Why does this screen appear?

The “Your watch history is paused” screen typically appears on accounts where watch history has been disabled for a long time.

The watch history on YouTube is used to generate personalized recommendations. And when it’s disabled, the platform suggests videos and channels based on your likes, saves, and subscriptions.

So, the feature worked well until now. But, recently, many users have reported that their recommendations have disappeared from the YouTube homepage. The homepage just shows the ‘Your watch history is paused’ screen along with an option to Update Setting.

How to Start Getting the Recommendations on YouTube?

The easiest way to start getting the YouTube recommendations is to turn on the Watch history. But if you want to keep the history turned off for privacy reasons, there’s a workaround for it, too.

So, basically, you need to click on the Update Settings and turn on the Watch History. Once enabled, you need to perform 4-5 searches, and then turn it off again.

1. Open the YouTube app or website. Then, tap on Update Setting.

2. Next, tap on Turn on.

3. Now, you need to perform 5-6 searches.

4. Once done, move to the home screen and refresh the feed. This will bring back the recommendations.

5. To pause the Watch History, tap on your profile picture at the bottom right corner.

6. Tap the Settings gear icon at the top right corner.

7. On the Settings, tap on Manage all history.

8. Next, tap on Saving your watch history > Turn Off.

9. On the confirmation prompt, tap Pause.

This will pause your YouTube Watch history. But you will get the YouTube recommendations back.

This guide explains how to fix the ‘Watch history is paused’ screen on the YouTube app. If you need more help in this topic, let us know in the comments.

The post How to fix ‘Your watch history is paused’ on YouTube appeared first on TechViral.

We are going to discuss the new features of YouTube Shorts that you may either enjoy right now or over the upcoming weeks. So, let’s check out what’s new in the YouTube Shorts upgrade.

1) The Clear Screen Mode

On YouTube Shorts, you will get a new Clear Screen mode that will temporarily hide all icons and text from your playback view.

This feature could be immensely helpful since it will give you an immersive, distraction-free view of the videos.

It hides on-screen buttons, icons, and captions to provide a cleaner viewing experience.

2) The new Heart icon

Well, YouTube is retiring the old ‘Dislike’ button from the Shorts player to create a clean interface. YouTube planned to remove it because the dislike button didn’t provide enough information for its recommendation algorithm to understand why a viewer disliked a video.

And the thumbs up button, originally referred to as ‘Like’ is now replaced by a heart icon. So, if you didn’t like a video, the only option you have is marking the video as ‘Not interested’ and ‘Don’t recommend this channel’.

3) Shorts Playback Speed Control

It’s one of the most highly requested community features added to YouTube Shorts. Basically, you can now play the Shorts at double speed.

Just tap and hold on a short, then drag down to lock 2x for the rest of the clip. Also, users can now easily pause the video by tapping the screen and then tapping the mute icon to silence the audio.

New features aren’t appearing?

Well, the new YouTube features like the Clear mode, new playback speed, the heart icon, etc are rolling out in phases. So, it may take a few weeks to reach every user worldwide.

Meanwhile, you can try a few things to get the features early. Here’s what you should do to get those features:

• Update the YouTube app from the Google Play Store/Apple App Store.
• Turn on the YouTube watch history.
• Clear the App Cache and Data.
• Verify the Feature eligibility.

These are the three new features that YouTube Shorts is about to get. So, what’s your take on these new features? Let us know in the comments. Also, if you find this guide helpful, please share it with your friends.

The post YouTube Shorts is About to Get These 3 New Features appeared first on TechViral.

1. Restart your PC

Bugs and glitches in the operating system can prevent the Microsoft Store app from functioning properly. You can eliminate such bugs & glitches by restarting your computer.

Simply click on the Windows 11 Start button and select the Power Menu. On the Power menu options, select Restart. This will restart your Windows 11 PC; after the restart, check whether the Microsoft Store app still logs you out.

2. Rule out Microsoft Account Issues

If the Microsoft Account you’re using on Windows 11 is unverified or missing important information, you will face problems while using most Microsoft apps and services.

To resolve this, you can verify your Microsoft Account. Also, change your Microsoft account password to rule out potential security concerns. To manage your Microsoft Account, visit this webpage and pick the appropriate option.

3. Run the Microsoft Store Apps Troubleshooter

If the Microsoft Store keeps logging out while updating an app, you can try running the Microsoft Store Apps Troubleshooter.

1. Open the Windows Search and type in Microsoft Store App Troubleshooter. Click on the Find and fix problems with Microsoft Store apps.

2. This will open the Microsoft Store Troubleshooter on your PC. Click Next.

3. Wait until the Microsoft Store Troubleshooter finds and fixes problems.

Once the process is complete, restart your Windows PC and check if the issue is fixed.

4. Check the Regional Settings of Windows 11

Incorrect Country or Region selection is another prominent reason for the Microsoft Store keeps logging out issue. If the regional settings are incorrect, you may also face other issues, such as being Unable to download apps or the Microsoft App Store not loading.

1. Click on the Windows 11 Start button and select Settings.

2. Switch to Time & Language.

3. Click Language & region.

4. In the Language & Region window, check whether the Country or Region and Regional Format are correct.

If incorrect, you must select the right options to fix the Microsoft Store issues. After making the changes, make sure to restart your Windows PC.

5. Clear the Microsoft Store Cache

Like every other Windows app, the Microsoft Store app also saves Cache on your device for quicker access. If this cache file is corrupted, certain features of the Microsoft Store may fail to work. You can get rid of this by clearing the Microsoft Store cache.

1. Type Command Prompt in the Windows 11 Search. Next, right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

2. Execute the given command:

WSReset.exe

Wait for the process to complete. Once completed, restart your Windows 11 PC and reaccess the Microsoft Store. This type of Microsoft Store won’t log you out.

6. Repair or Reset the Microsoft Store App

Many Windows 11 users have fixed the Microsoft Store keeps logging out issue just by repairing or resetting the app from the Settings. You can try doing that as well and see if it works.

1. Press the Windows Key + I button your keyboard. This will open Settings.

2. Switch to Apps.

3. Click Installed Apps.

4. Find the Microsoft Store and click on the three dots next to it. On the menu that appears, select Advanced Options.

5. Click the Repair button to repair problems with the Microsoft Store app. If repairing didn’t help, click Reset.

7. Re-register the Microsoft Store app

Microsoft Store is a system app, so it can’t be uninstalled and reinstalled. You only have the option to re-register the app.

1. Type in PowerShell in the Windows 11 Search. Right-click on the PowerShell and select Run as administrator.

2. Execute this command:

Get-AppXPackage WindowsStore -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

After executing the command, close the PowerShell utility and restart Windows 11. After the restart, check whether the Microsoft Store randomly logging out issue has been resolved.

8. Update your Windows 11

Maybe the version of Windows 11 you’re using has a bug or glitch that may be preventing the Microsoft Store app from functioning properly. You can eliminate such bugs & glitches by installing the pending Windows 11 updates.

1. Press the Windows Key + I button to open Settings.

2. Switch to Windows Update.

3. Click Check for Updates.

4. Click on Download & Install.

These are the few simple steps to fix the Microsoft Store keeps logging out issue on Windows. If you need more help with this topic, let us know in the comments.

The post How to Fix Microsoft Store Keeps Logging Out appeared first on TechViral.

How to Rotate WiFi Address on iPhone?

The Private WiFi address feature was enabled by default on older iOS builds, but the Rotate WiFi address feature requires manual activation. Here’s how you can activate it.

1. Launch Settings.

2. Tap WiFi.

3. Tap the info (i) icon next to the WiFi network you’re connected to.

4. Scroll down and enable the toggle for Rotate WiFi address.

5. You need to repeat this for each network on your iPhone.

While the rotating WiFi address is a useful privacy feature, it has a few disadvantages. With a Rotating WiFi address, you may face problems connecting to networks that rely on MAC addresses for authentication. If your enterprise or institute does MAC Address whitelisting, you will have to turn off the Rotate WiFi option.

This guide explains the ‘Rotate WiFi address’ feature and how it works. If you want to reduce tracking on a WiFi network, you should enable and use this feature.

The post How to Set Rotating WiFi Address on iPhone appeared first on TechViral.

1. Restart Explorer.exe from the Task Manager

One of the easiest ways to restart the Explorer.exe process is from the Task Manager.

1. Open Task Manager from the Windows Search.

2. Switch to Processes.

3. Find Windows Explorer, right-click on it, and select Restart.

4. Alternatively, you can end the Explorer.exe or Windows Explorer process. To do so, right-click in Windows Explorer and select End Task.

5. To re-run Windows Explorer, click on the File menu and select the Run new task option. Then, on the Create new task window, enter explorer.exe and click on Ok.

2. Restart Windows Explorer using Command Prompt

Command Prompt on Windows can do a wide range of things, including restarting Windows Explorer.

1. Click on Windows Search and type in CMD. Right-click on the CMD and select Run as administrator.

2. Type the following command and press Enter.

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe

3. This will kill the Windows Explorer process in the background. Now you need to re-run it by executing this command:

start explorer.exe

3. Restart Explorer.exe with a Batch file in Windows 11

If you don’t want to rely on the Task Manager all the time to restart the Explorer.exe process, you can instead create a batch file for it.

1. Right-click anywhere on a blank screen and select New > Text Document.

2. In Notepad, copy and paste the following text:

taskkill /f /IM explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
exit

3. Click on the File and select Save as.

4. In the Save Window, choose your location, and then under the Save as type, select All Files. Name the file whatever you want, but make sure the .bat extension follows it. Finally, click on the Save button to save the batch file.

Usually, the Windows Explorer process can work without a glitch for a long time, but if it doesn’t, you can restart it by following the methods we’ve shared. Let us know if you need more help restarting Windows Explorer.

The post How to Restart Windows Explorer.exe to Fix Frozen Desktop on Windows 11 appeared first on TechViral.

1. Run the Disk Error Checking Utility

The Disk error-checking utility checks the drive for file system errors. Here’s how you can run it.

1. Open File Explorer on your Windows 11 PC.

2. Right-click on the drive where you are experiencing a problem and select Properties.

3. Switch to the Tools.

4. Click on the Check in the Error-checking section.

5. Click on the Scan drive.

The disk checking utility of Windows 11 will run and check the drive for file system errors. If it finds any problem, it will resolve it automatically.

2. Run the Check Disk (chkdsk) utility via Command Prompt

We will run the Windows 11 Check Disk utility via Command Prompt to find and fix hard drive errors.

1. Click the Windows 11 search and type in Command Prompt. Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

2. Execute the command:

chkdsk /f c:

Important: replace c: with the drive letter you want to scan.

3. If you wish to fix bad sectors on the hard drive, you need to execute this command:

chkdsk /r c:

Make sure to replace c: with the drive letter you want to scan.

The command prompt will run the chkdsk scan to fix hard drive problems on your PC. If it finds any bad sectors, you might be prompted to schedule a scan during the next restart. Schedule the scan to resolve all sorts of hard drive problems on Windows 11.

3. Fix Hard Drive Errors on Windows 11 using PowerShell

PowerShell is another utility you can use to find and fix hard drive problems.

1. Click on the Windows 11 search and type in PowerShell. Right-click on the PowerShell and select Run as Administrator.

2. Type the command and press Enter.

Repair-Volume -DriveLetter C -Scan

Important: Replace ‘C’ with the letter of the drive you want to scan

3. If the drive has no issues, you will see the NoErrorsFound message.

4. Type in this command and press Enter.

Repair-Volume -DriveLetter C -SpotFix

Important: Replace ‘C’ with the letter of the drive you want to scan

After executing the commands, close the PowerShell utility and restart your Windows 11 computer. This should fix hard drive issues.

4. Defragment the Hard Disk

The Optimize Drives tool defragments your hard disk drive and resolves various drive-related problems.

1. Type Defrag in the Windows 11 search. Next, open the Defragment and Optimize Drives app.

2. Select the hard disk drive you want to trim down.

3. Click the Optimize button to defrag the drive.

5. Other ways to check & repair hard disk errors

If your Windows 11 hard disk still has problems, it’s best to use a third-party error-checking utility. Many third-party tools on the web utilize the Check Disk utility in Windows 11 to find and fix various hard drive-related problems.

Hence, you can use tools to check & repair hard disk errors to get your hard drive problem fixed. However, download the tools from trusted sources and uncheck the bundled apps during installation.

These are the best ways to scan and fix hard drive problems in Windows 11. If your hard drive has a hardware problem, you might need it replaced. Or, if it’s in the warranty period, you will have to take it to the local service center to get it fixed or replaced.

The post 5 Best Ways to Fix Hard Drive Problems on Windows 11 appeared first on TechViral.

In most cases, the white box is caused by a startup app, scheduled task, or background process that fails to load correctly. It’s rarely a sign of hardware failure. If you’re facing the same issue, here’s what you should do.

1. Check and disable the Startup Apps

A specific app may be set to run automatically at startup, but it fails to launch properly.

When the app fails to launch, it shows only a blank white screen. So, you need to go through the Startup apps and disable the unnecessary ones.

Open Task Manager and switch to Startup Apps. Now check which apps are enabled and disable the ones you don’t need at startup.

2. Scan your PC with Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes is a robust security tool that is capable of removing hidden viruses, malware, and adware from your device.

The blank empty white box that appears could be caused by adware. To remove such a possibility, you need to scan your device with Malwarebytes.

Download & install Malwarebytes on your system and run a full scan. It will find and remove all hidden and unknown threats from your computer.

3. Run the SFC Command

The System File Checker Utility finds and repairs corrupted system files. You should run this tool via Command Prompt.

• Open Command Prompt with admin rights.
• Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
• The system file checker utility will run. It will find and repair all corrupted system files.

Make sure to restart your computer after running the scan.

4. Disable Google Related Task in Task Scheduler

Certain tasks may be set to run at startup, and they are configured in the Task Scheduler. So, you need to find and disable such tasks in the Task Scheduler.

• Open the Task Scheduler app from the Windows Search.
• Switch to the Task Scheduler Library.
• Now check for Google related tasks. If you find any, right-click on it and select Disable.

5. Install the Pending Windows Updates

The blank empty white box at startup may also be a result of a bug or glitch in the operating system version you’re using.

The best way to get rid of such glitches is to install all pending Windows 11 Updates. To update Windows 11, head to Settings > Windows Update.

On the right side, click on Check for updates. This will find, download & install all available updates.

These are the best ways to fix the blank empty white box that appears at startup. If you need more help in fixing this problem, let us know in the comments. Also, if this article helped you, share it with your friends.

The post White Blank Window Opens at Startup? Here’s how to fix it appeared first on TechViral.

Certain other things can also trigger such errors on a Windows computer:

• A hard drive is corrupted.
• Virus or Malware infection.
• The external hard drive is physically damaged.
• The external hard drive was removed improperly.
• The USB Port might be damaged or not working correctly.

If you’ve encountered this error, here’s how you can fix it.

1. Restart your computer

Sometimes, the ‘File or Directory Is Corrupted and Unreadable’ error is just a result of a temporary glitch. Before trying anything else, you should restart your Windows computer.

Restarting your Windows computer can eliminate such bugs and glitches.

2. Disable Your Antivirus

Antivirus programs can sometimes trigger false-positive warnings; your antivirus program likely detects the external drive as a threat and prevents you from accessing the files.

If you believe your external drive has no problematic files, you can temporarily disable your antivirus or antimalware program. After turning off the antivirus tool, reaccess the file. If you don’t see the error, your antivirus program was the culprit.

3. Run the ChkDsk command

This method will use the disk check utility to fix the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable error message.

1. Open File Explorer on your PC.

2. Right-click on the external hard drive and select Properties.

3. Click on Tools.

4. Click on Check under Error-checking.

5. Click on the Scan Drive.

6. Wait for a few seconds until the scan completes.

7. Once you have completed the process, you will see a success message. Click the ‘Close’ button to close the utility.

4. Run chkdsk from the command prompt

This method runs the disk check utility from the command prompt.

1. Right-click the Windows icon and select Command Prompt (Admin).

2. In the command prompt window, enter the command chkdsk /r d:

Note: Make sure to replace the last letter with a letter of the drive displaying the error.

3. Wait for a few seconds until the scan completes. Once done, restart your PC.

5. Use Malware Removal Programs

As already stated, the ‘The file or Directory is corrupted and Unreadable’ error also appears due to malware attacks. Therefore, you should scan the entire drive with a reliable security solution.

We recommend you use Malwarebytes to scan the drive. For those who don’t know, Malwarebytes is a leading malware scanner that follows the most updated list of malware and viruses.

This article is about fixing the ‘The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable’ error message. If you need more help on this topic, let us know in the comments.

The post How to Fix ‘The file or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable’ appeared first on TechViral.

1. Open MSConfig via Windows Search 

The easiest way to open the MSConfig utility on Windows 11 is by utilizing the Windows Search.

1. Click on the Windows Search button in the taskbar. If you’ve hidden the Windows Search, press Windows + S to bring up the Search menu.

2. In Windows Search, type msconfig.

3. Open the System Configuration app from the list of best match results.

2. Open MSConfig on Windows 11 via RUN

Another simple way to open the MSConfig utility on Windows 11 is to use the Run tool.

1. Press the Windows Key + R button on your keyboard.

2. This will open the RUN Dialog box.

3. Type msconfig in the RUN dialog box and click OK.

4. This will open the System Configuration utility on Windows 11.

3. Launch MSConfig on Windows 11 using Command Prompt

If you want, you can launch the MSConfig tool via Command Prompt as well. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Type Command Prompt in the Windows 11 Search. Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

2. Type msconfig and press Enter.

3. Command Prompt will immediately launch the System Configuration utility.

4. Launch the MSConfig utility via File Explorer

Launching MSConfig via File Explorer requires browsing to the System32 folder and launching the msconfig.exe file.

1. Open the File Explorer on your Windows 11 PC.

2. Navigate to this path:

C:\Windows\System32

3. You will find lots of files and folders on this path. Find and double-click the msconfig.exe file.

4. This will launch the System Configuration app on your PC.

These are the different ways to launch the MSConfig or System Configuration utility on Windows 11. If you need further help, let us know in the comments.

The post 4 Ways to Open MSConfig in Windows 11 appeared first on TechViral.

1. Open Devices and Printers from the RUN dialog box

The RUN dialog box is the easiest and quickest way to open Devices and Printers on Windows 11.

1. Press the Windows Key + R button on your keyboard. This will open the RUN dialog box.

2. Paste the following code and press Enter.

shell:::{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A}

3. Executing the command through the RUN dialog box will instantly open the Devices and Printers page.

2. Open Classic Devices and Printers from the Settings

The Devices and Printers page is hidden deep under the settings. You can open it from Settings as well.

1. Click on the Windows 11 Start button and select Settings.

2. Switch to Bluetooth & devices.

3. Click on Devices.

4. Scroll down to the Related Settings section. Next, click on the More Devices and Printer settings.

5. This will open the classic Devices and Printers screen.

3. Create a Shortcut to open Classic Devices and Printers

If you want quicker access to classic Devices and Printers, follow these steps to create a desktop shortcut.

1. Open Control Panel from the Windows Search.

2. Click on the View by drop-down and select Small or Large icons.

3. Right-click on Devices and Printers and select Create Shortcut.

4. On the desktop shortcut confirmation prompt, click Yes.

4. Add Devices and Printers to the Navigation Pane of File Explorer

You can download the registry file to add the Devices and Printers shortcut to either the top or bottom section of the File Explorer navigation pane.

1. Download the Registry file depending on where you want the Devices & Printers to appear.

• Top: Download Registry File
• Bottom: Download Registry File

2. After downloading the registry file, close File Explorer.

3. Double-click on the Registry file you’ve downloaded. A UAC prompt will appear; click Yes.

4. The Devices and Printers shortcut will be added to the Windows 11 File Explorer.

5. If you want to remove the shortcut from the File Explorer, download and run this Registry file.

This method may be useful if you feel comfortable using the old Devices and Printers page on Windows 11. Let us know if you need more help accessing it.

The post How to Open ‘Devices and Printers’ in Windows 11 appeared first on TechViral.