Windows 10: Cortana Issues

I uninstalled the two latest updates. One was Update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Update 4 Redistributable Package (KB3119142) which had been installed not once but nineteen times. I assume all but one were fails? Restarted the computer and Cortana is working again. This forced update policy is just a really bad move on Microsoft's part. Yes, I know you can get the Pro or Enterprise version or whatever it's called and control that but I just want the Home edition. I want to thank everyone again for their help. I'm not going to mark this as solved yet. I want to wait a couple days and see if it still works.

Here is a list of the symptoms in case anyone else has this problem:

Cortana could only respond to "Hey Cortana" and open programs
My notebook could not connect to the internet
When I set my location, in the list of apps that used it, Cortana was grayed out.
I had to manually set the time by syncing with a server.

The solution proposed here that worked (so far) was to uninstall updates.

I just asked Cortana to tell me a joke.

What do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino. Elephino!

Me either, Cortana.

 

Good... sort of.. begs the question of why and what happens with future updates.

You many need this:
Windows Updates - Hide or Show in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
else the updates will be reinstalled.. or maybe they'll work next time.

You could look into completely uninstalling VC++ 2012 and reinstalling it.

Anyway, glad you ended up on better terms, talking to one another...

Who created you?
Catherine Halsey. Except I cannot know for another 500 years.
Are you tired?
The closest I get to tired is in standby.

 

Thanks again. I downloaded that utility. And thanks to everyone else who provided solutions.

I made a restore point so I'm going to mark this solved. I would say the first thing to try is to uninstall the latest updates. Then if that fails, I'm sure a reset would probably work although I never did do that.