Windows Update service could not be stopped

A command is not recognized Error, what it is? If you are constantly using programs like CMD or DISM directly from the Run prompt, you might have wondered how they launched instantly and how is it that the Windows operating system is able to find them right away. For instance, when you create a shortcut of a program, the shortcut knows where exactly the program is located and launches it quickly. The Windows operating system keeps a list of paths where the most common system programs are located so when you use the Run prompt, it opens easily. The list kept by Windows is called the Windows Environment Variables. If something goes wrong with this list, the programs won’t work. So in this guide, you will be guided on how you can troubleshoot the problem where any command you use is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file. Before you start troubleshooting the problem, you need to make sure that the program you are trying to run really exists. In fact, this can also happen to the Run program which is pulled up using the Win + R shortcut. To check, go to C:\Windows\System32 and there, check if the program exists or not or you can also try searching for the EXE in the System 32 folder. After making sure that the program exists, refer to the instructions given below.

Modify the Windows Environment Variables:

• Step 1: Tap the Win + X keys and then select System. After that, it will open the section where you can see all the properties on your computer.
• Step 2: Next, select the Advanced system setting located on the left pane and click on the Environment Variables.
• Step 3: After that, locate Path under the System Variables and select EDIT.
• Step 4: Before you edit, you need to copy the entire string and paste it into the Notepad app so that in case something went wrong, you can paste it back.
• Step 5: Next, look for the directory path, “C:\Windows\System32”. If you can’t find it, try adding a semi-colon at the end.
• Step 6: Afterwards, click OK to save the changes made and then exit.
• Step 7: Now restart your computer as all the paths are picked up when your computer restarts.

Note: Now all you have to do is to try executing the programs once again – the ones where you got the error, “ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file” every time you open them and then see if you can now open these programs or not.

This post will help you fix the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error in Google Chrome. This error indicates that the Chrome browser wasn’t able to establish a stable connection or that there really is no connection at all with the website you are trying to open. This error does not occur on all websites though. When you encounter this kind of error message you will see the following message on your Google Chrome browser:

“This website is not available, The connection to example.com was interrupted, Error 101 (net:: ERR_CONNECTION_RESET): The Connection was reset.”

Note: You need to follow the options given below to fix the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error and make sure to reload the webpage each time you complete following each one of the fixes.

Option 1 – Check the Network Cables and restart the router then reconnect

Of course, the first thing you can try is to check if the network cables connected to your computer or router are properly connected. And if your computer is connected via Wi-Fi, you need to make sure to restart your router once. In addition, you can also forget the Wi-Fi your computer is currently connected to and then try reconnecting again to see if it would work.

Option 2 – Try removing the Proxy

Removing the Proxy might also help you in fixing the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error in Chrome. Here’s how you can do it:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it.

Option 3 – Try to increase the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU)

You can also try increasing the Maximum Transmission Unit to fix the error. To do so, follow these steps:

• Open Settings and go to Network & Internet > Ethernet.
• From there, take off the Active Wireless / Wired Network Connection.
• Next, open Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type the “netsh interface IPv4 set subinterface “Ethernet 4” mtu=1472 store=persistent” command and hit Enter to execute it.

Option 4 – Flush the DNS and reset TCP/IP

Flushing the DNS and reset TCP/IP could also help in fixing the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error in Chrome. To do so, refer to these steps:

• Click the Start button and type in “command prompt” in the field.
• From the search results that appear, right-click on Command Prompt and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• After opening Command Prompt, you have to type each one of the commands listed below. Just make sure that after you type each command, you hit Enter
  • ipconfig /release
  • ipconfig /all
  • ipconfig /flushdns
  • ipconfig /renew
  • netsh int ip set dns
  • netsh winsock reset

After you key in the commands listed above, the DNS cache will be flushed and the Winsock, as well as the TCP/IP, will reset.

Option 5 – Disable the AppEx Networks Accelerator feature

The AppEx Networks Accelerator is known to slow down network connections. Some users reported that it slows down the network speed by 70% up to 80% which is why you need to disable it. Here’s how you can do it:

• Go to Settings and select Network & Internet and from there select Ethernet > Change adapter options.
• Next, right-click on the network connection and select Properties.
• Then look for AppEx Networks Accelerator and uncheck its checkbox.
• Now click the OK button to save the changes and then check if the error is now fixed.

Option 6 – Delete the WLAN Profiles

Deleting the WLAN Profiles might be a good idea if you are not able to connect to the internet on your computer and if you’re using Wi-Fi. It could be that the networks that were connected previously have gone rogue which is why it is not connecting properly. And so deleting the WLAN profiles might help you in fixing the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error.

Option 7 – Reinstall the Network Adapter Drivers

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “devmgmt.msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
• Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and select “Uninstall device”.
• Restart your PC.

Option 8 – Try to disable the Wi-Fi Miniport

• In the Cortana Search box, type “command prompt” then right-click on the search result and select “Run as administrator”.
• After opening Command Prompt with admin privileges, type the commands listed below and hit Enter right after you key in each one of them.
  • netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
  • netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=disallow
• Now exit Command Prompt and tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “cpl” in the field and hit Enter to open Network Connections.
• From there, look for Microsoft Virtual Wi-Fi Miniport and right-click on it, and then select Disable.

Option 9 – Start Chrome in Safe Mode

The same with Windows Safe Mode, starting Chrome in Sage mode will open the browser but without all the user settings and extensions. And then try opening the website you were trying to open earlier.

Option 10 – Reset Google Chrome

• Open Google Chrome, then tap the Alt + F keys.
• After that, click on Settings.
• Next, scroll down until you see the Advanced option, once you see it, click on it.
• After clicking the Advanced option, go to the “Restore and clean up the option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
• Now restart Google Chrome.

In 2014 Proton mail started as an end-to-end encrypted email service offering secure and private email services. Proton mail is still live and going with the same dedication to privacy and security but the company has expanded its offering into cloud storage drive services.

Starting as a public beta at the end of 2020, Proton Drive is keeping its privacy and security policy philosophy with the new service. Proton Drive is the newest service besides Proton Calendar, Proton VPN, and Proton Mail.

Drive has end-to-end encryption for everything on it including files themselves, filenames, folder structure, folder names, extensions, and file sizes. This means that you and only you can access your files. Servers are located in Geneva, Switzerland and they are under Swiss privacy laws making sure that your files are protected. Proton services in general are all open source so anyone can take a look at them to be sure that nothing is lurking under the hood. For now, sync is done either via the android app or web interface but the desktop client will come soon since currently, it is under development.

Sadly free plan of Proton Drive will give you only 1GB of storage which is much less than other services and sadly payments plans are also not so jaw-dropping going for $4 USD per month for a 200GB plan or with Proton ultimate subscription that will set you $10 behind but you will get 500GB of drive storage. Of course, if you value privacy for your files these options are good but if you do not mind that part other services have much better options.

All in all Proton Drive is a great cloud storage solution if you need privacy and well worth the investment. With the ultimate subscription, you will get enough space for most people and company needs with other services and guaranteed privacy and security, on the other hand, if you just need a large amount of cloud storage not caring too much about privacy other options are better.

Microsoft just released Windows 11 ISo file, based on the latest Insider Preview Build 22000.132. Inside build, you can try all-new features like clock updated app, snip tool, and everything releases so far via various patches. You can also use Windows 11 ISO file to do a clean install on your computer, but if you go with this option all of your existing files will be deleted. Microsoft says it added the ability to name your PC during the setup experience. You’ll also get to experience the Get Started app that’s designed to help you get going on your new Windows 11 PC (even if it’s not actually a new one).

Download ISO

• Go to the Windows Insider Downloads page. You will need to sign in with a Microsoft account registered with the Insider Program.
• Scroll down to Select Edition and select the build you want to download. You will most likely want the one at the top from the developer channel, as this is where Windows 11 should arrive first. So far, only Windows 10 builds are available. Click confirm.
• Select your preferred language. Not all languages ​​available for Windows are compatible with the Insider program, so you may have to stop depending on where you are from.
• Click the download button and the ISO file will start downloading.
• This is definitely an easier method, but unfortunately, it is not available yet. We will update this article once Windows Insider ISOs are available. Later, once Windows 11 64 bit is available to everyone, you can also download the stable build of Windows 11 iso. Microsoft offers the Media Creation Tool and Upgrade Assistant, which usually do just that. It will be some time before Windows 11 versions of the tools are available, as the operating system is only getting closer to this holiday.

The GameStream is an NVIDIA service that allows users to stream games from their Windows 10 computers to other supported devices which includes the NVIDIA SHIELD devices. However, a number of users reported that the NVIDIA GameStream is not working on their Windows 10 computers. This kind of issue is most likely caused by improper installation, some glitches with the network, and many more. To fix this issue in the NVIDIA GameStream, there are several options you need to check out to fix the problem. You can try to lo logout of GameStream and try logging back in again. You could also try to update or uninstall and reinstall the drivers related to NVIDIA or fix some network glitches or update the NVIDIA SHIELD device. For more details, you can refer to each one of the given potential fixes below.

Option 1 – Try to logout and log back into NVIDIA GameStream

The first thing you can do is to log out and then log back into NVIDIA GameStream. Some users claimed that by doing this simple task, they were able to resolve the problem. This is probably because with the re-login, the entire cache of the system and service is rebuilt and any bad sectors of that data will be replaced with the fresh one so this should resolve the problem with the NVIDIA GameStream, if not, refer to the other given options below.

Option 2 – Try updating the drivers from the official site of NVIDIA

If both the first and second given options didn’t work, you can also try updating the drivers from the official NVIDIA website. And in case you don’t know the type of Nvidia graphics card that your computer is on, follow the steps below:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Next type in “dxdiag” in the field and click OK or hit Enter to open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
• From there, you can see what type of Nvidia graphics card that your system is on.
• Take note of your graphics card information and then look for the best drivers for your operating system. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the file, restart your PC.

Option 3 – Try to roll back the driver to the previous version

If updating the NVIDIA display drivers didn’t work for you, then it’s time to roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “MSC” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the NVIDIA Drivers and expand it.
• Next, select the driver entries that are labeled appropriately.
• Then select each one of them and double click to open a new mini window.
• After that, make sure that you’re on the Driver tab and if you are not, just navigate to it then click the Roll Back Driver button to switch back to the previous version of the NVIDIA Drivers.
• Now restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.

Option 4 – Try fixing your network

The next thing you can do to fix the problem with the NVIDIA GameStream is to fix the glitches in your network. Make sure that you connect both of your devices to a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network and you also have to ensure that the Wi-Fi connection you’re connected to is strong enough for both the devices for the latency to go down. Once you’ve covered all of these things with your network, restart your computer and change the Wi-Fi channel both devices are connected to. This should resolve the problem.

Option 5 – Try to update the NVIDIA SHIELD device

You might also want to update the NVIDIA SHIELD device. There are times when an outdated NVIDIA SHIELD device can result to several issues like the problem with the NVIDIA GameStream. Thus, you need to update NVIDIA SHIELD and check if it fixes the problem or not.

Computer viruses are malicious applications that have the ability to self replicate and spread over the system and various devices, just like viruses in organisms. We all know that computer viruses are bad and that you should avoid them however you can. So in this spirit, we are taking a deeper dive into what kind of viruses exist and how they function.

1. File-infecting Virus

A virus that attached itself to an executable program. It is also called a parasitic virus which typically infects files with .exe or .com extensions. Some file infectors can overwrite host files and others can damage your hard drive’s formatting.

2. Macro Virus

This type of virus is commonly found in programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel. These viruses are usually stored as part of a document and can spread when the files are transmitted to other computers, often through email attachments.

3. Browser Hijacker

This virus targets and alters your browser setting. It is often called a browser redirect virus because it redirects your browser to other malicious websites that you don’t have any intention of visiting. This virus can pose other threats such as changing the default home page of your browser.

4. Web Scripting Virus

A very sneaky virus that targets popular websites. What this virus does is overwrite code on a website and insert links that can install malicious software on your device. Web scripting viruses can steal your cookies and use the information to post on your behalf on the infected website.

5. Boot Sector Virus

These viruses are once common back when computers are booted from floppy disks. Today, these viruses are found distributed in forms of physical media such as external hard drives or USB. If the computer is infected with a boot sector virus, it automatically loads into the memory enabling control of your computer.

6. Polymorphic Virus

This virus has the capability to evade anti-virus programs since it can change codes every time an infected file is performed.

7. Resident Virus

A resident virus stores itself on your computer’s memory which allows it to infect files on your computer. This virus can interfere with your operating system leading to file and program corruption.

8. Multipartite Virus

A type of virus that is very infectious and can easily spread on your computer system. It can infect multiple parts of a system including memory, files, and boot sector which makes it difficult to contain.

Receiving a screen of death is not a pleasant experience at all and most users would agree that they would very much like not to face one during their work with the computer. Sadly PC is not a perfect machine and it is not working in a perfect environment so errors happen. The most famous and well-known death screen is blue which is also the most common one, my bet would be that there is not a user which has not been faced with this blue error screen. There is no simple explanation why these stop errors occur as several factors can be involved. However, it is known that the malfunctioning of hardware drivers or drivers that are installed by third-party software drive this unwanted change. But did you know that there is more colors for infamous death screens and not just blue one? Microsoft has coded different errors to different colors in the goal for the technical team to be aware right away of what type and kind of error they are dealing with. Color for screen errors are: Blue, Black, Pink, Brown, Yellow, Red, Orange, Green and White If you are interested in what color represents what keep reading.

BLUE

A stop error or exception error commonly called the blue screen of death (BSoD) or blue screen, is an error screen displayed on Windows computers following a fatal system error. It indicates a system crash, in which the operating system has reached a condition where it can no longer operate safely. This is caused by many different problems, such as a general hardware failure or a crucial process terminating unexpectedly.

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BLACK

On Windows 10 systems, a Black Screen of Death can be caused by an unfinished Windows Update. To resolve this problem, simply hold the power button down on your PC or laptop to switch off the computer. A cold start should result in the system booting properly.

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PINK

It is a diagnostic screen with a white type on a pink background. Pink Screen is mainly seen when the VMkernel of an ESX/ESXi host experiences a critical error, becomes inoperative, and terminates any virtual machines that are running. It is not fatal and generally considered more of a developer testing issue. When encountered, it can be fixed quickly by following the simple action of pressing and holding your computer’s power button to shut down the device.

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BROWN

The Microsoft Windows 10 Operating System Brown Screen of Death is an on-screen fatal error notification with bug check codes which is seen when a computer crashes due to graphics hardware or software-related problems (failing graphics drivers).

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YELLOW

It affects the functioning of a browser, particularly Mozilla Firefox. The Yellow Screen of Death makes the appearance with a weird buzzing sound in the background when the XML parser refuses to process an XML document causing a parsing error and a weird buzzing sound. The issue persists unless the computer is manually rebooted.

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RED

Commonly the Windows 10 red screen is caused due to the hardware error, particularly if you overclock your Windows PC/laptop. Despite this, sometimes the red screen of death is also caused by outdated or incompatible drivers or due to BIOS issues.

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ORANGE

The Orange Screen of Death on Windows occurs due to fatal hardware errors. Multiple reasons have been reported for the Orange Screen of Death. Some had this issue when watching a YouTube video, some were not able to boot into Windows. It can even occur when waking up from Sleep.

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GREEN

The green screen of death only appears when you're running an Insider Preview version of Windows 10. It's the same as the blue screen of death, and it will show the same error messages. ... If you see a green screen of death (GSOD) on your PC, that's a sign you're using an Insider Preview build of Windows 10.

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WHITE

The White Screen on Windows is also an error where the screen of the computer just turns white and freezes. There can be several things that can cause the white screen to appear on the Windows laptop monitor. But the main issue could be because of malfunctioning of the graphics hardware.

There are times when you suddenly encounter a Blue Screen error like DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE error when resuming from Sleep or right after you shut down or restart as well as switch from Hibernate mode. This kind of Blue Screen error is due to some issue with the driver state. Moreover, the bug check “0x0000009F” in the error also indicates that a driver is in an inconsistent or invalid power state. The DRIVER POWER STATE FAILURE Blue Screen error usually occurs during events that involve power state transitions like shutting down, moving in or out of standby mode, or hibernate mode. To resolve this error, you can check out the suggestions given below.

Option 1 – Update the Device drivers

The device driver installed in your computer might be incompatible with your operating system which is the reason why the DRIVER POWER STATE FAILURE Blue Screen error occurs. To fix that, you have to update your device drivers.

• Reboot your computer into Safe Mode with networking support.
• Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type “msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After opening the Device Manager, update all the outdated Device drivers on your computer.
• Next, right-click on all the driver entries that are appropriately labeled, and then click the Update driver option.
• Now restart your PC and check if the BSOD error is fixed or not.

Option 2 – Uninstall any faulty device drivers

• Tap the Win + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type “msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• From there, look for any device driver which has a yellow exclamation mark which indicates that something is wrong with them.
• And then right-click on each one of them and click on Uninstall.
• Once you’re done uninstalling the faulty drivers, restart your computer and allow your computer to reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled.

Option 3 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like rtwlane.sys Blue Screen error. 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 4 – Try to remove external hardware

If there is any external hardware plugged into your computer especially the new ones, you can try removing it and then check if the Blue Screen error persists. If the problem gets solved, you might want to update the driver of that particular hardware. On the other hand, if you’re still getting the error, then proceed to the next given options below.

Option 5 – Try resetting Windows 10

To fix this BSOD error, 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.

Option 6 – Try running the System File Checker Scan

The SFC or System File Checker scan could detect and automatically repair damaged system files that could be causing the DRIVER POWER STATE FAILURE Blue Screen error. 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. 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.

Windows defender error 0x800700AA, service can not be started comes when the user is trying to run Windows defender scan on their system. This kind of behavior happens for two reasons mostly, third-party application conflict or corrupted system files. In this article, we will tackle both scenarios and provide you with solutions in both cases.

Third-party application conflict

In this rare scenario when Windows defender can not start scan due to conflict with installed service or application in the system solution is quite simple. Restart your PC into safe mode and run the scan from there. In a safe mode environment, minimum drivers and services are only loaded eliminating any conflicts that might occur when everything is booted. If Windows defender can not run the scan in safe mode and you get the same 0x800700AA error then you can eliminate application conflict as a reason and move to the next solution which will tackle corrupted system files. If you, however, managed to run a scan then you have a rare third-party application conflict, you can boot normally into windows and try to eliminate one by one to see which one is causing the issue. The safest bet would be to start with security software because most of the time that is what causes conflicts in running services and applications.

Corrupted system files

If the previous solution has not provided you with results then you have system file corruption that needs to be fixed. Move from one solution to another as presented below:

1. Run SFC scan

   SFC scan is a built-in Windows tool for solving corrupted system files issues, it is fully automated and does not require from the user any kind of knowledge or information. To run it and scan the system do the following: Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu Left-click on the command prompt (admin) In command prompt type SFC /SCANNOW and press ENTER Wait for the process to finish, do not interrupt it and once it is done, restart your computer

2. Run DISM scan

   DISM scan is similar to SFC scan but it tackles different types of system file corruption and it is recommended to run it also after SFC has been completed. Please note that for DISM scan to be successful you will need a stable internet connection since DISM will replace corrupted files with new ones downloaded from Microsoft. To run it do the following: Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu Left-click on the command prompt (admin) inside command prompt type: exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth followed by ENTER, then type: Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth also followed with ENTER. Leave scan to finish and reboot your PC

Things have stirred lately with Chinas ban on crypto mining and many used GPUs will flow the market probably. But should you buy a used GPU? Short answer: NO, long answer: keep on reading to find out why.

GPU shortage and its cause

As you all know by now, we live sadly in a world struck by a global Pandemic. Due to this awful disease and measures taken against it, many people are either working from home or are at home making the manufacturing of new chips problematic while demand on the market has raised. Throw into that mix crypto mining which has raised in popularity and you have, well today's market where we have GPU shortage. Now with the latest news that China has banned the mining of cryptocurrency, there is to be expected that at some point in time mining cards used there will fit the market in the whole world. Sadly even with a large quantity of GPUs that will become available, the overall price of cards will not be much lowered I am afraid since demand is still very high and many people would not want to purchase used mining cards and neither should you.

Be prepared for the worst scenario

Although this sounds very pessimistic and in most cases, it will not turn out to be true, you should always prepare yourself mentally that you might be in that lower percentage that will end up with a really bad GPU. What has come up to be absolutely true when considering GPU that were mining is that if anything at all can be done to GPU in order to increase performance, it has been done. Miners want to optimize and almost every GPU if could be overclocked, it was overclocked. Extensive mining also means that thermal paste has been dried and it is pretty useless at this point and there is a very high chance that fans and heat sinks will need much cleaning or even replacement raising the price of the card itself for mentioned paste, fans, and heat sinks. There's no way to tell what the previous owner might have done with a graphics card when you're shopping online, so our advice is to assume the worst. Don't trust the seller to give truthful information. Any listing that says it was "never used for mining" at this point is probably a lie.

Age of the GPU matters

Date when GPU itself has manufactured really matters. Newer cards even if used extensively have been used for a much shorter period of time and are not so damaged were ones produced a few years ago have seen a lot of action. Let’s say that you get RTX 3060, In the worst-case scenario it has been mining since late February of 2021 and basically, it is still under warranty so it should behave OK and put some good work in gaming even in that state. On another hand, if we take for example GTX 1080Ti which is 4 years old GPU things start to change drastically. 4 years GPU could be worn out even if it was used just for extensive gaming sessions let alone for mining.

No return policy and seller rating

Most of the time you will run into a product that cannot be returned or no refunds policy. This should bring a red flag right away and deter you from purchase. Sellers with the highest ratings are more trustworthy since many of them will not want to destroy their reputation but these will probably not even have these kinds of merchandise in their store. Buying with a poor rating seller and no return policy on a product is just asking for trouble. And although some stores do have arbitration and will stand on the customer side there is no guarantee for that and it will take too much time to process.

If you really must buy a second-hand GPU

Of course in these troubled times sometimes due to malfunction or any other reason, there would not be another choice than to buy a second-hand GPU. In this case, if there is no other option consider sellers with many positive ratings. If you can buy locally that would even be better or the best-case scenario would be if you could visually see and inspect GPU itself in order to see in what state it is. Look for warranty stickers to see if they are thorn and the card has been tampered with. Also take a good look at screws, if they have scratches card has been opened, probably to replace fan or heating sinks which means that it has worked a lot.

Conclusion

It is very difficult to give the best possible advice on this situation since of GPU shortage, but I would much prefer a new GPU with lower performance than a hi-performance one which was mining.