What to do when you can't format SD card

Steam Autumn sale is still raging and other storefronts like EPIC and GOG have also had their go, and as the year slowly closes we reflect on the best games released this year.

The games presented are not in any particular order and as sales are still raging pick one for you for a good time.

F1 Manager 22

If you are into formula racing this new manager is something we will wholeheartedly recommend. How it has been a very long time since a good F1 manager has been released this one is breath of fresh air. Masterfully done and fun to play, also licensed with real teams and cars get it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1708520/F1_Manager_2022/

Stray

I like cats, but this game is on another level from its competitors. Unique approach, great storyline, and of course orange cat as the main character! Set in a cyberpunk environment following the story of some unfortunate androids you can do most cat things like playing in boxes, etc but essentially the game is a puzzle platformer which in my opinion is a great thing. Meow your things and get the game while it is discounted: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1332010/Stray/

Neon White

Mirror's Edge was the very unique game when it was released introducing parkour into the gaming world, and Neon white brings it one level up. With competitive parkour FPS gameplay this game is great for killing some time and competing with your friends but most of all it is fun to play experience. Get it here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1533420/Neon_White/

Teenage mutant ninja turtles: Shredder's revenge

Shredder's revenge is a love letter to classic beat-them-up games found in old dusty arcades back in old times. Fast frenzy action, pixel art graphics, and tons of fun!!! Get it now and start partying like it was 1980: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1361510/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_Shredders_Revenge/

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

This game needs to be experienced in order to fully grasp its magnitude and quirkiness. From the creators of borderlands comes a new IP fusion of fantasy, guns, and crazy ideas all wrapped into an action RPG looter shooter with a recognizable borderlands style of graphics. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1286680/Tiny_Tinas_Wonderlands/

Norco

Winner of multiple awards, Norco is a classic point-and-click adventure game with a great sci-fi story with a lot of environmental focus. Story and atmosphere are the main selling points for the game and if you enjoy good stories with interesting characters give this one a go: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1221250/NORCO/

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker

Expansion for Massive multiplayer online roleplaying game brings so much to the table that we just could not oversee it and place it aside. Technically not full standing game since it is the expansion it still delivers on many fronts and since it is supposedly the last expansion now is the best time to pick it up and give a final fantasy 14 a go: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592500/FINAL_FANTASY_XIV_Endwalker/

Elden Ring

Of course, the list would not be complete if we did not include Elden ring, a great example of how a difficult but well-executed game can go over and beyond. With a story on par with great epics and compact as in dark souls, this title will provide you with many hours of gameplay and content. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245620/ELDEN_RING/

HWiNFO (Hardware Information) is a professional hardware information and diagnostic tool supporting the latest components, industry technologies, and standards. It's targeted to recognize and extract the most possible amount of information about computer hardware which makes it suitable for users searching for driver updates, computer manufactures, system integrators, and technical experts too. Retrieved information is presented in a logical and easily understandable form and can be exported into various types of reports. System health monitoring and basic benchmarking available too. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.

If you receive the error code 0xc000014C while you boot up your computer, then this post might be of help. This kind of error usually points to the Registry of your computer that might be corrupted. As a result, the operating system was not able to read the BCD file and throws the 0xc000014C error. The error code 0xc000014C is triggered when your computer encounters an error in the first booting sector. You might receive any of these error messages:

“Info: An error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data.” with File: as “BootBCD” “File: Windowssystem32configsystem Info: Windows failed to load because the system registry file is missing or is corrupt” “Info: The Boot Configuration Data for your PC is missing or contains errors.”

To fix the error code 0xc000014C when booting your computer, you can check out the suggestions provided below.

Option 1 – Try running System Restore in Advanced Startup Options

Since you probably can’t boot into your Windows 10 computer, you can try to run System Restore again in the Advanced Startup Options.

• Boot your computer into the Advanced Startup Options screen.
• From there, you will see some options to troubleshoot when you can’t log in to Windows in the usual way.
• Now select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
• After that, type “rstrui” and hit Enter to execute the command which will start the System Restore process.

Option 2 – Try to rebuild the BCD files

You can also try rebuilding the BCD files to resolve error 0xc000014C for corrupted Boot Configuration Data

• You can start by booting into the installation environment for Windows 10 from an installation media.
• After that, click on Repair your computer and on the blue screen, select Troubleshoot and then select the Advanced options menu.
• From there, select Command Prompt and once you open it, enter each one of the commands given below by sequence.
  • bootrec /FixMbr
  • bootrec /FixBoot
  • bootrec /ScanOS
  • bootrec /RebuildBcd
• Once you’re done executing the commands given above, type “exit” to close the Command Prompt window and then restart your computer and see if it fixed error code 0xc000014c.

Option 3 – Try restoring the default and uncorrupt Registry Values

This option is a bit tricky as you have to be sure about what you are doing here. However, if you are not sure, you might want to seek out a technician to fix the problem for you. But if you can handle it, then carefully follow the steps below.

• You have to first physically remove the hard drive of the computer that’s not booting up. You can refer to it as Hard drive 1 and Computer 1, respectively.
• After that, you need to have another computer which you can refer to as Computer 2, and refer to its hard drive as Hard drive 2. Make sure that this second computer is working properly.
• Next, you have to attach Hard drive 1 to Computer 2 with the Hard drive 2 attached as well.
• After that, boot Computer 2 from Hard drive 2 where Hard drive 1 will act as the second storage unit.
• Then navigate to the following location in the System Partition of the Hard drive 2.

C:/Windows/System32/config/RegBack

• From there, you have to replace all the files. Once you’re done, shut down your computer and then take out the Hard drive 1 from Computer 2 and put it back to Computer 1 as the only hard drive.
• Now boot your computer normally and check if the problem is fixed.

One of the most useful built-in tools in Windows 10 is the Check Disk or CHKDSK utility. It is the one that maintains the integrity of the disk that’s connected to a computer which can be launched using the GUI or graphical user interface and using the command line. There are a lot of things that warrant the running of this built-in utility and one of these things is the readability of the disk. Recently, a number of users reported that they encountered an error when they tried to run the CHKDSK utility – the error states, “Cannot open volume for direct access”. This kind of error in CHKDSK appears each time the command line is launched according to the affected users. As per the users who encountered this issue, they receive the following error messages when they tried running a ChkDsk command:

“C:WINDOWSsystem32>chkdsk /f g: Cannot open volume for direct access. C:WINDOWSsystem32>chkdsk /f f: The type of the file system is NTFS. Volume label is 0529357401.”

To fix the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error, here are some suggestions that might help. Follow them carefully.

Option 1 – Try running the CHKDSK utility on Boot

On the other hand, you can also try to run the CHKDSK utility on Boot so you can fix the error and recover any damaged segments of the drive.

• Open an elevated Command Prompt and enter this command: chkdsk /x /f /r
• After that, you will a message that says, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”
• Type Y and tap Enter to schedule a CHKDSK scan once your computer reboots next time.

Option 2 – Try to run the Primary Hard Disk Self Test

The next thing you can do to fix the problem is to run the Primary Hard Disk Self Test by following the steps below.

• You need to boot your computer into the BIOS first.
• After that, go to the Diagnostics tab and select the “Primary Hard Disk Self Test” option. Note that it may be different depending on the motherboard with different manufacturers but they should imply the same thing.
• Now, wait until the test is completed, and then boot your computer normally.

Option 3 – Try to check the hard drive’s health

The next thing you can do to resolve the issue is to check the health of your hard drive using the WMIC utility in the Windows Command Prompt. This utility will check if your hard drive has any problems which resulted in the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error.

Option 4 – Try to disable various restrictions on your hard drive

You might also want to disable the various restrictions on your hard drive since it is possible that it is encrypted or restricted which explains why you are unable to perform any operations in it and throws the “Cannot open volume for direct user access” error instead. For instance, if you have BitLocker, you can try to disable it and see if it fixes the error or not.

Option 5 – Try to uninstall or disable the Drive Locking feature on your hard drive

You could also look for any Drive Locking feature on your hard drive that tricks disk changes as it might be the root cause of the problem. Thus, if you find one, you need to either uninstall or disable it and then execute a check disk command to resolve the problem.

Option 6 – Try to disable the application service

Disabling the application service can also help you fix the problem. How? Refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and then hit Enter to open the Services Manager.
• Next, scroll down among the list of services and look for the service related to the security software or disk checker software.
• Once you find it, right-click on that service and select Properties.
• After that, change its Startup type to Disabled and click on the OK and Apply buttons to save the changes made.
• Now restart your computer and don’t forget to enable the service back once the disk check is completed.

Option 7 – Try to use Repair Volume via Windows PowerShell

You could also try to use the Repair Volume using Windows PowerShell. All you have to do is open PowerShell as admin and type the “repair-volume -drive letter <DRIVE LETTER>” command and then tap Enter to run Repair Volume. This should resolve the error.

When you try to open your Google Chrome browser and it starts to connect to the internet but suddenly, your Windows 10 computer crashes along with a Blue Screen error that says, “MEMORY_MANAGEMENT”, then read on as this post will guide you in fixing the problem. This kind of BSOD error occurs when Google Chrome requests more memory or when it tries to access the network and demand is raised for more memory, the memory management program fails. To fix the problem, here are some possible solutions you might want to try. Follow them thoroughly.

Option 1 – Use the Driver Verifier Manager

The Driver Verifier Manager is another tool in Windows that could help you fix driver-related issues. And since the MEMORY_MANAGEMENT Blue Screen error concerns Google Chrome and an internet connection, the root cause of the problem might have something to do with the Network driver and to verify that, you can use the Driver Verifier Manager:

• Type in the keyword “Verifier” in the Cortana search box to search for Verifier in Windows 10.
• After that, select the option “Create custom settings”.
• Make sure that you have checked everything except the options “DDI compliance checking” and “Randomized low resources simulation”.
• Next, select the option “Select driver names from a list” option.
• Afterward, you have to select all the drivers from any unofficial or third-party provider. To simply put it, you have to select all the drivers that are not supplied by Microsoft.
• Then click on the Finish button.
• Open Command Prompt as administrator and execute this command – verifier /querysettings
• The command you just executed will display the Driver Verifier settings so if you see any of the flags enabled boot your Windows 10 PC into Safe Mode.
• Open the Command Prompt as admin again and run this command – verifier /reset
• The command will reset the Driver Verifier. Once the process is done, restart your PC and check.

Option 2 – Try updating the Network 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 update them all.
• Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the MEMORY_MANAGEMENT BSOD error.

Option 3 – Try disabling Hardware Acceleration

You might want to disable Hardware Acceleration system-wide or for a particular program like Google Chrome and see if it resolves the MEMORY_MANAGEMENT error

Option 4 – Run the Memory Diagnostic Tool to check for Memory leaks

• Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and type exe and hit Enter to open the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.
• After that, it will give two options such as:
  • Restart now and check for problems (Recommended)
  • Check for problems the next time I start my computer
• Once your computer has restarted, perform a basic scan or you could also go for the “Advanced” options such as “Test mix” or “Pass count”. Simply tap the F10 key to start the test.

Note: After you select the option, your PC will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them and if there’s no issue found, then it’s most likely not a memory-based issue so you should try the other options given below.

Option 5 – Perform a System Restore

Performing System Restore might help you in fixing the SYNTP.SYS Blue Screen error. You can do this option either by booting into Safe Mode or in System Restore. If you are already in the Advanced Startup Options, just directly select System Restore and proceed with the next steps. And if you have just booted your PC into Safe Mode, refer to the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
• Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
• After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 6 – 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 MEMORY_MANAGEMENT. It can be found in 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.

What is Error 0x00000024?

Error 0x00000024 can be seen when you start up and a screen comes up asking which mode you would startup in. Regardless of the mode you select, it leads up to the Windows screen with the loading bar and your computer crashes from there onwards. When you press F8 in order to select the “Disable Automatic Restart On System Failure” option, that is when this error shows up:

ST0P 0X00000024 (x00190203, 0x82700550, 0xc000012, 0x00000000)

Due to this error, both Safe and Normal modes become inaccessible.

Solution

Error Causes

If you’re having this error then it is the indication of an issue with the file NTFS.sys. Further, there might also be problems with the IRP (Interrupt Request Packet) or the disk may have been corrupted. There are multiple other causes of this error, including heavy fragmentation of your hard drive or problems caused by your antivirus software.

Further Information and Manual Repair

First and foremost, you are suggested to run Chkdsk. In order to do this, you have to enter your BIOS and select CDROM as your primary booting device. Now follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Insert your Windows XP installation CD into the CDROM and reboot your PC.
2. Press any key to proceed with the boot from CD when you are prompted to do so.
3. When the Windows XP setup menu shows up, hit the “R” key to proceed with repairing Windows.
4. If there is only one Windows installed on your computer then hit the “1” key and proceed by pressing enter. If there are more than two Windows then hit the number which is associated (according to the screen you are viewing) to the Windows you want to repair. Usually, this is C:/Windows and associated with “1” but if that is not the case then you should simply press the number that corresponds with the windows you want to repair and proceed.
5. Now, you will see a screen that prompts you to enter your administrator password. Most people don’t have an admin password and in that case, you should simply hit enter and you’d be good to go. If you do have an administrator password, however, then you should type it in, hit enter, and proceed.
6. When the DOS prompt shows up, type in chkdsk/f and hit return.

If you see no improvement in solving Error 0x00000024, and the problem keeps persisting, then you should start over. But this time you should type sfc/scannow instead of chkdsk/f and hit return. There are a few other complex methods that you can try as well but this is the most recommended procedure as it is easier, quicker, and most likely to fix the error.

The Windows update error 0x8024ce0e can happen as a result of improper installation, a virus, or due to file corruption. Follow this guide to easily fix errors and continue with your work.

1. Restart Windows

   As awkward as it seems this method actually works most of the time. Click on the start button and restart your system.

2. Check hard disk space

   Of course, when installing updates there should be enough disk space for updates to be downloaded and installed. Check your disk space to see if there is sufficient available space.

3. Disconnect external components

   External components can interfere sometimes with the update process, disconnect external hard drives, USB, and other devices, leaving only the keyboard, mouse, and core ones.

4. Check devices in the device manager

   Open device manager and visually check to see if there is a device with a yellow exclamation sign next to it. If there is such a device, right-click on it and choose update driver.

Recently, a few users reported that they were unable to turn on their computers for some reason and at the same time their computers Computer makes a beeping noise couple of times or continuously whenever they try to turn them on. The sounds the computers are making can be quite annoying and it also signifies that there is something wrong with them. The problem might have something to do with the hardware inside of the computer system rather than Windows 10 itself. As you know, a computer is designed to deliver audible error sounds every time some part of the hardware is not properly working. For instance, if you hear a single beep, this indicates that your GPU is having some issues and if you’re hearing two beeps, it indicates that your RAM is not working properly, whereas three beeps that repeat after a pause when you turn on your computer means that there is something wrong with the system memory. On the other hand, if your computer is beeping continuously, this means that the problem lies with the processor. To fix this issue, here are some suggestions that might help but before you proceed, make sure that you know how to manage your computer’s hardware, if not, better have some expert do it for you.

Option 1 – Try checking the RAM

One of the basic things you can do in this kind of case is to check the RAM. Prepare some screwdrivers and dig into your PC and then look for the RAM slots and ensure that they are attached firmly. There are times when moving around your computer daily can cause certain components in your computer to become loose. Worst case scenario is that the RAM might be broken so really have to replace it.

Option 2 – Try checking the graphics card

After digging into your computer, check the graphics card and give it some good cleaning. As you know, you have to remove certain components like the graphics card regularly and clean them to help increase their lifespan and avoid errors in a startup. And if it turns out that the graphics card is broken, you have to replace it with a new one to fix the problem.

Option 3 – Try checking the processor

The processor is the brain of every computer so if it ends up not working, everything else is useless. Thus, you need to check it to see if it’s firmly attached and see if it needs some cleaning of dust and other debris. After that, try turning on your computer again. If it doesn’t work, then you might have to take your system to a technician to resolve the problem for you.

This post will guide you in fixing high CPU, Memory, and Disk usage problems caused by NTOSKRNL.exe. NTOSKRNL stands for “NT Operating System Kernel. This file is a kernel image that is responsible for a lot of systems-based processes such as Hardware Virtualization, Process, and Memory. Aside from that, it is also the one that compresses the old pages of memory that reduces the overall amount of memory being used. If you notice that your computer is running slowly and you find that the NTOSKRNL.exe file is hogging your resources such as disk usage, CPU usage as well as memory usage, then read on as this post will guide you in fixing the problem caused by NTOSKRNL.exe. Make use of the options given below to resolve the issues caused by NTOSKRNL.exe. 1] Scan your computer for potential malware There might be a good chance that your computer might be infected with malware. And this malware might be associated with the NTOSKRNL.exe file and hence making it consume a lot of system resources. So, I would really recommend you to make sure that your Antivirus is up to date and then scan your computer with it specifically the C:/Windows/System32 folder because this is the location where the NTOSKRNL.exe file is located.

Option 1 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State

The first thing you have to do is to put your computer in a Clean Boot State as this can help you in finding any incompatible programs that are causing the problem.

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

Once you’ve found any incompatible programs, you need to uninstall them. Refer to the steps below to do so.

• In the search box, type in “control” and then click on Control Panel (desktop app) among the search results.
• After that, select Programs and Features from the list which will give you a list of all the programs installed on your computer.
• From there, look for the concerned program and select it and then uninstall it.

Note: If you have downloaded the app from the Windows Store, you can simply right-click on it from the application list and then uninstall it.

Option 2 – Update or rollback drivers

If the first option didn’t work for you, then it’s time to either update or roll back the device drivers. It is most likely that after you updated your Windows computer that your driver also needs a refresh. On the other hand, if you have just updated your device drivers then you need to roll back the drivers to their previous versions. Whichever applies to you, refer to the steps below.

• Open the Devices Manager from the Win X Menu.
• Then locate the device drivers and right-click on them to open the Properties.
• After that, switch to the Driver tab and click on the Uninstall Device button.
• Follow the screen option to completely uninstall it.
• Finally, restart your computer. It will just reinstall the device drivers automatically.

Note: You can install a dedicated driver on your computer in case you have it or you could also look for it directly from the website of the manufacturer.

Option 3 – Try to run the DISM tool

If the first two options didn’t work, then running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management might. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

• Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

Option 4 – Try to stop the Runtime Broker process

The RuntimeBroker.exe or the Runtime Broker process is the one that monitors access to Windows APIs to make sure that the apps do not violate the core security of Windows. This process usually leaves a very small footprint. However, there are times when it consumes more resources than it’s supposed to and does not release memory after the work is done that results in a memory leak. As a result, it affects NTOSKRNL.exe which is why you have to stop the Runtime Broker process. To do so, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
• After opening Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and look for the Runtime Broker process.
• Once you find it, check if it is using more than 15% of your memory. If it is, then you most likely have an issue with an app installed on your computer.
• Select the Runtime Broker process and right-click on it and then click on the End Task option to end its process.

Option 5 – Try to run the Performance Troubleshooter

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “msdt.exe /id PerformanceDiagnostic” in the field and hit Enter to open the Performance troubleshooter.
• Then click on Next to get started. Wait until the process is completed.

Option 6 – Try using the Windows Performance Toolkit

You can also use the Windows Performance Toolkit in finding the root cause of the problem. Just refer to the following steps to use this toolkit.

• Search for “cmd” in the Cortana Search box and click on Command Prompt from the search results to open it.
• Next, type in the command given below or copy and paste it and then hit Enter:

xperf -on latency -stackwalk profile -buffersize 1024 -MaxFile 256 -FileMode Circular && timeout -1 && xperf -d cpuusage.etl

• After executing the command, wait for at least 60 seconds and then check the logs of the Windows Performance toolkit which is stored in a file named cpuusage.etl in the folder located at C:/Windows/System32. From there, you should see a list of all the causes of the System Resources being hogged.

Same as in Windows 10, Windows 11 also features a lock screen. IN this lock screen by default, you will see a clock and date above the standard Windows 11 background. Not all users will be happy with this choice but do not worry, you can choose and customize your lock screen to better suit your idea of it.

To personalize the lock screen do:

1. Right-click on Desktop and select Personalize
2. Click on the lock screen
3. Choose one of three options and customize it

   • Personalize Your Lock Screen

     this option will let you set a custom image or slideshow for your lock screen. Choose either one that best suits you. Under selecting picture or pictures for the slide show you can uncheck the option to see tips, tricks, and facts on your lock screen.

   • Lock screen status

     when clicking on this option you can select the application widget that you wish to be shown on the lock screen like weather, mail, calendar, etc. Choose if you would like one by clicking on it.

   • Show the lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen

     as self-explanatory this switch will enable or disable chosen lock screen wallpaper on your login credentials screen.
4. Close settings

All settings will be automatically saved and applied and when you wish to lock the screen easiest way is to press ⊞ WINDOWS + L shortcut on your keyboard.