How to block the Chrome Software Reporter Tool

If you run Google Chrome on a Windows PC and monitor processes that run on the machine, you may notice the Software Reporter Tool process eventually.

Software Reporter Tool, the executable file is software_reporter_tool.exe, is a tool that Google distributes with the Google Chrome web browser.

It is part of the Chrome Cleanup Tool which in turn may remove software that causes issues with Chrome. Google mentions crashes, modified startup or new tab pages, or unexpected advertisement specifically.  Anything that interferes with a user’s browsing experience may be removed by the tool.

Chrome Software Reporter Tool

software reporter tool

The Software Reporter Tool scans the computer’s drive and reports these scans to Google. Google Chrome uses the scan results to determine whether it should prompt the user to remove unwanted software from the computer as it impacts the browsing experience.

Google Chrome users may have two main issues with the Software Reporter Tool:

  1. It may cause a high system load when it scans the system. User reports range from it using 30% and more CPU while running. Since it may run for as long as 20 minutes, that is something that may interfere with other activity on the computer.
  2. The tool informs Google about the scan results which some users may dislike because of privacy concerns.

A Google community specialist mentioned that the tool scans folders related to Chrome only, but its scope is not exposed to the user in any way.

You find the Software Reporter Tool under the following path on Windows 7 and newer versions of Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\SwReporter\VERSION\software_reporter_tool.exe

The Version changes regularly, it was 24.137.203 when this article was published initially, and 42.206.200.3 at the time it was updated.

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How to deal with Chrome’s “downloading proxy script” message

The message “downloading proxy script” may be displayed by Google Chrome. If you see it frequently, you may want to know why the message is displayed by the browser and what you can do about it.

You may see the message when Internet connectivity changes, e.g. when you connect to a different Wi-Fi network or if other connectivity parameters change. Chrome may appear to take longer than usually to display sites and the downloading of the proxy script may take a few seconds to complete.

At home, proxy servers are usually not used but browsers are still configured to check whether proxy servers are used. Google Chrome’s “download proxy script” message is caused by the default configuration.

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How to convert Mkv to mp4

The MKV or Matroska file format is a video file format you will occasionally encounter. The advantages of this format include supporting multiple subtitle and audio tracks for videos.

The downside of the MKV format is that a lot of devices don’t support it. If you have some MKV files, you might wonder how you can get them to play on a Smart TV or another device

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How to increase your privacy and security in Zoom

Zoom has faced several privacy and security concerns as more people turn to it for a way to communicate. Businesses, including SpaceX, have begun telling employees to stop using the service, while others, including consumers, have started opting for alternatives. But what if you still need to use Zoom? We’ll teach you how to increase your privacy and security on what is quickly becoming one of the web’s most popular video conferencing services.

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How to block a website on MacOS

We’ve all been there. You’re sitting at your desk at work, fiddling with some spreadsheets or documents online when you get a sudden urge to take a peek at Facebook. A harmless mistake, sure. But you’re not feeling so productive once an hour rolls by, and you’ve gotten absolutely nothing done. That’s a problem.

And what about those kids of yours? Staying up all night perusing Facebook, YouTube, and whatever else certainly might not be conducive to a healthy lifestyle.

The good news is there are plenty of ways to block access to certain time-consuming or explicit websites, whether you want to restrict access altogether or only during specified hours of the day.

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How to record a Zoom meeting

Zoom has never been more popular as employees of all kinds turn to the easy-to-use video and audio conferencing solution for swift chats with their peers. But as web conference users always discover, no matter how effective a video meeting is, you still need to share it with others who couldn’t make the meeting or who need to reference details or training more than once.

Like all good video chat tools, Zoom does allow for recording for this very purpose, and it’s important for users to know exactly how it works. We’ll teach you exactly how to do it.

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How to Fix Scanner Not Working in Windows 10

Scanner not working is a common issue in Windows 10, especially in new Windows 10. If your scanner doesn’t work in Windows 10, don’t worry. You’re not a lone. Many Windows 10 users have reported this issue. You can fix the problem with one of the solutions below.

There are three solutions you can try to fix the problem. You may not have to try them all. Just try them one by one until you find the one that works for you.

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Configuring Time Settings on Domain Controllers

Active Directory relies on accurate time settings on all member servers, Domain Controllers, and domain-joined workstations. When time settings are misconfigured, multiple critical Active Directory services such as replication and Kerberos authentication will fail bringing the entire Active Directory infrastructure to its knees.

1. In Active Directory, we use the Windows Time service for clock synchronization: W32Time

2. All member machines synchronizes with any Domain Controller

3. In a domain, all Domain Controllers synchronize from the PDC Emulator of that domain using NT5DS (which simply means: follow the domain hierarchy and get me my PDC emulator)

4. The PDC Emulator of a domain should synchronize with any Domain Controller of the parent domain using NTP

5. The PDC Emulator of the root domain in a forest should synchronize with an external time server (could be clock device, a router, another standalone server, an internet time server, etc)

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