Both my laptop and my desktop computers have finally run the gauntlet of last year’s major Windows 10 update to ver. 1909, without getting borked by the update! Why is this a miracle? Let me count the ways, or rather the times both computers have—all on their own—tried to do this, each time ending in disaster. Windows tech support, including Level Three (high) support, invested hours in trying to solve this with me, all ending in failure. This time it succeeded, but only because of other Windows users to the rescue.
What went wrong was that the update program each time created a new user profile—[username].000—and moved all of my files into it, text, music, photos, everything. That’s what it left me with, plus the nearly empty shell of the old profile [username]. What’s wrong with this (besides offending my sensibilities)? Everything! All my software is set up to look for files in a particular location. This changed the paths to all the files. Dropbox failed. Onedrive failed. iTunes failed, Word and Scrivener failed….
What brought about the miracle? Some user’s discovery, posted on a Microsoft support board, that if he uninstalled his Zune software and removed all traces of it before the update, everything worked the way it was supposed to. Please note: Zune software is a Microsoft product. I use it to support my Zune music player, which I still use, and love. Don’t you think Microsoft should have designed their update to take their own legacy software into account? Failing that, don’t you think they should have informed all support personnel of the workaround, especially since the information has been posted on a Microsoft support board since last summer? I kind of do.
It took me a while to find the time and determination, but I finally did the same thing: ran a full backup, uninstalled Zune, tried the update. And it worked! It worked! No more do I live under the Sword of Damocles of unplanned update/borks! (For now, anyway.) And I reinstalled Zune, and all is well.
In celebration, I present you with a picture of my 20-year-old lava lamp! It doesn’t exactly work right anymore, but it’s still trying.
David Bosboom
Jeff, I know I’m a kid from the 60’s because I only remember parts of that time period… However, I do have a few memories of staring into a lava lamp; perhaps for hours. I can’t recall if I smoked anything or not, BUT I remember the lamp! Hope all is well in Boston. Rio is too darn hot, as usual.
Jeffrey A. Carver
Where there is a lava lamp, all must be well.
Ted
The problem you have had with Windows 10 is why I turned off all the updates after installing it back in 2017. Microsoft would have you believe that you can’t turn the updates off but it is fairly easy but it does take some time. I got tired of Windows abruptly rebooting in the middle of complex Photoshop projects or writing projects and loosing my work. I cut their digital throat. . . . .
Jeffrey A. Carver
I actually tried to disable updates, even with help from the level-three tech. But the update services turned themselves back on after a while. And in the interim, I found I couldn’t necessarily update other software without the Windows update services, and I was concerned about security updates.
In the last few years, Windows has become more determined to auto-update. But you do have more options to delay it temporarily.
The tech guy said the forced updates were the number one complaint from users, which I believe.
ted
Sounds like your level-three tech didn’t know his job. I have had updates completely turned off for over two years and I haven’t been dinged once about it. The update service can’t turn themselves back on because all the update processes were killed.
I’ve never had a problem updating any other programs. I did have a big problem with their security updates ONCE when I decided to unlock and update to a highly promoted “major” update. THAT hoses both my computers and I had to reload both from backup shadows.
I take care of security with Norton, which I have used since Windows 3.1. I have ZERO problems now with Windows auto-update. I do get emails now and then from the Windows Update Insider ring which lets me know about the latest updates. Haven’t seen anything yet I need or have to have.
Jeffrey A. Carver
I believe the last big update increased the determination of Windows to be updated. In any case, I switched off several services related to updating, and they did indeed turn themselves back on. (I didn’t mess with the registry. I don’t like doing that.) While they were off, I tried updating some program (not Windows), and got a message that I couldn’t update without Windows update services running.
Obviously, mileage varies. I ditched Norton years ago, because I found it so intrusive and hogging of resources, it felt to me that it WAS malware. And then I did the same with the next several security programs I tried.
My wife works for a super high-tech software firm. They’re still running Windows 7, or were until recently. 🙂