Newsletter Archives

• Notification – but no explanation – for the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” bug

  Posted on December 10, 2016 at 03:13 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  

   

  As far as I know, this is unprecedented.

  Microsoft has not only acknowledge the bug I talked about yesterday – the one that knocks out Wi-Fi on Windows 10 Anniversary Update machines – they’ve gone so far as to put a banner at the top of the Windows 10 Update History page.

  

  As mentioned in that article, the easiest way to fix the problem (as best I can tell) is to use the technique posited by SIBIT-UK on the Microsoft Answers Forum:

  Hold down the shift key and then perform a shutdown from the start menu in the normal way – do not let go of the shift key until off.

  That seems to reset the IP address, bypassing Fast Startup, correcting the bug that sets the IP address to 169.x.x.x.

  We still have no official explanation from Microsoft and no solution to the problem, other than manually restarting. Our own ch100 has posed an interesting theory for the sudden appearance of the bug:

  A rogue scheduled task triggered on Wednesday?
  This may explain the rush to release the CU containing the fix early.
  Just speculation

  I continue to get reports that some Win10 1607 users are NOT seeing KB 3201845, the cumulative update for 1607 released yesterday. KB 3201845 and version 14393.479 aren’t listed on the Win10 Update History page although the patch rolled out early Friday morning.

  I’m completely baffled. KB 3201845 didn’t cause the problem. Best I can tell, it doesn’t solve the problem either. (If you’ve seen differently, I’d love to hear about it!) I have no idea why KB 3201845/14393.479 aren’t on the official update list. And a banner at the top of an update history page warning folks to bypass Fast Startup… I’m scratching my head and other parts of my anatomy.

  This may be the biggest Win10 updating screw-up to date. Let’s see how it unfolds.

  UPDATE: It may not be a Win10-specific problem. MikefromMarkham notes in the comments that the banner now appears on both the Win7 update page and the Win8.1 update page.

  I wonder how many tens (hundreds?) of millions of dollars have been wasted on this bug.

  ANOTHER UPDATE: I hear from a very reliable source that KB 3201845 just kicks a reboot, and doesn’t fix the underlying problem.

  YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Abbodi notes in the comments that EVERY support.microsoft.com page sports that banner (although, oddly, the answers.microsoft.com pages don’t). Man. I’ve never seen anything even remotely close to this. Lonnie_L’s post now has 43,000 views (and no comments because comments are closed).

  YAAU: Most of the reports I’ve seen are with Win10 version 1607, but others claim to have internet connections that drop mysteriously, with a 169.x.x.x assigned IP address. For most people the connection doesn’t die immediately after a return from hibernation – it takes a few minutes. Still no description from Microsoft, no explanation, and their only fix is the one linked to above. But there’s absolutely no question that KB 3201845 (which still isn’t documented on the Win10 update history page) is NOT the source of the problem, in spite of what you may have read. Installing KB 3201845 may provide temporary relief, as it forces a restart. But it doesn’t fix the core problem – which remains elusive, undocumented, and quite pervasive.

  Windows Patches/Security 14393.479, 1607, KB 3201845, Wi-Fi doesn't have a valid IP configuration, Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• Windows 10 Anniversary Update: The new version 14393.351 (finally!) makes it ready for prime time

  Posted on October 28, 2016 at 08:04 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  It only took ’em nine cumulative updates and three months, but if you’re running Win10, version 1607 now looks like it’s good to go.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows News 14393.351, KB 3197954, Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• Eight cumulative updates in ten weeks, and Win10 anniversary update still not baked

  Posted on October 13, 2016 at 14:57 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  If you’re on Win10, stay with 1511.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows Patches/Security KB 3194798, Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• Win10 All-In-One For Dummies second edition is here

  Posted on October 10, 2016 at 10:00 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Amazon has it.

  With a massive re-write for Windows 10 Anniversary Update, this is the book you need to help step you through, in and around problems in the latest version of Win10.

  Want to support this site? Order it from Amazon, or just pick up a copy at your local bookstore. I hear that it’s widely available at both large and smaller technical bookstores worldwide, with translations into French and German out shortly.

  Perfect for skeptical Win10 cognoscenti — and it makes a great first-timer’s book, too. Thirty bucks or so gets you a thousand pages of insight, advice, and… fun.

  Need a Christmas present for your Great Aunt Martha? Want to give your daughter a head start on the road to Windows survival? Wondering what all those furshlinger settings actually do? Looking for something to prop up your monitor? Have I got a book for you.

  Thanks to all of you for your support. It means a lot.

  Other Windows 10 All-In-One For Dummies, Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• MS to fix the RAW partition bug in Win10 Anniversary Update “soon”

  Posted on September 13, 2016 at 14:54 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  … but when?

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows Patches/Security RAW bug, Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• Win10 Anniversary Update woes: ‘freeze’ issue thawing, but BitLocker problems emerge

  Posted on August 19, 2016 at 08:11 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  I still say it’s best to hold off on installing the Anniversary Update, version 1607.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Brad Sams: Microsoft Has Broken Millions Of Webcams With Windows 10 Anniversary Update on thurrott.com

  Peter Bright: Windows 10 Anniversary Update breaks most webcams on Ars Technica

  Ed Bott took the “freeze fixer” – the Self-Healing Tool – to task. It’s old, ineffective, and not recommended by Microsoft. I have no idea who at MS gave the link to Mazzetti, but he was bamboozled. Ed’s article on ZDNet.

  I’ve been saying it since Aug. 4: The Anniversary Update isn’t ready for prime time.

   

  Windows Patches/Security Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• Even more reasons why you don’t want the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

  Posted on August 15, 2016 at 07:45 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  It ain’t ready yet, folks.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows Patches/Security Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• Problems with Windows 10 Anniversary Update continue

  Posted on August 8, 2016 at 08:03 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  If somebody knows how to turn off the crap app tiles in Win10 Pro, I’d sure like to know about it.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows Patches/Security Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• I recommend that you actively block the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

  Posted on August 4, 2016 at 09:18 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Here’s why.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows News Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• How to fix Cortana if the Win10 Anniversary Update clobbered it

  Posted on August 4, 2016 at 08:12 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Assuming you really want to.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Windows News Cortana clobbered, Windows 10 Anniversary Update

• Avoid the Windows 10 Anniversary Update for now

  Posted on August 3, 2016 at 20:14 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  I’m just seeing too many problems. If you have Windows 10, block the upgrade to Win10 Anniversary Update. I think Microsoft has already stopped rolling out the upgrade (although I’m sure they’ll say otherwise). It’s just too much of a mess to deal with right now.

  I’ll have full details in the morning in InfoWorld, but if you’ve encountered a specific problem let me know tonight. I already know about Cortana DOA, wiped hard drives, various freezes, System Restore broken, numerous undocumented setting changes (which of yours were changed?), Wi-Fi problems (any definitive sightings?) and the Brother alert. If you know of other major problems, please drop me a comment and send me a link!

  If you have Windows 10 Pro, you can click Start > Settings > Update & recovery > Advanced Options and check the box marked Defer upgrades. If you have Win10 Home, you need to take all the usual precautions to prevent installing the Anniversary Update.

  For those of you on Vista, Win7 and Win8.1, the MS-DEFCON 3 is still in effect. For Win10 users, let’s just put it at MS-DEFCON 0.

  Windows Patches/Security Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Windows 10 Anniversry Update

• How to tell if your Win10 Anniversary Update clobbered Cortana

  Posted on August 3, 2016 at 07:49 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  That last-minute “fix” may be the worst botched Win10 forced update yet.

  InfoWorld Woody on Windows

  Thanks, everybody – especially PKCano and rpodric – for the info.

  Windows News Clobbered Cortana, Windows 10 Anniversary Update
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