Does the sound icon on your Windows taskbar bear a red colored X mark?

If yes, then your device will not be able to play any audio.

This typically occurs due to two problems.

The first reason may be that the audio device is disabled on your device.

Or else, your device does not have the recent drivers installed.

If your Windows device cannot find audio devices, then check out the fixes mentioned below:Install the Sound Card’s Driver AgainYou should install the sound card’s driver again by following these instructions mentioned below:Hold the Windows and R hotkeys to invoke the Run prompt.Then input ‘devmgmt.msc’ into it and press the Enter key to launch the Device Manager.After that, go to the ‘Sound, video and game controllers’ and click on it.Select the audio adapter, and right-click on it, then choose the Uninstall button.You should click on the option of ‘Delete the driver software for this device’ over the dialog section.Hit the button of Install.Now, install the sound adapter driver again by selecting the ‘Action’ button and choosing the ‘Scan for hardware changes’ option.Run the Audio TroubleshooterYou should run the audio troubleshooter by following these instructions mentioned below:Hold the Windows and Q hotkeys simultaneously to launch the troubleshooter.Later, input ‘troubleshoot’ into the Cortana section.You should select the Troubleshoot option to invoke the Settings application.Choose the ‘Playing Audio’ option, then select the ‘Run the troubleshooter’ option.Now, the screen of the troubleshooter will launch and might give some solutions for the error.Enable the Sound Adapter AgainYou should enable the sound adapter again by following these instructions mentioned below:Open the Win + X menu.Then click on the Device Manager from the menu.Reach the ‘Sound, video, and game controllers’ option and twice click on it to extend that category.Thereafter, choose the listed audio adapter, and right-click on it then choose the Disable device option.Now, turn it on again and right-click on the audio adapter, then choose the Enable device option.Ensure that the Windows Audio Services are Turned onYou should check that the Windows Audio Services are turned on by following these instructions mentioned below:Hold the Windows and R hotkeys simultaneously to invoke the Run prompt.Later, insert ‘services.msc’ into it and select the OK button.Go to the ‘Windows Audio’ option and twice click on it.Choose the ‘Automatic’ option over the Startup type pull-down menu, in case the service is turned on.Hit the button of Start.You should click on the button of Apply.Then select the OK button to shut the screen.After that, twice click on the ‘Windows Endpoint Audio Builder’ to launch the properties screen.You have to choose the option of Automatic’ startup type and hit the start button.Now, select the Apply button.Click on OK.Roll Back WindowsYou should roll back Windows by following these instructions mentioned below:Hold the Windows and R hotkeys simultaneously to invoke the Run prompt.Thereafter, input ‘rstrui’ into it and select the OK button to invoke the Open System Restore.Hit the button of Next to invoke the restore points list.Users are required to choose ‘Show more restore points’ to see a full list.You should click on the restore point date.Later, hit the button of Next.Click on Finish.Factory Reset WindowsYou should factory reset Windows by following these instructions mentioned below:To invoke the Cortana application, hold the Windows and Q keys simultaneously.Then input ‘reset’ into it, select the OK button and then click on the ‘Reset this PC’ option.Hit the button of the ‘Get started’ option.You have to choose the option of ‘Keep my Files.’Now, hit the button of Reset to verify.Source: Windows Can’t Find Audio Devices?

If you use Xbox, PC, or other Microsoft devices, then commanding Cortana can be better to make things done when you are quite busy.

Motherboard identifies that the service provider of Microsoft listens to the Cortana recordings giving commands often from PC or browsers with small protection.

Recordings are transfers in the safe facilities by Microsoft.

However, transcribing is in place that means someone still listening to everything that you command to the assistant.

If you select not to log in to the Cortana, you may also talk to Cortana and locate the web and files and emails saved in Microsoft services, including Outlook and OneDrive and the Windows device.

Go through the blog and follow the instructions to remove Cortana recordings and protect privacy.

Microsoft contractors have been listening to Skype and Cortana conversations without the full knowledge and consent of the apps’ users, claims a report.

We were almost immediately proved wrong when we said Microsoft, in comparison with Apple, Google, and Amazon, “fortunately has not suffered high profile embarrassment” by its voice assistant Cortana.

Motherboard, part of the media outlet Vice, reported that Microsoft contractors, some of them working from home, have been listening to some Skype calls using the app’s instant translation feature, as well as users’ interactions with the Cortana.

Motherboard has acquired audio clips, screenshots as well as internal documents to show that Microsoft, just as its peers, have been employing humans to constantly improve the software algorithm and the quality and accuracy of the translations and responses.

Also similar to the other leading tech companies that run voice assistants, Microsoft is ambiguous in its consumer communication, lax in its policy implementation, and does not give the users a way to opt out.

“The fact that I can even share some of this with you shows how lax things are in terms of protecting user data,” the Microsoft contractor turned whistle-blower, who supplied the evidence and decided to remain anonymous, told Motherboard.

The updated version of MS Windows 10 is packed with Chat-based Cortana UI interface.

Here is how to use Chat-Based Cortana UI:Getting Calendar and Schedule AssistanceYou can easily organize and manage calendar events via Cortana UI assistance.

To do so, login to your assistant and then connect the personal Calendar to either school or work to keep track of your schedule.

For instance:Am I free at 7 PM?What’s the next schedule on my Calendar?Organizing Online MeetingsDo you wish to join online meetings on Microsoft Teams with this updated mechanism of Cortana UI?

You may easily join your official meeting with your office clients without thinking more.

For example:First of all, you have to launch PowerPoint.Then, turn on Wi-Fi by navigating the Wi-Fi settings page.Getting Weather and News UpdatesCortana will definitely help you to manage your outings by providing prior information regarding possible weather updates.What are the top headlines today?How’s the weather?Searching People Profile in OrganizationIf you desire to learn about people working in your organization, then take Cortana’s help, and it will assist you to ease your work.

Developers have integrated these smart assistants into different devices, including smartphones, security cameras, etc.

They are voice assistants that follow your voice command to perform smart activities.

Furthermore, completely removing or uninstalling Cortana is risky as it is an in-built application from Microsoft.

Also, there is no official help from Microsoft for uninstalling Cortana completely.

If your PC has Windows 10 installed, you can disable it through the Windows registry.

Do not hurry in the process.

Has your Cortana gone AWOL?

We will find out what is up with “Cortana”, but before going into the depth, just restart your gadget.Use some of these solutions to troubleshoot Cortana is not responding issue:Reconfigure MicrophoneThe only way through which we can make Cortana work is by enabling her.

Follow the below-given steps to verify if Cortana is enabled:Enter Cortana, on the Taskbar in search Window.Tap Cortana and Search in the results.See if all these options are adequately enabled:See if Cortana responds to Hey Cortana.Tap Get Started under Microphone and ensure Cortana can hear you/Set up a microphone to work through Wizard.Allow Windows to resolve all the issues.Take help of Microsoft Account to fix the issuesWhen Start menu isn’t working well, then there can be an issue with Microsoft account.

If you want to see where the problem lies, then:Tap the Start button.Tap user icon.Tap Sign out.Take help of Microsoft account to sign in again.Restart your device if that isn’t resolving the issue.Check for the updatesMicrosoft launches updates that are available for fixing Cortana issues.

Use windows update for updating windows 10:Write Check for Updates in the search window.Tap Check for updates in results.Tap check for updates.Let the process get complete.Restart the device even if you don’t want to.Run Start Menu TroubleshooterThis troubleshooter will look and resolve the issues that lie inside the Start list and the “Cortana”.

Follow the below given steps :Go to Microsoft’s Troubleshoot issues with the Start menu.Tap try the troubleshooter.Tap Start Menu Troubleshooter.Tap on the downloaded file.Tap Next.Restarting process of CortanaUsers can also stop and restart Cortana Windows if your issue isn’t solved yet.

You may want to check the renewal date of your Google Play subscription to cancel the subscription or change the payment method before the next billing starts.

You can review and change subscription settings on the app as well as on the web.Source : http://retailcard-activation.com/how-to-change-google-play-subscription-settings-on-mobile-or-computer/How to Change Google Play Subscription Settings on Mobile (Android)These steps only work on Google Play app, if you have an Android Smartphone or tablet and want to change any settings for a subscription like payment method, renewal dates, or frequency of a subscription, check the below guidelines.How to view subscriptions and renewal datesIf you want to know the renewal date of a subscription, then in the Subscriptions you can check your subscriptions and their renewal dates.1.

Open ‘Play Store’ app on your phone or tablet.2.

Make sure the account is correct if it is not, then switch or change the account.4.

After signing in, tap the ‘Menu’ icon.5.

From the menu, select ‘Subscriptions.’Here are your subscriptions, view the renewal date of which you want to know.How to change the payment methodIf you want to change the payment method before it used again for renewal, follow these steps.Note: Renewal process may take place before 24 hours of the next period starts.1.

With the advancement of new technology, every industry is adopting new trends to provide better experiences to users, then the retail industry is not an exception.Digital Transformation has modified the shopping, online experiences, and also the customer expectations from offline stores.

Moreover, the pandemic has changed who the entire retail industry functions.Now users want things instantly and don’t want to waste their time.

Considering this, various retailers across the globe are looking for new trends to provide better services to customers.

Based on their demand, we have done the hard work and singled out some wonderful technology trends for the retail industry.IoT Services IoT is the next big thing that is going to happen in the retail industry.

IoT enables you to handle some home appliances like the air-conditioner, televisions, room heater, lights, fans, etc via an app.If your retail online site/app sells white goods, then you should explore the possibility of offering your customers a better shopping experience by integrating IoT services in your mobile app itself to control various household appliances through their sensors.Voice CommerceWith the launch of virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home Assistant, Microsoft Cortana, etc.

we can utilize our voice, and these apps decrypt our voice and offer instant results.

It offers the response to all inquiries as well as aides in looking through them on the web.

The Alexa application has increased in popularity in the past few years and now people all around the world are using Alexa for enjoying the smart life experience.

If you also want to download the latest version of Alexa app, this guide can help you.

A normal user uses the Alexa services to perform their day to day tasks like controlling the smart home devices at home, order food, or book a taxi, and a lot more.

Although, you can always change the wake word whenever you want something different, for example, Amazon,  Echo, or the Computer.Features Supported By Alexa App You can play your favorite on Spotify.

Play the radio on Spotify.

This error usually suggestions that the Windows attempts to communicate with the Microsoft servers have been unsuccessful.

Hence, log out of your account and check if the issue of Cortana something went wrong error still persists.

Here’s what you need to do:Open the Start menu.Select the user icon.Now, click on the Sign Out option.After that, log back into your Microsoft account.Hopefully, doing this will fix the Cortana issue.Fix 3: Select the same languageIn order to interact with Cortana, you have to give her commands.

Hence it is suggested that you choose the same device and speech language along with the country or region language.For changing the languages, here’s what you need to do:Open the Start menu.Click on the Settings option.Select Time and Language.Click on Language and then select any supported language for Cortana below the Windows display language.Click on Region and make sure that it is supported.Now, just go to Speech and see if the Speech language is the same as Cortana language.Fix 4: Select a different Cortana languageEven if the device language and speech language are the same, and you are still facing the Cortana something went wrong error, then you must go to the Cortana settings and change its language to a supported one.Just follow the steps given below:Open the Start Menu.Select Settings.From the Settings screen, select Cortana.Or else, you can click the search option and select the settings icon.Move to Talk to Cortana.Now, you can change the language.Fix 5: Run the troubleshooterWindows comes with an inbuilt troubleshooting tool that can fix many issues.

Here’s how you can troubleshoot the Cortana issue:Launch the Start menu.Hit the settings option located in the left section.Select Update and Security.Go to the Troubleshoot section.Select Search and Indexing.Now, click on Run the troubleshooter.Follow the guidelines shown on the screen to begin the troubleshooting procedure.

This will bring the directory of all available Troubleshooter.

Microsoft Azure’s cloud computing platform is transforming how businesses use this technology.

Azure is a powerful platform and can cater to massive established enterprises or scalable to medium-sized companies and their specific needs.

Thus, there’s no got to worry about cloud infrastructure continuously.AgilityAzure is fast when it come to scalability, deployment and operations.

It provides organizations with a competitive advantage, giving them a good reason to adopt Azure into their operations.

The business data stored on the Microsoft Azure cloud that need to meet the compliance requirements, especially in your finance and legal department, can be changed.

It reduces the risk of hacking to a great extent.Analytics SupportWhen it involves metrics and analysis, Azure offers a built-in feature that analyzes accumulated data and drives insights.

Microsoft Azure’s cloud computing platform is transforming how businesses use this technology.

Azure is a powerful platform and can cater to massive established enterprises or scalable to medium-sized companies and their specific needs.

Thus, there’s no got to worry about cloud infrastructure continuously.

Agility  Azure is fast when it come to scalability, deployment and operations.

It provides organizations with a competitive advantage, giving them a good reason to adopt Azure into their operations.

The business data stored on the Microsoft Azure cloud that need to meet the compliance requirements, especially in your finance and legal department, can be changed.

Smart light switches could also be an option to start digitizing your house but their set-up is a little complex.Talking about smart bulbs and smart light switches, both of them come with certain advantages and disadvantages.Where a smart light switch can be controlled via an app or a smart speaker, a smart bulb cannot.Where a smart light switch requires neutral wiring that is difficult in older homes, a smart bulb does not.

You just have to screw it into a light socket.If you are a perfectionist and want the smartest possible home, then you could configure both, though this will add complications of its own.Let’s start your journey towards a smart home by purchasing the best Smart bulb from the recommendations below.

Philips HuePhilips is already one of the most trusted and reliable brands.

It comes in various colors which are perfect to enlighten the mood in your smart house.You can also control these smart light bulbs via Hue compatible apps on your smartphone.

However, there are more to try.Now, if you are interested in getting more expensive and smarter, below is the list of smart light switches you may want to try.Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch With RemoteIf you have already purchased a Philip Hue smart light bulb, then the Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch with Remote would work the best for you.

This battery-powered dimmer with remote smoothly and wirelessly adjusts your lights from the comfort of your bed.

You tried to find it everywhere, but couldn’t get your hands on it.

For Android users, Google Assistant is one of the best ways to identify songs.

It will give you a notification with the current playing song details, and you can save it or discard it as per your choice.SiriWith recently improved capabilities and Shortcuts support, Siri is growing as one of the most promising automation tools.

Siri comes with multiple features, and song identification is one of those features that allows you to identify songs and music in seconds.Whenever you want to identify a song, launch “Siri” and say “What song is playing right now” and Siri will start listening to the song and display results in seconds.

In case you have not subscribed to Apple Music, you will get the option to purchase the song.Apple launched a new Music Recognition feature fully integrated with Shazam app that allows you to identify ambient music and music playing on your phone.

You can enable this Music Recognition feature by going into the “Settings” and enable its toggle in the Control Centre.CortanaCortana allows you to identify music on your PC.