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Runtime Error 217 can be a big problem if you use your computer for business purposes and you have confidential data/documents stored on your system. This runtime error is quite dangerous. It can slow down your PC performance, lead to system failure and crash, make your system vulnerable to hacker’s attack, and also corrupt important files on your system.

Solution

Error Causes

There is no one particular cause behind the Runtime Error 217. This error can be attributed to several factors such as:

• Corrupt, missing, or faulty register DLLs of programs. This is usually the cause for Runtime Error 217 when installation is unsuccessful and the crucial system files fail to be registered within the registry.
• Exposure to Viruses like malware, adware, and spyware. Once a virus (es) gain access to your PC, you may experience Runtime Error 217. These malicious programs can damage your hard drive, boot sectors, memory banks, and registries.
• Outdated Msvcrt.dll (a Microsoft Visual C++ file) file called.
• Incorrect Regional settings

Further Information and Manual Repair

If you see Runtime Error 217 message pop up on your computer screen, you must fix and repair it right away before it becomes a big threat to you and your PC. Though Runtime Error 217 is alarming this does not mean that you need to panic. Keep calm and follow the recommended solutions to fix Runtime Error 217 given below.

• If the error occurs because you called the outdated Msvcrt.dll file, then you must update the file. This can be easily done by clicking the start menu, accessing the control panel, and then hitting the Windows update tab.
• When you experience Runtime Error 217 due to incorrect regional settings on your PC, then to resolve this issue simply go to the start menu and select Control Panel. Now in the control panel, you’ll find the option clock, click on it and go to the language and region settings. Choose your specific regional settings and save.
• If the cause of the Runtime Error 217 is incorrect registry entries and DLL files corruption, then to fix the error, you need to download a Runtime Error 217 fixer. After you download this repair tool, run it on your PC. It scans and detects corrupted files and repairs the error swiftly.
• Nonetheless, if the cause of this problem is a virus, then you need to install a powerful antivirus program. When you run it, the antivirus scans your PC for viruses. Once the scanning is complete the results are displayed on the screen. The results show exactly how many viruses you have on your PC. Once the scan is complete, delete all the files and click repair.

Regardless of whether you have experienced the Runtime Error 217 on your PC or not, it is advisable to install a powerful antivirus and run it every time you use your PC. By running it regularly, you can make sure that you are not exposed to viruses, malware, and spyware programs. Even if your PC gets infected by them, you can delete and remove them timely before the damage is done.

Recently, several Windows 10 users have reported an issue with the Windows folder sizes in their PCs. If you are one of these affected users, read on as this post will walk you through fixing this issue. For instance, if you have a folder with 100 GB worth of data and when checking its size using its properties, you see the wrong size instead of 100GB. The size displayed will most likely be a random number which can either be bigger or smaller than the real size of the folder. This incorrect folder size issue does not happen to any specific drive or certain kinds of folders as any folder can be affected by this incorrect folder size issue. When you try to rename the affected folder, the size will change but its size still remains to be incorrect. The root cause of this particular issue is in Windows 10 itself. It is a known bug that came along with one of the latest Windows Updates which prevents the File Explorer to accurately read the metadata of a certain folder or file and leads to displaying incorrect and unexpected file sizes and the reason why you might also notice that your drive is also not correct. Since this is brought upon by one of the recent or latest Windows Updates the good thing is that Microsoft will most likely release a fix on its next upcoming updates but until then, you will be left with no choice but to deal with an incorrect folder or file size. To remedy that, here are some suggestions you can try that might fix the problem.

Option 1 – Try using the System File Checker

The 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 to good system files that might be causing the incorrect folder or file size in Windows 10. 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.

Option 2 – Try resetting Windows 10

To fix the folder and file size issue, you can try resetting Windows 10. Doing so won’t get rid of any file in your system – instead of erasing all your media files and documents, this reset option resets all the system settings and files. That way, you won’t have to deal with inaccurate folders or file sizes as you browse and use your files.

Option 3 – Wait for the Windows Update

As mentioned, this is already a known issue and a lot of Windows 10 users have already complained about it to Microsoft so a bug fix will be soon released in the latest Windows Updates.

If you are facing a missing sechost.dll error in your Windows 10, welcome, you have come to the right place to solve it and get back your computer in working order. Sechost.dll is a file that allows other programs to function and complete their tasks as well as control and change the behavior of other programs. The file is found in Windows subfolder System32, it is a completely safe file and should not be deleted. Sometimes however various other reasons can corrupt it or delete it. This guide will lead you to common solutions on how to get file back up and running.

1. Update device driver

   Have you installed a new device and all of a sudden you get the error message that Sechost is missing? Update device driver, it is possible that the file has been corrupted or replaced with an older version and therefore reported as missing. Update device driver to lastest version and issue should run away.

2. Re-register file via command prompt

   If Sechost got corrupted re-registering will solve the issue, press ⊞ WINDOWS + X and choose Command prompt (administrator), click on it. type regsvr32 sechost.dll and press ENTER Reboot your PC

3. Reinstall application

   Usually, Sechost gone bad or missing is due to the installation of another application that corrupts the file. Reinstall the application to try to solve errors. In order to properly reinstall the application first use the control panel to remove it completely from the system and then install it again, hopefully, this time correct version of Sechost.dll will be installed in the system.

4. Check your hard drive

   In some cases, a hard drive malfunction can cause several files to be corrupted or gone missing. To eliminate hard drive malfunction run check disk from Windows on C drive to check it and find if there are any errors.

5. Uninstall Windows update

   Same as with some application, even Windows update could corrupt some files due to update not being properly downloaded. Try uninstalling the latest update and revert to the previous Windows state, then update it again.

A few days ago we celebrated fixing of months-long PrintNightmare vulnerability by Microsoft, sadly a new bug and issue have been found. Firstly discovered Microsoft stated:

A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged file operations. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

A few days ago, Microsoft officially released a patch that was supposed to finally fix it. As you might recall this vulnerability was present for quite some time, Microsoft's solution after a long struggle was to elevate certain privileges to administrator account only and remove user accounts from managing printers. It complicated things a little bit but it was stated payoff was worth it. The new issue now is that on a system that already had accounts created and set, old accounts still can hijack the system, patch issues address only accounts that are created after the fix is administrated, old ones can still do whatever they want. Once again of course Microsoft has stated that until it is again resolved you should again disable the Print Spooler service as a temporary workaround.

Virtual Reality is slowly becoming standard in gaming. More and more affordable headsets are coming out lowering entry prices and making them affordable for all. But in a sea of new VR headsets, it is important to at least purchase a decent one that will perform nicely and hopefully last longer. Therefore in today’s article, we will address some of the best options currently available on the market,

Oculus Quest 2

With its Rift model, Oculus set itself as a big player in VR. Now the company is slowly bowing out of the dedicated, tethered VR headset with its latest Quest 2 designed to primarily be a standalone headset. In case you do not know, tethered headset means that the headset itself is connected to your PC and is using its power to drive your VR experience. Now technical specifications of Quest 2 are pretty OK and it can drive stuff pretty decently and if you want you can purchase the dedicated cable to connect it to your PC for the full experience of games requiring more capable hardware. Oculus Quest 2 is the cheapest headset on this list and with its stable performance, is highly recommended.

Valve Index VR

Although the headset itself is nothing revolutionary or special its controllers are. They can track individual finger movements, making games (that take advantage of them) much more immersive than the standard trigger grips on other controllers. The Index's higher refresh rate makes for smoother action, as well, which is another nice bonus. If you already have an HTC Vive or Vive Cosmos Elite, and their base stations (not the regular Cosmos), you can buy only the controllers.

Sony PlayStation VR

The PlayStation VR is compelling thanks to Sony backing its development, plus the PlayStation 4's affordability and availability compared with gaming PCs. All you need is the headset, a PlayStation 4, and a PlayStation Camera (now included with most PlayStation VR bundles). Not really the best of the bunch but still one of the top ones for console gaming. Sony is working on a new PlayStation VR system for the PlayStation 5, with redesigned controllers. The new headset hasn't been revealed yet, but the company has released a preview of the new controllers.

HP Reverb G2 VR

HP headset is one which you get if you want the best image quality in VR headset, sadly controllers did not follow the same quality of headset itself. But this is still a pretty decent headset overall and worth the purchase.

HTC Vive Cosmos

HTC's Vive Cosmos is the upgraded version of the Vive. It features a higher resolution and replaces the external base stations with outward-facing cameras for motion tracking. It's a comprehensive package for whole-room VR. HTC recently released the Vive Pro 2, a high-end VR headset targeting both enterprise users and consumers. This new headset features a 2,448-by-2,448 resolution display for each eye, making it the highest-resolution headset currently available. It's also more expensive than the Cosmos Elite. Sadly one thing that is bringing this headset down is the price.

Cyclic Redundancy Check Error - What is it?

To begin with, Cyclic Redundancy Check is basically an error checking technique. This technique is used for data verification. It detects accidental changes in the data. It is used by computers to specifically check the data stored in the hard drive or optical disks (DVD’s and CD’s). The Cyclic Redundancy Check error occurs when the data being verified on the hard drive or optical disks is corrupt. Symptoms for this error code include program lock-ups, slow PC performance, inability to run and execute the desired program, system freeze and shutdown and startup issues.

Error Causes

The Cyclic Redundancy Check error code occurs due to the following reasons:

• Cluttered hard disk
• Registry corruption
• Misconfigured files
• Unsuccessful program installation

All these causes points towards registry issues and poor PC maintenance. The registry is the main database of the computer. This part of the PC saves practically every activity you perform on it including activities like application installation and deletion and web browsing to name a few. With time and frequent PC usage, the files generated from every activity you execute on your system begin to load the registry. These include even the unnecessary files like junk files, internet files and files of applications that you’ve uninstalled. All these files overload the registry and acquire a lot of hard disk space. And when you don’t remove these files on your system, eventually it leads to file misconfiguration, cluttered disk, and registry corruption. New program versions that you want to install and run on your system also don’t function because the files of the old program version still saved in the registry.

Further Information and Manual Repair

As the Cyclic Redundancy Check Error causes data corruption on the hard disk, it is advisable to fix this error right away. The reason is that it can have serious consequences. It can lead to data loss, fatal crashes, and system failures. When it comes to resolving Cyclic Redundancy Check Error, there are two ways to fix it:

Run the CHKDSK application.

This is a built-in feature in your Windows system. It checks for hard disk damage and attempts to resolve it.

What is Error 0xc0000142?

Error 0xc0000142 can occur in any of the Windows versions and usually occurs when an application fails to properly initialize.

This error can be critical for a computer as it signifies that the system is unstable. Error 0xc0000142 can cause slow performance in a PC, system freeze, startup and shutdown issues, blue screen and errors in installation.

Solution

Error Causes

Windows/Application Error 0xc0000142 can occur because of a number of reasons.

When a computer is an overload with data, or when system files get broken or missing, this error can occur and will result in startup and shutdown issues as well as the blue screen. Another reason, and one which is quite common, is improper computer maintenance.

This will cause a PC to perform slow, system freezes, and installation errors. This error displays ‘failed to initialize’ on either a Windows error box or the blue screen of death.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Error 0xc0000142 can occur at any time, but there are many ways to resolve it. For instance:

1) Clean the Registry

A corrupted registry is one of the major reasons why this error occurs. The registry is used by Windows to store information and settings on the computer, which is why it has a large database.

This database contains emails, wallpapers, saved passwords and much more in ‘file path references’. These allow Windows to run the common files in your system. A registry cleaner can fix any errors in the registry database.

2) Malware Scan

Viruses can cause certain applications to not function properly. Hence, download a strong antivirus and run a deep scan on your system and remove any potential infections and spyware.

3) Reinstall Applications

Non-critical applications in a computer are those that are installed by the user. If error 0xc0000142 displays in any of your installed programs, then you should reinstall these programs. Often applications have damaged or corrupted files which can slow them down. To resolve this, follow these steps:

• From Start, click on Control Panel
• Go to Add/Remove Programs and uninstall the programs
• Restart your PC and reinstall the program

The third step is not recommended in case the error is caused by cmd.exe

4) Repair Windows

If the error is still on display despite following the previous steps, then you can repair Windows. This process allows Windows to retain all your data and information by simply replacing the program files and settings with fresh ones. This can stop error 0xc0000142 by allowing the programs access to use necessary files smoothly and effectively.

If you cannot resolve the error in any of these steps, then there is another way to do so if you have a computer that runs the Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000. Follow these steps in order to resolve it:

• Make sure that in Program Files and Microsoft ISA Server, a Clients folder exists. The ISA Server service will run on this folder
• Confirm that Administrators and SYSTEM have Full Control assigned in the Program Files/Microsoft ISA Server/Clients folder
• Confirm that Msplat.txt file is in the Clients folder. You can copy this file from other ISA Server computers if it is missing
• If the Clients folder is damaged or is missing, or if you can’t copy the Msplat.tct file from another ISA Server computer, then reinstall the ISA Server 2000

Recently, a number of users reported seeing plain white icons on their “.docx” files instead of the Word icon. This kind of issue is mostly caused by a conflict with the default program settings in Windows which is why you may not see any Microsoft Word icon on your .docx files. So if you suddenly find that the Microsoft Word icon is either blank or missing and does not show properly on .doc and .docx document files of Office on your Windows 10 computer, then you can check out the potential solutions outlined below. Before you proceed, you can try to restart your computer as there are instances when a simple system restart can resolve some issues like this one. However, if it does not help, create a System Restore point first. This is to ensure that you can always undo the changes you are about to make in case something goes wrong. Once you have that covered, proceed to the following options.

Option 1 – Try to configure .docx files to open with “winword.exe”

You can try configuring the .docx files to open with the winword.exe in order to fix the problem.

• Right-click on a .docx file and select the “Open with…” option.
• After that, if a prompt appears with a message saying, “How do you want to open this file”, select the “More apps” option to proceed.
• Next, scroll down and check the checkbox that says, “Always use this app to open .docx files” option.
• Then click on the “Look for another app on this PC” link and choose the WINWORD.exe application from one of the following paths based on the installed Office version in your computer and click Open:
  • Word 2016 (64-bit): C:/Program Files/Microsoft Office/root/Office16
  • Word 2016 (32-bit): C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Office/root/Office16

• Now check if you can now see the Word icon on the .doc or .docx files.

Option 2 – Try changing the default Word icon via Registry Editor

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run utility.
• Then type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to this path located in the left pane: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTWord.Document.12DefaultIcon
• From there, double click on the default value at the right pane and based on the Word version you are using as well as the architecture (32 bit or 64 bit) and then copy-paste the corresponding value in the Value data box:
  • For Word 2016 (64-bit) keep it as C:/Program Files/Microsoft Office/root/Office16/wordicon.exe,13
  • For Word 2016 (32-bit) Keep it as C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Office/root/Office16/wordicon.exe,13

• Once you’re done, tap Enter and then close the Registry Editor.
• Restart your computer and see if the problem’s fixed.

Option 3 – Try to rebuild the Icon cache

You may want to rebuild the Icon cache as it could also help fix the issue.

• Tap Win + E to open File Explorer and then click Folder Options and click Views to show Hidden System Files.
• After that, go to C:Users%username%AppDataLocal folder and look for a file named Iconcache.db and delete it.
• Next, go to C:Users%username%AppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsExplorer.
• From there, look for the following files and delete them.
  • iconcache_32.db
  • iconcache_48.db
  • iconcache_96.db
  • iconcache_256.db
  • iconcache_1024.db
  • iconcache_1280.db
  • iconcache_1600.db
  • iconcache_1920.db
  • iconcache_2560.db
  • iconcache_exif.db
  • iconcache_idx.db
  • iconcache_sr.db
  • iconcache_wide.dd
  • iconcache_wide_alternate.db
• Restart your computer. This will purge and rebuild the icon cache.

Option 4 – Try fixing Office apps

Fixing the Office apps can help you resolve the Word icon issue. All you have to do is open Settings > Apps. From the app list, look for the Microsoft Office Desktop apps and select it and then click on the Advanced options and click Fix. After that, wait until the process is completed and restart your PC. However, if the problem still persists, repeat the steps again but this time, click on Reset instead of Fix.

Option 5 – Try to repair Office Installation

If the options given above didn’t work, you can try to repair the Office installation and see if it can fix the problem.

• Open Control Panel and click on Programs and Features.
• Next, right-click on the Office program that you want to repair which in this case is, Word.
• Select Change and click Repair > Continue. After that, Office will start to repair Microsoft Word.
• Wait until the process is done and then reboot your computer.

0x800ccc79 Error - What is it?

0x800ccc79 error is an error message that you may come across when sending emails through Outlook Express from Microsoft. This error message is accompanied by a notification that is displayed as ‘email was not delivered’ or ‘the server doesn’t support SSL connection’.

Solution

Download Available to Recover all Lost Outlook data

Error Causes

This error code 0x900ccc79 is triggered due to the following causes:

• Problems related to email servers
• Changes in the configuration settings
• Corrupted Windows Registry

Further Information and Manual Repair

When you receive the error 0x800ccc79 it may hamper your ability to send emails. Therefore it is advisable to fix it to ensure your emails are sent and received without any difficulty.

This Outlook error 0x800ccc79 is quite easy to repair. By following the quick fix 0x800ccc79 error code solutions given below you can resolve this error in just a couple of minutes.

Here’s what you need to do to fix this error right away:

Cause: Configuration issues

Solution: If the error occurs due to Outlook Express being configured to use the SSL protocol while sending and receiving emails via the web, then to resolve it, you need to allow Outlook Express to bypass the Secure Socket Layer settings.

To do so, click on ‘tools’ and then on ‘Accounts’. Now select the email account that you want to modify.

Now select the ‘Properties’ tab and then click on ‘Advanced Settings’.

Here search for the following text message ‘This server requires a secure connection’. Once you locate it, uncheck all the checkboxes given next to this option. After that save the changes and restart Outlook Express to see bring the changes into effect.

Cause: Missing or Corrupt Registry Entries

Solution: If the error 0x800ccc79 occurs due to missing or corrupt registry entries, then the best way to fix this error is to download and install a good registry cleaner on your PC.

The registry cleaner will help you clean your corrupt and damaged Windows registry entries and get rid of this error right away. It is suggested you download the registry cleaner tool from a reliable website to avoid any malware or virus downloads simultaneously.

Once you download the registry cleaner on your system, click on scan. The cleaner will scan your computer completely for registry errors and show you the results in a list form.

After the scanning is complete, click on repair to fix the errors.

So, next time, if you or anyone at your office comes across the Outlook Express error 0x800ccc79, you can try these solutions and fix the error immediately without waiting for the network personnel to come and resolve it.

As you know, Windows 10 offers its users tons of options to log in to their computers. This includes simple and easy methods like PIN and complex ones like the Windows Hello Face unlock. However, there are instances when you might face a situation where the login screen in Windows 10 does not appear at all. If you are currently facing this problem, worry not for this post will show you what you can do to fix this problem. There are actually two scenarios to this issue, you might encounter one where the login screen does not show up at all, while the second one is when the login screen shows up but there is no username or password box. There are several options you can check out to resolve the problem. You can try to run System Restore or try the combination of Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys. You could also try to enter a username and password to use the computer or disable Fast Startup or troubleshoot the problem in a Clean Boot State. You could also create a new User Account or run Fresh Start or run the Startup Repair. To get started, follow each one of the given options below.

Option 1 – Try using the Ctrl + Alt + Delete key combination

The first and simple thing you can do to fix the login screen is to tap the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys and see if it makes the credentials appear or not. If not, proceed to the next given option.

Option 2 – Try running System Restore

If you aren’t able to boot into the desktop of your computer, you can run System Restore in the Advanced Startup Options by following these steps:

• 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.
• Once it’s done, restart your computer.

Option 3 – Try to turn off Fast Startup

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type in “control” to open the Control Panel.
• Next, click on the Hardware and Sound section and click on Power Options.
• Afterward, select the “Choose what the power buttons do” option from the left side menu pane.
• Now click on Change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck the entry that says, “Turn on fast startup (Recommended).
• Then click on Save Changes and restart your computer and see if it has fixed the problem or not.

Option 4 – Try troubleshooting the problem in a Clean Boot State

There are times when some conflicting programs installed in your computer might be the reason why there is an issue with the password box in the login screen of Windows 10. To identify which program is causing the problem, you need to put your computer in a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• From there, start to isolate the problem by checking which one of the programs you installed recently is the root cause of the problem.

Option 5 – Try to run Startup Repair

You might also want to run Startup Repair in fixing the issue with the login screen. To do so, follow the steps below.

• You can start by creating and booting from a bootable Windows 10 USB Stick.
• After that, click on Repair your computer located on the bottom left corner when you are on the initial Windows Startup screen.
• Next, click on Troubleshoot, and then on the other screen, click the Startup Repair option.
• Now select the operating system you want to repair. Once you do that, it will start to repair your operating system. Wait until the process is completed and then check if the problem’s now fixed.