Help for Win10 1607’s confusing Wi-Fi settings

'Inaccessible boot drive' error blocks startup

When something goes seriously wrong with the Windows boot process, there are several tools and options you can use to return full access to your system. Here’s what to do.

Plus: Thousands of photos are mysteriously altered to a lower resolution, and why a 64-bit system might be limited to 4GB of RAM.

When system startup can’t find the boot drive

Reader Norm is facing one of the worst-possible PC failures. His system starts to boot but then stops dead with an error.

• “Not sure what caused it, but I get an error message ‘inaccessible boot drive.’ on start up. I’ve seen reports from others about this problem, but I’ve not run across any clear resolutions.

  “When I loaded an Acronis image backup, Windows ran okay again. But the problem came back after a power off/on.

  “I went to the BIOS to see the starting boot sequence, but my BIOS reported that I needed higher authority. Really?

  “I’m running the Anniversary Update of Win10 Pro.”

That description sounds like you have two separate problems going on simultaneously. First, something’s seriously wrong with your hard drive or with the startup files it contains. Second, you can’t fully access your PC’s UEFI/BIOS.

You can probably fix both problems via the Windows Recovery Environment. There are several ways to access it: from within Win10 (after you restore your working Acronis backup/image), from a previously-created recovery drive or disc, or from a Win10 installation/setup disc or drive. For full details on this recovery tool, see the June 23 Best Practices column, “Using Windows’ powerful Recovery Environment.”

Let’s focus on the boot error first. Once in Recovery Environment, select Troubleshoot/Startup Repair (in some setups, it’s Troubleshoot/Advanced options/Startup Repair) and follow the on-screen prompts. Windows might be able to semi-automatically correct whatever was causing the “inaccessible boot drive” message.

If it can’t, return to the “Advanced options” screen and select Command Prompt. From there, you can use Windows’ built-in command-line tools such as chkdsk and diskpart to detect and correct problems with the hard drive. You can also run system file checker (sfc) and DISM to correct problems with Windows’ core files. And if those repairs don’t work, use xcopy and robocopy to move files off the hard drive and put them in a safe location.

If all that fails, Win10’s Reset options might be your best bet. You should be able to access Reset from within your restored, working system image. For how-to info and important cautions, see the “OS, apps, and settings backup and recovery” section in the Oct. 15, 2015, Top Story, “Best of breed: Win10’s hybrid backup system.”

Your last option: Reinstall Win10 from scratch using fresh (and free) installation files, obtained from the “Download Windows 10” page and burned to a setup disc or drive. Then, reinstall your apps and restore your user files from your backups.

You should be able to solve your second problem — accessing UEFI settings — from within any working Windows setup; in this case, either from your restored Acronis backup/image or from a restored/repaired/reinstalled Windows. Here’s how:

Click Settings/Update & security/Recovery; then, under “Advanced startup” click the Restart now button. When the next window opens, click Troubleshoot/Advanced options/UEFI Firmware settings/Restart.

For more info, including accessing UEFI settings from within other Windows versions — and what to do once you’re in the UEFI dialog boxes — see the Dec. 11, 2014, Top Story, “How to solve UEFI boot and startup problems, and the Jan. 15, 2015, LangaList Plus column, “Emergency access to your PC’s UEFI settings.”

Something’s messing with tons of photo files

Edwin A. Neveu reports that his extensive library of digital images has been inexplicably altered!

• “Why has the quality and size of my pictures been suddenly reduced?

  “I was using my TV to display pictures from my laptop, and suddenly all of my pictures on my PC and external hard drive were resized and lost quality. Most of my original photos were 1.8MB, but now most of my pics range between 68KB to 205KB. This has affected more than 5000 pictures!
  Is it possible that the video card is the reason? Please, any help?”

On their own, display devices (monitors, TVs, etc.) and video cards don’t have any way of “reaching back” through the system to modify the pictures stored on the hard drive.

If the actual file sizes have changed on the hard drive, then something else is modifying them.

Are you using a cloud-based backup? Some services (such as Google Photos) might reduce the size of the photos stored in the cloud, unless you modify the default settings and, in some cases, buy more storage to allow for larger file sizes. You could easily end up with lower-res copies on your PC if you downloaded, synched, or otherwise retrieved the cloud-stored photos back to your PC.

Other cloud-storage services might do the same sort of thing.

Or, you might check the settings for your camera/photo-management/editing apps. They could have some kind of “optimization” process that shrinks your files in the name of saving space. For example, some photo and video apps have settings like “email quality” or “smartphone quality” that can shrink images and videos to make them work better on slower connections and smaller screens.

If your photo files on the hard drive have actually been shrunken, it’s got to be something like the above — some photo-related service or app — that’s responsible.

If the photos have indeed been irrevocably altered, then restoring backups is your only hope. Losing any important file is awful, and potentially losing thousands of them is a nightmare. If you’re not already doing so, I strongly urge you to start making local backups of all your important files, including photos.

Store these backups out of the reach of active software on your PC. That way, no matter what happens — app or hardware malfunction, user error, whatever — you’ll always have good, clean, unmodified copies of your original files.

Why is this 64-bit system limited to 4GB of RAM?

A reader asks:

• “If my PC hardware is 64-bit, why can it address only 4GB RAM?

In theory, a 64-bit system is capable of directly accessing 2⁶⁴ bytes of memory — that’s almost 18 million terabytes or 18 billion gigabytes!

But there’s a world of difference between what’s mathematically possible and what’s commercially viable for desktop systems.

Most PCs are built to meet a target price, and that places hard limits on what’s in the box. For example, many full-size PCs come with four RAM slots; in lower-end systems the OEM usually populates these with inexpensive 1GB RAM sticks, one per slot.

Although you can’t add more slots to a mainboard, you can usually replace the existing memory sticks with higher-capacity versions.

Larger RAM sticks are almost always sold in even-numbered quantities, typically 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB. The largest-size RAM sticks in common use are 128GB each; but they’re quite expensive, probably costing more than what you paid for your PC!

Besides price, there are other factors that determine what RAM a PC can use: power and heat, mainboard and BIOS/UEFI abilities, required memory-chip speed and allowed latency, and so on.

So here’s the bottom line: If you need more RAM, check your PC maker’s support site to see what your specific brand and model of PC allows; then buy RAM that’s compatible with your system’s constraints.

By adding compatible RAM, you’ll likely be able to bump up your 4GB system to whatever reasonable size you have in mind — short of the 18 billion gigabytes of RAM a 64-bit architecture is theoretically capable of supporting!

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Help for Win10 1607's confusing Wi-Fi settings

More so than any previous version of Windows, Win10 is an evolving operating system. Each new update brings forth new features and user-interface changes. And that’s especially the case with the Anniversary Update.

Here’s what you should know about the changes in Win10’s Wi-Fi settings, plus how to review and manage a bit of what Microsoft knows about you.

Getting to know Win10’s wireless options

Mobility is a central theme running through Windows 10, and Microsoft has made a few changes with the Anniversary Update.

In Version 1511, clicking Settings/Network & Internet will list Wi-Fi among the options — if you have an active wireless adapter in your device. Clicking Wi-Fi displays found wireless networks plus links to more settings. “Advanced options,” for example, simply displays the name, driver version, and address of your device’s wireless adapter.

(Note: If you have an older system that doesn’t include Wi-Fi, you can add a simple USB dongle [Amazon example] for about U.S. $20. I use one as a backup, for when my Ethernet powerline adapters decide to lock up.)

Clicking the “Manage Wi-Fi settings” link pops up another window with two options: Wi-Fi Sense and Paid Wi-Fi services. Wi-Fi Sense generated an uproar of criticism from users concerned about Windows 10’s lack of user privacy. Foremost, was the option to automatically “connect to networks shared by my contacts.”

A second option, “Connect to suggested open hotspots” also raised security and privacy concerns. (If you’re still on Version 1511, you’ll probably want to ensure that both options are turned off.)

The second option on the main Wi-Fi windows, “Paid Wi-Fi services,” lets Windows automatically connect to open networks and check whether any paid wireless hotspots are available. I assume that’s for connecting to subscription-based services such as Boingo, AT&T “on the go,” Comcast XFinity WiFi, or other. (There’s a lot of online information about how to turn this feature on or off, but not much on what it actually does.)

However, I suspect it’s mostly designed for the little-known, work-in-progress call Microsoft Wi-Fi (Figure 1; more info), a service that lets you connect to paid, third-party hotspots via a Microsoft account. The service/app was announced in mid-2015, and its initial setup is rather confusing. (Again, Microsoft’s documentation is wanting. Note: As I was finishing this article, the MS Wi-Fi site changed to a mostly blank page with only “Coming soon” on it.)

Microsoft offers an app for its Wi-Fi service at the Windows Store, though it was already installed on my Win10 system when I went looking for it. Launching the app popped up a window with basic instructions and some obtuse information links. According to the FAQ, you’re buying Internet access for a set amount of time. But you can’t buy time before connecting to a participating third-party site, and there are no long-term subscriptions.

The new options in Win10 1607: With the Anniversary Update, Microsoft changed the arrangement of Win10’s Wi-Fi settings. When you click Settings/Network & Internet/Wi-Fi, you’re presented with four options and no list of available networks. (Again, the Wi-Fi window appears only if you have a wireless adapter installed.)

The first new option is to turn Wi-Fi on or off. Below the switch is a “Show available networks” link, and that’s where you’ll see the list of nearby Wi-Fi networks. Note that you can also quickly access available networks and turn the wireless adapter on and off by selecting Win10’s notifications icon and clicking the Network quick-action button.

Next up is “Wi-Fi Sense,” but now the only option is “Connect to suggested open hotspots.” Microsoft killed off the option of automatically connecting to networks shared by contacts. Even so, you should ensure that Wi-Fi Sense is turned off — its security issues are obliquely summarized by a short note that “Not all Wi-Fi networks are secure.” No kidding.

New to the Anniversary Update is Hotspot 2.0 networks (Figure 2). It seems related to the “Paid Wi-Fi services” option (which still exists) but uses a new public-wireless standard. Officially known as Wi-Fi Certified Passpoint (more info), Hotspot 2.0 is designed to make using public Wi-Fi more like cellular services.

With a cellphone, as you move from place to place, your connection is automatically, securely, and seamlessly handed off from one tower to another. Hotspot 2.0 is supposed to provide a similar experience — though with far less ubiquity.

The standard was released a few years ago, but the rollout has been painfully slow. To start, both your operating system and device hardware must support the new standard. Next, you must sign up with each business that offers it. For example, you’d have to get separate credentials for Boingo and AT&T. But once you’re established with a particular company, say, AT&T, future connections to compatible Wi-Fi networks are automatic and encrypted.

If you’re using public Wi-Fi regularly, you might want to check that your new laptop or tablet supports Hotspot 2.0 — and that you’re on Win10 1607 (not a given). Bottom line: Any additional wireless security is welcome. (For more on Windows 10 and Hotspot 2.0, check out the Microsoft Channel 9 page.)

A quick reminder about unwanted home hotspots: Some ISPs have pushed “open” hotspots running from home routers. For example, a year or two ago, some of us at Windows Secrets received new Comcast boxes that had open hotspots enabled by default. So you might what to check that your paid Internet access isn’t being used by others. In the case of Comcast (which I use reluctantly), an information page (click Home Hotspot at the top) describes the service and gives a link for disabling it.

Taking more control over what MS knows about you

With Windows 10 and the deeper reliance on Microsoft accounts, some important settings aren’t just on the local machine; they’re also online. From time to time, sign in to your MS account (page) online and review the information Microsoft is keeping.

The homepage, for example, lists recent purchases and devices using the account; it also has the usual links for updating credit-card information and your account password. But the important security information might not be immediately obvious. If you don’t see Security & privacy in the top menu bar, scroll to the right.

Under the security/privacy page, step through the various links. You might, for example, check the “See my recent activity” and “More security settings” pages. That latter page lets you set up two-factor verification for enhanced account security.

Further below, work through the Personalization section. Buried under “More personalization settings” is an option to clear stored personal information. You can, for instance, remove Bing and Cortana data that Microsoft has collected.

Also check out “More marketing preferences” for you current contact information. But perhaps most useful is the “Ad preferences” link under Advertising. On the About Our Ads page, you can switch off “personalized” ads Bing presents in the current browser and ads based on your MS account settings. Unfortunately, there’s no option to turn off ads altogether. (While you’re at it, check out the ads settings for your Google account.)

It’s getting more difficult to manage your Windows security and privacy. More and more it becomes a difficult balance of convenience versus providing personal information. Unfortunately, the balance bar seems to be increasingly tipping away from privacy. But it’s still important to manage what we can.

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