Canary Flash Drive Blows Up

April 12, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

I have to laugh. When MS offered a free USB drive to Dev Channel Insiders automatically upgraded to Canary, I jumped at the chance. Last weekend, the drive showed up in the mailbox. Today, I tried following the instructions depicted in the form letter to which that drive came affixed. But alas, the Canary flash drive blows up at the end of that process. I can’t recover its contents, either.

The whole image (which doesn’t fit my WordPress template layout) looks like this (click to blow up to full size, please):

Canary Flash Drive Blows Up (cover letter and drive as received from MS).

This is the error message that sent me haring down an interested but ultimately unfruitful rabbit hole:

Oops. The error code indicates a device failure of some kind.

To be more specific, I find an error explanation from MS that says “the partition that is reserved for system is damaged.” In attempting to recover from the error, I can’t repair the drive, either…

When Canary Flash Drive Blows Up, It Resists Repair

I attempted to re-format the drive (which shows up with a 32 GB boot partition and the rest of its 58.5 GB unformatted) in Explorer. It takes two tries, but format eventually tells me there’s no device accessible. Can’t format what you can’t access, eh?

On the second try, I get a more informative error message.

I tried to get into it with MTPW (MiniTool Partition Wizard). No joy there, either. Couldn’t even get to a format command. Sometimes, the device shows up, and sometimes it doesn’t.

DISKPART provides the most information and the best error info, as you can see in this PowerShell output.

You’ll want to click on this to read what it says: The device is not ready.

No matter what repairs or low-level formatting tools I tried on this UFD, I got exactly nowhere. Sigh.

Is It the Device, or the Method?

Just for grins I inserted another USB2 UFD (like the one MS sent, but from a different maker). I ran through the Media Creation Tool and built a bootable Windows 11 image. It completed successfully, and passes all disk checks (e.g. chkdsk, Lenovo’s device check utility, and so on). I am therefore inclined to blame the device, rather than the process (which I cheerfully confess I ran on Windows 10, not 11). Would things have turned out differently had I run the MCT via Windows 11? Alas, I’ll never know…

Good thing I have LOTS of UFDs. I really just wanted MS to send me something. Too bad I killed it!

Insider stuff, PowerShell, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog, Windows 11

Winget Discord Update Trick

April 11, 2023 Ed Tittel 2 Comments

I’ve got a new PC waiting in the wings to take over for my aging production PC. Right now, it’s ensconced in my son’s bedroom, where I use it as a test machine. He also games on it when he comes around. As a Discord user, he checks in on that app daily when he’s here. One of his tools pinned that app, so Winget can’t upgrade it through normal means (e.g. Winget upgrade –all or some equivalent). But I’ve discovered a Winget Discord update trick that works nonetheless.

Pinning Requires Winget Discord Update Trick

For some time now (as described in this July 2020 GitHub thread) users and programs can “pin” packages for Winget. This explicitly holds Discord to some specific version (or range of version numbers). It also means that unless Winget upgrade is targeted with a specific Discord version, it doesn’t perform the upgrade.

The trick to a successful upgrade is to use the –version parameter with Winget upgrade to explicitly specify the upgrade target. For example, I successfully upgraded the upstairs PC with this command:

winget upgrade Discord.Discord –version 1.0.9012

Note: I had to use the “full package name” for the Discord app (“Discord.Discord”). I also had to provide the complete version number (1.0.9012) following the –version parameter. After jumping through those hoops, the pinned version allowed the update. One presumes that the same approach will work for other pinned apps and applications with Winget as well.

It may take some squinting, but you can see Discord’s version info in the lead-in graphic at the far right. It reads “Host 1.0.9012 (30921).” To the left is a Terminal window that shows a successful targeted upgrade (update, actually) of the Discord app itself. It’s easy — if you know how. Those are the deets! And now, it’s all good…

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

Windows 10 PowerToys Registry Preview Issue

April 10, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

I’m not sure if what I’m seeing is general to Windows 10, or specific to my two remaining Windows 10 installs. But I’m seeing a Windows 10 PowerToys Registry Preview issue here at Chez Tittel. Don’t take it wrong — the tool works just fine. But you can’t use its built-in “Open file” button, nor the “Ctrl-O” key combo to open a registry (.reg) file. Instead, only a right-click on a .reg file in Explorer (or equivalent, such as VoidTools Everything) will do the trick.

What’s with the Windows 10 PowerToys Registry Preview Issue?

I wish I knew. Everything works as it oughter on Windows 11. As far as I can tell, the issue applies only to Windows 10. Given that there’s a relatively easy workaround, I’m guessing there’s some kind of simple gotcha preventing the Explorer hook-up in Windows 10 for Registry Preview “File Open” from working.

I’ve already tweeted @ClintRutkas, fearless team leader for PowerToys about this. Hopefully, that will help spur corrective action. But it reminds me that it’s always interesting to take new software facilities for a spin. Despite internal testing’s best efforts, stuff like this often pops up when more general releases occur.

Don’t Stop Your Own PowerToys Investigations

Please note that the issue — and Registry Preview itself, in fact — pops up only in the latest version. And, as you can see below that version number still starts with a leading zero. By convention, that means this is still a pre-release version out on extended beta test. These things happen with such software, for sure. But it’s fun to find one yourself now and then — just be sure to report in with your findings. Cheers!

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

Reboot Releases Macrium Backup Volumes

April 7, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

If you’ve been reading this blog lately, you know I experienced a drive crash earlier this week (see “Bye-Bye Seagate…” for details). In the wake of that failure, I had to recover the very data volume that failed from a Macrium Reflect backup. That went off without a hitch. But I hit a snag when I attempted to unmount the volume, which normally requires only right-click menu navigation. Eventually I figured out — and confirmed — that a Windows reboot releases Macrium backup volumes.

An example of a mounted backed-up volume appears above; the normal menus below.

Normally, a two-step cascade provides easy access to unmount a Macrium backup volume. Not that time!
[Click Image for Full-Sized View.]

I’m Glad Reboot Releases Macrium Backup Volumes

After I’d finished grabbing the two folders I really needed from that backup I tried to unmount the volume and drive letter Reflect created to grant me access to its contents. No dice. When I right-clicked the Macrium Reflect entry, the all-important next-level “Unmount Macrium image” item shown above did not appear.

Geek that I am, I attempted to unmount it at the command line. But I couldn’t get PowerShell or Command Prompt to give me the details I needed to make that happen. (I simply couldn’t figure out how to get a GUID or other key drive ID details.)

I reasoned to myself: “Because Reflect mounted the volume, it must surely get unmounted if I reboot the PC.” And indeed, that’s exactly what happened. When I rebooted the PC, the volume that Reflect had mounted appeared no more.

As you can see from the preceding screenshots, it was just a momentary glitch. I mounted a different volume to shoot those images. This time, the right-click menu worked perfectly to dismount from the second image what shows up mounted (boxed in red) in the first image. Go figure!

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

Intel DSA Repair Lets Scan Complete

April 6, 2023 Ed Tittel 2 Comments

This morning, I read about a new Intel graphics driver over at Neowin. With 6 or more PCs likely to need an update, I starting using the Intel Driver & Support Assistant (DSA) to check things out. On one of my two Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga PCs (8th gen Intel CPUs, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD), the spinning balls for the system scan kept spinning … and spinning … and spinning … In looking for a way to fix things, I turned to an Intel Support note. That led me indirectly to learn that an Intel DSA repair lets scan complete.

How Intel DSA Repair Lets Scan Complete

I followed Intel’s advice to uninstall, then reinstall, the DSA app. Along the way, the installer offered a “Repair Installation” option( via Revo Uninstaller). “Hmmmm,” I thought to myself “Why not try this option first and see if it helps?” I did, after which the system informed me a reboot was needed to complete the process.

So I did that, too. And when the PC rebooted the next time around, the DSA system scan completed nearly instantly. After watching it grind for nearly two minutes earlier this morning, that came as a great relief. As irony would have it, DSA did NOT find new graphics drivers for me to install on that PC, either. Here’s what it told me instead:

Despite Neowin’s alert, DSA finds no need for a new graphics driver.

The Installer Will Show “Repair” When Available

This did remind me that many application installers include a “Repair installation” option as part of the installer’s bag of tricks. This time, repair was in the bag — and thankfully, it worked. Problem solved. And the old “remove & replace” operation proves its value yet again as a strategy for fixing application and update issues, but with an interesting twist. Cheers!

Impatient? Direct Driver Link for 31.0.101.2121

If you don’t want to wait for Intel to bring you these drivers via DSA (it’s now early afternoon on release day and they’re still not showing up there), you can grab them from the Intel Drivers & Software downloads page: Intel 6th-10th Gen Processor Graphics — Windows. As for me and my curiosity, I’m content to wait for now…

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, USB devices, WED Blog, Windows 11

MS Introduces Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock

April 5, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

The field is getting increasingly crowded, and the features just keep coming. Microsoft is finally switching over from its proprietary Surface connector to more standard USB-C connections. Indeed, check out the lead photo. It pairs cable ends with ports as MS introduces Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock (MSRP US$300). And because MS is a little late to this party, they add USB4 support to their high-speed USB-C ports, along with TB4.

If MS Introduces Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock, Then What?

That puts another interesting and competitive option into an increasingly crowded market. The CalDigit TS4 remains at the top of the heap (US$400 and up). The Lenovo Universal TB4 Dock is priced on par with the Surface unit (US$305). Similar offerings are available from numerous other makers. These include Anker, Belkin, Kensington, Razer, OWC and many others (see this XDA Developers story for a pretty comprehensive run-down).

What makes the Surface unit unique — for the moment, anyway — is that it includes USB4 along with TB4 support on its USB-C ports. USB4 remains new enough that many docks on the market for a year or more (that is, most of them) don’t follow suit.

The USB4 Conundrum

If we see the next generation of docks adding USB4 to TB4 to one or more high-speed ports, we’ll know USB4 is gaining real traction. At present, it’s more of a rarity. When I went looking at latest generation laptops for USB4 last month (March 2023) I observed that fewer than 25% of models offer USB4 support. Most of those are higher-end PCs, too.

Ditto for higher-end NVMe drive enclosures. The vast majority support TB4, but only a few combine USB4 along with such capability. Indeed, the USB4 spec dates back to 2019, and “Thunderbolt 4 is a superset of USB4” (PC World). This may make calling out support for USB4 a distinction without a difference when TB4 is already present. MS’s recent inclusion of a USB4 page in Windows 11 Settings (Builds 23419 and follow-ons) and inclusion in this dock show a rising tide of USB4 support. We’ll see what happens, as a new generation of PCs and related peripherals make their way into the marketplace.

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

Bye Bye Seagate STL1000LM014

April 4, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Yesterday, I was bopping along and working away. Somewhere after lunch I noticed my D: drive had gone missing. I’ve been working feverishly to try to resuscitate that volume, but it ain’t coming back. Good thing I back it up frequently. I just restored the folders I care about most from that backup (and know where to find more, if I need them). So now, it’s time to say: Bye bye Seagate STL1000LM014.

Impacts from Bye Bye Seagate ST1000LM014

A bit of surprise and upset was my first reaction. But then, I looked at the manufacture date: 2014. Hmmm … let’s see … that’s 8-9 years ago. So, actually, not too surprising. I spent a couple of hours trying to recover the drive. But it won’t read in Windows for more than a minute or two before it falls over and throws a “failed USB device” error. So, I’m retiring this drive from service. I wasn’t able to recover its contents or restore it to working condition using Disk Management, MiniTool Partition Wizard, or SeaTools. That means it’s time for it to go.

It’s already been replaced with a different 2.5″ drive. It was mounted in a pop-out drive cage, which made it easy to remove the dead drive and drop in a live replacement. This time around, I’m going with a Seagate ST2000LX001FireCuda 2TB model, manufactured in 2020 or thereabouts. It should last for a while yet (at least 5 more years if the previous iteration is any guide). I think I’ll be OK.

Thank God for Good Backup!

I’m so glad I made the old D: drive part of my daily backup routine. I didn’t lose more than a day’s work. Now, I have to clean up the backup definition and make sure I’m still covered when the next drive fails. As they often say here in Windows-World: it’s always something!

Cool Tools, PC/phone travel gear, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

Phone Link Pairs Up iPhone Build 25330

April 3, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

I’m jazzed! Here’s what Phone Link pairs up iPhone build 25330 means “Starting with the latest Canary Build, my iPhone and Phone Link are now working together.” I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time. The lead-in graphics shows the “pairing success” message on my Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Hybrid tablet.

What Phone Link Pairs Up iPhone Build 25330 Brings In

On my PC, I can now see the messages in my iPhone message store. I can also access my contact list to place or receive calls via that device. Pretty neat. The set-up process was dead easy. There were messages on both PC and iPhone about what to do. They steered me through the pairing and synching processes.

I’ve been envious of Android users for years, because Phone Link has supported those devices from Day 1. When MS announced iPhone support was coming back on March 2, but in phased form, I quickly realized my PCs weren’t included. I’ve been waiting at least since Build 25314 (I had to clean install Windows 11 again on this machine after the announcement) for this capability to show up on my Dev and later Canary channel test PCs. And now it’s here: woo-hoo!

The Learning Process Begins…

Now the real understanding of what Phone Link can do for me begins. I’ve got the devices paired, and the iPhone on charger so it can run all do. I just had a notification of an incoming (spam) call show up on the desktop, but declined it before I could capture the screen pop that informed me about same. But I can show you the declined notification left behind:

Screen pops and notifications are all part of the service that Phone Link provides.

As I get more time working with the connection, I’ll understand much better what it can do for me. But I’m still jazzed, and happy to finally be able to leverage phone on PC and vice-versa, after more than a decade of rather more distant relations between the two platforms. Good-oh!

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

Happy World Backup Day 2023

March 31, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Courtesy of NeoWin, I’ve just learned that March 31 is World Backup Day. There’s even a website at — you guessed it — worldbackupday.com. Sponsors include Amazon, Mega (file download service provider), iStorage and Backblaze (online backup/storage providers) and mijn.host, along with the World Backup Day organization. There’s even a pledge: “I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and previous memories on March 31st. #WorldBackupDay.” Indeed, let me wish all readers a happy World Backup Day 2023.

Note: the intro graphic comes from the WorldBackupDay.com home page, and is intended to motivate people to back up their stuff. I can only endorse this proposition. I myself learned the importance and value of backups in 1990 when a 300MB SCSI drive on a Mac died on me, and lost me a book I was writing at the time (and more). It was a disaster! But I learned my lesson, and I’ve lost nothing important since to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

What Happens on World Backup Day 2023?

Ideally, everybody makes sure they make a backup of everything they want to keep, or protect against damage, loss or breach. Personally, I back up my production PC daily (including the system drive, plus two smaller drives where I keep all ongoing project work).

But there’s more:

You must know how to restore the backups you make.
You should make yourself familiar with rescue or repair media so you can boot and restore a backup even on a PC (or other device) that’s not booting normally. Some backup packages require separate bootable media for each protected PC (I have a tray full of teeny-tiny Mushkin Atom flash drives for just that purpose).
You should practice a restore occasionally. I end up using restore capabilities at least once a month myself — mostly because of self-inflicted issues arising from experiments — so I’m always ready to rock’n’roll.
Ideally, you should keep one or more backups offsite or online. That way if a meteorite takes out your home or office, you can still get back online by restoring to a different PC. I keep two backups in the cloud: one on OneDrive, the other in Norton Backup.

My basic guiding principle is that anything worth storing once is worth backing up at least twice (as just described). Thus, let me repeat the salutation “Happy World Backup Day 2023” and gently urge you to backup, backup, backup. Cheers!

(Free) Backup Software Worth Using

My go-to backup solution has long been Macrium Reflect Free (I also use the paid version). But its maker, Paramount Software, has announced its discontinuing that version at the end of 2023. I’m casting about for a replacement, given that something free is important for me and my fleet of 10 PCs (6 of which are loaners from Lenovo for testing purposes). I’m digging into stories like this one (and more like it) at PC World “The best free backup software and services…” and Lifewire‘s more comprehensive coverage to find a Goldilocks solution that’s “just right.” Stay tuned…

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Uncategorized, Updates, Windows 10, Windows 11

The Never-ending Windows Update Story Carries On

March 30, 2023 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Back on March 6, I posted an item about Windows Application Update Rhythms. This offered a snapshot for a week’s update activities across my various PCs. Since then, of course, the updates have continued as the never-ending Windows Update story carries on. I’ve made some interesting observations since then, too.

The lead-in graphic above shows one such data point. I’ve begun to notice that sometimes Winget will update Chrome, and sometimes it won’t. It seems to be related to whether or not the app is open at the moment (yes if closed; no if open).

Never-ending Windows Update Story Keeps Going…

The same thing appears to be true for PowerShell as well, as you can see in this next screencap. Amusingly, the app itself is PowerShell so indeed it’s obviously running too. But there are ways to force a PS upgrade within the app, so this default behavior can be over-ridden. The second post in this SuperUser thread explains how to do just that. It grabs and uses the PS install MSI from GitHub to make that happen.

Winget updates neither Chrome nor PowerShell here.

What’s Behind the Apparent No-Upgrade Behavior?

In various discussions online as to what’s at work here, I learned (or re-learned) a few things. When installer formats change (MSIX to MSI, MSI to EXE, and so forth) Winget won’t perform the update. Indeed, I’ve seen explicit messages to this effect in Winget output from time to time. This Answers.Microsoft.com thread explains how to grab, then use, the download URL for the Chrome installer to bypass the failed (and silent, error-message-wise) Winget update. Likewise interesting!

The more I work with Winget, the more I learn about its various hiccups and gotchas. But the tool continues to impress because there’s nearly always a clever workaround to get things done. It’s definitely made the various installments of the never-ending Windows Update story around Chez Tittel shorter and more entertaining. What more could a Windows-head like me want?