Listening to the Voices in my Head

Windows 10 and I have a love/hate relationship.

I both love/hate how I have 7 days to pause updates. But sometimes I don't want the flipping updates. For good reason.

The most current update screwed up all my setting on MailWasher. I started it up, and it was back to the first time run default settings. Font size, display, items shown all screwed up.

Razer Synapse suddenly forgot I have three devices (left handed mouse, right handed mouse for gaming, and Tartarus gamepad). Even 'lost' my login information. Good thing, this was all local, and I was able to resync all settings from (you're gonna like this one) three different versions of Synapse. Razer's bright idea is to NOT have one version of Synapse to work with all their devices. Lot's of fun making sure the gamepads' buttons were properly assigned. Then I had to start the games I use the gamepad, and lo and behold, the keybindings were all screwed up. So, had to get those fixed... again.

And then there is Windows Media Center. Don't give me the line about it no longer being supported by Micro$oft, and being 'old' tech, but it was when I got my tuner card, and it's still needed now. Again, I know about Plex, NextPRV, Media Portal, but with they come with their own issues.

And there are just a few of the examples of issues I have when updating Windows 10 on my PC. (Any snark comments about I should be using a Mac or running Linux will be deleted, capice?)

And then there is how the updates on the Surface mucks up things. I had it set up so the menu weren't microscopic. And the slide show images were scaled to fit. I got one of those problems fixed, but I had to do a lot of forum surfing to find the right way to rectify the micro-menus, as the previous method no longer worked! ARRRGH!

Annoyance with Win10 and Samsung phones.

It's a known, but for some reason, totally unfixable by either MicroSoft or Samsung (each are more interested in fixing the blame, instead of fixing the problem)

Out of the blue, S9 and Win10 can't connect, not unless you remove Samsung device, from computer, unpair phone, and start the whole thing of discovery all over again. Add to this that Win 10, unlike Win 7, you have to MANUALLY start the file transfer on the computer, then start file transfers from phone to desktop. Win 7, select file, select computer and send. Bluetooth isn't as convenient with Win 10.

Use a cable, you say? Did I mention that if you don't have your phone and cable in JUST the right position, Win 10 will cycle through USB device connected, USB device disconnected over and over? Two different computer, three different phones, three different cables, same shit over and over.

Another computer, another Win10 update

Windows 10 updated on Wing's computer, and just like with mine, the latest update well and truly killed off Windows Media Center. At first, he kinda got upset with us about it, that he liked the computer the way it was, didn't want any updates. I had to explain to him that with Win 10, you don't have the option to NOT update. You can put it off for a week, but it will still end up updating.

I tried to get WMC to work, and it would.. partially. It would scan the channels, load the EPG, but when you clicked on a channel, it would shut down. I did everything I my bag of tech tricks to get it work, short of installing a VM, and nothing worked.

I ended up installed NextPVR on his computer. It's free (donations are appreciated by not necessary. Since we are both using it, would be a good thing to do) Scanned for channels twice, found 31. Set up recording directory, and showed him how to use it.

Doing the great data shuffle/juggle

Windows 10 has issues with the 5 bay external drive (really long boot login time, powering it down without ejecting the drives first, causing data loss), so what I'm doing is shift data/files.  Putting certain files (installation files, back up files, video files)  and others that aren't often accessed on the external drives, and moving the data that is on the external drives, that is (will be was) accessed on a regular basis (photography, downloads, audio files) to the internal drives.

It has taken two days to juggle and shift files.  Currently copying the downloaded videos (ie my UltraViolet and other digital content files) to one internal J drive to the internal O drive, so I can shift my photography files on the external M drive, to the J drive once the digital content files have been moved.  MS time says about 2 hours to shift 1.2 tbs of said content.

Then I get to shift 2.6tbs of photography to the J drive. That will probably take overnight.

It's so frustrating!

I know that with each new OS, there is teething pain, and a learning curve, but Windows 10 is a right pain in the ass.

After an MS Assure tech totally bollixed up my PC (she tried to kill a mosquito using a nuke. Task manager didn't work.), I ended up taking that HDD with Windows 10 installed on it out, and putting the original 500gb drive with pre-Assure fuck up Windows 10 back in it.  I had to reinstall a few programs, all the updates installed without a problem, but everything was working.... well, almost everything.

Windows 10 automatically presumes you're on a laptop, and hamstrings your system. You have to go through certain settings in the Device Manager, and in Power Management, to keep external drives from shutting down. 

Certain programs on Windows 10 Pro will not run unless you run them as administrator. Of course, if those files are in the Windows directory, you can't go in and adjust it to always run as administrator. There's a work around, make a short cut, then adjust the properties of that short cut to run as administrator. (Notepad is notorious for this) One would think if you were logged in as the administrator, this wouldn't be a problem, right?  Wrong.

Also, since the update, screen saver just will not work. Doesn't matter if I use the native Windows 10 screen saver, or a 3rd party screen saver. It *used* to work prior to the updates, so something in the updates screwed something up. Yes, I know that with and LCD, you really don't need a screen saver, but I want one.

Back to using Windows 7

Just when I was getting close to.. appreciating Windows 10.

Shut everything down as normal, and when I booted back into Windows 10, it all seemed to go ok. Tried to start my browser. It wouldn't start. I tried to start compatibility mode to see if that was the issue, and that wouldn't start for it.  Next step, reinstall and reinstall. Nope, didn't work.  Searched the web. Why isn't it the only solution Windows Tech comes up with is either : a clean boot, or reinstall of the OS.  Well, the clean boot didn't do diddly squat, and a reinstall is like killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer.

And for some bizarre reason, both Windows 7 and 10 want to run chkdsk on all the drives.  Why?  I have no idea. I can see running it if the system drive shut down unexpectedly, but this wanting to scan external data drives?

So, booted into Windows, and everything is running just fine.  Browser started without any problems.

I think the next time I boot into Windows 10, I will make a back up of my browser profiles, deactivate programs, and just f**king reinstall windows 10. There's something wrong with it. Maybe start fresh.  I cringe at all the time I'm going to have to waste reinstalling program, and begging one software maker (Panolapse) to please give me a new key for my program, and just reinstall.

Windows 10.... yup

Now I know why some animals gnaw their own feet off to escape.  I have done EVERYTHING short wiping the hdd (or throwing it out the frigging door) to fix whatever the MS Tech support did to 'help', and nothing is working. Cumulative updates will NOT install.  Bluetooth that worked perfectly, and is a signed drive, will NOT INSTALL! Microsoft says it's an Asus problem, Asus says it's a Microsoft problem. Both companies are quick to fix the blame than fix the f*cking problem!  I managed to fix the Taskmanager not working all by my lonesome. Seeing as my surface pro had the same build of Windows 10 as my desktop did, I copied the exe file from it, to my desktop, copied it to the proper directory, and TADA!

Please, don't offer advice, I don't need it. 

Talk about overkill

Microsoft's answer to fixing to small, almost negligible problems, with Windows 10 is like killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer.

After an update, that 'succeeded', I noticed task manager wouldn't run.  Since I subscribe to "Assure", I hopped online, and told them this one itty bitty problem.

Well, the first tech tried to do an "in place upgrade" which had no good result. Got to 17%, the the computer rebooted, got the message "UNDOING CHANGES MADE TO YOUR COMPUTER".  Ok, Task Manager still not working, but I tend to use Process Explorer. 

Then I noticed my Bluetooth was no longer working. It had the day before, as my graphics tablet was is bluetooth, and I was editing photos with it.

I checked device manager: yup, Bluetooth device is there, but driver not loading? WTF?  Ok, off to Asus, and get the proper signed Windows 10 driver for it. Nope, still nothing.

Again, I head on over to MS Support, and not only do they NOT take the sfc/scannow and DISM logs, they're advice is just to nuke it from orbit. Only way to be sure.  Ahem, do a full HDD wipe and reinstall.  I really miss the way Windows XP did backups. If you had a corrupted file, you could load up your back up and MANUALLY copy the non-corrupted version right on over.   

So, now it's a matter of picking a date and time, email serials and license numbers, deactivate programs, and doing a full blown reinstall. Oh effing joy.

On an aside: The bluetooth and task manager work fine on Windows 7 drive.

The dramas of Windows 10 never seem to end

Where do I start...  We all know that Windows 10 disables some software Microsoft deems unworthy, and ignores hardware it considers too 'old'.

But when updates not only remove programs, but then suddenly decide to red flag software you've been using for months, it screwed up hardware configuration that's been used since day one. 

I've had my DeathAdder 3.5 has been working just fine, plugged into the USB port on the keyboard, for years with Win 7, and for months with Win 10.  An update, and suddenly, nope. Not only won't it recognize the Adder, if I roll back and install the OLDER version of Synapse, it'll work fine, but the the other two Razer devices won't.  ARGH!

Then, the Windows 10 update disabled Windows Media Center. Didn't uninstall it, just disabled it. There's nothing inherently dangerous regarding WMC, so this really pissed me off.  I use a TV capture card in my computer to watch TV. Sure, I could use that poorly designed software that came WITH the card, but Windows Media Center works better.  Plex is useless for what I want, so no suggestions of it please.

After a few hours of websearching, trail and error, I got WMC reinstall and working. This will probably last until then next unnecessary Windows 10 update.

And then there is the sudden "An administrator as prevented this App to run!"... Dafuq?  Not only have been running the program for months, I am THE ONLY AND ONLY ADMINISTRATOR!!!  No amount of 'un-nannywaring' would help.  So, found an alternate program, that is ugly AF, but does the same thing.

Redmond, you suck. I want to control my PC. NOT have my PC control me!