How to do Disk cleanup in Windows 10

Whether you’re using Windows Update or upgrading or installing on your Windows 10 computer, you can’t really tell if things will go smoothly as there are times when you might encounter some issues that prevent you from completing the update or upgrade or the installation. One of the errors you can encounter is error 0x80070057. Usually, when you receive this error, it means that one or more arguments are not valid. You can encounter this error in the following cases:

• Windows Update, Upgrade, or Installation
• Windows Backup, The parameter is incorrect
• Partitioning a Disk
• System Image Restore error 0x80070057
• Downloading Windows Store apps

Keep in mind that the troubleshooting steps you need to take will depend on the scenarios you are in. Thus, you need to go over each one of the troubleshooting options given below and make sure to carefully follow each one of them but before you proceed, you have to create a System Restore Point first.

Option 1 – Run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

The first thing you can do to fix error 0x80070057 is by running the Windows Update Troubleshooter. It is a built-in tool in Windows that helps users resolve any issues with Windows Update. All you need to do to run it is go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button.

Option 2 – Use the Registry Editor

If you get the error 0x80070057 during Windows Backup, then you need to make some modifications to the Windows Registry. To do so, follow these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “Regedit” in the field and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
• Next, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftSystem

• Then create a new DWORD value and input “CopyFileBufferedSynchronousIo” as its name and put “1” as its value.
• Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer then check if the error is fixed or not.

Option 3 – Run the DISM tool

Running the DISM Tool helps in repairing the Windows System Image as well as the Windows Component Store in Windows 10. Using this built-in tool, you have various options such as the “/ScanHealth”, “/CheckHealth”, and “/RestoreHealth”.

• Open the Command Prompt with admin privileges.
• Then type in the following commands and make sure to hit Enter right after you type each one of them:
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
  • Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
  • exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
• Do not close the window if the process takes a while as it will probably take a few minutes to finish.

Note: If it happens that the Windows Update client is broken, you need to run the following command to repair it then restart your PC and click on Update once again.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:RepairSourceWindows /LimitAccess

Option 4 – Flush the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder

You have to stop a couple of services such as BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer, and Windows Update Services. And to do that, you need to flush the contents in the SoftwareDistribution folder. The Software Distribution folder in the Windows operating system is a folder that can be found in the Windows directory and is used to store files temporarily which might be required to install the Windows Update on your PC. Thus, it is required by the Windows Update and maintained by WUAgent. Aside from that, it also contains all the Windows Update History files and once you delete them, you will most likely lose the Update history. As a result, the next time you run the Windows Update, it may result in a longer detection time.

• Open the WinX Menu.
• From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.

net stop wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic, and the MSI Installer
• Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.

Option 5 – Reset Windows Store Cache

• Right-click on the start button and click on Command Prompt (administrator).
• Next, type in the command, “wsreset.exe” and tap Enter. Once you do, the command will clear the cache for the Windows Store app.

Option 6 – Run SFC scan

Running the SFC scan or System File Checker might also help in fixing error 0x80070057.

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

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.

Windows 10 and Windows 11 have automatic dynamic screen brightness depending on the surrounding light inside the room. Please take note that this option is available only on devices with build-in screens like laptops, tablets, and all in one desktop PC. If you are connected with your PC via an external monitor you will not have these settings available and probably feature is not even working.

Some computers will also allow automatic brightness changes also on what is displayed on the screen. This option is meant to save battery life on devices. Microsoft calls this automatic brightness feature Content adaptive brightness control. In order to change this setting, we will go to settings inside Windows.

Disabling automatic brightness inside Windows

Open Settings inside Windows, in Windows 11 press WINDOWS + I to open settings, then click on the system in the sidebar and then go to Display. Click on the small arrow beside the Brightness slider in order to expand a small menu and then uncheck Help improve battery by optimizing the content show and brightness. If you see Change brightness automatically when lighting changes, uncheck that as well. Close the settings and you are good to go, now brightness will always be as set in settings.

Inside Windows 10, go to Settings and then go to System and then in Display under the Brightness and Color section look below and locate the box that says Automatically adjust contrast based on the displayed content to help improve battery and uncheck it, if the box below with text Change brightness automatically when lighting changes exists, uncheck it as well. Close settings and you are done.

0x80042109 - What is it?

0x80042109 is a Microsoft Outlook error. The 0x80042109 error code occurs mostly while sending emails. The error message is often displayed in the following format:

“Sending reported error (0×80042109): Outlook cannot connect to your outgoing (SMTP) e-mail server.”

Solution

Error Causes

It is not easy to narrow down the cause for the error code 0x80042109. This error can occur due to many reasons. This includes:

• Corrupt emails and PST files
• Incorrect Outlook account settings
• Unavailability of the mail server
• Incomplete Outlook installation
• Spyware or viral infection

Further Information and Manual Repair

To resolve the 0x80042109 error code on your PC, here are some easy and effective DIY solutions you can try:

Method 1 - Check Mail Settings

Check your mail settings to see if your outgoing server SMTP is selected or not. If it is not, then it could be the reason for the issue. To check mail settings and select the option, here’s what you need to do:

1. Click Tools, select Account Settings, and then POP 3 account and click change.
2. Now check your name field and email address.
3. Check the incoming and outgoing mail server fields and make sure that it is correct.
4. Now click on the outgoing server and make sure that the option ‘My Outgoing Server (SMTP) requires Authentication is selected.
5. After that, click Advanced and tick the option that says ‘This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL).
6. Now click OK to confirm settings.

Method 2 - Reinstall Outlook on your PC

The error may also occur due to incorrect Outlook installation. Therefore reinstall it on your PC. To do this first you will have to uninstall the software and then re-install it. Once the software is reinstalled try sending the email again. If it is sent successfully, then this means the error is related to incomplete installation. However, if the error still persists then it is advisable to restore the points by going to the System Restore option and choosing the option ‘Restore My Computer to an Earlier Time’ point. This will revert the changes.

Method 3 - Try Disabling Firewall

If you have firewall program installed on your PC, then try disabling it and then send an email through your Outlook account.

Method 4 - Scan for Viruses

Another way to resolve the error code is to scan for viruses. Viral infection and spyware and also affect your Outlook account and activities. However, installing an antivirus on your PC may slow down its performance as such programs are notorious for doing that. Therefore, it is advisable to download Restoro. Restoro is a next generation and a highly advanced PC Fixer embedded with powerful and multiple utilities including an antivirus and a system optimizer. Its intuitive algorithm enables it to scan your entire PC and remove all kinds of malicious software affecting your system including malware, adware, spyware, viruses and Trojans. The system optimizer utility works simultaneously and ensures your PC performs at its optimum speed. It is safe, bug-free, and efficient. It has a user-friendly interface which makes it simple and very easy to operate. You can download it on all Windows versions. Click here to download Restoro to resolve error 0x80042109 today!

You might be trying to play music files using the Windows Media Player, but were unable to do so since you encountered an error saying, “Windows Media Player Error – Server Execution Failed” error. If you encountered this error, worry not for this post will guide you on how to fix it using some potential fixes. In the error message, the “Server execution failed” indicates that the “wmplayer.exe” is still running or shutting down at that point and it is possible that it is stuck which is not able to close properly. To fix this error, there are several potential fixes you can try. The first one is to run the Video Playback troubleshooter. While you could also try to disable the WMP Network Sharing Service or register both the jscript.dll and vbscript.dll files. For more information, refer to the options provided below.

Option 1 – Try to run the Video Playback troubleshooter

The first thing you can do to fix the problem, you can try to run the Video Playback troubleshooter instead. To run it, simply go to Settings > Update & security > Troubleshoot. From there, scroll down until you see the Video Playback option and then click on the “Run the troubleshooter” button to get started. This troubleshooter will detect and automatically fix any problems related to video playback so it should help fix the error.

Option 2 – Try to disable the WMP Network Sharing Service

If the Video Playback troubleshooter didn’t work in fixing the problem, the next thing you need to do is disable the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service. The WMP Network Sharing Service is used to share the libraries of the Windows Media Player to other users on the network as well as media devices using the Universal Plug and Play. And since you are not using any network here, then you can disable this service to fix the problem. How? Refer to the given steps below.

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and type “services.msc” in the field and tap Enter to open the Services Manager.
• Next, look for the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service from the list of Services and right-click on it.
• After that, click on the Stop option and see if it fixes the Windows Media Player error.

Option 3 – Try to register the jscript.dll and vbscript.dll files

• Tap the Win + X keys and from the menu select the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option to open an elevated Command Prompt.
• Next, type this command to register the jscript.dll file and click on the confirmation box: regsvr32 jscript.dll
• After that, execute the regsvr32 vbscript.dll command to register the vbscript.dll file.
• Once you’re done, these DLL files will be re-registered and should fix the Windows Media Player error.

If you encounter the “We couldn’t install some updates because the PC was turned off” while trying to run Windows Update on your Windows 10 computer, then read on as this post will give you a couple of suggestions you can use as a reference to fix this error. Make sure to follow the options given below carefully.

Option 1 – Perform basic computer troubleshooting

If you get the “We couldn’t install some updates because the PC was turned off” error on your laptop, then it’s recommended that you connect your laptop to a power source and then try clicking the Update button again. In addition, you also have to make sure that your computer stays awake until the Windows Update process is completed. This will ensure that your computer does not go into an idle state and interfere with the process.

Option 2 – Try deleting the files from the SoftwareDistribution folder and resetting the Catroot2 folder

The downloaded Windows Updates are placed in a folder called “SoftwareDistribution”. The files downloaded in this folder are automatically deleted once the installation is completed. However, if the files are not clean up or if the installation is still pending, you can delete all the files in this folder after you pause the Windows Update service. For complete instructions, refer to the steps below.

• Open the WinX Menu.
• From there, open Command Prompt as admin.
• Then type in the following command – don’t forget to hit Enter right after typing each one of them.

net stop wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After entering these commands, it will stop the Windows Update Service, Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Cryptographic and the MSI Installer
• Next, go to the C:/Windows/SoftwareDistribution folder and get rid of all the folders and files thereby tapping the Ctrl + A keys to select them all and then click on Delete. Note that if the files are in use, you won’t be able to delete them.

After resetting the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to reset the Catroot2 folder to restart the services you just stopped. To do that, follow these steps:

• Type each one of the following commands.

net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver

• After that, exit Command Prompt and restart your computer and then try to run Windows Update once more.

Option 3 – Try restarting the Windows Update Services

• Open the Services Manager.
• From there, make sure that you set the following services and Startup types:
  • Background Intelligent Transfer Service: Manual
  • Cryptographic Service: Automatic
  • Windows Update Service: Manual (Triggered)

Option 4 – Try to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter

Running the built-in Windows Update troubleshooter could also help you resolve the “We couldn’t install some updates because the PC was turned off” error. To run it, go to Settings and then select Troubleshoot from the options. From there, click on Windows Update and then click the “Run the troubleshooter” button. After that, follow the next on-screen instructions and you should be good to go.

Option 5 – Try to install the Windows Updates manually

As mentioned, the error might be because Windows missed installing a particular update which is why you are not able to proceed with the current update. So to resolve the issue, you need to install the update that wasn’t installed by downloading it from the Microsoft Update Catalog website. You also have to make sure that you didn’t turn off the Windows update or have it delayed.

Option 6 – Run Microsoft’s online troubleshooter

Running Microsoft’s online troubleshooter might also help you fix the Windows update error. This online troubleshooter is known to help in fixing Windows Update errors, it scans your computer for issues that might be causing the problem and then fixes them automatically.

One of the most important components of a computer in the network. The network, with the help of network devices, makes it possible for all kinds of devices to exchange information. One of the files associated with the network driver is the netio.sys file. It is a system file used by third-party programs to interact with the devices on the network. If you encounter a Blue Screen of Death error that’s related to the netio.sys file then you’ve come to the right place as this post will guide you in fixing it. Here are some of the Blue Screen errors related to the netio.sys file:

• KMODE EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED
• PAGE FAULT IN A NONPAGED AREA
• IRQL NOT LESS EQUAL
• SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
• DRIVER IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL
• SYSTEM THREAD EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED

To fix the netio.sys Blue Screen errors on your Windows 10 computer, you can check out each one of the following suggestions.

Option 1 – Try to use the System File Checker

One of the built-in tools in Windows that you can use to fix Blue Screen errors is the System File Checker. This built-in command utility can help you restore corrupted or missing files as well as replace bad and corrupted system files. Chances are, the netio.sys file might be corrupted so to fix it, use System File Checker.

• First, right-click on the Start button and click on the “Command Prompt (Admin) option.
• Next, type in the sfc /scannow command and hit Enter to execute it.

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.

• Finally, restart your computer.

Option 2 – Try checking the Memory for any errors

The first thing you can do to check the memory for errors is to run the CHKDSK utility. The CHKDSK utility repairs hard drive errors that might be causing the problem.

• You need to open “This PC” first.
• And then right-click on your operating system partition for Windows.
• Next, click on Properties and navigate to the Tools tab.
• After that, click on the Check button under the Error Checking section.
• A new mini window will appear and from there, click on Scan drive.
• Now let it scan your disk drive partition to check for errors and then restart your computer.

After running the CHKDSK utility, it’s now time to fix issues with your RAM by running the Memory Diagnostic tool. This tool in windows can help resolve the Blue Screen errors related to the netio.sys file by checking and automatically fixing any memory-based issues. To run it, refer to these steps:

• Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and type mdsched.exe and hit Enter to open the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.
• After that, it will give two options such as:
  • Restart now and check for problems (Recommended)
  • Check for problems the next time I start my computer
• Once your computer has restarted, perform a basic scan or you could also go for the “Advanced” options such as “Test mix” or “Pass count”. Simply tap the F10 key to start the test.

Note: After you select your preferred option, your computer will restart and check for memory-based issues. If it finds any issues, it will automatically fix them and if there’s no issue found, then it’s most likely not a memory-based issue so you should try the other options given below.

Option 3 – Try to update or rollback or disable Network drivers

You might also want to update, roll back or disable your Network drivers to resolve the netio.sys Blue Screen errors.

• Tap the Win + R keys to launch the Run window and then type in the “mdsched.msc” command and hit Enter to open the Device Manager window.
• Under the Device Manager, you will see a list of drivers. From there, look for the Network Adapters and expand it.
• Then right-click on each one of the Network drivers and depending on your preference, you can either select “Update driver”, “Disable device” or “Uninstall device”.
• After that, restart your PC and see if it helped in fixing the netio.sys Blue Screen error.

Option 4 – Perform System Restore

Performing System Restore can also help fix BSOD errors, including the ones related to the netio.sys file. To run System Restore, follow the steps below.

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

Option 5 – Run the Blue Screen Troubleshooter

Troubleshooting Blue Screen of Death errors wouldn’t be complete without the Blue Screen troubleshooter. As you know, it is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that helps users in fixing BSOD errors like Storport.sys. 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.

When you get an igfxem.exe error in Windows, it is not really clear what does this means, usually, Windows throw us some code or we get a DLL error, rarely we get an EXE error. So what does this error means? Intel Graphics Executable Main Module, shortly called as IgfxEM module is a part of the Windows operating system. When you run Microsoft .NET Framework applications that use the AS/400 Data Queue ActiveX control (Mseigdq.dll) to read from and to write to IBM iSeries (AS/400) data queues, you may experience this error. In order to overcome this error and cope with it try the following things:

1. Increase Virtual Memory

   Go to the Start Menu and click on Settings. Type performance. Choose Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows. In the new window, go to the Advanced tab and under the Virtual memory section, click on Change. At the bottom of the new window, check what the Recommended value is and how it compares to Currently allocated. If the current setting is significantly less than the recommended, uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives box at the top of the same windows and then click on Custom size. Enter the Recommended value in the Initial Size box, and a larger figure in the Maximum size box. Click OK to save the new settings.

2. Download and update .NET framework

   Go to the Microsoft website and download the latest .NET framework. Once the download is complete, install the package following onscreen instructions.

3. Reinstall INTEL graphic drivers

   Go to the intel website and download the latest graphic drivers for your graphic card model. Once the download is complete, install the package following onscreen instructions.

4. Run SCF scan

   If all else fails, run command prompt and inside type sfc /scannow

HWiNFO (Hardware Information) is a professional hardware information and diagnostic tool supporting the latest components, industry technologies, and standards. It's targeted to recognize and extract the most possible amount of information about computer hardware which makes it suitable for users searching for driver updates, computer manufactures, system integrators, and technical experts too. Retrieved information is presented in a logical and easily understandable form and can be exported into various types of reports. System health monitoring and basic benchmarking available too. If you would like to read more helpful articles and tips about various software and hardware visit errortools.com daily.

A computer with no internet connection is like a mobile phone that can’t call nor text though you can still use it for other things. So if you are having problems with your computer’s internet connection, worry not as there are some basic things you can try before you go over the actual troubleshooting. Just make sure that you really have working internet. To verify it, try connecting your other devices. Aside from that, you must also make sure that your computer is connected properly over cable or connected to the router over the Wi-Fi. Once you have all these things covered, now’s the time to start troubleshooting the problem with the help of the instructions prepared below. To be more specific, this guide will walk you through what you can do when you encounter a particular internet connection problem where you get the Media State Media disconnected error message on your Windows 10 computer.

Before you troubleshoot the problem, you need to first check the internet connection status on your computer. To do that, follow these steps:

• Type in “cmd” in the Cortana search box.
• From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator” from the context menu.
• After opening Command Prompt with administrator privileges, type in the ipconfig /all command and hit Enter.
• After you enter the command, you will see a list of all the connected media like the Ethernet, Wi-Fi along with its status, and more. From there, you need to check everything closely. I notice a message that says, “Media State . . . . . Media disconnected”, then your internet connection is indeed having issues.

Refer to the options below to fix the Media State Media disconnected error message on your Windows 10 PC.

Option 1 – Try resetting WINSOCK and IP Stack

• Type in “cmd” in the Cortana search box.
• From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as administrator” from the context menu.
• After opening Command Prompt, type in each one of the commands listed below
  • netsh winsock reset catalog – This command will reset the WINSOCK entries.
  • netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log – This command will reset the IPv4 TCP/IP stack.
  • netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log – This command will reset the IPv6 TCP/IP stack
• Once you’ve executed the commands listed above, restart your PC to successfully apply the changes made.

Option 2 – Check if your Network Adapter is disabled

If you’ve disabled the network adapters on your computer, then it’s most likely the reason why you’re getting the Media State Media disconnected error message. Thus, you need to enable it back.

• Open Settings and go to Network and Internet > Select Ethernet > Change adapter options.
• From there, right-click on the adapter and enable it.

Option 3 – Check the Wi-Fi Properties

Though this case is not common, Wi-Fi sharing has actually caused issues for some users. That’s why you need to check the Wi-Fi properties. Go to Network Connections and right-click on Wi-Fi and select Properties. From Properties, go to the Sharing tab and select the first option and click OK.

Option 4 – Try updating the Network driver

• Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box and then type in devmgmt.msc and tap Enter or click OK to open the Device Manager.
• Expand the section for the outdated device drivers.
• And then select the Network driver or any other outdated driver(s) and right-click on it/them.
• From the drop-down menu, select the Update Driver option and follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version of the driver.
• Then also click on the option, “Search automatically for updated driver software.
• Restart your PC after the installation.

Note: If updating the Network driver didn’t work, you can go to the website of your PC manufacturer and look for the support section where you can download the drivers for your computer. You just need to take note of your PC’s correct model and model number so you can find the appropriate driver.

If your Microsoft Edge browser and Windows Store apps are now unable to connect to the internet after you have just installed the newly released Windows 10 v1809 October 2018 update, then this post might help. As you know, Microsoft has made a change recently and because of this, some users are getting the “Hmm, we can’t reach this page” error when they try to open Microsoft Edge as well as other pre-installed apps like News, Mail, and so on. Aside from that, you also won’t be able to connect the Microsoft Store apps to the internet. What’s strange is that you can connect to the internet using other programs like Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and many more. Apart from checking your internet connection, there are other things you can to resolve the problem. If your Windows Store apps are not able to connect to the internet and you’re only getting the Error 80072EFD, then you might have to enable IPv6 as the new Windows 10 v1809 requires IPv6 to be enabled so that you can use the UWP apps. And so you have to enable IPv6 in the network card along with IPv4. To do so, follow the steps below. Step 1: Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box. Step 2: After that, type “ncpa.cpl” and hit Enter or click OK to open Network Connections. From there, you will see your currently connected network profile. Step 3: Right-click on your network profile and select Properties and then go to the Networking tab and look for the “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” and select its corresponding checkbox. Step 4: Now click the OK button to save the changes made and restart your computer.