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“These system files, are mostly 1K”

These likely are desktop.ini, which usually are ~80 to maybe ~200 bytes. But each takes a block on disk, = 1K.
– Delete them, as the folder in which each of them resides is otherwise already empty.

There also are Thumbs.db files, typically considerably larger. These are the thumbnails for the photos/graphics files in that folder.
– Delete them also, as the ‘parent’ files now are gone. And, you’ll notice that when you open a photo (in the ‘new’ location) that a new Thumbs.db is created, in that new folder.

What other System files now remain?
Do you have any [ntuser.something] files?

The ‘HomePremium x64’ file – – Size: 5.68 GB (6,101,768,192 bytes)

Even when Silverlight has been removed, apparently there is/are trace/s in the computer. There are a dozen or more updates that Windows will attempt to download. If you look at each one offered you will see that the KB numbers are different. Just keep hiding them; once the queue has regressed to the oldest one, they will stop being offered.
Except: I just did a new Updates test, and KB4481252, for the new Japanese calendar eras, was offered. Hid it.

1 – Thank you for posting the exact make/model of the printer; it helps the helpers to locate manufacturer data without extraneous dialog.
2 – For anyone else that wishes to reply to this, the User Guide is at
h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01100561 , a PDF. The manual was copyright 2007.
3. The clock information in the UG appear to be focused on fax usage, sending and receiving. My understanding is that fax machines are intended to be left ON continuously. Thus, the date/time settings normally would be maintained.
4. In the PDF, do a Search for either ‘date’ or ‘time’, to see all the references.
See these UG pages for fax-related date/time setting information.
UG pages 93-94 = PDF pages 105-106.
5. According to the UG, there are only 3 possible connectivities: USB 2.0 and Ethernet, for computer/network; and telephone, for fax.

“The usb cable for the computer is, natch, plugged directly into the router using a usb wall outlet, right behind it.”
11. A USB wall outlet supplies USB-level-voltage power, and is used for charging devices. It is not a signal conveyer. And, USB signals are reliable only up to 5M = 16.4 ft.
Are you sure of the cable connections here? I make no sense of this.

“Can I put a signal splitter on that outlet and add a second usb cable to the printer, 3′ away?”
12. If by ‘splitter’ you mean a USB hub, then yes, a physical connection can be made that way. This would be only for attaching additional USB signal cables. But I don’t think that it is right to ‘split’ a power connection. On a powered hub this might be disastrous.

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Slowpoke47

Yes, gone again. I wanted to post a print-screen shot to accompany 323190, but have no button.

Curiously too: for this reply, I clicked on the REPLY button at the very top (318770), but it was dead. Twice. Clicked on 321874 (just above), and it was OK. Cancelled. Went back to the top: this time it worked, for right now.

Thank you for the link, mledman; I had never looked into this corner of Windows.

‘vssadmin’ has to be run from an elevated (Run as Administrator) prompt.
Key [ vssadmin /? ] for sub-commands and syntax
I had 20 shadows, going back about 2 months.
For [ vssadmin list shadowstorage ], on a 1 TB drive (of which C: is 906.34 GB) , I have listed:
– Used 24.786 GB (2%)
– Allocated 25.264 GB (2%)
– Maximum 27.19 GB (3%)
To change, [ vssadmin resize shadowstorage ]. This will give an error message, but also instructions on additional specifications that are required. This is where the ‘Unbounded’ value is documented.

“With the drive connected, I do get the shutdown icon in the tray, but when I use it, a pop-up tells me the drive can’t be shut down when in use.”

I can’t speak to Veeam and what it may be doing with/on the external hard drive.

On my Lenovo tower, for most of my USB thumb drives, when I use that “Safely Remove” icon I also get that warning. To continue, I use Explorer, right-click on the drive, and Eject. This gives another warning, but I then click on Continue, and that releases it. I can put the same drive on a HP Laptop, and not get any objection. Years ago I tried to research this, and the consensus was that there are differences in the manufacturers’ USB hardware.

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Slowpoke47

1 – Do you have any clue which key(s) cause this anomaly?

2 – By any chance is this the (fairly new) Firefox function that allows one to ‘Take a Screenshot’? https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-screenshots

3 – To see what is normal (before your haze-overlay) bring up Task Manager, as previously instructed. You will see that there are several Firefox tasks running.

Let’s assume that the haze somehow is Firefox related, although it may not be, so let’s start there. To end Firefox entirely, click on any one of the Firefox lines, perhaps starting with the one that has the largest numbers associated, and click on End Process in the bottom right corner. Repeat this End Process for each of the Firefox tasks (DO NOT END ANY PROCESS OTHER THAN A FIREFOX one) until they have all gone.

Did the haze go away at any point during the sequence of ending Firefox tasks, or only after they were all ended, or not at all?

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Faye CW 23

The problem appears to be Windows / driver(s) related. Unless you suspect a hardware problem, why scrap it? Can you do temporary hardware item swaps with another computer to narrow the failure?

Workaround?: Pull the drive and attach to another computer. Obtain current media drivers from the manufacturers, and copy them to the appropriate folders in the problem drive.

From this and other Google Search hits, is it possible to boot into Safe mode? or ‘Disable Driver Signature Enforcement’?

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Comments:
1. Files named Thumbs.db contain the thumbnails for the (photos) in that containing folder. If missing, the thumbnails and Thumbs.db are regenerated when the folder photos are next viewed. They are not critical, they are just space-takers.

2. Attributes. (Ref. #314290.) There are several attributes, or characteristics, associated with each object (folder, file, etc.). You can see two of them (Read-only, Hidden) when you right-click on a (folder or file) > Properties. Another attribute is System. Typically objects that have both the Hidden and System attributes set are items that Windows really doesn’t want someone else to change. One can inspect the set of attributes for an object by: Opening a Command prompt, navigate to the folder or file of interest, [ attrib * ], or name a specific entity.

3. Is there any setting or discussion in the Seagate program that pertains to file attributes?

4. Both KB4471318 (December) and KB4480970 (January) address the following issues: “Security updates to … Windows Storage and Filesystems, …” I’ve not been able to find the particulars on this arena. Perhaps this is moot anyway.

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Slowpoke47

Status: Working Firefox Profile has a problem. Fresh/new Profile doesn’t.

More suggestions:
1. Have you done a Clear Cache? Removed AskWoody Cookies?

2. PKCano suggests checking about:config. The ‘user-particular’ changes are highlighted (bold), and these settings are held in the file prefs.js.
Would it help to compare the settings in the problem file with those in a known-good file (on Test?). (Roadmap.)
Although the file-type is .js, the contents are textual, so Open the file with a text editor; Notepad is fine.

Suggested procedure: Copy the suspect prefs.js to another location, and rename it (suspect.txt?) Copy the good (Test?) file, and rename it (good.txt?). Open both, and window them side-by-side. The file contents are in alphabetical sequence. There will be a fair number of lines that obviously are irrelevant (I have ~110 lines pertaining to printers; there are other chunks), and can be deleted. Of those remaining, see if there is any clue as to settings that should be experimented with for changing.

The Firefox processing sequence is: Upon Open, read in prefs.js; upon Close, write out from memory a complete replacement prefs.js. Thus any changes should be done using about:config, not by making changes in prefs.js.

3. There are other folders and files also in the Profile, and it is possible that a conflict resides in one or more of them. These are harder to isolate.

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HiFlyer

Two things to try – – –
1 – Firefox SAFE mode:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode

2 – Create a new Firefox profile: name Test perhaps, without add-ons or extensions.

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Microfix, HiFlyer, satrow

1 – Interesting. For me, Direct Message is just to the left of Log Out, which is at the right end.
2 – Usage:
– Click on Settings – to establish your preferences
– Click on Directory:
— will show everyone’s ID
— key into the box any part of a user’s ID, Enter; it will show matching hits
— I key in ‘wav’, and get 10 hits; yours at the bottom.
— I key in ‘paul’, and get 4 pages of hits, I’m on page 4
– Click on Message Box – to show your messages’ exchanges
– Click on New Message – which looks very much like you post here

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HiFlyer, wavy

I don’t have any useful answers, but it will be helpful to those who do reply if you describe your configuration and what it is that you are trying to do.

Desktop or laptop; ethernet or wifi; which Windows; what is offering the “option for ‘direct connect’ “.

45.33. … is in the Linode Cloud. 35.196. … is in the Google Cloud.

To see what networks the computer is trying to connect to automatically, look at:
Network and Sharing Center > Manage wireless networks.
Perhaps this doesn’t apply to what you are attempting.

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HiFlyer

In Firefox (my browser), for each plug-in one has a choice of:
— Ask to Activate, Always Activate, Never Activate.
In IE11 (which I don’t use), the choices are Enabled or Disabled.
I don’t know about Chrome.

My observation is that Flash is becoming less and less needed. I’ve waffled between Ask, and Always. Some sites/panels that are coded in Flash will inform one that Flash must be activated. Others just seem to hang, without any hint as to what is wrong.

“Should we update it, ditch it, or ___? ”
— Yes; eventually; experiment to find out if users are going to sites that require it.

Concerning currency, note that Flash has three updating options, similar to those for Windows. My choice is Never check, as I prefer maximum user control.