Windows Update Keeps Turning Off in Windows

If you get an Error Code 15 or Error Code 16 while you are browsing the web and you notice that your access is blocked to a particular website, then read on as this post will guide you in resolving this problem. Both Error Code 15 and Error Code 16 have the same message that states, “Access Denied: This request was blocked by the security rules”. Note that the error depends on what kind of browser you are using, as well as the operating system and network that you are using. On the other hand, the fixes for this error are the same and there is a handful of them that you can check out just make sure to follow each one of them carefully.

Option 1 – Sync Date and Time

The first thing you can try is to sync the Date and Time of your computer as the wrong Date and Time settings are one of the most common causes of connection problems like Error code 15 or Error code 16. This is because of the incompatibility between the SSL Certificate validation date and the System Clock. Thus, you have to sync your System Clock. Refer to the steps below to do so.

• Right-click on the Taskbar and click on the Adjust Date and Time option.
• Next, click on the Sync Now button to synchronize the Date and Time with the Microsoft Servers.
• Now make sure that the Time Zone that’s set on the same page is correct.

Option 2 – Try to reset the affected browser

Resetting the affected browser might help in fixing Error Code 15 or Error Code 16.

Mozilla Firefox

• Open Firefox and click the icon that looks like three stacked lines located at the top-right section of the browser.
• Next, select the question mark icon from the drop-down menu.
• Then select “Troubleshooting information” from the slide-out menu.
• After that, click on the “Reset Firefox” button located at the top-right section of the newly opened web page.
• Now select “Reset Firefox” in the confirmation pop-up window that appears.

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 option and click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” option to reset Google Chrome.
• Now restart Google Chrome.

Internet Explorer

• Launch Internet Explorer.
• Next, click the wrench icon for Settings.
• Then click Internet Options.
• After that, go to the Advanced tab.
• From there, click the Reset button. This will reset Internet Explorer’s settings to their default condition.
• Now click OK to save the changes made.

Option 3 – Temporarily disable Firewall and third-party antivirus

Firewall and antivirus programs are known to block files the instant it detects a threat to the system. However, there are some cases when it can also block a file even when it’s a safe one. Thus, your antivirus or firewall programs might be the reason why you can’t download anything on your Windows 10 computer. To isolate the issue, you need to temporarily disable both the Firewall and antivirus programs and then check if you can now download anything from the internet. Do not forget to enable them again as disabling them can leave your computer vulnerable to cyber threats.

Option 4 – Disable the Proxy server

You can also try to disable the Proxy server for your LAN to fix Error code 15 or Error code 16 especially if your computer was attacked by some malware or adware recently. In such cases, there is a chance that the malware or adware has changed your network settings in order to generate intrusive advertisements. Thus, you have to disable the proxy server and you can do that by following these steps:

• 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 5 – Check your VPN

If you are using a VPN application, there are times when it causes some issues like this error. If that’s the case, you can try to disable your VPN temporarily and see if the error is resolved or not and if turns out that your VPN is the culprit, you have to uninstall it and install a new one or its latest version. To uninstall it, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box
• Then type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
• From there, look for the VPN service you are using, select it and then click on Uninstall to remove it.
• After that, restart your computer and try to install the latest version of the program again. It should work now. If not, proceed to the next available option below.

Can’t Find Games on Twitch is a common error happening to a vast variety of people. The issue can be traced back to browser issues to others like malware infection. In this guide, we will provide you with common fixes on how to overcome this issue so you can continue watching your favorite streamer.

1. Sign out of Twitch, then sign back in

   If it is a browser issue or some glitch in the Twitch system simply signing out and then signing back in will solve the issue since information about the account will be resent to the twitch platform.

2. Refresh the application

   Sometimes servers are having high traffic and can get overloaded, refresh the application in the upper left corner to reload content.

3. Use browser instead of Twitch application

   If you are still having issues with the application, open the twitch website and access content there.

4. Close twitch

   But in task manager. Sometimes just closing it via the X button is not enough, some glitches stay and the application is still running in the background. Open task manager and close it from there.

5. Scan system for malware

   Scan the entire system for malware, various malware can halt twitch and cause issues.

6. Reinstall application

   If everything else failed, reinstall the application.

If your Microsoft Edge browser and Windows Store apps are now unable to connect to the internet after you have just installed the newly released Windows 10 v1809 October 2018 update, then this post might help. As you know, Microsoft has made a change recently and because of this, some users are getting the “Hmm, we can’t reach this page” error when they try to open Microsoft Edge as well as other pre-installed apps like News, Mail, and so on. Aside from that, you also won’t be able to connect the Microsoft Store apps to the internet. What’s strange is that you can connect to the internet using other programs like Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and many more. Apart from checking your internet connection, there are other things you can to resolve the problem. If your Windows Store apps are not able to connect to the internet and you’re only getting the Error 80072EFD, then you might have to enable IPv6 as the new Windows 10 v1809 requires IPv6 to be enabled so that you can use the UWP apps. And so you have to enable IPv6 in the network card along with IPv4. To do so, follow the steps below. Step 1: Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box. Step 2: After that, type “ncpa.cpl” and hit Enter or click OK to open Network Connections. From there, you will see your currently connected network profile. Step 3: Right-click on your network profile and select Properties and then go to the Networking tab and look for the “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” and select its corresponding checkbox. Step 4: Now click the OK button to save the changes made and restart your computer.

If you are trying to connect to the internet using the Microsoft Edge browser but encountered an error message instead that says, “Can’t connect to the proxy server”, read on as this post will show you how you can fix this error. This kind of error in Microsoft Edge could be caused by incorrect proxy settings or worse, malware. To fix this error, here are some suggestions you need to check out:

Option 1 – Try to check your internet connection

The first thing you can do to resolve the “Can’t connect to the proxy server” error in Microsoft Edge is to check your internet connection. There are times when your internet connection or Wi-Fi router can cause such problems. In such cases, you have to ensure that you have a valid internet source and if you are using a Wi-Fi router, you can try to use another connection and then see if the error is gone or not.

Option 2 – Try to disable the manual proxy set up from the Settings

In case you miss it, there is actually an option in the Settings panel that you can use to set up proxy in your Windows 10 computer. So if you encounter the “Can’t connect to the proxy server” error, you should disable manual proxy for the meantime and check if it fixed the error or not.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Windows Settings.
• Then go to Network & Internet > Proxy.
• And on your right-hand side, ensure that the Automatically detect settings are enabled and that the Use a proxy server option under the Manual proxy setup is disabled.
• Now try to open any website again and see if the problem’s fixed.

Option 3 – Try disabling the VPN

Like pointed out earlier, if you are using VPN, this could be the reason why you’re getting the “Can’t connect to the proxy server” error so the most obvious thing to do is for you to turn off the VPN and try to load a website in Edge again. And if you use a VPN software that works using their software, you can just completely exit or log-off from its account. On the other hand, if you are using a built-in Windows 10 VPN, you can simply turn it off or delete all the settings you have created there.

Option 4 – Disable the proxy server for your LAN

If your PC was just attacked by some adware or malware as of late, it is possible that it has changed the network settings in the system and might display spam advertisements. Thus, you have to disable the proxy server for your LAN. To do that, refer to these steps:

• 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 5 – Temporarily disable Firewall and third-party antivirus

Firewall and antivirus programs are known to block files the instant it detects a threat to the system. However, there are some cases when it can also block a file even when it’s a safe one. Thus, your antivirus or firewall programs might be the reason why you can’t download anything on your Windows 10 computer. To isolate the issue, you need to temporarily disable both the Firewall and antivirus programs and then check if you can now download anything from the internet. Do not forget to enable them again as disabling them can leave your computer vulnerable to cyber threats.

Option 6 – Clear the browsing data of Microsoft Edge

• Open Microsoft Edge.
• Then click on the three horizontal dots to open the menu.
• From there, click on Settings. And under Settings, click the “Choose what to clear” button under the Clear browsing data section.
• Next, check all the checkboxes and then click the Clear button to clear the browsing data in the Edge browser.
• Restart Edge.

Option 7 – Try to reset, repair or reinstall Edge via Settings

You can reset, repair or reinstall the Edge browser through Settings. If none of it helped, you can try the following:

• Open File Explorer and then go to this path – C:/Users/YourUsername/AppData/Local/Packages

Note: Before you type in the path in the Address bar, make sure that you put your user account name in place with the “YourUsername”.

• Tap Enter to proceed.
• Next, look for the folder named “MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe” then right-click on it.
• Click on Properties and uncheck the option “Read-only” under the General tab in the Properties window.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save the changes made.
• After that, look for the MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder again and delete it. And if a prompt stating “Folder Access Denied” appears on your screen, just click on the Continue button to proceed – doing so will delete most of the content inside the folder except for the folder named “AC”.
• Restart your PC.
• Now all you have to do is to re-register Microsoft Edge using PowerShell. In the Start Menu, search “Windows PowerShell”.
• Right-click on Windows PowerShell from the search results and select the “Run as administrator” option.
• Type in this command in the PowerShell windows and tap Enter – Cd C:/Users/YourUsername

Note: Once again, make sure that you key in your user account name in place of “YourUsername.

• After that, type in this command and tap Enter – Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml" -Verbose}
• Restart your PC.

Option 8 – Scan your computer for malware using Windows Defender

Your computer could be infected with malware which might have triggered the “Can’t connect to the proxy server” error. To fix this, you need to scan your computer using a reliable program like Windows Defender.

• Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
• Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
• Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
• Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.

Search Donkey is a Potentially Unwanted Program for Windows developed by Western Web Applications, LLC. This program may inject ads into your browsing sessions, giving you false search results and advertisements.

As described by Western Web Applications: “Search Donkey is entirely free to use. To keep Search Donkey free, we’ve partnered with high-quality ad providers and you may see additional ads when Search Donkey is installed.

While installed, Search Donkey will keep track of your web search queries, allowing it to let you know what pages you already visited, however, this data is also used to better target personal unwanted ads.

Search Donkey has been flagged as a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) by several anti-virus scanners, and their website is blacklisted by Google, giving warning to whoever visits it, and due to the nature of this application, it is not recommended to keep on your computer.

About Adware

Exactly what is Adware? If you have ever owned a computer, then you’ve probably heard the word numerous times, but it is still beneficial to define it. The term “adware” is actually a short form of advertising-supported software and it includes programs that are solely designed to display ads on a computer. A kind of malware, it will come bundled right in with the software package that a user either installs or accesses. Shareware or freeware programs are often times packaged with adware. If adware penetrates your system without you knowing and sends information about you or your PC to 3rd parties, then it is spyware. Quite often, adware changes your web browser settings to open pop-up adverts or modifies browser homepage and default internet search engine to some unwanted website. Adware is a common problem that affects a large number of PCs around the globe. If your computer doesn’t have any anti-malware software then it’s very likely it could get infected with adware as well as other malware.

Adware and its effects on your PC:

Adware could generate and display plenty of ads of all sorts which in turn disrupt the functions of your personal computer while browsing the net. Pop-ups might also show up on your computer’s desktop even when you’re not online. Adware results in a reduction of available memory and processing power, or resources. It also causes a slow net connection because adware consumes bandwidth whenever it retrieves adverts from the internet. Adware was originally created to support companies to generate income when they offer the software away free of charge. However, adware nowadays displays hundreds of adverts which will cause your PC to slow down and even crash.

Adware prevention:

As we discussed, adware could potentially be harmful to your computer, generally not by itself, but by bringing other problems to you. A top-quality antivirus program has the capability of permanently removing adware. We recommend Safebytes Anti-Malware, one of the top-rated anti-malware programs by world-renowned industry experts. It will act either as a preventative tool stopping websites or software installations that contain adware or as a removal tool for an already infected computer. To prevent adware, download software from websites that you trust. Never download from websites that you have never been aware of or tried before; Always study the end-user license agreement (EULA) of any application you want to install; You need to avoid freeware and shareware where possible; Lastly, watch out for ActiveX, since many adware and spyware companies make use of the technology to install their wares onto your computer system

Malware Blocking Internet And All Anti-Malware Software? Do This!

All malware is bad and the consequences of the damage will vary based on the specific type of malware. Some malware variants alter browser settings by adding a proxy server or modify the PC’s DNS settings. In these instances, you will be unable to visit some or all internet sites, and thus not able to download or install the required security software to eliminate the malware. So what to do when malicious software prevents you from downloading or installing Anti-Malware? There are a few options you could try to get around with this problem.

Remove viruses in Safe Mode

In Safe Mode, you can actually change Windows settings, un-install or install some program, and eliminate hard-to-delete viruses and malware. If the malware is blocking access to the internet and affecting the computer, launching it in Safe Mode will let you download antivirus and run a diagnostic scan while limiting possible damage. To enter into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, press the F8 key while the PC is starting up or run MSConfig and look for the “Safe Boot” options under the “Boot” tab. Once you’re in safe mode, you can attempt to install your anti-malware program without the hindrance of the malicious software. At this point, you could run the anti-malware scan to eliminate viruses and malware without hindrance from another application.

Switch over to an alternate browser

Some malware only targets certain browsers. If this sounds like your case, use another web browser as it could circumvent the malware. If you suspect that your Internet Explorer has been hijacked by malware or otherwise compromised by hackers, the ideal approach is to switch over to a different internet browser like Firefox, Chrome, or Safari to download your chosen computer security software – Safebytes Anti-Malware.

Create a portable USB antivirus for eliminating malware

Another solution is to make a portable antivirus program on your USB flash drive. Adopt these measures to run the anti-malware on the affected computer system. 1) Download the anti-malware program on a virus-free PC. 2) Connect the flash drive to a USB slot on the clean computer. 3) Run the setup program by double-clicking the executable file of the downloaded software, which has a .exe file format. 4) Select the flash drive as the destination for saving the software file. Follow the directions to complete the installation process. 5) Transfer the pen drive from the clean computer to the infected computer. 6) Double-click the Safebytes Anti-malware icon on the thumb drive to run the software. 7) Hit the “Scan Now” button to start the virus scan.

Detect And Remove Viruses With SafeBytes Anti-Malware

Today an anti-malware tool can protect the computer from different types of online threats. But wait, how to decide on the best one amongst countless malware protection application that’s available out there? As you might be aware, there are many anti-malware companies and products for you to consider. A few are well worth your money, but many aren’t. You need to choose one that is reliable, practical, and has a strong reputation for its malware source protection. Amongst few good applications, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is the strongly recommended software for the security-conscious individual. SafeBytes anti-malware is a trustworthy tool that not only secures your PC permanently but is also very easy to use for people of all ability levels. With its outstanding protection system, this tool will easily detect and remove most of the security threats, including adware, viruses, browser hijackers, ransomware, trojans, worms, and PUPs.

SafeBytes has outstanding features when compared to other anti-malware programs. Below are some of the great ones:

Real-time Threat Response: SafeBytes provides 100 % hands-free real-time protection and is set to check, block, and eliminate all threats at its very first encounter. They’re very effective in screening and getting rid of different threats because they’re constantly revised with new updates and safety measures. Robust, Anti-malware Protection: With its enhanced and sophisticated algorithm, this malware removal tool can identify and get rid of the malware threats hiding in the PC effectively. Internet Security: SafeBytes gives an instant safety rating about the pages you’re about to visit, automatically blocking harmful sites and ensure that you’re certain of your safety while browsing the world wide web. “Fast Scan” Abilities: SafeBytes’s virus scan engine is one of the fastest and most efficient within the industry. It's targeted scanning seriously increases the catch rate for viruses which is embedded in various computer files. Low CPU and Memory Usage: This program is not “heavy” on your computer’s resources, so you’ll not see any overall performance issues when SafeBytes is working in the background. 24/7 Customer Support: You can obtain totally free 24/7 technical support from their computer experts on any product queries or computer security concerns. Overall, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is a solid program as it has lots of features and could identify and remove any potential threats. Malware problems will become a thing of the past once you put this software to use. So if you’re searching for the best malware removal application out there, and if you don’t mind paying out some money for it, opt for SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

If you don’t want to use malware removal software and prefer to get rid of Search Donkey manually, you could do so by going to the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu in the control panel and deleting the offending program; in cases of web browser plug-ins, you may remove it by visiting the browsers Add-on/Extension manager. You’ll probably also want to reset your internet browser. To ensure the complete removal, manually examine your hard disk and registry for all of the following and remove or reset the values accordingly. But bear in mind, editing the Windows registry can be a complicated job that only experienced users and professionals should attempt to fix it. Furthermore, some malware keeps replicating which makes it tough to eliminate. It is advised that you do the removal procedure in Windows Safe Mode.

Microsoft is trying to make Windows into a personalized OS, more and more features and parts can be customized to user liking. From larger things to smaller ones nowadays you can almost personalize every detail of Windows itself. In this article, we will tackle how to bring back the names of running applications on the taskbar. Placing names beside icons on the taskbar is a pretty simple and straightforward task easily done. First, right-click the Taskbar and select Taskbar settings. In Taskbar settings, click the menu labeled Combine taskbar buttons. Select Never. That's it, now all of your running applications have a name beside them. If you change your mind, you can always undo it by selecting Always hide labels in the Combine taskbar buttons menu.

A lot of users complain about low storage space each time a Windows Feature update is released as well as to complain about not being able to download the updates, slow update experience, and many other complaints. The main issue is that many users do not have enough storage space available on their PCs. And now to make sure that none of the updates gets stuck because of low storage space, Microsoft presented the Reserved Storage feature which comes preinstalled with v1903 or those where v1903 was clean installed. This guide will be showing you how you can enable or disable the Reserved Storage in your Windows 10 computer. As you know, the Windows Update process should have enough space so that it can download, extract and apply the update on the computer. Usually, the size of the Reserved Storage is around 7GB which gives enough space for the update, temporary files, system caches, apps, and many more. And according to Microsoft, the size of the Reserved Storage space will vary from time to time and will depend on how you use your computer.

Explanation

The Reserved Storage space feature is enabled by default on devices that come preinstalled with the May 2019 update or after performing a clean installation of the Windows 10 OS. To check if your computer has this feature, you need to go to Settings > System > Storage and from there click on the “Show more categories” link and then click on the “System & reserved” option. However, if you can’t find the Reserved Storage from the list, then it’s probably because your computer has limited space on the hard disk or it is not a fresh or new install. On the other hand, if you have this feature but have no use for it and want to disable it instead, then read on as this post will also show you how it’s done.

Solution

Keep in mind that when you disable the Reserved Storage feature, chances are, you might be unable to enable it back so you need to make sure that it’s really what you want to do before you disable it permanently. So if you really want to disable Reserved Storage, you can do so using the Registry Editor. Before you proceed, you have to create a System Restore point first and then carry out the following steps.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “Regedit” in the field and then tap Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to this registry path: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionReserveManager
• From there, double click on the DWORD named “ShippedWithReserves” and set its value to “1”.
• Once you’re done, restart your computer and see if the Reserved Storage feature is now gone.

On the other hand, if you want to reduce the Reserved Storage space, there are two ways you can do that. First, you can go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Manage optional features and from there, uninstall the optional features that you do not use. The second one is you have to go to Settings > Time & Language > Language and then uninstall the languages and their add-on which you don’t use. Note: The Reserved Storage feature is also used by system processes and apps to create temporary files and once the Reserved Storage space fills up, Windows 10 will delete them automatically. It is undeniable a useful feature so disabling it is not recommended but if you are running on low storage space and don’t have much choice, then you may disable it at your own risk.

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.

Error Code 0xC004F00F – What is It?

Error Code 0xC004F00F can appear during the Windows 10 installation and activation process. It is a fairly straightforward error code that occurs when a product key is entered in that is unable to be used to complete the final activation of the new operating system. This error code is most commonly related to the installation of new pieces of hardware on a machine that was already running Windows 10 at a previous time.

Error Code 0xC004F00F can also appear on other versions of the Windows software, so if you are not specifically trying to install and activate Windows 10 when this message appears, you may want to contact a qualified Windows technician to help resolve your system error, as the error code has different causes and resolution methods on other versions of the Windows operating system.

Solution

Error Causes

In some cases, Error Code 0xC004F00F will show up if you are attempting to install Windows 10 on a computer in which the hard drive has been replaced or significantly altered. It can also appear when other major pieces of hardware, like the motherboard, have been changed out.  These pieces may be changed as part of an upgrade to new or better hardware or be changed due to the malfunction of the original pieces of equipment. Because it may appear to the Windows activation servers that you are attempting to use the same product code that you have used before to activate what appears to be a new machine (even if the machine is the same one, just with some new parts), you may see Error Code 0xC004F00F arise.

Error Code 0xC004F00F can also come up if you have installed Windows 10 on your machine in the past and have already used the product key that you are attempting to use again.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Error Code 0xC004F00F most commonly appears for users who have made major hardware or software changes done on their machine. Because this error specifically arises from the Windows activation servers believing that your computer is a new one, you’ll need to get in touch with the Windows support team in order to resolve the error. From their database, they will be able to confirm that you are not using a new computer and will be able to bypass the error, allowing you to complete the Windows 10 Activation process.

If you haven’t installed or replaced any of the hardware on the computer, but are still seeing Error Code 0xC004F00F arise during your Windows 10 installation, you will still need to get in touch with the Windows support team to bypass the error code.

Calling the Windows' Support Team

When you call into the Windows support team, you’ll want to specifically have a list of the following information readily available: Which pieces of hardware have been changed out on your computer prior to the installation and activation, what method you were using to install Windows 10, which version of Windows 10 that you were attempting to install, whether it was a single-use or multiple-use license, and basic details about your PC like its make, model, and age.  You may also want to have the product key that you were attempting to use when Error Code 0xC004F00F first appeared.

By having all of this information ready and on hand ahead of time, you’ll have a greater likelihood that your error will be able to be resolved quickly and efficiently, avoiding long periods spent on the phone with customer service. Make sure that you specifically mention that you are experiencing Error Code 0xC004F00F during the Windows 10 activation process when you call into the Windows support team so that you can be connected to a representative who is equipped to help you resolve this specific problem.

Getting a Qualified Technician

If you are not comfortable in working with the Windows support team or have not been able to successfully resolve Error Code 0xC004F00F even after getting in touch with customer support, contact a qualified technician who is familiar with the Windows 10 activation process and can walk you through the things that you will need to communicate to the Windows support team in order to have them bypass or resolve the error code.

If you wish to always have at your disposal a utility tool to fix these Windows 10 and other related issues when they do arise, download and install a powerful automated tool.

Some Windows users are encountering the 0x800705b3 error code after failing to install a pending update on Windows 10. Most commonly this particular issue is reported to occur with Integrated webcam drivers updates and Bluetooth adapter driver updates. Follow the guide below in order to fix the issue and update your Windows successfully

Running the Windows Update Troubleshooter

The majority of users that were dealing with this issue reported that the issue was fixed after they ran the Windows Update Troubleshooter and applied the recommended fix.

1. Open a Run dialog box by pressing ⊞ WINDOWS + R. Inside the text box, type ‘ms-settings:troubleshoot’ and press ENTER to open up the Troubleshooting menu. Opening the Troubleshooting tab on Windows 10
2. Once you’re inside the Troubleshooting tab, move over to the right-hand section of the screen and click on Windows Update (under Get up and Running). Next, from the context menu that just appeared, click on Run the Troubleshooter.
3. Once you’re inside the Windows Update troubleshooter, wait until the initial scan is complete and see if a viable repair strategy is found.
4. If the scan has identified a strategy with the potential to fix your ongoing issue, click on Apply this fix and wait until the procedure is complete. Applying the fix Note: Depending on the type of fix that was recommended, you might need to follow an additional set of instructions before the fix will be properly imposed.
5. After you’ve done this, reboot your computer and wait for the next startup to complete.
6. Open Windows Update once again and see if the installation of this pending update is now successful.

Installing the pending Update Manually

Whether you’re experiencing this issue with an integrated webcam driver or with anything else, chances are you’ll be able to circumvent the apparition of the 0x800705b3 error by using the Microsoft Update Catalog to find, download and install the pending update manually.

1. Open your default browser and navigate to the root web page of the Microsoft Update Catalog.
2. Once you’re inside the Microsoft Update Catalog, use the search function (top-right corner of the screen) to search for the update that is failing.
3. After the search is completed and you get the list of results, look for an updated driver version that is compatible with your Windows version and CPU architecture.
4. Once you manage to identify the correct Windows Update, click on the hyperlink associated with the update that you want to install, then click the Download button and wait for the process to complete.
5. After the download is complete, use File Explorer to navigate to the location where you previously downloaded the update.
6. When you get to the correct location, right-click on the .inf file and choose Install from the context menu that just appeared. Note: If you have multiple failing updates with the same 0x800705b3, repeat the instructions above with every Windows Update that you’re having trouble installing.
7. At the end of this operation, reboot your computer and see if the problem is fixed at the next computer startup.

Enabling the Windows Installer Service

The Windows installer service is responsible for installing pending updates that get downloaded by the Windows Update component. If this service is disabled on your configuration, none of the updates waiting to get installed will get completed.

1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to open up a Run dialog box. Inside the text box, type ‘services.msc’ and press ENTER to open up the Services utility.
2. Once you’re inside the Services screen, move over to the right-hand tab of the screen, scroll down through the list of services and locate the Windows Installer service. When you find it, right-click on it and choose Properties from the context menu that just appeared.
3. Once you are inside the Properties screen of the Windows Installer services, access the General tab, click on the Start button to force-start the service. Note: If you can, also change the Startup type to Automatic via the associated drop-down menu. However, depending on your administrator settings, this might not be possible.
4. Restart your computer and wait for the next startup to complete. Once your PC boots back up, attempt to reinstall the driver that was previously triggering the 0x800705b3 error and see if the issue is now fixed.

Performing a Winsock Reset

In case the 0x800705b3 error is related to some kind of network inconsistency (TCP or IP related), you might see Windows Updates failing due to bad data that forces the Windows to abort the installation of new pending updates. In this case, you should proceed by doing a complete Winsock reset procedure to fix the majority of the socket and temporary data-related issues that might cause this behavior. Several affected users have confirmed that this method was the only thing that allowed them to finally fix the Windows Update issue and install pending updates normally. Here are some step-by-step instructions that will walk you through the process of performing Winsock Reset:

1. Open up a Run dialog box by pressing ⊞ WINDOWS + R. Inside the text box, type ‘cmd’, then press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open up an elevated Command Prompt. Accessing an elevated CMD prompt Note: When prompted by the UAC (User Account Control) prompt, click Yes to grant admin access.
2. Inside the elevated CMD prompt, type and taste the following commands in order and press ENTER after each one to effectively reset the TCP and IP data that might be responsible for the apparition of the 0x800705b3 error code:

   nbtstat -R
   nbtstat -RR
   netsh int reset all
   netsh int ip reset
   netsh winsock reset

3. Once every command above is processed successfully, you can go ahead and close the elevated Command Prompt and reboot your computer.
4. After the next startup is complete, repeat the installation of the Windows Update that was previously failing and see if the issue is now fixed.

Performing SFC and DISM Scans

If none of the ‘superficial’ causes have worked in your case, you should start considering some type of system corruption that might affect your computer’s ability to complete pending updates that are currently waiting to be installed. In case you find yourself in this particular scenario, you should run a couple of built-in utilities capable of fixing corrupted instances that might be currently affecting the Windows Update component. Our recommendation is to start with a simple System File Checker scan. An SFC scan will cross-check every Windows File against a local archive that maintains healthy copies. In case corrupted instances are found, this utility will swap the corrupted instance with the healthy equivalent.

Performing an SFC scan

Once the SFC scan is complete, reboot your computer and wait for the next startup to complete. After your computer boots back up, initiate a DISM scan. This utility works differently in the sense that it relies on a sub-component of Windows Update to download healthy copies for the corrupted Windows files that need to be replaced. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you have a reliable Internet connection before initiating this operation.

Doing a DISM scan

After the DISM scan is complete, reboot your computer one final time and see if the issue is fixed once the next startup is complete.