Category Archives: Windows 10

Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Update Semantics: Current versus Preview

February 27, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Here’s an interesting situation that frosts me just a tad. The other day, I found myself chasing a version of OneDrive that I couldn’t find on its Release Note page. According to that page, I had the current release of that software installed on my production PC. Turns out that KC Softwares Software Update Monitor (SUMo) disagrees with Microsoft (and me, FWIW). It points users at what I learned by experiment is the current Insider preview update. This has me questioning their update semantics: current versus preview. I’ll explain

Questioning Update Semantics: Current versus Preview

Common usage for current in the context of “current software release” is usually understood as “official vendor or developer sponsored software release that represents that latest and greatest stable version.” A “preview software release” OTOH usually means “a preview of upcoming software that’s not guaranteed to be bug-free or stable.”

If you look at the lead in graphic, then at the item after this paragraph, you’ll see that what SUMo recommends as the current release for OneDrive is actually the Insider preview update. I think that’s a mistaken approach. But I’e noticed that SUMo tends to recommend the highest-numbered version for software it tracks. That happens sometimes (e.g. SpaceDeck) we when AFAIK (and have been able to ascertain) that version number does not exist!

Notice the SUMo version available matches pre-release version at right top.

Because I’m quibbling about semantics here, I’ll give SUMo credit for saying that the higher-numbered release is available not current. But gosh, they expect you to download, and update or install to that version number. If that’s not at least an implicit claim that it’s the right version to run, I’m sadly mistaken. I wish instead they’d key on the version from the release notes page which Microsoft clearly labels as the current (stable and shipping) version. C’mon people! Get it right… And while you’re at it, adopt this practice for all the apps you track. Thanks in advance … I hope.

Insider stuff, Networking, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10

So Long Surface Pro 3

February 23, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

OK, then. I think I’m at the end of a long, long road. I remember buying my Surface Pro 3 in 2014. It was the first in a long series of tablet PCs I’ve bought over the years. Included were models from MS (Surface), Dell (Latitude), Fujitsu (Stylistic) and Lenovo (ThinkPad). But now, it’s time for me to say: “So long Surface Pro 3.” Please: let me explain what’s going on…

Why It’s Time for So Long Surface Pro 3

This morning when I logged into my network, I noticed the SP3 had switched over from the wired GbE port in the dock to its wireless interface. It’s been dropping this wired connection for months now. As (almost) always, a reboot brought the wired interface back up. But I can tell the dock is starting to fail.

I just spent US$19 last week to replace the power supply brick for the dock. But I hesitate at replacing the dock outright (costs about US$100 for a refurb unit). It’s time to quit futzing around with this old beast, and unload it into proper disposal channels.

Where to Take This Aging Beast

For years, I’ve given my older PCs to Reglue, a charity that placed them in the hands of under-served students and their families to confer low-cost/no-cost Internet access. But alas, the founder of that organization has retired and is no longer accepting donations.

For about the same period of time, I’ve recommended Goodwill as a safe, responsible drop-off for used PC electronics of all kinds. Thus, I’m glad to see that the Austin Reuse Directory likewise recommends Goodwill for such purposes. I’ve already got a Goodwill bag going with some old hard disks, memory modules, cables and interfaces ready for drop-off.

I’ll need another bag for the SP3 and its accoutrement, though. I’ve accumulated a major mound of stuff for this unit over the years. This includes:

an MS keyboard with fingerprint reader
the dock, with its external power brick
the original power brick shipped with the SP3
a Brydge aluminum keyboard that turns the SP3 into a clamshell style laptop

Another thing to take care of this weekend, when out running errands and shopping. Good thing my nearest Goodwill location is only 3.2 miles away!

Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Update

Start10 Blocks 11 Upgrade

February 22, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

For some time now, my spouse Dina has resisted upgrading to Windows 11. Her 11th gen Dell 7080 Micro meets all of the hardware requirements. But she’s not ready to take the plunge. Thus, when somehow, someway Windows Update started the Windows 11 upgrade process on her PC, I got a little worried. I shouldn’t have bothered — part-way into the install process, the installer halted the upgrade. Why? Because of a compatibility hold, Start10 blocks 11 upgrade on that PC.

Easy Fix for Start10 Blocks 11 Upgrade, But…

Yes, I know: if I were simply to uninstall Start10, the upgrade would proceed without further demur. Ironically, it serves as a form of insurance in this case. When Dina’s ready to upgrade, I’ll upgrade her (and install Start11 on the resulting build to minimize the impact of that change). That’s when I’ll take Start10 off the board, then…

The frequently-offered upgrade got started somehow in the last week. Somebody must’ve clicked the “go-ahead” button without really understanding what was going on. If it happens again, I now know that the upgrade process will quit before it gets to the post-GUI install phase.

Shoot! It might even be the case that now the compatibility hold is known to the Windows Installer, it won’t even try again. I certainly hope so. But sometimes, here in Windows-World what looks like a curse is actually a blessing. Of course, that vice is often versa, so it doesn’t always (or only seldom) works in one’s favor.

Thus, I’ll revel in this surprisingly friendly turn of events. It will certainly help to preserve domestic tranquility here at Chez Tittel. It should also suspend the too-typical “What did you do to my PC?” that “The Boss” has been known to emit after Windows Update does its periodic thing on her machine.

When this error shows up in WU, I can bail on the upgrade. Funny that it doesn’t screen in advance, but after downloading and during the GUI install phase (about 35% of the way in, if what the UI says is true). Go figure!

Cool Tools, Networking, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Intel PROSet Still Ticking Along

February 21, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

In surveying my PCs this morning, I learned it was time to update the Intel PROSet software. This remains an entirely routine matter. It’s easy if a bit time-consuming to accomplish. Hence, I’m pleased to find Intel PROSet still ticking along. I have an admittedly small population of PCs (11 in total right now). Of those 6 show Intel interfaces in Advanced IP Scanner. I’m aware of at least 3 more Intel interfaces that don’t register on its scans. (Example: my Asrock Z170 motherboard has two Intel GbE interfaces: an I-211 and an I-219V.)

If Intel ProSet Still Ticking Along, Then What?

The download/install routine is pretty straightforward. Search Intel Downloads/Drivers&Software for the string “Intel Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver Pack” (for wired Ethernet). or for “PROSet wireless” (for Wi-Fi connections). Either way, you’ll get a ZIP file out of the download. Unpack it to a folder of its own, and you can use the autorun.exe file therein to perform installations for drivers (if applicable) and the latest PROSet software version (28.0.0.2 for wired; 22.190.0 for wireless).

Note: Don’t ask me why the window shown above reads “intel Network Connections.” It’s been that way for a long, long time. If memory serves — and this goes back far enough that it may not serve very well — this used to be the general description for intel network drivers and software before PROSet came along. But that’s what it says, no matter if my recollection is correct or not.

The lead-in graphic shows the wired package, as you can see from the version number at the lower right of that image. The whole update process took less than 5 minutes on each of the affected machines. If you unzip the contents of the download to a shared drive, it works like a charm for all PCs on an accessible network.

It’s Easy to Get Lost in the Weeds

There are tons of advanced settings for Ethernet (especially wired GbE or higher speeds) available. PROSet provides access to such things pretty directly, or you can go through the Advanced Properties tab for the target interface in Device Manager under the Network Adapters heading. All-in-all, PROSet is a bit less unwieldy to use than DevMgr (where it is available).

So if one needs to monkey around with such things, I find PROSet preferable for such shenanigans. If you’re not already using this tool and you’ve got Intel interfaces to manage, give it a try.

Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Troubleshooting, WED Blog, Windows 10

Surface Pro 3 Dock Fail

February 15, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Oh boy! For more than a few minutes yesterday, I thought I’d completely lost my now-ancient Surface Pro 3 hybrid tablet. It took me a while to diagnose, but it was actually a Surface Pro 3 dock fail, not the PC itself. Seems that the brick that provides power to the dock is no longer working. It wasn’t charging the battery anymore, so once the battery died, so did the PC.

As you can see in the Speccy motherboard info screencap above, this unit goes all the way back to the Haswell CPU days. That makes it a Gen 4 Intel CPU. According to Intel, this model launched in Q3 2013, about 9.5 years back. That’s a long run for any PC, if you ask me.

After a couple of tests, I determined that power to the dock itself wasn’t working.

Diagnosing Pro 3 Dock Fail

At first I couldn’t get the SP3 to keep running. It would start up, then immediately fall over. I checked the battery and saw it had 0% charge. Upon leaving it alone and plugged into the dock for a couple of minutes, the charge level remained the same. “Aha!” I thought “No power to the charger, no power in the battery.”

And so it proved to be. I still had the standalone charger for this unit. Upon plugging it into the wall and the SP3, the battery charge level started to climb. It took almost 2 hours but it eventually reached a full charge, to wit:

Given sufficient time, the SP3 returned to full charge.

Here’s the Question: Do I want to spend $41?

I can replace the AC adapter charger for the dock for the aforementioned price. Do I want to do that? I’ve been thinking about retiring this machine for more than year now. I’d been keeping it to ride Windows 10 to its retirement date with a machine likewise fated. But now I’m wondering if it’s worth it. $41 ain’t much, so maybe I will. Let me think on it, and I’ll post again…

Note added 20 mins later: I found a cheaper replacement on Amazon. For under $19 (including tax) I’ve ordered a new AC adapter for delivery next Monday. I’m hoping it will restore the dock to operation upon plug-in. I’ll follow up…

Note added Saturday AM, February 19: The El-Cheap AC adapter showed up at our front door late last evening (thanks Amazon Prime!). I removed the old unit and replaced it with the new one this morning. It works: as you can see in the next screencap the Surface has its wired GbE connection back, courtesy of the powered-up dock.

With power to the dock restored and Surface re-seated; Ethernet now works!

That was definitely worth the near-sawbuck expended for the replacement part!

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10

Phased Updates Norton 360 Strike

February 13, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

It’s not like I’m unfamiliar with this sensation. No, not at all, based on oodles of history with phased feature roll-outs for Insider Previews on Windows 10 and 11. But Friday, I got bit for the first time on a Norton 360 upgrade. That translates into what I call a phased updates Norton 360 strike. Let me explain…

What Phased Updates Norton 360 Strike Means…

I found a Norton update notification dated February 4, 2023 online. It includes a telling sentence that reads in part as “…this version is being released in a phased manner.” Alas, SUMo doesn’t care: it thinks the release is generally available. So here’s what it tells me about my production PC:

Notice the second (orange) item indicates that 22.23.1.21 is available. True enough in some general sense, but not true for my PC. Here’s what Norton tells me when I attempt to update it through the Norton Update Center:

Just for grins, I positioned the open Norton 360 home window underneath the results of the Webscan that says “no product found.”

Trip a Little Reboot, and…

Of course, one can’t have the 360 window open without running said software. So I knew something was flaky about the Norton AutoDetectPkg.exe that I’d just downloaded. A quick reboot later, and the following message appears instead (and confirms my preceding hypothesis):

Am I Frustrated, or What?

Yes, indeed I am. But because I have long, sad and weary experience behind the curve on phased releases I know this means my turn has not yet come for release 22.23.1.21. I’ll wait as patiently as I can for same, since Norton won’t make it available any other way. Otherwise, I’d just force install it, and make the SUMo warning go way.

And boy howdy, is that ever the way things go sometimes, here in Windows-World … with a bullet, this time!

Note added February 22

In the past little while (it’s been 9 days since I wrote this post), Norton has quietly updated itself to the new release. Here’s what the about information says now (notice the version number: indeed, it is now at 22.23.1.21).

My phase has come in the form of a recent and silent upgrade to 22.23.1.21.

‘Nuff said!

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Win10 Enterprise Image Repair Mismatch

February 9, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

I’m flummoxed. As part of my production PC repairs the other day, I ran an in-place upgrade install. It didn’t fix my problem, but it ran to reportedly successful completion. Here’s the thing: I used a Windows 10 Pro image for build 19045.2546 (from UUPdump.net) to make those repairs. I’m surprised it worked!

Why Say: Win10 Enterprise Image Repair Mismatch?

As you can see in the lead-in Winver graphic, this PC is clearly running Windows 10 Enterprise (2nd text block). Yet the filename and download info at UUP Dump clearly identifies the Windows version as Pro:

19045.2546.230118-0641.22H2_RELEASE_SVC_PROD3_CLIENTPRO_OEMRET_X64FRE_EN-US.ISO

Targeting install.wim from the Sources directory, DISM unambiguously identifies the Windows version as Windows 10 Pro.

Yep: it definitely says the image is Windows 10 Pro.

IDKYCDT

IDKYCDT = “I didn’t know you could do that.” But apparently, you can. Indeed the MS Answers advice on this technique says only that one must

download the latest .ISO file available for Windows 11 or Windows 10.

It says nothing about version. Likewise, the TenForums tutorial on this topic simply says

If you have a 32-bit Windows 10, then you must use a 32-bit ISO or USB.

If you have a 64-bit Windows 10, then you must use a 64-bit ISO or USB.

Again, there’s nothing here about version, simply that a valid ISO is required. I don’t where I got the idea that the version and kind of ISO used for repair had to match the repair target. But it does NOT have to match. I got explicit evidence to the contrary earlier this week with my own eyeballs, on this very PC.

Thus, I learned something useful and can pass it on to you, dear reader. Any valid Windows 10 ISO works for Windows 10; ditto for Windows 11. Cool!

This is actually pretty handy because you can use UUPdump.net to cobble together an image for the current build number for Windows (10 or 11) including all recent updates and CUs. Then, when you repair the image it should work for Home, Pro, Education and Enterprise even if you — as I did — download the Pro-only ISO. No further updates will be required, when that repair completes.

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Tips, Tricks and Tweaks, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Why Give PowerToys Admin Access?

February 8, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

I found myself looking at a suggestion from PowerToys on a test PC yesterday. It popped up when I opened Windows Terminal as Administrator, as per usual practice. It warned me that Fancy Zones and other PowerToys tools might not work properly unless I gave PowerToys admin access, too. Hence the question: Why Give PowerToys Admin Access?

Why Give PowerToys Admin Access?
Because other apps use it…

I turned to MS Learn. There I found an item entitled PowerToys running with administrator access. It pretty much explained everything. Here are the salient points from its second heading:

PowerToys only needs elevated administrator permission when interacting with other applications that are running in administrator mode. If those applications are in focus, PowerToys may not function unless it is elevated as well.

These are the two scenarios PowerToys will not work in:

Intercepting certain types of keyboard strokes

Resizing / moving windows

Seems pretty straightforward to me, and makes perfect sense. Here’s how to get to admin mode in PowerToys from its default “Running as user” mode.

Making the Switch: User to Admin

You must open PowerToys in admin mode to switch to admin mode. If PowerToys is running, right-click its taskbar icon and select exit to terminate its runtime instance. Next, right-click the PowerToys icon in the start menu, and select “Run as administrator.” In Settings, Administrator mode, move the “Always run as administrator” slider from off (as shown in the lead-in graphic) to On. That’s it!

Now, you can run some of your tools and programs in admin mode without warning messages from PowerToys (or concerns that its tools might not work as they’re supposed to). I like it, and I like ready access to simple, intelligible explanations as to why things must change to work properly.

One More Thing: v0.67.1 Is Out

As I write this item, MS has just released PowerToys update to v0.67.1. While you’re poking around inside Settings/General click the “Check for updates” button. If your PC isn’t yet caught up to this latest version, it’ll take care of it for you. Or, try this command

Winget upgrade Microsoft.PowerToys

if you prefer. Cheers!

Backup/Restore, Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10

Unscheduled Restore Drill Ends Well

February 7, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Oh boy! I found myself fighting several interesting Windows issues yesterday. Long story shot: my unscheduled restore drill ends well at the final conclusion. But first: I have to rebuild my boot configuration data and create new Macrium Rescue Media before I can actually boot into the restore environment. It’s always something, right? Let me tell you what that meant yesterday…

After Initial Obstacles, Unscheduled Restore Drill Ends Well

First, a benediction: I remain grateful that I take a scheduled backup at 9AM every morning, 365 days a year. If it weren’t for that backup, I would have been in real trouble. Indeed, I tried an in-place upgrade repair install during my recovery sequence. That’s when I observed that while it fixes OS files perfectly, it does not fix self-inflicted file system or Registry issues.

My first hint of difficulty came when I tried to restore my 9 AM backup. The timestamp on that file is actually 9:52 so that tells you how long it took to complete as a background task. Turns out my Macrium Rescue Disk wouldn’t or couldn’t boot successfully. It would simply get as far as the bootloader, spinning balls against a black screen, and never get any further. Yikes!

BCD Complications

Next, I unthinkingly added a Macrium Rescue Media element to the boot menu. This did neither harm nor good. But alas, it extended the time it takes to reboot by a good 2 minutes. In a situation where I was rebooting a LOT, that really didn’t help things much. Sigh.

Note: when I did eventually restore the 9AM backup it perforce rewrote the whole boot/system disk, so that little BCD change got undone. Yay! I really don’t need it anyway…

Restore Requires Working, Bootable Rescue Media

Eventually, I turned to the excellent Macrium user forums to find insight on my hung restore. I switched from a faster, bigger NVMe drive in a USB enclosure, to an older, slower, and smaller USB flash drive. That ultimately did the trick.

For some reason, I had to build the rescue disk twice to get it to work. I may have forgotten to check the “Check for devices missing drivers on boot” checkbox the first time around. I was sure to check it on the second try (see lead-in screencap: it’s unchecked by default). After that, the Macrium restore operation proceeded automatically and the process ground through to its lengthy conclusion.

It had been long enough since I did a restore that the time required came as a quasi-revelation. All told, it took about 70 minutes from firing off the restore inside the damaged Windows 10 installation to return to the desktop inside the 9AM image snapshot. That’s quite a bit longer than the 14 minutes or so it takes to backup in single task mode (52 minutes as a background task).

But wow, was I relieved to get over that hump! And now, I have working proof that my backup/restore regime produces its intended outcome. It was an interesting ride in the meantime…

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

PowerToys Application versus App

February 6, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

I’ll be darned. This has been going on for awhile, but I just recently learned about it. If you look, you too can find a September 18, 2021 Thurrott.com story. It says: PowerToys are now available in the MS Store. I spent some time this weekend switching over from the GitHub version (installs as an application) to the Store version (installs as an app). This led me to considering the differences between PowerToys application versus app.

Switching from the application version to its app counterpart is also neither documented nor obvious. Neither installer knows about the other, so it doesn’t clean up old stuff from “the other fork,” either. Let me explain later on here…

Understanding PowerToys Application versus App

In Windows, Applications live in two primary folder trees. 32-bit applications (of which there are fewer and fewer, now that Windows 10 is mostly 64-bit, and Windows 11 completely 64-bit) live in:

C:\Program Files (x86)

Their 64-bit counterparts, alternatives, or replacements live in:

C:/Program Files

Apps live in their own corner of the preceding folder tree — namely:

C:/Program Files/WindowsApps

Distinguishing Application from App

The only way you can tell if you’re running an application or app version of PowerToys is by where it lives in your Windows installation. If it shows up in Programs and Features, it’s an applicatioon. If it shows up under Installed Apps in Settings, it’s an app. Otherwise, they look — and behave — identically.

You can see the Settings-based App info to the left, and the Programs and Features-based Application into at the right, in the lead-in screencap above. Same name, same size, same version, same date.

So why go with the app version rather than the application one? Two primary reasons I can think of:

1. Apps get updated via the Microsoft Store automatically. You have to use the Update function inside PowerToys Settings/General to update the application version.

2. Apps are supposedly more secure than applications, because they run within a sandboxed environment. FWIW, I haven’t seen or read about that playing into the presence or absence of security exploits.

Making the Application to App Switch

First, visit Programs and Features and uninstall PowerToys there (or use your favorite third-party uninstaller: e.g. Revo Free). Then visit the Microsoft Store, search for PowerToys and install the version that comes up there (v.0.67.0 as I write this). Done!

If you try to install the app without removing the application, you’ll end up running both side-by-side. It’s much easier to follow an “out with the old (install), in with the new (install)” approach. How do I know this? I went the other way at first and had to clean up the resulting overlap. Save yourself that trouble, please!