Windows PowerShell is a powerful tool inside the Windows environment often overlooked by typical users which is a great mistake since it can offer a large array of functionality and usability and if used well can offer a unique working experience. Today we will be using PowerShell to turn the WEB camera off so it can not be accessed, completely disabling it for use. You might want to do this for security reasons or just want to learn few new things. Whatever your reason might be, I am welcoming you to this tutorial and please do keep reading.

Finding device ID

In order to disable the WEB camera first thing we need to do is to find a matching device ID. We will find this value inside the device manager, so press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret menu. In the menu choose device manager and click on it. When the device manager opens, expand the Imaging devices or Cameras section. Right-click Integrated Camera or the primary webcam, and click Properties. Go to the Details tab. Under the Property section, click to select Matching device ID from the drop-down. Right-click the value and select Copy The next step is to download and install Windows Driver Kit (WDK)

PowerShell script

Create and run a PowerShell script with the following parameters/values to disable the camera. Substitute the <FOLDER> placeholder with the actual name of the folder where your copy of Devcon is residing

$id = (Get-CimInstance Win32_PnPEntity |

where caption -match '<PRIMARY CAMERA>').pnpDeviceID

$ppid = "{0}{1}" -f '@',$id

Set-Location c:\<FOLDER>

Devcon status $ppid

Devcon disable $ppid

Devcon status $ppid

To enable the camera device, run the command below in PowerShell:

devcon enable $ppid

Troubleshoot Stop 0x00000000 Error

STOP 0x00000000 Error Code - What is it?

Stop 0x00000000 error code is a type of a Stop error popularly known as a blue screen of death error code. This is a critical error. It can pop up while loading or using the Windows program on your PC. When this error occurs, the computer screen turns blue and you, the user, get locked out of the program. Furthermore, it can also result in sudden system shut down or system freeze. If not fixed timely, the error may start to pop up more and more frequently which then may lead to complete system corruption and system crash.

Solution

Error Causes

The two most common causes for the STOP 0x00000000 error code are:

• Malware infection
• Registry corruption

This is a fatal system error and must be resolved immediately. Delay may lead to system crashes and data loss. And recovering lost data is not easy.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Though this is a fatal error the good news is that it is easy to resolve. To repair the STOP 0x00000000 error on your system, here are some methods that you can try:

Method 1 - Use System Restore to Bring Your Computer Back to its Previous State

To resolve this error on your system, try using the System Restore tool. Use this tool to bring your computer back to its previous state. The Windows System Restore utility is one of the most valuable recovery tools. To use it, simply type System Restore in the search box. Once you find it, click on it and select a restore point to bring your PC back to its normal state. To activate changes, reboot the PC.

Method 2 - Scan for Viruses

If the underlying cause of the Stop 0x00000000 error code is related to malware infection, then you must download a powerful antivirus to resolve it. Run it to scan your entire PC. Make sure you remove all types of malware including adware, spyware, viruses, and Trojan. Once your PC is malware-free, the error will be fixed in no time.

Method 3 - Clean and Repair the Registry

The registry is an important part of the PC. It stores practically all the activities you perform on your system. It saves all the files including both important and unnecessary files such as junk files, cookies, internet history, bad and invalid entries. If these obsolete and unnecessary files are not deleted frequently and keep on accumulating it takes up all the registry space and corrupts it. This results in registry errors like runtime and BSoD errors and sometimes may also lead to disk fragmentation. To resolve it is advisable to repair the registry. This can be done manually but that will take too much time and also require technical expertise. However, another way to resolve it is to download Restoro. This is a user-friendly PC Fixer with a powerful registry cleaner. It removes all obsolete and unnecessary files, cleans the registry and repairs the damaged files, thereby removing the error right away. Click here to download Restoro and resolve Stop 0x00000000 today!

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Troubleshoot 0x0000007B Error

What is 0x0000007B Error?

0x0000007B is the most common Windows stop error. The error is displayed on the blue-colored screen which is also called the blue screen of death. You may receive a 0x0000007B error message during Windows XP setup or while running the setup program. The message is often displayed as ‘a problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damages’ or ‘inaccessible boot device error’.

Solution

Error Causes

The 0x0000007B error code is usually triggered by:

• Poor Window XP installation
• Registry corruption
• Device Drivers Issues
• Boot sector viruses

Further Information and Manual Repair

The 0x0000007B error makes your system vulnerable and reduces its speed significantly. And besides, you can’t run the programs smoothly on your PC either. Therefore, it’s advisable to fix the error right away. To fix and repair the 0x0000007B error successfully, you must first understand the cause of the error. Let’s take a look at all the solutions available to fix the 0x0000007B error.

Cause: Boot Sector Viruses

Solution: If your computer is infected with boot sector viruses, then you will first have to download a powerful antivirus. After downloading the antivirus program, run it on your PC to check your computer for viruses. Delete the viruses found and click the repair option. Sometimes even an antivirus program may fail to remove the virus and repair the system. In such cases, you must repartition and format your hard disk and also reinstall Windows XP.

Cause: Device Driver Issues

Solution: Device driver issues may occur if the boot controller is not properly configured or the driver is not up to date. If device driver configuration is the cause of the 0x0000007B error on your PC, then all you need to do is restart your PC, and while restarting press F8 to go to the advanced boot options. Now choose the ‘Last Known Good Configuration’ option. After selecting it, boot into windows and then perform a system restore. Now go to Device Manager and perform a driver rollback to reinstall the drivers. This will resolve the configuration issues. However, if you need an updated driver, all you need to do go on the web and download software to update the driver. It is advisable to download software from the manufacturer’s website in order to successfully update the device driver.

Cause: Poor Windows Installation

Solution: In this case, you will have to perform a Windows start-up repair. To do this: boot Windows XP from CD. Press ‘enter’ at setup Windows Screen when prompted. Then press R to repair Windows Installation. This procedure will not delete any user data and files. In fact, it will copy only the original Windows files over the bad or existing ones. Some of the best ways to avoid Ox0000007B blue screen error are

• To scan for viruses every time you use your PC
• Never open web pages, emails, or download content that you think looks suspicious because that’s probably a virus.
• Always keep your computer updated.

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Scammers have decided to target Windows’s 10 App installer process in order to infect your computer and steal your data. As in most usual online scams, everything starts with a strange email containing threats and other poorly written and composed speech. At the end of the given email, there would be a link claiming that you, of course, need to read it and follow instructions about the threat, if you click the link it will open a web page where you will have an innocent-looking PDF file with more information about the threat itself. If you click on a seemingly innocent PDF file it will summon Windows 10's AppInstaller.exe tool, kickstarting a download-and-run process that'll put you in a bad place very quickly. From there, you'll have to deal with the dangers of malware BazarBackdoor, including data and credential theft. This kind of scam is nothing new but the interesting thing here is that it uses App installer and by clicking on a link you are opening and giving permission for a malicious crook to use it. So, stay safe and do not click on any links from unknown emails no matter what.

if you were following our articles you are aware that Windows 10 has a build-in-game mode that you can summon by pressing ⊞ WINDOWS + G. But did you know that you can use this to capture and record your screen? Hello and welcome to another great tutorial about how to get the maximum out of your Windows 10, today our topic will be recording your screen using Windows 10 game mode.

• In order to start recording first, we need to bring game mode by pressing ⊞ WINDOWS + G
• In the Game Bar overlay screen, look for the “Capture” window.
• If you don’t see it, click the Widget menu icon on the left. It looks like several lines with bullet points to their left.
• A drop-down list will appear; click “Capture.” The “Capture” shortcut may also be in the Game Bar toolbar.
• Look for the “Capture” widget window in the overlay. There are four buttons on the Capture widget (from left to right):
  • Screenshot: Takes a screenshot of the active window.
  • Record last 30 seconds: Creates a recording of the previous 30 seconds.
  • Start recording: Starts recording your active window.
  • Turn on the mic while recording: If this option is enabled, Windows 10 will capture audio from your computer’s microphone and include it in the recording.
• You’ll notice text underneath the buttons. This is how you’ll know what the active window is, aka what will be recorded. For example, if you’re browsing the web, it will show the title of the open tab.
• To start recording your screen, you must first decide whether you want to use your mic, which is useful if you’re trying to explain something on the screen.
• Next, simply click the Start Recording button.
• The screen recording will begin, and you’ll see a little toolbar appear in the corner of the screen. It will show the running time of the recording, and it also has buttons to stop recording and toggle the microphone.
• When you’re finished, click the Stop icon to end the recording.
• From the Capture widget, click “Show All Captures” to see your recording.
• Your recording will be at the top of the list. Click the folder icon to see all recordings and screenshots in File Explorer.
• These recordings are stored under your Windows user folder at C:\Users\NAME\Videos\Captures by default.

In case you don’t know, Microsoft Edge, the new default browser of Windows 10, is equipped with the essential tools that are needed to help web developers in testing their websites in the Edge browser. However, it is not without its flaws as there are instances when you could also encounter some errors when using DevTools. One of these errors is the “An error occurred while starting the profiling session” error. You can see this error message in the DevTools Memory Panel, worry not for this post will help you resolve it. A memory panel is one that primarily measures your memory resource usage and compares heap snapshots in different states of code execution. The Memory panel also provides profiling of three different types, such:

• Head Snapshot
• Record Allocation timeline
• Record Allocation profiles

Using a memory panel, you can find issues that affect the page performance in the most common scenarios like bloats and memory leaks. There are two steps you need to carry out to fix this error that’s associated with the Memory Panel of Microsoft Edge (Chromium) DevTools. First, you need to access the Microsoft (R) Diagnostics Hub Standard Collector Service. Second, you need to restart this service. For detailed steps, follow the instructions provided below. Step 1: Access the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Standard Collector Service To access the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Standard Collector Service, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Then type “services.msc” in the field and hit Enter or click OK.
• This will open the Services Manager. Here, look for the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Service from the Services panel that opens on the right-hand side.

Step 2: Now restart the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Hub Standard Collector Service

• After accessing the Microsoft (R) Diagnostic Standard Collector Service, right-click on it and select the Restart option.
• Once it’s done, exit the Microsoft Edge Developer Tools as well as the tab.
• Next, open a new tab and navigate to your page and tap the F12 key.
• Now, try to check if profiling begins.

Action Classic Games Toolbar is another product from Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. that may claim to relieve users of their boredom with more than 500 online games. The Action Classic Games toolbar is available for download from its official web page and Google Web Store, though it is normally distributed via advertising directly from its website. When installed, it will change your home page and new tab to MyWay.com and start gathering user browsing information while active.

Browsing the internet with Action Classic Games enabled will result in the additional ad and sponsored content placement throughout the browsing sessions. This extension has been flagged as a Browser Hijacker by several top anti-virus applications and is therefore not recommended to keep on your computer.

About Browser Hijackers

Browser hijacking is a type of unwanted program, usually a browser add-on or extension, which causes modifications in web browser’s settings. There are plenty of reasons why you might experience an internet browser hijack; however commercial, marketing, and advertising are definitely the key reasons for their creation. The idea is to force users to visit particular websites which are looking to increase their website visitor traffic and produce higher advertisement revenue. While it might appear naive, these tools were created by vicious people who always look to take full advantage of you, so that they could make money from your naive and distraction. In a much worst case, your internet browser could be hi-jacked to download malicious software that will do a lot of damage to your computer or laptop.

Key signs that your web browser has been highjacked

Symptoms that a web browser is a hi-jacked include: 1. home-page is changed 2. your internet browser is constantly being redirected to pornography sites 3. default search engine is changed 4. you’ll see multiple toolbars in your browser 5. you find numerous ads appear on your browsers or computer screen 6. your browser has instability issues or exhibits frequent errors 7. you’ve disallowed entry to particular websites, including the website of an anti-malware software developer like SafeBytes.

How does a PC get infected with a browser hijacker

Browser hijackers infect computers via malicious email attachments, downloaded infected documents or by checking out infected internet sites. They also come from add-on software, also called browser helper objects (BHO), browser plug-ins or toolbars. Other times you might have accidentally accepted a browser hijacker as part of an application package (usually freeware or shareware). A good example of a well-known browser hijacker is the latest Chinese malware known as “Fireball”, which has attacked 250 million computer systems around the world. It works as a hijacker but can be changed into a full-functioning malware downloader afterward. The presence of any browser hijacker malware on your computer might considerably diminish the web browsing experience, monitor your online activities that result in major privacy issues, create system stability issues and eventually cause your computer to slow down or to a practically unusable condition.

Browser hijacker removal

The one thing you can try to get rid of a browser hijacker is to find the malicious software inside the “Add or Remove Programs” list in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel. It may or may not be there. If it is, try and uninstall it. However, many browser hijackers are hard to get rid of manually. No matter how much you attempt to remove it, it may keep coming back again and again. Besides, browser hijackers could modify Windows registry so it could be very difficult to restore all the values manually, particularly when you’re not very tech-savvy individual. You might opt for automatic browser hijacker removal by just installing and running a reliable anti-malware application. To eradicate any type of browser hijacker from your personal computer, you should download the following professional malware removal tool – SafeBytes Anti-Malware. Together with the anti-malware tool, a PC optimizer, such as SafeBytes Total System Care, will help you in removing all related files and modifications in the Windows registry automatically.

Learn How to Remove a Virus that is Blocking Websites or Preventing Downloads

Malware could potentially cause all sorts of damage after they invade your computer, from stealing your personal information to deleting data files on your PC. Certain malware types modify web browser settings by adding a proxy server or modify the PC’s DNS configurations. In these instances, you will be unable to visit some or all of the sites, and therefore unable to download or install the necessary security software to remove the computer virus. If you are reading this article right now, you might have probably recognized that a malware infection is a reason behind your blocked web traffic. So what to do if you need to download and install an anti-malware application like Safebytes? There are a few steps you can take to circumvent this issue.

Boot your PC in Safe Mode

If the virus is set to run automatically when Microsoft Windows starts, stepping into Safe Mode may block the attempt. Just bare minimum required applications and services are loaded when you boot your computer into Safe Mode. To launch your Windows XP, Vista, or 7 computers in Safe Mode with Networking, follow the instructions below. 1) At power on, hit the F8 key before the Windows splash screen starts to load. This should bring up the Advanced Boot Options menu. 2) Make use of the arrow keys to choose Safe Mode with Networking and hit ENTER. 3) When you are into this mode, you should have online access once again. Now, utilize your browser normally and navigate to https://safebytes.com/products/anti-malware/ to download and install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 4) After installation, do a full scan and let the software program delete the threats it discovers.

Download the security program using an alternate browser

Some malware may target vulnerabilities of a specific browser that block the downloading process. If you are not able to download the anti-malware software program using Internet Explorer, this means the virus may be targeting IE’s vulnerabilities. Here, you should switch over to an alternative internet browser such as Chrome or Firefox to download the Safebytes program.

Make a bootable USB antivirus drive

Another option would be to make a portable antivirus program on your USB stick. Try these simple actions to clean up your affected PC using portable anti-malware. 1) On a virus-free PC, install Safebytes Anti-Malware. 2) Put the pen drive into the clean computer. 3) Double-click on the downloaded file to run the installation wizard. 4) When asked, choose the location of the pen drive as the place where you want to store the software files. Follow the instructions on the computer screen to finish up the installation process. 5) Now, plug the pen drive into the corrupted PC. 6) Double-click the EXE file to open the Safebytes tool right from the thumb drive. 7) Hit the “Scan Now” button to begin the malware scan.

Features and Benefits of SafeBytes Anti-Malware

Would you like to install the very best anti-malware program for your computer? There are various applications in the market that comes in paid and free versions for Windows computers. A few of them are good but there are numerous scamware applications that pretend as genuine anti-malware software waiting to wreak havoc on your computer. You should pick a product that has gained a strong reputation and detects not just computer viruses but other kinds of malware too. While thinking about reliable programs, Safebytes Anti-Malware is certainly the highly recommended one. SafeBytes anti-malware is a trusted software that not only protects your computer completely but is also very easy to use for people of all ability levels. Using its outstanding protection system, this utility will instantly detect and remove the majority of the security threats, including browser hijackers, viruses, adware, ransomware, trojans, worms, and PUPs.

There are numerous amazing features you’ll get with this security product. Listed below are some of the highlighted features included in the application.

Active Protection: SafeBytes gives real-time active checking and protection against all known viruses and malware. They’re highly efficient in screening and eliminating various threats because they’re regularly revised with the latest updates and safety measures. Best AntiMalware Protection: Safebytes is made on the best virus engine within the industry. These engines will detect and remove threats even during the early stages of a malware outbreak. Safe Web Browsing: Safebytes allots all sites a unique safety ranking that helps you to have an idea of whether the webpage you’re going to visit is safe to browse or known to be a phishing site. Light-weight: SafeBytes is renowned for its minimal influence on computer resources and great detection rate of various threats. It works silently and efficiently in the background so you are free to utilize your computer at full power all of the time. 24/7 Customer Support: Support service is accessible 24 x 7 x 365 days via email and chats to answer your questions. To sum it up, SafeBytes Anti-Malware is really great for securing your laptop or computer against all sorts of malware threats. There is no doubt that your PC will be protected in real-time once you put this software program to use. So if you’re searching for the very best malware removal tool out there, and when you don’t mind shelling out some dollars for it, opt for SafeBytes Anti-Malware.

Technical Details and Manual Removal (Advanced Users)

To remove Action Classic Games manually, go to the Add or Remove programs list in the Windows Control Panel and select the program you want to get rid of. For web browser plug-ins, go to your web browser’s Addon/Extension manager and select the plug-in you intend to disable or remove. Additionally, it is advised to factory reset your web browser settings to their default state. To be certain of complete removal, find the following Windows registry entries on your system and remove it or reset the values accordingly. Please keep in mind that only advanced users should try to manually edit the registry because removing any single vital system file results in a major problem or even a system crash. Moreover, some malware keeps replicating which makes it tough to get rid of. Doing this malware-removal process in Safe Mode is suggested.

Prompted For A Product Key – What Is It?

Some Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 users are having a hard time upgrading to Windows 10 as they are being prompted for a product key. By default, the Windows 10 operating system does not require a product key and users should not be prompted for one, given you upgraded your computer from an activated Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license or from the Windows 10 Preview build. However, there are some users encountering this problem and there are several reasons for this.

Solution

Error Causes

There are a few reasons why some users are being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10:

• Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license is not activated.
• You’re upgrading to Windows 10 final release from a preview build.
• There are broken operating system files.
• Activation servers get overwhelmed due to the high volume of upgrades.
• The Windows 10 copy you downloaded does not correspond with the current Windows system you are upgrading from.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Before you can fix this problem, you need to know why you’re being prompted for a product key. Some things you should know about Windows 10 product key activation are the following:

• You cannot activate Windows 10 using your Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 product key. Windows 10 has a unique product key.
• Error codes such as 0x8007232b, 0XC004E003, 0x8007007B, or 0x8007000D might pop up during system upgrade especially when the activation servers get overwhelmed with the high volume of upgrades.
• You don’t really need to know your Windows 10 product key.

Now, if ever you’re prompted for a product key when you’re upgrading to Windows 10, you can apply the following methods:

Method One: Give It A Few Days

If you’ve been prompted for a product key upon upgrading to Windows 10, you should click on the “Do this later” option. Wait for a few days then Windows 10 will get activated automatically.

Method Two: Download A Copy of Windows 10 Corresponding Your Current System

One of the reasons Windows users are being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10 is that they have downloaded a wrong edition of Windows 10 and do not correspond with your current system.

• Users of Home Basic, Home Premium, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 8.0 Core, and Windows 8.1 Core should download Windows 10 Home ISO.
• Users of Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 8.0 Pro, and Windows 8.1 Pro should download Windows 10 Pro ISO.

NOTE: Users of Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8.0 Enterprise, and Windows 8.1 Enterprise are not eligible for the free upgrade offer.

Method Three: Ensure Windows Is Activated

If your Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 is not genuine or activated, you will get prompted for a product key. You need to make sure first your current system is activated.

1. Click on Start then right-click Computer. For Windows 8 and up users, you can simply press on Windows key + X then select Choose Properties.
2. When the Properties window appears, check if the Windows you’re running is activated.

Method Three: Reset License Status

1. Press on Windows key + X.
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Once the command prompt window appears, type vbs –rearm then press Enter.
4. Exit Command Prompt then restart your PC.
5. Input the product key by following the instructions given.

Method Four: Force Activation

1. Press on Windows key + X
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Once the command prompt window appears, type vbs –ato then press Enter.
4. Exit Command Prompt then restart your PC.

Method Five: Run System File Checker

Another thing you can try doing is to run the system file checker utility to scan if there are any broken operating system files. In doing so, you’ll be able to detect problems that might be preventing the product activation of your Windows 10 upgrade.

Method Six: Contact Microsoft Activation Center

If in case you’ve exhausted all your resources and you are still being prompted for a product key when upgrading to Windows 10, you can try contacting the Microsoft Activation Center for further details. Check here for the appropriate telephone numbers to contact.

Method Seven: Download An Automated Tool

If you still experience the error after doing the methods above, you might want to try a powerful and trusted automated tool to fix the job.

This post will walk you through fixing the rtwlane.sys Blue Screen error. This kind of BSOD error belongs under the category of the “DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL” Stop errors. If you encounter this kind of Stop error then it means that a kernel-mode driver tried to access pageable memory at a process IRQL that was too high. The main issue with the rtwlane.sys Blue Screen error has something to do with the Realtek PCI-E Wireless LAN PCI-E NIC driver. In other words, it has some issues with the wireless card of your computer which is built by Realtek. And since it this error concerns your wireless card, you might also experience some connectivity problems with your computer as the wireless card refuses to find any network connections and even randomly disconnects. To resolve this problem, you need to refer to the given options below.

Option 1 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

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

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

Option 2 – Try to update or rollback your Network driver

If you have updated the driver software as of late and you suddenly got this BSOD error, you might have to roll back the device driver – in other words, switch back to the previous working version. To do that, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “MSC” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
• From the list of Network Drivers, look for “Realtek <Model> Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC” and then right-click on it and select Update Driver.
• Restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the BSOD error.

Note: If you see any of the following entries under the Network drivers, you might want to download their latest available versions from each one of their manufacturer’s websites.

• Realtek High-Definition (HD) Audio Driver
• Realtek Card Reader Driver
• Realtek Local Area Network (LAN) Driver

On the other hand, if updating the Network driver didn’t help, you can also try to roll back to its previous version.

• Open the Device Manager again and then look for Network Drivers.
• Next, select Realtek <Model> Wireless LAN 802.11n PCI-E NIC from the list of Network Drivers and then double click to open a new mini window.
• After that, make sure that you’re on the Driver tab and if you are not, just navigate to it then click the Roll Back Driver button to switch back to the previous version of the Realtek driver.
• Now restart your computer to successfully apply the changes made.

Option 3 – Try running the System File Checker Scan

The SFC or System File Checker scan could detect and automatically repair damaged system files that could be causing the Netwtw04.sys failed BSOD error. SFC is a built-in command utility that helps in restoring corrupted files as well as missing files. It replaces bad and corrupted system files with good system files. To run the SFC command, follow the steps given below.

• Tap Win + R to launch Run.
• Type in cmd in the field and tap Enter.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in sfc /scannow

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

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

Repair and Solve Error Code 38

Error Code 38 – What is it?

Error Code 38 is a device driver error that users encounter on any Windows 2000 operating system and its following versions.

It occurs when the peripheral device that you connect to your PC cannot be accessed due to an inability of the Windows system to acknowledge the driver as a previous record of the driver being loaded is found in its memory.

It is a common error that users come across and appears on your PC with the following message:

“Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware because a previous instance of the device driver is still in memory. (Code 38)”

Solution

Error Causes

Error Code 38 is prompted when incomplete program files are left in the Windows system which damage or corrupt its files. There are various factors that contribute to this, some of which are:

• An incomplete program installation
• An incomplete program uninstallation
• Hardware is not removed properly
• System recovery from viruses
• An improper system shut down

The above triggers are very likely to create incomplete files within the Windows registry thereby leading to its damage and corruption.

This is especially true in the case of your PC when it has recovered from viruses when using anti-virus software. The anti-virus in its effort to remove the virus also could remove the files which contain them thereby increasing the risk of the error code.

These damaged files can severely impact the health of your PC and are imperative to fix it immediately to prevent further problems.

Further Information and Manual Repair

Although this error code may pose serious problems for your PC, thankfully, it is very similar to other PC driver errors and thus is an easy one to get rid of. Here are various methods that you can use to get your PC running smoothly again.

Method 1 – Restart your PC

The easiest method you can use to solve your PC error code is to simply restart your PC. It may be that the error prompted upon connecting the device you have connected is merely a temporary problem, and upon restart, will resume functioning smoothly.

Method 2 – Run the Troubleshooting Wizard

If restarting your PC does not help, you will have to find the exact nature of the problem by running the troubleshooting wizard for the device and then address the problem accordingly. To do this, proceed with the following steps:

1. Run Device Manager on your PC
2. Click on the program under the installed programs that is creating problems for you
3. Click on the ‘General’ Tab
4. Click ‘Troubleshoot’
5. Upon opening, the Troubleshooting Wizard will ask a series of questions regarding the error. Answer the questions and follow its directions for solving the error code.

After following the directions of the Troubleshooting wizard, make sure to restart your PC for the changes to take effect. Now check if your device is still causing problems.

Method 3 – Use System Restore

If the error persists, you can use system restore to eliminate the problem. Here is how to do so:

1. Log in using an Administrator account
2. Click ‘Start’ button and select All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
3. Click ‘Restore my computer to an earlier time’ and click ‘Next’
4. Select the last Windows to restore point from the ‘On this list, click a restore point’ list, and click ‘Next’
5. Click ‘Next’ on the confirmation window to proceed
6. Restart your PC after restoration is complete

By restoring the system via a last saved system checkpoint, you can obtain undamaged Windows system files that can help resolve the error code.

Method 4 – Manually uninstall and reinstall the device driver

If using system restore does not work either, you may have to resort to manually uninstalling and then reinstalling the device driver causing the problem.

This would be necessary since the remaining incomplete files due to a partial removal or installation of programs are responsible for the error code. By uninstalling and reinstalling the device driver program, it would lead to the completion of the files.

You can do this by firstly logging in as Administrator and opening Device Manager. Select the device that is causing the problem and double click it; make sure that the peripheral is connected properly to the PC.

Upon opening, click on the ‘Driver’ tab and then select ‘Update Driver’. Make sure to refer to the system documentation that you received with your PC or computer to check for the motherboard details and driver specifics.

Method 5 – Use software to automatically download the driver

Manually uninstalling and reinstalling the driver will do the trick; however, it may be time-consuming especially when you would have to resort to your hardware user manual.

Using a program such as DriverFIX can save you a lot of time and frustration in having your device to work properly on your computer.

DriverFIX, with its user-friendly approach to help you fix your PC issues, comes with an integrated database that detects which drivers you need to reconfigure within just a few seconds and downloads it automatically.

It further ensures that your drivers are installed in their entirety leaving no room for any incomplete files to remain that create Error Code 38, or any other driver-related errors for that matter.

It also has the added advantage of being able to backup and restores your files should there be the slightest possibility of system file damage. DriverFIX is the answer to fixing your PC error codes accurately and quickly.

Click here to download DriverFIX to fix Error Code 38 quickly and effectively!