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Your tech problems fixed
Why can’t I create system restore points?
Q MY fully updated Windows 10 PC will no longer create system restore points. Microsoft’s support team advised me to reinstall Windows, which I did, but it still fails. When the Restore Point Creator Workshop appeared in Issue 516 (page 35), I thought this might be the answer. However, all I get is a ‘Code Returned Was “5” (0x5)’ error message. Do you know why this is happening? Gerry Hendry
A IF even a clean install of Windows 10 didn’t fix this, we strongly suspect your antivirus software is the culprit. Security programs sometimes flag System Restore’s activities as false positives. So, as a test, temporarily disable your antivirus, then try System Restore again. If it works, you’ll need to look through the software’s settings for something that might be stopping the process – such as machine-learning detection. In Malwarebytes, for example, try switching off ‘Use signature-less anomaly detection for increased protection’ in Settings (see screenshot below).
Where’s my Films & TV editing icon?
Q I have been looking for a basic video-editing tool and was drawn to the Workshop in Issue 518 (page 35), about the new editing tools in Windows 10’s ‘Films & TV’ app. I store my videos in a folder on a NAS drive. Am I right in assuming the editing tool covered in your Workshop is not able to edit these stored videos? The editing icon isn’t available when I import a video, and I can’t find a way to index a NAS folder. Any guidance greatly appreciated. Mike Harris
A the editing tools appear only on personal videos, not videos you’ve bought. If you are referring to personal videos, have you checked you are using the latest version of the ‘Films & TV’ app? Launch the Microsoft Store app, click the three dots at the top right to open the menu, then click ‘Downloads and updates’, followed by ‘Get updates’ (see screenshot above).
Next, to add a NAS or other media server, click the Personal tab, Media Servers, then select the device you want to add. If it doesn’t appear, click the Open Settings button and check that the device is available in Windows. If not, click ‘Add Bluetooth or other device’ and follow the prompts.
Finally, to manually direct ‘Films & TV’ to a folder containing personal videos, click the three dots at the top right then choose Settings. Scroll down to the ‘Your videos’ setting, click ‘Choose where we look for videos’, then the plus (+) icon, followed by ‘Add folders’.
Why is my 802.11ac dongle so slow?
Q I read your advice in Issue 518’s Cover Feature on improving home Wi-fi, and subsequently bought an 802.11ac wireless adapter for my laptop. I was hoping to get the best speed from my 100Mbps Virgin broadband, but was disappointed when I carried out a speed test. Even just a few feet from the Virgin Super Hub, the most I could get was a download speed of 13Mbps. When I connected the laptop via an Ethernet cable it achieved 70Mbps. Either I’m doing something wrong or the device doesn’t live up to its promise. The article suggests up to 600Mbps. Graham Peacock
A AS we point out in the feature, all top speeds for Wi-fi are highly theoretical. Regardless, your Virgin Super Hub is capable of 802.11ac speeds and we’d expect your laptop to do a lot better when connected via an 802.11ac wireless adapter. That suggest something’s not quite right.
It’s possible that, for whatever reason, your Super Hub’s 802.11ac functionality has been disabled or restricted. Perhaps you, or Virgin’s installation engineer, once deactivated the 5GHZ band to reduce local interference? Without that band enabled, you won’t ever get 802.11ac’s faster speeds.
In a web browser, type 192.168.0.1 to connect to your router’s settings, then enter the password to log in (this is usually on a sticker at the bottom of the Super Hub). Next, on the left, click ‘Advanced settings’ followed by ‘Wireless signal’. Then, on the right, under ‘Wireless frequency 5GHZ’, make sure ‘Enable 5 GHZ’ is ticked. If it is, you can also force it to use 802.11ac only by opening the menu next to ‘Wireless mode’ and choosing ‘802.11ac’ (see screenshot above). Note, though, that this will stop non-802.11ac devices from connecting.