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I’d suggest downloading and running Sysinternals Process Monitor.

Set up filters for what processes and registry keys you want to watch.

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p060477

Paul T wrote:

If you have old hardware with enough spare drive bays you can set up a zero cost NAS / server with RAID – 5 disks will give you 8TB storage. Then you can backup automatically and restore direct from the server to disk, saves having to boot a machine.

RAID is more “data availabilty” than “data protection”.

Much more difficult to recover a RAID system after a ransomware attack.

 

 

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Kathy Stevens

Paul T wrote:

Or WuMgr for a similar experience to WAU Manager

WuMgr works…I wouldn’t call it a “similar experience”.

IMO, WAU Manager has an easier to follow interface, especially for not-so-technical users.

It gets frequent updates…last one was 15 days ago.

WuMgr hasn’t had an update since December 2019. The .exe is not digitally signed.

I don’t recommend it to my clients.

 

 

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CR2

You might try doing a repair of Excel…

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b#ID0EBF=Windows_11

 

External USB SSD drives.

 

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CADesertRat, Toa Of Justice

The interesting thing to me is the date 2/29/2024.

That coincides with two releases…

1. Windows 10 Preview Updates
2. Microsoft Copilot for Finance Public Preview (note Microsoft…not Windows)

 

 

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WCHS

Sounds like more that just the wired connection is going on…

If you have a recent System Restore point, restore it.

 

Download and run VLC Media Player.

In the toolbar, click on Media, then select Convert/Save.

Follow the screen prompts.

 

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Deo

Paul T wrote:

How did you get a notification to upgrade?

Possibly here…

Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Try the new cross-platform PowerShell https://aka.ms/pscore6

I’d try a couple of 3rd-party tools to uninstall it…

Revo Uninstaller (free)

Geek Uninstaller (free)

There is also a Microsoft tool that I’ve used in the past that works…

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed-or-removed-cca7d1b6-65a9-3d98-426b-e9f927e1eb4d

After downloading, right-click on the .diagcab file and select Open.

Click on the Advanced link, and uncheck “Apply repairs automatically”.

Click Next.

Click Uninstalling.

See if the app shows up in the list. If so, select it and click Next.

I would highly recommend imaging your system first.

You might consider WAU Manager from Carifred.

Very simple user interface (IMO).

No need to touch Group Policy or Windows Update settings.

We’ve used it for several years with no issues.

Not affiliated with the product.

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CR2

Depending on how old the clone is, it will likely need to “catch up” on security updates.

Clones don’t age well in that regard.

Whereas by their nature, images can (and should) be done frequently, which would result in less down time getting a system up to date.

It’s critically important to test that an image is good…before it’s needed.

A copy of the image should be stored offline, and a copy should be stored off site (in case your site is damaged or destroyed…especially critical for businesses).

Having spare drives available is prudent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kathy Stevens

There are also 3rd party tools that address unwanted startup programs…

Revo Uninstaller (free)

Autoruns (free)

The key to happiness is to use them carefully.

 

 

audit21 wrote:

I do not have a startup tab in Task Manager.

Open a Command prompt and enter “msconfig” (no quotes).

Click on the Startup tab.

EP wrote:

though from time to time you may need to download the latest version of Carifred’s WAU Manager app

In Settings, you can select “Automatically update WAU Manager at load”