Inaccessible boot device errors in Windows 10 aren't hard to fix. We've already explained how to fix one of the most common problems: the "critical process died" stop code. Now it's time to look at another issue frequently complained about: how to fix an inaccessible boot drive error. What exactly causes the issue? How do you know if it's affecting you? And what can you do to fix it? Keep reading to find out more. (Note: Some of these solutions will only work if you can still get occasional access to your PC without it crashing.) What Is the Inaccessible Boot Device Error? We all know Windows loves to update itself. Often, it's exciting---especially when a major upgrade rolls around. But your excitement can quickly turn to despair. Picture the scene. You eagerly wait for Windows to reboot after the upgrade, then BAM! You see a "blue screen of death" (BSOD) with the inaccessible boot drive error message and your computer restarts. In simple terms, the message means Windows lost its access to the system partition during the startup process. Although tens of thousands of users saw the code as a result of a 2017 update, the boot device error has a number of possible causes, including BIOS updates and overclocked CPUs. Some users suggest that the problem appears to be more prevalent in computers running an SSD. Let's take a look at how you can fix the inaccessible boot device error in Windows 10. Unfortunately, you might need to try several different solutions. 1. Remove Recently-Installed Packages If you believe an update has caused your problem, you need to work through your recently installed packages and remove them one by one. Hopefully, you will eventually delete the update that's causing the issue. Note: The following process will restart your machine. Make sure you save any work before continuing. To begin, open the Settings app and navigate to Update and Security > Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart Now. After a few moments, a blue screen will pop up. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt. Your computer will restart and boot into the Command Prompt app. Once the Command Prompt is on your screen, follow these instructions: Type dir c: (assuming Windows is installed in the C drive) and press Enter. Run Dism /Image:c:\ /Get-Packages. You will see all the packages installed on your system. Use the date field to identify the most recent and make a note of its complete name. To remove the package, type dism.exe /image:c:\ /remove-package /[package name]. Replace [package name] with the name you noted in the previous step. Reboot your machine. If removing the most recent update did not fix your issue and you still see BSODs, repeat the above process with the next most recent update. 2. Remove "Update Pending" Packages Sometimes, Windows updates get stuck in a strange limbo, forever pending and never installing. These pending updates can cause an inaccessible boot device error. To remove them, you'll once again need to open Command Prompt in the advanced startup options by going to Update and Security > Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart Now > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt. When the Command Prompt app is running, run the following three commands. They will delete the SessionsPending registry key. Press Enter after each line: reg load HKLM\temp c:\windows ystem32\config oftware reg delete "HKLM\temp\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\SessionsPending"/v Exclusive reg unload HKLM\temp Next, you need to move any pending updates into their own temporary file. Type dism /image:C:\ /get-packages to get a list of updates. Make a note of any which has the "Install Pending" tag. Now you need to create a temporary file. Type MKDIR C:\temp\packages and press Enter. Lastly, move all the pending packages into the temporary file. Type dism /image:c:\ /remove-package /packagename:[package name] /scratchdir:c:\temp\packages and press Enter. Replace [package name] as appropriate. 3. Update Your Drivers If neither of the two fixes we've already discussed manages to solve your problem, there are some other generic troubleshooting steps you can try before heading to your local PC repair shop. Firstly, try and update your drivers. Faulty drivers can be responsible for any number of ailments on your machine. The problem is more likely to present itself if you are using old drivers. In the case of the inaccessible boot device error, the most common culprit is an IDE ATA/SATA controller driver. There are two ways to check for updates. Firstly, you could check the manufacturer's website. Secondly, open Device Manager, expand the IDE ATA/SATA controller sub-menu, right-click on Standard SATA AHCI Controller, and select Update Driver. 4. Enable AHCI Mode in the BIOS Some users have reported that enabling AHCI mode in your system BIOS instantly solves the inaccessible boot drive error. The BIOS menu can vary considerably between manufacturers, so there's not a one-size-fits-all way of explaining the process. However, in general terms, you'll need to enter the BIOS during boot (typically by press Escape, Delete, or one of the Function keys), head to the Advanced Options menu, find Set AHCI Mode, and change the value to Enabled. 5. Check for a Corrupted Hard Drive Corrupted files on your hard drive might be the cause of the error. Thankfully, if they are the root of the issue, it's straightforward to fix. Firstly, you need to open Command Prompt as an administrator. To do so, press the Windows key, type cmd, right-click on the result and choose Run as administrator. Within the Command Prompt app, type chkdsk /f /r and press Enter. Wait for the app to process your input, then type Y and press Enter. If you cannot boot Windows, you can also run this command from the recovery console by entering chkdsk /r C: instead. Other Troubleshooting Solutions If you've still not managed to fix the inaccessible boot device error, you might feel like it's time to call in a professional. However, depending on your technical capabilities, there are a couple more things you can try: Open your machine's chassis and check for loose cables Physically inspect your RAM, motherboard, and hard drive for faults and damage Lastly, you could try taking the nuclear option and reset Windows 10 back to a clean copy. If you choose this approach, you will lose all your data, so make sure you make a backup of your data before starting.

If you've had a PlayStation 4 for a while, chances are it's running a lot louder than it did when you bought it. Like most devices, dust tends to build up over time inside the system. To keep your PS4 running at its best, it's wise to clean your system every once in a while. To quiet it down and remove all that nasty dust buildup, follow our guide to cleaning your PS4. Warning: Take Care Cleaning Your PS4 While this is a relatively straightforward process, you should still take care when performing this. We cannot be held responsible for any damage you may do to your system. You may want to make sure you've backed up your saved data before proceeding just in case. With that out of the way, let's look at how to clean your PS4. Step 0: What You'll Need for Cleaning a PS4 PS4 cleaning is a relatively simply job, but does require a few materials: A TR9 Torx security bit screwdriver. The PS4 uses T9 security screws. A T8 screwdriver may work, but you should use a T9 for best results. Make sure you get a screwdriver with a security bit, which has a tiny hole in the center. If you don't have one, you can get a T9 security screwdriver for cheap on eBay. If you already have a Torx set or computer opening toolkit, it probably has the bit you need. A standard Phillips-head screwdriver. There are a few screws inside the PS4 that require this screwdriver to remove. A smaller screwdriver will work best here. A knife or other sharp object. You'll want this to peel off the stickers covering the PS4's rear screws. A can of compressed air. You'll need this to blow out the dust. You can purchase these online or at stores like Walmart. For a more efficient cleaning, you may also want to use these optional materials: Cotton swabs and/or cotton balls. If you'd like, you can use these to help you remove some of the dust. A cotton swab also helps you keep the fan from spinning. If you want to go above and beyond, try making some cleaning putty and using that instead. A flashlight. It can be tough to see where the dust hides; a flashlight makes it easier to spot. A paper towel or piece of tape to hold the screws. You don't want tiny screws to go missing, so it's good idea to have somewhere to keep them. When removing the screws, you may want to place them in the same pattern you removed them, so you know which goes where. A cleaning brush or old toothbrush. Dust caked onto the PS4's fan is difficult to remove since the blade gaps are so small. A brush can scrape off whatever the canned air can't clear out. Note that if you have an original model PS4, opening your console and cleaning it will void your warranty (which is valid for one year after purchase). However, you can remove the cover from the Slim and Pro models without voiding the warranty. Chances are that if you've had your PS4 for long enough that dust buildup is an issue, your warranty has probably expired anyway. We'll show steps for the original PS4 for this guide (since it's the one I have, and the most complicated). At the end, we'll mention the differences for the other models. Step 1: Shut Down and Unplug Everything Before you start cleaning your PS4, make sure the console is turned off. If you see an orange light, then it's in Rest Mode (a low-power state) and you'll need to shut it down fully. Turn your console on, then press and hold the PlayStation button on your controller to open the Quick Menu. Head to Power > Turn Off PS4. Wait until all lights on your PS4 turn off, then unplug the power cable, HDMI cord, and anything else connected to it (like USB devices). Bring your PS4 to a place where you have some room to work. Since you'll be removing screws, you should have a safe place to set them. Like when building a PC, you should take care not to build up static electricity. Don't work on a static-prone surface, such as a shaggy carpet, and try to only touch the plastic components when cleaning. Step 2: Remove the Back Stickers and Screws Now that you've got your PS4 ready to work, turn it around so the back is facing you, then flip it upside-down. You'll see three stickers along the "top" (which is really the bottom of the system, in line with the port for the power cable) that you must remove. Note that if you're using the slightly revamped model of the original PS4, you'll only see one sticker and screw here in the middle. The middle one has a special warranty sticker that damages itself when you remove it. The other two are a bit thicker and might require a bit of extra work. Use your knife or another pointy tool to peel back a corner of the stickers, then they should come off easily. Be careful not to scratch your system while you remove them. Set them aside if you want to re-apply them later, or throw them out if you don't care. Once you've removed the stickers, use your TR9 screwdriver to remove the screws underneath. They're short, so they shouldn't require much effort. Take care not to strip them, and set them aside in a safe place. Step 3: Take Off the PS4 Cover Now that you've removed the screws(s) holding the cover in place, you can pop it off. Start at the back (facing you) and lightly pull up on the edges. Don't use a ton of force; as you work your way around the PS4, the cover should come free. Tug it up and remove it. At this point, you can look at the cover you just removed and clean any dust inside. Your compressed air will make short work of it; this is also a good place to use a cotton ball to dab it out. After cleaning it, set the cover aside for now. Back on the system, you can now see the fan, which is a good indicator of how dusty your system is. However, there's one more component to remove first. Step 4: Remove the Power Supply You're nearly there! Now you just need to remove the power supply so you can gain access to the heat sink and perform the most thorough cleaning. There are five screws holding the PSU in place. Three of them use the same TR9 security screws as the back cover, and the other two are standard Phillips head screws. With the PSU on your side and the fan in the upper-right corner, the two Phillips head screws are closest to you on the far left and right of the PSU. Use your TR9 screwdriver to remove the other three screws. Note that if you're using the slightly revamped model of the original PS4, you'll see one screw in a different location here. The T9 screw in the upper-left of the below photo will be a few inches above the T9 screw at the bottom instead. The Phillips screws are longer than the others and are a bit tougher to remove, so you may need to slide your knife or another thin object under the clips to pull them up. Take care when doing this so you don't bend the clips. Now you can remove the PSU. There's a cable connecting it to the motherboard underneath, which you don't need to remove and don't want to accidentally unplug. Carefully grab the PSU by both sides and lift it up evenly. It may take a bit of wiggling to come free. Once you've got it lifted up, gently "flip" it over the left side so it rests carefully while staying plugged in. Step 5: Blow the Dust Out of Your PS4 Finally, you have access to the heat sink and fan. Now we can explain how to clean your PS4's fan and remove dust deep in the system. Take your can of compressed air and insert the straw (if it has one) for more focused cleaning. Spray a few blasts of air away from your PS4 first, in case there's any liquid in the tip. Now, use your canned air to blow short bursts of air all around your PS4, getting rid of the dust. Make sure to check the corners for hidden dust (the flashlight can help here), and take care to blow it out of the system instead of further in. You can also use your cotton swabs or cotton balls to help you remove any dust the air won't reach. Focus especially on the fan, heat sink, and outside edges of your PS4 when looking for built-up dust, as these are common locations for it. Note a few important warnings when using canned air: Never, ever hold the can upside-down. This will force the liquid inside the can out and could damage your PS4. Do not spray compressed air directly into the fan. Spinning the PS4's fan at an extreme speed could damage the circuitry. Before you blow air near the fan, make sure you're either holding it with a finger or have jammed it with a cotton swab. Use compressed air in ventilated areas only. Canned air can bother your skin and other body parts, and it's dangerous to breathe it in for an extended time. Spray in bursts. Holding a steady spray of air will quickly cool the can, making it difficult for you to handle. Step 6: Reassemble the PS4 Once you're satisfied with your work cleaning out your PS4, it's time to put everything back together in reverse order. First, carefully "flip" the power supply over and put it back in its spot. You'll notice two prongs in the bottom-left corner; make sure those line up with the gap in the PSU. Replace the five screws holding it in place. Remember that the two on the bottom-left and bottom-right are the longer Phillips head screws with clips. The other three are security screws. Next, snap the cover back into place. Start from the front of the system (make sure you have don't have the cover backwards). Lightly press down all around the edges to the system to make sure it's secure. When done, it shouldn't wiggle. Now, replace the TR9 screws on the back of the PS4. Take care when screwing them back in not to damage them. If you decided to keep the sticker(s), replace them now. The warranty sticker will appear scratched; this is by design. Now your PS4 is all cleaned out and back together, but there's an additional spot you might want to check quickly. Step 7: Clean Your PS4's HDD Bay (Optional) The PS4 has a separate compartment for the hard drive that may or may not have built up dust. It's not vital to check, but it's worth taking a moment while you have your system out. To access it, lightly press and slide the shiny part of your PS4 (on the left when looking at it from the front) straight out to the left. This will remove the cover, allowing you to access the HDD bay. A simple Phillips head screw adorned with the PlayStation button icons holds it in place. You can remove the HDD if you like and clean out any dust in this area. Then just slide the HDD back in, replace the screw, and slide the cover on. Step 8: Perform a Database Rebuild (Optional) Now you can replace your PS4 and plug all your cables back in. One last step isn't strictly necessary, but since you've just cleaned out your PS4's hardware, it's a good time to optimize its software performance too. The PS4 includes a utility called Rebuild Database that optimizes all the data on your drive. It's essentially like defragmenting your computer. If you've had your PS4 long enough to build up significant dust, chances are it could benefit from this operation too. To access it, shut down your PS4 (fully, so it's not in Rest Mode). Once it's off, press and hold the Power button on the front of the console (the top button). You'll hear one beep right away; continue holding it until you hear a second beep. This boots the PS4 into Safe Mode. Connect your controller to the PS4 with a micro-USB cable, then press the PlayStation button to sync it. Select the Rebuild Database option and confirm the operation. Your PS4 will then perform the process. The system says this could take some time depending on how much data you have. However, it didn't take more than 15 minutes or so for me with nearly 2TB of data on my hard drive. Once it completes, you'll be back at your home screen. This doesn't delete any of your data, but it does have a few minor consequences. The PS4 will show you Discover notifications again for basic tips you've probably already seen. Your Home screen won't show your recently played games, so you'll have to track them down manually once. And your PS4 will also check for game updates for games you haven't played in a while. Once you've done this, you should hopefully notice your PS4 runs a bit smoother in the menus. How to Clean the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro To clean the fan on the PS4 Slim, you don't need to remove the warranty sticker. It's much easier to remove the cover, too. All you have to do is pull up on the left and right corners on the front of your system. Pull on the middle, then slide the cover back and it will come right off. From here, you'll be able to see the fan even though it's obstructed by a cover. If your fan doesn't look too dirty (a flashlight will help with this), you can spray some canned air into it and probably call it a day. Remember to use a cotton swab to prevent the fan from spinning. For full cleaning, you'll need to remove several screws from the cover and the power supply plate. Since we focused on the original PS4, please see the video below for PS4 Slim-specific instructions. The PS4 Pro is similar, but it's even simpler. Simply pull up on the front left and right corners to loosen the cover, then slide it back. You can see the fan as soon as you remove this, making basic cleaning quite easy. Unfortunately, the heat sink is buried deep in the PS4 Pro, and requires disassembling almost the entire console. Thus, you should stick to cleaning the fan. Check the below video for more details. Now Your PS4 Is All Clean Now you know how to clean your PS4! You should notice it running much more quietly than it was before, especially if you've had the system for years. While you could clean even deeper into the system, this would require some potentially risky operations. It's better to avoid damaging your system and stick to this basic cleaning. In the future, take a brush, some compressed air, or cotton swab along the outside edges of your system to remove the dust once in a while. This should help prevent dust from building up inside so you don't have to go through this process as often. Some have recommended placing plastic bottle caps or similar small objects under the four corners of your console. This lifts it off the below surface and should help with air flow. Aside from this, make sure your PS4 has room to breathe (keep it out of enclosed spaces). Paired with this cleaning when needed, your PS4 should stay cool and quiet.

The Camera Roll and Saved Pictures folders come with Windows 10 by default. But if you don't use them, they're pointless. Problem is, you can't delete them the usual way. We're going to show you how to move, hide, or delete these folders, so they don't get in the way. We'll also tell you how to hide the related libraries too. What Are the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures Folders? Take a look inside your Pictures folder and you will see the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures folders. These are created automatically if you have Windows 10. The Camera Roll folder is used by the Camera app to store all created photos and videos. The Saved Pictures folder is used by the Photos app. These two apps are the reason these annoying folders exist. If you don't use the Camera or Photos app, it's likely that the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures folders sit empty within your Pictures library. That's a nuisance, right? You might think you can remove these folders like you would any other---right click and select Delete. While that works temporarily, the two folders will reappear minutes later, whether you open their respective apps or not. So, it requires a bit more work to permanently remove these folders. You can also move or hide the folders if you want a less terminal solution. Move the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures Folders By default, the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures folders will be within the Pictures folder. You can easily move them to any other folder. You'll need to tackle each folder in turn. Right click the folder and click Properties. Switch to the Location tab. Here there's a field where you can enter the folder path of where you want the folder to be moved to. Don't worry if you don't know the path. Just click Move..., navigate inside your destination folder of choice, and click Select Folder. Finally, press OK to confirm the move. You can return to this screen and press Restore Default > OK if you want the folder back in your Pictures. Alternatively, you can simply cut (Ctrl + X) and paste (Ctrl + V) the folder somewhere using File Explorer. Quickly Find the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures Folders If you need to access the Camera Roll or Saved Pictures folder and you can't remember where you moved them to, don't worry. Press Windows + R to open Run. Input one of the following, depending on what folder you need: shell:camera roll shell:savedpictures Click OK and the folder will open. These commands will work no matter where you've moved the folders. Hide the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures Folders If you don't want to move the folders or permanently delete them, you can hide them from sight instead. To do this, highlight both the folders (or hold down Ctrl as you click each in turn) and switch to the View tab on the ribbon. Within the Show/hide section, click Hide selected items. If you can still see the folder but with a faded icon, that means you have a setting enabled to see hidden items. To disable this, remain on the View tab and uncheck Hidden items. Reversing these instructions will allow you to make the folders visible again. Make the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures Folders Super Hidden If you want to go a step further, you can hide these folders at a system level. That means that even if you have Hidden items visible, you still won't see the folders. To do this, press Windows key + R to open Run, input cmd, and click OK. This will open the Command Prompt. Next, open File Explorer and navigate to the Camera Roll or Saved Pictures folder. You will need to do each in turn. Copy the folder path from the address bar---i.e. right click inside the bar and press Ctrl + C. Your path will likely be similar to this: C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\Camera Roll Go back to Command Prompt and type the following, replacing the example path with your own: attrib +s +h "C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\Camera Roll" Press Enter on your keyboard and that folder is now hidden. If you forget where the hidden folder is, use the instructions in the 'Quickly Find the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures Folders' section above. You can make the folder visible again with this command (again, replace the path): attrib -s -h "C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\Camera Roll" Hide the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures Libraries You may also have noticed that Camera Roll and Saved Pictures appear in your Libraries too. This requires creating four registry keys. This process can be streamlined by building an executable registry file. Open Notepad and paste the following: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2B20DF75-1EDA-4039-8097-38798227D5B7}\PropertyBag] "ThisPCPolicy"="Hide" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2B20DF75-1EDA-4039-8097-38798227D5B7}\PropertyBag] "ThisPCPolicy"="Hide" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{E25B5812-BE88-4bd9-94B0-29233477B6C3}\PropertyBag] "ThisPCPolicy"="Hide" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{E25B5812-BE88-4bd9-94B0-29233477B6C3}\PropertyBag] "ThisPCPolicy"="Hide" Go to File > Save As... and input the File name as LibraryHide.reg. Open File Explorer and go to where you just saved that file. Right click the file and click Merge. When prompted by the warning, click Yes. This will then execute the above code. The code tells the registry to add the value of Hide to each of those four paths (two for each library.) Delete the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures Folders As the Camera Roll and Saved Pictures folders are tied to the Camera and Photos apps, the only way to permanently delete these folders is to uninstall the apps. These apps come with Windows 10 and cannot be uninstalled like you would a usual program. Instead, you need to use PowerShell for the uninstallation. To begin, do a system search for PowerShell. Next, right click the result and click Run as administrator. Copy (Ctrl + C), paste (Ctrl + V), and press Enter on your keyboard for each of these commands. To uninstall Camera: Get-AppxPackage *windowscamera* | Remove-AppxPackage To uninstall Photos: Get-AppxPackage *photos* | Remove-AppxPackage Note that you may use the Photos app to browse pictures on your computer without realizing it. A suitable alternative is the Windows Photo Viewer. Here's our quick guide to bring back Photo Viewer. If you want to reinstall those apps or any other Windows apps you may have deleted, use this command in PowerShell: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers| Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"} Delete Other Windows Folders You did it! You now don't have to see those pesky empty folders within your Pictures.

Plasma displays use plasma, a gaseous substance containing free-flowing ions. When the plasma is not in use, the particles in the plasma are uncharged and display nothing. With the introduction of an electric current, the ions become charged and begin colliding, releasing photons of light. This is a very simplified version of how a plasma screen works. However, the main thing to understand is that plasma screens use phosphor material (like CRTs) to turn those photons into images. LCD and LED do not work in the same way as CRTs, either. LCD and LED screens use backlit liquid crystals to display colors. Although manufacturers market screens using LED and LCD, an LED screen is still a type of LCD. The white backlight filters through the liquid crystals, which extract particular colors per pixel. LCD and LED displays don't suffer from the same type of image burn as CRTs and plasma screens. They're not completely clear though. LCD and LED screens suffer from image persistence. Read on to find out more about image persistence. Why Do Plasma Screens Burn-In? Before you can fix screen burn-in, take a second to understand why these images burn in the first place. LCDs and LEDs don't suffer from burn-in as seriously as plasma screens. But static images can leave an imprint on both display types if left alone for too long. So, why does image burn happen? First, let's tackle plasma screen burn-in. Remember why CRTs experience image burn? When a still image remains on the screen for too long, the phosphor components in each pixel wear out at different rates. The uneven burn rates leave behind a ghost image, forever etched into the screen. Plasma screens also suffer from phosphor deterioration. Plasma burning occurs when pixels on the screen are damaged through long exposure. The phosphor loses its intensity and only shows the light it was fed repeatedly. In this case, the still image, which causes the burn. Do LCDs and LEDs Experience Image Burn? LCD and LED screens can also experience image burn, though the image burn process can longer to develop into a permanent issue. LCD and LED screens suffer from another issue, known as image retention (also known as image persistence or an LCD shadow). Image retention is a temporary issue that you are more likely to notice before it becomes a permanent issue. However, proper image burn can still affect LCD, LED, and OLED screens. Image retention is a different issue to image burn (although it is a precursor to image burn). For example, you're using a single image of a steam train as a reference point for a drawing. You have the steam train image on your screen for a few hours, before you decide to play a video game instead. When you load up the video game on the screen, you can still see the faint outline of the steam train on the screen. The steam train image will remain for a short while, but the movement and color changes of the video game (or film, TV show, or other media type) should erase the retained image. The other thing to consider is that LED and OLED image burn-in, when it happens, is irreversible. That's because of how LED and OLED screens work. Individual pixels within an LED display decay when they emit light. When the screen fixes on a single image, those pixels decay at a faster rate than those around it. Once the pixel itself is dead, there is no recovery. Under normal use, an LED, OLED, or QLED screen won't suffer image burn. If you leave your screen on a single channel for hours every day, then burn-in can become an issue, as it would with almost any screen. Issues arise when a screen shows a single news channel 24 hours a day, every day, causing channel logos to burn-in, along with the outline of the scrolling news ticker and so on. News channels are a well known source of television burn-in, no matter the screen type. Check out Kannon's article on LED, OLED, and AMOLED image burn-in and how you can avoid it. It has some handy tips in there for smartphones, too! LCD and Plasma Screen Burn-In Fixes Image burn-in fixes exist for LCD and plasma screens. How effective an image burn-in fix is depends on the screen damage. Depending on the length and severity of the image burn, some displays may have permanent damage. 1. Prevent LCD and Plasma Screen Burn The best fix for screen burn is to prevent it in the first place. Okay, that isn't super useful if your screen is already experiencing image burn. However, you should always try not to leave your screen on a still image for too long. The time it takes for an image to burn-in varies from screen to screen, between manufacturers, sizes, and panel type. My personal rule of thumb is to turn off and display if I plan on being away for more than 15 minutes. That way, it is difficult to get caught out, plus you save yourself money on electricity costs and monitor or TV wear and tear. 2. Reduce LCD and Plasma Screen Image Burn Another prevention method is to reduce screen contrast as much as you can. Most screens aren't calibrated correctly, often pushing the contrast and brightness settings too high. Lower contrast means the lighting across your screen is more even. This means less strain on specific areas of the screen, which in turn helps protect against image burning. 3. Use Static to Fix LCD and Plasma Burn-In If your plasma or LCD screen already has image burn-in, you can try turning on white static for 12 to 24 hours. The constant moving of white-and-black across your screen in random patterns can help remove the ghost image from your screen. Unfortunately, this won't work for extreme cases. Some TVs will have a built-in pattern swiping option that basically accomplishes the same thing (by filling your screen with random patterns). 4. Use Pixel-Shift to Fix LCD and Plasma Image Burn Some TVs and monitors feature pixel-shift or screen shift technology. Pixel-shift constantly slightly adjusts the image on your screen, which varies the pixel usage enough to counteract image burn. You might have to enable a pixel or screen shift option in your screen settings. Pixel-shift is a handy feature for LED and OLED screens that cannot recover from image burn, and should help counteract an LCD shadow. Other modern screens feature built-in screen refresh functions that the manufacturer will advise using to remove image retention and image burn issues. 5. Use JSCreenFix to Fix LCD and Plasma Screen Burn The best tool that I've found for fixing ghost images is JScreenFix. Though the original program design was to help fix monitors with dead pixels, they now have a JScreenFix Deluxe which uses advanced algorithms to repair burned screens and prolong plasma and LCD longevity. There is a free version available, but if you want to run the program for more than 20 minutes at a time, you'll need to purchase a license for $25 USD. If you're unsure if you have a dead pixel, try one of these dead pixel locating programs to find out. Some options have built-in fixes, too. 6. Use a White Screensaver to Fix LCD and Plasma Image Burn Another option is to set a completely white desktop background and leaving to run for a few hours. The solid color might reset the image burn. A solid color background is more likely to help with image persistence than image burn, but it is still worth trying. If you have television burn-in, you can attach a laptop to your TV using a HDMI cable, extend your desktop to the television, and share the white screensaver. Hopefully that will shift your television burn-in. The Best Way to Prevent Screen Burning There are several ways you can attempt to fix screen burn-in. The results will vary between the screen type and the level of burn-in. A screen with extensive image burn may not clear entirely, although you might see an improvement. Some screen degradation over time is understandable. However, if you follow the steps in this guide, you'll protect your screen from image burn before it becomes a permanent issue.

Windows 10 File Explorer search is a handy option to find files. If you have a folder full of documents, you can enter a keyword. Or, if you don't know the name of the file but you do know the file extension, you can search that way with a wildcard. Unless, of course, File Explorer search is not working. File Explorer search can break for several reasons. Thankfully, most of these errors are easy to resolve. Here are seven ways you can fix File Explorer search. 1. Make Sure Windows Search Service Is Running The first thing to do is to make sure the Windows Search service is up and running. Windows Services control a lot of what Windows can do. If a service switches off or bugs out, it can have unexpected consequences. Accordingly, if the Windows Search service is off or broken, you cannot search for your file using the File Explorer search. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog, then input services.msc. Scroll down the list of services until you find Windows Search, then check its status. If Windows Search is running, this is not the cause of the issue. If it's not running, double-click Windows Search to open the options, then Start the service. Hit Apply and close the options. If you want to restart the Windows Search service in the hope that it jolts it to life, select Stop, then Apply, then Start, then Apply. 2. Rebuild the Search Index If stopping and starting the Windows Search service doesn't coax File Explorer search back into life, you can rebuild the search index. The search index is a long list of every file on your computer. If Windows doesn't have an index of where files are, it cannot search your computer to tell you where to look for them (or guide you right to them!). Rebuilding the search index can take a little while. However, it is one of the best ways to resolve a Windows File Explorer search issue. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog, then input the following: rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL srchadmin.dll The Windows Indexing Options panel will appear. Select Advanced, then under Troubleshooting, select Rebuild. Select OK when Windows tells you the rebuild will take "a long time," then wait for the process to complete. You can use your computer during this time, but the File Explorer search won't work until the re-indexing is complete. 3. Make Sure the Search Index Includes Your Drive Locations If rebuilding the search index doesn't fix your File Explorer and Windows search issues, make sure the folders you're searching are included in the index. Reopen the Windows Indexing Options panel (as shown in the previous section). Select Modify. Now, check your Indexed Locations. At the very least, you want to index your C:/ drive. For most people, C:/ contains your operating system, Windows user profile, photos, videos, music, and documents. If you do not include those folders in the index, File Explorer search will miss many of your files. After selecting your drive locations, press OK. Windows will index the new locations automatically. Depending on the size of the drives you add, indexing could take some time. 4. Run the Windows Index Troubleshooter The Windows Index Options panel is home to a troubleshooter, too. Head back to the Windows Index Options panel. Under Troubleshooting, select Troubleshoot search and indexing. You then have four options: Select your search indexing issue, then continue. The Search and Indexing Troubleshooter will apply fixes automatically, then tell you about any changes. The fourth option is a little different. You can attempt to describe your File Explorer search issues, and Windows 10 will keyword match the errors and attempt to provide a fix. It is hit and miss, as you might imagine. 5. Switch Cortana Off Switching Cortana off can sometimes jolt File Explorer back into life, such is the integration of the tool with Windows search options. Cortana was the specific cause of a broken Windows Search issue, too. Right-click your taskbar and select Task Manager. Open the Processes tab, then scroll down to Cortana. Right-click the Cortana process and select End task. Cortana will shut down, then reopen. 6. Run CHKDSK If at this point File Explorer search still isn't working, you need to consider some more serious fixes. The Windows Check Disk (CHKDSK) is a Windows system tool you can use to verify the file system. You can set CHKDSK to fix any issues it runs into as it runs. Type command prompt in your Start menu search bar, then right-click the best match and select Run as administrator. (Alternatively, press Windows key + X, then select Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.) Next, type chkdsk /r and press Enter. The command will scan your system for errors and fix any issues along the way. 7. Run SFC The System File Check (SFC) is another Windows file check tool. Instead of checking your entire drive for errors, like CHKDSK, the System File Check analyzes and fixes your Windows installation specifically. Before running the SFC command, it is best to double-check that it is completely functional. DISM stands for Deployment Image Servicing and Management. DISM is an integrated Windows utility with a vast range of functions. In this case, the DISM Restorehealth command ensures that our next fix will work properly. Work through the following steps. Type Command Prompt (Admin) in the Start menu search bar, then right-click and select Run as administrator to open an elevated Command Prompt. Type the following command and press Enter: DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth Wait for the command to complete. The process can take up to 20 minutes, depending on your system's health. The process seems stuck at certain times, but wait for it to complete. When the process completes, type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Fixing File Explorer and Windows Search When File Explorer search isn't working, finding a specific file is time-consuming. Fixing File Explorer search doesn't take long and will help you keep tabs on your most important (or completely lost!) files.

Wireless networking issues in Windows 10 are usually straightforward to fix. But occasionally you might run into the "No Internet, secured" message. Appearing as a pop-up from the system tray, this error refers to a problem with the wireless configuration or connection. It's frustrating, but this error is relatively simple to deal with. It shouldn't take long to get back online---if you know what you're doing. We've prepared seven solutions for you to work through, in order, to fix the "No Internet, secured" Windows 10 error. What Does "No Internet, Secured" Mean? You may have seen the error message pop up in the System Tray area of the Windows 10 taskbar. Or perhaps as a notification. But what does "No Internet, Secured" actually mean? An unusually vague message for Windows 10, the error generally means that your internet connection is down. However, it can also appear when you have an active connection. Confused? That's not surprising. The error is, it seems, intentionally vague. After all, if your computer no longer has an internet connection, whether it is secured or not is irrelevant. While it can appear on any Windows 10 device, it is particularly common with Microsoft Surface devices. If your computer relies on the same network card or driver, you might see it occur regardless. Other conditions can cause the appearance of the "No Internet, secured" error, too. Fixing the "No Internet, Secured" Error Several fixes are available for this error. These depend on your computer setup and network adaptor. As such, not all these fixes will work. However, we've listed them in order of likelihood---just work through the tips in order. This list will give you an idea of what's required to fix the "No Internet, secured" error: Disable your VPN Refresh the IP configuration Reset Windsock Check your PC's connection properties Disable IPv6 Update the network device driver Run Network troubleshooter Take the time to read the steps carefully before attempting to fix the error. 1. Disable Your VPN Reckon your PC has connected to the local Wi-Fi network, only to be surprised by the "No Internet, secured" error? Don't worry. If you're using a VPN, the VPN client's built-in security features can cause this problem. Specifically, it can be the kill-switch that is designed to disconnect you from the internet when the VPN server goes down. To check if this is the problem, disable your VPN (using the disconnect function) or even exit it entirely. Then take a moment to reconnect to the internet and try a regularly updated website---perhaps a news site. If everything connects, then the problem was with the VPN server. Update your VPN client if possible, then connect to a new VPN server. If everything connects okay, you've fixed the error! 2. Refresh the Windows 10 IP Configuration Not using a VPN, or experiencing continued incidence of the "No Internet, secured" message? Some commands are available to help you deal with it. Right-click Start, then select Windows PowerShell. Here, enter the following commands in order: ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew This will force your computer to request a new IP address from your local router. In many cases, this will resolve the error. 3. Reset Winsock Another command line solution to the "No Internet, secured" error is to reset Winsock. Rather than a feature of your local airfield, Winsock is the Windows Sockets API. This is a specification for your PC's communication with network services, specifically the widely used TCP/IP. To reset Winsock, use netsh winsock reset catalog Wait a moment; if the network doesn't automatically reconnect, do so manually. 4. Check Your PC's Connection Properties Still no joy? It's time to check your PC's network adaptor. Open the settings screen by clicking the Wi-Fi connection icon in the system tray, then Network & Internet Settings. Here, click Change adaptor options, right-click the connection concerned, and click Properties. Confirm the following are checked: Client for Microsoft Networks File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) Link-layer Topology Discovery Responder Click OK to confirm. If you made any changes, restart Windows when prompted. 5. Disable IPv6 IPv6 is a networking protocol designed to replace IPv4, due to the latter running out of IP addresses. However, while IPv6 should run on most hardware, it is susceptible to errors. You can disable IPv6 by repeating the previous step. Simply uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) then click OK to confirm the choice. Restart your Windows 10 PC when prompted. 6. Update Your Network Device Driver As there is a chance that the device driver for your network card is at fault, it's worth updating it. Right-click Start and select Device Manager. Here, expand Network Adapters, select your network device, then right-click and select Update driver. Wait while the device driver is updated, then reboot Windows. If successful, Windows 10 should automatically connect to the network as usual. If this doesn't work, try Disable device, reboot the computer, then Enable Device. 7. Run Network Troubleshooter in Windows 10 Finally, if you're still receiving the "No Internet, secured" error message and the computer remains offline, try this. Windows 10 features several troubleshooting tools, software toolkits that automatically check for errors and make (or suggest) repairs. To launch the Network Troubleshooter, press Win + I to open Settings, then Network & internet > Network troubleshooter. Follow the steps provided in the tool to repair your network connection. Easily Fix "No Internet, Secured" Errors in Windows 10 By now you should have resolved your problem and got your Windows 10 PC reconnected. If not, there's a small possibility that the issue is with the network itself. You might, therefore, try connecting to a different network and comparing the results.

Windows 8 is may be a few years old now, but it's still commonly used. And one change that you might not be aware of on newer Windows machines is a different method for accessing a computer's BIOS. No longer do you press a certain key during the boot process to reveal the BIOS---instead, an option to access the BIOS is located in Windows 8's boot options menu. How Accessing BIOS Changed in Windows 8 Traditionally, computers displayed a message like "Press F2 to enter setup" at the beginning of the boot process. Pressing this key entered the computer's BIOS. However, machines that come with Windows 8 preinstalled use a modern update to BIOS called UEFI. On some machines, especially those with solid state hard drives, the boot process can be so fast that you might not have time to see the message about entering BIOS. In these cases, you can opt to enter the BIOS from Windows itself. Microsoft's blog post about this [Broken URL Removed] on the Building Windows 8 blog describes how this new system came to be. With the increased boot speed, some systems had a less than a 200-millisecond window of opportunity to press a key. Even the best key-tappers at Microsoft could only press a key once every 250ms. That meant to access the BIOS, frantic tapping, luck, and several computer reboots were all necessary. The new system does away with this problem. It also brings some much-needed consistency to Windows 8 computers---they'll all have a consistent way of accessing the BIOS. Windows 8 Hardware vs. Old Computers With Windows 8 Note that this new method only applies if you purchased a new computer with Windows 8 preinstalled. If, on the other hand, you've installed Windows 8 on an existing computer that uses the legacy BIOS system, you'll access the BIOS in the same way as always by pressing the key that appears during your boot process. This key is often F2 or Delete, but it can also be other keys. The exact key depends on your computer---if you don't see the appropriate key displayed on your screen during the boot-up process, consult your computer's manual. How to Enter Windows 8 BIOS In order to access the BIOS on Windows 8, you need to restart your computer into the boot options menu. There are several ways to do this. The easiest one to find is in the PC Settings application. Press Windows key + C to reveal the Charms bar, click Settings, and select Change PC settings to access it. In the PC Settings application, select the General category and click the Restart now button under Advanced startup. Your computer will restart and you'll enter the Windows 8's boot options menu. From here you can access the UEFI BIOS and change other settings. You can also hold Shift while clicking Restart in the Shut Down menu to restart your computer into the boot options menu. This is a quick way to restart into the boot options menu, as you can access the Shut Down button from the Charms anywhere on your system. Those who prefer to use the Windows command line to access the BIOS in Windows 8 can do so. There's a shutdown command that's one of the essential Windows command prompts you should know. Here's the command you need to use: Shutdown.exe /r /o Accessing UEFI BIOS Once you've restarted and accessed the boot options menu, you can enter UEFI BIOS. To do this, click the Troubleshoot tile. This will reveal an Advanced Options screen with a variety of tools. The UEFI Firmware Settings tile will take you to your computer's BIOS. If you don't see the UEFI Firmware Settings tile here, your computer doesn't use UEFI. That means you'll need to access the BIOS in the traditional way, by pressing a specific key during the boot-up process. See the earlier section above for more information. If there's an error booting Windows, you won't be locked out of the BIOS. The boot options screen will appear when you start your computer. From here, you can repair Windows or enter your BIOS. Once you've entered the BIOS, you can perform the tasks you want. These could include tasks such as changing the boot device order, setting fan curves, overclocking your processor, or performing troubleshooting by detecting what hardware is being picked up by your system. How to Access the BIOS on Windows 10 If you have updated your operating system recently, you might wonder how to access BIOS from Windows 10. Once again, if you have installed Windows 10 onto older hardware, then you'll access BIOS by pressing a designated key during the boot process. This is the same as older hardware running Windows 8. However, if you bought a computer with Windows 10 preinstalled, you'll need a different method to access BIOS. To do this, start by going to Windows settings. You can access this by pressing Windows key + I. From the settings menu, choose Update & Security, then choose Recovery from the menu on the left. You'll see a list of options on the right, including a title saying Advanced startup. Beneath this header is a button saying Restart now. When you hit this button, your computer will restart. During the startup, you'll see the boot options menu. Like the Windows 8 instructions, go to Troubleshooting and then to UEFI Firmware Settings, then click Restart. This will restart your computer once again, and it will boot into UEFI BIOS. UEFI Vs. BIOS UEFI is rather different from traditional BIOS, even though they perform similar functions. BIOS tends to be in a limited color scheme and does not support the use of a mouse, so you need to navigate using your keyboard. The functions are somewhat limited too, with the ability to perform tasks like changing the boot device order or changing the system time and date. UEFI is a more up to date version of BIOS. It is in full color, and you can navigate using a keyboard and mouse. It's more like Windows, so it's not so intimidating to new users. You can also do a lot more with UEFI. For example, you can set fan curves to adjust how fast the fans in your system spin at given temperatures. Or you can overclock your processor, using automatic overclocking wizards which set everything up for you based on your cooling solution. Technically UEFI is a replacement for BIOS. But in practice, people use the terms interchangeably. It's Important to Secure Your BIOS This shows you how to access BIOS from Windows 8, in case you need to make any changes to your system. While you're working on BIOS, it's a good idea to set a password to keep your system more secure. If you have any problems with this process, then see our article on how to reset the BIOS password.

It's well known that all computers, including Macs, slow down over time. This drop in performance can be frustrating, and it's easy to think that you need to splash out on extra RAM---or even buy a new machine---sooner than you'd like. But there are a number of easy tweaks that can boost your computer's performance and speed up that slow Mac, and they won't cost you a penny. First: Mistakes That Make Your Mac Run Slow We've previously covered some causes of a slow Mac when we looked at common mistakes that slow down your Mac. Before continuing, you should go through that guide so you know what not to do. It covers quick fixes like closing demanding programs and clearing your caches which bring immediate performance improvements in your Mac. But if your computer still isn't performing as you'd like, continue with the tips below. 1. Upgrade macOS Many people still believe the myth that operating system upgrades always slow down your machine. And while they can sometimes have performance issues on really old computers, these updates usually do more good than harm. They include bug fixes, patches, and improvements that often increase the speed of your Mac. These OS update files can be pretty large, though. So if you're running low on hard drive space, you'll likely want to free that up first (see step 2, below). To update your OS, make sure your laptop is connected to a power outlet, and back up your Mac first in case anything goes wrong. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen and go to About This Mac > Software Updates. If a software upgrade is available, you'll see an Upgrade Now button. Click that and the download will start. After a while, your computer will restart itself, and you'll walk through the installation process. This update process will update not just the operating system, but also many of the default apps from Apple. 2. Free Up Hard Disk Space As your storage drive reaches its capacity, performance drops off rapidly. Large files have been shown to have more of a negative effect on your Mac's speed than small files. It's thus always wise to keep at least 25% of your disk space free if possible. To check how much free space you have on your hard drive, go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage. If you're running low on space, as shown in the image above, it's worth going through our guide on how to free up space on your Mac. That takes you through how to do each of the following step-by-step: Empty the trash Uninstall apps you don't use Find and delete large files Delete iTunes files and iOS backups Take a look at cloud storage apps Optimize storage in the photos app Store your Desktop and Documents folders in the cloud In addition, we'd also recommend moving your photos and music libraries over to an external hard drive, as they can take up a huge amount of space. Make at least two copies (or back up with a cloud provider) in case one of your drives fails. After working through the steps in that guide, I freed up an additional 34GB of hard drive space. 3. Remove Startup Items To help your Mac boot up faster, you should minimize the number of background processes that load each time you restart. To do this: Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups and select your account name on the left sidebar. Click Login Items. Select the items you no longer wish to load at startup. Remove these by clicking the minus button. 4. Delete Unnecessary Widgets Having a bunch of widgets running in the background can also have an impact on your Mac's speed. To remove some of these: Open the Notification Center by clicking the button at the top-right corner of the screen. Go to the Today tab. Click Edit at the bottom of the Notification Center. Click the red delete button to remove any widgets that are unnecessary. 5. Rebuild the Spotlight Index If Spotlight has stopped returning the results you'd expect, or is running particularly slow, rebuilding the Spotlight index should help. Follow these steps to do so: Go to System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy. Click the Plus button and select the drive or folders that you want to reindex. Confirm that you want to (temporarily) exclude these from Spotlight. Select the same drive or folder, and click the minus button to remove these again. This will force Spotlight to reindex that drive or folder, which should make searching run more smoothly. This can take some time, so be patient if Spotlight seems finicky at first. 6. Turn Off Visual Effects The barely-noticed visual effects of macOS can impact your computer performance more than you think. To disable these: Go to System Preferences > Dock. Untick Animate opening applications. Set the Minimize windows using option to Scale effect. Then: Go to System Preferences > Accessibility > Display, Select Reduce Transparency. 7. Don't Sync Too Much Cloud Data at Once If you're attempting to sync large folders to the cloud using services such as iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox, this will likely slow everything down. Be sure to routinely review which files and folders are uploading to the cloud to ensure you're not sending too much at once. You can review and adjust which data backs up to iCloud by going to System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud. To manage which folders sync with other cloud storage providers, you'll generally need to go to the Preferences panel of the specific app that you use (like Dropbox or Google Drive). Try to avoid syncing folders that change frequently. 8. Set a Default Finder Folder Each time you open Finder, it needs to load the folder set as its default. If this is a large folder, that can take more time than you'd like (such as if you have tons of items on your desktop). Instead, you should change this to a smaller, less demanding folder so that Finder can load faster: Open Finder. Go to the menu bar and click Finder > Preferences. In the General tab, go to the New Finder windows show dropdown, and select a new default folder. 9. Remove Browser Add-ons Since so much of most people's computer work these days is done within a browser, it can be easy to mistake a slow browser for a slow Mac. The easiest fix here is to remove unneeded and bulky add-ons/extensions from whichever browser you use. We've shown how to clean up your browser extensions the easy way. If you need more specific info, check out these official help pages: How to manage extensions in Safari Managing extensions in Chrome How to remove Firefox add-ons 10. Keep Your Apps Up to Date Outdated apps that haven't been optimized for the latest macOS update can cause your Mac to feel slower than it really is. It's therefore always worthwhile to keep the software on your computer up to date. To do this, go to App Store > Updates. If any app updates are available, you'll see them listed. Either click to update each app individually, or choose Update All in the top-right corner to install all available updates at once. Mac Running Slow? Not Anymore! With these simple tips, you should see a noticeable improvement in your Mac's speed. However, if your machine still isn't working at a speed that's acceptable, there are a couple more extreme (or expensive) options. If your computer is really old, you may be best off buying a refurbished Mac to save some cash. For a less expensive option, if your model is old enough, you might be able to upgrade the RAM in your Mac.

Older desktop and laptop computers feature hidden software called the BIOS. Making changes to this can improve how your computer works---or impede it from running properly. But what is the BIOS? How do you access it, and what changes can you make when you do? Here's everything you need to know about your computer's BIOS, explained. What Is the BIOS? The BIOS (basic input/output system) lives on a chip that can be replaced or upgraded. It is the low-level software that starts when you boot your computer. It performs a POST (power-on self-test), initializes your hardware, and passes control to the boot loader on a connected device. This then boots your operating system---Windows, Linux, or whatever else you're using. Image Credit: Henrique Pinto/Flickr All of this is automatic, but the BIOS also has a setup screen, which you can access. Used to configure a variety of low-level system settings, you can use it to manage things such as: Boot order Video memory Overclocking Virtualization Power management Wake-on-LAN Fan management And much more… Note that you shouldn't change settings in the BIOS unless you know what you're doing. One wrong move and you could change low-level CPU and memory settings that could make your computer unstable. So, make sure you're familiar with your computer's BIOS before saving any changes. Keep reading to see our tips for modifying some of the most used settings. NOTE: This guide is specifically about BIOS. However, since 2010 BIOS has been gradually replaced by UEFI. Check our guide to what UEFI is and how it makes your PC secure for details. Accessing the BIOS To access the BIOS, first restart your computer. Press the appropriate key at the start of the boot-up process to access the BIOS setup screen. The key you need to press should appear on-screen at the start of the boot process. Note that if no keyboard is attached to your PC, you cannot access the BIOS. Image Credit: Ivan PC/Flickr This is usually the Delete key, although some computers may use other keys like F2, Esc(ape), F1, or F10. If you don't know the key you need to press and it isn't appearing on-screen, consult your computer's manual. Alternatively, perform a Google search for your computer's model name and "BIOS key." Stuck? We've covered all the options for accessing the BIOS on all versions of Windows. Navigating the BIOS Note that every computer's BIOS is different. Your computer's BIOS may look significantly different from the screenshots here, or it may look similar but have different options. To navigate the BIOS, use the arrow keys on your keyboard. A list of any other keys you need to use usually appears on-screen. Typically, you'll use: The left and right arrow keys to switch between settings screens The up and down arrow keys to select an option on the current screen Enter to select an option or enter a sub-menu The + and---keys to move items up and down in the list If this sounds a bit complicated, it's not---you'll mostly use the arrow keys and Enter. 3 Most Commonly Modified Settings in the BIOS With access to the BIOS achieved, you'll find settings you should ignore---as well as some that might need changing. The most common BIOS settings for modification are: Changing the boot order Adjusting available video memory Setting a BIOS password Here's how to do each of these. 1. Boot Order One of the most changed options in a computer's BIOS is the boot order. After the BIOS starts and initializes your hardware, it passes control to a boot loader that boots your operating system. The boot order determines which device the BIOS passes control over to. For example, let's say you have Windows installed on your computer and a Linux live CD in your disc drive. (Alternatively, a USB drive plugged into your computer.) When you boot your computer, which operating system starts? The answer is determined by your boot order. It's referred to as such because it controls the order in which boot devices are checked for an OS. For example, a typical computer might have the DVD drive higher in the boot order list than the HDD. This means that the computer will attempt to boot any inserted operating system installation discs or live CDs first. If there are no bootable discs in the DVD drive, the computer would try the next option in the list. This would likely be its hard drive. You can boot your PC from: Optical drive (CD, DVD, Blu-ray, etc) USB drive (hard disk, thumb drive, or even a USB optical drive) Network drive If you want to boot off another boot device, simply move it up in the boot order list. You'll generally find the boot order on a screen named Boot or something named similarly. Use the + and---keys to rearrange devices in the boot order list. Note: on some computers, USB drives may not appear in the list unless they're connected when you enter the BIOS. For more details, see our guide to changing the boot order on your PC. 2. Video Memory Image Credit: Jeff Keyzer/Flickr Computers with onboard graphics hardware, such as Intel's integrated graphics, may have a Video Memory setting. Onboard graphics hardware doesn't have its own memory as dedicated graphics cards do. Instead, it takes over a portion of the computer's RAM and uses it as its video memory. On some computers, a Video Memory option may allow you to control how this memory is allocated. You might use this to allocate additional video memory or reduce it, reclaiming some of it for system tasks. 3. BIOS Password While your operating system should have a login password you can further secure your computer with a BIOS password. This can be set to control access to the BIOS; however, you can also set a boot password. With this enabled, no one can access the operating system or any attached media. Be aware that this isn't a perfect security feature. Anyone with physical access to your computer could reset the CMOS to clear this password. What Does Save Changes and Reset Do in the BIOS? Changes you make to BIOS settings don't take effect immediately. To save changes, locate the Save Changes and Reset option on the Save & Exit screen. This option saves your changes then resets your computer. There's also a Discard Changes and Exit option. This is for if you make a mistake or decide you don't want to change your BIOS settings at all. Just use this option to exit the BIOS setup screen without saving your changes. (These options may have slightly different names, but they're available on all BIOSes.) You could also use the appropriate keyboard shortcut to quickly save and exit. Often this is F10 but again, this may differ on your BIOS. What Happens When You Load Setup Defaults? Your BIOS also contains a Load Setup Defaults or Load Optimized Defaults option. This option resets your BIOS to its factory-default settings, loading default settings optimized for your hardware. Image Credit: Paul Schultz/Flickr This performs a complete BIOS reset, wiping any BIOS passwords in addition to resetting hardware settings and your boot order. You probably won't use this, but it can be useful for quickly changing the configuration after adding new hardware. Other Less Commonly Modified Settings in the BIOS The BIOS contains quite a few other settings and options. For example, there's a System Information screen that shows information about the hardware in your computer. Overclockers may be able to use CPU settings screen to tweak their CPU's voltage and multiplier. This increases CPU performance at the cost of additional heat, power usage, and possibly instability. (However, some BIOSes lock these settings.) Meanwhile, if your PC has support for virtualization, you can enable Hyper-V or Intel Virtualization Technology (or however it is labeled) in the BIOS. For the full selection settings you can modify in the BIOS, check your computer or motherboard's manual. Use the BIOS to Optimize Your PC's Setup By now you should be familiar enough with your computer's BIOS to make some minor tweaks. But it's important to know that you shouldn't change settings unless you know what you're doing. Simple tweaks include adjusting boot order or video memory and if you get anything wrong, the setup defaults will help.

Does the cursor on your MacBook or MacBook Pro jump around every time you start to type? Maybe it moves all over the place with a mind of its own? One minute you're typing away, then it starts highlighting random text and messing up your work. You probably find you're hitting Undo as often as anything else. It's a huge pain because every time you sit down to work, you need to waste time fixing all the errors you just created. No matter what's going on, you can fix a jumping cursor on your Mac with the instructions below. Step 1: Turn Off Tap to Click Do you have Tap to click turned on? This feature makes it easy to select elements without clicking, but the added sensitivity means you might move the cursor whenever you graze the trackpad. Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Trackpad and uncheck the box for Tap to Click. If that stops the cursor from jumping around, you were probably resting your fingers or touching your wrist on the trackpad while typing. You can choose to keep Tap to Click turned off or adjust the way you type to keep clear of the touch surface. Step 2: Keep Your Trackpad Clean and Dry Arguably, Apple's Magic Trackpad beats the Magic Mouse in almost every way. However, you do need to be more careful about keeping the touch surface on your trackpad clean and dry. Dirt, water, and even natural oils from your fingers can cause problems with the touch sensitivity of your trackpad. Use a lint-free cloth---slightly dampened if necessary---to keep the surface squeaky clean. Alternatively, put some paper over the trackpad and try using it through that. If the cursor stops jumping around when you do this, look into getting a trackpad cover to use with your MacBook Pro instead. Step 3: Check for Problems With Your Power Adapter Image Credit: Apple If you're using a wireless trackpad or mouse, make sure it's fully charged or put in a fresh set of batteries. Similarly, you should connect your MacBook Pro to power and give it time to charge. There might be a problem with your power adapter. Disconnect it from your MacBook Pro and see if your cursor still jumps around while you type. If that fixes the problem, it's possible that your charger isn't grounded. You can usually tell this is the case if your MacBook appears to hum, buzz, or vibrate while it's plugged in. See about repairing your power adapter or replacing it with an official adapter instead. Step 4: Take Off Any Jewelry on Your Hands It's possible that your jewelry---if you're wearing any---causes problems with the touch surface on your trackpad. Remove any rings or bracelets you're wearing and move them away from the trackpad on your Mac. If you'd rather not remove your jewelry, try using a third-party mouse with your Mac instead. This lets you keep your bejeweled hands well away from the MacBook trackpad, allowing you to see if it stops the cursor from jumping all over the place. If you choose to use a mouse, you might want to turn off the trackpad entirely: Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Accessibility. Scroll down in the sidebar and select Pointer Control. Check the box to Ignore built-in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present. Step 5: Reduce Wireless Interference Around Your Mac Various sources of wireless interference can cause problems with the accuracy of your MacBook trackpad. They might be the reason your cursor jumps around while you type. Follow the steps below to reduce the different causes of wireless interference: Disconnect and turn off Bluetooth devices near your Mac. If you're using a wireless trackpad, keep it connected and move it closer to your Mac. Move your Mac away from microwave ovens, power cables, fluorescent lights, wireless cameras, cordless phones, and other potential sources of wireless interference. Unplug every accessory from your Mac, and make sure to use shielded USB 3 cables for anything plugged in. Step 6: Boot in Safe Mode to Test Third-Party Apps Safe mode runs various troubleshooting checks on your Mac to help fix problems. When you boot your Mac in Safe mode, it also clears certain system caches and reduces the number of third-party apps that start up on login. To boot into Safe mode, shut down your Mac, then hold Shift while powering it back on. From the login screen, your Mac should say "Safe Boot" in red text. If Safe mode stops your cursor from jumping around while you type, restart your MacBook again and systematically uninstall third-party apps until you fix the problem. Step 7: Contact Apple for a Physical Repair There might be a physical problem with your Mac causing the cursor to jump around while you type. Sometimes this is an issue with the trackpad itself, but it could also be a problem with the battery. In most MacBooks, Apple installs the battery directly beneath the trackpad. As the battery ages, it could swell and press against the trackpad. Inspect your MacBook for signs of a swollen battery, like bent casing and poor battery life. If you think your battery is swollen, don't attempt to replace it yourself! Damaging it could start a fire or release toxic gases. Book in your MacBook for a professional repair with Apple or an authorized service provider instead. Try Dedicated Trackpad Troubleshooting Tips We've covered specific tips for when your Mac mouse cursor jumps around. However, we've also looked at what to do if your MacBook trackpad doesn't work at all. Take a look at those tips if you still have trouble. That guide includes advice like updating to the latest version of macOS, adjusting your trackpad settings, and deleting corrupt system files. Use Force Touch to Do Even More on Your Trackpad Your productivity is sure to skyrocket after you find out how to stop your MacBook Pro cursor from jumping all over the place while you type. But why stop with that? There are plenty of other ways to boost productivity as well.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on Monday told the country’s major financial institutions to stop facilitating virtual-currency transactions, increasing the negative sentiment in crypto markets. Banks must not provide products or services such as trading, clearing and settlement for crypto transactions, the PBOC said in a statement. They also have to make sure to identify virtual-currency exchanges' and over-the-counter dealers' capital accounts, and cut off the payment link for transaction funds in a timely manner, it said. Cryptocurrencies fell, with bitcoin trading near $32,000 and ether (ETH, -5.34%) dropping below $2,000 for the first time since May 23. While the PBOC's anti-crypto bias is not new, the latest statement comes after consultation with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Construction Bank, Postal Savings Bank, Industrial Bank and Alipay (China) Network Technology on the issue. The central bank noted the hype surrounding virtual-currency transactions, and identified them as a risk for illegal cross-border transactions and money laundering and a challenge to economic and financial order. Financial institutions and banks have agreed to take necessary steps in line with the PBOC's guidelines, it said. The Postal Savings Bank issued a statement, saying it will take steps to prohibit virtual currency-related business activities. According to journalist Colin Wu, payments platform, Alipay and the Agricultural Bank of China also issued similar statements. The PBOC's diktat comes after the government's crackdown on crypto mining activities in the Sichuan province, the world's largest hydro-powered bitcoin (BTC, -4.14%) mining area. China rocked the crypto markets last month, reiterating the long-held ban on cryptocurrency trading and mining.

U.K. bank TSB is set to ban its more than 5 million customers from purchasing cryptocurrencies amid concerns over “excessively high” rates of fraud on trading platforms, according to a report in The Times. According to the report, TSB is planning to block its 5.4 million customers from sending money to trading platforms such as Binance and Kraken on concerns scammers are being allowed to set up e-wallets and steal people’s money because of inadequate security checks. Binance is reportedly of particular concern to the bank, as about two-thirds of all frauds involving crypto were tied to the Binance platform, the report said. In one 30 day period, 849 TSB savers reported losing funds from Binance accounts, the Times reported. The report also said the bank claims that Binance "hardly ever" responds to allegations of customer fraud, claims both Binance and Kraken denied, the Times said. The company is the latest U.K. bank to act to crack down on cyber-crime. A spokesman for Binance told the Times it takes its responsibility to protect users from fraud "very seriously."

Prices of graphics processing units (GPUs) are starting to come back down to Earth after reports China has begun cracking down on crypto mining in the province of Sichuan. According to a report by the South China Morning Post on Monday, prices for GPUs have fallen by as much as two-thirds on e-commerce platforms following the crackdown. While the development is tentative for miners, gamers, who have long been locked out of buying the newest cards due to global supply shortages, are rejoicing. On Friday, the Sichuan branch of the National Development and Reform Commission and the Sichuan Energy Bureau issued a decree to crack down on crypto mining operations. The region is particularly important as it is one of the largest hydro-based crypto mining hubs in China. Subscribe to State of Crypto, our weekly newsletter on policy impact. SUBSCRIBE By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy. Local computer hardware sites in Australia, including Scroptec and Umart, are beginning to see GPU stocks resume back to pre-pandemic levels while prices have dropped between 5-10%. Throughout 2020, prices on GPUs rose to astronomical heights resulting from skyrocketing demand as people were forced to work from home during the fallout of COVID-19. Stocks of the cards across e-commerce sites were sold out for months at a time. Demand for cryptocurrency and the resulting price rises also led miners to seek out the latest cards in a bid to tap into the craze. The problem has gotten so out of hand it prompted Nvidia to implement a feature known as “lite hash rate,” designed to limit the GPUs’ use for crypto mining.

The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) affirmed its ban on crypto transactions, according to a now deleted statement on its website, a translation of which was tweeted by Colin Wu on Monday. The bank cited recent guidance from the People's Bank of China for it continuing to carry out a crackdown on virtual-currency transactions. Any such behaviors detected would result in the "termination of customer relationships" and be reported to the relevant authorities, the statement said. The announcement by ABC, the world's third-largest bank, comes against the backdrop of the wider crackdown of crypto mining and trading by the Chinese government. Bitcoin's price has dropped about 7% in the last 24 hours, and was trading about $33,300 at press time.

The Central Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal) has licensed two cryptocurrency exchanges for the first time. In an official statement, the entity announced that it recognized Criptoloja and Mind The Coin as “virtual asset service providers.” This is the first time exchanges have been licensed to operate since a new law around crypto trading platforms took effect earlier this year. The approval came after nearly nine months. Criptoloja first filed for approval on Sept. 29, 2020, the company’s CEO Pedro Borges told CoinDesk. Subscribe to The Node, our daily report on top news and ideas in crypto. SUBSCRIBE By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy. “It was a long way. Being the first regulated exchange in Portugal means a lot,” Borges said. In April, a bank executive confirmed that at the time, Banco de Portugal had received five formal registration requests and a total of 60 informal contacts, according to local media outlet Dinheiro Vivo. Mind the Coin and Banco de Portugal did not immediately respond to CoinDesk’s queries. Critpoloja plans to launch operations “in the next couple of weeks,” Borges said, adding that the company allows customers to open online accounts but has not yet enabled online trading. According to Borges, Criptoloja will seek to bring together Portuguese people who are looking to invest in cryptocurrencies and do not feel confident enough to open accounts in foreign exchanges. Borges added that the greatest adoption of crypto in Portugal is among the new generation of traders, although the company will seek to promote the crypto ecosystem among people of different profiles.

As people become more aware of the impact of their actions on the environment, one issue to consider is how much electricity is being used by your computer. And as you have to pay for electricity use, you might be concerned about how much your PC use is costing you as well. But how much power does a PC really use? And how can you cut this power use down? How Much Power Does a PC Use? The power usage of a PC depends both upon its hardware and on how often it is used. A PC that is always on and is constantly mining for cryptocurrency, for example, will use far more power than a PC which is turned on once a day and used for a few hours for checking email or browsing the internet. And leaving a computer on overnight will use energy just as much as using it during the day. A study by the Energy Saving Trust found that computers and their peripherals accounted for around 8 percent of all home electricity usage in the UK, with a further 25 percent being used by other consumer electronics. That works out to an annual cost of around £35 per person spent on electricity for a PC, which is equivalent to nearly $50 per year in US dollars. The report also shows that a PC uses much more energy than a laptop---almost six times as much---because laptops are optimized for battery life in a way PCs are not. One common use for PCs is gaming, and the energy consumption of a gaming PC is different from that of other PCs because of the more advanced hardware. A 2019 report by the Berkeley Lab looked at 26 different systems running 37 games, to see how much power different platforms used. They found that there was a large range of power usage between gaming systems, with them using anywhere between 5 kilowatt-hours per year all the way up to 1200 kilowatt-hours per year. In general, PCs drew more power than consoles like Xbox One or PS4. But the biggest factor in the amount of energy used was not the format of the gaming system, but rather its GPU. More powerful GPUs use considerably more electricity. What Are the Different PC Power Modes? PCs do come with functions to help reduce power consumption. You may not want to turn your PC off when you're done with it, for example because you don't want to wait for it to boot next time you need it. In this case, you can use the Sleep or Hibernate functions. Sleep mode, also known as suspend, puts the computer in a low-power use state. The computer will use the RAM to save your current open documents and application data, so you won't lose anything when you enter sleep mode. The computer can also wake up again quickly. But power will be cut to components not being used like the display, storage, and peripherals. Hibernate mode is a little different, as it cuts power to the RAM as well as the other components. Instead of the data about current states being saved on the RAM, it's saved to the storage instead. That means that the computer is using essentially no power, as if it were turned off. But it will still remember what you were last doing when you turn it on again. Sleep mode is useful when you are taking a short break from using your computer. Hibernate is better if you plan to leave your computer overnight. Windows 10 doesn't show an option to hibernate by default, but you can add hibernate to the start menu yourself. Which PC Parts Use the Most Power? The exact amount of power used by a computer varies depending on what parts are inside. Some machines, like high-end gaming desktops with multiple graphics cards (GPUs), will use much more power than a low-wattage machine with fewer components. However, it's not the case that newer, better hardware necessarily uses more power than older, less good hardware. In fact, one big issue for hardware manufacturers is power efficiency. Manufacturers work to make their components more efficient. So if you have an older processor, for example, it may actually use more power than a newer processor would. In general, it is the processor and graphics card(s) which use the most power. The motherboard and power supply do draw power, but they pass on this power to other components so you needn't concern yourself with their power consumption. Other components like RAM, hard disk drives, solid state drives, fans, case lighting, and optical drives also use some power, but not a large amount. The power use of peripherals like keyboards and mice is generally below 0.5W so it's not worth worrying about. As a rough guide, here are approximate ranges of how much power is used by each component: CPU: 55 to 150W GPU: 25 to 350W Optical Drive: 15 to 27W HDD: 0.7 to 9W RAM: 2 to 5.5W Case fans: 0.6 to 6W SSD: 0.6 to 3W Other hardware components: N/A And here's the power draw of the components which pass power on to other parts: Power Supply (PSU): 130 to 600+W Motherboard: 25 to 100W For reference, an oven uses around 1000W, a vacuum cleaner uses between 500 and 1200W, and a games console uses between 45 and 90W, according to the Centre for Sustainable Energy. How Can You Reduce the Power Used by Your PC? If you're concerned about power usage, there are several things you can do to lessen the amount of power your computer uses. Choose Power-Efficient Hardware Upgrade older mechanical hard drives to solid state drives. They are both faster and more efficient with power consumption. Unless you're doing something that requires the extra power like gaming or video editing, stick with onboard graphics adapters. If you have to install a video card, get something with less power. Remember, the more cooling a component requires, the more electricity it's going to need. Replace your hardware, period. If you have the opportunity, upgrade to newer components to boost performance and efficiency. If you don't need a powerful computer, try swapping to a low-wattage version. Look at a small HTPC or media device, or even an HDMI stick PC. Change the Way You Use Your PC Turn off your computer when you're not using it (such as in the evening or on the weekends). If you'd rather have it boot faster, you can use Sleep or Hibernate instead of shutting it down completely. Either turn your monitor off completely when you're not using it, or have it enter a suspend mode. While in suspend, the screen will be completely black, but as soon as you move your mouse or press a button on the keyboard it will spring back to life. Screensavers do not save power, so there's no point in using them unless you like the look. If you have an older machine, in the BIOS check the "ACPI Suspend Type" option and make sure it's set to S3 as opposed to S1 or S2. This will prevent the computer from powering the CPU, RAM, and several other components when it's in sleep mode. In Windows 10, under System > Power & sleep, you can change several power saving settings including how and when your computer sleeps. This will allow you to automate the low power modes. Reduce Your PC's Power Usage With these tips, you can reduce the power used by your PC. That's good for the environment and for your wallet.

Your Mac is not immune to problems. Occasionally, issues crop up in either macOS or your computer components. They can gradually worsen over time, or occur suddenly. Sometimes your Mac will give a warning sign before these become major issues. It's up to you to take notice and keep a close watch on the system. We'll show you some common warning signs and discuss how to fix these problems. 1. Mac Won't Turn On You press the power button on your Mac, and nothing happens. There's no power light, no sound, and a completely black screen. Instead of panicking, try these steps one at a time to diagnose the problem: Check the power connections to make sure they're secure on both ends. Next, check the wires for damage and try a different charger or cable. Check the video-out cable connection with the external display (if any). Also, try raising the monitor brightness to make sure that it's not turned down extremely low. There might be a problem with your accessories. Unplug all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse, then try to boot. Plug in your peripherals after a reboot and see if it all works properly. Perform a power cycle. On a modern MacBook, press the power button and hold it for ten seconds. If your Mac is running, it'll cut the power and force it to restart. On a desktop Mac, unplug the cable and wait ten seconds. Then plug it in and restart. Reset the SMC and NVRAM. This is the last step you should try before taking your Mac in for a repair. See our dedicated guide to get your Mac booting again if you still have trouble. 2. Mac Stalls During Startup Once you power on your Mac, a sequence of booting events occurs until the login screen or desktop appears. But if the startup process gets stuck, no matter how long you wait, you'll see only a plain gray screen or one with symbols. Depending on what you see, follow these instructions. Plain Gray Screen If you have a simple gray screen when you boot, here's what to do: Faulty peripherals are the primary cause of gray screen problems. Thus, you should detach all wired accessories, then press and hold the power button to shut down your Mac. Plug in one peripheral after each restart to find the culprit. Try a Safe mode boot. If your Mac completes the startup process here, restart again in normal mode and verify that your startup drive is working properly. If the Safe mode boot fails or gets stuck, then reset both NVRAM and SMC settings as mentioned earlier. RAM with incorrect specifications can also result in a gray screen. Remove any RAM you've recently added and restart again. Restart your Mac in Recovery mode by holding Cmd + R as you boot. Then, repair your startup drive with the disk repair utility. Gray Screen With No Disk Icon If the gray screen has a folder with a flashing question mark, then it means your Mac can't find a valid startup volume. But when it shows a "Do Not Enter" symbol, it means that your macOS installation is corrupted. To fix this: Sometimes your Mac forgets the startup volume and momentarily shows a flashing question mark. To solve this problem, go to the Startup Disk pane in System Preferences and re-select your startup volume. Boot your Mac in Recovery mode. In the Apple menu, check whether you can see the startup volume or not. If you can't, the startup disk most likely has problems. Run the disk repair utility to fix the problem. Reinstall macOS on your startup disk. 3. Repeated Kernel Panics Occasionally, you may find that your Mac restarts spontaneously. When the screen comes back on, you'll see a warning message, as shown above. This is known as a kernel panic---a type of low-level, system-wide crash that your macOS can't recover from. It's a bit like a blue screen of death on Windows. The presence of this warning sign is what distinguishes kernel panics from app-related crashes and restarts. A single kernel panic is usually not a problem. But when it happens often, something more serious may be afoot. Since kernel panic tends to occur randomly, they're often difficult to reproduce. Causes and Solutions for Kernel Panics Your Mac needs enough storage space to carry out day-to-day activities. A kernel panic could be a sign that you're running critically low on disk space. See how to free up space on your Mac to regain some. macOS is picky about the quality of RAM. If your RAM does not match the specifications or is even slightly defective, kernel panics or crashes can happen. Do a detailed Apple Hardware Test or Diagnostics to check your RAM. Faulty or outdated peripherals can also result in kernel panics. Detach all peripherals except the power adapter, then reboot and check if it's working properly. One by one, plug your external devices back in after each restart. If you find the problematic hardware, check for driver updates or contact the manufacturer. Most of the time, macOS system updates include firmware updates. However, if you have an older Mac, you may be able to install firmware updates manually. Check Apple's support page for EFI and SMC firmware updates, but know that it's been archived by Apple. Also, check for updates for third-party apps. Bugs in apps may lead to a low-level system crash. Safe mode can help isolate many issues that result in kernel panics. If your Mac boots in Safe mode, look for third-party libraries and system extensions in the Library folder. 4. Mac's Fan Runs Excessively Your Mac contains some vital sensors that respond to temperature changes inside your system. These turn on your fan and provide necessary airflow to cool critical components. They're important because overheating can lead to physical damage. Sometimes an app requires a great deal of processing power to complete its task. In such cases, your fans will run heavily and make noise. This is perfectly normal, and you shouldn't worry about it. But when your fan runs constantly even though it isn't experiencing heavy usage, that's a red flag. Here are some places to check when your fans are going crazy: Your Mac has vents that let fans bring in cold air and expel hot air. Make sure they aren't blocked. Avoid using your Mac in places like the couch, a pillow, in bed, or on your lap for extended periods of time. Dust can accumulate on the vents, fan, and the surface of any parts. When dust blocks the airflow, the heat that does escape has nowhere to go. Periodic cleaning with a cloth or compressed air will help remove this dust. A faulty temperature sensor, or an erroneous System Management Controller (SMC) setting, could cause your Mac to run the fan all the time. Reset your SMC using the guide linked earlier to fix the problem. An app might be consuming too much CPU. Open Activity Monitor and visit the CPU tab. Check for any updates for apps using too much CPU, or report the issue to the developer. 5. Mac Keeps Turning Itself Off You're working on your Mac, and then it suddenly turns off for no obvious reason. MacBooks can randomly power off despite having an internal battery. This unpredictable issue results in the loss of unsaved work. Worse, it might damage your hardware and macOS. When your Mac shuts off randomly, here's what to do: Check to make sure that the power cord is firmly seated on both ends. Next, review the cables for any damage. Try a spare cable if you have any doubts. And if you're using a UPS, make sure that it's working properly and you can power your Mac from the battery. Go to Energy Saver settings in System Preferences and click the Schedule button to verify that your Mac is not scheduled to shut down automatically. The SMC chip is responsible for power management and thermal fan controls. When it goes haywire, the fan starts running fast in response to heat and shuts down your Mac. Thus, this is another issue that resetting the SMC in your Mac can fix. If your fan is not working, then your Mac can shut down due to overheating. To check the health of your Mac's fan, try apps like Macs Fan Control and TG Pro. Start your Mac in Safe mode and run it for a while to see if the problem happens there. Regular Mac Backups Keep Data Safe From Trouble Macs can have problems just like other computers, though Macs are less likely than Windows to get malware. Defective components, the age of your Mac, and user-based errors can cause a variety of issues. You'll notice from the tips here that there's not a single clearly defined solution for these problems. As a result, these warning signs require thought and care.

Are you worried about your computer's temperature? Excessive heat can affect your device's performance and your hard drive's lifespan. But how can you tell if it's overheating or just hot? What is a good temperature for your Central Processing Unit (CPU)? And what are the signs you should look out for? How Is Heat Generated by Your PC? The simple fact is, heat is a natural by-product of electricity. Anything that uses energy to set in motion an activity---whether that's a computer, a car engine or our own bodies---results in heat transference. Of course, the amount of electricity needed is dependent on the task being performed. Components inside your computer easily exude heat, notably the CPU (what is a CPU?) and Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) as electricity is carried across circuits and experiences resistance. Overclocking generates excessive heat, for instance. This is when you operate your CPU at a higher clock speed than intended by its manufacturers. You can typically find out ideal clocking rates by visiting the site of your processor's maker, but unless you're well-versed in speeds, these won't mean much to you. The main benefit of overclocking is a more efficient and faster operating system, but it also requires a higher voltage to perform tasks. This greater need for electricity results in your CPU exuding more heat. Playing games, watching Blu-ray and DVDs, ripping, burning and sharing files can all put a strain on your CPU, as does normal system maintenance, editing, and encoding. As you can imagine, with several tasks being carried out at once, overheating can be a very real concern. Some users try to counteract this using a process called underclocking; this lowers heat transference by replacing the oscillator crystal inside the component. But this naturally decreases the system's efficacy too. In fact, if you want to keep your room cool without AC, you might want to turn your computer off entirely. How to Spot an Overheating PC Even though heat affects performance, your PC temperature rarely gets high enough to disrupt everyday use. However, if your computer is sluggish or regularly freezes, that's a major indicator that you're exceeding the maximum recommended CPU operating temperature. The internal fans may also be noisier than usual, meaning they're working faster in an effort to lower the motherboard and processor temperature. It does this by venting hotter air away from important components via the heatsink (a naturally heat conductive component typically made of aluminium) and out of the case. Computers have a fail-safe which shuts down overheating parts to prevent permanent damage. In some instances, the whole system will shut down and refuse to fully restart until it has sufficiently cooled. Even then, if there is malfunctioning hardware, it might allow you access to files briefly before shutting down again. If you have access to the computer's interior, unplug the computer from the main electric, then gently touch the components. Expect them to be quite warm, but none should be too hot to touch. Take care when doing this, in case you hurt yourself or damage anything inside your machine. Is It Overheating or Just Hot? Don't panic if you hear your PC's fans working. That's perfectly normal. Any strenuous tasks performed by the CPU, GPU, hard disk drive (HDD), and to a less extent the optical drive (DVD or Blu-ray) will raise your PC temperature. Computers typically generate heat without a detrimental effect. Of course, if your fans constantly run at considerable, noisy speeds, that's a sign of overheating. However, if you don't hear the fan, that could also be the problem. A broken fan can be the reason your system is too hot, but how else can you tell if the machine is too hot? Your main indicator is your PC's performance. You might have noticed it runs slower than normal, even when attempting to complete basic tasks like opening numerous tabs in your browser or running two programs at the same time. Your PC might keep shutting itself down or restarting without any prior warning. And of course, if it freezes completely and shows you the Blue Screen Of Death, something's definitely wrong! Naturally, performance issues don't necessarily mean the ideal CPU temperature is being exceeded. Malicious software could also be affecting your computer, so decrease this risk by employing solid security measures. On Windows, you can check which applications are most CPU-intensive through the Resource Monitor. Just search for the app on your desktop and you'll see which programs are running in the background (and probably a few that have recently been terminated). Don't worry: this list will be extensive, and that's perfectly normal. Aside from a broken fan, poor airflow caused by badly-positioned components or blockage of the vents might also be the cause of overheating. Where is your PC? An enclosed space can trap heat in; dusty surroundings can clog up the vents. Find out more about how heat affects your computer. What Temperature Should Your CPU Be? Your computer is designed to operate at its maximum capacity at room temperature---that is, a comfortable room which feels neither too hot nor too cold. It's simple to say, but everyone prefers a different temperature! So what is a normal computer temperature? Scientifically speaking, ambient room temperature is between 20°C/68°F and 26°C/79°F, averaging at about 23°C/73°F. Anything exceeding 27°C /80°F is potentially damaging to your computer. Obviously, this is especially something to watch out for in the summer. The cold is certainly not as hazardous as excessive heat. Temperatures slightly below 20°C/68°F aren't something to be fearful of. A simple mercury thermometer can give you an accurate gauge of your worktop. It's a good idea to keep an eye on your CPU, accessible through your Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). This is basically the system that instructs the hardware to load the operating system, just after the computer powers up. By necessity, this means you have a narrow window in which to access your BIOS. Your CPU will run at a higher temperature than the room, so don't panic when you initially see it. What is too hot for a CPU to operate at? You should consult your system's documentation as it is dependent on what conditions your hardware is expected to function under normally. So how hot can a CPU get? Generally, your processor shouldn't run at anything greater than 75°C/167°F. How to Maintain a Safe CPU Temperature Keeping your computer's environment cool is key. That can be as simple as opening a nearby window or placing an oscillating fan in the vicinity. Potentially simple solutions include changing its surroundings (moving your computer or laptop to a cooler room in the summer, for instance), and using a can of compressed air to unblock vents. Laptops are easier to cool down than computers, but they are also prone to generating excessive temperatures due to smaller heatsinks and narrower vents. If you're concerned your CPU is overheating, you do have options, including installing your own fan---but this is not advisable for anyone unfamiliar with internal workings. Should your fail-safe kick in, reducing the risk of damaging components, your device will crash. It's likely you'll need a new fan for the heatsink. It may be another fan that's not working sufficiently, but unless you know this, it's not advised to switch on your computer as this may permanently damage your CPU. You can replace an internal fan relatively simply, but on some models, taking off the casing can void your warranty. Laptop and Windows tablet fans can't be easily replaced. And if you're not experienced enough, there's no point in jeopardising your data. Take it to your local specialists. What Is a Good Temperature for Your Computer? What should you take from all this? Ideally, your room should be about 23°C/73°F, but anything in excess of 27°C /80°F can be detrimental to your computer. What should the normal operating temperature of your CPU be? Your processor shouldn't be hotter than 75°C/167°F, nor significantly colder than 20°C/68°F. There are numerous things you can do to keep your PC cool, including: Keep your PC well-ventilated. Clear dust from vents and fans. Give your computer time to cool down. Consult the manufacturer's manual. It's also important to remember that problems with excessive heat are easy to fix, and rare unless you put your system under considerable strain.

Installing apps on Windows is a time-consuming process. The user has to go through a series of steps to patch the software---search for the recent version of an app, download the installer file, manually install the app (next, next several times), and uncheck unwanted bundleware or ads. The problem does not end here. Software installers in Windows have entirely different ways of setting up apps, registry, and configurations. With so many combinations, many people don't want to go through the hassle of updating dozen or more apps. We'll show you how to install software using the command prompt. Solution: Chocolatey (Package Manager) A package manager is a collection of tools to automate the entire process of installing, configuring, and updating apps. The package consists of software binaries, configuration files, and metadata. The metadata, in turn, has all the details of an app (name, description, version number, and more) and the list of dependencies to make it work properly. Although there are many package managers for Windows, none of them has the simplicity and security of Chocolatey. With few bits of code, you can deploy the app in every system and also track or manage updates of that software over time. Here are some reasons why we prefer Chocolatey: It has the largest online database of Windows packages. As of now, there are 11,166 community-maintained packages. You can even install packages from NuGet and MyGet. Package submissions go through a rigorous moderation review process, including package validation, verification, virus scanning with VirusTotal, and more. For an organization, the use of the community package repository is optional. Chocolatey works with over 20+ installer technologies for Windows. It knows how to set up an app, registry, manage files and configuration, or any combination. Chocolatey can even work with installed apps. It can take over existing application files in the Programs directory and also handle uninstalls. However, it depends on the packaging and software installer used. Installing Chocolatey in Windows 10 Chocolatey installation is quick and intuitive. You don't need a thorough knowledge of the Command Prompt or PowerShell. However, you must fulfill the basic system requirements and have the patience to install a few scripts. System Requirements Windows 7+/Windows Server 2003+ and above PowerShell v2+ and above .NET framework 4+ (the installation will try to install .NET 4.0 if you don't have it installed) Free space for Chocolatey CLI and another 1GB+ or more for installing packages PowerShell Method Press Win + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin). At first, you must ensure Get-ExecutionPolicy is not restricted. Type in Get-ExecutionPolicy, if it returns Restricted then that means you cannot install any script. To bypass it, type in Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned and "Y" to confirm the change. Copy-and-paste the command Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1')) Press Enter. Within a few moments, Chocolatey will get installed and create a new folder in Program Data. All the packages go to \chocolatey\lib (though there may be an exceptions for .MSI installers). You can also set up a custom installation path for packages like Python, Ruby, or Node. Once Chocolatey gets installed, restart the PowerShell and type in choco /? to see the list of commands. Command Prompt Method If you use the command prompt, press Win + X and choose Command Prompt (Admin). Then, copy-and-paste the command @"%SystemRoot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" -NoProfile -InputFormat None -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))" && SET "PATH=%PATH%;%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\chocolatey\bin" Press Enter. Chocolatey will get installed on your system in a few seconds. Restart the prompt and type in choco /? to see the list of commands. Chocolatey Packages Chocolatey packages are modified .nupkg files. It is a compiled zip file carrying the package metadata (including version information, dependencies, and distribution rights). If you delete the metadata specific to chocolatey, the package file is similar to NuGet. The interesting part of Chocolatey is the community repository of packages known as the community package repository. Every package submitted to the database undergoes a rigorous moderation process before it goes live. On the left side, you'll see the links to the package maintainer, validation check button in colors green, red, and yellow, and instructions to install the app. Under the Install section, you'll see the command instructions to install Google Chrome. In the same section, there are instructions to upgrade and uninstall the app. The Version History menu lists all the versions, including their changelog. And there is a section on Virus Scan Results, in case you're not confident of installing a particular app. How to Install Software Using Command Prompt or PowerShell You probably have a list of frequently used apps you install on Windows. Instead of having to visit a website and using an installer, launch PowerShell and type in the syntax choco install [app name] "choco" is the short name of Chocolatey. Whenever you install, upgrade, or uninstall any app, you must prefix it with "choco." The second prefix is the actual command. Since we're installing the app, we'll use the prefix "install." The third prefix is the software name. Navigate to the chocolatey package site and search for the app. Notice the command line instruction to install that app. For example, to install Gimp, type in choco install gimp This will download and install the app to your system, without requiring any action on your part. You'll see the progress information in the console itself. In a few cases, your app might show windows, but that's perfectly normal. Chocolatey will take care of all the installation steps automatically. Once your app gets installed, you'll find it in the Start menu. Search Your Package You can even search for a particular package with syntax choco search [app name] For example, if you wish to install 7-zip, type in choco search 7-zip When you press Enter, chocolatey will search for every app with the word "zip" in its database. If it's there, you'll find it in the results. Searching for a particular app requires a bit of practice. Use the repository package website whenever you need any help. Upgrading a Package To upgrade an app, type in choco upgrade [app name] List of Outdated Packages It's also possible to see the list of all outdated apps. To make this work, you must install apps through Chocolatey. Type in choco outdated Uninstall a Package If you don't find an app useful, you can uninstall it through Chocolatey. Type in choco uninstall [app name] In most cases, the commands mentioned above are all you will ever need. But chocolatey has many more functions. Visit the command references page for more details. Install Your Next App With the Command Prompt Many people still find it a hassle to update their apps. Chocolatey lets you install a dozen or more apps with just a few keystrokes. You can easily manage your apps without any security concerns or bundleware.

You don't have to pay for expensive technical assistance to repair your PC. Most repairs are simple and can be completed in a matter of minutes. Here are nine tips for making simple PC repairs and save money on computer shop repair prices. But I Don't Know How to Repair a PC! Before the home PC revolution of the 1990s, the techiest thing I had ever done was plug in a joystick. I didn't even own a PC until 2001, when I was 25. Years later, while I'm no Linux guru or Microsoft Visual Studio wizard, I can handle computer hardware side of computers. I learned how to repair computer hardware, and I'm confident you can too. Repairing your own PC means you can save money. PC repair shops charge for parts and labor. If you can get the parts cheaply, why not learn how to fit them yourself? Don't think you can? Think again: the secret is in understanding how the various parts of the PC work together. While not everything is replaceable, the disk drive, power supply, RAM, processor, and motherboard can all be repaired or replaced. Use these seven PC repair tips to save money, time waiting, and to expand your skillset. 1. Hard Disk Recovery & Replacement The hard disk drive is arguably the most common PC part to require repair. Failure might be due to dying hardware or malware. Either way, you will probably have a large amount of data that needs recovering. so that you can continue to use it. Our guide to recovering data from a dead hard disk drive (HDD) is the place to start. When you have successfully recovered your data and backed it up to disc, you'll need a new hard disk drive. Amazon is a great place to find affordable HDDs. Seagate FireCuda 2TB Solid State Hybrid Drive Performance SSHD – 2.5 Inch SATA 6GB/s Flash Accelerated for Gaming PC Laptop - Frustration Free Packaging (ST2000LX001)BUY NOW ON AMAZON Installing a new drive---like most PC components---is straightforward and can usually be done with the minimum of fuss. Before replacing a drive, check these tips for installing a new HDD. 2. Testing and Replacing Your Power Supply A common problem in older computers is a defective power supply unit (PSU). General maintenance and housekeeping can keep your PC free of clogged up dust. However, something will eventually cause your power supply unit to go rogue. But what can you do, besides trekking to the nearest store or spending hours at home waiting for a delivery? Well, if you need to get up and running ASAP, you could always try a PSU from an old computer. This might be one you have stored in the basement, loft, or garage. Note that this should only be a short-term fix, however. Your best bet is a new PSU, making sure it is perfect for your PC and how you use it. 3. Replacing and Upgrading RAM Modules Not all RAM is created equally. Cheaper RAM modules tend to be slower and less reliable. Meanwhile multiple sticks of RAM should be identical. Mixing and matching is a bad idea, as the slowest of the group determines the maximum performance. Should you need to upgrade your RAM, you'll need to take care selecting the right module for your system. The combination of motherboard and processor (CPU) make this a balancing act---fortunately it's simple to find the right combination. A good way to check the best RAM modules for your system is to use an online checking tool. RAM manufacturers Crucial offer two RAM checking tools on their website. One of these lets you browse for your PC model, while the other is downloadable and scans your system. Within a few minutes you should know exactly which RAM modules to buy and how much to spend. With the RAM ordered replacing a module is as simple as inserting a disk. 4. Simple PC Display Issues Repaired Display issues on your desktop PC could have many causes. Perhaps the monitor is suspect; there could be a display driver issue; the HDMI cable might be dud. All of these can be easily checked and resolved. But what if the problem is hardware based and the display is working perfectly? For PCs equipped with a discrete graphics card (that is, a GPU installed in an expansion slot), replacement is likely. However, it is worth checking first that the device is correctly powered and isn't overheating. Overheating issues can often be resolved by improving airflow or adding a new fan to your PC case. Don't worry if the problems eventually result in you replacing the GPU. It's much like replacing or adding RAM modules, with the same antistatic precautions. 5. When Your Computer Needs a New CPU One of the most crushing disappointments when troubleshooting a PC is the discovery that your CPU needs replacing. Buying a new CPU can be difficult, so check our guide to dual core and quad core differences for help. The anticipation of a new processor and the speed benefits your PC might gain is always good. The knowledge that you've saved upwards of $50 for the pleasure of fitting the CPU yourself is also pretty amazing. 6. Problems With Your Optical Drive? Try This You've perhaps noticed that the components with the most moving parts are the ones that can cause the most problems. Hard disk drives can suffer mechanical failure, as can CD, DVD, and Blu-ray drives---together known as optical drives. One way you can overcome a failing optical drive is to use an old laptop drive as a temporary replacement. If you find that you must replace the device, don't worry. It's an almost identical procedure to fitting a hard disk drive. 7. Repairing and Replacing Your Motherboard Of all the problems you might experience when troubleshooting your PC, motherboard issues are perhaps the toughest to deal with. It isn't just the fact that every component must be stripped out and disconnected before you safely remove the motherboard. One wrong move with a screwdriver or even when putting the motherboard in the case and you'll be buying a replacement. There are, of course, some simple motherboard-related issues. BIOS problems are often related to jumpers or the motherboard battery and typically resolved by referring to the motherboard manual. Easily Make Simple PC Repairs and Save Money Perhaps we're making it harder for the tech support industry to earn a living, but we'd rather help develop a new generation of self-sufficient individuals who can repair their kit without the fear of 1s and 0s clouding their judgment.

If the processor is the brain of your computer, the motherboard is the heart -- it's the place where the different parts of a computer connect and talk to each other. So if your motherboard has a problem, it's a bigger issue than just replacing one part. Usually motherboards are sturdy enough to take the ravages of daily use. But there are some things you can do to make sure it keeps running right. Protecting the motherboard from damage is paramount to protecting every other component. Avoid some of these common mistakes that damage a motherboard, and you'll save yourself from headaches. 1. Check for Short Circuits This problem is more prevalent in desktop computers, but also (yet rarely) occurs in laptops. If you like to build your own PC or you've got one assembled from somewhere, there are chances of a short circuit if it hasn't been assembled properly. The motherboard conducts electricity and passes it to other components, so it can't come into contact with any metal, like the case itself or a badly fitted component. Loose CPU coolers often cause irreparable damage to motherboards. Also check for loose cables, a common PC maintenance mistake. In the course of assembling your PC, you need to fit the motherboard properly in the case. The motherboard has a few screws that you use to attach it to the case. Make sure you use every screw and that it is tight. As one user at Tom's Hardware forums found, a loose screw can cause a short circuit, frying your whole motherboard. In short, the inside of your computer should be neat and organized. If the motherboard ends up getting into contact with an unintended object, it can cause a short circuit. 2. Protect Against Power Surges The motherboard is where your computer's power supply unit (PSU) is connected. It's important to buy the right PSU for your needs -- if your components need more power than the PSU can provide, it will cause the components or the motherboard to fail. But the more frequent problem for motherboards is power surges. Some electronics in your home are power-hungry, like air conditioners or refrigerators. Have you ever seen your lights flicker when these devices turn off? That's because they needed to draw more electricity and caused a surge. When they switch off, the current takes a few seconds to adjust. And in those few seconds, it gets redirected to other electronics, like your lights or your computer. This is the most basic explanation of a power surge. It happens more often than you think, depending on your power setup, your locality's power grid, and even weather conditions (like lightning). Most power supply units and motherboards can adjust their voltages to accommodate small power surges. But if it's a big one, it can fry your motherboard and all the components connected to it. It's a big issue, and one of those that we never tend to adequately account for. The only solution is to buy a surge protector for your computer. 3. Clean the Ventilation Outlets Heat is the enemy of electronics. Computer components need to stay cool to run properly. But they generate a lot of heat themselves. That's why heat dissipation is crucial to computers, whether it's in the form of fans or heat sinks. If your laptop is running hot regularly, you need to clean its ventilation outlets. Heat can cause the motherboard to warp. Now, we aren't talking about it getting fully bent out of shape. But even small bends can affect stress points like where the screws are, or connectors. Remember, a loose or improperly fitted connection is a ticking time-bomb for your motherboard. We've shown you how to check PC temperatures and what the ideal is, so keeping an eye on that is the next step. If you're worried about it running too hot when you aren't around, there are some tips to reduce computer heat. How to Check for Motherboard Damage A damaged motherboard isn't as simple to diagnose as other parts of a computer. Generally speaking, it's apparent when your computer has a hardware error, like not booting up. But you can't narrow it down to the motherboard immediately. That said, there are a series of steps you can take to figure out motherboard damage. Switch on the PSU and check for a green light on the motherboard. If there is no green light, then the problem is with either the power supply or the motherboard. Check with a different PSU, and if the motherboard still doesn't light up, then it's probably damaged. If the green light is coming on, then check the bare basics of your PC components, i.e. the CPU and RAM. Connect only these two components and see if the motherboard is booting into the BIOS or UEFI. If it is still not booting, check the CMOS battery on your motherboard. If your computer is over a year old, chances are the battery may need to be replaced. The Beep Codes All motherboards are built with a self-diagnostic tool. If there is an error, the motherboard will sound out a series of beeps. These "beep codes" can vary by manufacturer, but are largely the same. A series of repeated long beeps, for instance, indicates a RAM problem. You can translate these "beep codes" at your motherboard manufacturer's website, or use Computer Hope's beep code guide. It should let you quickly diagnose the motherboard problem and hopefully solve it. In Case of Damage... If the motherboard has been clearly diagnosed to be at fault, then you have two options. You can repair it, or you can buy a new one... but do yourself a favor and just buy a new one. Any experienced computer user will tell you that if a motherboard has already developed one problem, it is likely going to get several new ones soon. You should upgrade your motherboard to get new tech, like faster USB standards, built-in Wi-Fi, or the latest PCIe standard, PCIe 4.0. If you plan on using the same components like CPU or RAM, make sure the new motherboard is compatible with those. We've shown how to find out what motherboard you have if you're not sure. Share Your Motherboard Woes Those who have used a computer for many years have experienced a motherboard fault at some point or the other. Tell us your sorrowful stories of motherboard mishaps in the comments!

Ah, Windows Update Error 0x80070057. What a fine error this is, of a dignified vintage, well-known to Windows users across the ages. Irritant to sysadmins across the land, this error has been plaguing our systems since at least Windows XP, arriving as an accompaniment to a number of system errors. As such, it isn't an entirely difficult error to fix, and I can show you exactly how to take care of it. Looking for a different Windows error code, such as 0xC0000225, 0x80070422, or a BSOD stop code like SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION? We may have you covered! Unknown Error; Unspecified Parameters; Service Not Running The message arriving with error 0x80070057 can vary, depending on where the error in the update service is found, but it is usually a variant of "Unknown error," "Unspecified parameters encountered," or simply that the "Required services are not running." The update service or the activity you were engaged with then ends, plonking you firmly back to square one. While this error hadn't disappeared, the recent Windows 10 Anniversary Update, or Windows 10 Build 1607, has seen numerous reports of the error. As this error usually relates to the Windows Update process, many users were unhappy as their systems were left with either an uncompleted update process, temporarily "breaking" their system, or were simply forced back to Windows 10 Build 1507 (aka Threshold 1). Error 0x80070057 usually occurs when: You are trying to back up your files, and there is a corruption. You are trying to install a Windows operating system and the System Reserved Partition is corrupted. Corrupt registry or policy entries are interfering with the Windows Update process. There were some problems installing updates, and the system will attempt to try again later. All jolly irritating, all jolly fixable. We'll Try Again Later Following the Anniversary Update, some Windows 10 users are encountering the following Windows Update error message: There were some problems installing updates, but we'll try again later. If you keep seeing this and want to serach the web or contact support for information, this may help – (0x80070057). There are a number of ways we can attempt to alleviate this issue. Rename the SoftwareDistribution Folder Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue, then type %SystemRoot% and press Enter. Scroll down to find the SoftwareDistribution folder. Rename this SoftwareDistributon.old. Now restart your computer, and attempt the update. Change the Windows Registry If this doesn't work, we can make changes to the Windows Registry. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue, then type regedit and press Enter. Ensure the following registry entries match your own: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX] "IsConvergedUpdateStackEnabled"=dword:00000000 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsUpdate\UX\Settings] "UxOption"=dword:00000000 Make the changes if necessary, then reboot your system and attempt the upgrade. The Parameter Is Incorrect In this instance, the backup process begins, using Windows inbuilt service. The process fails, generating the message: An internal error has occurred: The parameter is incorrect: (0x80070057) Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue. Type regedit and press Enter. Now, find the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\SystemCertificates Right-click SystemCertificates, and create New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Enter the name as CopyFileBufferedSynchronousIo, and set the Value to 1. Hit OK, then restart your system. Your backup should now complete! Alter Decimal Symbol Head to Control Panel > Clock, Language, and Region. Under Region, select Change date, time, or number formats. This will open a new panel. Select Additional Settings. Ensure there is a period (full-stop) next to the Decimal symbol option, then press Apply, and OK. Group Policy Interference This hasn't been the case for everyone, but when Windows 10 was released many users (understandably) took affront to the archaic Windows Update system metered out by Microsoft. Windows 10 Home users were largely bound to this system, but Windows 10 Pro users had the option to alter their Group Policy settings as to render the update system impotent. However, interfering with this policy may be exactly what is causing the issue to the Windows Update process. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. Now follow this path Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update > Configure Automatic Updates > Not Configured. Restart your system, and hopefully the update will now complete. Use the System File Checker Windows has an inbuilt System File Checker tool we can use to scan the system for any potentially corrupted files. This tool will detail and potentially fix any unexpected corruptions, returning the system to good working state. Open an elevated Command Prompt by right-clicking the Start Menu and selecting Command Prompt (Admin). Now run the following command: sfc /scannow This command can take a little time to complete. Do not close the Command Prompt window until the verification is 100% complete. On completion, you'll receive one of the following messages: Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.Your system did not contain any corrupted files; you need to try another fix for this issue Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.You need to reboot your system into Safe Mode, then run the command Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them. Details are included in the CBS.Log %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log.To view the details of what the System File Checker fixed, see the instructions below Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log.You'll need to manually repair the corrupted files. Follow the below instructions to find the corrupted file, then manually replace with a known good copy of the file. Access the Log If you receive either of final pair of messages, you'll probably want to have a look at the System File Check log. This is especially important if you received the final message. First, you'll need to open an elevated Command Prompt by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Command Prompt (Admin). Now run the following command: findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >"%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt" This will copy the details of the log to a plain notepad file that you'll find on your desktop. As my Windows installation is pretty much brand new, I'm yet to encounter any issues. As such, my log looks like so: However, if you had corrupted files that the SFC process was unable to automatically replace, you'll spot some entries like this (taken from the Microsoft Support document on the System File Checker): 2007-01-12 12:10:42, Info CSI 00000008 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:34{17}]"Accessibility.dll" of Accessibility, Version = 6.0.6000.16386, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_MSIL (8), Culture neutral, VersionScope neutral, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:b03f5f7f11d50a3a}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, file is missing Manually Replacing Corrupted Files We can now replace the corrupted file with a known good copy, again using the Command Prompt. First, you'll need to open an elevated Command Prompt by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Command Prompt (Admin). We'll now need to take administrative ownership of the corrupted file. Please note that in each listed instance you should replace pathandfilename with the information provided in the sfcdetails.txt created in the previous section. Use the following command: takeown /f pathandfilename Now use the following command to grant administrators full access to the corrupted file system: icacls pathandfilename/grant administrators:F Finally, replace the corrupted system file with a known good copy by using the following command: copy sourcefile destinationfile For instance, if you've copied a known good system file from a system running the same operating system (and same version, same build etc.) onto a USB, the command might look like this: copy f:\usbstick\jscript.dll c:\windows\system32\jscript.dll Using DISM If the manual replacement is proving too difficult, or if there are too many files to replace, we can use the DISM command. DISM stands for Deployment Image & Serving Management, and we can use this command in an attempt to download and restore the systems file health. From an elevated Command Prompt, enter the following command: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth Depending on your system health and the level of corruption present, this command could take a while to complete. This process has been known to appear to hang at 20%. If that happens, just wait for a while, it should continue of its own accord. Once it is finished, check if any files have been replaced. If they have, you'll need to restart your computer, then run the sfc /scannow command again. It should replace the corrupted file this time around. Reset Windows Update Repository On occasion, we can reset the Windows Update repository in an attempt to relieve the issue. This is a somewhat lengthy process that I am not going to detail in this article. However, I will point you to the Microsoft Support document that details the entire process, so you can attempt this fix with their information. Windows Update Troubleshooter I'm not sure how well the Windows Update Troubleshooter works for this error, as it can be directly affected by group policies and other system settings. But if you're still unable to complete an update, it could be worth downloading and giving it a shot. It can only fail, too, right? Right?! Head to this page and download the Windows Update Troubleshooter. Once downloaded, run the troubleshooter. Select Windows Update, and then select Advanced, then Run as administrator. This will run the troubleshooter as an Administrator, and will be able find and resolve a wider range of issues. Press Next. The troubleshooter will automatically scan your system for issues affecting Windows Update. If any issues are found, the troubleshooter will automatically attempt to fix them, unless you unticked the automatic fix box. Any Other Options? Thought I was done? You're wrong. Microsoft's free SetupDiag tool can also help you analyze and fix Windows update errors. Some users have reported the Yamicsoft Windows 8 Manager to fix the Windows Update issues. I've not personally tried this fix, so I'd advise proceeding with relative caution, just in case the tool has some unexpected side-effects. You are warned. I Have Updated Your Information And your system should now be well and truly updated. As well as this, you now know how to take care of any other Windows Update issues that may appear in the future. So long as Microsoft continues with this system of enforced updates, the system will come under serious scrutiny when regular users are negatively affected. This isn't the only issue that has come to light since the Anniversary Update with other users reporting random system freeze incidents. Before Microsoft released its official fix, enterprising users worked together to make a semblance of what was going on. They managed to hack their way to a workaround, before Microsoft responded. However, users report that the official fix still doesn't completely alleviate the issue, leaving many users with ongoing system issues. Microsoft is sticking to its guns, but surely it must be time to consider a handbrake for updates, especially when choice has been removed from the users.

Your new computer is ready and just waiting for that nudge of the mouse. Wait! Have you forgotten something? Monitor color calibration is one of the basic steps most of us forget or ignore. Pixel perfect monitor calibration is a cardinal rule for photographers and graphic artists. If you are either of those, you know all about monitor calibration. Others should read on. Why Is Display Calibration So Important? A good monitor is expensive. But its impact will be lost if you don't take the pain to carefully (and intermittently) calibrate your monitor. The colors on the screen may not be the exact match of what they actually are. Just imagine that you took a beautiful panoramic snap and downloaded it to your computer. Only to find out that the blue of the sky or the green of the grass doesn't resemble the one you saw through the viewfinder. Today, it's a lot about watching online movies, snapping digital photos and sharing image files. Color calibrating monitors is important to get as close to the real thing as possible. Graphics professionals will pick up serious color accuracy test tools for the job like the Datacolor Spyder5Elite S5EL100 Monitor Calibration System. Some of you will go with the default monitor calibration software built into the OS. But we can also take some online help from these simple monitor calibration websites that have existed for a long time. 1. Photo Friday Photo Friday is a photography site. Think of the challenges involved in adjusting the brightness and contrast of a shot and you get the reason why you should calibrate your monitor. So, drop down to the link for their monitor calibration tool at the foot of the homepage or hit the link above. The site offers this simple one-page monitor calibration tool to adjust the brightness and contrast of your screen with the help of the grayscale tones. The idea is to tweak the monitor settings (or buttons) so that you can clearly distinguish the transition of tones from true black to true white. After calibration, the blacks should look black and without any hint of grey. The instructions start off by telling you to dim the lights and hit F11 for viewing the grayscale chart in full-screen mode. Observe your monitor from your normal viewing distance. 2. The Lagom LCD Monitor Test Pages The Lagom LCD Monitor Test Pages are a far more comprehensive set of tools than Photo Friday. The site includes a series of test patterns that start from checking contrast to checking for response times of your monitor. It is recommended to go through the tests in the order they are placed. For instance, use the first few images to check brightness, contrast, and sharpness. With those set, use a latter test like the "Viewing Angle" to see if the display changes brightness or colors in the corners. For a beginner, it might seem overwhelming. But, the test patterns come with helpful explanations. The developer also states that you can put the images on a USB drive and try them in the computer store when shopping for an LCD monitor. A 120KB ZIP file download is included. 3. Online Monitor Test The Online Monitor Test website has a range of interactive tests to fix your screen colors. The menu appears when you move your mouse to the top. Start off with a test checks brightness and contrast across the B/W tonal spectrum. It is similar to the test we covered on the Photo Friday website. Next, the Color Range test checks if your monitor can smoothly produce color gradients. From the menu, you can pick different color charts. Look for "ghost images" or image trails in the Trailing test. Move the box across the screen and check if any trails are produced. The controls and options to change the color and shape of the box are placed at the bottom. The Homogeneity test helps to pinpoint damaged pixels and faulty monitors with backlight bleeding. 1:1 Pixel mapping and testing for a blurring of Text are the last two tests on the lineup. While the former is not so much an issue with LCD computer monitors, the latter is worth a tryout if you feel that screen text is not crisp enough. If you are setting up a dual monitor, try the Text Reproduction test across the connected displays and test for input lag. 4. Monitor Calibration and Gamma Assessment Remember, we were talking about Gamma values just a while back? Well, this whole page and the test associated with it is devoted to it. The importance and process are clearly laid out and it's helpful for any tyro. The most important takeaway is that color saturation and hue change with gamma values. These things come to the fore when you are trying to use color correction in Adobe Premiere Pro and other video editing tools. The author also provides a series of "Gamagic" test patterns you can use to calibrate your monitor. Fall back on your eyes and adjust the gamma setting with the monitor controls until all the squares match up with their backgrounds as closely as possible. 5. W4ZT This single page screen calibration chart has few of the test images we have already covered in the earlier tools. Go through the color, greyscale and gamma adjustments. The one feature going for it is that it is easy to understand. Just follow the instructions and you will be able to tune your monitor for optimum viewing. How Is Your Own Color Perception? All you need is a good eye. But, how is your own color perception? Take this quick (but fun) color challenge test to find out. Also, before you start off fine-tuning your monitor, follow these three rules first: Turn on your monitor and allow it to warm up for 30 minutes or so. Set your monitor at the highest native screen resolution it supports. Get familiar with the display controls for your monitor. You monitor also might have a calibration software in your computer. Windows 10 comes with the Windows Calibrate Display Color. You can access it from Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Display. Or, simply search from the Cortana search box with a keyword like "calibrate". On the macOS Sierra, use the Display Calibrator Assistant. You can access it from Apple menu > System Preferences > Displays > Color > Calibrate. Or you can also use Spotlight. Most users don't need to browbeat themselves over the steps or depend on third-party tools. Unless you are a professional photographer or a graphic designer who needs high-fidelity colors, these basic tools should be enough.

Your premium gaming laptop will never reach the performance of a similarly-priced gaming desktop. But that doesn't mean that you can't play the latest games. Rather, it puts extra pressure on you to ensure that your laptop is optimized for gaming. With desktop computers, you can upgrade the hardware. Laptop users have limited upgrade options. So, what can you do to improve laptop performance? How can you make your laptop faster for gaming? Here are 10 ways to optimize your laptop gaming setup on Windows 10. 1. Keep Your Laptop Clean and Dust-Free to Improve Gaming Performance Want to know how to improve gaming performance on your laptop but have no technical skills? Just clean it. You'll only enjoy improved performance on your laptop with a proactive attitude to physical maintenance. Dust and dirt are the enemies of performance. This detritus will reduce airflow, resulting in a computer that gets too hot. Once the heat builds, the processor, GPU, and most other components will slow down. This doesn't make for an effective gaming machine. The best way to deal with this is to remove the dust. Obviously, this isn't easy. Your laptop is probably sealed, and if it isn't, opening it will almost certainly invalidate the warranty. The solution is to use some very specific cleaning techniques. But it isn't just the vents on your laptop that you need to keep clear. If you're using the keyboard regularly (a staple of PC gaming) it's important to ensure there is no dust, food, or other matter able to cause sticky keys. For that matter, for top gaming performance, you don't want a mucky screen, either. RELATED:How To Clean Your Laptop 2. How to Upgrade Your Laptop for Increased Gaming Performance Installing new hardware is the key way to speed up your laptop for gaming. But what can you upgrade? Laptops are famously non-upgradeable. The items you can upgrade are: RAM---increasing the memory amount and speed can have a massive impact Storage---switching to a solid-state drive (SSD) or fast M.2 storage will improve game performance considerably Battery---batteries are famously unable to keep games running for any duration with the full settings enabled Furthermore, if you want a cheap upgrade, why not improve your personal game performance with an external keyboard and mouse designed for optimum gaming? 3. Update Laptop Drivers for Faster Gaming Computers running Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems are almost all based around the same hardware, with the same architecture. This means that whatever the operating system, keeping device drivers up to date is vital. Fortunately, it's usually straightforward, a process that has been largely swallowed up into the standard OS updates. However, when it comes to graphic drivers, you might need a more hands-on approach. While Intel graphics---largely unsuitable for hardcore gaming---will enjoy updated drivers via a Windows update, your third-party graphics provider doesn't offer that option. Instead, ensure the GPU management software (such as Nvidia GeForce or AMD Gaming Evolved) is set to automatically update. Be sure to keep your controller and audio drivers up to date, too. 4. Optimize Your Laptop for Gaming By Updating DirectX A collection of software tools that facilitate the graphics in a video game, DirectX is vital to gaming on Windows. Various iterations of DirectX have seen release over the years. Launched in 2020, DirectX 12 Ultimate is the latest version, which you'll find pre-installed on your Windows 10 laptop. It provides a common library for Windows 10 and Xbox Series X|S systems. To check your current DirectX version: Press WIN + R to open the Run dialog Enter dxdiag Wait for the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (DXDiag) to load On the System tab look for the DirectX Version at the bottom of the list To update DirectX: Go to Start > Settings (or WIN + I) Click Update & Security > Windows Update Click Check for updates As well as having your graphic drivers up to date, it is worth ensuring that your audio drivers are fit for gaming. In DxDiag you can check your audio driver status in the Sound tab. Note also that Input device drivers are summarized here. 5. Overclock the Laptop Graphics Card for Optimized Gaming Want to know how to improve graphics on your laptop? The best way is overclocking. Perhaps a bit risky for the beginner, overclocking can force some additional performance out of the graphics card. Tools are available for both AMD and Nvidia GPUs, so you shouldn't have too much trouble with this. The main problems are with power and heat. Overclocking uses more electricity, so you'll need to adjust your computer's power settings appropriately (see below). But overclocking also increases the heat of the GPU. Usually, this is handled by the laptop's built-in cooling system. You should regularly clean the heatsinks and fans, as outlined in #1. If not, your laptop will automatically shut down---as a safety precaution---as soon as it gets too hot. Looking for an overclocking tool for your GPU? The most popular at present is MSI Afterburner, which is suitable for Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. You can enjoy good results with overclocking, but it is something you must do with care. Our guide to overclocking your GPU safely should help here. 6. Adjust Your Computer's Power Settings Few devices can enjoy improved operation without effective power management. When it comes to laptops---devices intended for use away from a permanent power source---power management is important. Windows gives you some detailed power management options, but for strong gaming experience, connected your laptop to a power outlet. Once this is done, it's time to look at your computer's power settings. In Windows 10: Click Start > Settings (or WIN + I) Go to System > Power and sleep > Additional power settings Select High performance Click Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings Confirm the power settings are set to the optimum levels. Note that with some gaming laptops (such as the Dell G5 15 series) battery settings are automatically managed. Whatever your system, avoid less-than-optimum power settings when squeezing gaming performance from your laptop. 7. Activate Windows 10 Game Mode This is a tip that anyone can use. Windows 10 is equipped with an Xbox app which includes features such as screen recording, streaming, and Game Mode. Optimizing your laptop for gaming can be as simple as activating the Game Bar and Game Mode. Click Start > Settings (or WIN+I) Click Gaming > Xbox Game Bar Switch to On Select Game Mode in the left-hand pane Switch to On Close to finish At any point you can now press WIN + G to display the Xbox panel. If prompted, check the Yes, this is a game box. With Game Mode enabled, Windows 10 will run games with optimum settings. To do this, Windows may close or suspend some background tasks. 8. Close Background Apps for Increased Laptop FPS We're assuming you're running Windows 10 for many of these tips. If not, there is a manual change you can make to your laptop before you launch a game. Ensure all other apps are closed before you launch a game. Once you've done that, look at the System Tray. This part of the Windows taskbar lists apps that are running in the background. Right-click each icon and close it, unless it is relevant to your game experience. For example, keep your graphics card management app open. 9. Online Gamers: Check Your Network Speed Gaming performance for your laptop is mostly determined by your hardware, drivers, and how your computer is configured. But if you're playing online games, there is one other element to consider: your internet connection speed. Lag is the usual cause of trouble with online gaming. Often due to problems with your internet connection, a slow connection between laptop and router can also be blamed. In most cases, your wireless network card will have the most up-to-date drivers, thanks to Windows Update, or whatever system updates your OS has downloaded. If there's no change after applying updates, consider a wired Ethernet connection to the router. You should also check to see if a gaming router can optimize gaming performance. Using a gaming laptop? If your system has a Killer network device, the Killer Control Center can be installed to optimize online gaming. 10. Manage Automatic Updates and Downloads for Smoother Gaming Automatic updates can be a big pain. For example, Windows Update can download updates in the background, before reminding you periodically that the update needs installing. Not only can the uninstalled update impact performance, so too can the reminders. Unfortunately, you can't disable Windows Updates permanently, so you have the following options: Keep your computer offline. Install updates as soon as prompted. From the May 2019 update (version 1903), you can block updates for 35 days. It's unlikely that you'll be able to completely disconnect from the internet if you're using a gaming laptop, so installing those updates as soon as possible is the best answer. Digital delivery systems such as Steam also push updates out. There's also a chance that a second game will download updates in the background while you're playing another game. To avoid this: Open Steam Head to Steam > Settings In the Downloads tab clear the Allow downloads during gameplay check box Click OK to confirm You can also manage update rules for individual games. Right-click the game in your Steam library Select Properties > Updates Set your preferred options for Automatic updates and Background downloads For Automatic updates, you can choose between Always keep this game updated, Only update this game when I launch it, and High Priority. You can select between three Background download settings: Pause background downloads while I'm playing, Always allow background downloads, Never allow background downloads. Further tips on managing Steam downloads can potentially improve your laptop gaming performance too. 11. Tweak Texture Settings to Optimize Your Laptop Graphics Card Finally, it's worth looking at your graphics card settings, especially if you need to run a certain game. Here, you'll find master controls for texture and shader details, which will determine how your games look. The memory available to your laptop's GPU limits what options are available here, so it's usually good to select a configuration that offers performance over looks. In short, high-resolution textures will consume your RAM, impacting frame rate. Wondering how to increase gaming performance on older or low spec laptops? It's easy: just lower textures and frame rates. Note that you can also give individual games their own texture and shader preferences here. This is useful if an older game can run with high settings. Meanwhile, you'll still be able to adjust individual games' video settings as they play, from the video/display settings screen. It can take a while to find the optimum video settings for games. Once you've established that performance-quality trade-off, however, you'll see that it was worth the effort. Laptop Gaming Performance: Improved! Who'd have thought that you could so much to improve gaming performance on a laptop computer? While most apply purely to Windows 10 laptops some tips can be transferred to equivalent settings on macOS and Linux. Let's review the 10 top ways to make your laptop faster for gaming: Regularly clean your laptop. Update your drivers (especially for the GPU). Install the latest version of DirectX. Overclock the GPU. Optimize the power settings. Activate Windows 10's Game Mode. Close background apps. Check the network speed for online gaming. Disable automatic updates for games and the operating system. Adjust texture and shader settings. For desktop computers, upgrading your hardware can have a massive impact on gaming; as a laptop user you're limited. You can't upgrade the graphics card or processor in most laptop computers. That's why these 10 tips are so vital to improving gaming performance.

You're trying to save data on your USB flash storage, but there's a problem. Any attempt to save displays the message that the drive is "write protected". How can this be? The drive won't even allow you to reformat it, and there's no apparent switch for enabling or disabling write protection. Puzzled? Here's how to format your write protected USB pendrive and start using it again. Is the USB Drive Write Protected or Corrupted? Before proceeding, take the time to make sure that the drive is genuinely write protected. A couple of other issues could be coming into play here. Your PC's USB port is defective or blown entirely. Fixing a damaged USB port can be tricky but not impossible. The flash drive is corrupt. Whether you're using a full USB flash stick or USB SD card adapter, problems with the device can occur. These steps will help you fix a corrupted flash drive. Confident the problem is just write protection on your USB flash stick? Let's move on. How to Remove USB Write Protection With Diskpart Before starting, insert your pendrive into your computer's USB port. Windows has a built-in disk partition management tool called Diskpart. You can open this by hitting Windows key + R, entering cmd, then hitting Enter. User Access Control will prompt you to confirm the action. Click Yes to continue. You should now see CMD, the command line tool. At the prompt, enter diskpart A new command line window will open, with a new DISKPART prompt. It's time to see which disks are attached to your computer: list disk The resulting table will list the currently available devices. But which is your USB drive? Disk 0 will be your computer's system drive. This is the one that Windows is installed on. If you have multiple partitions, these will be sequentially numbered. Note that the size is displayed for each disk. With a USB flash device connected, (which will be Disk 1 or higher) you should be able to identify it by its comparatively low capacity. In the image above, while Disk 0 is 119GB and Disk 1 931GB (two partitions of the same drive), Disk 2 is 16GB. Therefore, Disk 2 is the USB flash drive. You should be able to check the capacity on the device itself, as this is usually printed on a drive's casing. If not, you'll be able to confirm it in Windows Explorer. Select the Right Disk! Before proceeding further, be absolutely certain that you have identified the USB pendrive. Note also that USB flash drives can be as high as 1TB in capacity (like the PNY Pro Elite) at the time of writing, which could be larger than your computer's HDD. Making the effort to be totally certain at this stage is vital to the integrity of the data on your computer! PNY (P-FD1TBPRO-GE) Pro Elite 1TB USB 3.0 Flash Drive, Read Speeds Up to 400MB/SBUY NOW ON AMAZON Once you're certain, it's time to select the disk. In our example, that means entering select disk 2 This will be confirmed with the message that disk 2 is now the selected disk. Next, request attributes: attributes disk Various information will be displayed. Check the first line. This is the Current Read-only State. If you're unable to write to the disk or reformat it, then Current Read-only State will be set to Yes. You can easily remove the write protection on your pendrive with the command attributes disk clear readonly If successful confirmation of the step will be displayed with the message "Disk attributes cleared successfully." Happy to lose the data on the USB flash drive? You can format the drive using diskpart's clean command. First, ensure the disk is selected: select disk 2 clean You can then create and format a partition: create partition primary format fs=ntfs Wait for this to complete---you should now have a fully working and formatted USB flash drive! Check the write-only status of the drive by copying a small file. Didn't Work? USB Formatting Utilities to Try Below are two free tools for formatting your USB drive in the event of a write protect error. These can be used in addition to, or instead of, Diskpart. Useful if you don't like getting your hands dirty with the command line! 1. SD Formatter Number one on your list should be the SD Formatter tool from the SD Association. Although clearly intended for SD cards, the tool is compatible with USB flash sticks. After all, A USB flash stick is basically an SD card wired to a USB interface. Simply connect the device, select the drive and a formatting option, and click Format. Download: SDFormatter (Free) 2. Kingston Format Utility Intended for older Windows systems (Windows XP to Windows 7), the Kingston Format Utility is ideal for USB flash devices from Kingston. Note that this has a slightly archaic method of installation. After downloading, run the EXE file and hit Browse to select a location (such as the Desktop, or Documents). Click Unzip, then browse to the new location, and double-click Kingston Format Utility.exe. This will run the app; all you need to do now is select the Device and File system from the drop-down menus. Click Format when you're ready, then wait. Download: Kingston Format Utility (Free) Can't Reformat Your USB Flash Drive? If none of the suggestions you've tried so far have been successful, don't give up hope. It's worth checking the support pages and forums on the drive manufacturer's website to find links to tools that have been confirmed to work with the device. Note that most flash storage manufacturer's offer a long guarantee on their devices. If you have registered the drive, you'll probably be able to get it repaired or replaced. Your Write-Protected USB Pendrive, Formatted By now you should have unlocked the write protection on your USB flash drive and reformatted it. This may have been done using Diskpart on Windows, or a specialist third-party utility. Ultimately, you should have a USB drive that now works. If it doesn't, then there's a strong likelihood that it is defective. So, if the drive is still in warranty, explore your options regarding a manufacturer replacement.