Intel Driver & Support Assistant-not working after June updates?

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[Deo]

Win 10 Pro 21H2 build 19044.1766. Just installed June CU KB5014699.

Ran Intel Driver & Support Assistant, keep getting ‘Sorry, something went wrong while trying to scan’. Re-downloaded the program and installed the newer version 22.4.26.9. Restarted PC.

Still getting same error? Has anyone come across this? It worked prior to Win June updates. It is enabled in Startup, and task manger shows some intermittent activity, yet Edge continues showing error. (I have cleared browser cookies & history, restarted)

• This topic was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Deo.

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Hi Deo:

I have the same Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 OS and Intel DSA appears to be running correctly on my system.  When I initially launched Intel DSA it opened my default Firefox v102.0.0 browser and auto-updated from v22.3.20.6 to the current v22.4.26.9, and the scan detected one available update for my Intel UHD Graphics 620 driver (v30.0.101.1994, rel. 24-May-2022).

I launched MS Edge v103.0.1264.44 and browsed to https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/intel-driver-support-assistant.html and the scan ran correctly from that browser as well.

I don’t want Intel DSA loading at every boot-up so I normally keep the services for both Intel Driver & Support Assistant and Intel Driver & Support Assistant Updater disabled, and then start those services manually just before I launch Intel DSA to run a scan.  If you go to Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services are both those service running on your computer?

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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v22.4.26.9 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0

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windbg

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Hi Imacri,

Thank you, yes those are the same settings I have in services.

What is truly odd: I just ran it from my User account, it went without a hitch (both from the Start menu program listing, and typing address into Edge address bar). However from my Admin account, no luck.. get a pop up asking me to choose ‘Microsoft EDGE, IE, another light blue Edge icon, or find app in Microsoft store’ with a select program as default? Choosing Edge there still brings up error in admin. Via User, ‘all drivers up to date’.

NB I have Dell Command Update 4.3.0, it hasn’t offered updates for a long time. Dell Support Assist doesn’t work on this older unit, uninstalled last year.

As an aside, while in Services, noticing alot of duplicate services for what I assume are MS products of which I don’t use Device picker, Device Flow, Consent UX etc ie.

Contact Data_471df5

Contact Data_8e256

Something is up?? I also only get a ‘User account control’ pop up in my Admin account, not in the user account?

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Deo wrote:

…NB I have Dell Command Update 4.3.0, it hasn’t offered updates for a long time. Dell Support Assist doesn’t work on this older unit, uninstalled last year.

Hi Deo:

Intel DSA v22.4.26.9 runs correctly on my Dell Inspiron 5584 / Win 10 Pro v21H2 machine when I log in with an Administrator user account.  However, I’ve had problems running Intel DSA in the past (see the issue in my Dec 2021 thread Intel DSA Not Detecting Update for UHD Graphics 620 Since Win 10 Pro v21H2 Installed that was eventually fixed by a Dell BIOS update) so you might want to post in the Intel Products Support Forum if your Intel DSA problem persists.

You didn’t mention your Dell computer model or how old your computer is. If you go to https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us?app=products and enter your unique Service Tag you should be automatically directed to the support page for your computer model. Click on the Drivers & Downloads tabs, expand the Find Drivers section, and then sort by Release Date to see if there are any updates released in recent months for your unique Service Tag (hardware configuration) that are missed by your Dell Command | Update utility. Note that there’s often a lag of a week or more before new updates posted on the support page for my Inspiron 5584 are detected by my Dell Update Windows Universal Application v4.5.0 utility. While you’re at your support page check for an available update for your Dell Command | Update v4.3.0 and other software / drivers / BIOS firmware – I think that most newer Dell computers models that use Dell Command | Update should be on v4.4.0 (or possibly even v4.5.0) by now if they have a Win 10 OS.

Since you removed SupportAssist last year, you might want to watch the Dell Tech Support video at Dell SupportAssist Not Installing (updated 17-Jun-2022) that describes how to manually delete the folders, registry entries and Windows services that are often left behind when you uninstall SupportAssist from Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features.  I always follow Dell employee DELL-Chris M’s instructions at SA Uninstall / Reinstall when I want to perform a thorough uninstall of SupportAssist (that includes removing all SupportAssist-related components like Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update, etc.) and I go one step further and use Revo Uninstaller Free in Aggressive mode to perform the uninstalls and clean up the stray files and registry entries left behind by the “regular” uninstaller.  It’s  always possible you still have some remnants from last year’s SupportAssist uninstall that are now interfering with Dell Command | Update.
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Just an aside, but other Dell users following this thread who use SupportAssist should note that the current SupportAssist for Home PCs v3.11.4.29 (rel. 23-Jun-2022) is a major version change that seems to have a lot of bugs. The minimum system requirements listed in the release notes <here> state you must now have .NET Core Runtime v5.0.x in addition to Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2, and I believe my SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 update also installed a new service called Dell TechHub. There are many users posting in the Dell SupportAssist for PCs board about problems updating / installing / running SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 so I would post there if you have any issues.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell SupportAssist Remediation v5.5.2.16157 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.5.9 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0

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WCHS, windbg, Deo

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Thank you Imacri. It’s an Optiplex 9020 USFF core i5 4th gen Win 10 x64. Dell support subscription ended 2018, thus I can’t ask questions on the Dell support site. (Ps I have no Support Assist remnants, as Windows O/S was reinstalled Dec, and only have Command Update. I also have GP stg to ‘not include drivers with windows updates’ after an Intel network adapter slipped thru windows update in Dec).

When I go to the Dell site, it shows much older drivers listed than what running Command Update had offered (and I applied) in Dec. (Drivers on the site also lend confusion as the file format is 32bit ‘designed to run on MS Windows 64 bit systems’.)

The only update listed relevant is indeed Dell Command Update Application 4.5.0. (I can’t use the Universal package on this system).

From my Admin user account: Should I uninstall the current Command Update  4.3.0 from control panel|programs & features, then  download and install 4.5.0? Or will downloading and installing, while 4.3.0 is still present, upgrade over top?

Re: Intel, I do have the following icons in right of taskbar: Intel HD Graphics, Intel Rapid Storage Technology, Intel Mgmt and Security Status?. Am UEFI, Bios has latest update from July 2019. (Seems Dell has dropped updating drivers for older systems) Is it thus unsafe to use older PC’s such as mine??

Also note to others: Command Update can only be run when ‘metered connections’ is off. I manually do this prior to running Command Update, and turn it back on after.

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Hi Deo:

I gather that USSF stands for Ultra Small Form Factor, but searching the Dell support site at https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us?app=products for “OptiPlex 9020” yields three different models: OptiPlex 9020, OptiPlex 9020M and OptiPlex 9020 All-in-One. When you browse to that Dell support site and enter your unique Service Tag which model does it automatically detect (i.e., what is the link for the support site where you are automatically re-directed)?

You can still post in the Dell Community, including the Optiplex Desktops board, after your support warranty expires. If a support rep from DELL-Cares asks you to send them your Service Tag via a private message just ignore them – they will reply with a “cut and paste” stock response that your service warranty has expired and that you are not eligible for support from an official DELL-Cares support representative. However, there are other people in the wider Dell community who are not Dell employees, including senior forum members with a rank of TechExpert, who can respond to your questions and offer assistance.

I can’t suggest what Dell Command | Update (or Dell Update) is best for your OptiPlex 9020 unless I know the exact model, but I don’t understand why you say you can’t install Dell Command | Update Windows Universal Application, which should be compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Win 10 and Win 11. The Win32 (32-bit) installer for Dell Command | Update will still run on a Win 10 or Win 11 machine but these are “old-style” update packages that must be used if you have an older Win 7 SP1 or Win 8.1 OS.

SupportAssist, Dell Update (Win 32) and Dell Update Windows Universal Application have never offered a software, driver or BIOS firmware update for my Inspiron 5584 that wasn’t posted on the support page <here> for my Inspiron 5584. I don’t understand how Dell Command | Update could be offering newer drivers that are not posted on the support page for your OptiPlex 9020 / OptiPlex 9020M / OptiPlex 9020 All-in-One unless you are looking at the support page for the wrong OptiPlex model or your support page isn’t auto-detecting your 64-bit Win 10 OS. Always enter your Service Tag on the Dell Support site to ensure your are directed to the correct support page for your OptiPlex model and are only offered the updates that match your Service Tag / hardware configuration.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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windbg, Deo

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[Deo]

Hi Imacri, it is a 9020 (no M or All in One).

I’ll attach a screenshot of what my 1st run of Command update gave me when I installed it in Dec (3 necessary OEM drivers (chipset etc) were slipstreamed by tech into new install before start up to prevent windows update from doing the drivers; I installed Command update when 1st online home from shop and it’s rec’d updates). They looked on par today with Dell support site listed, 13 (with service tag).

Prob: Windows driver updates snuck in Feb as winshowhide refused to hide them. I put in place GP edit policy stgs to stop them right after that. Alas, I believe the damage is done. i.e. Dell site shows Intel PCIe Ethernet Network driver vs the installed network driver via Windows as different date.

Dell Command Update Windows Universal App website: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ca/drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=601KT

Under  ‘compatible systems’ tab at bottom shows 9020 as absent (9020M & AllinOne are fine). Hence why I couldn’t get it to install in Dec. I could give it another go vs the one listed under driver & d/load page for 9020, as you mentioned it is old; not sure it will work with 9020.

All other drivers match the site, except the Intel PCIe ethernet driver that Win took over. (I assume it is the network adapter?)  Though Windows also downgraded a system device to an ‘Xeon processor 3/4 Gen Core processor’-it is now undefined in win up history but was listed and the other 4 intel entries above in the screen shot of device manager?

PS yes, thank you, got to the Dell driver site for 9020, with/without Tag! Just not on my ipad. And only from User account.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Deo. Reason: tried to reorder list of attachments, site would not allow delete of pics to do so

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Deo wrote:

PS yes, thank you, got to the Dell driver site for 9020, with/without Tag! Just not on my ipad. And only from User account.

Hi Deo:

If you haven’t already done so I would suggest you disable Fast Startup as instructed in theTenForums tutorial How to Turn On or Off Fast Startup in Windows 10 and then re-boot your system. The Fast Startup power option (also known as hybrid boot-up / hybrid shutdown) is enabled by default but can interfere with the loading of services and drivers at boot-up and cause all sorts of unexpected glitches and problems, and Microsoft has acknowledged that Fast Startup can even interfere with Windows Update – see the MS support article Updates May Not Be Installed With Fast Startup in Windows 10.

Do you have the Dell OptiPlex 9020 System BIOS vA25 (rel. 19-Jul-2019) recommended <here> on the OptiPlex 9020 support page, and do you know if you have the recommended Intel Chipset Device Software v10.1.1.18 (rel. 02-Jun-2016)? To find your current BIOS version open a Run dialog box, enter msinfo32 to open your System Information panel and look for the “BIOS Version/Date” field.  If your BIOS requires an update post back for manual installation instructions – don’t use a utility like Dell Command | Update for installing BIOS updates.

Before you go any further with your troubleshooting I would suggest you run System File Checker (sfc /scannow) and DISM commands (e.g., Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth) from an elevated command prompt (with Administrator rights) as instructed the ghacks.net article Use DISM to Fix Issues SFC Can’t to see if any of those SFC or DISM scans can detect and repair any issues with your Windows system files. You have a Win 10 V21H2 OS, and as I noted in post # 2458040, the fact that you can install the old-style Win32 installer for Dell Command | Update (Win 7 and higher) but can’t install Dell Command | Update Windows Universal Application (Win 10 and Win 11 only) points to a problem with your Win 10 system files. What is the original Windows OS that shipped with your OptiPlex 9020, and what problems were you having back in Dec 2021 that required a reinstall of your Win 10 OS?

The System Information link in Dell Command | Update shows you have the same Intel PCIe Ethernet Network driver v24.1.0.0 (rel. 19-Nov-2021) that is recommended on the support page <here> for your OptiPlex 9020.  As long as you have the correct driver version for this NIC I don’t think you need to be concerned about the date it was installed on your system or the fact that it was installed by Windows Update.

If Intel DSA runs correctly in your MS Edge browser and you can browse to your Dell support site using your Dell Service Tag, etc. when you log in with your standard User account then perhaps your Administrator account is corrupted. If there’s an issue with your Intel PCIe Ethernet Network driver (and assuming you always use this adapter by connecting the internet via an Ethernet cable instead of a wireless/WiFi connection) I would expect your NIC driver to cause problems with both user accounts. Note: If you suspect your NIC Ethernet adapter is the problem remember that your Win 10 OS has built-in troubleshooters (Settings | Update & Security | Troubleshoot | Additional Troubleshooters | Network Adapters, etc.), and if Dell SupportAssist is not installed you can still run Dell hardware diagnostics <here> from the Diagnostics tab of your OptiPlex 9020 support page.

I’d suggest you create a new Administrator account (i.e., log in as an Administrator, create a new Microsoft or Local account at Settings | Account Family & Other Users | Other Users | Add Someone Else to This PC and then change the account type to Administrator). Then log in under new Administator account and install the current Intel DSA v22.4.26.9 and see if Intel DSA runs correctly from that new account. The Administrator account on my Inspiron 5584 is a Microsoft account (i.e., I am logged in automatically with my Microsoft Account credentials after I enter a PIN number on the lock screen) but Brink’s TenForums tutorial How to Add a Local Account or Microsoft Account in Windows 10 has instructions for creating both Microsoft and Local accounts (see Options 1 and 2).

If you still can’t run Intel DSA, etc. from your new Administrator account with the default MS Edge browser then try a different browser as Mr. Austin suggested. I use Firefox as my default browser, which might be a good choice since it isn’t a Chromium-based based browser like your MS Edge browser. If your are testing an alternate browser from your new Administrator account just be sure you run your test before installing any ad blockers or browser extensions like uBlock Origin, Malwarebytes Brower Guard, etc. that might interfere with Intel DSA.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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Deo

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lmacri wrote:

If you haven’t already done so I would suggest you disable Fast Startup as instructed in theTenForums tutorial How to Turn On or Off Fast Startup in Windows 10 and then re-boot your system. The Fast Startup power option (also known as hybrid boot-up / hybrid shutdown) is enabled by default but can interfere with the loading of services and drivers at boot-up and cause all sorts of unexpected glitches and problems, and Microsoft has acknowledged that Fast Startup can even interfere with Windows Update – see the MS support article Updates May Not Be Installed With Fast Startup in Windows 10.

Any (extremely rare) issues with Fast Startup can be easily overcome with Restart, as recommended in that MS article.

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Deo

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Hi Imacri, (*your reply was not fwded to my email inbox??)
Thank you so much, answers to your ?’s:

Fast startup has always been disabled.
Bios is up to date A25.

Local Account only, no MS account.

The Intel PCIe Ethernet Network Driver listed in my Command update pic is NOT what Windows installed in February. Pls advise where in Device Manager I can grab that screenshot for you, or how to locate existing driver now installed??
(I am hard-wired and have always been able to get online).

Bought this unit refurb from a Microsoft Certified Center 3yrs ago (box was taped & certified by MS), came with Win 10 Pro installed. New Samsung SSD in. No problems until last Nov: Dell Support Assist acting up, crashing; Samsung Magician not allowing eject of ext device; Firefox spinning, unable to get to websites. Ran MSRT, found & removed something called ‘VirTool:win32/DefenderTamperingRestore’.  Took into repair shop for wipe of internal SSD & reinstall of Win 10 Pro O/S. SSD health great. Did not bring over any files or AppData, started from scratch. All was well. I use a 3rd party enterprise level A/V.

Putting the pieces together, I believe this is related to my Ask Woody firefox saga, as all was well prior to updating Ffox via Admin account when it was installed on user account. Particularly NOTE my post #2449385 : results after I ran DISM & sfc /scannow in that link. I posted parts of that CBS log showing the errors and the sfc /scannow repair made changes to accounts, as shown in those logs at that time May 26/27. I did not receive any feedback on that post re: errors, thus assumed I was good to go. Have not yet reinstalled Ffox via admin as I don’t feel stable on the PC i.e. don’t understand what went wrong. Took alot of manual deleting of User account App Data folders, as revouninstaller free portable only removed Ffox related files, registry etc from Admin. No remnants remain. Yet sfc did something with ownership.

Have not been on PC much due to father passing away, simply using my User account to back up my phone to itunes etc. Admin just to run winshowhide. Yet, as I always do prior to installing CU monthly updates, I go into Admin account, make Macrium reflect free backup – (which is taking 3x as long now), run Command Update and run Intel DSA. This is when I noticed this problem with admin account.

Can anyone see anything that may be a clue in the CBS log I posted in May? The May 27 DSIM came back clean, but sfc /scannow made switches to account ownership as per the log? (The full CBS log was overwritten during July 2 Windows updates, but there is a DISM.log that still shows something from June 27, but is not the sfc/ scannow that did the repair changes as per log linked).

Am I hooped? Admin account corrupted? Another wipe & reinstall from scratch? I don’t believe a restore from M/R will help at all at this point.

* may have to do with June updates, as I ran DSA  via Admin when I installed May CU updates. As well, CBS.log today shows only from date of July 2 CU updates? I did not run dism or sfc since May as above.

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Deo wrote:

The Intel PCIe Ethernet Network Driver listed in my Command update pic is NOT what Windows installed in February. Pls advise where in Device Manager I can grab that screenshot for you, or how to locate existing driver now installed?? (I am hard-wired and have always been able to get online).

Hi Deo:

Go to the OptiPlex 9020 support page <here> and read the details for the Intel PCIe Ethernet Network Driver v24.1.0.0 update package (VP20T, released by Dell 15-Nov-2019). As shown below, the Important Information section states that your driver version in Device Manager should be listed as v12.18.9.10 (for model I217, I218, and I219) or v12.15.31.4 (for model 82579) after this Dell update package is installed if you have a Win 10 OS.

Then go to Device Manager | Network Adapters, right click on Intel PCIe Ethernet and choose Properties. The Drivers tab should show your current Intel driver version (i.e., not the version or date of the Dell update package).

I’ve attached an image from the Device Manager of my Inspiron 5584 showing that I have a Realtek PCIe Ethernet Controller with driver v10.31.828.2018 (Driver Date 28-Aug-2018). However, if you check my Inspiron 5584 support page <here> you will see that driver was installed by the Realtek PCIe Ethernet Controller Driver v2.45.2018.1130 update package (K7VMW, released by Dell 11-Feb-2019). It’s normal that version number and release date of the Dell update package shown on your support page does not correspond to the manufacturer’s driver version number and driver date shown in Device Manager.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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[Deo]

Thank you for your assistance and patience Imacri.

I am attaching what version the Device mgr states as installed, and what the Dell site w/service tag shows prior to proceeding to be sure.

The version numbers seems to match from my end as is, but I assume you wish me to download & reinstall the OEM driver from Dell even though they match due to July/Nov date difference? If so, do I d/load from Dell and point ‘update driver to that file? Many thanks.

I’ll do a quick M/R differential b/up before hand.

PS Should I uninstall the old 4.3.0 Command update prior to proceeding?

D/load of driver will not let me copy from User account to thumb drive without “properties”… I will see if I can login to dell site for driver from Admin acct.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Deo. Reason: query uninstalling command update old version before proceeding

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Deo wrote:

I am attaching what version the Device mgr states as installed, and what the Dell site w/service tag shows prior to proceeding to be sure. The version numbers seems to match from my end as is, but I assume you wish me to download & reinstall the OEM driver from Dell even though they match due to July/Nov date difference?…

Hi Deo:

No, I don’t think there’s any need to reinstall this driver. Device Manager shows you have driver version 12.18.9.10 for your Intel Ethernet I217-LM, which is the same driver version that the Dell update package (Intel-PCIe-Ethernet-Controller-Driver_VP20T_WIN_24.1.0.0_A13_01.EXE) that is currently posted on the support page <here> for the OptiPlex 9020 would have installed. It doesn’t matter if that driver was installed by a Dell update package, Windows Update, or some other source as long as it’s the correct Ethernet NIC driver recommended for your Dell OptiPlex 9020 System BIOS vA25, and I’m not concerned about the exact Driver Date. I also don’t see how that Ethernet driver could have anything to do with your Intel DSA problem – especially when Intel DSA runs correctly when you log in to Windows 10 as a Standard user.

Just a heads up that I posted earlier today at post # 2458428 about your refurbished OptiPlex 9020 and how to use the command wmic bios get serialnumber to confirm your Dell Service Tag (system serial number). Every time I post or edit a reply it goes straight to moderation, which is why you probably aren’t receiving email notifications when I reply in this thread. I won’t add my system specs to this reply just in case the AskWoody forum software has started rejecting the BBCode I use to decrease the font size of the text.

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Deo wrote:

Bought this unit refurb from a Microsoft Certified Center 3yrs ago (box was taped & certified by MS), came with Win 10 Pro installed. New Samsung SSD in.

Hi Deo:

Is that why you said you can’t post in the Dell OptiPlex Desktops forum board?  I suspect there are other OptiPlex users posting in that board who have upgraded their hardware since their service warranty expired, and they might be able to help even if you can’t submit an official support ticket to DELL-Cares.

If you open a command prompt and type in the command wmic bios get serialnumber this will display your system serial number (what Dell refers to as the unique Service Tag), but if the people who refurbished your OptiPlex 9020 changed some of the internal hard ware components then some of the drivers suggested on the support page <here> for your OptiPlex 9020 Service Tag are no longer be suitable for your system. In that case you’ll have to go to the original manufacturer’s site (e.g., Intel, NVIDIA, etc) and find the recommended driver or use their proprietary software to check for updates. For example, my old Vista SP2 machine was a HP Pavilion dv6835ca with a discrete NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS graphics card, and once HP stopped posting updated software and drivers on the support page for that model I would browse to the NVIDIA GeForce support page at https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx to manually search for the recommended driver that matched my GeForce 8400M model and Vista OS. I also had proprietary NVIDIA software (factory installed) that I could run from Control Panel | Hardware and Sound that I could use for an update check for my GeForce graphics card. As a general rule, I didn’t upgrade any hardware drivers on this older machine unless I had a problem that pointed to a specific out-of-date driver (see my post <here> in the MS Answers forum about a NVIDIA graphics driver update on that machine that fixed an intermittent BSOD) because there was no guarantee a newer driver would work correctly with my old BIOS, and I was always prepared to roll back any new driver that I installed if it caused a problem.

• How to Roll Back a Device Driver on a Dell System Using Windows
• How to Roll Back a Driver to a Previous Version in Windows 10 and Windows 11 (Intel)

So far your comments have indicated that Intel DSA (and some of your browsing issues) only occur when  you log in with your Administrator account. If don’t want to create a new Administrator account for testing as I suggested in post # 2458191 then I suggest you either post in the Intel Community as I suggested in post # 2457956 or open a support ticket with Intel support at https://supporttickets.intel.com/supportrequest as Mr. Austin suggested. I logged in to my Intel Account on that support page (i.e., with the same user name and password I use to sign to the Intel Community) and was able to start a support request for the Intel DSA utility (see attached image). I found Dell support was very helpful when they tried to help me with my own Intel DSA problem, even I posted <here> that a Dell BIOS update (and the bundled Intel components it apparently updated at the same time) eventually fixed my issue.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0 * Intel UHD Graphics 620

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Thank you, I just have no idea what to do IF I did create a new Admin account, what to do with docs/programs installed in orig Admin, and if, seeing that there are issues with User account takeover etc as per my today’s post below,  would help? Or be a very long exercise in ending up in the same boat? Unsure? Certainly looks like something is up with those double services.msc entries that suddenly showed up in June, I assume one related to admin acct, one for user, thus would a new admin account add to that complexity if new admin? Inherit the same mess?They were not there before. Hmm

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Deo wrote:

Thank you, I just have no idea what to do IF I did create a new Admin account, what to do with docs/programs installed in orig Admin, and if, seeing that there are issues with User account takeover etc as per my today’s post below, would help? Or be a very long exercise in ending up in the same boat?…

Hi Deo:

For now, I’m only suggesting you create a new Administrator account for testing. After it’s created log in under that new account and see what third-party software (Firefox, iTunes, etc.) you can access and whether that software launches correctly, but don’t install any new software. Also, don’t delete you current (and possibly corrupt) Administrator account in case you have to recover any data from that old account. I have two Administrator accounts (my “regular” Microsoft account with Administrator rights and a local Administrator account I can use in an emergency if my “regular” Administrator account is corrupted) plus one Standard user account on my Win 10 machine, and I can quickly switch between these user accounts from the Start button by clicking on the name of the user I’m currently logged in as (see image below). You aren’t going to loose anything in your old (and possibly corrupt) Administrator account as long as you don’t delete that old Administrator account.

See the Windows Central article How to Change a Windows 10 User Account Type and Why You Might Want To that explains the difference in privileges between an Administrator and Standard user account. It’s safer to log in on a daily basis with a Standard user account (this will make it harder for malware and other unauthorized users to alter your Windows system files, disable your antivirus protection, and make other changes that require elevated Administrator privileges) but this severely restricts what you can do while logged in as Standard user. If you are the only person using your computer and normally log in to Windows on a daily basis with a Standard user account, all your personal user data (MS Office documents, music files, pictures, etc.) should be saved on your hard drive under this account at C:\Users\<yourstandardusername>. In this scenario you should only log in to the Administrator account if you need to install/update software or perform a task that requires elevated privileges. Note that when you install software while logged in as an Administrator, you might have to “install for all users” if you want every user, including your Standard user account(s), to have access to that software.

It’s beginning to sound to me like you have a separate Administrator account (possibly corrupted, but possibly not) and a Standard user account, but that you’ve installed some software and created some personal user data (e.g., iTunes backups, Firefox user profiles, etc.???) while logged in as an Administrator that cannot be accessed from your Standard user account. It’s even possible that you created two different Firefox user profiles at one time – one stored in the hidden C:\Users\<yourstandardusername>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles folder for your Standard user account and a second stored in the hidden C:\Users\<youradministratorusername>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles folder for your Administrator user account.  Is any of this a possibility?

I realize it’s safer to have a Standard user account to use on a daily basis, but if you find that you are scattering your personal user data (e.g., MS Office files, music files, pictures,etc.) under different accounts and/or installing software that is only accessible when you are logged in as a certain user then you should consider using an Administrator account as your “regular” log in account and consolidating all your personal user data under that one account so you don’t have switch back and forth between accounts.  If you don’t have a lot of personal user data associated with your Standard user account you should be able to copy that data to a removable UBS stick or external USB backup drive, log in to your Administrator account,  and then copy that data back to the appropriate Documents, Music and Pictures folders of your Administrator account.

If System File Checker and DISM commands (see post # 2458191) can’t find any problems with your Windows 10 system files then there’s no point backing up all your personal data that’s scattered amongst your different user accounts to an external drive, performing a clean reinstall of your Win 10 OS, creating a new user account(s), updating your hardware drivers, reinstalling your third-party software, and restoring all your personal user data and consolidating it under a single account if your only problem is that your personal files and third-party software have gotten a bit muddled because you’re switching back and forth between your Administrator and Standard user accounts.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 *64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.91.9537 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0

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Deo

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lmacri wrote:

Is any of this a possibility?

Thank you. Yes, I have a local Admin Account (possibly corrupted) and a Standard User account (possibly corrupted).

I use the Admin account to run winshowhide/deal with updates, install my A/V, run Intel DSA, Dell Command Update, driver updates, Macrium backups(offline), and use browser there to access my router and WAP for updating when needed, and of course to run anything when an elevated command prompt is needed, for DISM, sfc /scannow, deleting restore pts etc. Admin has no ownership/access to User account data.

I use the Standard Account exclusively daily, as you aptly pointed out, safer. I normally add daily use programs (itunes, Ffox, portables etc) via the User account. I may be wrong here, but assumed that was safer than installing via Admin? I normally receive a UAC pop up when installing via User, and enter my Admin password there to complete install, and it installs in Admin account as well. I also normally receive a UAC pop up in User acct which then requires Admin psword when I am trying to access areas of PC (i.e. restore points) that are not accessible via User acct.

Yes, there are screenshots and data in the Admin acct from when I run into errors with any of the above listed items I use Admin account for. (I have also used the Admin account during and on/off since the Ffox debacle as User account was unstable, and there were many errors that I could only see from Admin side).

I had in Dec. uninstalled many Microsoft Apps that I have no need for (have yet to get into the nitty-gritty of getting rid of Apps etc via PkCano’s guide last year). I don’t use MS Office, nor have any music files, just pics/docs.

I was able to completely uninstall Ffox from both Admin/User in June, though revo only worked for  some parts of Admin account, and I can still see some Ffox registry files. Had to manually delete all Firefox/Mozilla folders in programs folders, ProgramData, appdata remnants in both Admin & User Accounts (as per my post #2458318 ) I have not reinstalled Ffox until all this (DSA, Admin acct test) is sorted*

Do my next steps make sense?: make a Macrium Back up, run System File Checker & DISM from Admin account (does the order of which I run those commands matter? DISM first? User acct logged off?), and post back here with any errors (CBS.log?). All prior to creating a new Admin account as a test.

*Outstanding is the issue of why services.msc is showing so many oddly numbered duplicated processes?

If I have missed answering anything pertinent to your reply, pls advise. Many pieces to this.

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Deo wrote:

… I don’t use MS Office, nor have any music files, just pics/docs.

Hi Deo:

You said in post # 2459328 that it’s a “Shame I will lose my itunes b/ups” so I assumed you had an iTunes music library (i.e., .MP3, MP4, etc. music files) stored somewhere on your computer hard drive.

Deo wrote:

… Do my next steps make sense?: make a Macrium Back up, run System File Checker & DISM from Admin account (does the order of which I run those commands matter? DISM first? User acct logged off?), and post back here with any errors (CBS.log?). All prior to creating a new Admin account as a test.

You can create a new Macrium Reflect Free full disk image before running System File Checker and DISM, but I’m not sure you’d want to use that image for any future emergency restore of your hard drive when your system currently has so many problems.

I posted a link in post # 2458191 to the ghacks.net article Use DISM to Fix Issues SFC Can’t that has instructions on how to run these commands. If System File Scanner (SFC) reports that “Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations” or that “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them” then you don’t have to worry (see the attached image of a sfc /scannow I ran in May 2022 that fixed corrupted files on my Inspiron 5584, followed by DISM scans to confirm everything was okay). If System File Scanner reports that “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them” then move on to the DISM commands as instructed in that ghacks.net article.  If there’s something that System File Checker and DISM both can’t fix , you can attach the extract from your CBS.log file (see the MS support article Analyze the Log File Entries that SFC.exe Generates in Windows), but I’m not trained to interpret CBS.log files so you’ll probably have to have to find someone else to look at them.

It’s not necessary to run System File Checker and DISM scans before you create a new test Administrator account if all you’re going to do for now is see if any of the third party software that is currently installed on your system will launch correctly from this Administrator test account, but if you feel more comfortable running these Windows system files checks first then you should do so.

There are many things I can’t do on my system if I’m logged in as a Standard user (e.g., making changes to configuration settings in certain software like a third-party antivirus). If you install software while logged in as Standard user and everything works normally (and that software runs as expected from other user accounts) then you don’t need to worry. If something doesn’t work as expected (e.g., a Windows update doesn’t install correctly from WuMgr) then it might be because you’re logged in as a Standard user.

Note that I don’t use WuMgr or any other third-party software to manage my Windows Updates so I can’t help you if you think this utility isn’t working correctly. I have a Win 10 Pro OS so I’ve made a few configuration changes to Windows Update in my Local Group Policy Editor [i.e., I’ve disabled driver updates in Windows Update, I’ve set my Target Feature Update Version to Win 10 / Version 21H2 to prevent any unexpected Feature (Version) Updates, and I prevent any Week C/D Preview Builds from installing by setting my release channel to Semi-Annual Channel / defer for 1 day]. I can also defer my Patch Tuesday updates for up to 30 days in my Windows Updates advanced settings (Settings | Update & Security | Windows Update | Advanced Options | Pause Updates Until:) and that’s all the control I’ve needed so far to manage my Windows Updates.

Deo wrote:

*Outstanding is the issue of why services.msc is showing so many oddly numbered duplicated processes?

If you mean that you see duplicates of the same service when you go to Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services, then please post an image of what you see.  I don’t believe I have any of these duplicate services but see Raymond Chen’s 20-May-2020 MS blog post What Are These Duplicate Services Whose Names Differ Just by Random Characters at the End?.  You might have created these duplicate services because you’ve tried installing Intel DSA or some other software under different user accounts (another reason why you might want to stop switching between your Standard user and Administrator accounts and start using an Administrator as your “regular” account that you use to install all your software and perform other daily tasks).
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Dell Inspiron 5584 *64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0

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Deo

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FWIW, since Feb, my screen & desktop icons will occasionally jump/flicker, which led me to believe it was a driver issue.

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Deo wrote:

FWIW, since Feb, my screen & desktop icons will occasionally jump/flicker, which led me to believe it was a driver issue.

Hi Deo:

If your screen and desktop icons are flickering that sounds like a graphics driver issue, or possibly even a problem with your external monitor (e.g., a loose / damaged connector).  I don’t see how that could prevent Intel DSA from running correctly when you log in with an Administrator account, especially when Intel DSA works normally when you’re logged in as a Standard user.

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Deo

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Still unable to use Intel Driver Support Assist from Admin user account, nor get Dell support with tag from there either. User acct, no problem. Checked Computer Management, Admin is part of ‘Administrators group’, User is member of Users alone. Head scratcher.

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Have you tried running it inside different browsers? For maybe two years the Intel Driver Support Assistant running as a background, unobtrusive process, will only succeed if using Microsoft Edge rather that the user’s preferred Brave on one Windows 10 box I adminster.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

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Deo

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Thank you, yes, only using Edge now. Still admin account won’t work for DSA, works for all other sites.

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OK. Have you considered opening a ticket with Intel support?

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

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I had, yet considering I am able to use Intel DSA via User account, am fairly certain they would kick it back to a Microsoft issue?

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Just ran the app with admin user. Works fine with Chrome.

Windows 10 21H2 June updates, Chrome 104.

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It appears you 3 — Update via the Intel Sppt App — but I remaiun confused as to the “Proper”/OK way(s) to Update their Drivers (ie) Windows offers Intel; Intel App offers; Your computer maker offers. I have believed the Mfg’er may Mod the Update for specific reasons & THAT was THE way….  Thanks for any clarification.

W10 Pro 22H2 / Hm-Stdnt Ofce '16 C2R / Macrium Pd vX / GP=2 + FtrU=Semi-Annual + Feature Defer = 1 + QU = 0

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CraigS26 wrote:

It appears you 3 — Update via the Intel Sppt App — but I remaiun confused as to the “Proper”/OK way(s) to Update their Drivers …

Hi CraigS26:

I run the occasional Intel Driver & Support Assistant (DSA) scan to check for available updates, but as a general rule I only install the Intel software and drivers recommended by Dell on the support page <here> for my Dell Inspiron 5584. For example, Intel DSA currently recommends Intel UHD Graphics 620 driver v30.0.101.1994 (rel. 24-May-2022) but I am currently using the v27.20.100.9664 driver (rel. 02-Dec-2021) recommended on that Dell support page. I have a Win 10 Pro OS and have also configured Windows Update with my Local Group Policy Editor gpedit.msc (Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components| Windows Update | Do Not Include Drivers With Windows Updates) so that Windows Update doesn’t “accidentally” install any hardware drivers that might conflict with my Dell BIOS, which has happened to me in the past.

Any time I notice buggy behavior on my computer that might be related to my Intel UHD Graphics 620 driver I run Intel DSA to find the driver version that Intel is recommending and read the release notes to see if there is a known bug in my older driver that might be causing problems. For example, see my 17-Jan-2022 post in ZeroMemory’s SupportAssist Breaks System in the Dell community about memory leaks from dwm.exe (Windows Desktop Manager) that was caused by older Intel v27.20.100.xxxx graphics drivers on some computer models.  In that case ZeroMemory was able to confirm that the older Intel graphics driver recommended by Dell for their XPS 8940 was the cause of a serious memory leak that impacted their system performance.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0 * Intel UHD Graphics 620

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CraigS26, windbg

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CraigS26 wrote:

but I remain confused as to the “Proper”/OK way(s) to Update their Drivers (ie) Windows offers Intel; Intel App offers; Your computer maker offers. I have believed the Mfg’er may Mod the Update for specific reasons & THAT was THE way….  Thanks for any clarification.

I only update directly from OEM. Microsoft Drivers updates are blocked in Windows 10.
I always go to the source (Intel, Nvidia, Realtek…)

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CraigS26

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lmacri wrote:

and if Dell SupportAssist is not installed you can still run Dell hardware diagnostics from the Diagnostics tab of your OptiPlex 9020 support page.

This option as a web ‘standalone’  no longer works with Dell. It forces you to download the Dell Support Assist Application. (I did not install it due to past issues with the app, nor with those in the latest version above). Could be my issues, yet wished to put it out there for others.

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Hi Deo:

If you are unable to run hardware diagnostic from SupportAssist or the support page <here> for your OptiPlex 9020 then the ePSA (enhanced Pre-boot System Assessment) diagnostics that are embedded within your Dell BIOS should work even if SupportAssist is not installed. For most Dell computers models you reach the ePSA diagnostics by re-booting and repeatedly tapping the F12 key when the Dell logo appears to enter the One Time Boot Menu, and this is the same F12 method described <here> in the Dell OptiPlex 9020 Small Form Factor Owner’s Manual.

See the ePSA tutorial at How to Run a Preboot Diagnostic Test on a Dell Computer for instructions as well as the SupportAssist Pre-Boot System Performance Check page where you can look up any error code generated during the hardware diagnostics.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0

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Sorry for delay in response, car accident literally put a ‘kink’ into addressing PC woes. Thanks to all here.

Last thing I was able to try July 4 (prior to Imacri’s response I didn’t receive at the time) was to try install/update Dell Command update to 4.5 via Admin. Rather than install over the top, it installed separately? Result: version 4.5.0 & 4.3.0 on PC in admin account, only 4.5 showing in User? I used revouninstaller free (aggressive mode) via admin to uninstall each one. Onboard sound did a weird 3 pulse jingle? Not through monitor (Asus monitor – lost sound for a sec. Fine now. Dell site says I have the up to date graphics driver) No prompts given.

Went to Admin – start menu, 4.3.0 still showing? Uninstalled from there.
Command Update 4.5 & 4.3 remained in user (?), revo did not work with user acct.(Same as during my f/fox saga).
Restart. Dell Command Update now 4.3 showing in Admin? Uninstall via Windows app&programs. Delete recycle bin. Restart. Followed Imacri Support Assist uninstall advice from above in his reply post (thx) to find hidden folders (program data) and deleted from both Admin & User. Restart. Nope, User still had Dell Command update 4.5.0? Was installed via Admin? Tried uninstall 4.5 manually from User.
Had to again delete Dell folders in User, & did the entire C:’My Apps’ folder set up for portable apps in User account as I pondered May. Emptied recycle bin. Restart. Seemed ‘stable’, tho no DSA nor Dell website ran with service tag from Admin, only User account. (* Feb-May,  DSA from Admin showed realtek driver as ‘not avail, see Dell vendor’. *Now as of July 2,  clear i.e. beginning of this post via User, all ‘up-to date’ green/clear via Intel DSA).
Shut off PC (car accident).

First boot up today since then:
-Admin, check winshowhide: NONE of my hidden updates listed i.e. KB 4023057 & 5005463? None to hide, none to unhide.
Checked PC, neither showing as installed? (Have been hidden since Dec, re-hidden every update.)
-A/V shows update fail? Resumed 1 hr later.
-Search stgs change: only 2141 indexed files, NO excluded folders? Nothing listed in either accounts. Search bar showing web, weather, suggested apps etc when I had shut that down cleanly in Dec? Thanks June updates!
-now showing 15 restore points? Only one manually (2 from June 15 from ‘system’, which wiped out all that I was going to get rid of during F/fox saga, incl orphaned ones as per PkCano in May)

Have yet to do another sfc scannow based on the fallout it did to PC in May, CBS log from then above).

Seems that yes indeed, Admin account corrupt. User may be as well, considering its distinct & separate takeover behavior. Stemming back to Ffox/May issues.

Feel a total Win O/S install and start from scratch may be in order. Not certain if it is something that I can do (how to slipstream chipset, graphics, realtek audio, intel 8 series/c220 sata ahci controller, PCi ethernet controller) and ensure Uefi/Nfts before 1st offline new boot setting up as local account and get those gpedit stgs done. Then install Command update, Intel DSA. Guess I’ll have to spend the $ and take it in to have it done (tiny town=few options to do so, takes 10 days w/out PC.) Shame I will lose my itunes b/ups, and hours ahead to config new set up. And my B/up drives – one for Macrium, the other drag and drop file b/up – I wonder if they are impacted? Le sigh. Under the gun with July updates looming. Any comments welcome.

(There have been many posts re: ewaste – I simply can’t believe with the shortage in the world of chips etc that M/S cannot make older PC’s work for barebone needs such as mine. No onedrive needs, no cloud needs. I sure don’t have the $ for a new PC. If I won the million, it would be a Mac laptop. Tried linux on older PC couple of years ago, each version hard to understand and no itunes access, not able to update bios i.e. Lenovo T500 Laptop. End of mini rant:))

Not certain what occurred in May, what I may have done then to justify the debacle other than the F/Fox update scenario gone wrong, to warrant this extreme fall out. Wish to ensure it doesn’t occur again once new install.

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Deo wrote:

… Feel a total Win O/S install and start from scratch may be in order. Not certain if it is something that I can do (how to slipstream chipset, graphics, realtek audio, intel 8 series/c220 sata ahci controller, PCi ethernet controller) and ensure Uefi/Nfts before 1st offline new boot setting up as local account and get those gpedit stgs done. Then install Command update, Intel DSA. Guess I’ll have to spend the $ and take it in to have it done (tiny town=few options to do so, takes 10 days w/out PC.) Shame I will lose my itunes b/ups, and hours ahead to config new set up. And my B/up drives – one for Macrium, the other drag and drop file b/up – I wonder if they are impacted? …

Hi Deo:

Sorry to hear about your car accident.

You said you have Macrium installed. If you are using Macriuim Reflect Free, do you have any full disk images created prior to your Firefox problems in May 2022 that can be used to re-image (roll back) your entire hard drive to an earlier date? Are your Macrium Reflect full disk images stored on an external hard drive (i.e., on a drive that is physically separate from your internal SSD)? Have you used Macrium Reflect to create emergency recovery media (e.g., a bootable USB stick) that you would need to perform an emergency system recovery? If you can’t answer those questions see the TenForums tutorial How to Create and Restore a System Image Backup with Macrium Reflect.

If you have a Macrium Reflect full disk image on an external hard drive from April 2022 or earlier that pre-dates your Firefox problems then a clean reinstall of your Windows 10 OS shouldn’t be necessary. However, I’m not sure a roll back of your system is even necessary at this point (see my next reply about your user accounts, which I’ll post shortly).

Note that the built-in Windows Disk Cleanup recommended by PKCano’s in post # 2452134 of your Firefox thread only deletes the system restore points created by Windows and has no effect on any backups or full disk images you create with Macrium Reflect. I’m not a fan of all the bloat that Piriform has added to CCleaner since the company was acquired by Avast in 2017, but for future reference just note that CCleaner can be used to highlight and delete individual Windows system restore points (see attached image), unlike the Windows Disk Cleanup that wipes all but the most recent system restore point. Also note that Windows System Restore is normally disabled by default in Win 10 (see the Windows Central article How to Use System Restore on Windows 10) and will not automatically schedule creation of Windows system restore points at regular intervals unless you enable it.
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[Dell Inspiron 5584 *64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * CCleaner Free Portable v5.91.9537 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0

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Deo, windbg

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Hi Imacri,

-Macrium Reflect – yes, they are on an external WD drive, and I do have the original emergency recovery media on a thumb drive. I agree, I don’t wish to roll back to Feb yet.

-the automatically created restore points from July 2 (that conveniently wiped out all the old restore points from the f/fox saga so I didn’t have to) simply state: “Windows Modules Installer”. What program made that change, I do not know. I assume it was DSA as I had it on in my Startup Apps, is now off (see scrn shot)?

My GP Edit stgs (see scrn shot) are as per following PKCano’s KB 2000016 ; I have Microsoft Store set to not update automatically. “Receive updates for other MS products when you update Windows’ is off. (I’ll reply to your other reply separately).

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lmacri wrote:

I’d suggest you create a new Administrator account …Brink’s TenForums tutorial How to Add a Local Account or Microsoft Account in Windows 10 has instructions for creating both Microsoft and Local accounts (see Options 1 and 2).

Hi Deo:

Further to my 04-Jul-2022 suggestion in post # 2458191 to create a new Administrator account and see if Intel DSA runs correctly from that test account, if Intel DSA still doesn’t run correctly then check that you have the following.  Note that you should only have a single copy of the following as shown in my attached images.

• The latest Intel Driver & Support Assistant program v22.4.26.9 listed at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features (Image # 1).
• Intel Driver & Support Assistant v22.4.26.9 listed at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features (Image # 2).
• Two services called Intel Driver & Support Assistant and Intel Driver & Support Assistant Updater at Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services (Image # 3). At a minimum, the Status of the main Intel Driver & Support Assistant service should be Running before you launch the Intel DSA program – the Intel Driver & Support Assistant Updater service should start automatically once Intel DSA is launched. (***see note below).
• A shortcut to start Intel Driver & Support Assistant when you click your Start button to display a list of installed programs (Image # 4).

*** After running Intel DSA I normally change the Startup Type of both my Intel Driver & Support Assistant service and Intel Driver & Support Assistant Updater service to Disabled so they don’t load into memory and hog system resources at every boot-up. I only run the Intel DSA a few times a year  (I normally use the Intel drivers recommended by Dell on the support page for my Inspiron 5584) so  I start these services manually just before I run Intel DSA and then disable them again after my Intel DSA scan has finished. That’s just my personal preference (see my 28-Mar-2020 Can I Stop the Intel Driver & Support Assistant (DSA) From Loading at Boot-up? in the Intel forum).

If the program and services listed above look correct and Intel DSA still doesn’t run correctly while you are logged in to your test Administrator account (i.e., when you click your Start button and choose the Intel Driver & Support Assistant shortcut) then right-click on Intel Driver & Support Assistant shortcut from the Start button and choose More | Run as Administrator (Image # 4).

If Intel DSA still doesn’t run correctly from your test Administrator account post back and describe the error or warning you see.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 *64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1766 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19300.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.10.200-1.0.1709 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v22.4.26.9 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0

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Deo

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Sorry for delay, away dealing with injuries.

I have been on the PC only once, July 11, briefly to run ‘winshowhide’ from admin account to hide July updates. Took 3 attempts, but my older hidden updates that were absent in my above posts were finally present as hidden again? Pointing to admin acct corrupt. No further action taken post July 11.

In between medical appts, I will endeavour to attend to above advice in the next few days. The PC is of absolute no use to me in it’s current state, have been using ipad (which will not allow links added to my posts (see my post 2449053).

Re: Macrium b/up-it seems important so as not to lose current data i.e. itunes/imaz full b/ups of my Apple devices (forget music, more important is each device as is in the event of full restore if necessary.) It is my only backup of 2 devices, been dealing with icloud bup issues on one. Hence importance.

Will create ‘new’ local Admin test account via control panel Computer Management| Local Users & groups|Users, create new user and set as user group Admin. I will not change/restrict any settings in new Admin, nor delete any apps, though I abhor windows crud, apps and access by their bloat, and will have their default firewall stgs open to the new acct. Will post back here asap when completed.

Note: I no longer have Dell Command Update on this PC as per my above post.  Will see what programs list in new admin, will not install a thing, and report back for advice once Intel DSA runs from new acct via Edge.

(FWIW, Under ‘Scheduled Tasks’ following  another AW recent post , there was an empty ‘Mozilla’ folder there, surprised me as I had purged all from my Ffox debacle post-seems that is still in play. Could this be a corrupt registry issue as well?)

Thanks all!

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Deo wrote:

Took 3 attempts, but my older hidden updates that were absent in my above posts were finally present as hidden again?

This is expected as Windows Update can take a while to actually update.
Try WuMgr to hide the updates, then use it to check again.

Deo wrote:

empty ‘Mozilla’ folder there… Could this be a corrupt registry issue as well?

More likely you did this during your clean up of Mozilla tasks.

I think a rebuild would be the best option as you have a Macrium backup – worth taking another one and making a recovery USB.
You can do the rebuild yourself, it’s easy. (You should have a Dell recovery option in the boot menu)
Make sure you have the Windows key.

To get to the Dell recovery option:
Start > Power. Hold the Shift key down and click Restart.
Windows will offer boot options and you want Advanced.

cheers, Paul

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Deo

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Paul T wrote:

This is expected as Windows Update can take a while to actually update.

Been using winshowhide for years, it has never not shown my ‘hidden updates’.

Paul T wrote:

I think a rebuild would be the best option as you have a Macrium backup

Is a ‘rebuild’ the same thing as reinstalling Windows O/S? I have no Dell recovery media, never had, as referenced in above posts, refurb. Pls explain or link me to a site that would explain what that intent would be addressing? (Pls see this post above #2459428 , and #2460179 and clarify if are you reco’ing taking a diff direction?) Bit confused here on what a rebuild will do.

* correct me if I  am wrong, would restoring from a Macrium back up image not leave me in same position with the corrupt Admin account & PC as currently is?

Paul T wrote:

Make sure you have the Windows key.

I have no Windows ‘Key’. In past reinstalls, once I setup PC then ‘go live’ online, Windows upgrades to the embedded Win 10 Pro licence automatically.

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Yes, rebuild is reinstall.

Did you check the restart options? Dell have a recovery option in there.

cheers, Paul

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I shelved the PC until I had brain cells. Am resurrecting this topic for others (and self). Am now on 21H2 build 19044.2251

Once I did the Aug updates back then, I suddenly had access to Intel DSA ability in both Admin & User via Edge! Did not have to go thru reinstall headache.

Thanks so much to @Imacri, your steps/links were/are immeasurably helpful.

I ran Dell bios diagnostics tonight – all tests clean. Only odd thing was the hour long scan of ‘Hard Drive 0’ showing boot path as MBR yet my drives are NTFS GPT/UEFI?

Still getting flickers of desktop icons on home screen every once in a while – I presume it’s to do with Microsoft Store updates set to off? I manually update them. Graphics driver states up to date (as discussed above with Imacri.) Monitor HDMI replaced (not the issue) & fine. I’ll open new topic on that.

As it stands: Admin account is playing nice (I only go in to use winshowhide and run DSA.)

I used Imacri’s advice above and disabled DSA in services.msc, run it once a month. User acct is ok. I have never reinstalled Ffox due to past issues, am sure those are still at play and using portable apps for now.

Unsure if it’s a sound unit yet, so far it’s functioning and A/V scans clean. Hesitant to do scannow & DISM due to chaos it created on my system in May – gunshy. Can those commands cause harm?

Pondering reinstalling Dell command update after uninstalling in July when this situation occurred? (I note update to Dell Command Update came out recently.)

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Deo wrote:

… I ran Dell bios diagnostics tonight – all tests clean. Only odd thing was the hour long scan of ‘Hard Drive 0’ showing boot path as MBR yet my drives are NTFS GPT/UEFI?…

Hi Deo:

Sorry, I have no idea what nomenclature a Dell F12 ePSA (enhanced Pre-boot System Assessment) diagnostic scan would normally use to describe the boot path for the hard drive in an Optiplex 9020 desktop, but if your ePSA diagnostic didn’t find any problems with your hard drive then I don’t think you need to worry. If someone else can’t provide further insight you might want to ask that question in the Dell Optiplex Desktops Support forum.

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Deo wrote:

Unsure if it’s a sound unit yet, so far it’s functioning and A/V scans clean. Hesitant to do scannow & DISM due to chaos it created on my system in May – gunshy. Can those commands cause harm?

Hi Deo:

What type of chaos do you believe those commands did back in May 2022?

The System File Checker (SFC) and DISM commands outlined in all the tutorials mentioned below are non-destructive and shouldn’t do any harm, but if repairs are necessary you will be making changes to your Windows system files so it’s always a good practice to create a system restore point or full disk image before proceeding. I use Macrium Reflect Free imaging software (which will reach end of life in January 2024) to create the occasional full disk image of my hard drive that I can use for emergency recovery but there are lots of other good choices for imaging software being discussed at https://www.askwoody.com/forums/forum/askwoody-support/backup/ that you should explore if you don’t have an emergency recovery plan in place. (EDIT: Sorry, I just reviewed your earlier posts and now recall you already use Macrium Reflect).

Years ago when I had a Vista SP2 operating system and a spinning SATA HDD hard drive I used to run a thorough Check Disk (chkdsk /r) scan to look for and repair any bad sectors on my hard drive before I ran sfc /scannow, just in case System File Checker had to replace a missing or corrupted system file and inadvertently wrote the new file into a bad sector on my hard drive. However, the firmware for the SSD drive in my Win 10 machine already tracks bad sectors and marks them as unusable, and modern operating systems like Win 10 and Win 11 run regular maintenance tasks to automatically check for hard drive problems (see Option 1 # of Brink’s TenForums tutorial How to Check a Drive for Errors in Windows 10) so I no longer run Check Disk scans on my Win 10 machine.
___________________________

Further to the instructions in the ghacks.net article Use DISM to Fix Issues SFC Can’t, the purpose of the System File Checker command sfc /scannow scan is to find any missing or corrupted system files and replace them with a “correct” fresh copy that is cached in a compressed folder at %WinDir%\System32\dllcache. If you wish, you can run the sfc /verifyonly command first, which will scan your Windows system files for problems but will not actually attempt to repair them. See Brink’s TenForums tutorial How to Repair System Files with SFC Command in Windows 10 for more information about System File Checker.

As that ghacks.net article notes, the DISM command Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image using the /CheckHealth and /ScanHealth options will scan for issues with your Windows component store but will not actually attempt to fix any corruptions. If both those scans cannot find any issues with your Windows component store then there’s no need to run the DISM command Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image with the /RestoreHealth option to actually attempt a repair. See Brink’s TenForums tutorial How to Repair Windows 10 Image Using DISM for more information. That TenForums tutorial notes that you will need to have an Internet connection if the /RestoreHealth option needs to perform a repair since it will use Windows Update to provide the files that are required to fix corruptions.

The WindowsCentral article How to Use DISM Command Tool to Repair Windows 10 Image notes that:

“… Typically, when you need to troubleshoot a specific error, figure out why the computer no longer boots correctly, or resolve performance issues, you can use the System File Checker tool to replace missing or corrupted system files using the recovery image. The caveat utilizing this approach is that if one or more Windows 10 files in the local image are damaged, the SFC command won’t work. In this scenario, you can use the “install.wim” image with DISM to repair the image and then use the SFC tool to fix the setup without having to reinstall Windows….”

The Miscrosoft support article Use the System File Checker Tool to Repair Missing or Corrupted System files suggests you run the DISM commands before System File Checker but I don’t think that’s absolutely essential – if SFC finds errors but reports it can’t repair them then you can simply move on to your DISM commands to fix your Windows component store and then re-run System File Checker once DISM has done its job.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2251 * Firefox v107.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2210.6-1.1.19800.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1823 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v22.6.42.2 *Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.21.0

2 users thanked author for this post.

geekdom, Deo

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Thank you so much Imacri! I will report back with answers to your questions, i.e. what occurred back in May, it’s quite a list. Will attempt /verifyonly (just found out you have to be online) after I deal with  winshowhide for Dec CU updates in a couple of days and see what scannow & dism shows:) Am remaining on 21H2 until it’s sorted.

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The issues I had post running sfc/dism as advised in spring during Ffox issues (above) were:

loss of Intel DSA from Admin acct; put prog & user files in ‘Public’ folder, had to move them back to user; created duplicates entries in services.msc; had to reinstall my a/v; any offline b/up drives (ie WD hdd My passport) suddenly req’d me to assign a drive letter (or fool it by having a blank thumb drive in so WD would be recognized as an ‘E’), M/R takes 18min now vs 9 for a differential (restore pts go missing with automatic, not sure what is instigating that), Full & multi a/v program scans were/are clear.

Today, I ran via my Admin acct:  sfc /verifyonly. 

It showed ‘integrity’ errors. I looked at the CBS log, and it shows errors (issues above began after I ran sfc /scannow & dism earlier this yr, resolved after Sept updates) began again: namely

“Directory is owned twice or has its security set twice”, with the other account as ‘Guest’.

eg.

Warning:Overlap: Directory \??\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\ is owned twice or has its security set twice”

Original Owner: Microsoft-Windows-shell32, “version 10.0.19041.”, arch Host= amd64 Guest = x86, nonSxS, pkt{1:8 b:xxxxxxxxxxx}”

New Owner: Microsoft-Windows-shell32, “version 10.0.19041.2075”, arch Host= amd64 Guest = x86, nonSxS, pkt{1:8 b:xxxxxxxxxxx}”

* numbers are same for both, I just put xxx’s above.

other Directories shown in errors are same path & numbers as above: ProgramData\….\Start Menu, \StartMenu Programs, \Start Menu\Programs\Startup

(Looks like same errors that occurred after Sfc /scannow earlier this year. Worried that doing a full scannow/dism now would put me back in same position I was in prior to Aug updates (done in Sept, which got me up & running, incl DSA then).

I have no ‘Guest’ account. I have my initial personally created ‘Admin’ and a daily ‘User’ account where programs are installed.

**My concern too is the entire ‘hidparse’ issue with Dec updates. (I hid kb5012170 in Aug, not installed. Also hidden always are kb’s 4023057 & 5005463 way back in the spring as per AW).

In each sfc error entry, it references Microsoft-Windows-shell32, “version 10.0.19041.2075”

I only have one entry in my folder C:\Windows\system32\drivers, it is hidparse.sys 10.0.19041.2251 date created 11/26/2022 (same last accessed date) when I unhid & installed via winshowhide only the Nov’s CU kb5020613, 5019959, SSU & 890830.

I am Win10Pro, 21H2, build 19044.2251, Feature pack 120.2212.4180.0; Gpedit ‘2’’, and other stgs as per akb2000016, Uefi/Gpt,  no Dell support assist after issues with it in Jan., uninstalled Dell command update in Aug as per above troubleshooting, bitlocker off(never on), no drivers showing out of date. Local acct only, lightly used (barely since all of this), hardened stgs, local acct, no games, just itunes for backups, Edge w/ublock for email via web.

Have 21H2 iso on desktop from June (is that too old?). Am I looking at ‘inplace repair’ or a full wipe? If inplace, can I do that offline? Should I attempt Dec updates? Perhaps take it into a shop $$?

As this (perhaps) ties in to Dec updates, pls place wherever you see fit. Esp as CBS log shows diff hidparse vs what I visually see in explorer folder inspection. Windows has become a full time job, too bad I need it for iph backups..can’t lose them.

Am I missing something pedestrian easy, or? Thk u all, happy new year AW.

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*tried to put spaces in between paragraphs, suddenly not able to on this site?

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Deo wrote:

oday, I ran via my Admin acct:  sfc /verifyonly.  It showed ‘integrity’ errors. I looked at the CBS log, and it shows errors (issues above began after I ran sfc /scannow & dism earlier this yr, resolved after Sept updates) began again: namely “Directory is owned twice or has its security set twice”,

Hi Deo:

Just an FYI that System File Checker flagged similar “Warning: Overlap: Directory… is owned twice or has its security set twice” issues (e.g., Warning: Overlap: Directory \??\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\ is owned twice or has its security set twice) on 03-Dec-2022 on my Dell Inspiron 5584 / Win 10 laptop, and running sfc /scannow fixed the problem. See the attached extract of my CBS.log as well as images I captured on 03-Dec-2022 of my both initial sfc /scannow that found the errors plus a subsequent sfc /scannow that showed the scannow repair fixed the problem. You’ll have to decide for yourself if you’re comfortable running sfc /scannow to attempt a repair.

You’ve been absent from this thread for 4 months. Please provide an update on the current status of your Intel Driver & Support Assistant, and whether you have any outstanding problems (other than the integrity errors detected by sfc /verifyonly). At this point I’m not really sure what issues you are seeing that would warrant an in-place repair or complete reset of your Windows OS.

Just FYI, I’m currently using both Intel DSA v22.8.50.7 (with my default Firefox browser) and Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 and they both work correctly on my Win 10 Pro v22H2 laptop.  My 19-Dec-2022 post # 2509885 in Susan Bradley’s Final Patches for 2022 also notes that KB5021233: 2022-12 Cumulative Update for Win 10 Version 22H2 for x64 (OS Build 19045.2364) installed on my Win 10 v22H2 machine without any issues, but if you have any concerns about creating a possible mismatch between the file versions of hidparse.sys in C:/Windows/system32 and C:/Windows/system32/drivers (see the Known Issues section of the KB5021233  release notes <here>) then just leave this update hidden for now – Microsoft is working on a fix that might be ready by the time the Jan 2023 Patch Tuesday updates are released on 10-Jan-2023.
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2364 * Firefox v108.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2211.5-1.1.19900.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.19.229-1.0.1860 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Dell SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 * Dell SupportAssist Remediaton v5.5.5.16206 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.21.0

1 user thanked author for this post.

Deo

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Thank you very much Imacri:)

(4 mo delay unavoidable between July & Nov due to hand surgery.)

Ran sfc \scannow, it repaired numerous. Ran Dism, no violations. Re-ran sfc \scannow, all finally OK.

Now able to run Intel DSA again from Admin acct. Seems the hiccup(s) were due to Win updates, as Sept.’s suddenly allowed me to run, then acted up again until Nov updates.  (I just did Dec CU updates , will post that in appropriate thread,  and both sfc post update sfc scannow is clear & DSA operating. (I still will use your handy trick to disable via services.msc in between monthly runs via Admin.)

PS of interest to this thread is the changes to windows ‘Account’ stgs, namely ‘Sync Settings’ there that suddenly show all switches were turned ‘ON’ post Win update today (I hadn’t checked in Sept). Even though both my Admin & User accts are ‘local’, I think therein lay the problem ie why DSA was only working via User account earlier this year… new stgs? (There were other new changes this month) I’ll keep them on, and try a reinstall of Ffox, tho there may be remnant of registry issues from earlier this year, will see.

I also note today according to Dell site for my make & model that Dell Command Update Universal ver 4.7.1 has FINALLY been offered to my make/model (as of Nov); they’ve pulled legacy version for ALL Dell models as of that date. Seems there were many problems prior to Nov. according to Dell Driver page. I would not have known to recheck if you hadn’t mentioned in your latest reply, so many thanks!

And gratitude for your attachments/visuals-immeasureably helpful! Thx for hanging in there. I’ll mark this post Resolved in a day after I check out my User account. Happy New Year!

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Deo wrote:

… PS of interest to this thread is the changes to windows ‘Account’ stgs, namely ‘Sync Settings’ there that suddenly show all switches were turned ‘ON’ post Win update today (I hadn’t checked in Sept).

Hi Deo:

Thanks for mentioning the Sync Your Settings option at Settings | Account. I don’t log into multiple Win 10 devices with my Microsoft Account and have no need for a roaming profile that syncs my language preferences and other Windows settings between computers (see the April 2022 PC Mag article How to Sync Your Windows 10 and 11 Settings Across Multiple PCs) so I’m not sure why Microsoft enables this feature by default.

I turned that setting OFF and then cleared the stored data in my online Microsoft Account at https://account.microsoft.com/devices today (see attached image) as instructed in the MS support article About Windows Backup and Sync Settings. I’ll post back if this creates any unexpected side effects on my system but I don’t anticipate any problems.

FYI, I found an old 2018 Winaero article at Turn On or Off Sync Settings in Windows 10 so it’s not a new feature – just something I never noticed before.

Happy New Year to you as well!
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2364 * Firefox v108.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2211.5-1.1.19900.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.19.229-1.0.1860 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Dell SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 * Dell SupportAssist Remediation v5.5.5.16206 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.21.0

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@Imacri , just had an odd thing occur with Intel DSA today: went into services.msc, and both Intel Driver Support Assist and the Updater were greyed out (ie could not access to change for my monthly “check in”, could not UN disable to run, no access). Did you have this issue since Upgrading to 22H2?

I ended up downloading DSA ver 23.1.9.7, and it runs. FYI run ‘services.msc’ shows Intel DSA Assistant as set to ‘automatic’, yet  Intels DSA Updater has now defaulted to ‘manual’.

**Note: New web interface FINALLY allows you to disable ‘Customer Improvement Project’ there. Whether it actually does has yet to be seen!

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Deo wrote:

just had an odd thing occur with Intel DSA today: went into services.msc, and both Intel Driver Support Assist and the Updater were greyed out (ie could not access to change for my monthly “check in”, could not UN disable to run, no access). Did you have this issue since Upgrading to 22H2?

Hi Deo:

I did have a problem with the current Intel DSA v23.1.9.7 (see my comments below), but it had nothing to do with my Win 10 v22H2 OS.

I don’t recall ever seeing my Intel Driver & Support Assistant (DSA) services greyed out at Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services, but if this happens again look for the Intel DSA icon in your system tray. If you can see that icon it means Intel DSA is running in the background on your system, and if you right-click that icon and choose Exit from the pop-up menu to stop the Intel Driver & Support Assistant Tray (DSATray.exe) process this might allow you make changes to your Intel DSA services.

You said in post # 2458006 that you have a refurbished Dell OptiPlex 9020 USSF (Ultra Small Form Factor) desktop with a 4th Gen i5 Core processor, and you said today that you have Intel HD 4600 graphics. What is the version number of your current graphics driver (open Device Manager, expand the Display Adapters, and double click to see the properties for your integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics GPU chip)? I’m a bit confused about the correct driver version because the last certified graphics driver posted 17-Apr-2019 <here> on the OptiPlex 9020 support page for the Intel HD Graphics Driver (4000 and 5000 series for 4th and 5th generation Intel processors) was v20.19.15.5063 (posted 17-Apr-2019). However, the Drivers & Software tab on the  Intel® HD Graphics 4600 support page shows that the last Win 10-compatible graphics driver for 4th and 5th Gen Braswell CPUs was v15.40.48.5171 (rel. 5-Feb-2021) and the Intel support article Support Options for Discontinued Intel® Graphics Products says your Intel® HD Graphics 4600 reached end of support on 01-Jun-2021. I have no idea why Dell is recommending a v20.x graphics driver from 2019 while Intel is recommending a v15.x graphics driver from 2021, unless I have the wrong support page for your OptiPlex 9020.
_______________________________

I did have a recent problem with Intel DSA (it launched correctly but was unable to detect available updates for my Intel UHD 620 Graphics driver) but this had nothing to do with my update to Windows 10 v22H2 that I installed on my Dell Inspiron 5584 laptop back on 06-Dec-2022. Instead, the problem only started after I updated from Intel DSA v22.8.50.7 to v23.1.9.7 on 03-Mar-2023. I’ve run Intel DSA v23.1.9.7 several times since 03-Mar-2023 but for some reason it ran correctly today and was finally able to detect an available v31.0.101.2121 (rel. 05-Apr-2023) update for my Intel UHD 620 Graphics driver.

See my 03-Mar-2023 Intel DSA v23.1.9.7 Not Detecting Available Update for UHD Graphics 620 Driver in the Intel Graphics board for further details. As I noted in my post <here> today in that thread, the only obvious change I can see today is that Intel has changed the name of my graphics driver update from “Intel Graphics – Windows DCH Drivers” (for 6th – 13th Gen Intel Core Processor Graphics) to “Intel 7th – 10th Gen Processor Graphics – Windows” (for 7th – 10th Gen Intel Core Processor Graphics). This name change likely has something to do with the fact that Intel moved my 8th Gen graphics processor to legacy support on 27-Jul-2022 (see the official announcement at Graphics Driver Support Update for 10th Generation and Older Intel Processor Graphics) and is now only providing software support for “critical fixes and security vulnerabilities” for 6th to 10th Gen graphics processors.
_______________________________

Deo wrote:

I ended up downloading DSA ver 23.1.9.7, and it runs….New web interface FINALLY allows you to disable ‘Customer Improvement Project’ there. Whether it actually does has yet to be seen!

If you’d like to try a clean reinstall of DSA v23.1.9.7, uninstall Intel DSA from Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features (if the Intel Computer Improvement Program is installed on your system it should be uninstalled as well), re-start your computer and run the latest  Intel Driver & Support Assistant Uninstaller (DSAUninstaller.exe) to remove any last traces from your system.  Then reinstall using the latest Intel DSA installer (Intel-Drive-and-Support-Assistant-Installer.exe) – see the minimum system requirements on that download page). To run those .exe files download and save to your desktop, right-click, and choose “Run as Administrator“.

When you perform a clean reinstall the installer will ask if you want to opt out of the Intel Computer Improvement Program (I always do), and after the installer finishes you can launch Intel DSA in your browser and click on Settings to confirm this software is not installed (see attached images).

Given some of the other problems you’ve had on your Dell OptiPlex 9020 USSF, did you ever try creating new Windows user account with Administrator privileges and temporarily log in to Windows with that new account (see my 02-Jul-2022 post # 2458191) to test if Intel DSA and some of your other problem software runs correctly while logged in that user account?
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v111.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.22.1 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v23.1.9.7

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Hi Imacri,
Thank you so much for the indepth response.

lmacri wrote:

What is the version number of your current graphics driver (open Device Manager, expand the Display Adapters, and double click to see the properties for your integrated Intel HD 4600 graphics GPU chip)?

Attached is a scrn shot of the “current” display adapter. Though it states ‘Intel HD Graphics 4600’ & correct ver/date, it was installed via M/S when I turned on “get other updates..” for a moment last year mentioned in our thread then, yet as the versions matched, I didn’t reinstall then. Sfc /scannow-clean. DISM-clean.

I will attempt and see what I am given.

lmacri wrote:

I’m a bit confused about the correct driver version because the last certified graphics driver posted 17-Apr-2019 on the OptiPlex 9020 support page for the Intel HD Graphics Driver (4000 and 5000 series for 4th and 5th generation Intel processors) was v20.19.15.5063 (posted 17-Apr-2019). However, the Drivers & Software tab on the  Intel® HD Graphics 4600 support page shows that the last Win 10-compatible graphics driver for 4th and 5th Gen Braswell CPUs was v15.40.48.5171 (rel. 5-Feb-2021) and the Intel support article Support Options for Discontinued Intel® Graphics Products says your Intel® HD Graphics 4600 reached end of support on 01-Jun-2021. I have no idea why Dell is recommending

I’m as confused as you are re:this 9020 Dell vs Intel page, and version anomalies.

I will attempt (thank you) full “uninstall of DSA” using the tool above as well. Your own Intel DSA issues & links to those resonate. I hope to see a response there on the Intel support pg to your very clear pointed questions!

Given that I have had Edge issues link , group policy template issues (see link) thread, and others, I wonder if a complete ‘inplace repair’ would help? Unsure if if that would address all (i.e. it has been mentioned that inplace repair may only deal with current m/s registry issues (since using the ‘enablement package’ only for 22H2 upgrade, discussed here) vs the dreaded start from scratch clean install.

Under gun as I have work deadlines, and trying to get done before Patch Tues, as I haven’t updated March CU as of yet. Waiting for a clear answer if doing the GP policy template issues MAY help prior to a flat out inplace repair (unknown what would be corrected by that? If it would include GP templates etc.? Thread was stopped by user wishes. Thinking of attempting, yet redundant if inplace repair would do both.

On that note: would repair install assist in your suggestion re: new Admin account?

lmacri wrote:

new Windows user account with Administrator privileges and temporarily log in to Windows with that new account (see my 02-Jul-2022 post # 2458191)

In process of d/loading all Dell website drivers with Tag # to b/up drive just in case, though as you can see on your dig into Optiplex 9020, which was correct location TY, they are old (and incongruent with Intel’s as per above). (JUST updated M/R to latest FREE ver, in order to make current rescue & b/up after my last Full yesterday. And trying to test restore functionality via bios booting in the event anything goes sideways.) Nothing like pressure! PC is ‘functioning’, perhaps just attempting March CU/updates will buy me time. until after tax season here April 15. Yet PC unstable makes me lean against doing nothing.
Lord love a duck, or bunny as is the easter case:)

*PS, even though I am still in ‘edit” mode on AW site, it refuses to allow me to scroll to reference our past links and paste them for your convenience.

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Deo wrote:

I’m as confused as you are re:this 9020 Dell vs Intel page, and version anomalies.

Hi Deo:

I believe the Dell OptiPlex 9020 USFF was released back in 2013, and according to the technical specs <here> this model originally shipped with a Win 7 or Win 8 OS. You said in post # 2458318 that when you bought your refurbished system in 2019 it came with a new Samsung SSD and Win 10 OS but it sounds like you still have most of the original components, including a motherboard with a 4th Gen Intel Core i5 -4690S CPU and Intel HD (Braswell series) Graphics 4600. You also have the Dell OptiPlex 9020 System BIOS A25 firmware recommended <here> on Dell’s OptiPlex 9020 support page, but that BIOS firmware was released on 19-Jul-2019 and it looks like Dell stopped releasing any certified firmware/driver updates for your system back in 2018/2019.

I don’t know if your refurnished computer also had additional RAM installed so that it can run Win 10 without taking a serious performance hit (I would recommended at least 8 GB – 16 GB would be better) but you’ll have to accept that finding the “best” (not necessarily the newest) hardware drivers for your system is going to be difficult when you have a mix and match of old and newer hardware components. My Inspiron 5584 is still supported by Dell and I currently use the drivers recommended on the support page for my Inspiron 5584, including the custom Intel UHD Graphics 620 v27.20.100.9664 released by Dell on 02-Dec-2021 (i.e., not the v31.0.101.2121 released by Intel on 05-Apr-2023 that my Intel DSA utility recommends) because I’ve learned the hard way that my system can sometimes become unstable if I don’t use Dell-recommended drivers that are certified for my BIOS. I’ve only made a few tweaks to my Win 10 Pro Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) but one change I did make was to configure Windows Update so that it does not try to install driver updates on my system (Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components| Windows Update | Do Not Include Drivers With Windows Updates).

Your Intel DSA and Device Manager images both show that you’re currently using the custom Intel HD Graphics v20.19.15.5063 (rel. 29-Oct-2018 and certified by Dell 17-Apr-2019) that are recommended on the support page <here> for you OptiPlex 9020, and Intel DSA specifically states that “A customized computer manufacturer is installed on your computer. The Intel Driver & Support Assistant is not able to update the driver. Installing a generic Intel driver instead of the customized computer manufacturer driver may cause technical issues“. Unless you’re having a serious issue like repeated BSODs caused by an outdated graphics driver then I think you’re already using the “best” graphics driver for your system. Most of you Intel components are over a decade old and I doubt that Intel is still releasing new updates for these outdated 4th Gen components so I’m not sure why you even need to keep running the Intel DSA utility on your system.

Deo wrote:

… Given that I have had Edge issues link , group policy template issues (see link) thread, and others, I wonder if a complete ‘inplace repair’ would help? Unsure if if that would address all (i.e. it has been mentioned that inplace repair may only deal with current m/s registry issues…On that note: would repair install assist in your suggestion re: new Admin account?

Just an aside about your MS Edge problem. I posted a few suggestions in RedheadedCelt’s SupportAssist and Win 11 Upgrade in the Dell forum on 02-Apr-2023 for improving the performance of their Dell Inspiron 3583 laptop that only has 4 GB of RAM, and one section is titled “Reduce the Amount of RAM and CPU Used by Your Default MS Edge Browser“. You might find some helpful hints there, including the suggestion to disable hardware graphics acceleration in MS Edge, which might help you given how old your Intel HD Graphics 4600 GPU chip is. My 31-Mar-2023 post <here> in that same thread also has a list of standard checks, including DISM and SFC scans, you can run whenever your system performance starts to degrade.

As far as I know your system isn’t BSODing and you’ve said that your DISM and SFC scans don’t find any problems with your Windows system files so I’m not sure a Windows 10 repair install is going to fix all your current problems. I’ve never tried an in-place repair on my Win 10 machine but I read Brink’s TenForums tutorial at Repair Install Windows 10 With an In-place Upgrade and it doesn’t appear that a repair install with the option to “Keep files and personal apps” will create a new user account for you. However, I’d suggest you consult with the person who suggested this in-place repair for your system and check with them before you start.
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I haven’t had a chance to read the details of your latest post # 2550691 so I’ll have to reply to those comments later. Just note that I wasn’t suggesting that you start uninstalling and reinstalling software after logging in with a new user account with Administrator rights – I just wanted you to see if the software you use that’s already  installed for all users (e.g., your MS Edge browser and possibly even the Intel DSA) runs any better and/or your general system performance improves if you log in with a new Administrator account. You said in your July 2022 post # 2457891 that Intel DSA ran fine if you logged in with your Standard user account but not with your Administrator account, so I suggested you create a new Administrator account for testing just in case your “regular” Administrator account is corrupted.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v111.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.22.1 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v23.1.9.7

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Hi Imacri: Thank you!

lmacri wrote:

I don’t know if your refurnished computer also had additional RAM installed so that it can run Win 10 without taking a serious performance hit

Yes, I have 8G’s of Ram, 15-4690S GPU, Win 10 Pro (digital license). This PC was (apparently via Service Tag orig Win 8), bought as a Certified M/Soft factory refurb, included WIN 10 Pro x64, 8G ram, and an new Samsung SSD. No other hardware changes. Brilliant at get-go. (Have had issues with audio/Realtek , onboard sound, via my Asus monitor, needed ‘special driver”, realtek & intel not playing well? Have never figured that out, as thru 2 yrs of Win CU Updates seem to solve the issue for it some months, then issues reappear (“do not include drivers..”  hidden via GP edit & winshowhide).

lmacri wrote:

You might find some helpful hints there, including the suggestion to disable hardware graphics acceleration in MS Edge,

Yes, Thank you, I have had those settings for Edge in place for years, and check them with every new Edge update.

lmacri wrote:

did you ever try creating new Windows user account with Administrator privileges and temporarily log in to Windows with that new account (see my 02-Jul-2022 post # 2458191) to test if Intel DSA and some of your other problem software runs correctly while logged in that user account?

Only changes between “new Admin” and “old Admin”, is old admin account has ongoing occasional jitters/jumps of icons on desktop screen.

Did as instructed – how do I now permanently delete that ‘new’ Admin account (no stgs changed/tweaked), including deleting it’s registry remnants? I have looked on Ten Forums website, it says registry keys are now there forever? Or I guess configure new Admin & xfer old admin data over? To what end, am not sure.

 

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I uninstalled DSA/CEP via orig Admin acct. I then used the

lmacri wrote:

Intel Driver & Support Assistant Uninstaller

and upon completion, restarted PC.

I then created a new ADMIN test account. I ‘Installed’ as per your link the DSA download there on the virgin Admin account. See attached scrn shots.

Scrn shots: I focused on Graphics card in question. Was on odd difference in display name. See adpater screen shot.

PS When trying to display “Device Manager” from NEW admin account, it would not allow me to make changes, required OLD admin password to view only. In checking profile it was set as “user”. I used method 2 from this site (only one that worked).

Proceeded after restarts with yet another uninstall/reinstall of DSA, as I had installed via new Admin set as a user. Start from scratch thought best.
Oddly, when d/loading the Intel “Uninstaller” from your link, it ACTUALLY downloaded the Installer, not the uninstaller?? Tried 4 times. When trying to “install” the Installer.exe the first (new admin, now set with  admin priveledges), I got this txt file (attached)  that showed up in my d/load file (?) showing did not delete registry sub keys?.
I’m certain something is up with Intel DSA.

Am not sure what to do with my PC at the moment, as it has other issues (finally rec’d manually M/Store updates late tonight on all accounts:). I will mention that the ‘NEW” admin account had a lot of new stgs (incl. \\ dev stgs to do with bing showing in ‘normal’ stgs area?)  in it’s edge install than in other existing accts. DSA  results is odd. Have not yet tried to re-install the Dell driver manually. Screen still jumps every now and than (MS Store? even though auto off, is still pushing thru updates?) Was stable since 2021. Conundrum.Thx for thoughts all!

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Deo wrote:

Did you have this issue since Upgrading to 22H2?

I don’t have any issues with 22H2 March updates.
Just yesterday I got notified and install Intel GPU driver.

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Older Dell, HD4600 graphics read is (integrated onto the CPU) actually has no memory of it’s own? You must have a much newer pc. Notified via? Windows? Drivers updates are difficult to figure out. Dell’s site maybe outdated. Manually updating each one without breaking system is I find very hard to figure out. 🙃

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This might help:
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000183911/how-to-download-and-install-dell-drivers

and if you scroll down a bit past half-way, under Additional Information there’s a link “How to Install Dell Drivers in the Correct Order”. Much of this is similar to the first paragraph in a post by @cyberSAR here:

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/inplace-repair-or-clean-install-registry-or-hardware-issues/#post-2550127

1 user thanked author for this post.

Deo

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Deo wrote:

Notified via? Windows?

Notified via Intel Driver & Support Assistant

Intel UHD 630 GPU is integrated into CPU.
My laptop is 5 years old.

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Could someone please tell me how to completely erase a newly created Local Admin “test account’ no data, including registry keys (used as test per above)? Just deleting it from ‘Local Groups and Users’ will not undo registry entries as per many websites. Increases Macrium back up time signficantly. tia.

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Hi Deo:

Regarding your post # 2550691:

Deo wrote:

Scrn shots: I focused on Graphics card in question. Was on odd difference in display name. See adpater screen shot.

What “odd difference” are you referring to? Both Intel DSA and your Windows Device Manager show you have an Intel HD Graphics 4600 with driver version 20.19.15.5063 dated 29-Oct-2018.

Deo wrote:

Oddly, when d/loading the Intel “Uninstaller” from your link, it ACTUALLY downloaded the Installer, not the uninstaller?? Tried 4 times.

I’m not sure why. The link I posted for the Intel DSA Uninstaller in post # 2550592 always directs me to https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/19333/intel-driver-support-assistant-uninstaller.html (at least in my default Firefox browser).

Deo wrote:

I got this txt file (attached) that showed up in my d/load file (?) showing did not delete registry sub keys?. I’m certain something is up with Intel DSA.

I assume your Intel DSA Uninstaller log is reporting it did not delete multiple registry keys because those registry keys were already removed when you uninstalled Intel DSA from Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features. It just means your uninstall from Control Panel did a good job and didn’t leave behind any orphaned registry keys for the standalone uninstaller to clean up.

I can’t see any problems with your Intel DSA v23.1.9.7 in the images you’ve posted so far, and as I mentioned in my post # 2550728, I don’t understand why you need to run Intel DSA to keep looking for available updates when Intel hasn’t released new updates for your 4th Gen Intel components for several years.

Deo wrote:

I will mention that the ‘NEW” admin account had a lot of new stgs (incl. \\ dev stgs to do with bing showing in ‘normal’ stgs area?) in it’s edge install than in other existing accts.

Sorry, I have no idea what you mean by “incl. \\ dev stgs”. It’s been more than a year since I created my “backup” local Administrator account and I don’t recall having to answers additional questions about Bing, etc. the first time I set up MS Edge, but perhaps that’s now part of the normal setup routine since the introduction of the experimental AI-powered Bing.
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Regarding your post # 2550881 and post # 2550882:

Deo wrote:

Only changes between “new Admin” and “old Admin”, is old admin account has ongoing occasional jitters/jumps of icons on desktop screen.

Deo wrote:

Did as instructed – how do I now permanently delete that ‘new’ Admin account (no stgs changed/tweaked), including deleting it’s registry remnants? I have looked on Ten Forums website, it says registry keys are now there forever? Or I guess configure new Admin & xfer old admin data over? To what end, am not sure.

I personally wouldn’t be in a rush to delete you new Administrator account when you’ve barely had time to do any testing, especially when it seems to have stopped “the occasional jitters/jumps of icons on desktop screen” you see when you log in with your old account. With more testing you might find other minor glitches and problems your new account has fixed and decide that it would make sense to transfer your settings and personal data to the new user account.  However, that’s your decision.

Deo wrote:

Just deleting it from ‘Local Groups and Users’ will not undo registry entries as per many websites. Increases Macrium back up time signficantly.

Your comment about Macrium is a bit surprising,  I use Macrium Reflect Free and still have a “backup” local Administrator account I keep for occasional testing and can use for emergency recovery if my “regular” Microsoft Administrator account is ever corrupted (see the AskLeo video Create a Backup Admin Account for Your PC – And Why You Want One for pros and cons) and I don’t believe having that extra account “significantly” increases the amount of time it takes Macrium Reflect to create a full disk image.  However, I don’t keep copies of any personal data (e.g., Microsoft Office files, music and photo files, etc,) in that backup account.

Regardless, the Alphr article How to Delete a User Profile in Windows 10 might have the information about deleting registry entries that you’re looking for.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v111.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.22.1 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v23.1.9.7

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Hi Imacri, I didn’t receive an email alerting me to your reply (?), thus just saw this. Will reply when I can (dealing with work deadlines).

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Upon creation of the “Test” Admin account, and checking both orig Admin and User accounts via Control Panel>Administrative tools>Computer Management>Local Users and Groups, I see that Test Admin account is a Member of both “Administrators” and “Users”,  whereas orig Admin account is just a member of “Administrators”?

Difference in what icons show (links on desktop):

orig Admin: Itunes, Imaz, Edge, winshowhide, Macrium reflect free. NO a/v (Sophos, as installed via USER)

test Admin: as above but no winshowhide or Sophos

User: as above, no winshowhide. Obviously does have Sophos (corporate intercept X etc)

Can anyone explain what is going on and whether an admin account is usually (should be)  a ‘Member” of both Administrators and Users? I have been under the impression that Windows keep them separated for ‘sandboxing’ and for security reasons?

Re: Intel DSA, after installing and uninstalling via ‘test’ account, post getting the odd installer 4 x, then the uninstaller (can’t quote here from my post #2550691 as I am on my ipad, and don’t have AW’s ‘new’ coding pre-req’s for quoting from Ipad handy; yes used to work with my ipad keyboard, no longer does), it triggered an odd restore pt “[IDS_MSI_ERROR_1715]” 

Intel DSA longer shows up anywhere in any account. As per question from Imacri, Intel DSA HAS offered updates last year to this PC (not graphics card obviously, that occurred when I had let Windows ‘receive updates for other products’ 1x last year, that setting was since then toggled off & GP set to ‘no drivers’)

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Deo wrote:

Upon creation of the “Test” Admin account, and checking both orig Admin and User accounts via Control Panel>Administrative tools>Computer Management>Local Users and Groups, I see that Test Admin account is a Member of both “Administrators” and “Users”, whereas orig Admin account is just a member of “Administrators”?…

Hi Deo:

Just some feedback to show you what I see on my own Win 10 Pro v22H2 machine. I only have a basic knowledge of Windows Server administration and user group permissions so I’ll leave it to the experts to tell you what’s “normal”.

When I go to Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Computer Management | Local Groups and Users | Users and check the properties of my local users I can see that:

• The original “hidden” Administrator (i.e., with the description “Built-in account for administering the computer/domain“) is a member of the Administrators group only.
• The two Administrator accounts I created myself (i.e., my “everyday” Administrator account that is associated with my Microsoft account and my “backup” Administrator account that is a local account) are both members of both the Users and Administrators groups as shown in the image below. I assume this is normal because if you are a home user and create a new Administrator account the usual way (i.e., at Settings | Accounts | Family & Other Users | Other Users | Add) you create the Standard user first and and then change the account type to Administrator.
• The one Standard account I created myself that is a local account is a member of the Users group only.

___________________________

As a general rule, most programs installed in C:\Programs Files\ are installed for all users, while UWP (Microsoft Store) apps are specific to each user account.

I ran a test today and confirmed that I can run Intel DSA v23.1.9.7 (installed while I was signed in with my “everyday” Administrator account associated with my Microsoft Account) with all three of my user accounts. For example, the attached images were captured while I was signed in with my Standard local user account and show that Intel DSA launched in MS Edge and detected an available update for my Intel UHD Graphics 620 driver.

Aside from the fact that my Windows desktop is markedly different for these three accounts (I haven’t done much customization for either of my local accounts) the only major difference I saw during my test is that Intel DSA automatically launches with Firefox for my “everyday” Administrator account (Note: Firefox can be launched by all three users and each user has their own Firefox user profile, but my “everyday” Administrator account is the only account that has Firefox set as the default browser) while both my local Administrator and Standard accounts automatically launch Intel DSA with the default MS Edge browser.
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I also saw that you recently started a thread a few days ago at Group Templates after using 22H2 enablement pack upgrade stating that your Local Group Policy Editor has no policies for MS Edge.  I can see dozens of policies for MS Edge at Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Microsoft Edge (see attached image) on my own computer without having to install a supplemental Group Policy template.  When Microsoft adds or deprecates policies over time those changes are automatically made to my Local Group Policy Editor – I don’t need to manually apply additional templates.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 *64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2846 * Firefox v112.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2303.8-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v23.1.9.7

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Thank you Imacri, I’m glad I posted my ‘Membership’ issues, and your reply of what you see, “normally” in a functioning PC. Yields many clues.

When I state ‘Admin’, I mean my local admin account(s). I have never touched the built-admin account.

I feel thereinlies the rub of my many issues/topics this year? Could it be Local admin not having ‘users’? Stemming back to last May? (And all my topics since).Including jitters on admin screen as graphics is ruled out. Or corrupt Admin?

*new ‘Test Admin’ has no Local Policy “Edge” settings either (after applying Group policy templates)

(For some reason, I was suddenly locked out of my own post while typing?) Here I am in “edit” to further my post. network is sound.

AW gurus: would including ‘Users’ group into my orig Admin account resolve? Would an inplace-repair rectify? Or am I looking at a clean install (backing up drivers)?

• What advice would you give in this instance? Would like to know for time sake as I have pulled out a swath of grey hair now, and don’t wish to chase my tail if, after unearthing the ‘members’ of profile anomaly having been discovered. Yet GP/regedit issues persist.  (Is my admin account corrupt?) If so, what to do?
• my concern for clean install is: drivers; degraded health of my 1 yr old Samsung SSD; lack of winshowhide prog on clean install; LACK OF access to my Macruim 8 free software as its discontinued from d/load;  Itunes iph/ipad backups AS it will wipe out all.

Thank you! Just at tax time to… M/soft, pls make life as easy as Win 7. PS Pop up in search bar “ blue b Your AI-powered copilt, try new Bing” , only an ‘x’’ to opt out. Lovely.

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Deo wrote:

…LACK OF access to my Macruim 8 free software as its discontinued from d/load…

Hi Deo:

Just an FYI that the Softpedia site has 32-bit and 64-bit Macrium Reflect Free v8.0 Build 7279 installers for the current release of Macrium Reflect Free v8.x at https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Back-Up-and-Recovery/Macrium-Reflect-Free-Edition.shtml. I grabbed a copy of the 64-bit installer last month and can confirm that the reflect_setup_free_x64.exe file I downloaded from that site is file version 8.0.7279. I haven’t tried using this full standalone 179 MB installer yet (Macrium Reflect Free v8.x is already installed on my computer) but I assume it would run correctly until at least, or perhaps even beyond, Dec 2023, since the official EOL announcement at https://www.macrium.com/product-support-policy#macrium-reflect-free-product-end-of-life-eol says that Macrium Reflect Free v8.x will continue to run after 01-Jan-2024 but will not receive important security updates after this date.

Whenever possible I download software installers from the original manufacturer but in rare cases like this where that isn’t an option I usually download from Softpedia.  The downloaded reflect_setup_free_x64.exe file is clean when I scan it with Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium, and if I upload the .exe file to VirusTotal for analysis the report at https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/732748e0ec40bb978b231d4f3a4e4728d93c98695097e79e04c97c56a56e43b0 shows that 0 out of 67 antivirus scan engines detect this file as suspicious or malicious.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 *64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2846 * Firefox v112.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2303.8-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v23.1.9.7

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Deo

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