If you look over my blog posts for the past few days, you’ll see I was trying to get the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (2018 8th-Gen i7, etc.) from 23H2 to 24H2. I provide a list of links and capsule summaries to those item below. But the reason I’m puzzled is that manually applying KB5046633 took me from Build 22635.4460 (23H2 Beta) after which using the Installation Assistant took me to Build 26100.1742 (24H2 GA/Production). That’s supposed to be impossible. Thus, it’s got me pondering apparent Windows 11 build fork jump that somehow occurred.

Installer Oddity Has Me Pondering Apparent Windows 11 Build Fork Jump

I didn’t think the installer let one jump from Insider Preview versions (Beta Channel, in this case) to GA/Production images. But something I did — I think it’s the manual application of KB5046633 — let that happen. Once I got there, though, I was stuck. I couldn’t repair install my way to either the current GA Build (26100.2314) or its Beta Channel counterpart (22635.4510).

I can only surmise that I somehow slipped a version check. It might have happened when using the afore-linked KB item. Or, it could’ve happened when running the Windows 11 installation assistant after that. Truth to tell, I was relieved when my final repair operation hit a dead end, and the Windows Installer basically forced me to clean install Windows 11 from scratch.

Factor 1: Multi-Version Manual KB Installs

Indeed, KB54046633 works on both 23H2 and 24H2 based Beta Channel versions. The upgrade path from one to the other doesn’t necessarily need the full-blow installer (including the Installation Assistant). Indeed, Copilot tells me that when I applied KB5046633 it could’ve upgraded me from 23H2 to 24H2. But it did not.

Factor 2: Using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant

When I ran the assistant, that’s when the fork jump actually occurred. And again: I didn’t think it was supposed to work at all, let alone the way that it did. That’ s how I found the X1 Extreme enrolled in the Beta Channel but showing a GA/Production Build number.

The moral of this story is to limit yourself to the kinds of upgrade techniques you elect to use. Thank goodness these were all well-backed-up, non-essential machines. This could turn into a real snake pit for those not aware of such potential pitfalls. Me: I enjoy fallling into them, and then figuring out how to get to a better place. Thus, I hope you can learn from my mistakes … errrrr … adventures here in Windows-World.

Here are links to my previous blogs in this series with capsule summaries:

• Nov 12 X1 Extreme Still Gets No 24H2 Offer: explains that this 2019 vintage laptop is still on some kind of update hold
• Nov 13 X1 Extreme 24H2 Beta Pickle: Explains the sequence of updates that got me from a 23H2 Beta Build to a 24H2 GA Build
• Nov 14 MSA Switch Brings Standard 24H2 Aboard: Explains how changing to a non-registered MSA produces only clean install option for 24H2.

Gosh this has been interesting and educational, too.

I knew it remains a possibility. And I’ve seen it myself, from time to time. But this morning, I got slapped in the face with it: Copilot still hallucinates occasionally. I’m assembling parts to migrate my production desktop over from a 2016 vintage i7 Skylake desktop rig. I’m moving to a snappy 32-core Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Ultra. I need a lot of storage for that setup, so I asked Copilot the question in the lead-in graphic: “What’s the highest-capacity 2.5″ hard disk available right now?” I was stunned by the answer at at first, then…

Showing Copilot Still Hallucinates Occasionally

I’ve got a couple of Seagate 5TB HDDs here at Chez Tittel. I purchased them 3 years ago. At the time, they were the biggest 2.5″ drives available. And as it happens 5TB Seagates are STILL the biggest 2.5″ models for sale today.

Follow the link to the Tom’s story cited in the Copilot response. Then jump to Amazon for that Seagate IronWolf Pro 20TB item. Guess what? It clearly says “CMR 3.5 inch SATA 6 Gb/s, 7,200 RPM, 256 MB Cache” in laying out that drive’s specifications. It’s not a 2.5″ drive, period.

The good news is: if I want to use a 5TB 2.5″ HDD in this rig, I’ve already go two of them. The bad news is they’re pretty slow, as old-fashioned mechanical storage media can’t help but be. But there’s another hope!

Given the 5TB Limit, I consider 4 TB NVMe

Gosh, there’s not much capacity difference (25% figuring up, and 20% figuring down) between a 5 TB HDD and a 4 TB NVMe SSD. I’m coming around to the idea that I should buy a 4 TB NVMe for my second storage slot in the P3 Ultra. Decent models are available for around US$300, while the 5TB Seagate HDD costs US$233 or so. This provides roughly 10X the speed for 130% of the price. That’s a good trade-off. I’m still thinking but now I know how I’m leaning.

In the meantime, keep checking those blithe and speedy Copilot answers carefully. You wouldn’t want to be misled. Here in Windows-World it’s smart to stay skeptical, and double check what AI tells you.

When is a Windows app not really a fully standalone piece of software? When it runs as an extension of the Edge environment. To be more specific: when it’s the Windows 10 version of the MS Store Copilot app. I found myself in login lockout because Copilot was using my base-level work MSA as its login account, and it only works with so-called “personal MSAs.” Only after a fair bit of searching did I discover I needed to change my default Edge profile to get Copilot to run. With apologies to Milan Kundera, I see this as a case of unbearable Windows 10 weirdness: Copilot + Edge, when the latter comes as a kind of unexpected surprise.

Deciphering Unbearable Windows 10 Weirdness: Copilot + Edge

My real issue was that I suddenly couldn’t log into Copilot. It said I was using a work MSA (it’s the base of my current production login account, in fact). It offered a “Switch account” option, too. But try as I might, I got exactly nowhere working through the MSA interface via Copilot. It kept looping back to the same place, and I remained stuck.

Naturally, I turned to Google using “can’t login to Copilot” as my starting point. Only after some serious rooting around in MS Answers and other similar online communities did I find a fix. It showed up in this MS Community thread Windows Copilot Is Not Working. Therein a self-professed “IT technician” observed that “you have to delete your Edge profile and then it works fine.”

That’s not exactly true. But it is an important pointer in the right direction. If you define or switch away from a work or school MSA to a personal MSA it works that way, too. I had to set up a personal MSA profile for the account shown in the lead-in graphic, then switch to same. After that, no more problems circling around my work MSA with no traction. To be more direct: after the switch, the Copilot app resumed working.

When they say “The Devil is in the details,” I am pretty sure the MSA stuff falls under that rubric. And for what it’s worth, so also does the MSA vis-a-vis MS Teams logins. Just another day in the paradisaical paradoxes of Windows-World.

Having finally round the “round tuit” needed to check, I came to a stunning realization this weekend. As this blog post’s title reads: Copilot+ PC backup options are scarce. “How scarce?” is the next and inevitable question. Scarce enough that my fave tool — Macrium Reflect — throws an error when I attempted to install it. But it gets worse…

It’s True: Copilot+ PC Backup Options Are Scarce

Here’s a test to ponder: Tim Fisher’s November 2023 Lifewire story 32 Best Free Backup Software Tools gives us a lot of options for free Windows backup tools. Of those 32, take a guess as to how many can back up an ARM-based Copilot+ PC?

I didn’t want to guess so I asked Copilot to check for me with this query: “Of the Windows backup packages cited in this article <URL>, which ones will run on a Copilot+ PC with ARM Snapdragon X CPU?” Of all 32 items mentioned in the story, none qualified. Instead, Copilot recommended Fullback Pro and the old. long-deprecated Control Panel item: Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Indeed it cites an ElevenForum thread to explain how to do this. Approaches also include using DISM to capture (and then restore) the ARM64 Windows 11 image at the command line. Sheesh!

Google Does Better Than Copilot…

With the search string “ARM64-compatible Windows backup software” Google produces more and arguably better results than Copilot does. Most properly-endowed packages cost money. Indeed, I predict it’ll be a while before the freeware/donationware items mention in Fisher’s Lifewire story catch up. Indeed here’s further detail from the Macrium Support team about why MR8 does not support ARM systems:

ARM systems are not supported in reflect for the following reasons:

1) Can’t create snapshots
2) Can’t create a working rescue environment
3) Install CBT and your computer will BSOD on boot

With this, we have decided to block installs on ARM systems to prevent the software from bricking your machine

I suspect many other backup software vendors are up against the same kinds of things. I detect a “wait and see” stance that seeks to determine if the Snapdragon X Copilot PCs represent something real and enduring, before committing resources to supporting them.

What IS Out There?

Here’s a short list of packages that assert out-and-out ARM64 support:

• Zinstall FullBack (Copilot was right about this, as it turns out, though it’s under new ownership). It’s also a monthly service that starts at US$14.90 per PC.
• Veeam Agent 6.0 (backs up files on an ARM64 CPU, but only an AMD64 PC can initiate and drive a restore). Cost: ~US$130/year per deployed production agent.

At present, that’s all I can find. There’s nothing mentioned at the ver (Windows ARM Software) aggregration page. It seems pretty bleak at the moment, in fact.

But Wait: There’s More (or Less)!!

The same situation also applies to disk partition/disk management tools and for many of the same reasons: a lack of low-level drivers to interact with the Volume Shadow Service (VSS) on ARM64 systems running Windows 11 (or 10, for that matter). This is turning out to be more interesting and potentially vexing than I thought. Stay tuned! I’ll keep digging.  And it looks like ComputerWorld wants a short news item about this situation as well. Stay tuned!

As of October 8, Macrium Reflect X Goes Public

My favorite imaging backup, restore and repair utility — Macrium Reflect — dropped its latest version (X, as in the Roman numeral) on October 8. Among its many new capabilities, it supports ARM CPUs (and is running on my lone Copilot+ PC with Snapdragon X processor right now). It also runs noticeably faster than version 8 and has a few other new tricks up its sleeve as well. Visit the Reflect X is here! page for all the deets…

As for myself I’ve been using the beta version since late August/early September with great enjoyment and success. Although the company has transitioned from a perpetual license plus maintenance to an annual subscription approach, I just happily paid US$200 to get onto the Reflect X bus for the period through August 2024.

I have to laugh. There’s a new version of PowerShell (7.4.3) in town, and WinGet is now picking up that update. As has been typical for some while, the upgrade goes A-OK until the last steps. Then, as you can see in the lead-in graphic, it says “Installation abandoned.” Skip a line, then it says “Cancelled” before the prompt returns. With tongue in cheek, I see this as a PowerShell auto-upgrade abandonment issue. The upgrade actually works: the text updates in Terminal don’t match up with reality.

Refuting PowerShell Auto-Upgrade Abandonment Issue

Here’s another, more colorful screencap from a different test PC. Up top it shows the same info as in the preceding screencap. But because I used the magic keyboard shortcut ALT+SHIFT+- (minus key), the Terminal window is split horizontally. Notice the PS self-ID at the top of the lower pane: PowerShell 7.4.3.

After the install, if I open another pane below, it shows version 7.4.3. Update success! [Click image for full-size view.]

Clearly the new install has neither been abandoned, nor has it been cancelled. The old 7.4.2 session simply can’t report successful completion of the upgrade because it’s running the older version, not the newer one. The fix is easy: close the old pane/session. All new panes or sessions will show the new version. But until that pane is closed, the old version keeps running.

It’s just one of those interesting things when a running program seeks to update itself (or to have the package manager inside its embrace do likewise). Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. The update works!

The GitHub Alternative

It takes a day or two after a new PS comes out before WinGet picks it up. For those who wish to jump sooner, a visit to the GitHub PS page — where you’d follow the Latest release link to get an .msi download (or whatever version your PC or VM requires) — makes sense. It also avoids the reported self-update shenanigans entirely.

But hey! Those shenanigans are exactly what I like to observe and try to understand. It’s just another one of the little things that makes life in Windows-World such a hoot.

Hey! It’s another Catch-22 on the Windows Desktop. This time, it involves OneDrive configuration and files that show up after you login to Windows using an MSA. If that MSA elects to “back up” the Desktop folder’s contents, that data gets synched between a local copy and a copy in the OneDrive cloud. Here’s where OneDrive Windows Desktop shenanigans come into play: if you’re not currently connected to OneDrive, File Explorer won’t let you delete the local copy of any such desktop file or folder.

Surviving OneDrive Windows Desktop Shenanigans

When I tried to delete a couple of files I didn’t want — namely:

• Version.doc (some kind of automatic output I extracted from Microsoft 365 Office components)
• An unnecessary shortcut for Microsoft Edge (there’s an icon in the Taskbar already, so I don’t need a second desktop entry point)

File Explorer politely let me know I couldn’t operate on those files without a live OneDrive connection. Not even PowerToys File Locksmith would ignore that prohibition.

OneDrive Login, and the Fix Is In!

This turns out to be absurdly easy to fix. I logged into OneDrive using my Windows login MSA. After a quick file sync, I was able to delete the .doc file. The Edge shortcut turned out to be some kind of short-lived artifact that disappeared on its own when the sync-up was complete. Here’s what OneDrive shows me about itself on this test PC (Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga) right now:

OD status reports version.doc deleted “11 minutes ago.”

I’m continually reminded that those who use OneDrive to back up and/or sync files across multiple PCs had best think carefully about what they keep in the folders placed under the OneDrive umbrella. In my case that’s Desktop, Documents and Pictures. Slowly but surely, I’m learning how to make that work.

Learned something very interesting this week. In testing out the new Windows Backup app in Windows 11 (also back-ported to Windows 10, BTW) I found something. You can tell Windows Backup to “Remember installed apps and pinned app preferences.” But that doesn’t lead to the restore out come you may expect. To me, Windows Backup app handling disappoints because it doesn’t restore them itself. It just makes it easier for you to do so, either manually or programmatically. Let me explain…

Why Say: Windows Backup App Handling Disappoints

You store a Windows Backup snapshot by running the Windows installer. Based on the MSA you use to login, it offers you its latest snapshot for the machine you’re on, plus a list of other snapshots for PCs on which the same MSA has an account (and enabled backup to OneDrive). During the install process, you get to pick what you want.

But if you continue on with restore, when you finally get to the Windows desktop, you will find links to install the apps you had installed before. That’s what MS means when it says “Remember installed apps …” and so forth. You still have to visit each such item in the Start menu, and click install. Or, you can go through and make a list of what needs installing and write a matching winget configuration or PowerShell installer.

Not Exactly Restore, IMO

To my way of thinking this is not what I expect when I restore a backup. I want the system as snapshotted at whatever time and date to reappear on my desktop with all pieces and parts working. MS expects somebody to go through the added time and effort to reinstall apps and applications by script or by click. It’s not the same and it’s presumptuous to equate it with a real restore that does it all on its own with no additional effort required.

What do you think? Shoot me a comment and let me know.

One of the many things that makes big networks different from smaller ones is the added infrastructure they incorporate. This includes an authentication scheme called 802.1x aka Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP, often implemented as PEAP). Its purpose is to allow mobile devices to roam across multiple wireless access points (WAPs) without having to re-authenticate as they move. A recent set of MS updates — namely KB5032288 and KB5033375 — fell afoul of this capability. That’s why the company has declared that an MS KIR fixes Wi-Fi roaming issue.

Who’s been affected? According to the press reports and the December 19 entry in the Windows 11 Known Issues document, it’s mostly been “enterprise, education or public Wi-Fi network[s] using 802.1x authentication.” A LOT of universities have been hit by these updates. Prior to this fix (see below), experts had mostly recommended uninstalling one of these updates to undo its effects.

Say What? MS KIR Fixes Wi-Fi Roaming Issue

KIR stands for Known Issue Rollback (see this MS Learn article for deets). I wrote about such rollbacks once in 2023 and twice in 2022, where each such occurrence auto-magically fixed a similar gotcha without requiring extensive user action or interaction. That said, MS does recommend restarting affected PCs, to make sure they replace the bad code with its working alternative. PCs should fix themselves within 24 hours of MS providing the KIR via Windows Update (or equivalent distribution mechanisms). It’s been out since mid-day yesterday, so it should turn the gotcha around by close of business today.

The KIR mechanism is a great capability inside Windows. It essentially replaces bad or broken bits of code with good, working substitutes without requiring explicit downloads and installs. Indeed, this fix is already in, and should be working its way out to affected PCs as you read this.

As I prepare for an update to my Windows 10 and 11 Backup story for ComputerWorld, I’m working with a trio of free  image backup and restore tools. I’m unfamiliar with them so it’s as much about climbing the learning curve as anything else. As I’m gaining new Windows backup experience, I’m starting to appreciate Macrium Reflect (MR) even more than I already had. Let me explain…

Lessons from Gaining New Windows Backup Experience

Finding out where information resides and how to extract it is always an interesting proposition. For EaseUS ToDo, for example, the only way I’ve been able to get detailed completion times for backup jobs is to dig into the logs and File Explorer. My last image backup for C: took 9:40 to complete and created a ~75 GB image file.

It could be that I just don’t know where else to look for that data. But I can now tell you that MR reports it routinely at the conclusion of each backup job. I can also tell you that backing up the same PC, same target drive finishes in under 3 minutes using MR (more than 3 times as fast). That said, I do see that upgrading to the paid-for EaseUS ToDo version offers faster performance. But the ongoing stream of ToDo ads and upgrade nags is constant and, IMO, annoying.

More Experimentation, More Observation…

I’m setting up two more test PCs with AOMEI Backupper and MiniTool Shadowmaker. I’ll be doing likewise in the days ahead. My ComputerWorld story is due in just under a week, so I’m starting to get serious. Wish me luck!