to save the changes made.

Option 3 – Try resetting the default DCOM permissions

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “dcomcnfg” in the field and tap Enter to pull up Component Services.
• After that, expand Component Services > Computers and right-click on My Computer, and then select Properties.
• Next, go to the Default Properties tab, and in the Default Distributed COM Communication Properties section, make sure that:
  • Default Authentication Level is set to Connect
  • Default Impersonation Level is set to Identify.

Long working hours on a laptop can have some issues with laptop heating and thus slowing down. Today we will take a look at how can you prevent it from heating and keep it in a normal temperature range so it lasts longer and works better.

Close unnecessary programs or browser tabs

Usually, the main reason for high laptop temperature is the heavy and constant workload. Of course, the solution is very simple, turn off unnecessary browser tabs or applications running in the background, and less power will be needed for operation thus directly reducing workload and temperature.

Place it on a hard flat surface

Laptops generally have vents on the side and even under them, these vents, of course, are made so hot air is disposed of through them but if they are covered that will create issues. Placing computers on textiles, pillows, and legs can obstruct their venting holes and increase heat also since they are materials that are not taking heat away.

Your best practice should be placing the laptop onto a hard flat surface so air can flow freely and if you need to keep it in your lap there are lap desks made for this purpose.

Clean the laptop

With some good cleaning, the laptop can stop overheating, and generally, it will be cooler. Vents that has for ventilation can get clogged over large periods of time due to dust which is always present. Compressed air can be a quick easy solution to open the vents and redust it. Other methods include a compressor, vacuum, or brush in order to quickly remove any dust clogs. Taking it into service for complete redusting and paste change is also a great option.

Place it on the dedicated pad

There is some disagreement about using dedicated cooling pads for laptops, some say they are not effective at all, and some swear by them but from my experience good paired laptop and pad can indeed help with cooling it down. Usually, cooling pads will come with fans that will take away heat from the laptop itself reducing its overall heat.

Change your Windows power plan

If your laptop is constantly hot but you are not doing much with him check Windows power settings. There is a good chance it is set to run on a high-performance plan and if this is the case switch it back to a balanced power setting. Power plan like high performance will drain more power and more power will mean more heating. Of course, this will affect performance as well but for regular work that excludes some power gaming, video, and picture manipulations and other demanding tasks this power plan will work just fine.

Take control of the fans inside your laptop

Internal cooling is important and sometimes fans are not running to their full capacity so increasing their speed or changing their plan of work can cool down the computer nicely. Some laptops have fans controlling application already on them, especially gaming laptops but most of them do not. If your laptop does not have it, go to your laptop brand website and see if such an application exists for your model, if it does, download and install it but if there is no such application try general free ones like SpeedFan or Argus Monitor.

Reduce voltage of CPU and GPU

How more power means more heat, reducing the power that CPU and/or GPU take can be reduced inside BIOS by lowering voltage of these 2 components. First, go to BIOS and write down the voltage that is currently assigned to your CPU and/or GPU so you can bring it back if ever needed, also take note that reducing voltage and thus power will not affect negatively your components but increasing it thus overclocking can and will so be careful when bringing voltage back not to overdo it. You can always also reset your BIOS settings to bring them back to factory settings.

Do not use the laptop when charging it

When the laptop is placed on the charger in order to be charged and used at the same time, more power is drawn to it, and since the battery is taking electric charge instead of providing it more heat will be generated now since two different sources will be generating it, the battery itself and computer. When you really can not wait for the laptop to be charged, use it, but turn it off and wait to be fully charged if you can.