Windows 10 Power Toys detailed guide

Recently, a number of users reported not being able to use the Restore, Minimize and Close buttons on their Windows 10 computers. This kind of issue can be quite annoying as you won’t be able to use your computer properly, especially when you navigate between programs and windows. In such cases, the buttons on the right side of the title bar won’t respond to any inputs which could be caused by a number of factors such as different input modes, corrupted system files, and many more. If you are one of the users who are currently facing this problem, worry not for this post will guide you on what you can do to resolve it. There are several potential fixes you can check out to fix the issue. You can try to check if Tablet Mode is enabled and if it is, you have to disable it. You could also boot your computer in a Clean Boot State to check if a third-party program is the one that’s causing the problem. In addition, you could also reinstall the program where you experience the problem or run built-in utilities like System File Checker and DISM tool.

Option 1 – Make sure that you are not in Tablet Mode

Since Windows 10 is designed to work on both desktop and mobile devices, it could be that your computer has slipped into Tablet Mode which explains why you’re not seeing the Taskbar. To check if your computer is really in Tablet Mode, follow these steps:

• Go to the Start menu and select Settings.
• Next, select the System setting and from the left pane select the Tablet Mode.
• From there, make sure that the buttons next to the options given below are set to the off position:
  • Hide app icons on the taskbar in tablet mode
  • Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode

Option 2 – Put your computer in a Clean Boot State

As pointed out, it is possible that some third-party program or service is the one that’s behind the problem. To isolate this possibility and to identify the culprit, you have to put your computer into a Clean Boot State. To do so, follow the steps below.

• 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.)
• Once your computer is in a Clean Boot State, try to open the program where the problem occurred.

Option 3 – Try reinstalling the program

If the first two options didn’t work, then you might want to consider uninstalling the program and then install it back with its latest version. This should resolve the problem.

Option 4 – Try to run System File Checker

System File Checker or SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files to good system files that might be the cause why the Restore, Minimize and Close buttons don’t work. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Type “cmd” in the Start search and then right-click on the appropriate search result.
• Next, select “Run as administrator” to open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow

The command will start a system scan which will take a few whiles before it finishes. Once it’s done, you could get the following results:

1. Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
2. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.
3. Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.

• Now restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 5 – Run the DISM tool

You can try running the Deployment Imaging and Servicing Management or DISM tool to fix the problem. 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. Once it’s done, restart your computer.

What is BitCoinMiner Malware?

BitCoinMiner is a Malware created with the intent to force computer systems to generate crypto-currency, namely Bitcoin. This is done without the consent and knowledge of a computer/system holder. This unwanted file bears no digital signature or publisher since the creators of such a heinous invention do not wish to be known. Technical details about BitCoinMiner Malware include:

Product Version: 1.0.0.0 Original File Name: crss.exe Entry Point:  0x000C5AAE

Assessment of BitCoinMiner Malware

After installation of the BitCoinMiner Malware, there were no visible signs of an infection or program files installed. However, based on research, BitcoinMiner Malware utilizes the CPU’s resources (est. to be about 50%). Computer users have reported that they recognized an unknown process utilizing the majority of their processing space. the bitcoin miner is used by the creators to penetrate a user’s system, in effect coercing each infected system to mine Bitcoins covertly. After years of mining, a user might discern that their computer is moving slouchy and may even encounter various forms of BSODs.   After Bitcoins have been mined in the infiltrated system, the cyber currency is then returned/ sent to the creator of the malware. This venture is a sly and deceptive way to earn Bitcoins since the currency is gaining much popularity.

Further Information on BitCoinMiner

BitCoinMiner works covertly. There are no obvious traces of this program running on a computer system. However, once a computer system is infiltrated, the computer user will realize that their CPU resources are strangely being used up, even while the computer idles. Another expression of BitCoinMiner is the addition of cookies of various sorts to a computer system. These include:

• Tracking cookies
• Advert (Adware) cookies
• Casale Media (Spyware) cookies
• Atwola (Spyware) cookies
• Adtech (Spyware) cookies

Once BitCoinMiner is present on a computer system, it can potentially slow it down and also create back doors as a means to install other unwanted and harmful programs. To completely remove BitCoinMiner Malware from your computer, click here to download and install Spyhunter.

What is Windows Update Error 0xC1900209? Before you can install any updates on your Windows 10 computer, there are a lot of conditions that have to be fulfilled and one of these conditions is software compatibility. It is one of the important factors in installing Windows Updates. So if one of the software in your computer is not compatible with the new Windows Update for your OS, then the Windows 10 setup will not proceed and will block the installation of the new update. This both applies to the cumulative updates and feature updates. In such cases, you will get the following error message when you run Windows Update:

“0xC1900209, Incompatible software is blocking the upgrade process. Uninstall the application and try the upgrade again.”

This error message comes under the umbrella of the Windows 10 pre-upgrade validation using Setup.exe. And for you to identify the incompatible app, you need to grab a Windows 10 install image using the Windows Media Creation tool to download the suitable Windows 10 version and mount it. After that, execute the setup.exe file that’s located in the root folder of the Windows 10 install image. Once you execute the setup file, the upgrade wizard will give you a list of incompatible apps. Once you have determined which software is not compatible with the Windows Update, there are two options you can try to resolve the Windows Update error 0xC1900209 – you can either try to update the conflicting software or uninstall it. For more details, follow the given options below.

Option 1 – Try to update the conflicting software

If you are using an older version of the software that’s in conflict with the Windows Update, you might want to update it to its latest version and then try to apply the updates again to your Windows 10 computer. You can update the concerned software by visiting the official website of the software or any of its distribution sources. On the other hand, you can also use the Check for updates feature of that particular software if it’s available.

Option 2 – Try to uninstall the conflicting software

If updating the problematic program didn’t work, the next option you can try is to uninstall it. All you have to do is follow these steps to uninstall it successfully:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “appwiz.cpl” in the field and tap Enter to open the Programs and Features in Control Panel.
• Next, arrange the list of installed programs in the order of the installation date.
• After that, look for the problematic program and right-click on it, and then select Uninstall.
• Once the uninstallation process is done, restart your computer and see if the Windows Update error 0xC1900209 is fixed or not.

If you are visiting a single folder many times during the day it might be beneficial to place its shortcut on the desktop for easy access. But did you know that you can also set a keyboard shortcut for that same folder shortcut making it available simply by clicking desired key combination? In order to make a keyboard shortcut for the desired folder know that it is available only when you have a shortcut of the desired folder, it cannot be done on the folder itself, only on its shortcut. Now folder shortcut does not need to reside on desktop, you can place it anywhere you like, but it must be a shortcut. So the first step is of course to make a shortcut of the folder that you wish to have access via keyboard key combination and place it where you wish. Once you have done this step, right-click on it and choose properties. Inside properties at the top click on the Shortcut tab and then inside Shortcut Key, press the key combination that you wish to associate with this folder. Confirm with OK and start using fast folder access with your desired key combination.

Portable small Bluetooth speakers are nothing new on the market, most of the time they have given the opportunity for music listening during picnics and walks in nature and also replaced some car speaker systems. The latest star in small portable speakers in JBL Clip 4, small in size, waterproof, and with an incredible high-quality sound.

Performance and quality

Out of the box and after first look speaker looks great, it has excellent design and is very intuitive to work with. Everything is laid out logically and you can start using it right away without reading instructions.

The sound quality is surprisingly very good and clear. I must say I have not expected this clarity and power from a speaker of this size. The volume range is also incredibly good and will fill most needs even on small picnics outdoors where you can hear it loud enough. One thing to mention is that even on their loudness levels sound is still clear without distortion which, to be honest, is to be expected from someone like JBL.

Where you can take JBL Clip 4

You can take it where ever you want, Its size and clip make it perfect for beach and pool trips. Speaker is waterproof and gas IP67 rating, meaning that sand and dirt will not affect it either. Do not take this speaker to your diving adventures since that will break it but a depth around 1 meter underwater should be safe. After your trip do not forget to wash Clip 4 with clean water so all dirt, salt, and other stuff are properly cleaned for longer life of the device.

How long it will play?

JBL claims that the battery will last 10 hours of continuous play. Note that this is meant probably on the largest volume setting so when you use it on lower settings battery is lasting longer. Playing of course on low volumes will extend playback time even longer but here we come at one feature that I do not like, there is no indication of any kind how much battery is left in the speaker, the only indication is a red light when the battery is almost empty which means you could be outside at that point and did not know that low battery was there in the first place when you were packing. Some battery indication would be a great addon.

More stability for JBL Clip 4

The clip itself has been improved from the previous Clip 3 model, it is wider, it goes all the way around the casing, and feels overall better and more stable. Since the clip is now all around casing this means a wider opening can be made making it fit around stuff Clip 3 was not able to.

Conclusion

All in all, Clip 4 is an incredible speaker and one that would highly recommend, the price goes around 79 USD but it can be found even as low as 50 USD on discounts and promotions and if you manage to get one at that price it is a great buy. Sound is good, portability is great, dirt and waterproof are excellent and battery life is really good.

Steam is one of if not the largest online store for the digital distribution of games on the PC platform. The game gets downloaded to your PC when you are planning to play it and its saves are synched in the Steam cloud. They get automatically downloaded when you install the game but you can also get your saves by directly downloading them from Valve's website in your browser. If Steam isn’t automatically downloading your old save games after you install a game, ensure Steam Cloud is enabled for that game within Steam. Locate the game in your Steam library, right-click it, and then select Properties. Click the Updates tab and ensure the Enable Steam Cloud synchronization option is checked for the game. If this option isn’t checked, Steam won’t automatically download your cloud saves. If you don’t see a Steam Cloud option for a game here, that game doesn’t support Steam Cloud. Not all games on Steam do, it’s up to each game developer.

Download the Files in Your Web Browser

Valve lets you download your Steam cloud save files via a web browser, too. You can download just your saved files without re-downloading the entire game. To find your saved files, visit Valve’s View Steam Cloud page in your web browser and sign in with your Steam account. You’ll see a list of games using your Steam Cloud storage. Locate the game in the list and click Show Files to see all the files for a game. Each game has a page showing all the files it’s storing in Steam Cloud, as well as the date they were modified. To download a file, click Download. Download all the save files for your game, and you’ll have a copy of its save games. This feature is especially useful for multi-platform games that don’t automatically synchronize save files between platforms.

Encountering errors is never a pleasant experience and fixing errors can sometimes take a large amount of time. Also depending on your expertise and knowledge about computers and the operating systems themselves could be determining factor would you try to wrestle with error.

We will explore and analyze the advantages of both methods so you can choose and know when to apply one and when to reach for the other.

Advantages of manual method

Full control is the main advantage of manually solving errors, when you go deep dive into manually fixing problematic issues you are one that has control. Complete freedom is also another, sometimes fixing things can be done in several different ways and when you are the man behind the wheel, you are the one that can choose how to approach and what solution to apply in order to solve the issue.

Disadvantages of using manual method

The main disadvantage that some users might encounter is that they will need to know ins and outs of computer and operating systems' workings. Of course, the more complicated errors, the more knowledge it will require in order to apply the proper fix. There is also a risk to break something else if the person that is doing the fixing is not fully competent so this is also something to think about.

Another thing that goes against manual fixing is the time it will require in order to actually fix it, some more complex stuff will probably depend on searching for some external resources like searching for compatible drivers for example, or navigating complex registry keys inside Windows.

Advantages of automatic solutions

If you are a user that has no knowledge about how the operating system works, if you do not know what is a registry or how to properly navigate through the Windows folder then the automated solution is for you. The main advantage of automated systems is that you can easily fix errors without any kind of technical knowledge and usually with just one click of a button.

Saving time is also one of the advantages of fully automated solutions because they will work much faster than manually locating the problem and then fixing it. Also, most of these systems will have in place active monitoring that will check always if your system is in top form and alert you when something is not right.

Disadvantages of one-click solutions

Automated solutions are great, they can solve various issues and errors without any knowledge from the user, but they are not perfect. Like security suites sometimes an automated system can misinterpret something as an error when in fact it is not and fixing it could mean some apps not working anymore, luckily you can choose would you like to apply the suggested solution. So if you are using one do not just click fix without looking at what it is trying to fix and maintain.

Another problem with this is the price it is carrying, manually solving your computer error will cost you your time and knowledge but good automated software will come with a price tag. Some people might not be too happy to pay for this kind of application but at the end of the day, it will still be cheaper than a professional technician. The last thing that you should be aware of is that in order for the app to do its work properly it will need to be active all the time, now for modern computers, this is not the issue but for some older ones with a small amount of memory might lead to some slowing them down. This is a price to be paid in order to have your system always errors free.

Should you use an automated solution at all?

This depends on your knowledge and time available, professional IT technicians will not need this type of solution nor will power users but for most common people this will offer computers free of errors for an affordable price.

In case you don’t know, Windows 10 now allows users to check the Bluetooth battery level of devices. More often than not, the accessories or peripherals users use for their Windows 10 devices are connected to it using Bluetooth technology. This high-speed low-powered wireless technology is designed to link mobile devices, computers, and other network devices over a short distance wirelessly. Monitoring the battery level of a device where Bluetooth is enabled isn’t an easy task as most of these devices do not support the Bluetooth battery monitor or the battery level display. And even when on devices that do, you still have to install additional software to find it. However, Windows 10 eliminates this requirement and all you have to do is add a Bluetooth device and connect that Bluetooth device. How? Follow the instructions provided below. Step 1: Adding a Bluetooth Device The easiest way to get your Bluetooth device battery to be displayed on your Windows 10 screen is to simply add a Bluetooth device. To do so, follow these sub-steps:

• First, turn on the Bluetooth mode on your device.
• Next, go to Windows Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices.
• From there, click on the “+” button next to the ‘Add Bluetooth or other devices” option and select the type of device you want to add.

Step 2: Connecting the Bluetooth Device Once you’ve added the device, it will be visible under the “Add a device” screen.

• Now select the newly added Bluetooth device and click the “Done” button.
• After that, it will now be connected. Go back to the “Bluetooth & other devices” window and scroll down to the section of “Mouse, Keyboard, and Pen”.
• From there, move the cursor alongside the connected device to display its battery level.

Keep in mind that there are several ways in which you can display the battery information of the Bluetooth device. However, Windows 10 understands only one of them per se. So if your device is not a Bluetooth Low Energy device, Windows 10 won’t be able to show its battery information and won’t display its battery level.

If you are trying to install or upgrade your Windows 10 computer but suddenly encountered an error message saying, “Windows Could not configure one or more system components”, read on as this post will show you how you can fix the problem. You are not alone in experiencing this problem as other users also reported having the same scenario. Some of them reported getting the following error message:

“Windows could not configure one or more system components. To install Windows restart the computer with error code 0xc1900101-0x30018.”

When you check on the Windows 10 rollback log, you will see a part with the “iisetup.exe” that’s related to the abort. Usually, the upgrade process completes over 50% and gets stuck and then rolls back later on and generates the error logs. This kind of error, in most cases, appears during the upgrade of Windows 10 and is related to the Internet Information Services or IIS in Windows 10. For some unknown reason, it restricts the installation or the upgrade which causes the error to appear. To fix the “Windows could not configure one or more system components” error, you can try to remove the IIS from the Windows Features or rename the “inetsrv” folder. You could also move all the folders related to IIS to another drive. For more details, refer to the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try to remove the IIS from Windows Features

The IIS is installed from the Windows Features and you can find it at Control Panel > Programs. From there, uncheck the checkbox for the Internet Information Services. Once done, click on the OK button to save the changes. Note that this process will get rid of all the related programs, services, and folders from Windows 10. So if you want to, you can just install them later on or use an offline installer from the official site of Microsoft.

Option 2 – Try renaming the inetsrv folder

The next option you can check out to resolve the problem is to rename the “inetsrv” folder. If you have uninstalled IIS from the Windows Features, this should remove the folders as well, however, it didn’t remove the folder then you have to delete the folders that are related to the IIS by following these steps:

• First, you have to boot into the Advanced Recovery Mode and from there, open Command Prompt.
• Next, execute this command to rename the folder from this location, C:Windowssystem32inetsrv: rename C:/Windows/system32/inetsrv/inetsrv.old
• Once done, boot into your computer normally and try to upgrade Windows 10 again, and check if the problem is fixed or not.

Option 3 – Try to move the folders related to IIS to a different drive

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run utility and type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter to open the Windows Services Manager.
• Next, look for the Application Host Helper Service from the list of services and stop it.
• Once done, take ownership of the “WinSxS” folder and then move the *windows-iis*.*” folders to another drive. You can just search using the “*windows-iis*.*” keyword in the Start Search.
• Next, tap the Ctrl + X keys and paste the folders to another drive.
• After that, start the update process for Windows 10 again.

If you suddenly get a message telling you that “Your Windows license will expire soon, You need to activate Windows in Settings” on your Windows 10 computer but you know that your Windows 10 is already activated. Worry not for this post will help you get rid of that error message right away. Before you get started, make sure that you have the Windows product key with you. If you don’t, you can get it by running the following command in an elevated Command Prompt:

wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Take note of the product key and then proceed to the options given below.

Option 1 – Try activating Windows 10 again or use another product key

• If you’re sure that you have the correct product key, click the Go to the Settings button.
• After that, click the Activate button once again.
• If you have another license key, you can also use that as well, just simply click on the Change product key.
• Then enter the new product key and click on Activate. That should fix the problem, if it doesn’t, refer to the next option below.

Option 2 – Try to reset the licensing status

• Click the Start button and then type “cmd” in the Search box and then tap Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt.
• Next, type the “slmgr –rearm” and hit Enter to reset the licensing status.
• Restart your computer and check if the error is now gone or not.

Option 3 – Try uninstalling the product key and re-enter it once more.

• The first thing you have to do to uninstall the product key is to know the Activation ID of your Windows installation. To do so, open an elevated Command Prompt and type this command, and hit Enter – vbs /dlv
• After you enter the command, you should see the licensing status and Activation ID. And to get all the Activation IDs of all the installed Windows versions, key in this command and hit Enter – vbs /dlv all

Note: The “/dlv” parameter will give you the license information for the installed operating system.

• After you enter the second command, you should see a Windows Script Host window with all the Windows licensing and activation status. Take note of the Activation ID.
• Next, in the same elevated Command Prompt, type this command – slmgr /upk <Activation ID>

Note: In the third given command, “/upk” stands for “uninstall product key”. This parameter uninstalls the product key of the current Windows edition.

• Restart your PC. After that, your computer will be in an unlicensed state so you need to re-enter the product key again.

Option 4 – Try rebuilding the Tokens.dat file.

The issue might be caused by a corrupted Tokens.dat file. The Tokens.dat file is a digitally signed file that stores most of the Windows Activation files so if it is corrupted then no wonder you’re having activation issues. To rebuild the Tokens.dat file, refer to these steps:

• From the WinX Menu, open an elevated Command Prompt.
• After opening Command Prompt, you need to type each one of the following commands and after you type each command, hit Enter.
  • net stop sppsvc
  • cd %windir%ServiceProfilesLocalServiceAppDataLocalMicrosoftWSLicense
  • ren tokens.dat tokens.bar
  • net start sppsvc
  • exe %windir%system32slmgr.vbs /rilc
• Now restart your computer.

Option 5 – Try running the Windows 10 Activation Troubleshooter

• Go to Settings and then select Activation.
• After that, click on the Windows Activation and then troubleshoot. This will help you address most of the commonly found activation issues in Windows devices.

Option 6 – Try activating Windows 10 via mobile phone

Activating Windows 10 can also be done using your phone. Just note that you have to call Microsoft to do so.

• In the Start Search box, type in “Slui 4” and tap Enter.
• Next, select your country and click on Next.
• Keep the window open and call the toll-free number of the country you’re from.
• Afterward, a confirmation ID should be given by the automated system which you must take a note of.
• Finally, in the box on the window, type in the confirmation ID and click on the Activate button. That should do it.