BigTech platforms Google and Facebook were hit with a series of antitrust lawsuits by the US federal government and states on charges they are operating monopolies and abusing their power. Below is the status of the cases, as well as government probes of Apple and Amazon in their current states

Two lawsuits against Facebook

In a defeat, Judge James Boasberg said the Federal Trade Commission, which had sued Facebook in December asking that Facebook be forced to sell WhatsApp and Instagram, failed to show that Facebook had monopoly power in the social-networking market, among other problems. However, the FTC could file a new complaint by July 29. He threw out a related state lawsuit entirely, saying that the attorney's general had waited too long. They are looking at their options.

Four lawsuits against Google

The US Justice Department sued Google in October, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals. A trial date was set for September 12, 2023. A lawsuit by 38 US states and territories accuses Google of abusing its market power to try to make its search engine as dominant inside cars, TVs, and speakers as it is in phones. This was consolidated with the federal lawsuit for purposes of discovery. Texas, backed by other states, filed a separate lawsuit against Google, accusing it of breaking antitrust law in how it runs its online advertising business. Dozens of state attorneys general sued Google on July 7, alleging that it bought off competitors and used restrictive contracts to unlawfully maintain a monopoly for its app store on Android phones.

Justice Department investigates Apple

This probe, revealed in June 2019, appears to focus on Apple's app store. Some app developers have accused Apple of introducing new products very similar to existing apps created by other developers and sold in the Apple Store, and then trying to banish the older apps from the store because they compete with Apple's new product. Apple says it seeks to have only the highest-quality apps in the app store.

Justice Department probing Facebook and Amazon

In July 2019, the Justice Department said it was expanding its Big Tech probes to include "search, social media, and some retail services online", an apparent reference to Facebook and Amazon.

Federal Trade Commission on Amazon

In its investigation of Amazon, the FTC is likely looking at the inherent conflict of interest of Amazon competing with small sellers on its marketplace platform, including allegations that it used information from sellers on its platform to decide what products it would introduce.

If you suddenly encounter PFN_LIST_CORRUPT Blue Screen of Death error while using your computer then it means that the Page Frame Number or PFN list is corrupted. Page Frame Number is an indexing number used by the hard drive to find out the location of every single file on the physical disk. This kind of Blue Screen error is usually caused by a driver that’s passing a bad memory descriptor list and it can either be temporary or permanent. And so to fix this particular BSOD error, read on as this post contains a couple of suggestions that could help. Keep in mind that when you get a Blue Screen error like PFN_LIST_CORRUPT, the power connection to your PC must not be interrupted and so if you are using a laptop, it’s best if you connect it to a power source. On the other hand, if creating a dump from 0% to 100% takes up more than 5-10 minutes, then you have to force shut down your computer by pressing and holding the Power Key for 10 seconds or at least until the CPU lights turn off. After you do that, proceed to the troubleshooting tips prepared below.

Option 1 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

The Blue Screen troubleshooter is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like PFN_LIST_CORRUPT. It can be found on the Settings Troubleshooters page. To use it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + I keys to open the Settings panel.
• Then go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
• From there, look for the option called “Blue Screen” on your right-hand side and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button to run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter and then follow the next on-screen options. Note that you might have to boot your PC into Safe Mode.

Option 2 – Run a System File Checker scan

You can also try to run a System File Checker or SFC scan in order to scan your computer for corrupted files that might be the cause behind the PFN_LIST_CORRUPT error. Once it finds any corrupted system files, it will automatically fix them. To run System File Checker, here’s what you have to do:

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• 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.

• Restart your computer after the scan is completed.

Option 3 – Check for any hard disk errors

• On your desktop, right-click on the “This PC” or computer icon and then select Manage to open the Disk Management. Here you get to check your drive’s health.
• Next, click on Disk Management on the left side panel.
• From there, check the state of your drives. If it shows that all your partitions are healthy then it means all is good and that the problem may have something to do with some physical issues with your hard drive.

You might also want to run the CHKDSK utility to help you fix any issues with your hard disk. If your hard drive has issues with integrity, the update will really fail as the system will think that it’s not healthy and that’s where the CHKDSK utility comes in. The CHKDSK utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.

• Open Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• After opening Command Prompt, execute the following command and hit Enter:

chkdsk /f /r

• Wait for the process to be completed and then restart your computer.

Option 4 – Update the Device drivers

Updating the Device drivers can also help you fix the PFN_LIST_CORRUPT Blue Screen error. To do so, follow the steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch Run.
• Type in devmgmt.msc into the box and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• After that, a list of device drivers will be displayed. If you see a red or yellow sign that shows up against the driver, right-click on the driver and select “Update Driver Software”.
• Select the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option and then follow the instructions to complete the process.
• Restart your PC and then check if the Blue Screen error is now fixed or not.

Option 5 – Disable OneDrive

The PFN_LIST_CORRUPT error might also be caused by OneDrive. Thus, you have to try disabling this program to resolve the problem.

• Tap the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open the Task Manager.
• Once the Task Manager is open, click on More Details located at the bottom left portion of the window.
• Then go to the Startup tab and select Microsoft OneDrive and then click Disable.

As you know, the Win + X menu, which is the shortcut context menu, is a useful way to launch several utilizes in Windows such as Power Options, Windows PowerShell, Event Viewer, Device Manager, and so on. However, there are times when you might experience difficulty in identifying the required utility. This is actually a part of the Windows 10 shell that goes out of scope in the customization of Windows 10. However, there is an easy trick you can use to do that. So in this post, you will be guided on how you can rename the options in the Win + X menu in Windows 10. In case you don’t know, the context menu is divided into three groups. Microsoft has categorized the bottom-most part as Group 1, while the middle part is categorized as Group 2 and the first part as Group 3. To rename these options, you need to use File Explorer and follow the instructions laid out below. Step 1: First, tap the Win + E keys to open File Explorer. Step 2: Next, navigate to this path: %LocalAppdata%MicrosoftWindowsWinX Step 3: From there, you should see three folders as Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3. Open the appropriate folder of your choice. Step 4: After that, right-click on the shortcut option you want to rename and then select Properties. Step 5: Next, navigate to the Shortcut tab under the Properties window. Step 6: Now in the text field of Comment, enter the new name of the option you selected. Step 7: Click on the Apply and OK buttons to save the changes made. Note: You can now either Sign back in or sign out of your Windows 10 User Account to see the result of the changes you’ve made. You could also restart the process of File Explorer via Task Manager. This will close the File Explorer as well as the shell components and then only launch the shell components again. In addition, you can check the Win + X menu to see the customized name that you’ve just set for a particular option. As you can see, even though it does not add anything extra, it is still a lot better in knowing how you can customize it.

Recently, a number of Windows 10 users reported that they were not able to use Cortana properly because it wasn’t able to connect to the internet. According to these users, Cortana won’t connect to the internet even when their internet connection is stable. According to security experts, this issue is confirmed to occur only with Microsoft accounts. This problem might have something to do with a proxy server that interferes with Cortana. There were reports that this issue was caused by a proxy that was filtering the network connection which also happens to interfere with Cortana’s ability to adapt search results and queries based on the user’s location. It could also be caused by some glitch in the home network or your Microsoft account information is inconsistent or your Microsoft account has to be verified. Here are some suggestions that could help fix the connection issue in Cortana, just start with the first one and work your way down until you encounter an option that fixes the problem.

Option 1 – Restart or reset your modem or router

The first thing you can try is restarting or resetting your modem or router. All you have to do is unplug the power cable of the modem and then plug it back in after a few seconds. You could also use the reset button of the modem at the back if it is one. But before you press the reset button, keep in mind that it will erase all the connection credentials and it will be set back to its default settings. After rebooting the network, you can restart your computer to force your modem or router to reassign an IP address to your computer.

Option 2 – Restart Cortana

Restarting Cortana can help you resolve the issue.

• To restart Cortana, open the Task Manager, right-click on Cortana and select the “End process” option.
• Then go to the File tab and select “Run new task”.
• After that, type in “cortana.exe” and press Enter to restart the process.

Option 3 – Try to remove Proxy

Removing the Proxy might also help you in fixing the connection issue in Cortana. Here’s how you can do it:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “inetcpl.cpl” in the field and hit Enter to pull up the Internet Properties.
• After that, go to the Connections tab and select the LAN settings.
• From there. Uncheck the “Use a Proxy Server” option for your LAN and then make sure that the “Automatically detect settings” option is checked.
• Now click the OK and the Apply buttons.
• Restart your PC.

Note: If you are using a third-party proxy service, you have to disable it.

Option 4 – Open another app that uses a Microsoft account

This might seem like an odd fix, however, a couple of users tried doing this and it worked for them as it allowed Cortana to connect to the internet again. In this option, you just have to launch another app that uses your Microsoft account information in the same way as Cortana, for instance, the Store app. Once you open the app, a prompt should appear along with a dialog box that allows you to update your Microsoft account with the information required. After that, restart your computer and check if Cortana is now able to connect to the internet or not.

Option 5 – Verify your Microsoft account

In some cases, Cortana might not be able to connect to the internet because your Microsoft account is no longer verified. This usually happens when you use a two-step authentication system with your Microsoft account. To verify it, just open Settings and click on Accounts. After that, check if you have a Verify hyperlink under your Microsoft account or not then click on Verify. Afterward, follow the next on-screen prompts to verify your Microsoft account. Once your account is verified, restart your computer.

Option 6 – Reset Cortana settings

• Open Cortana and go to the Settings section where you’ll see the “Turning off Cortana clears what Cortana knows on this device, but won’t delete anything from the Notebook. After Cortana is off, you can decide what you’d like to do with anything still stored in the cloud” option. Turn this option off.
• Restart your PC.
• After your computer boots, launch Cortana again and check.

Hello everyone and welcome to how to fix Windows when it is not starting tutorial. Here we will tackle some common problems and solutions in order to help you to get back both your computer and Windows in working order. Windows not booting and loading is an annoying issue that can even result in complete loss of your data and can also consume a lot of time if no other solution than clean install remains. Also if you are not tech-savvy, this issue can cost you as well since you will have to hire a professional to solve this problem for you. Here at errortools, we aim to help you so you alone can overcome your PC issues either by providing you daily with tutorials, tips, and tricks or directly helping you by providing you with a one-click software solution for all of your Windows issues. All of that being said, let's see what are issues that can prevent your computer or Windows from booting up and get around them so everything is back in working order.

1. Use repair tool

   Windows 10 comes with a startup repair tool that has the goal to repair and fix errors preventing Windows from booting up. To use this tool however you will need Windows 10 bootable USB stick. You can create a bootable USB directly on the Microsoft site. Once you have it ready, plug it in and reboot your computer, choose to boot from USB. When you are on the Windows setup screen, click on next and then on Repair your computer. Go to troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup repair. When Startup repair is clicked, Windows will boot, scan files for issues, and if they are found he will automatically fix them.

2. “Windows Failed to Start” 0xc00000f error

   If you get this error on your boot of Windows, then you have corrupted boot configuration data. In order to fix this error, you will also need a bootable USB with Windows 10 on it. Make one on the Microsoft site if you don't have it and reboot your computer, boot from USB, on the setup screen click on next and then on Repair your computer. Click on Troubleshoot and then on the command prompt. In the command prompt type the following: bootrec /FixMbr bootrec /FixBoot bootrec /ScanOs bootrec /RebuildBcd exit Reboot your PC without a USB

3. Boot into safe mode

   Safe mode for Windows loads only its core without drivers and with minimal services. If you can boot into safe mode then the issue is with some application or driver causing the problem. Try the selective boot option to eliminate what is causing the error.

4. Make sure your hardware is connected

   Some RAM or hard drive out of socket can cause Windows not to be able to boot, check all connections just in case.

If everything else fails, perform a clean Windows installation. The reason for Windows not booting up can be caused by various viruses and malware also if that case it would be best to format and perform a clean install.

Researchers have discovered 16 vulnerabilities in Bluetooth connections that could be exploited and make from minor to some serious damage to your device. The flaw can be used on chips manufactured by Intel, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments while connecting to external devices like speakers, headphones, keyboards, mice, etc.

Who is affected?

Mentioned chips are used by many in a vast range of devices including big players with their products like Microsoft Surface laptops, Dell desktops, Samsung Phones, Google Pixel, and OnePlus handsets. The Bluetooth bug affects a wide range of devices, including smartphones, laptops as well as smart home gadgets. In total, more than one billion devices that rely on Bluetooth are believed to be impacted.

What is the damage?

The amount of damage possible with this flaw depends on the type of device with the chipset. Some devices can only be crashed after a specially crafted packet is sent to the flawed chip. If that's the case with your gadget, it can be easily resolved with a simple restart. With other devices, hackers can take advantage of the Bluetooth Classic flaw to remotely run malicious code. That could allow malware to be installed remotely. Researchers say vendors were informed about these issues months ago before the findings were published. The good news is this should have given plenty of time for the relevant patches to be pushed out that remedy the flaws. However, you'll need to make sure that you're running the latest version of the operating system to be protected by the patch crafted by the manufacturers.

Android Bluetooth threat

The researchers emphasize the lack of basic tests in Bluetooth certification to validate the security of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices. The BrakTooth family of vulnerabilities revisits and reasserts this issue in the case of the older, but yet heavily used Bluetooth classic (BR/EDR) protocol implementations. We would also advise users to disable Bluetooth on devices that do not need it. This way you can prevent attackers from sending you malformed LMP packets. Since BrakTooth is based on the Bluetooth Classic protocol, an adversary would have to be in the radio range of the target to execute the attacks. So, in a safe environment Bluetooth can be enabled.

Windows update issue may come up when the configuration for windows update service is not properly configured or this error can also come up when there is corrupt windows installation. Before trying any of the given solutions to this error try first to clean boot your Windows and turn off any 3rd party utility application. If this method fails move to the provided solutions.

1. Change startup type of UOS service to automatic

   UOS or The Update Orchestrator Service is essential for proper Windows updates. If this service is by any means turned on manual it could be the reason for error since it can create incompatibility between OS modules, if this is the case, setting it to automatic will solve the issue. Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC on your keyboard to bring the task manager up and click on the services tab. In the services find orchestrator service, right-click on it, and from the list of startup types choose automatic. Click on APPLY and reboot your computer.

2. Try to fix it in the command prompt

   If the above method failed, try fixing the issue via command prompt. Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to bring up the secret menu and start command prompt (administrator) In the command prompt write these lines one after another as they are finished: net stop bits net stop wuauserv net stop appidsvc net stop cryptsvc Ren %systemroot%SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak Ren %systemroot%system32catroot2 catroot2.bak Net Start bits Net Start wuauserv Net Start appidsvc Net Start cryptsvc After all this, reboot your system and check if updates are working properly.

3. Try to fix it via registry editor

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + R to bring run and type in it RegEdit, press ENTER find Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsoSvc in the right part, find key START and change its value to 2 Reboot your system

4. Try with a new user account

   If by any chance user account data is corrupted this may be the reason why we have this error. Create a new administrator user account Shut down your computer Turn in back ON and log in with the new account

5. Perform SFC scan

   Press ⊞ WINDOWS + X and choose command prompt (administrator) type in: sfc /scannow This may take a while, sit back, let it finish, and try again windows update

That is all considering this particular error, we certainly hope that you have managed to fix it using any of provided solutions, if not, try Restoro, an automated error fixing tool and fix it with one click.

Microsoft has been bringing new lock-screen features with every iterative feature release of Windows 10 in order to improve user experience. However, Windows 10 users have different opinions regarding it. Some users are pleased with it while some users simply do not like it. So if you are one of the users who seem to not approve of this feature, read on as this post will be about enabling or disabling the Console Mode sign-in feature in Windows 10. Before you proceed, take note that you will not be able to use your mouse pointer in this Consol Mode login screen and you can only use your keyboard to navigate around various options. You might also want to create a System Restore point just in case. To enable or disable the Console Mode sign-in in your Windows 10 computer, refer to the given steps below. Step 1: Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box. Step 2: Then type in “Regedit” in the field and tap Enter to open the Registry Editor. Step 3: Next, navigate to the following registry path:

ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionAuthenticationLogonUITestHooks

Step 4: From there, look for a DWORD named “ConsoleMode”. If you don’t see this DWORD, you can just create a new DWORD and name it as “ConsoleMode” and make sure that its base is set to Hexadecimal. Step 5: After that, double click on ConsoleMode and change its value to “0” to disable it and “1” to enable it. Step 6: Now restart your computer to apply the changes made. Like pointed out, you can only use your keyboard when you’re in the Console Mode login window or screen. You can just use the ESC button to go back to the menu while you can utilize the arrow keys so you can go through the options that are mostly vertically arranged and the Enter key to select an option. In the Console Mode, sign-in using the Passwords and PINs worked efficiently.

Computer viruses are malicious applications that have the ability to self replicate and spread over the system and various devices, just like viruses in organisms. We all know that computer viruses are bad and that you should avoid them however you can. So in this spirit, we are taking a deeper dive into what kind of viruses exist and how they function.

1. File-infecting Virus

A virus that attached itself to an executable program. It is also called a parasitic virus which typically infects files with .exe or .com extensions. Some file infectors can overwrite host files and others can damage your hard drive’s formatting.

2. Macro Virus

This type of virus is commonly found in programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel. These viruses are usually stored as part of a document and can spread when the files are transmitted to other computers, often through email attachments.

3. Browser Hijacker

This virus targets and alters your browser setting. It is often called a browser redirect virus because it redirects your browser to other malicious websites that you don’t have any intention of visiting. This virus can pose other threats such as changing the default home page of your browser.

4. Web Scripting Virus

A very sneaky virus that targets popular websites. What this virus does is overwrite code on a website and insert links that can install malicious software on your device. Web scripting viruses can steal your cookies and use the information to post on your behalf on the infected website.

5. Boot Sector Virus

These viruses are once common back when computers are booted from floppy disks. Today, these viruses are found distributed in forms of physical media such as external hard drives or USB. If the computer is infected with a boot sector virus, it automatically loads into the memory enabling control of your computer.

6. Polymorphic Virus

This virus has the capability to evade anti-virus programs since it can change codes every time an infected file is performed.

7. Resident Virus

A resident virus stores itself on your computer’s memory which allows it to infect files on your computer. This virus can interfere with your operating system leading to file and program corruption.

8. Multipartite Virus

A type of virus that is very infectious and can easily spread on your computer system. It can infect multiple parts of a system including memory, files, and boot sector which makes it difficult to contain.

Device drivers serve as a connection between the hardware in your computer and the operating system. So if any of the device drivers fail, the concerned hardware will stop communicating with Windows. And when you encounter some network-related issues, you can run the Network Adapter troubleshooter to fix them. However, this built-in troubleshooter does not work all the time as there are still problems that it can’t fix on its own and you’ll see the following error message:

“Windows could not find a driver for your network adapter.”

If you encounter this kind of error, read on as this post will help you in fixing the problem but before you get started in troubleshooting the problem, try running the Network Adapter Troubleshooter again.

• Open the Search bar on your computer and type in “troubleshoot” to open the Troubleshoot settings.
• Next, scroll down and select the “Network Adapter” option from the right pane.
• Then click on the Run Troubleshooter” button.
• After that, your computer will check for any possible errors and will pinpoint the root cause of the problem if possible.

Refer to each one of the solutions given below to get started:

Option 1 – Update the Network Adapter drivers

Of course, the first thing you can try to do is to update the Network Adapter drivers to resolve the error.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “devmgmt.msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
• Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and update them all.
• Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the BSOD error.

Note: If updating the network drivers didn’t help in fixing the “Windows could not find a driver for your network adapter” error, you can also try to uninstall the very same drivers and restart your Windows 10 PC. After that, the system itself will reinstall the drivers you just uninstalled. Alternatively, you can also download and install the drivers from the manufacturer’s website directly. To reinstall the network adapter driver, refer to these steps:

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

Option 2 – Try running the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Apart from the Network Adapter Troubleshooter, you can also run another built-in troubleshooter in Windows, the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter, as it can also help you in resolving the “Windows could not find a driver for your network adapter” error.

• The first thing you need to do is click on Start and then on the gear-like icon to pull up the window for Settings.
• After opening Settings, look for the Update and Security option and select it.
• From there, go to the Troubleshoot option located on the left-hand side of the list.
• Next, select Hardware and Devices from the list and open the Troubleshooter and run it. Once it is doing its job, wait for it to complete the process and then restart the system.
• After the system restarts, check if the problem’s now fixed. If not, refer to the next option given below.

Option 3 – Try performing a System Restore

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

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