Replies

Alex: There was no other D:\ listed.

alejr: Thank you! Worked perfectly, D available to select. I now have access to that drive.

My next test will check what occurs when the other Passport is plugged via usb at the same time as this one to see what drive letters show up for 2nd one, should default to E…

Update: 2nd did default to E. Able to xfer files between the two backup drives. Unsure if/why July updates would have caused the drive letter to permanently have changed.

I assume the change to D:\ via diskmgnt will now be permanently  assigned to 1st ext drive, and will have to remember to have no other thumb drives etc in usb slots to preserve a ‘D’ ltr avail for this one now?

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.

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!

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.

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).

Well put OscarCP.

In the mid ’90’s, I worked for a company that laid the first fibre optic network across Canada, and the first CAN/US fibre loops i.e. Toronto – New York, Vancouver to Seattle, with corporate client i.e. banks as the customer base. Needless to say, that company sold their network/backbone for a whopping amount to which then became the up & coming mobile cell phone boon. Though hoped for, we never imagined the swift consumer growth and complete reliance we now all share 27 years later.

Roger’s CEO released a statement yesterday that the network system failure followed a routine update in their core network which caused some routers in their system to malfunction which caused traffic overload. (April 2021 outage was blamed on an Ericsson software update that impacted equipment in central core of their wireless network, only affected cellphones then).

The country sure needs a plan B when essential services such as hospitals, gov’t depts, and border crossing Apps are impacted. Timely that newer cellphones allow for dual sim/E-sim, yet it is costly for the consumer to bear the brunt of paying for another carrier sim to ensure their personal redundancies are in place.

Interesting you say the US suffers from the same ‘squash of competition’, as the public cry-out in Can. is that the US has a better, fairer allowance for competitors. Interesting. I’m sure it has occurred, yet I can’t recall when the US had such an outage of this magnitude.

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Fred, OscarCP

With the upside down chaotic world we are now in, will we ever know the facts? A friend up there said that, in a country with only 3 private providers, and this one woven into the fabric of the countrywide system in all realms (including intertwined parts of the other carriers/networks), with failures in all their redundancy failsafes, we may never be privy to the details. I simply hope in rushing to get their customer base appeased by racing to get service up, they haven’t overlooked anything in this 25 hour outage. Came back slowly at 3 a.m. PDT. ‘Recovery’ is relative and irrelevant by measurement when transparency is minimal. It occurred with this company last April as well. This time it impacted 911 calls. Only 3 payphones remaining for a pop. of 500K in his case. So I am with you on this, what gives?

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OscarCP

Just out of curiosity, does this apply to Libreoffice? I often find VBA macros auto on there, and manually switch off.

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

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.

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.

[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 11 months ago by Deo. Reason: query uninstalling command update old version before proceeding

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?

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

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