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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.

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.

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.)

When I’ve found an update snuck in prior to my morning winshowhide trigger finger, I have simply re-run winshowhide (clicking ‘advanced’ tab lower left corner and unticking checkmark), hide updates I don’t want, then re-run winshowhide (unchecking ‘advanced) to ensure they are indeed hidden and again to ensure there are no more to hide. Then follow PKCano’s Clear The Queue instructions. https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/2000013-how-to-clear-the-windows-update-queue-in-win10/

When you get to PK’s point  “ *restart …may take 36 hrs …” , I do this Matador’s trick:

*Restart PC.  I check again winshowhide twice (unticking advanced):

1.checking nothing is left to hide, 2. again check they are indeed hidden.

Only then do I go into Win Update Stgs AND as it starts to scan, quickly click on ‘Pause Updates’, then quickly click on ‘Resume’ (which will show up above, where ‘check for updates’ usually is.) It will complete scan and say “You’re up to date”. Works flawlessly! Hope this helps.

Note: not sure it matters as I’m on Win 10 Pro, but I keep ‘metered connections’ on at all times until I actually un-hide and do updates. Have accidentally forgotten to turn back metered connections on during restart to no ill affect.

(Don’t panic-if you have set Gpedit to ‘2’, nothing will d/load unless you physically ‘check for updates’. Winshowhide will work. You just have to clear the queue!)

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WCHS

Indeed, thx! Can’t find smaller than 64gb here up north. Trying to reuse when I can, taking fragility, cost and risk of possible failure into account…

Thx Paul! Realized using MCT (mediacreationtool.exe) in my d/loads even though from May would unfortunately give me the latest 22H2 current=missed time frame for a 21H2 thumb drive via MCT. Thank god I have iso downloaded to my desktop!

I searched Ask Woody this aft for hours and found a great explanation written in another thread by PKCano about mediacreationtool.exe will deliver only to current date, NOT by date when it was downloaded. I was going to post for ease of reference for others here. Alas, I tried using Ask Woody search with same term as earlier, and results were night/day from 5 hrs ago. It is no longer showing up (was from 2020/2021?). Ad nausem search again did not provide same result. Can’t find. Was brilliant reference for this topic.

I will indeed use rufus. I hope it will erase 1809 and burn successfully 21H2 without a reformat nec. on my part.

(Anyway to test its functioning without actually reinstalling?) Cheers!

Will mark as resolved when I get there 👍

Thanks all, confusion in format of usb was from looking at this thread:

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/isos-and-usb-flash-drive-formats/

(For future, I also wondered if I could simply copy the iso that’s on desktop to a blank flash drive in the event an in place repair is needed ie then have access to ‘setup.exe’ file on thumb drive?)

I’ll try MCT of May’s 21H2 download with this old 1809 16gb thumb drive and report back. As it will then be bootable, I probably won’t know if it works until I have to use it.

Thanks for link, your instructions there state “Make sure USB flash drive is blank..”, but doesn’t state the format of blank drive.

The thumb drive with 1809 (from MCT) on it is only 16GB…?

So, other than figuring out Rufus, there is NO way to reuse an older bootable  thumb drive using MCT as per my OP? (I noticed in Susan’s Sept squirrel away video hers was formatted to Fat 32, and she was probably using a new thumb drive, but I can’t find anything in the forums on what to do in my case). TIA

Understood. Been using PC’s since ‘98.

Have never  been forced to manually assign a drive letter before; ext drives previously just worked properly on all PC’s.

I guess I’m simply not explaining this sudden spontaneous behaviour well. Sorry for lack of tech terms.

Note: last eve, M/R drive when plugged in, was assigned D. In checking,  ‘D:\’ WAS available in ‘drive letter change’ drop down menu via disk management, even though I had assigned itunes b/up drive as D? I cancelled out of that, did NOT assign any ltr to M/R drive.

CraigS26 wrote:

I recall long ago postings that Windows often messes with the up-front letters like D-E and does what happened to you.

I guess I’ll chalk it up to this! Thank you kindly.

No drives ever had an assigned letter, as per the beginning of my OP. The behaviour prompting my initial post continues, now affecting other drives.

This time I did not change any drive to E via disk management. ( I had only changed the one drive to D as per advice in this thread to gain urgent access to itunes). My post 2473237 above states the persistent behaviour. No other drives were plugged in.

M/R drive was never manually created as E:, no other thumb or ext drive has ever been in any port while I do backups with that drive.

Anything else I plug in solo shows as normal D.

FWIW, Win 10 Pro 21H2, GP-2, TRV Semi, Feature deferral on, GP windows driver updates disabled. Lost sound post July updates: dribs thru asus monitor, realtek & onboard not working. Older Dell. Bios latest. As it sounds (pardon pun) I won’t be getting it back via KIR discussion, thus nothing to lose. I’ll attempt Aug updates and report back. Glad have ipad.

( Sorry. Tried to put spaces for paragraphs for ease of read, but any edits won’t hold the new spacing?)

* Doing the above backups offline or online makes no difference.

Thanks all, yet problems persist. (I still don’t understand why the drive letters changed post July updates).

As I prepare for attempting Aug CU updates today, I performed my usual process:

3 separate WD passport drives – 1 for itunes (now supposedly “permanently D:/); 1 for Macrium Reflect Free backups; 1 for manual user drag/drop doc/pics backups. One at a time.

1. Plug in Macrium wd passport- it suddenly shows ‘E:\ backup files not available’. This drive  now showed up as D:\? (Default next avail drive ltr?) Thus can’t backup. I did NOT use disk management to assign drive letter as I did above for itunes drive. Eject drive.

2. Plug in my wd passport ‘Drag & drop’ back up drive, no problems! Eject.

3. Plug in my wd passport ‘itunes’ back up drive, works, no problem (is D:\). Eject.

Troubleshooting steps: thought I’d try plugging in a blank thumb drive, then plug in Macrium passport. Success, passport shows as E:\ and M/R finally reads b/up files. Ejected thumb drive, M/R drive still in= it held as E:\ and was able to do a backup! Did not have to use disk management and change drive letter.

This is beyond puzzling. Any ideas? Something is going on with drive mapping? Of which I no nothing about, as I’ve never had these issues. All WD’s are only 5 months old, all formated as NFTS as is my PC, no problems until my orig post, after July updates. At a loss-registry didn’t retain D assignment?

Ruled out different usb ports, different cords.