Recently, several users reported an issue on their Windows 10 computers where the taskbar is not visible when they tried to connect to a computer via Remote Desktop Protocol or RDP. The Remote Desktop Connection feature uses the RDP which allows users to access a computer remotely. This is actually different from the taskbar being hidden automatically until the pointer hovers on it since, in this scenario, the taskbar is completely not accessible which makes using the remote computer entirely difficult, if not impossible.
There are several suggestions you can check out to resolve this problem, you can try to restart the process of Windows Explorer via Task Manager or you could clear the cache for multiple processes. You could also try to reinstall the Shell Experience components or show the local taskbar in the Remote desktop. Moreover, you could also try to update, uninstall or roll back the display driver/graphics card driver. For more details, refer to each one of the options given below.
Option 1 – Try to restart the Windows Explorer process
The first option you have to try to fix the problem with the taskbar is to simply restart the Windows Explorer process in the Task Manager.
Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager.
Next, go to the Processes tab and find the process of Windows Explorer.
Once you find it, right-click on it and select Restart to restart its process.
After that, restart your computer and see if you can now see the Taskbar.
Option 2 – Try clearing the cache of multiple processes
The next thing you can do to resolve the problem is to clear the cache of many processes in your computer. To do so, follow these steps:
Open the Notepad app and paste the following content in the text area:
@echo off
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
taskkill /f /im shellexperiencehost.exe
timeout /t 3 /NOBREAK > nul
del %localappdata%PackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewyTempState* /q
timeout /t 2 /NOBREAK > nul
start explorer
@echo on
After that, tap the Ctrl + S keys to save the changes you’ve made in Notepad and select the “All files” as its file type, and then name it “CacheClearTWC.bat”.
Next, go to the location where you saved the file using File Explorer and then run it. This will run a couple of batch scripts which will clear the cache of multiple processes in the system.
Tap the Win + X keys and select the “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” option to open PowerShell as admin.
Next, execute this command in the command line: Get-appxpackage -all *shellexperience* -packagetype bundle |% {add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + “appxmetadataappxbundlemanifest.xml”)}
After the command has been executed, this will reinstall the Shell Experience components and should fix the problem with the taskbar.
Option 4 – Update, uninstall or rollback the Graphics card drivers
First, boot your computer into Safe Mode.
After that, tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
Type in MSC into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. From there, look for the Display Adapters and click on them.
After that, right-click on each entry under the Display Adapters and select the “Uninstall Device” option from the menu.
Now restart your computer.
After restarting your computer, go to the Settings app and Check for Updates in the Windows Update section.
Note: You also have the option to go directly to the website of your graphics card manufacturers like NVIDIA, Intel, or AMD and go to the section called Drivers then check if there’s a new available update – if there is, download and install it.
There are times when you install a Windows update to your Windows 10 computer but you only got an error message saying, “The update isn’t applicable to your computer”. This is unusual as Windows was the one that downloaded them in the first place. To understand the reason behind this error, read on as this post will also give you a couple of suggestions you can try to fix the problem.
One of the main reasons why this error occurs is that your computer might not have the required installed updates and many more. Other reasons include:
The update might be replaced. There are instances when a newer Windows version is already available on the computer and that the version you are trying to manually install is an older version which is why the Windows update failed.
The update might already be installed. There are times when the update process is still in progress and the earlier payload might have already been installed.
It could also be that it’s a wrong update for architecture. As you know, updates are designed accordingly based on the architecture of the computer so if the update you are trying to install does not match the architecture of your CPU then it’s no wonder you’re getting an error message.
Your computer might be missing a prerequisite update. There are Windows updates that depend on other updates so if you missed one and you’re installing another one, it could be the reason why you’re getting the error.
To fix the problem, here are some suggestions that might help.
Option 1 – Try verifying the package and the Processor Architecture
As pointed out earlier, updates are made according to the Windows versions. Thus, if one of the updates failed to install, you need to check if it’s applicable or not. The best way to do that is by searching the Windows update name on the official website of Windows.
It could be that the Processor Architecture is not compatible with the Windows Update you are trying to install. If you have an X86-based processor, you can’t install x64-based installations of Windows and vice-versa. This usually happens when you’ve downloaded the update manually and then tried installing it.
Option 2 – Try checking if the update is old
The issue might be because you are trying to install an old Windows update which is why it didn’t work. To check, go to Settings > Update and Security > View Update history. From there, you can look for the update.
Option 3 – Try checking if the update is already installed
To verify the update, just go to the Windows Update history once more as you did in option 2, and then see if the update is already installed or not.
Option 4 – Try checking the prerequisites
AS mentioned earlier, there are some updates that depend on other updates before they get installed on your computer. The best way to verify is by checking the Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB). And to verify if the prerequisite updates are installed or not, just run the command below in PowerShell:
get-hotfix KB1111111, KB2222222, KB3333333
Note: In the command given above, you need to replace “KB1111111, KB2222222, KB3333333” with the actual update KB numbers.
Option 5 – Try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter
As you know, Windows 10 has various auto-repair built-in tools to help users fix small issues which used to get fixed manually. And in this case, you will need the Windows Update Troubleshooter to fix the issue.
Go to Settings and click on Update and Security.
From there, click Troubleshoot and click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” option.
After that, it will try to detect and automatically fix common issues in the Windows Updates which can be resolved by Windows itself. Note that the process may take several minutes before it completes so you need to wait until it’s done. Once it’s done, in case you have some pending update that wasn’t realized by the system early on, it will apply the fix right away and restart the Windows Update service.
Do you often use MS-Outlook for communicating in your work environment? If so, you should be aware that all e-mails messages you send and receive, attachments, contacts, and schedule items you be, the files you create and the details you include are all stored within an Outlook Data File folder.
This includes 2 kinds of files .OST and .PST.
OST is the offline Storage Table that allows Outlook users to gain access to the e-mail account with no internet access. But this document is vulnerable to corruption.
So you need to change it into the PST (Personal Storage Table) file structure.
This document keeps data protected and saves all of the data in your view e-mail accounts including e-mails, calendar items, contact info, notifications, and accessories in your local hard drive securely.
For security and privacy purposes password protection is necessary.
How can the PST File get locked?
However, with a lot of work to do, a lot of people frequently have a tendency to overlook and easily forget the Outlook password.
This affects the user's capability to gain access to the account and execute the associated e-mail features.
That is very difficult for those who have contacts stored in it and significant e-mails which one would like to see instantly.
In this case, there is also the threat of losing the data that was significant in the long term. Sadly, Outlook will not provide an easy method without removing all of your own personal data to regain this password.
Why Should I Use Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair Tool
Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair tool may be the best fix software out there. It's easy to use, secure, dependable, and quick. You do not have to be a pro to use it.
In just a couple of clicks, your password can be recovered, without losing any of your crucial data, including associates contacts and e-mail communications.
This repair tool is full of special characteristics. It's compatible with most if not all variants of Windows, including 2000 and Vista, Win7, Windows 2003. Additionally, it helps fix all MS-outlook versions like 2010 and 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007.
Here is what you should do
Just click here Download and install Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair tool in your computer. Run it to regain all of your data within your e-mail account and to regain your lost MS-Outlook PST File Password.
Besides assisting you to regain your PST file password, it can be utilized to solve malfunctions in the PST Files and any other associated problems. For instance, this repair tool can help to fix damaged and corrupted PST file size limit errors as well as PST files.
If you use MS Outlook 2002 version on your PC and you use it quite often and prefer not to delete emails in it, then you might come across the PST file size 2GB limit error.
This error occurs when you reach or exceed the 2 gigabytes memory limit. If this happens, your ability to send and receive emails through your MS-Outlook account is greatly hindered.
You can't add new contacts either. In instances such as these, Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair Tool is useful. It helps increase the GB limit twice as much as normal.
This means that your memory limit rises from 2-4GB making Stellar PST Outlook Repair a crucial tool for all MS Outlook users.
We have talked about gaming on old computers and have covered new and upcoming Steam deck handheld console. Today we are combining old gaming with a handheld console and our target of talk is Retroid pocket 2. This product is packed with really high-quality plastic and with some great features in it.
So let's dive into this cool handheld in more detail and find out why we like it so much.
Good manufacturing quality
Plastic and overall manufacturing quality are really, really good. The battery is great, packing 4000mAh that can hold over 3 hours of nonstop gaming, and all buttons and joysticks are great. The screen is a 640 x 480 60Hz 3.5″ IPS screen (4:3 aspect ratio) that performs really great for its purpose, retro gaming. There is a Digital D-Pad and dual analog joysticks. The right joystick is the lower profile to avoid being accidentally moved when pressing the four gaming buttons. There are three buttons at the bottom which are Home, Start, and Select. On either side are good-quality stereo speakers. On the bottom of the device are a Micro SD Card slot and a 3.5mm headphone port. On the top of the device are Left and Right shoulder and trigger buttons. There are the power button and volume adjustments. There are a USB Type-C OTG port and a Micro HDMI output for connection to a TV.
Good technical statistics
Good, not great but then again since this is retro handheld you cannot really expect some crazy stuff like alder lake inside. So the console is punching ARM Cortex A7 CPU with 2 cores and a clock of 1.5GHz paired with ARM Mali 400-MP2 500MHz GPU. The console has 1GB LPDDR3 RAM memory and 8GB eMMC Storage where 5GB is freely available, the rest is taken for OS. As mentioned before the display is 640x480 resolution with a size of 3.5″. The battery is Lithium-Ion with a power of 4000mAh and on the handheld, there is a USB Type-C connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Micro-HDMI. It also has Wifi/Bluetooth 4.0
Retroid Pocket 2 OS and support
Pocket 2 comes with Android 6 but you can update its firmware to the 8.1 version on the official site that I would highly recommend. New versions of the handheld will come with 8.1 on it from the box. Having Android as OS opens many possibilities like you can download Android apps such as Steam Link, allowing you to play actual PC games on your Retroid Pocket 2. Not just that, if it does get a newer version of Android it could even have the ability to use xCloud, Xbox’s cloud gaming service. Of course, hardware will not be able to handle modern games but the option is still there and for some old PC titles available on steam like Commander Keen, for example, this is a great option.
The console can emulate basically everything up to Dreamcast, including N64, PSP, and Playstation 1. It can emulate Nintendo DS also, but it can only do so with one screen. The only problem with this console is you will need to install and update Apps. You’ll need to learn about RetroArch, an app that lets you download emulators or cores to play games.
Retroid price
The last thing on the list is the price of the console itself. Going just under the 100$ mark this really makes it an affordable option for plenty of people that would like to experience retro handheld gaming or for ones like me, nostalgic gamers wanting to relive some era of playing games on the road.
Conclusion
Among Chinese handheld devices for retro gaming, Retroid Pocket 2 is really on top of what the market can offer. If you are looking for a great handheld retro console and are not afraid of little dive-ins into the OS and various configurations, Pocket 2 will reward you with plenty and wide emulation support.
Mousepads are a common thing among computer users, everyone is using them and know what are they good for. Recently in the past few years, there are a lot of gaming mousepads on the rise, do you really need them, and do they back up their price? Short answer: YES, long answer: keep reading below.
Size advantage
One of the first things that one can see is the great difference in sizes between a regular mouse pad and a gaming one. Gaming pads have much more variety in size spawning all the way to really judge ones that you can use on your whole desk and place both keyboard and mouse on them. This will, of course, let you move your mouse more freely and have a much larger surface to use without the need to always lift the mouse up and center it on the regular pad.
Material advantage
Material on what are gaming pads built upon is extremely high in quality and usually even water phobic or water-resistant and it will allow great mouse movements on it. The backside is usually made of high-quality fabric that will stop slipping on the desk so the pad will stay at its pace during long sessions of work or gaming. Usually, standard mousepads are made with plastic or some other cheap material whereas gaming pads are made from fiber, high-quality fiber.
Other advantages
Among other great stuff that gaming pads have are wrist gel for hand resting and RBG light that looks cool, although RGB light is just a vanity that looks good gel for the wrist is a really good feature that will place less stress on your hands during long sessions of time spent in front of the computer.
Windows is one of the most popular operating systems in today's world. Plenty of software and plenty of hardware is working on it without any issues. In order for Windows to deal with this ever-growing hardware and in order for hardware manufacturer's to have stable products in the Windows environment is accomplished via Drivers.
A driver is a small piece of software whose sole purpose is to control and communicate with specific hardware and create a bridge between it and Windows itself. it is made in such a way that even if it brakes the rest of the operating system will continue working uninterrupted.
Having updated drivers means better performance and better stability for device performance so it is crucial to have the latest drivers installed. Outdated drivers can also lead to some security issues which could be exploited by malicious applications.
Here, in today's article, we are presenting you with 4 ways on how to keep your drivers updated and tidy for best performance and stability. The list goes from the most simple way to the most complex and time-consuming one.
Use one-click solution, DRIVEFIX
The most simple and most straightforward solution, install DRIVEFIX, and with only one click on a mouse button, you can have all drivers fixed and updated. This application is made for this purpose and it is doing its job pretty well.
Update Windows
Windows updates come with new drivers for new hardware and with newer versions of existing ones, do update on regular basis and you should have all of your drivers up to date.
Download drivers from the manufacturer's website
Go to the manufacturer's website for your device and download and install the latest driver package.
Use device manager to update drivers
Go to the device manager and right-click on the device which you would like to update the driver. Choose update device driver.
Users are reporting that randomly their screen will just go black for a second and come back. When this happens, it usually distorts any video currently on the screen; sometimes, they can resume working on the PC normally. However, when they view the event logs, they see the error message Display driver nvlddmkm stopped responding and has successfully recovered.
In this article, we will address solutions to this issue and how to not have it again.
Remove Aura iCUE plugin (applies to only ASUS motherboards)
Some PC users discovered that iCue adds an Aura plugin for ASUS MOBOs. That, combined with EVGA Precision X1, was causing the error it seems – this was determined when the screen would turn off and on when opening EVGA x1 software. In this case, the issue was resolved by removing the Aura iCUE plugins.
Change Power Management mode
Right-click the battery icon on the notification area on the right of the Taskbar.
Select Power Options.
In the Power Options window, locate your current Power Plan.
Select High performance, if that’s not your current power plan.
Now, click on Change plan settings next to it.
Now click on Change advanced power settings.
Expand PCI Express section.
Expand Link State Power Management.
Now set power saving to Off for both On battery and Plugged in state. This would fix any issues caused by the low power of the video card.
Click Apply > OK to save changes.
Update graphics driver
Go into device manager
Expand display adapter section
Right-click on adapter
Click on update driverReboot
Rollback graphics driver
Go into device manager
Expand display adapter section
Right-click on adapter
Click on Roll back driverReboot
Uninstall and reinstall graphics card driver
Go into device manager
Expand display adapter section
Right-click on adapter
Click on Uninstall deviceReboot
Replace the graphics card
If everything else failed, replace the graphic card
As you know, the Windows 10 operating system has support for a dedicated high-end graphics processor that brings in capabilities inside to support Graphics Cards from NVIDIA or AMD. This helps the operating system to function in a much better way by segregating the graphics-intensive operations from the CPU to a dedicated processor. However, there are times when it also experiences some issues that lead to some errors like the “Failed to create a graphics device” error.
It is possible that your computer has more than one screen or graphics card which is why you’re getting this error. To fix it, you need to try reinstalling DirectX or reinstall the Graphics Card driver. You could also try to manually check the hardware or power cycle of your computer.
To start troubleshooting the “Failed to create a graphics device” error, follow the given suggestions below.
Option 1 – Try running the DirectX Diagnostic Tool
Since the error has something to do with the DirectX Graphics APIs, you can run the DirectX Diagnostic tool to resolve the problem.
Option 2 – Try updating or re-installing DirectX
If the DirectX Diagnostic tool didn’t work, you can try to update or reinstall DirectX instead. This can help in fixing the problem because when you reinstall or update DirectX, it will replace the incompatible or corrupted components of DirectX from your computer.
Option 3 – Update or reinstall the Graphics card drivers
First, boot your computer into Safe Mode.
After that, tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
Type in MSC into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. From there, look for the Display Adapters and click on them.
After that, right-click on each entry under the Display Adapters and select the “Uninstall Device” option from the menu.
Now restart your computer.
After restarting your computer, go to the Settings app and Check for Updates in the Windows Update section.
Note: You also have the option to go directly to the website of your graphics card manufacturers like NVIDIA, Intel, or AMD and go to the section called Drivers then check if there’s a new available update – if there is, download and install it.
Option 4 – Try to physically check the hardware of your computer
You might also want to check the physical status of the hardware in your computer. You can clean the dust off the hardware components like the Graphics Card of the computer. In doing so, you have 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.
Option 5 – Try to power cycle your computer
You could also try to power cycle your computer to fix the error. To do that, you have to turn off your computer in a way that the power is completely cut off and all the fresh configurations of files are loaded when your computer is booted up. The first thing you have to do is to shut down your computer and if you are using a laptop with a removable battery, you must remove the battery for a couple of minutes before you plug it back in and boot your laptop. On the other hand, if you are using a desktop computer, press and hold the power button until the CPU goes off and take out the power cable for a minute or so and then plug it back in. Boot your computer and see if the error has been resolved.
You have probably heard a lot of good things about gaming mice, how they are better feeling, better in any way possible and it is all true, everything you heard is actually true, they are superior in any way to a regular mouse but with one big disadvantage, and that would be the price. While you can find a regular mouse for pocket change, a gaming mouse is in comparison very expensive even for entry-level ones.
In this article we will explore all advantages and compare it with the regular one so you can come up with your own conclusion about do you really need one for yourself or if you are fine with regular.
Price
As stated price is one factor that does not favor gaming mice. Regular mouse for a personal computer goes around 10 or 20 USD, while entry-level in gaming one will be 40 USD and can go up to 250 USD, this large gap in price is usually determining factor why people pick up regular one. If you are on a really tight budget go for the regular one, but if you can afford a gaming one get it without second thoughts.
Software
This is where you will see the big difference between mice. Regular ones when connected are recognized and the driver is automatically installed and you can use it, same goes with gaming ones but with one big difference, you have an option to install additional manufacturers' software specially tailored for your mouse. In the application, you will be able to access some features that are specific to the mouse model that you could not set in typical Windows mouse properties. Beside more options software can also have features like setting your profiles and saving them to be recalled when you need them on the fly.
Sensitivity of mouse
The sensitivity of the mouse is measured in dots per one inch or short DPI, this is directly shown on your screen by how fast your mouse can move, higher sensitivity means your mouse will move faster across the screen and lower means it will move slower. All gaming mice come with buttons and settings that will allow you to change DPI on the fly and you can choose precise DPI settings in the software.
The regular mouse comes with DPI around 800 and goes to 1200 typically and does not have usually the option to change this while gaming mice start at 400 and can go as high as 26000 with the option to change it. Some regular mice can have only 1 option of DPI, usually very cheap ones.
Polling rates in mice
Pooling rate is the measurement of how often your mouse reports where it is positioned on the computer. The higher the pooling rate, the more responsive your mouse will be and vice versa. It is measured in hertz (Hz) and regular mice have them around 125Hz that is enough if you are using a computer for office, internet, and mail work.
If you are working in design or gaming you will need more than 125Hz polling rate, luckily gaming mice come with a minimum of 500Hz as an entry point and some hi-end models are going as far as 8000Hz. This very high pooling rate will get some extra load on your CPU but the mouse itself will be maximally responsive and will respond even to the smallest moves.
Ergonomics
Regular mice are well just mice, they are typical shape and size, gaming mice are made with ergonomics in mind. How they are made for extensive daily use of several hours per day they are constructed in a way to offer a pleasant and pain-free experience.
If you work on a computer for long periods of time consider gaming an ergonomic mouse since it will take the strain from hands and place them in a more natural position.
Macro keys
Gaming mice most of the time come with more keys compared with regular ones and good thing is that via its software you can tie certain actions to these extra keys making work or gaming more pleasant and quicker.
Components and material quality
In order to make regular mice more affordable and cheaper materials and quality of components had to suffer. Gaming mice have millions of guaranteed clicks by companies that make them before they break and regular ones usually do not guarantee a single one. This is due of course quality of materials that have been used in constructing these devices.
In the long term, if you use a gaming mouse for typical daily tasks it will outlive your regular one and on the side offer you more pleasant and responsive use along the way.
The Windows 10 Telemetry and Data Collection features are auto-enabled and they collect all sorts of user activity and sends it to Microsoft. Microsoft says that the data collected only enhances the overall user experience and Windows functionality better but the number of data breaches happening across the globe has forced users to be extra cautious about their data privacy. So naturally, from stronger passwords and other services management, it is only logical to turn off Windows data gathering.
To do so:
Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open the run dialog.
In the Run dialog type: taskschd.msc
Press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER key combo to open Task Scheduler in admin mode.
On the left pane, navigate to the: Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Customer Experience Improvement Program
At the location, on the middle pane, right-click on the task named Consolidator and select Disable from the context menu...
Repeat the process with all other tasks listed in the middle pane.
A very serious data breach has happened to the unfortunate GoDaddy hosting service placing a little over 1.2 million accounts affected. Security breaches sadly are not a rare occurrence but this time it is a little different.
Each time when the company is breached data is stolen and that places the company in a bad light usually because its user database has been compromised and people are concerned about their data being misused. This is very rational fear and concern but this time things are a little bit different than usual, why is that, you might ask?
Well, as before mentioned GoDaddy is a hosting company and the vector of attack was aimed at the part where it is hosting WordPress. Attackers were able to get their hands on the sFTP credentials of customers on that server meaning that all of the websites are also been relieved of their user base as well.
This potentially means that there is a high chance that all of the hosted web site's content is also compromised, meaning that your data could also be compromised even if you were not a GoDaddy customer, all you needed to do is to be a member of any site hosted on their platform.
GoDaddy has reset WordPress passwords and private keys, so it’s already taken the steps required to stock the attacker from exploiting anything with the passwords obtained. The company is in the process of generating new SSL certificates for customers.
Bad thing is that the attack used a compromised password to get into systems all the way back around September 6th, 2021, the breach was discovered on November 17th, 2021, which is more than a 2-month active time where the attacker could harvest tons of data. The outcome of this attack will be seen in the upcoming time, until then be safe, and Just in case change your passwords.