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Oh, gamers rejoice, the Steam autumn sale is just around the corner!!!

The sale starts on November 22nd and lasts until November 29th. A great deal for any gamer, especially for ones that have plenty on their wishlist. Speaking of wishlists now would be a good time to place some interesting titles on them so you can be notified about discounts on them.

If you by any chance are unavailable to participate in the Autumn sale, do not worry, Steam winter sale is coming on December 22nd and it will last until January the 5th so you can save for it.

The best tactic for sale is not to jump on the train right away, it is best to wait until a few days, maybe even until the last 2 days since some games can go even lower on discount in the last days of the sale. Also, there might be also some packages that include games you wish to buy but are packed with other ones in a bundle and even with a higher discount.

So get prepared for the upcoming sale and treat yourself to something nice!

Same as Windows 10, Windows 11 also keeps track of date and time using an internet time server. But in a case that you need to change the date or time for any kind of reason here is a guide for that process:

1. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + I to open settings
2. Click on Time & Language in Taskbar
3. Inside Time & Language click on Date & Time
4. Turn off Set Time Automatically by clicking on the switch next to it
5. Below find Set the date and time manually and click on Change
6. Inside, Change Date and Time window use the drop-down menu to set desired date and time

Driver Verifier is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that monitors device drivers on your computer, if it detects issues with drivers, it will attempt to fix the issue. If you are encountering Blue Screen for a Driver and after running Driver Verifier you get another with message DRIVER_VERIFIER_DETECTED_VIOLATION ten follow this article step by step in order to solve it. There is a chance that you will maybe even have to do this in safe mode, if that is your case, login into safe mode and proceed, otherwise proceed normally.

1. Update Device Drivers

   the most common issue with the blue screen is old Drivers, in most cases, graphical drivers, update all Drivers with the latest versions and see if this will resolve the issue.

2. Stop or uninstall Virtualization software

   Virtua machine software is a great way to have a safe environment and to experiment while preserving your Windows installation intact, however sometimes due to the nature of these applications they can be a case for blue screen errors. Stop virtualization software to see if it will remove the issue. If that is the case, try another virtualization application

3. Disable Driver Verifier

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu Click on Command Prompt (admin) Inside command prompt type: verifier and press ENTER Select the Delete existing settings radio button Click Finish Reboot your computer

4. Reset Driver Verifier

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu Click on Command Prompt (admin) Inside command prompt type: verifier /reset and press ENTER Reboot your computer

5. Use system restore

   Rollback Windows to the previous state where everything was working fine.

We are all waiting for the release of Intel’s Alder Lake series of processors and real-world results on its performance. Sadly lately it came to our attention that some games might have issues with the processor. Now before you go on the bandwagon on bashing Intel itself take note that it is not Intel’s fault at all. The issue that arises is mostly due to DRM software and how it works. As you might know or not, Alder Lake has two sets of cores, standard performance cores, and power cores, and with Intel’s Thread Director on-chip right cores will be used for the right tasks, and here lies the issue. DRM software might detect Thread Director as something suspicious and malicious, and then cut access to the game because of this. Intel, of course, has reached DRM manufacturers and places documentation about how software should be developed with this hybrid technology in mind. Of course, newer games will be updated if needed and everything will work fine, also games on GOG will work fine because of GOG’s policy of no DRM store but some older ones might be left in limbo. They could work fine but DRM might be triggered and prevent them from loading, usually, game developer itself removes DRM protection after some time but that is not really always the case and there is a chance that some games might simply just not work on Alder Lake CPU only because of DRM protection.

Conclusion

I will admit that I have not been a great fan of DRM in general, I understand that game developer want to protect themselves from piracy but how it looks they were not really successful with it. Even today single-player games get pirated on the day they are released and legally bought ones always make trouble for people that actually paid for them. I remember times when DRM was awful and you could install a game a limited number of times, luckily this was removed but it seems that many old habits still remain sadly and DRM is present even today in various forms. GOG is proof that people will buy DRM-free games and that they will support this kind of model. Maybe it is time to forget about fighting against piracy, you will not make it go away and people who do not want to buy games will not buy them, on other hand many users that do buy games, if they cannot use them they will rest to pirated version since that one will work. It is sad to see that pirated software can work better than a legal one and offer a more pleasant experience.

Error Code 0x80070003, 0x20007 - What is it?

Update Error 0x80070003, 0x20007 One of the most common errors encountered by users who updated to Windows 10 is the Error Code 0x80070003-0x20007. Normally, this error code is accompanied by the message saying “Windows could not search for new updates. An error occurred while checking for new updates or your computer” or “Error(s) found: Code 0x80070003 Windows update encountered an unknown error”.

This update-related error is often encountered any time while your device automatically installs updates once there’s an available system update or during manually installing updates for a specific app. Regardless if you are using a tablet, laptop, or PC, this update-related error could occur after upgrading your system to Windows 10.

Solution

Error Causes

There are several reasons why the update-related Error Code 0x80070003-0x20007 occurs. This includes the following:

• Windows Firewall-related problem
• A conflict in your device’s system might be present
• Not enough space in your RAM
• Not enough space in your installation disk
• Problems in your system memory

Further Information and Manual Repair

An effective way to address problems like the Error Code 0x80070003-0x20007 is by applying certain manual repair methods. However, ensure that you strictly follow instructions since one slight slip-up might result in critical issues. If you’re not knowledgeable enough, it would be best to consult help from a professional Windows technician or you can make use of an automated tool to solve any issues you’re encountering.

When you encounter the update-related Error Code 0x80070003-0x20007, you must take action immediately to address the problem to lessen the risk of losing all your data or damaging the Windows registry host.

In fixing Error Code 0xC1900101-0x30018, you can repeat the same steps used for 0xc000021a (Method One) then apply the following steps as well:

• Uninstall your antivirus prior to upgrading your system
• Ensure that you have a simple machine name with no periods, dashes, or hyphens.
• Restart several times then try again.
• Disable the General USB Devices in your machine like the Smart Card Reader.
• If you use a SCSI hard disk, ensure that you have available drivers you can use as your storage such as a thumb drive, and ensure as well that it is connected. Once you’re on the Windows 10 setup, click on Custom Advanced Option then use the Load Driver command in order to load the right driver for the SCSI drive. If this fails, try switching to an IDE-based hard disk.
• Once done, perform a clean boot then try restarting the device again.
• If you are upgrading your system using the .ISO file, disconnect your device from the Internet during setup. If your device is connected to the Internet by LAN or Wi-Fi, you need to disable both first then proceed to set up again.
• If you’re performing the update through Windows Update, disconnect from the Internet LAN or Wi-Fi once the download reaches 100% then proceed with the installation.
• If this still does not work, you can try using the .ISO file in upgrading.
• Switch to a local account if your machine is connected to a domain.
• Disconnect all external devices attached to your machine including gaming controllers, external hard disk, USB keys, and printers.

If the above steps still do not work, you can try performing a repair by doing the following steps:

1. Put the installation disc into the disc drive. Afterward, boot the computer.
2. Once the message: “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD…” appears, press any key.
3. Choose a language, currency, time, and a keyboard or another input method. Click Next.
4. Click on Repair your computer
5. Select the operating system that you wish to repair then click Next
6. Open the Command Prompt by clicking it in the System Recovery Options dialog box.
7. Type BOOTREC /FIXMBR then hit Enter
8. Type BOOTREC /FIXBOOT then hit Enter
9. Type Drive:bootBootsect.exe /NT69 All then hit Enter

Can’t seem to put up with the long and technical manual repair process? You can still fix this error by downloading and installing a powerful automated tool that will surely get the job done in a jiffy!

If you have a laptop that is slowing down and some usual tasks are sluggish you probably mean that it is time to change it and get a new one. Altho it is a good solution and it will guarantee that you will be able to do your tasks with more speed and comfort, straight purchasing is not always the best thing to do.

There are things you can do and some upgrades that are cheaper and will bring your laptop back into the game and extend its usage for a few more years.

1. Clean it

The most common issue for slowing down of computer is dust and dirt that accumulates over time and usage. If the laptop has not been properly cleaned in a while, cleaning it and placing new thermal paste on the CPU can do wonders. If you are not keen on doing this yourself or do not possess the required skillset take it to your local IT center for cleaning.

2. Uninstall software that you are not using

Various software can have speeding effects on computers, it can have some services running in the background and thus take precious resources slowing the whole system. If you are not using software, uninstall it.

3. Do not install the latest software

If you are using your computer for basic tasks there is no really need to install the latest and best. A lot of new software will require new hardware and things that offer are not so much better nor even required to justify the upgrade. Let us take office, for example, if you are using it to just write some text and not using any advanced options there is really no need to switch to a newer version, the old one will do just fine tasks that you are in need of.

4. Replace HD

Now this fits in the domain of upgrading your hardware but still it is much cheaper than replacing the whole laptop. Windows 10 works much better with SSD and SSD itself is faster than your standard HD, especially if it is slower model spinning in only 5400RPM. Operation of HD replacement is simple and straightforward and anyone can do it but the benefits of replacement will be visible right away. With a new SSD instead of an old mechanical one, you will have the feeling that you actually bought a new laptop.

5. Add more RAM

This is basically the last thing you can do in order to speed up your old laptop that will not break your bank account. Upgrading RAM was always the thing that can push your computer to have more power and to behave better while you are doing tasks. One important thing here is to first see how much RAM you have in your computer. If you are packing already 8GB then upgrading will not do much but if you have only 4GB, raising it to 6GB or 8GB will be beneficial. Also, check if the model of the laptop supports more RAM in the first place.

Conclusion

We have covered here a vast array of options in order to get your laptop back into the game with variability between hardware upgrades to taking care of your software. Whatever option you choose to do it will speed up your computer but among all of them, replacing the hard drive will do the most.

If you encounter an error message saying, “ERR SSL VERSION OR CIPHER MISMATCH” while visiting a website, then it is not primarily your fault as an end-user. In fact, it can happen on any website like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and even Internet Explorer. Getting this error means that the website you are visiting is using an SSL certificate which your browser seems to be rejected because there is some issue with the certificate. It is also possible that the certificate that’s downloaded on your computer is corrupted or that your computer configuration for TSL/SSL is misconfigured. Here are the complete details of the error message:

“A secure connection cannot be established because this site uses an unsupported protocol, Error code ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH”

To resolve the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error, refer to the options given below and see which one works for you.

Option 1 – Try to access the website with the only HTTP

The first thing you can do is to try accessing the website using HTTP instead of HTTPS. If you can open the website using HTTP then it means that the problem is in the website itself. And if you are the website owner, you can check the following:

• Check if your website’s SSL certificate name is mismatched. Here you need to ensure that the name and alias of the websites match with the actual website URL where the certificate is installed.
• Second, check if your server is using the RC4 Cipher. If it is, then you need to fix that.

On the other hand, you may also check if your CDN also supports SSL since most of the CDN nowadays supports SSL. All you have to do is configure it correctly and it should be good to go.

Option 2 – Try enabling SSL 3 / TLS and disable QUIC Protocol

If you were using Google Chrome when you got the ERR SSL VERSION OR CIPHER MISMATCH error, then you need to follow the protocol fixes for SSL3/TLS and QUIC which are usually some of the reasons that cause the SSL version / Cipher Mismatch. It also has a few fixes for Windows 10 computer where you can clear the certificates and make sure that your computer date and time is in sync with your time zone and so on. If you were using Edge or Internet Explorer when you got the error, then you have to follow the steps below.

• Type “Internet” in the search box of your browser. After that, you should see the Internet Options from the search results.
• Next, open the Internet Properties window and switch to the Advanced tab and then scroll down to the Security section.
• From there, check the “Use TLS 1.1” checkbox as well as the “Use TLS 1.2” checkbox and then click OK to save the changes made.
• Restart the browser.

On the other hand, if you were using Firefox when you go the error, here’s what you have to do.

• Open Firefox and in the address bar, type “about:config” and hit Enter.
• If a warning appears, just click on the “I accept the risk!” button to proceed.
• Next, type in “TLS” in the search field and hit Enter.
• Then look for “security.tls.version.min” and double click on it and set its integer value to 3 to force the protocol of TLS 1.3.
• Now click OK and restart Firefox and do the same thing with SSL.

Error Code 0x8024002e - What is it?

Windows 10 error code 0x8024002e is related to the Windows update service. When you see the error code displayed on your screen, it means that the Windows update service has been blocked or not working. As a result of this error code, your computer might lag and the system may freeze while performing normal operations. The error may read as follows:

“There were some problems installing updates, but we’ll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to search the web or contact support for information this may help: (0x8024002e)”.

Common symptoms include:

• Slow computer performance
• System freezes while performing normal operations or freezes while multitasking
• BSOD error is showing
• Some unwanted files get opened automatically
• Updating is not possible

Solution

Error Causes

This error code appears because of the following reasons:

• Incomplete installation of the Windows operating system
• Incorrect registry entry
• Corrupt or damaged system files
• The computer has come under a virus attack
• Miscommunication between the computer and the Windows Automatic Update service

The decline in RAM or outdated Hard Disk Drive

Further Information and Manual Repair

Method 1:

• Remove any external media connected to the computer
• Crash reboot your PC 2 to 3 times.
• Now check if you are still having the problem.

If the problem still persists, try the following methods if you are able to boot to the desktop and check for the problem.

Method 2:

Changing Windows Update property to automatic: You might see this error if your Windows update property is set to manual. Follow the steps below to change it to automatic. Open Task Manager.

1. Click on the Services tab. Find “Open Services” at the bottom of the window.
2. A new window will pop up. Scroll down and find “Windows Update” from the list. Double click on the Windows Update. It will open its properties.
3. Select Automatic for ‘Startup Type.’ Click Apply, Start, and OK.

Now, try the Windows Update and check if you are still getting the error message. If the problem isn’t resolved, reboot your PC for the changes to take effect and then try again.

Method 3:

Disable Antivirus program: If you have any antivirus installed on your PC, you might need to disable it first and see if that helps. Although, most of the antivirus makers have made changes to work smoothly with Windows 10, it is a new Operating System and some antivirus may cause conflict. Disable the antivirus and check for updates to see if it is preventing you from updating your system and displaying the error code 0x8024002e.

Method 4:

Run inbuilt Windows update troubleshooter. Follow the steps given below:

1. Press Windows + W keys on your keyboard to enable the search option.
2. In the Search box type Troubleshooting.
3. Click on View all
4. Click on Windows update and follow the prompts to run the troubleshooter.

If the issue persists, try Method 5

Method 5:

Run the System File Checker tool (sfc.exe):

1. Open Command prompt.
2. Type sfc /scannow and hit Enter.
3. The sfc /scannow will scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with a cached copy that is located in a compressed folder at %WinDir%System32dllcache. The %WinDir% has the Windows Operating System folder. For example, C:\Windows.

Do not close the Command prompt window until the verification is 100% complete. The command prompt will show the scan results when it is done. After it is done, you may receive one of the following messages:

“Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.” This means you do not have any missing or damaged system files.

OR you may receive a message saying:

“Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.”

To resolve this problem, run the System File Checker in safe mode and make sure that the PendingDeletes and PendingRenames folders exist under %WinDir%WinSxSTemp.

OR you may also receive a message saying, “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. Details are included in the CBS.Log%WinDir%LogsCBSCBS.log.” OR you may receive a message saying, “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log%WinDir%LogsCBSCBS.log.”

Windows 10 supports various devices to get connected to which makes it quite a flexible operating system. The connection varies on the fact that the device can be connected either with Bluetooth or other wireless and wired connection. However, no matter how great the features are, there a few times when they bring in some bugs too. One of these bugs won’t allow you to either remove or reinstall the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard device from your Windows 10 computer. So if you are currently experiencing this problem, read on as this post will guide you in fixing it. Before you go over the suggestions laid out below, you need to create a System Restore Point first since, in one of the options, you will be making some changes with the registry files as well as some critical Windows settings. Once you have that covered, refer to the following options.

Option 1 – Configure the Bluetooth Services

The first thing you can do is configure Bluetooth Services.

• Tap the Win + R key combination to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• You will then see a list of services and from there, look for the following services and make sure that their default values are set as follows:
  • Bluetooth Audio Gateway Service – Manual (Triggered)
  • Bluetooth Support Service – Manual (Triggered)
  • Bluetooth User Support Service – Manual (Triggered)
• Now click on the Start button to start all the aforementioned services and then check if you can now remove or reinstall the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard device.

Option 2 – Try running the Bluetooth Troubleshooter

As you know, Windows 10 has various troubleshooters with user-friendly interfaces where you can utilize them to fix issues in your PC. And since you’re dealing with some Bluetooth problem, you have to run the Bluetooth Troubleshooter.

• Open the Windows 10 Settings.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• You should find the option for Bluetooth on your right-hand side – click on it then click on the “Run the troubleshooter” option.
• Now follow the next screen options.

Option 3 – Try to reinstall or update the Bluetooth driver

The issue might have something to do with the Bluetooth drivers. It could be that it is outdated and needs to be updated or that you recently updated it and since then you have trouble removing the Bluetooth device and so to fix the issue, you can update, roll back or uninstall the Bluetooth drivers. How? Follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + X keys to open the Device Manager.
• Next, look for the Bluetooth device and right-click on it.
• Select the option “Update driver”.
• After that, a new popup window will appear. In there, select the option, “Search automatically for updated driver software”.

Note: Checking the update may take a few minutes so you’ll have to wait until it finishes. If it is able to find an update, you must install it.

Option 4 – Get rid of any interference

If you have several wireless devices in the same room as your PC then it might have caused interference with the current connection in your PC which is why you have to switch off all the other devices and then try removing reinstalling the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard devices again.

Option 5 – Remove or reinstall the Bluetooth devices in a Clean Boot State

You might want to uninstall or remove the Bluetooth Devices while your computer is in a Clean Boot State. Putting your computer in this state will surely help especially if there are some processes that prevent the Bluetooth devices from being removed or reinstalled.

• Log onto your PC as an administrator.
• Type in MSConfig in the Start Search to open the System Configuration utility.
• From there, go to the General tab and click “Selective startup”.
• Clear the “Load Startup items” check box and make sure that the “Load System Services” and “Use Original boot configuration” options are checked.
• Next, click the Services tab and select the “Hide All Microsoft Services” check box.
• Click Disable all.
• Click on Apply/OK and restart your PC. (This will put your PC into a Clean Boot State. And configure Windows to use the usual startup, just simply undo the changes.)
• After that, try to reinstall or remove the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard devices again.

If you got an error message saying, “Folder Redirection Failed, Failed to build the list of regular subfolders, Access is Denied” after you configured a new Group Policy Object or GPO which redirects User folders to a new network share or when you click on Reset default location under the Windows File Explorer or Folder Options, then you’ve come to the right place as this post will show you how to resolve this kind of error on your Windows 10 computer. Follow the given options below carefully to fix the “Folder Redirection Failed” error.

Option 1 – Take Ownership of the folder

If you are not able to access the folder could be one of the reasons why you’re getting the “Folder Redirection Failed” error and so you need to take ownership of the folder to resolve the problem. Before you proceed, make sure that your account is an admin account.

• First, locate the concerned folder and right-click on it then select Properties.
• Next, click on the Edit button in the Properties window and click OK to confirm if you got a User Account Control elevation request.
• After that, select user/group from the permission windows or click on the Add button to add another user or group. It would be best if you add “Everyone” to give permission.
• Then check “Full Control” under the “Allow” column to assign full access rights control permissions.
• Now edit the permission to Full Control for “Everyone”.
• Click OK to save the changes made and then exit.

Option 2 – Try to add Authenticated Users or Domain Computers

Make sure that the Folder Redirection group policy removal option is set to “Redirect the folder back to the user profile location when the policy is removed” when using the Folder Redirection. After that, you have to add Authenticated Users group with the “Read” permissions on the Group Policy Objects or GPOs. And if the Domain computers are part of the group of “Authenticated Users”. Note that by default, the “Authenticated Users” have these permissions on any new Group Policy Objects or GPOs. Once again, you have to add just “Read” permissions and not “Apply Group Policy” for “Authenticated Users”. Furthermore, to fix the “Failed to build the list of regular subfolders” errors, here are some options that could help.

Option a – Try to clear disk space

You might have to check if your disk is running out of space because if it is, then it will fail to create a list abruptly. And so you need to free up some disk space. You can either check on the files manually especially if you tend to keep your files at random places in your disk drive.

Option b – Find the Target route

You need to find the target route of the folder and then restore it if you are getting the “Failed to build the list of regular subdirectories” when you try to relocate the folder to the original location.

Option c – Try to change Ownership/Reset Defaults for all the User folders

If the “Failed to build the list of regular subdirectories” error pops up when you are trying to move a large number of files from one location to another, then you need to change the ownership of the folders as pointed out earlier.