Tutorials

In recent days, a growing number of users started facing issues with setting up their printers by default. The problem has been spotted to happen in Windows 10 with the following message - Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000709), Double check the printer name and make sure that the printer is connected to the network". After this, many get stuck and do not have any idea how to get around the issue. The most common reasons for its appearance are wrong registry values, corrupted settings, and malfunctioned or outdated drivers. Luckily, you should not be worried about any of those because we have prepared a complete guide to address the popping-up error. Make sure to follow each proposed step until the error gets resolved.

Also known as Exception Processing Message, Error 0xc0000005 is an Access Violation problem that comes while trying to launch some application, install updates, and other common actions in Windows. The issue pops preventing users from running the above-mentioned duly. It says "the application was unable to start correctly" and offers to close by clicking "OK". As a result, no further interaction is present as long as the error persists. Normally, there are a couple of most popular and frequently-encountered reasons for this - malfunctioned registry values, malware infections, damaged RAM or configuration settings, and other causes as well. Usually, it is enough to try several solutions and have the issue solved eventually. We will show you all of them that you should perform step-by-step according to our instructions. Read carefully and do not miss any steps to not cause any confusion during the process.

If you found your files have new .hamster extension and no longer accessible, then you are infected with a virus called Hamster Ransomware. Infections of this type hack your PC settings to run through encryption of data. They also apply some visual changes to make victims spot the result of infection. After successful encryption, you will see a file like 1.pdf change to 1.pdf.hamster and reset its default icon to blank. The virus will also create a text note called How To decrypt.txt. As stated in the note, Hamster Ransomware penetrated your network and blocked access to most of the data. In order to get it back, victims are instructed to contact cyber criminals with their assigned ID and purchase the tool for decryption. It is important that victims reach out to malware developers using TOX messenger, which should be installed in case of absence. The frauds also advise you to contact them within 72 hours since the attack. This way, the price for complete data recovery will be reduced. It is also mentioned the attackers will tell how they infiltrated your system and what can be done to fix the existing vulnerability in the future.

Hospitalhelper is the name of another ransomware infection. Although it is new, the virus copies traits of other popular versions. File encryption, new extension, and ransom note are the main changes brought by Hospitalhelper. For instance, a file like 1.pdf will change to something like this 1.pdf.hospitalhelper.5BB-DE6-0CC and reset its shortcut icon. While .hospitalhelper is a constant extension, 5BB-DE6-0CC represents random combination of letters reflecting a victim's ID. After your files have been altered this way, access to them will be no longer available. Hospitalhelper also creates a text note called !!! ALL YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED !!!.TXT that contains ransom instructions.

Some apps installed on Mac can be extremely annoying and piss off many users that struggle to delete them. This is especially popular with low-reputation products that try to stick around systems as long as possible. Rather than developing their own quality, they focus on making their apps undeletable to force inexperienced people to continue the usage. Oftentimes, manual uninstallation of such apps can leave lots of residual files that will accumulate over time loading up system resources. If you consider yourself part of this category, we will help you unchain your Mac from persistent software that mulishly hangs inside of your system.

Since the rise of electronic technologies, the way people percept the world has changed beyond recognition. The Internet became one of the breakthroughs in communications and regular lifestyle. Microphones themselves have been playing a significant role in building a bridge between speakers all over the world. They get constantly upgraded with new features to make your voice sound better and clearer. Now, everybody who owns a laptop or smartphone, has microphones built-in already as a staple thing. Those who gravitate towards higher quality, buy external devices and plug them in configuring settings for personal needs. Unfortunately, some users of Windows 10 experience issues with sound recording devices for unknown reasons. This can be related to various reasons like driver issues, damaged port (USB), and others. If you are one of them, we will help you seal the problem down below.

Scott.Armstrong is a ransomware virus that encrypts sensitive files by appending the .LOCKED extension. This is meant to highlight the blocked data and catch the attention of infected victims. For example, a file like 1.pdf will change to 1.pdf.LOCKED and reset its original icon. After this, users will no longer be able to access their data as previously. Rigth at the end of encryption, the virus triggers a pop-up window called HOW_TO_RECOVER_MY_FILES.hta to open. It also creates a separate text note (HOW_TO_RECOVER_MY_FILES.txt) containing detailed instructions on how to return your data. The text note instructs victims to install the qTox private messenger and contact developers using the provided TOX-ID. Alternatively, you may also establish contact with cybercriminals through e-mail by sending your Key Identifier, which is attached in the note. You are also allowed to send up to 3 files together with the Key ID to get them decrypted for free. These files should be less than 5MB each, non-archived, and do not contain any valuable information (e.g. databases, backups, large excel sheets, etc.). Based on the message content, it is clear that Scott.Armstrong puts more emphasis on infecting company networks to export bigger amounts of ransom.

Willow encrypts personal data using cryptographic ciphers, alters file extensions to .willow and demands 500$ payment to reset the assigned changes. All of these traits categorize it as ransomware. A sample of encrypted data would look something like this 1.pdf.willow. The files will lose their original shortcut icons as well. Willow Ransomware also changes desktop wallpapers and creates the READMEPLEASE.txt text note. Both wallpapers and text note display the same ransom instruction that victims should follow to recover the data. It is said victims should pay 500$ in BTC to the attached Bitcoin address unless they want to lose their files forever. It is also mentioned third-party decryptors will not be able to remove ciphers applied to files by Willow. Unfortunately, this is nothing, but true as many ransomware infections use high-grade encryption algorithms and store their keys on online servers. For this reason, manual decryption very often appears to be impossible. We do not recommend you pay the required ransom because there is a risk to get scammed eventually. Extortionists hold fame for dumping their victims and not sending any decryption tools even after receiving the money.