Location services are greyed out in Windows

The new thing from Mozilla is not a browser, it is a VPN!

Besides Firefox, Mozilla offers now Firefox Relay, an app helping you to mask your email and phone number, and a new Mozilla VPN.

Mozilla has recently announced a new subscription model that will let you use all products together for $6.99 per month. Although this is a little more expensive than the competition that goes around for $5 per month note that with this subscription you are having access to all services, not just VPN.

VPN will not only hide your IP address but will also make sure websites cannot access your real location and it encrypts all of your network activity. Relay will give you protection against spam, serving as a shield for your email and limiting spammers from access to your real email address and phone number. With Mozilla subscription will let you use both services.

One of the important functions in the Windows operating system is the Task Scheduler. It can automatically run various tasks at a certain time where you’ll have to add a task that needs to be executed and then choose the time it has to run at. So when that time comes, the Task Scheduler will run the task automatically. However, some users reported getting an Error 0x80070057 where the Task Scheduler fails to start. This kind of error may be due to a disabled service that prevents the service from running. It is also possible that the antivirus program interfered with the task – it could be that the Task Scheduler is somewhat in the block list since the antivirus adds it to the list automatically when it’s installed. On the other hand, it could be that you lack administrator-level privilege which is why the Task Scheduler was not able to carry out the task. To fix this issue, here are some suggestions you can try.

Option 1 – Try to restart the Task Scheduler service

As mentioned, it is possible that the Task Scheduler service could be disabled. You could have disabled it when trying to enhance your computer’s performance and whatnot. Thus, you need to verify if it’s running or not and then restart it.

• First, you need to tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “services.msc” in the field and click OK or tap Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• You will see a list of Services and from there, look for the Task Scheduler service and double click on it.
• After that, go to the General tab and click on the Startup Type options and then select “Automatically” from the given list.
• Click on the “RUN” option and select the “Restart the Service” option.
• And click on the “After Second Failure” option and then select the “Restart-Service” option again.
• Now click on the “After Subsequent Failures” tab and select the “Restart the Service” option.
• Finally, click on the Apply and OK buttons and then run the Task Scheduler and see if the issue is now fixed.

Option 2 – Try to temporarily disable the anti-virus program

As mentioned, the error could be due to the antivirus program or the Windows Defender Firewall installed in your computer. Thus, disabling them or any security software installed on your computer is always a good idea you can try when you’re not able to access the shared drive on your computer. There are times when you encounter problems like the Task Scheduler Error 0x80070057 due to interference of antivirus or security programs. Thus, you have to disable both your antivirus program for the meantime and check if it fixes the error or not.

Option 3 – Run the Task Scheduler with an administrator account

Like pointed out, the Task Scheduler Error 0x80070057 may be due to the lack of admin privileges. Thus, you have to log in to an administrator account and try running the Task Scheduler again. It is also recommended that the administrator account you’re going to use as a password when logging in.

Option 4 – Repair the Task Scheduler by deleting corrupted tasks

Note that a single corrupted file can cause big problems so this option is quite important. And for you to delete a corrupted task or any task from the Task Scheduler, you have to use the Registry Editor if you are not able to use the Task Scheduler interface. To do so, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the dialog box for Run.
• Next, type in Regedit and click on OK or tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Then navigate to this path: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheTree

Note: In this path, you can see all the tasks that are currently set in the Task Scheduler. And since it would be hard to tell which one of them is corrupted, you have to delete the latest one in Task Scheduler last. But before you do so, make sure that you take note of the ID of the tasks. And for you to get the ID, you have to select the task you wish to delete and double click on the ID string located on your right-hand side, and then copy it in the Notepad.

• Right-click on the task name and then delete it.
• After that, delete the very same GUID which you have copied earlier from these folders:
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheBoot
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheLogon
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheMaintenance
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCachePlain
• ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionScheduleTaskCacheTasks

Note: You might not see the same GUID from these folders but if you see it, delete it right away.

• Next, navigate to this location: C:/Windows/System32/Tasks
• Delete the very same tasks you just deleted from the Registry Editor.
• Restart your PC and check if the Task Scheduler is back to its normal state or not.

As you know, Microsoft Store is the ultimate source of applications for Windows 10 devices and it’s turning to be the hub for various applications. In fact, aside from applications, it has also become a source for movies, books, TV and even buying hardware directly from Microsoft and many more. Although downloading goes smoothly most of the time, depending on your internet connection, there are also times when you might experience slow download speeds while downloading apps and other things in the Microsoft Store. There are several factors that could be causing this kind of issue. It can be due to the Microsoft Store app itself or it could be enforced speed limiter on the application or it could be due to a corrupted Microsoft Store cache, or it could be due to the Windows Update service running in the background, and so on. To fix this problem, you can try to reset the Microsoft Store cache, or set the bandwidth limit for downloads, or try to re-register the Microsoft Store app via Windows PowerShell. Before you proceed with the troubleshooting options provided below, make sure that your internet connection is stable enough to download apps and games. You also have to check if there is an update or a massive download in progress. Once you have these things covered, follow the given options below.

Option 1 – Try to reset the Microsoft Store cache

Just like browsers, Microsoft Store also caches as you view apps and games so it is most likely that the cache is no longer valid and must be removed. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Right-click on the start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator).
• Next, type in the command, “exe” and tap Enter. Once you do, the command will clear the cache for the Windows Store app.
• Now restart your PC and afterward, try opening Microsoft Store again and then try to install your app or update your computer again.

Option 2 – Try to set the bandwidth limit for downloads

• Tap the Win + I key combination to open the Windows Settings app.
• After that, navigate to Update & security > Windows Update.
• From there, select the Advanced options located on the right-side panel.
• Next, select Delivery Optimization and check the box for “Limit how much bandwidth is used for downloading updates in the background under the Download settings section and then set the slider to 100%.

Option 3 – Try to re-register the Microsoft Store app via Windows PowerShell

• Tap the Win + X key combination or right-click on the Start button and click on the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option.
• If a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed and open the Windows PowerShell window.
• Next, type in or copy-paste the following command to re-register the Microsoft Store app and tap Enter:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $Env:SystemRootWinStoreAppxManifest.xml

• Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.

If your browser of choice is Google Chrome then sit back and enjoy the ride as we are going through some great productivity tips for it. So without further talking let's dive right into them.

Browsing using tabs groups in Chrome

If you have plenty of tabs opened during your browsing session clogging your screen then you will be happy to know that it is possible to group tabs under, well tabs groups. The good part is that you can name groups however you wish and even code them with color if you wish so. Right-click a tab for a website you want to put into a group. Select Add tab to the new group, then type in a name for the group and choose a color. Create as many groups as you want in this way. To put a tab into an existing group, right-click the tab, select Add tab to group, and select the group to which you want to add the tab. To remove a tab from a group, right-click it and select remove from group.

Send a highlighted text to another Chrome user

If you want to send some text or article you stumbled upon while surfing the internet, there is an easy way to do it providing that the target user is also on Google chrome. Highlight the text you want to share, then right-click it and select Copy link to highlight. That creates the link and puts it into your clipboard. Copy the link from your clipboard and send it to someone. When they click on it, they’ll be sent to the section of the web page with the text you want to share, and the text will be highlighted in yellow.

Sync Google Chrome via the account on multiple devices

If you use multiple devices there is an option to sync Chrome through all of these devices and get all of your bookmarks, history, etc. All you have to do is click on three dots in the upper right corner and click on synchronize. Take note that you will need a Google account in order to sync accounts and you will need to be logged in on all devices you are syncing.

Use multiple search engines

If you need or want to use multiple search engines inside Chrome like BING, DuckDuckGo, etc. now you can and you can do it very easily. Click the three-dot menu icon at the top right of Chrome and select Settings, Search engine, Manage search engines. Under the Default search engines section toward the top of the page, you’ll see a list of search engines you can search through without having to navigate to their sites. To perform a search using any of these engines, such as Bing.com, type bing.com into the address bar and press the Tab key. The leftmost part of the address bar changes, it will read Search Bing or whatever search engine you’ve typed in. Now just type in your search term and press Enter, and you’ll do a search with that search engine.

Search similar websites in content

When you are searching for content on google there is a very easy and quick way to find similar content on the internet. For example, if you want to find more sites similar to the searched site just type in the address bar in front of address related: For example, if you want sites similar to Microsoft, you would type related:www.microsoft.com

Open specific set of websites on Chrome startup

If you need and want to open a specific set of pages each time Chrome is booted know that you can. Click the three, dot icon at the top right of Chrome and select Settings, You and Google, then scroll to the On startup section at the bottom of the screen. Select Open a specific page or set of pages, then click Add a new page, type or paste in the page’s URL and click Add. Add as many pages as you want this way. That’s it for now on Google Chrome tips for better productivity, tune-up again to errortools.com for more articles.

One of the most useful and efficient command-line disk management tools is the DISKPART utility. It can be used to manage, delete or create new hard drive partitions. However, despite its efficiency, there are still times it could face some errors like the “No usable free extent could be found”. You can encounter this error when you create a partition. This error could be due to insufficient disk space which is why it is not able to carry out the operation. It is also possible that the disk is not recognized by the system. And since there are only four recognized primary partitions, when you try creating a fifth one, you will get this error. In addition, this error could also occur if the disk has been partitioned using the MBR disk partitioning format. To fix the “No usable free extent could be found” error, here are some suggestions you can follow.

Option 1 – Free up disk space using Storage Sense

The error could be caused by insufficient disk space in your computer and so you need to free up disk space using Storage Sense to fix the problem.

• Open Setting > System > Storage from the WinX Menu.
• From there, you will see a list of all the local and connected storage devices along with the details on the free space. Make sure that Storage Sense is on.
• Next, find a link that says “Free Up Space” and click it to open.
• After that, a screen which is the built-in program in Windows 10 will appear and will scan your computer for the following junk files so you can free up disk space:
  • Windows Upgrade Log Files
  • The system created Windows Error Reporting Files
  • Thumbnails
  • Temporary Internet Files
  • Previous Windows Installation Files
  • Delivery Optimisation Files
  • DirectX Shader Cache
• Choose the files you want to get rid of and then click on the remove files option. Note that you’ll have an idea of the total size as you select any of the junk files listed above.
• Now go to the “Free Up Space Now” section and click the Clear Now button. This will get rid of all the temporary or junk files in your computer and should hopefully fix Error 1310.

Note: You can also run the Disk Cleanup tool to free up disk space.

Option 2 – Try to run DISKPART in Command Prompt with administrator permissions

The next thing you can do to resolve the error is to run the DISKPART utility with admin privileges.

• In the Start Search, type “command prompt” and from the search results that appear, look for Command Prompt.
• Once you found it, right-click on it and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After that, try to execute the Diskpart operation once again. Note that you also have to specify different size & offset values for the partitioning and then see if you still encounter the same error.

Option 3 – Try to execute the DISKPART clean command

The next thing you can try is to execute the clean command in DISKPART to fix any issues in the disk.

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then execute this command: diskpart
• The command you entered will initiate the DISKPART utility. Now execute this second command to view all the disk connects or all the partitions on those disks formed: list disk
• After that, you need to select one command depending on the list command you executed and then execute this third command: select disk #
• The third command you just executed will select the disk or partition you want to select. Now execute this fourth command: clean
• The command you entered will remove all the volumes or partitions formatting the disk in focus.
• Once it’s done, try to carry out the DISKPART operation you were trying to execute.

Option 4 – Try to update the USB drivers

Outdated USB drivers can also be the reason why you’re getting the error. Thus, you must update them from time to time. You can install the latest version of the USB driver for your system. But you need to check the manufacturer’s website or guidelines to update the driver according to your system. If it happens that the drivers might not be compatible with the version of the system your laptop is using which is unlikely, you can run the driver software in Compatibility Mode in that kind of situation. To update your USB drivers, follow these steps:

• 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, look for the USB Serial Bus controllers from the list of device drivers displayed. If you see a red or yellow sign that shows up against the driver, right-click on the driver’s name and select “Update Driver Software”. And if you find any “Unknown device”, you need to update it as well.
• Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and then follow the instructions to complete the process.

Option 5 – Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter or the USB troubleshooter

You can find the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter under the Troubleshooters section of the Windows Settings panel on your Windows 10 PC. You can use this troubleshooter to fix common hardware and external device-related issues without exerting too much effort. If you don’t know where to find it, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Windows Settings.
• Next, navigate to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• You should see the option for Hardware and Devices on your right-hand side where you can also find the “Rub the troubleshooter” button – click on it to get started.
• Follow the next on-screen instructions to fix the basic issues of common hardware and external device.

Note: If you want to, you can also use the USB Troubleshooter to fix the problem just go back to the Troubleshoot page where you can find it.

Recently, a number of Windows 10 users reported an issue wherein they try to print from their PCs but were unable to and got an error message instead that states, “Port in use, please wait”. However, no matter how long they waited, nothing changed and they were still unable to print from their computers. On the other hand, when some of the users attempted to print wirelessly from their mobile devices, the printing continues which indicates that there is some issue between the computer and the printer. So if you are one of the users who are currently facing this problem, then this post should help. To fix this issue with your Printer, here are some possible fixes you can try that might work.

Option 1 – Run the Printer Troubleshooter

The first thing you can do to fix the “Port in use, please wait” error is to run the Printer Troubleshooter. This built-in troubleshooter in Windows 10 can help you fix most print issues. It checks if you have the latest printer drivers and then tries to fix and update them automatically. Aside from that, it also checks if you have connectivity issues or if the Print Spooler and the required Services are running fine. To run it, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next, type “msdt.exe /id PrinterDiagnostic” in the field and click OK or hit Enter to open the Printer Troubleshooter.
• Then click the Next button and follow the next on-screen instructions to fix the issue with the printer.

Option 2 – Try updating the Printer drivers

You might also want to try updating your printer drivers. All you have to do is locate the USB Composite Device. For complete details, follow the steps below.

• First, click the Start button and type “device manager”.
• Then click on the “Device Manager” from the search results to open it.
• From there, look for the USB Composite Device option and right-click on it, and select the Update Driver from the options.
• Restart your PC and then click the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option.

Note: You also have the option to download the latest version of your Printer from the manufacturer’s website.

Option 3 – Try selecting the correct port for your Printer

If the first two options given above didn’t work, then maybe it’s time to select a correct port for your printer since the wrong port has been selected which is why you’re getting the “Port in use, please wait” error.

• Open “Devices and Printers” from the Start search.
• Next, look for your printer from the list of devices and right-click on it, and then select Printer Properties.
• Now go to the Ports tab under the newly opened Properties window and make sure that the port type matches the connection on the list of ports currently in use.

Note: If your printer is using a USB connection then the port should have a USB or DOT 4 in its description but if your printer is using a network connection then it should have the following description:

• WSD
• Network
• IP

And if you notice that there are several listings for the same type of port, you have to change the selection to a different one and then click the OK button to save the changes made.

What is Error 0x80010108?

Error 0x80010108 is a Windows Live Photo Gallery error. This error prevents the Windows PC user from viewing photos. The error code is often displayed in the following format:

‘An error is preventing the photo or video from being displayed’ Error code 0x80010108

Solution

Error Causes

The error 0x80010108 occurs due to multiple reasons including:

• The issue in Windows Live Essential Settings

This error occurs while using Windows Photo Gallery but it is actually related to the Windows Live Photo Viewer within the Windows Live Essentials software.

• Viral Infection
• Registry Issues

To view the photos on your Windows PC, it is advisable to fix the problem right away. Furthermore, you should also not delay in fixing this problem especially if the underlying causes are related to the registry or viral infection. These can pose serious system and security threats including system failure, crash and data breaches.

Further Information and Manual Repair

To resolve this error on your system, you don’t always have to hire a technical expert or be a technical whiz yourself. Here are some easy and effective methods to resolve error 0x80010108 on your PC immediately:

Method #1

To repair Windows Live Essential Software Settings, go to the start menu and then click the control panel. Now in the control panel go the option Programs. In the programs click the tab programs and features and then select Windows Live Essentials and click repair tab. Once the settings are repaired, restart your PC to activate changes.

Method #2

Go to the start menu and type regedit.exe and then press enter. Type the following key: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT WindowsLive.PhotoGallery.bmp.15.4 shell open DropTarget then right-click DropTarget and then Rename. Prefix a hyphen so that it becomes “-DropTarget”. Now type the following for each GIF/ICO/JPG/PNG/TIF file types: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTWindowsLive.PhotoGallery.gif.15.4 shellopen DropTarget HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT WindowsLive.PhotoGallery.ico.15.4 shell open DropTarget HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT WindowsLive.PhotoGallery.jpg.15.4 shell open DropTarget HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT WindowsLive.PhotoGallery.png.15.4 shell open DropTarget HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT WindowsLive.PhotoGallery.tif.15.4 shell open DropTarget

Method #3

Download Restoro on your PC to scan for both registry issues and malware. Restoro is a multi-functional PC Fixer embedded with utilities like a powerful registry cleaner, an antivirus, and a system optimizer to name a few. The registry cleaner scans and detects all registry-related issues. It removes all unnecessary files damaging the registry and corrupting the registry settings. Simultaneously, the antivirus removes all kinds of malicious software affecting your PC including spyware, viruses, and Trojans. The system optimizer feature ensures that your PC works at the optimal level and does not slow down during and after the cleaning process. Restoro is efficient and safe. It has a user-friendly interface and simple navigations which makes it quite easy to operate. It can be downloaded on all Windows versions including. Click here to download Restoro to resolve error 0x80010108.

If you encounter the BAD_SYSTEM_CONFIG_INFO Blue Screen error in your Windows 10 PC, then read on as this post will guide you in fixing this issue. Usually, this kind of Blue Screen error is caused by some issues with the Boot Configuration Data file. The main issue inside of the Boot Configuration Data file is that either some boot order files or older files might be in conflict with the newer ones or the stable ones and thus triggering the BAD SYSTEM CONFIG INFO Blue Screen error. This kind of Stop error also indicates that there is an error in the Windows Registry which is why you need to update potential culprit drivers as well as edit some entries in the Registry if need be. But before you get started, make sure that you create a System Restore Point first. After creating a System Restore Point, try to boot your computer into Safe Mode and then restart your computer normally. However, if it doesn’t work, proceed to the given options below.

Option 1 – Run System Restore

Performing System Restore might help you in fixing the BAD SYSTEM CONFIG INFO Blue Screen error. 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.

Option 2 – Update or rollback your device drivers

If the first option didn’t work for you, then it’s time to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.

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

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

Option 3 – Try fixing the Windows Registry files

In order to fix the Windows Registry files, you need to make a bootable Windows 10 USB drive and then boot your PC using it. To do so, refer to the steps below.

• Once you see the Welcome Screen, click on Next.
• Then click on the “Repair your computer” option located on the bottom-left section of the window.
• Next, click on Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute each one of the commands listed below in the sequence that they are given:
  • CD C:WindowsSystem32config
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32configDEFAULT DEFAULT.old
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32configSAM SAM.old
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32configSECURITY SECURITY.old
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32configSOFTWARE SOFTWARE.old
  • ren C:WindowsSystem32configSYSTEM SYSTEM.old
• After executing the commands given above, type in the next ones below and make sure to execute them in the given sequence below.
  • copy C:WindowsSystem32configRegBackDEFAULT C:WindowsSystem32config
  • copy C:WindowsSystem32configRegBackSAM C:WindowsSystem32config
  • copy C:WindowsSystem32configRegBackSECURITY C:WindowsSystem32config
  • copy C:WindowsSystem32configRegBackSYSTEM C:WindowsSystem32config
  • copy C:WindowsSystem32configRegBackSOFTWARE C:WindowsSystem32config
• Now type “exit” to close Command Prompt.
• Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Option 4 – Run a Memory Check to test RAM

On the other hand, you can also fix the BAD SYSTEM CONFIG INFO Blue Screen error by running a Memory Check using the Windows Memory Diagnostic. Refer to these steps to do so.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “mdsched.exe” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Memory Diagnostic.
• After that, the Windows Memory Diagnostic will give out two options such as:

1. Restart now and check for problems (recommended)
2. Check for problems the next time I start my computer

• Select any of the given options. After that, your computer will restart and check for memory-based issues upon the restart. If there are any issues, it will automatically them.

Option 5 – Rebuild BCD files and repair MBR files

Like what you did on the third option above, you also have to make a bootable Windows 10 USB drive for this option and then boot your Windows 10 PC using it.

• Once you get to the Welcome Screen part, click on Next.
• Afterward, 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, enter each one of the following commands and in the sequence that they are given to rebuild BCD files and repair MBR files:
  • bootrec /repairbcd
  • bootrec /osscan
  • bootrec /repairmbr

• Now type “exit” to close Command Prompt and then restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.

If, while using your computer, you encounter the ACPI.sys Blue Screen error, read on as this post will guide you in fixing the problem. The ACPI.sys file is a Windows operating system file that is related to the MSDN 2939. ACPI.sys, the Windows ACPI driver, is an inbox component of the Windows operating system. It is the one that supports the power management as well as the Plug and Play or PnP device enumeration. And so if this file ends up getting corrupted, it is known to cause a Blue Screen error. Another possible cause for the ACPI.sys Blue Screen error includes RAM issues, incompatible firmware, hard disk issues, corrupted drivers or malware infection, and so on. Here are some Blue Screen errors that can be triggered by the ACPI.sys file:

• KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
• PAGE FAULT IN A NONPAGED AREA
• SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
• IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL
• KERNEL DATA INPAGE
• SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION

To fix the Blue Screen error associated with the ACPI.sys file, refer to the instructions provided below.

Option 1 – Try to recreate the ACPI.sys file

If the first option didn’t work, the next thing you can do is to recreate the ACPI.sys file. Every time your Windows 10 PC boots up, it looks for all the system drivers in place and if it is unable to find them, it tries to create them. This is why if you remove your corrupt driver file, chances are, you might get a fixed file recreated just for you. How? Refer to the steps below.

• Boot your Windows 10 PC in Safe Mode.
• Then open File Explorer and navigate to this location: C:/Windows/System32/drivers
• From there, look for the file named ACPI.sys and rename it to ACPI.old.

Note: As you can see, the file’s extension has changed from .sys to .old.

• Now restart your computer and check if the ACPI.sys Blue Screen error is now fixed.

Option 2 – Try to update or rollback the ACPI Driver

The first thing you can try to fix the Storport.sys Blue Screen error is to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.

• Tap the Win + X keys to open the Win X menu and from there, select the Device Manager.
• After opening the Device Manager, look for the ACPI.sys driver and right-click on it, and then select Properties.
• Next, go to the Driver section. Note that the rollback option would only be available if you’ve recently updated the ACPI.sys driver. So if you can’t see it then click on the Update Driver button.
• After that, Windows will automatically check for the problems that could be related to the Blue Screen error.
• Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.

Note: You can also directly download the relevant drivers of your computer from the manufacturers’ website. So if you have an SSD, the issue might be due to an old storage driver. On the other hand, if updating the ACPI driver, didn’t work, you can also try to copy the ACPI.sys system driver file from the System32 folder of another computer that’s functioning properly and runs the same Windows OS version. Afterward, place it on your problematic computer and check if it fixes the BSOD error or not.

Option 3 – Run System File Checker or SFC scan

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. 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:

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 PC.

Option 4 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

Troubleshooting Blue Screen of Death errors wouldn’t be complete without the Blue Screen troubleshooter. As you know, it is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like ACPI.sys. It can be found on the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

Option 5 – Run System Restore

• 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.

This post will guide you in fixing a particular problem where your Windows 10 computer does not even let you turn it on and it appears as soon as it starts to boot the operating system and it displays an error message that says, “The Boot Configuration Data for your PC is missing or contains errors, Error code 0xc0000185”. On the other hand, it may also display a different error message saying, “The operating system couldn’t be loaded because a required file is missing or contains errors”. There are various suggestions you can try to resolve this error. You could check the physical status of your hardware or rebuild the Boot Configuration Data, use the Automatic Startup Repair or System Restore, or better yet, reset your Windows 10 computer. Since your computer will not boot, you will have to either try to get into the Advanced Startup Options screen, boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode, or use a bootable Windows 10 media to boot your computer.

Option 1 – Try to rebuild the BCD files

The first thing you can do to resolve the issue is to Rebuild Boot Configuration Data or BCD files.

• You can start by booting into the installation environment for Windows 10 from an installation media.
• After that, click on Repair your computer and on the blue screen, select Troubleshoot and then select the Advanced options menu.
• From there, select Command Prompt and once you open it, enter each one of the commands given below by sequence.
  • bootrec /FixMbr
  • bootrec /FixBoot
  • bootrec /ScanOS
  • bootrec /RebuildBcd
• Once you’re done executing the commands given above, type “exit” to close the Command Prompt window and then restart your computer and see if it fixed error code 0xc000014c.

Option 2 – Try to run Automatic Startup Repair

In this option, you need to boot your computer into the Advanced Startup Options and from there, run the Automatic Startup Repair and then wait until the process is completed.

Option 3 – Try running System Restore in Advanced Startup Options

Since you probably can’t boot into your Windows 10 computer, you can try to run System Restore again in the Advanced Startup Options.

• Boot your computer into the Advanced Startup Options screen.
• From there, you will see some options to troubleshoot when you can’t log in to Windows in the usual way.
• Now select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
• After that, type “rstrui” and hit Enter to execute the command which will start the System Restore process.

Option 4 – Try to perform repair install by creating a Windows 10 installation media

• Click this link and then click the Download Tool Now button.
• Next, click the “Use the tool to create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)…” option and follow the next given instructions on the screen.
• Now select the ISO file option in step 5.
• After that, you should now have an ISO file.
• Next, go to the location where you’ve downloaded the ISO file.
• Then right-click on the Windows 10 ISO file and select the Open with option and then select File Explorer.
• Now click on “setup.exe” and follow the next instructions that appear on the screen. When asked, you have to select either Nothing (clean install) or Keep personal files only option. Take note that you must not select the “Keep personal files, apps, and Windows settings since it doesn’t really work.

Option 5 – Try to physically check the hardware

You should also check the physical status of the hardware in your computer. You can clean the dust off the hardware components like the Network Card of the computer. You might want to use a small blower or you could also use a soft cloth and run the components gently. Make sure that you don’t damage any parts with moisture or cause harm to any circuits while you carry out this task.