Category Archives: Windows 10

Letters from the Ed, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Updates Require Balancing OCD Against Time

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I can’t help it. Tinkering with my PCs gives me great joy. I also love to check up on them at regular intervals. I work to keep the OS, drivers, apps and programs current and correct. But I learned long ago that it takes time — often, too much time — to attain absolute perfection. Or perhaps I should say “total update coverage” instead? Indeed, updates require balancing OCD against time. One must know when to quit or give up looking for elusive elements. Thereby hangs today’s tale…

If Updates Require Balancing OCD Against Time, How Much Is Too Much?

I use a couple of good tools to help me track non-OS updates for programs. The Store does a good job of keeping up with most apps. WU does well enough by me with the OS. For drivers, I rely on reading TenForums and ElevenForum to keep up. I also hasten to add that Windows 10/11 both do a good job of handling drivers on their own. That means I concentrate on Nvidia GPU drivers, output from the Intel Driver & Support utility, news about Samsung NVMe drivers, Realtek UAD audio drivers, and — occasionally — Thunderbolt drivers. The rest of them take pretty good care of themselves, though I do rely  on DriverStore Explorer to keep an eye on them, and to purge duplicates and oldies from time to time.

I use the free and excellent PatchMyPC Home updater to handle all the updates it can find. (It provides this story’s lead graphic, in fact.) Why? Because it is set up to silently install updates without requiring human intervention and action. I like that. But I also use the free version of KC Softwares’ Software Update Monitor (aka SUMo) because it finds more apps and programs than PatchMyPC does. That said, I wouldn’t recommend paying for its commercial version because their behind-the-scenes engineering for downloading updates is hit or miss. And the misses happen too frequently for me to want to pay US$30 per PC to grouse about them further. If SUMo finds a program that needs updating, you need to get and apply the update yourself.

Where to Draw the (Update Search) Line

In working with these tools, I’ve learned to spend no more than 10 minutes trying to get any individual item updated. Sometimes, SUMo reports updates available that I just can’t find. For example, SUMo has had me chase DolbyDAX2DesktopUI versions on multiple occasions that I can find nowhere online (though items that present themselves as valid links do pop up they lead only to the Dolby.com homepage).

After one or two revolutions when going around in circles, I’ve learned to give up. I also don’t worry about minor version discrepancies, especially when I know PatchMyPC will catch up to SUMo soon. Case in point: I just updated one of my Lenovo X380 Yoga ThinkPads. PatchMyPC took CrystalDiskInfo to version 8.12.4.0 only for SUMo to tell me I needed to upgrade it to 8.12.5.0. I know if I wait a while, PatchMyPC will get me there without me having to visit CrystalDewWorld, and then download and run the installer myself. So, that’s where I draw the line to avoid too much lost time. You can, of course, draw lines as you see fit.

According to eminent anthropologist Gregory Bateson, the 18th century British poet and artist William Blake said “Wise men see outlines and therefore they draw them.” Blake also said: “Mad men see outlines and therefore they draw them.” Wise or mad, I think drawing lines is an important part of managing how one spends time and effort. Don’t you?

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

Dev Channel Downgrade Raises Flightsigning Mystery

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OK, then. Yesterday I posted here about the conditions under which Insiders can downgrade from Dev Channel to Beta or Release Preview channels. Today, there are reports that Insider Preview stuff may go missing in Settings → Update → Windows Insider Program if you follow that advice. At the same time MS Insider Team member Eddie Leonard has posted a fix for same at Answers.Microsoft.com. As you’ll see in his step-by-step fix advice below, the Dev Channel downgrade raises Flightsigning mystery because it’s key to that fix. Here are those details, quoted verbatim (I changed the text color to red on the key term to make it stand out):

 

1. Click on Start
2. In the search box, type cmd
3. In the lower right of the search results, under Command Prompt, click Run as Administrator
4. On the UAC prompt, click OK
5. At the elevated command prompt, type: bcdedit /set flightsigning on
6. Press Enter
7. At the elevated command prompt, type: bcdedit /set {bootmgr} flightsigning on
8. Press Enter
9. Reboot the device

How do you know if you’ve got this problem? You’ll see a screen that looks like the one from the lead-in graphic (also cribbed from Eddie’s Answers Fix info). Notice that only the “Stop getting preview builds” choice appears, when you should also see choices for “Choose your Insider settings” and “Windows Insider account.” The preceding fix explains how to get those items back, and restore Windows Insider Program capabilities along the way.

Researching Dev Channel Downgrade Raises Flightsigning Mystery

Of course that raises more questions — namely:
“What is flightsigning?”
“Why must it be turned on (twice)?”
I have no answers for these questions just yet, but I’m digging in. There’s a 2014 TechNet article “What is flightsigning?” It raises the question and provides the glimmer of an answer from bcdedit tool help “Allows flight-signed code signing certificates.” It also says “These are certificates used during the Windows development process and chain to an internal root.” Documentation simply says:

“…this command will enable the system to trust Windows Insider Preview builds that are signed with certificates that are not trusted by default:”

I’m guessing that downgrading from Dev Channel may somehow alter these certificate checks. Further, I believe Beta and Release Preview channels must have them turned on by default. Switching from Dev to lower channels requires them to get turned back on and enabled in the boot manager before Insider Program info can show up.

But details are sparse and documentation terse and limited. The BCDEdit command-line options at MS Docs mentions flightsigning only in passing (see “Changing entry options”). Even the GitHub info from MS Docs doesn’t say much about flightsigning. There’s also a tantalizing post at OSR.com about “New test signing options.” But not a lot of hard or explanatory info.

I’ll keep digging. But if anybody has other sources or info, please comment or use the website’s Contact form to send me an email. All input gratefully received.

 

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Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Tips, Tricks and Tweaks, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Downgrading Dev Channel Is Now Sometimes Possible

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Here’s an interesting tidbit from the July 29 version of Microsoft Docs “Deeper look at flighting.” And of course, as the lead sentence reads “Flighting is the process of running Windows Insider Preview Builds on your device.” In an amendment to prior policy, downgrading Dev Channel is now sometimes possible for test PCs or VMs. Let me explain…

What Downgrading Dev Channel Is Now Sometimes Possible Means

The key to switching without requiring a clean re-install (the prior policy in all cases) is that the Dev Channel must have the same or lower Build number than the target channel. That means switching from Dev Channel to another channel requires users “to find your current build number and compare it to the current build number in the channel you wish to switch to.” Build numbers appear in the output from winver.exe, and in Start → Settings → System → About.

I quote the step-by-step process verbatim from the previously linked flighting document:

  1. Open Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
  2. Select Choose your Insider settings.
  3. Select the desired channel, either Beta Channel (Recommended), or Release Preview Channel.
  4. The next time you receive an update, it will be for your new channel.

This will make the process of downgrading channels simpler. It also provides an “exit strategy” for Dev Channel PCs. Prior policy insisted that the only escape from Dev Channel could be a clean re-install of some other Windows version. The other channels have always offered the option to drop back to production/RTM versions when they become available. This extends that out to Dev Channel, but requires two steps to get there: first drop back to Beta or Insider Preview, then drop back to production/RTM. Good stuff!

Why Am I Telling You This … Now?

As you look at the WinVer output from Dev Channel (left) and Beta Channel (right) in the lead graphic, right now the Build numbers are the same. That means that you can downgrade Dev Channel PCs as I write this story. Given that MS hasn’t released a Dev Channel build in a while this can’t last forever. If you want to try it out, act fast — or wait for the next synch-up. Your call…

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Recent Activity, Troubleshooting, WED Blog, Windows 10

Slow Charger Warning Means Underpowered Thunderbolt Dock

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Here’s one I haven’t run into before. I wanted to use multiple USB-C ports on my Lenovo X390 Yoga yesterday. Alas, it has but one. So I plugged it into a Lenovo Thunderbolt 3 Gen2 dock the company sent me. Even though it was for another computer I expected all itches properly scratched. Instead I learned that a slow charger warning means underpowered Thunderbolt dock at work. In fact, by the next morning, the battery was exhausted and the laptop inert, amidst a massive PC-to-iTunes music conversion.

Given Slow Charger Warning Means Underpowered Thunderbolt Dock, Then What?

Find a workaround, obviously. Luckily the X390 sports two USB 3 ports. I used one for the drive dock where the music files resided, and the other for the iPhone 12’s Lightning-to-USB cable. I ended up not using USB-C at all (except for power from the dock and then the brick later on).

In fact, the Lenovo Dock claims to support “up to 65W power charging.”  And indeed, the X390 needs 65W of power delivery. But obviously, something wasn’t right. In fact, Reliability monitor showed an APPCRASH from PowerMgr.exe at 7:12 this morning. I guess that’s when the battery finally died. When I saw the error message after this morning’s walk I switched back to the regular power brick and the music transfer continued without further hitches or delays.

The moral of this story appears to be: if notifications ever tell you there’s a “slow charger” at work, you’d best use a different power supply if you want to keep your laptop running indefinitely. Lesson learned for me, for sure!

Note Added August 2: Reader Concurs

I got a comment from a LinkedIn member on this post that cites to issues with some docks and power bricks. Apparently these devices struggle to service peripherals and keep the battery charged at the same time. Interesting!

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21H2 Preview Experiences After Two Weeks

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I’ve got one lone test machine running the “other path” for older Windows hardware — namely the 21H2 Feature Update released on 7/16/2021. Here, I recite my 21H2 Preview Experiences after two weeks. While I’ve not encountered any show-stoppers, the Reliability Monitor report that appears above says it all. As is not untypical for new release forks, this one’s got some minor gotchas.

Summarizing 21H2 Preview Experiences After Two Weeks

I’ll start with a list of all errors reported in the foregoing Reliability Monitor screencap.

Date Source Summary
16-Jul Windows Hardware error
17-Jul Windows Update Medic Service Stopped working
Search application Stopped working and was closed
Search application Stopped working
18-Jul Windows Desktop Gadgets Stopped working
21-Jul PWA Identity Proxy Host Stopped responding and was closed
Windows Desktop Gadgets Stopped working

Upon examination, the error sources mostly originate from Windows itself. Only Windows Desktop Gadgets (which occurs twice) is a third-party app. The rest of the stuff is OS components, hardware, or built-in Windows apps.

IMHO, this kind of behavior is typical for a new release fork. It indicates a shakeout from current preview status on the way to something more stable. It’s only July and the release probably won’t happen until October, so there’s still plenty of time to get things right. If what I’m seeing right now is any indication, what needs fixing is mostly minor stuff.

I would say this augurs well for those who plan to upgrade to 21H2 on production PCs. If your PCs won’t meet Windows 11 upgrade requirements, they should be able to run Windows 10 until EOL in October 2025 without too much fuss or bother. Good stuff!

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Letters from the Ed, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows OS Musings

Next LTSC Is 21H2 Based: Windows 11 Follows Later

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In a July 15 Windows Experience Blog post, MS VP John Cable writes that in “the second half of 2021” the next version of the Windows LTSC will hit. Here’s a quote: “…we will also launch the next version of the Windows 10 Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) based on version 21H2 at the same time.” A recent “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session said a “next LTSC” after that would use Windows 11. Hence my assertion: the next LTSC is 21H2 based, Windows 11 follows later.

Next LTSC is 21H2 based Windows 11 Follows Later. How long?

Good question. Take a look at a list of LTSC Windows 10 releases. I include my guess for the upcoming one:

1. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2015 1507   07/29/2015
2. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2016 1607   08/02/2016
3. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019  1809   11/13/2018
4. Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021  21H1   11/??/2021

The gaps vary. It starts with just over a year (1 → 2). The next is over 2 years (2 → 3). That latest goes up to around 3 years (3 → 4). Recent history argues it will likely hit in two or three years. A lot depends on features that Windows 11 offers and Windows 10 does not. Equally important: how much they matter for deployments likely to use the long-lived LTSC code base.

Why Use a Windows LTSC Release?

In its LTSC explainer in Microsoft Docs, MS works hard to distinguish LTSC from other release channels and to identify typical usage scenarios (italic text is quoted verbatim):

 Important

The Long-Term Servicing Channel is not intended for deployment on most or all the PCs in an organization. The LTSC edition of Windows 10 provides customers with access to a deployment option for their special-purpose devices and environments. These devices typically perform a single important task and don’t need feature updates as frequently as other devices in the organization. These devices are also typically not heavily dependent on support from external apps and tools. Since the feature set for LTSC does not change for the lifetime of the release, over time there might be some external tools that do not continue to provide legacy support. See LTSC: What is it, and when it should be used.

The latter document calls out a “key requirement … that functionality and features don’t change over time.” These include medical systems like those used in MRI and CAT scan devices, industrial process controllers, and air traffic control systems. All such systems are costly, complex, and relatively isolated from public networks.

My gut feel is a long wait doesn’t matter that much for LTSC deployments. Because they’re so specialized and focused. engineers will build around whatever’s available when they put LTSC to work. When it gets used, the Windows OS isn’t really important: the function and capabilities of the overall system in which LTSC is embedded is what really matters.

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Letters from the Ed, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows OS Musings

Windows 11 Adopts Annual Upgrade Cadence

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Interesting news from the latest version of MIcrosoft’s Windows Lifecycle FAQ (updated July 24, 2021). It says upgrade frequency will change with Windows 11. No more semi-annual “feature updates” that characterized Windows 10 (e.g 20H1, 20H2, 21H1 and 21H2). Instead,  one such update/upgrade happens each year. Most likely, it will hit in October. That’s why I say that Windows 11 adopts annual upgrade cadence in this post’s title.

When Windows 11 Adopts Annual Upgrade Cadence, What Else?

In the FAQ, we also get information about the servicing timeline for Windows 11 versions. Here’s a snapshot of the table clipped straight from the FAQ. It answers this question: “What is the servicing timeline for a version (feature update) of Windows 11?”

Windows 11 Adopts Annual Upgrade Cadence.servicing

Business, education and IoT versions have a 3 year timeline; other versions get two years.
[Click image for full-sized view.]

What is a servicing timeline anyway?

As I understand it, this is the length of time that Microsoft will provide updates and enhancements for a particular Windows version or release. When that interval expires, PCs must update to a more current — and still-supported — version. Business, education and I0T versions benefit from a longer timeline. Consumer, end-user and SMB focused versions (Windows 11 Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations, and Home) get a shorter timeline with more frequent upgrades expected.

As the footnote says, Windows 10 Home “does not support … deferral of feature updates.” Thus, it will usually not hang around long enough to get forcibly  updated when an older version hits its planned obsolescence date.

Very Interesting! This should make things easier for everybody, especially for IT departments in larger organizations. They most adopt an “every other year” upgrade cadence anyway…

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Letters from the Ed, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows OS Musings

Are Over Half-a-Billion Windows 7 PCs Still In Use?

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The old saying goes: “The numbers don’t lie.” Alas, I’ve been messing with numbers long enough to know that they don’t always capture the whole truth, either. Please indulge me for a moment, while I make a case for the size of the Windows 7 PC population. Warning! That case leads to the question that headlines this item: Are over half-a-billion Windows 7 PCs still in use? Sounds a bit high, as numbers go, so I’ll lay my reasoning out.

Why Ask: Are Over Half-a-Billion Windows 7 PCs Still in Use?

According to NetMarketShare.com, the platform version numbers for Windows 10 stand at 57.85% of desktops, versus 24.79% for Windows 7. MS has recently asserted that 1.3B active monthly users run Windows 10. Using that as a baseline, I calculate that if this number is accurate, there must be just over 557M Windows 7 PCs in use by proportion. How many of these are VMs, and how many are physical PCs is anybody’s guess.

Let’s say that 2 of 3 Windows 7 instances run on physical PCs just for grins. That would mean 557M Windows 7 OS instances translate into around 371 million devices running this now-obsolete OS. Recall that EOL for Windows 7 hit on January 14, 2020, 10.25 years after it debuted on October 22, 2009. These machines will be prime candidates for Windows 10 upgrades, because in all likelihood most of them will be unable to meet Windows 11 hardware requirements.

Another Question Comes to Mind…

As I tweeted last Friday, this raises another question. That question is: Will Windows 11 hardware requirements spur an uptick in Windows 10 installs, as older Windows 7 PCs get a “last and final” upgrade? Personally, I’m inclined to believe the answer is “Yes.”

Here are my reasons for so believing:
1. Because Windows 10 EOL is October 14, 2025, that buys time for home and business (mostly small business) users to save up for a hardware refresh to make themselves Windows 11-ready.
2. It reflects common practice in upgrading, where many users — again, especially those in  SMBS — deliberately trail the leading edge of Windows releases in the name of improved stability, reliability and understanding.
3. It’s always easier and cheaper (at least, in terms of current cash flow) to defer upgrades and hardware purchases until later, rather than to act sooner. That said, it gives more time for planning, lets others do the hard work of pioneering, and offers greater comfort in making changes at a time of the buyer’s choosing.

How all this actually plays out remains to be seen. If my numbers have any bearing on what’s out there in the real world, things could get interesting. I have to believe the big OEMs — Lenovo, Dell, HP, and other players (Acer, Asus, LG, and so forth) — are pondering this closely and carefully. I’m betting that PC sales will remain strong until 2026 and beyond, though probably not at pandemic levels, as the workplace returns to more customary modes of operation. Stay tuned: I’ll keep you posted.

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Surface Pro 3 Gets 21H2 Feature Update

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OK, then. The Windows release environment has now forked. Those PCs running the Release Preview version of Windows 10  can go one of two ways. Those who don’t meet Windows 11 hardware requirements get an upgrade to 20H2 (Build 19044.1147) . The others get an invite to upgrade to Windows 11. Because my 2014 vintage Surface PC  falls into the first category, that Surface Pro 3 gets 21H2 feature update. The lead-in graphic provides more info, from Settings → System → About.

If Surface Pro 3 Gets 21H2 Feature Update, Then What?

This reminds me that Windows 10 has a planned life until October 2025. That’s 50 months from now, not counting July 2021 in the tally (50.35 months, countlng the 11 days remaining in this month). I find myself reconsidering hanging onto the old but still reliable SP3 as a way to keep up with Windows 10 even as most of my PC fleet switches over to Windows 11 later this year.

Other businesses and organizations may find themselves forced to straddle this fork, too. That’s because not everyone will be able to replace older hardware right away to make themselves Windows 11 ready.

Life on the Trailing Edge of Technology

If my experience with many small businesses is any indicator, Windows 11 will probably provide a wake-up call to those still running Windows 7. At least, most such systems will upgrade to Windows 10 and can keep running until October 14, 2025 when Windows 10 End-of-Life hits. This adds another 50 months to the planning and upgrade cycle, at which point businesses will find themselves more or less compelled to “move on up” to Windows 11.

NetMarketShare still reports the Windows 7 population as just under 24.8% of overall desktops. I think it’s pretty safe to guesstimate that 80-plus percent of those PCs won’t meet Windows 11 hardware requirements on grounds of boot type (MBR vs. UEFI), CPU generation (7th or lower, mostly lower), and lack of TPM 2.0 support. This could lead to an upswelling of Windows 10 numbers, even as that OS marches toward its own EOL date.

But that’s the way things work sometimes, here in Windows -World!

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Windows App Update Blues

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OK, then. I just got back from a nearly two-week hiatus (see yesterday’s blog post for a trip report). For the past day and a bit more, I’ve been catching up my 10 PCs. In part, that means updating the apps on those machines. Indeed, this experience has me singing the “Windows App Update Blues.” They’re nicely illustrated in the lead-in graphic for this story, which shows two apps on my primary production PC that lack built-in update facilities despite widespread proliferation and use (Kindle) and a pricey paid-for license (Nitro Pro).

Why Sing Those Low-Down Windows App Update Blues?

It’s nearly inconceivable that Amazon, that paragon of modern software efficiency and might, doesn’t include an updater for the Kindle reader. Ditto for Nitro Pro, which makes me shell out over US$100 for updates to this powerful and otherwise handy PDF tool on a more-or-less yearly basis.

Updates are not that simple on either side. For Kindle on PC, I have to visit the “free Kindle app” page at Amazon. Because I stay logged into the site, clicking “Download for PC & Mac” brings a file named KindleForPC-installer-1.32.61109.exe to my PC. Then, I have to run the installer, and it gets updated. Thankfully, this does not require me to remove the older version manually by way of post-install cleanup. Question: why can’t I get an update through the usual Help → About sequence typical for most Windows apps?

Nitro Pro has a “Visit our website” link on its Help → About pane. I guess that’s intended to streamline the manual update process. But each time I have to upgrade, I have to remember to visit the Downloads page via the website’s page footers, and manually download the latest version. While Amazon is at least kind enough to rename its updates so you can tell them apart, all four versions of Nitro pro 13 share the same filename: nitro_pro13.exe so only file creation dates distinguish them from one another. Then, something called “Nitro Pro SysTray” blocks installation until I instruct the installer to shut it down manually. After that, things work their way to proper completion. It, too, cleans up older versions (thank goodness).

But the Question Lingers: Why Manual?

I’m still not happy that I have to run this stuff down on my own and run updates manually. I hope somebody at Amazon and Nitro notices this item, and takes appropriate action. Given that most programs do this automatically, why can’t their apps do the same?

 

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