Still sitting on the fence about upgrading to Windows 11 because you don’t know what to expect? Interestingly, the new edition somehow manages to be both a total revamp and still very similar to its predecessor in many ways. It’s really something to experience for yourself.
We do want to give you a sneak peek, though. So here’s an overview of the biggest changes Windows 11 brings to the table.
What’s different in Windows 11?
1. Visual changes
The first thing anyone will notice after switching to Windows 11 is the striking visual difference. The entire interface is smoother, cleaner and more minimalistic than on Windows 10, even resembling the macOS in some instances. Perhaps the most obvious change in appearance is the Start menu and Taskbar location, which is now at the bottom center. It’s actually very neat, but if you’re someone who loves familiarity, don’t worry, you can move it back to the left.
Centralized Taskbar and Start menu
Moreover, you’ll notice that the Taskbar includes a Microsoft Teams icon by default (which you can, of course, remove) and that Live Tiles are gone. The News and Interests section has also been removed - or, shall we say, replaced. As opposed to Windows 10, news, weather forecasts and other information are now displayed as widgets.
To add to the cleanliness of the UI, Microsoft also enhanced the ‘Snap Layouts’ feature to help you better organize your windows and maximize screen real estate. It’s similar to app grouping on your smartphone. In Windows 10 this feature is slightly restricted, as it requires some manual resizing and dragging. In Windows 11, you can just hover over the minimize/maximize option on a window, select a layout and throw the windows in there.
Snap Layouts
2. New accessibility features
Microsoft has certainly paid attention to accessibility with Windows 10, but Windows 11 takes this to a whole new level.
One of the ways Windows 11 has taken things up a notch is by adding the long-awaited ‘Live Captions’ feature and advanced Narrator options.
Live Captions apply both to media played on your PC as well as your own speech when you’re using the microphone. Keep in mind that, as with almost all kinds of subtitles, you have to be prepared for a potential delay. However, it’s barely noticeable and doesn’t take away from the usefulness of this awesome new feature whatsoever.
As for the Narrator, there are three new voice packs to choose from. Microsoft has tried to put emphasis on a more natural voice than we are used to. So, now you can choose between Aria, Jenny and Guy, who will read pretty much anything off your screen out loud. Aside from this, Microsoft has also expanded the list of braille displays supported by the Narrator feature. For users with anxiety or trouble concentrating, a welcomed addition is the Focus app, which is no longer part of the Clock app. It’s now separate and called ‘Focus Sessions’, automatically triggering the Do Not Disturb mode when activated. It blocks all pop-ups and flashes and lets you work in peace until you’re ready to switch it off.
3. Android apps
Android users may rejoice! Windows 11 supports the use of your favorite applications now.
Microsoft has done this by integrating the Amazon Appstore to the Windows 11 Microsoft Store. From there, you can download your favorite Android apps and use them on your PC in a smartphone-like window.
Unfortunately not too many apps are supported at this time, but Microsoft is working on making the emulation possible for many more. Also, the option is only available in specific regions at this moment - check out if you’re one of the lucky ones.
4. Improved gaming performance
Avid gamers will be happy to hear that Microsoft has put some effort into streamlining Windows 11 for their gaming needs.
To give gamers a supreme visual experience, Windows 11 offers the ‘Auto HDR’ feature. As long as your monitor is HDR-compatible, this feature will automatically adjust the colors, brightness and contrast of games without any input from you.
Another update is DirectStorage, which we were introduced to in Windows 10 already. In Windows 11, it’s been improved to tweak loading times and overall gaming performance efficiency even better. The predisposition for it to work optimally is that your device has an NVMe SSD.
The Xbox Game Bar also helps gamers towards a smoother experience. It allows in-game screenshots, viewing processes that are running (similar to the Task Manager), monitoring the CPU and GPU performance and frame rate, integrating the Xbox App and more. There’s also a number of widgets you can now use with the Game Bar, for example the Spotify widget.
Xbox Game Bar
Another cool addition is the Xbox Game Pass, which unlocks hundreds of games to play on your Xbox App, with new additions coming in every month.
5. Smart App Control
Aside from a sleek new look and better accessibility for all users, Windows 11 also comes with a security power-up. Bear in mind that this feature is only available on clean Windows 11 installs.
Smart App Control (SAC) is an AI-powered new feature designed to protect your PC from potential threats. It blocks untrustworthy apps and adware and helps detect potentially unwanted apps, maintaining your PC’s performance and keeping your system safe.
It comes with an ‘Evaluation’ mode, which you should definitely select when running SAC for the first time. That way, the app monitors your usage and assesses whether you’re a candidate for SAC. Some users need it to be on all the time, for others it might be too distracting. Evaluation mode will turn SAC on or off based on your usage.
Don’t disable SAC again unless you’re absolutely sure you don’t need it, since reenabling it will require a fresh install. We recommend you don’t turn it off, as it is a neat feature protecting your data and files from malware at all times.
Summary
Have we piqued your interest in trying Microsoft’s latest OS? It’s a pretty exciting new iteration, but we’ll let you find out for yourself. We hope you like it!
Microsoft's anniversary update has come with many new features and improvements. One of these features is that Microsoft's Cortana can now be installed on your Android phone and as long as you are logged in to your Microsoft account on different devices, she can pass information between devices. You can not see battery life on your desktop PC, notifications, etc.
There are some prerequisites in order to get this going, first is to have a Windows version 1607 or newer. The second is to have the last Android version
Installing Cortana on Android
Download and install the Cortana app from the Google Play store.
Open the app and accept the license terms.
Enter the credentials for the Microsoft account you use to sign in to your PC.
After a few seconds, Cortana will open.
Click the settings button and select Sync Notifications.
By default, missed calls, incoming messages, and low battery notifications will be turned on. You can turn this on\off from here. The only option off by default is for App notifications. Any non-system apps such as Facebook and Instagram can also send alerts to your Windows box. You can choose to enable the App notification sync option or leave it off.
If you enable “App notification sync,” you will need to give Cortana permissions to read and control notifications on your phone.
You can then select exactly which applications will be synched to your PC.
Once done you can exit out of Cortana.
Configuring Cortana on PC
Click the Windows button and type Cortana. Click the icon for Cortana and Search Settings.
Scroll through the settings list and look for Send notifications between devices
Click the switch to turn it on.
Sign in to the same Microsoft account you used in the previous section
Navigate back to the Cortana & Search settings tool.
Click Edit Sync Settings. Make sure that your phone shows up on the list. You can also determine if you want PC notifications are sent to your phone.
With those settings in place, you should now start getting alerts for the items you enabled in your Action Center. As notices come in, you will see them pop up in a small bubble on the lower right of your screen. You can dismiss the notification or use the link to find a compatible app in the Windows store.
If you are a laptop or a notebook user and you are trying to install Windows XP on it, you might come across 0x0000007B (0xF78524) error message. This error is a popular blue screen of death error and very similar to the error 0x0000007B.
Solution
Error Causes
The common causes of 0x0000007B (0xF78524) error code on your laptop might be:
File Corruption
Device Configuration Issues
Adware/spyware invasion
Incomplete Installations
Problem with your computer’s hard drive controller
Further Information and Manual Repair
Many people panic when they experience 0x0000007B (0xF78524) error on their laptops and notebooks simply because it is a blue screen of death error. The BSoD has this whole persona of being deadly computer errors that can almost cripple systems.
If you have also experienced this error on your laptop, remain calm and follow the solutions given below to ensure you fix the error quickly without any hassle.
Here are various ways to fix and resolve the BSOD error code 0x0000007B (0xF78524):
Whether you have Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 or Dell Latitude E4300 or any other laptop for that matter, if device driver configuration is the cause of the error 0x0000007B (0xF78524), then all you need to do is start up your laptop and press F2 to enter BIOS. Now expand the ‘Drives’ section. After doing so, go to ‘SATA Operation’. SATA is the abbreviation for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment which enables mass storage devices like hard drives and optical drives to communicate with the motherboard by using a high-speed serial cable. For successful communication between devices, you need to configure SATA controller mode. Once you go to the ‘SATA Operation’ mode, change this from RAID AHCI to RAID ATA. Save changes and exit BIOS. This helps resolve the error 0x0000007B (0xF78524) in no time.
Another way to fix this error is to download and install the 0x0000007B (0xF78524) repair tool. Once this tool is installed on your laptop, click the scan button. Once the scan is complete, you will see a list of errors; click the ‘Repair’ button to fix the errors found and then restart.
The 0x0000007B (0xF78524) error may also occur due to the boot volume corruption. In such an event, it is advisable to run chkdsk command on the hard drive. This is recovery console command is used to check the hard drive, repair and recover data on the drive successfully.
As you know, the Start Menu in Windows 10 is quite a stable experience. However, there are times when it can encounter some issues as well like getting corrupted. If your computer is going through the same problem, you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you on how you can fix the “Tile Data is corrupt” error.
This kind of problem is actually quite common among a lot of Windows 10 users. This kind of problem prevents the Start Menu from working properly and no amount of clicking the keyboard keys or mouse will resolve the issue. Fixing it is important since the Start Menu is required for the operating system to function properly and even though there are several ways to get around in using the Start Menu, it can get quite problematic. Even if you manage to open the Start Menu, the ability to click on apps to open them is out of the question and you need to fix the problem.
Worry not for the potential fixes provided in this post are not hard to follow. You can try to run the Start Menu troubleshooter or run the DISM tool. You could also reset the folder for Tile Database or re-register the Windows 10 Start Menu. For more details, refer to each one of the options provided below.
Option 1 – Try running the Start Menu troubleshooter
The first and basic thing you can do to fix the problem is to run the Start Menu troubleshooter as it can help you fix the problem automatically. Since this is not a built-in troubleshooter, you can download it from the official website of Microsoft. After you download it, run it and wait until it’s done identifying the problem and automatically fixing it.
Option 2 – Try running the DISM tool
You can run the DISM tool as well to help fix the “Tile Database is corrupt” error. 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
Dism(.)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, check if it was able to fix the corrupted Start Menu or not.
Option 3 – Try to reset the Tile Database folder
First, you need to restart your computer and log into another user account where the Start Menu works.
Next, navigate to this folder location, C:/Users/<userX>/AppData/Local/Tile/DataLayer.
From there, copy the “TdlData.xml” file and save it to another drive.
Once done, restart your computer and log into the user account where the Start Menu is corrupted.
After that, navigate to this folder location, C:/Users/<userY>/AppData/Local/Tile/DataLayer.
Now paste the TdlData.xml file you copied earlier and navigate to this location, %LocalAppData%MicrosoftWindowsShell.
Afterward, copy the DefaultLayouts.xml file from the user account that’s working fine to the user account where the Start Menu is corrupted.
Option 4 – Try to re-register the Windows 10 Start Menu
Tap the Win + X and select the “Windows PowerShell (Admin” option from the menu.
After opening PowerShell, execute this command: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Foreach{Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}
Wait until the command is executed and then see if it fixed the problem with the Start Menu or not.
As you know, Windows operating system comes with tons of features. Some of which are not intended to be used by normal customers or users directly which means that only a small percentage of the huge user base of the operating system leverages the use of such features. However, they’ve added some major value to the feature list of the operating system. You can find these features under the “Turn Windows Features on and off” option. This indicates that if you want to, you can just type in “Turn Windows Features on and off” in the search box and then enable any feature that you want to enable. Aside from that, there are other ways you can disable or enable the optional Windows Features in your Windows 10 computer.
Option 1 – via Control Panel
Open Control Panel and select Uninstall a Program.
After that, select the “Turn Windows features On or Off” option on the left side.
Option 2 – via Command Prompt
Tap the Win + X combination on your keyboard or right-click on the Start button and then click on Command Prompt (Admin). Alternatively, you can also type “cmd” in the Cortana search box and right-click on the Command Prompt icon, and select the “Run as administrator” option.
If a User Account Control or UAC prompt appears, click on Yes.
Next, type in the following command to see the list of the available features.
DISM /online /get-features /format:table | more
Now all you have to do is copy the name of the feature that you want to enable and for you to do that, you need to execute the following command:
DISM /online /enable-feature /featurename:[Enter the name of the feature here] –All
Note: Now if you want to disable a feature that’s already enabled in your computer, refer to these sub-steps:
First, you need to check what features are enabled, and for you to find out, enter this command: DISM /online /get-features /format:table | find “Enabled" | more
And if you want to check the detailed information about a particular feature, you can enter this command: DISM /online /get-featureinfo/featurename:[Enter the name of the feature here]
Option 3 – via Windows Powershell
As you know, the Windows Powershell is a very important tool in Windows 10, and a powerful one at that since you can do a lot of things using this command line. So while you use this tool you need to populate the list of available features first and then you have to download the feature your desired feature.
Search for PowerShell in the Cortana search box and then run it with administrator privileges.
Next, type in the following command to populate the list of available features:
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature –Online
After that, enter the following command to install any feature you want to enable from the list of available features:
You also have the option to fetch the latest features from an updated offline source. The source could be an ISO any other type of image or just a folder. So you need to decide if you want to use Windows Powershell or Command Prompt.
If you want to use Command Prompt, just enter this command: exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:< /All /Source:<Enter the path of the feature here>
If you want to use Windows Powershell, use this command: Install-WindowsFeature –Source “<Enter the path of the feature here>”
Note: If you want to get the latest features, you need to get the latest version of the image of the operating system that you are trying to install the feature from.
If you have just updated your Mozilla Firefox browser as of late and you noticed that it’s showing wrong or no bookmark favicon at all, then read on as this post will provide you with potential solutions that can help you resolve the problem. The basic thing you can do to fix it is to either refresh or reset the cache for favicon and then force restart the favicon service. However, if you’ve already tried this and it didn’t work, then there are still other options you can try. You can try to rebuild the configuration file for the favicon or restart the favicon service. You could also try disabling all the add-ons on your browser or scan your computer for adware. For more details, refer to each one of the options laid out below.
Option 1 – Try to rebuild the favicon configuration file
Mozilla Firefox actually creates a file each time you bookmark a webpage and this is called “favicons.SQLite”. This file is located on your computer and for you to fix the issue in Firefox, you need to rebuild this file and in order to do that, follow these steps:
First, you need to unhide the hidden files in your computer by enabling the “Show hidden files” option so that you’ll be able to see the hidden files in your computer.
After that, navigate to this path: C:Usersyour_usernameAppDataLocalMozillaFirefoxProfilesyour_profile_name
From there, you need to find the “favicons.SQLite” file and once you found it, delete it.
Next, you have to open the Firefox browser and create the same favicon configuration file which should be automatically created.
Now check if you can now see bookmark favicons on your Firefox browser or not.
Option 2 – Try to restart the favicon service
If the first option didn’t work, you can try to restart the favicon service instead. Restarting the favicon service can help if you do not see the correct bookmark favicon on your Firefox browser. To restart this service, follow the steps below.
You need to first open the Firefox browser and in the address bar, type “about:config” and tap Enter.
After that, you will see a page that displays a warning message. On that page, you need to click the “I accept the risk!” button to proceed.
Next, using the search box on the page, look for the “devtools.chrome.enabled” option. The value for this option should be set to “False” by default.
Double click on this option to set its value to “True”.
Once done, go to Menu > Web Developer > Browser Console or you could also tap the Ctrl + Shift + J keys, alternatively.
Afterwards, paste this command in the pop-up window that appears and then tap the Enter button: var fS = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/browser/favicon-service;1"] .getService(Components.interfaces.nsIFaviconService); fS.expireAllFavicons();
Once you’re done, restart your Firefox browser to check if it fixes the problem or not.
Option 3 – Try to disable all the add-ons in Firefox
The next option you can try to fix the problem is to disable all the installed add-ons in Firefox. More often than not, add-ons can cause issues in the browser so it is possible that one of the add-ons in Firefox is causing it to show incorrect or no bookmark favicon. To resolve this problem, you have to disable all the add-ons by opening Firefox and then going to Menu > Add-ons or you could also tap the Ctrl + Shift + A keys. After that, go to the Extensions section and click on the respective Disable buttons for each one of the add-ons. Once done, restart your computer and check if you can now see the bookmark favicons or not.
Option 4 – Try scanning your computer using Windows Defender
It is possible that the bookmark favicon problem is caused by some adware in the Firefox browser so you have to scan your computer to check by using security programs like Windows Defender.
Tap the Win + I keys to open Update & Security.
Then click on the Windows Security option and open Windows Defender Security Center.
Next, click on Virus & threat protection > Run a new advanced scan.
Now make sure that Full Scan is selected from the menu and then click the Scan Now button to get started.
Finally upgraded to Microsoft’s newest OS, but the performance is a bit sluggish? Here are a few useful tips you may not have thought about that could significantly transform your experience!
How to speed up Windows 11?
1. Disable startup programs
There are many programs that launch right on startup that really aren’t essential. This, in turn, causes your PC to launch and run more slowly.
To check which programs are enabled on startup, go into the Task Manager and select the Startup tab. Find every program that doesn’t need to launch immediately, right-click on it and press ‘Disable’.
This will not shut down the program in that instant. It’ll just prevent it from running automatically as you turn on your PC. You can always launch it manually when you need it.
2. Expand your memory and storage
If you want your PC to run super smoothly, you need to have enough memory to support that. This is especially significant for those of you who love to multitask. Upgrading your RAM gives your PC more space to store the temporary data it needs to complete processing tasks. In other words, processing takes a lot less time.
Your long-term storage is equally important. Hopefully at this point you’re already using SSD over HDD, since this type of storage offers a faster boot time.
Credit: Marc Pezin on Unsplash
In any case, we recommend expanding your storage capacity. The more files and data you store, the more there is to load, significantly influencing your PC’s speed. Larger storage capacity means new data and essential updates can be stored comfortably, preventing any strain on your PC’s performance.
3. Clean up disk space
If you aren’t willing to upgrade your storage just yet, the least you can do is clean up your storage right now.
Aside from manually deleting stuff you no longer need, you can also get rid of temporary files that clutter up your storage and eat up performance for no reason. To get to them, click Windows + X and select ‘Run’ (or just type it in the search bar).
A small window will pop up, where you need to type %temp%. This will take you to a whole folder full of all the temporary files you can remove without thinking twice.
For those who upgraded from Windows 10, there’s a neat trick to get rid of potential leftover files you don’t need on your brand new iteration. Only do this if you’re 100% sticking with Windows 11, though. Go to System > Storage > Temporary files. Make sure to only leave ‘Previous Windows Installation’ and ‘Windows Update Clean-up’ checked and click on ‘Remove files’.
Lastly, make use of Windows 11’s fantastic Storage Sense feature. Turning it on will enable your PC to constantly watch out for junk or unused files to optimize your PC’s performance to the maximum.
4. Install pending updates
This one should go without saying, but pending updates can be detrimental to your Windows 11 performance. The longer you leave them untouched, the more bugs the outdated programs and patches can cause. So, make sure to regularly check for updates and install them as soon as they’re available.
5. Disable visual effects
As cool as visual effects, animations, shadows and transparency are, they can also put quite a toll on your computer’s speed. On a newer setup this generally shouldn’t be a problem, but if you do notice a drop in performance, definitely consider turning off some of these settings.
To do this you can go to the Control Panel, System Properties and click the ‘Advanced’ tab. In the Performance section, choose Settings. If you’d like a quicker way to get to the dialog (Performance Options) with Visual Effects, you can also type sysdm.cpl in the search bar.
Once there, you can either have your PC choose what’s best, choose the best appearance or the best performance. The other option is to manually toggle the effects off and on. The biggest obstacles to speed are taskbar animations, window shadows, control/element animations and animations upon minimizing/maximizing.
Credit: Windows on Unsplash
In the same vein, you should go to Settings > Personalization > Colors and disable Transparency, to prevent your computer from doing overtime just to hit the aesthetic appeal.
6. Get rid of bloatware
Bloatware is one of the biggest culprits of slow computer speed.
Pre-installed software that’s pretty much useless but takes up valuable system resources has been around since day one. No matter which device or platform you’re talking about. Luckily, a lot of it is removable, making it easy to lighten the load on your device.
To boost your Windows 11 computer, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps.You’ll probably see a bunch of apps you don’t want or need. Click on the three dots next to each one you want to remove and press ‘Uninstall’.
Aside from helping optimize performance, removing bloatware has another great benefit. Unfortunately, often this pre-installed software is quite vulnerable, exposing you to great risk of cyberattacks. So, removing it definitely improves your device’s security and gives you at least some peace of mind.
Summary
These are a few of our fastest tips for boosting performance. There are other, more complex and time-consuming ways, of course. If you’ve tried these quick ones and still need advice on how to improve your PC’s speed, feel free to reach out!
Mail and Calendar not working with Cortana? As you know, Cortana was first launched way back in 2014 with an emphasis on its tight integration with both the Windows Mail and Calendar apps. This integration has been one of the highlighting features of this Personal Digital Assistant. However, there are some users who reported that the Calendar and Mail integration with Cortana is not working on their Windows 10 computers. This kind of problem could be due to several factors like the loose integration between the services, incompatible versions of the components, and many more.
According to the users who experienced the issue, the features affected are the syncing of calendar appointments, sending emails via Cortana, and so on. To fix this problem, there are several options you can try. You can try to restart Cortana’s processor run the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter. You could also try to relink your Microsoft account or reinstall the Mail and Calendar apps, as well as reinstall Cortana. For more details, follow the suggestions given below.
Option 1 – Restart Cortana’s process in the Task Manager
Restarting Cortana’s process in the Task Manager could also help you resolve the problem. Refer to the steps given below to do so.
Tap the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys to open the Security options window.
From there, look for the Task Manager in the given list and open it.
Next, look for the process of Cortana and right-click on it, and then select the End Task option to end its process.
After that, the Cortana process will restart by itself and re-initialize.
Option 2 – Run the Windows Store App troubleshooter
The Windows 10 Store Apps Troubleshooter will help you in fixing the Web Preview problem in Cortana. This is a great built-in tool from Microsoft that helps users fix any app issues. To use the Windows Store Apps Troubleshooter, follow the steps below.
Tap Win + I keys again to open the Windows Settings panel.
Go to Update & Security and then go to Troubleshoot.
Under the Troubleshoot section, on your left-hand side, scroll down to find Window Store Apps.
Then click on the Run the troubleshooter option and follow the on-screen instructions and then see if it fixes the problem.
Option 3 – Try to relink your Microsoft Account
You might also want to relink your account in Microsoft using the Windows 10 Settings app.
Open the Windows 10 Settings app.
Next, navigate to Accounts > Email & Accounts and from there, go to the section of Accounts used by Email, Calendar, and Contacts.
After that, select your email account and select Manage.
Once done, a new panel will come up where you have to click on the “Delete account from this device” link.
Once you get a confirmation, select Delete and then relink the same account. This should resolve the problem.
Option 4 – Try to reinstall or update the Mail and Calendar apps
Open Windows PowerShell as admin.
Next, execute this command: Get-AppxPackage *windowscommunicationsapps* | Remove-AppxPackage
Once done, restart your computer and go to the Microsoft Store page to get the latest updates for both Windows Mail and Calendar apps.
Option 5 – Try to reset Cortana via Settings
Launch the Windows 10 Settings app and go to Apps > Apps & Features.
Next, look for the entry of Cortana on the right-side panel and select it.
After that, select the Advanced options and then select the Terminate button under the Terminate section.
Once done, click on the Reset button under the Reset section.
Restart your PC.
After your computer boots, launch Cortana again and check.
Option 6 – Try to reinstall Cortana
If none of the options given above works, you must consider reinstalling Cortana.
First, right-click on the Taskbar and select the Task Manager.
Next, select File menu > Run new task and type “Powershell” in the field and then select the “Create this task with administrative privileges” option.
Click on OK to open the PowerShell console.
After that, type the following command and hit Enter to execute it:
Low on Memory is a Windows PC memory leak error. You may come across it out of the blue however, there are various underlying reasons for this PC error. It is like a warning sign that indicates memory/RAM issues on your system.
The ‘Your Computer is Low on Memory’ error means that your PC does not have enough memory space for all the activities you are trying to perform. Due to this error, your Windows and programs can also stop working.
If this error is not fixed timely it can lead to serious PC threats like valuable data loss and hard disk corruption.
Along with this memory error, you may also come to experience other types of signs including PC poor performance, speed issues, out-of-memory notifications, and display problems.
Solution
Error Causes
The ultimate and the underlying cause of low memory error is data overload in the RAM which triggers registry issues. To understand this better, here is a comprehensive explanation. The computer has 2 types of memory, RAM (Random Access Memory) and virtual memory.
All programs and activities that you do on your computer are saved by the registry in the RAM.
This includes obsolete and unnecessary files too like junk files, cookies, internet history, temporary files, invalid registry entries, and bad registry keys. Due to poor PC maintenance practices, these files accumulate in the RAM, thereby overloading it.
Also, all programs on the PC use RAM to run. So, when there isn’t enough RAM for the program you are trying to run on your system, Windows temporarily moves information that would normally be stored in RAM to a file called a paging file which is also referred to as the virtual memory.
By moving the information to and from the paging file- the virtual memory, Windows temporarily frees up enough RAM for programs to run smoothly. However, when you start running more programs than the RAM installed on your PC can support, low memory errors begin to occur.
It triggers that the computer is out of RAM and is also low on virtual memory.
Further Information and Manual Repair
PC users should know that this is a critical error therefore it is advisable to fix it immediately before the damage sets in. Here are some of the best solutions that you can try to resolve Your computer is low on memory and similar memory leak errors on your system.
1. Run Few Programs at a Time
This is a temporary solution to prevent low memory problems. By running a few programs at one time you can easily keep this memory error away from popping on your computer screen.
However, this can cause you inconvenience if you run several programs together to perform different tasks simultaneously.
2. Increase the Virtual Memory Size
Though Windows automatically attempts to augment the virtual memory size the first time you experience ‘low on memory issues; however this again is a temporary way out of this problem.
But if you are looking for a solution that can resolve these memory issues for a long time, then you can try manually increasing your PC’s memory size. Increase it up to a maximum size this is by the way determined by the amount of RAM installed on your system.
Nonetheless, the drawback of this solution is that increasing the paging file size can reduce your PC performance. It can make your programs run more slowly.
3. Install More RAM
Another solution to resolve low on memory issues is to install more RAM. To do this first check your system properties to see the size of the RAM already installed on your PC.
To do this press the Windows key+ Pause/Break key this will open system properties. If the RAM size is lower than 2 GB then you need to install more RAM. But if it is more then you should look for two things one check the piece of software that is causing the problem and secondly you need to clean the registry and remove the unnecessary files from your RAM and hard disk.
This would free up space dramatically and resolve the low memory issue right away.
4. Download and Run Restoro, Registry Cleaner on your System
To clean the registry and wipe out unnecessary and obsolete files overloading your RAM and disk space, you should download Restoro.
Restoro is a next-generation and highly functional error cleaner.
By running this error cleaner on your system, you can easily scan for junk stored in your RAM and hard disk and remove it in seconds, clearing up ample disk space. This will resolve all your PC memory-related issues. Furthermore, it repairs the damaged files and restores the registry too.
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If you connected your Hard Disk, USB, or SD card to your Windows 10 computer and you suddenly encounter an error that says, “Windows was unable to repair the drive”, read on as this post will help you fix the problem. This kind of error indicates that the file system on the drive has become corrupted and that ChkDsk was not able to repair the problem. You can also encounter this error when you try to run the ChkDsk utility to repair the system.
This kind of error is most likely due to the general corruption of the contents in the drive. It is also possible that you removed the external drive without using the “Safely remove hardware” option or it could be that the drive is still in use. To fix the problem, the obvious thing to do is to safely remove the external drive by using the “Safely remove hardware” option. If it didn’t work, you can try to run the CHKDSK utility from the command line or you could also restart your computer in a Clean Boot State and then run the scan. Before you proceed with the potential fixes provided below, make sure that you create a system restore point first or you could also create a backup copy of the data to an external drive.
Option 1 – Run the CHKDSK utility from the command line
Although some users reported getting the “Windows was unable to repair the drive” when they run a CHKDSK scan, other users reported that running it also fixed the error. Thus, you can try to run it and see if it works or not.
In the Windows Search box, type “command prompt” and from the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator”.
After opening Command Prompt, type this command and tap Enter: chkdsk <Partition Letter>: /f
The command you entered will start to check for errors and fix them automatically. Else, it will throw an error message saying, “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like the schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)”.
Tap the Y key to schedule Disk Check the next time your computer restarts.
Option 2 – Restart your computer in a Clean Boot State
There are some instances that some conflicting programs installed in your computer might be the one that triggers the “Windows was unable to repair the drive” error to appear when you connect your external drive or run the CHKDSK utility. To identify which program is causing the problem, you need to put your computer in 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 has restarted in a Clean Boot State, perform your scan again and see if it now works, and then start to isolate the problem by checking which one of the programs you installed recently is the root cause of the problem.
VSSControl: 2147467259 Backup jobs failed. Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing the writer’s data. VSS asynchronous operation is not completed. Code: [0x8004231f]
This message pops up when you are creating a snapshot system restore, usually, the issue is tied with insufficient space or service stopping. We will go into detail about how to fix both so you can finish the operation without any issue.
Check Volume Shadow Copy Services
Easier and faster fix than the next one. Launch Services from the Start Menu, look for Volume Shadow Copy, double-click on it, and check the Service status. If it is stopped, click on the Start button. If it’s running, restart it by clicking Stop > Start.
Increase Shadow Storage Space
If the first fix didn’t resolve the issue then you need to increase Shadow Storage Space. Launch Command Prompt as an administrator. Now, type the following command to check your Shadow Storage Space.
vssadmin list shadowstorage
Now, type the following command to allocate more storage (you can change 10GB with the amount of space you want to allocate)
vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=10GB
