Windows 10 tips and tricks for easy work

If you encounter an error message saying, “The ordinal xxx could not be located in the dynamic link library C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft VS Code Insiderscode – insiders.exe“ and you see a reference of a missing DLL file, then this indicates that the software is trying to locate the related DLL file, however, it is missing, hence the error. The error mentioned “Ordinal” which refers to the order of a number mathematically, e.g. 1st, 2nd, etc. And in this error message, the ordinal is referring to an Xth file of an XX.DLL file which is missing which is why you’re getting this kind of error. When you get this particular error, it means that your computer is missing the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable program. As per the error message, XXX is a number that in turn is the Ordinal. There is also another common error related to Ordinal which says, “The ordinal 12404 could not be located in the dynamic link library mfc90u.dl”. The error message could be referring to any DLL in the message. And since all these DLL files are part of the package, the error changes quite a bit as the Visual Studio looks for that DLL file. To fix this error, here are some suggestions that might be of help.

Option 1 – Try installing Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

As pointed out earlier, the error pops up when the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable program is missing on your computer. Thus, you need to download it from the official website of Microsoft. Once you’ve downloaded the Microsoft Visual C++ Feature Pack Redistributable Package, install it and then check if the error is now fixed.

Option 2 – Try to install OpenSSL

If you encounter the same error message but it points out that the LIBEAY32.DLL file is missing, then you have to install OpenSSL. In such a case, you will see the following error message:

“Ordinal not found. The Ordinal [Xxxx] could not be located in the Dynamic Link Library Libeay32.dll.”

 Make sure that when you install OpenSSL, you do it into the Windows system directory since the Libeay32.dll file is related to security.

Option 3 – Try to check Windows Updates

There are instances when Microsoft rolls out the framework and related updates via Windows Updates. It could be that an update related to DLL is still pending which is why you need to check Windows Updates. To do so, go to Settings > Update and Security and from there check if there is any pending update. If there is, you need to install that update and then restart your computer if needed.

Screen flickering in Windows 10 - What Is It?

Screen flickering when you’re using Windows 10 is quite a common problem. It is often caused by apps that are not compatible with the operating system, or faulty display drivers.

There are a lot of possibilities for why this issue occurs. If you are one of the many users that encounter this kind of problem, you might want to check on your task manager to see if everything is working fine. One common sign that something wrong has happened is if the task manager flickers, as well. To fix this, you will need to update an app, uninstall an app, or update your display driver.

Solution

Error Causes

Common causes of the screen flickering when running on Windows 10 are software issues. This is most likely caused by the following:

• Faulty display driver
• You have an application installed that is not compatible with your operating system

Further Information and Manual Repair

In order to fix the issue of your screen flickering when you have Windows 10 as your operating system, follow these simple steps.

Note: It is very important to consult with an authorized computer technician if you are not highly confident in solving this issue by yourself. Furthermore, you can also use software to fix this problem.

• The first method is by checking if your task manager is flickering. To open the task manager, all you have to do is right-click or press and hold the start button, then select task manager.

If you have confirmed that the task manager is the one causing the screen flickers, the display driver can possibly be your problem. To fix it, all you have to do is update your display driver.

How to update the display driver

1. You have to reset your computer and boot it on Safe Mode.

      -In order to do this, you have to hold the Shift key while selecting Power>Restart. When your computer boots up, you will be greeted by a Choose an option screen. From there, you have to select Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options, then Startup Settings, and then Restart. When your computer restarts, select 4 or hit the F4 key to enter into Safe Mode.

2. When your computer finally boots up in Safe Mode, right-click or press and hold the Start button. From there, click Device Manager.

3. From the Device Manager screen, you have to expand the Display Drivers section, right-click on the driver that might be causing the problem then select Uninstall. Don’t forget to tick the Delete the driver software for this device box, press the OK button, and then restart your computer.

            - When you have two, or more, drivers installed on your computer, all you have to do is disable the other drivers. You can do this by right-clicking on the driver in the Device Manager and click the Yes box next to disable. Shut down your PC after this, disconnect the installation, and boot your computer back on.

4. When your PC boots up after the restart, click on the Start button then click on Settings.

5. You need to go to Update & Security, then Windows Update, and then check for updates.

            - If you are using multiple drivers and this technique doesn’t work, repeat the process in Step 3 and try to disable a different driver.

Remove an incompatible app

There are two ways to remove an incompatible app to fix the issue of a screen flicker on Windows 10. Apps like Norton AV, iCloud, and IDT Audio are usually the ones causing the problem. Uninstalling these apps could solve the problem. Uninstall the apps by using the methods below:

First Solution: Uninstall an app in Settings

1. Click Start, and then click Settings.
2. Click on System, and then click on Apps & Features.
3. A window will pop up and from there you will need to select the application you wish to uninstall. Click the app, and then click uninstall. Follow the screen prompt to fully uninstall the program.

Second Solution: Uninstall an app in the Start Menu

1. Click Start, and then click All Apps.
2. Look for the application you will need to uninstall, right-click the said app, and then click Uninstall. Follow the screen prompt to fully uninstall the program.

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After a lot of backlash about choosing the default Windows browser, Microsoft has officially backed up and brought back a one-click browser change into Windows 11. For anyone who is not aware, when Windows 11 was released if you wanted to switch to another browser you had to go into the settings app and choose the default browser for different types of file extensions like HTML, HTM, PDF for opening on the web, etc. Of course, this was completely unnecessary and it was not well received by users. So after some time, Microsoft backpedaled to standard one click, choose your default browser solution that existed in the previous version of Windows OS. Altho sometimes Microsoft knows how to irritate its users base, it is good to know that they can also listen and fix things that are required.

What is Error Code 100?

Error Code 100?? Whenever a Setup error contains error codes in the message, this indicates what the setup was operating on, let’s say copying files. The text in the error message will determine whether that it is fatal or not. An error code 100 is a system error that is displayed as ‘ERROR_TOO_MANY_SEMAPHORES’ or as a value 0x64. This error means that the system ‘cannot create another system semaphore.’ A semaphore is used in controlling access to parallel programming or a multi-user platform through multiple processes. This error can prevent certain features of your Windows to perform properly, like trying to get a print, copying files, deleting files, or any other routine computer activities.

Solution

Error Causes

Error code 100 can affect a wide range of activities that you normally perform on your PC. This error can occur for a number of reasons, of which some of the common ones include:

• When the Microsoft SQL Server fails to start the service
• When the account used for starting AOS does not match the database in SQL Server
• When the AOS licenses have exceeded their limit
• When the SQL Server database is incorrectly case sensitive

Though these are the common causes for error code 100, there can be other ways through which this error can occur. To find out the specific cause for error code 100, follow these steps:

• Go to Start and select All Programs. Go to Administrative Tools and click Even Viewer
• Click Application in Even Viewer
• Locate the error message in the right pane by scrolling down
• Click on the error message and see if the message applies to the error code.

Further Information and Manual Repair

In order to manually repair this error, you will have to work with your Network Administrator as they will have security privileges to take the steps. However, there are more than one ways to resolve this issue, for instance:

1. Starting SQL Server Service
   • A likely cause of an error code 100 can be that your SQL Server service is not started. To activate it, follow these steps:
   • Got to Start and Click on All Programs, go to Administrative Tools and click on Services
   • Find SQL/MSSQLServer service
   • Right Click on it and click Start to activate the service
2. Network Resolve

If you are connected to a network, then you can work with your network administrator to fix error code 100. Follow these steps to resolve this error:

• Got to Start and then Run. Type dcomcnfg and press Enter
• Locate Default Security and click it
• Find Default Access Permissions and click Edit Default
• You should locate System and Interactive, listed in the Allow Access. If they’re not listing, you can add them by clicking Add
• Find the local computer in the list and click on Allow Access
• Click Ok on the following three steps
• Log off the computer and log in again.

Universal PnP or plug-and-play monitors use a generic PnP Windows driver. Whenever a user plugs a USB device or monitor into a PC the system will automatically identify the device and it will install the proper driver for smooth running. Generic PnP Monitor in Windows 10 means that Windows 10 installed a monitor driver as the PNP did not recognize the device. This generic PnP monitor driver may not work perfectly like the manufacturer’s one. It can lead to issues like unable to set the best monitor resolution and the screen refresh rate. Therefore, it is important to fix this issue. All of that being said let us fix your PnP display driver issue.

1. Reconnect monitor

   Always try this first, just by unplugging the monitor and then plugging it back may resolve the issue, if the monitor was not detected properly the first time, there are very high chances that this method will resolve the issue.

2. Check if the Device Manager is reporting an error and update the driver

   If the hardware is functioning properly then the issue might be in Windows not detecting device or driver malfunction. In any case, the Device Manager will be the one who will report this problem. In order to check to see if the driver is properly working press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the hidden start menu. Once it opens, click on Device Manager to open it, If you have a driver device error inside Windows, you should see it immediately when entering the Device Manager, it will have a yellow exclamation mark beside it. Right-click on it and choose update driver.

3. Reinstall driver

   If driver update failed or you already have the latest drivers, reinstalling them could fix the issue since drivers might have corrupted during installation of some update or application. Follow steps from point 3 to get to the driver in Device Manager, then right-click on it but instead of update choose to uninstall. Reboot Windows once the driver is uninstalled and Windows will install a new one automatically. If you do not want to update drivers automatically install the latest driver for your device, then reboot.

4. Check Windows update

   Check to see if the latest Windows update is installed, update your Windows if needed

5. Fix driver issue with DRIVERFIX

   If everything else fails, get DRIVERFIX, a premium solution for your PC issues, and fix driver errors.

The Microsoft Photos app is a useful tool that allows users to view, edit, as well as create videos on their Windows 10 computers. Although it works just fine most of the time, there are some instances when you might encounter some issues when using it. One of these issues is when you cannot save media from the Photos app after you’ve edited an image. This is most likely related to a permission issue. However, according to some users, they got the error where the edited media file can’t be saved. When you encounter this kind of error, you will see the following error in your Photos app:

“It looks like you don’t have permission to save changes to this file. Try saving a copy instead.”

There are several options you can explore to resolve this error. You can try updating the Microsoft Photos app or verify the ownership of the destination folder. You can also re-register and reinstall the app. For more detailed instructions, make use of the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try to update the Microsoft Photos app

The first thing you can do to fix the problem is to update the Microsoft Photos app.

• Open the Microsoft Store and click on the three horizontal dots for the menu located on the top right portion of the window to see the options.
• Next, select Downloads and updates and then click the Get updates button in the top right. This will install any pending updates for all the apps including the Microsoft Photos app using the Microsoft Store.

Option 2 – Try to verify the ownership of the destination folder

The next thing you can do to fix the error is to verify the ownership of the folder because chances are, the location where you’re trying to save the file might not have enough permissions to read and write the file to the disk. Thus, you need to take ownership of the folder by following these steps:

• Type “command prompt” in the Windows Search bar and then right-click on the relevant search result and select “Run as administrator”.
• After that, if a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, just click on Yes to proceed.
• Next, type and enter this command: TAKEOWN /F <path>
• Note that the <path> is the location of the folder or file in File Explorer.
• Now type and enter this second command: ICACLS <path> /grant administrators:F
• Finally, once the command has been executed, restart your computer and then see if you can now access the folder or file.

Option 3 – Try resetting the Photos app

If the first option of restarting the background process of the Photos app didn’t work for you, you can try to reset the Photos app so that it will use the default factory settings. Note that this option works when you are experiencing this issue after making a couple of changes in the Photos app.

• To get started in resetting the Photos app, open the Windows 10 Settings.
• Then go to Apps > Apps & features.
• After that, scroll down until you see the Photos app option – click on it and open its Advanced options.
• From there, you will see the Reset button, click on it and click and then click on it once more to confirm.

Note: The process may take a couple of minutes to complete. Once it’s done, open the pictures again using the Photos app.

Option 4 – Try reinstalling the Photos app

If none of the first two options given above worked, then you might want to consider reinstalling the Photos app. Unlike what most users think, it isn’t really that hard reinstalling preinstalled apps as you have the Windows PowerShell for that. To use this program in reinstalling the Photos app, follow these steps:

• Open the Windows PowerShell program with admin privileges and key in the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

• After that, execute this second command to re-register and reinstall the Microsoft Photos app.

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

Note: In the command given, do not forget to replace the “PackageFullName” with the actual package name for the Photos app. After executing the command, it will uninstall the Photos app from your computer so you need to install it again from the Windows Store by simply looking for it. Once you found it, just click on install to start the installation process.

When performing a Windows Backup to the NAS device (backup to a network share) that is running Samba, fails with an error message The backup failed, The version does not support this version of the file format (0xC03A0005). The problem occurs because of a conflict with the VHD file that is created by Windows Backup and is mounted during the process. There are three types of VHD files:

1. Fixed,
2. Expandable
3. Differencing

If the VHD file is a sparse file that is not supported by the native VHD driver, the mounting will fail, and you will get this error. An example VHD file is one that keeps expanding depending on the backup size. The problem occurs only in the case of  File Level backup (file/folders in a volume) but not on the block level backup as the vhd file is never mounted. However, in the case of File Level Backup, the vhd is mounted, created by Windows Backup, which does not support the mounting of sparse files.

The solution is to use Strict Allocate: option in the smb.conf file

Login to SMB using SSH. Open the configuration file using the VI editor located at /etc/samba/smb.conf. If the option is not there, you can manually add strict allocate = yes which will make sure there are no sparse file that is created.

OneXPlayer is a direct competitor to Valve’s upcoming steam deck. This device is clearly inspired by Valve’s offering and it shows all over the place, from its looks to its purpose and aims to PC gamers as a handheld device.

Hardware under the hood

This device is packing a 7-inch 1080p display, 11th generation Intel Core i7-1195G7 CPU, stunning 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD drive with the option to purchase 1TB or 2TB model. GPU of choice is Intel iris Xe Graphics that is in our opinion a bottleneck in the whole system and for more demanding games, we believe switching them to 720p would be a better option. Everything here is powered with a 10455 mAh lithium-ion battery.

OneXPlayer inputs and other stuff

Handheld is equipped with dual bumpers and dual linear triggers. The console comes with dual speakers on both sides of it. Inside the console, there is an aluminum heat sink with copper heat pipes and a fan in order to cool internal hardware. On the outside, we have two USB-C ports and one USB-A port for connections, and of course, a headphone jack for headphones. The console comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity.

Price

The base entry model will cost you a whopping $1.259, 1TB model $1.399 and 2TB one will go as far as $1,599. With this kind of price, I am not sure it can come up as a winner against Valve. Sure it is packing fully licensed Windows 11 that will for sure offer more options than Stem’s OS based on Linux but even with that advantage I do not think it justifies such a big price difference.

Conclusion

Of course, this kind of console or handheld PC will still find its customer base, many users will probably like it since it comes Windows ready out of the box. Sure, you can place Windows on Steam deck as well but you will need to know how, where everything is ready and you can run beside steam other launchers without issues like origin, uplay, gog, etc. How this will be accepted by community time will tell but it is good to see that there is variety and competition in handheld PC space.

Kernel_Data_Inpage_Error - What is it?

Kernel_Data_Inpage_Error is a BSOD (blue screen of death) error. Also, know as a 0x0000007A Stop error. This bug check indicates that the requested page of kernel data from the paging file failed to be read into memory. In simple words, this means that Windows has trouble reading from the memory. This can apply to both kinds of memory: stored memory on your hard drive and also the dynamic memory in your RAM. The Kernel_Data_Inpage_Error turns your computer screen all blue, stops the program being executed, and sometimes even leads to abrupt system shut down.

Error Causes

Kernel_Data_Inpage_Error may occur due to numerous reasons. The exact cause of this error can easily be found by going through the code displayed in the parameter of 0x00000007A. Let’s take a look at Kernel_Data_Inpage_Error parameter codes and the underlying causes of its occurrence:

• 0xC0000009A- This parameter code triggers missing nonpaged pool resources
• 0xC0000009C- This represents the installed hard disk drive has bad sectors.
• 0xC0000000E- This indicates a hardware failure or an incorrect drive configuration

Further Information and Manual Repair

No matter what the cause for Kernel_Data_Inpage_Error may be, it is advisable to fix it immediately as blue screen of death error codes are considered to be critical PC errors that can cause serious damages and even result in valuable data loss. Here are a couple of ways to repair this issue on your system:

1. Call the ‘Chkdsk’ (check disk) command on your system.

Windows XP, Vista, and 7 users can call this command, by pressing Windows Key +F and type in ‘chkdsk’ and run. However, you can’t run it while actively using Windows but you can always schedule it to start automatically the next time your computer turns on. Wrap up what you need and then reboot. Chkdsk disk checking process can take a long time, especially on large and slow hard drives. To run this command on Windows 8, open Windows search by pressing Windows Key+ F and then type ‘cmd’. Then right-click on the command prompt and choose the option ‘Run as Administrator’. To continue with the disk checking process, here you will be prompted to provide your administrator authentication. Once you insert the administrator authentication, type the command ‘Chkdsk C:/f/r/x” where the letter ‘C’ indicates the drive you want to examine and repair. Run it to scan for Kernel_Data_Inpage_Errors on your system. Chkdsk command will detect and repair errors on the hard drive and then automatically reboot.

Limitations to this Solution:

‘Chkdsk’ is a value-adding inbuilt disk checking tool in PC new Window versions; nonetheless, this command has certain limitations. It is time-consuming. You may have to wait for a long time for it to scan your system. Also when disk check is running, you will have to stop all other activities on your system. Furthermore, Chkdsk does not scan and fix all registry errors and other PC-related errors. So, you can’t be 100% sure that it will resolve all the Kernel_Data_Inpage_Errors on your PC.

DOTA2 involves teams of five players each, where each player chooses a “hero” character. Each game has two teams pitted against each other, on opposite sides of a map. Once you start, you and your teammates try to level up by fighting and defeating heroes from other teams as well as non-player characters who exist within the game universe. Once you have a strong enough team, you would then try to attack an opposing team’s base. If you destroy their “ancient,” your team wins. The teamwork and interactivity required to play the game are some of its biggest attractions. You can text and voice chat as part of the Dota 2 gameplay, enabling you and your team to come up with strategies to take over your opponents’ base and fortifications. For this reason, a properly working microphone and headset are important if you are to get the most out of this exciting online game. However, there are many times when you find that there are audio dropouts when you try to speak into your microphone. The question “How do I get my mic to work on Dota 2?” is one of the most commonly asked on gaming forums related to this game. Here are solutions for why this can happen:

1. You are logged in to another computer that is running the STEAM client

   While entirely rare, there are cases where the microphone in Steam is disabled because the same account is active and in use on a different computer. It may not notify you that your account is in use elsewhere. If this is the error, try to log out on other devices and then test it on only one system. If you cannot access the other computer that has access to your account, then change your password. This will automatically disconnect your Steam account from the other computer and let you enjoy voice chat in Dota 2 and other Steam games.

2. Your microphone is not properly set up in Dota 2

   From the main Dota 2 menu, before you start a match, you can set up your microphone for voice chat. At the top, left-hand corner, click the gear icon to open Settings Select the AUDIO tab and ensure that the Sound Device and Speaker Configuration are set to default. On the same tab, activate Voice (Party) and set your Push to Talk shortcut key for your team. Select the appropriate Open Mic Threshold using the slider at the bottom of this tab to get your microphone recorded at a comfortable level.

3. The Windows Audio Enhancements setting is turned on

   If you still cannot get your microphone to work properly, then your problem could be Windows Audio Enhancement. It is possible to get your microphone to work with Dota 2 by disabling these features. Right-click your volume icon on the system tray and select Recording Devices. Choose your active microphone then click its Properties button. On the Microphone Enhancements tab, make sure the checkboxes marked Voice enhancements and Acoustic Echo cancellation is unchecked Reboot your PC and retry using your microphone to chat.

4. Your audio drivers need to be updated

   If you try all of the steps above and still have Dota 2 not recognizing your mic input update mic drivers by going in device manager and choosing update driver.