Windows 10: Windows Update broke my computer when I needed it most. You guys need to START THINKING.

Question: What do you get when you route core functionality through broken code without fully testing it first?

Answer: A promotion at Microsoft.

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Windows Updates monopolizes my disk installing broken updates. Prime example:


I connected to WIFI in advance of a presentation for a course that is core to my MBA - not a small deal in my world.


Windows proceeded to download and install an update without asking me - a process that took over my tablet computer, literally ramping disk and proc usage to 100% and leaving it there. My tablet became a frisbee right when I needed it most to be a tablet.


THANK YOU!

It wasn't important at all to let me decide when it was ok to install an update. No no, please - by all means take over my tablet. Assumptions are always a good idea. You know better than I do when I need my computer! (Don't even get me started about the time Windows Update grabbed 2 gigs over my phone tether - WHILE I WAS OUT-OF-COUNTRY - before I realized what was happening and shut it down...)


This meant I needed to fall back to a colleague's computer, using a backup of my presentation I brought on a USB stick; I have learned to NEVER trust Microsoft in advance of anything important.


When the presentation was over I returned to my tablet only to find that I could no longer connect to the internet. Indeed, whenever I tried to even look at the state of connectivity a window with a gear would appear and just sit there indefinitely. THANKS AGAIN! I used the old control panel to find my wifi card sitting there quietly, waiting for some information about the networks in the area.


When I arrived home I checked the Eventlog. Turns out systemsettings.exe was chronically hanging.


The problem here is a breakdown in thinking: systemsettings.exe is an aggregator window - it exposes a whole bunch of controls and information, just like the control panel used to, but now it is the only obvious and fast point of access to some very important and basic functionality - like wireless network connectivity. When it breaks, a lot of things break. If you route a bunch of really important functionality through that app with no apparent fallback there's a high probability that users will end up with a bunch of real issues they cannot easily resolve.


This all began with windows updating a package (windows.immersivecontrolpanel_10.0.2.1000_neutral_neutral_) to a revision that hangs with my hardware. Always. How do I know? Because I traced through the event log to find out when the application hang events started happening. Can you guess when they began? That's right, after the update completed - literally within minutes. Why was the timing so specific? Because that's precisely when I was done my presentation and noticed I had no connection on my tablet. That's when I clicked on the wifi icon in the systray to query all available networks, which of course launched the "updated" systemsettings.exe.

/applause


Be warned: letting windows update run rampant actually isn't such a hot idea.


The solution? SFC and DISM of course. This is now part of the regular, expected user experience. And this is really where I have to stand up and applaud you, M$ developers. You guys break stuff so much that you have developed two well known and widely used command line applications to fix your endless, egregious mistakes. Rolling back your updates is now the norm.


I don't know about anyone else, but I am so impressed I'm positively dripping with sarcasm in my praise.




M$ developers are seriously awful. It isn't that you lack intelligence, it's that you lack ethic and common sense. I'll bet all the money in my pockets against all the money in yours that none of you people are testing properly - that you aren't using best TDD practices (or any at all), that your code base is as messy my laundry hamper, that you aren't listening to QA (hell, at this point I'd be surprised if you even had a QA department) and that your PMs aren't doing anything about any of this.


WHERE IS YOUR OVERSIGHT????


This is one singular example - among dozens upon dozens of others - of the lack of common sense thinking going on at M$. I've always just dealt with it, but honestly I'm completely fed up; if stupid is as stupid does, then M$ developers are really, really stupid.


I'm going to go install Ubuntu on that laptop. I might have other problems, but at least my computer won't hang unexpectedly, break when I'm not looking, and require me to re-image it every other week.

:)

 

Windows 10 update broke my computer?

One of the possible reasons why your PC fails to boot into normal mode are broken components on the boot configuration data of your system. To isolate your concern, we suggest that you perform the following steps to trigger Safe Mode through the Windows
Recovery Environment (WinRE) option. To do this, follow the steps below:

• Improper shutdown process
• Turn on your computer. When the Windows logo is visible, unplug the power source of your computer. Perform this step three times.
  
• On the fourth time that you turn on your computer, just simply wait for the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) window to appear.
  
• On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings and click Restart.
  
• Once your computer restarts, you will see a list of options. Press the F4 key to start your computer in Safe Mode.

We also recommend that you perform a system restore after booting in safe mode. This option takes your PC back to an earlier point in time. Restoring won’t affect your personal files, but it will remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore
point was made. To do this, follow the steps below:

• In the Search box, type Control Panel and press Enter.
• On the upper-right window, under View by, click Category and select Large icons.
  
• Search Control Panel for Recovery.
• Select Recovery > Open System Restore > Next.
• Choose the restore point related to the problematic app, driver, or update, and then select Next > Finish.

Let us know if the solution above works for you.

 

Windows Updates failed to instal

I'm not sure how differant XP media center Edition is but you could clear the history \ cache if these folders are there.

Step 1 Register DLL files.

=================

By trying this step, we can check if the update engines are working properly.



1. Close all instances of Internet Explorer.

2. Click Start and Run, type "Regsvr32 atl.dll" (without quotes) in the Open box and click OK.



Note: There is a space between regsvr32 and atl.dll



3. Similarly, one by one, register the files listed below:



Regsvr32 msxml3.dll

Regsvr32 wuapi.dll

Regsvr32 wuaueng.dll

Regsvr32 wuaueng1.dll

Regsvr32 wups2.dll

Regsvr32 wucltui.dll

Regsvr32 wups.dll

Regsvr32 wuweb.dll

Regsvr32 qmgr.dll

Regsvr32 qmgrprxy.dll

Regsvr32 jscript.dll



Note: If you encounter errors while registering any of these files then skip that file and continue with the next one.



If the issue persists, let's move on to the steps below to verify Windows Update services and temporary folders.



Step 2 Verify the relevant Windows Update services.

=========================================

1. Click Start->Run, type "services.msc" (without quotation marks) in the open box and click OK.

2. Double click the service "Automatic Updates".

3. Click on the Log On tab, please ensure the option "Local System account" is selected and the option "Allow service to interact with desktop" is unchecked.

4. Check if this service has been enabled on the listed Hardware Profile. If not, please click the Enable button to enable it.

5. Click on the tab "General "; make sure the "Startup Type" is "Automatic" or "Manual". Then please click the button "Stop" under "Service Status" to stop the service.

6. Then please click the button "Start" under "Service Status" to start the service.

7. Please repeat the above steps with the other services:



Background Intelligent Transfer Service

Event Log

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)



Note: Event log service is enabled on all of the hardware profiles; this service does not have an option to enable or disable on certain hardware profile.



If it still does not help, let's proceed to step 3.



Step 3 Reload the Update temporary folders.

===================================

One possible cause is that the temporary folder for Windows Update is containing corrupted files. Let's erase all the files there to get the system clean.



1. Click Start, Run, type: cmd and press Enter. Please run the following command in the opened window.



Net stop WuAuServ



2. Click Start, Run, type: %windir% and press Enter.

3. In the opened folder, rename the folder SoftwareDistribution to Sdold.

4. Click Start, Run, type: cmd and press Enter. Please run the following command in the opened window.



Net start WuAuServ



Please test the Windows Update website and let me know the result. If the issue persists, to clarify the issue and provide more accurate troubleshooting steps, please assist me in collecting the following information.

 

Windows Updated(16299.309).KB4088776 Restart is required to complete.


Hi dalchina. Good news, I followed your suggestion and reinstalled the update and now it appears as "installed correctly" *Biggrin Maybe it was not necessary to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter or maybe if necessary. But using it I do not think it could have worsened something. The installation was very fast, unlike the first time it showed step 1 and step 2 completed.

Thanks for the suggestions and for the time to respond Best regards.


And thanks for the tip of that program, I'll have it on my list.