Windows Update – Page 2 – Paul's Tech Talk

The Failures of Board manufacturers and Windows 11

PaulOctober 18, 2021

Motherboard BIOS

Don’t try to understand the system but rather see it as a broke system and try to fix it. When Windows 11 came out, you can bet everyone who was wanted the next version of Windows wanted it so they can test it out. The real problem is Windows 11 made every one get into their BIOS and figure out what needed to be turned on. Motherboard manufacturers each have their own way of creating the BIOS settings. They like to call it something you might not know about or even want to try to understand. Just like enabling TMP can be hard to find since Intel and AMD uses different wording such as PTT (Intel Platform Trusted Technology) for Intel and fTPM (Firmware Trusted Platform Module) for AMD. Even this can be frustrating for even the most seasoned IT guy. There is so many Mother Manufacturers out there, from MSI to ASRock. according to Wikipedia there is at least 7 to 15 different manufacturers of Motherboards. So each one will make the Bios Menu’s just a little bit different. It can be quite hard to figure out where you might need to go to enable something or disable something in bios.

The Failure of all parts

It isn’t every time I see Microsoft releases a new OS that I wonder just how much the consumer will suffer from the new systems requirements. Most of the time the requirements were not that big of a deal but with Windows 11, we now need to enable TPM and Secure boot for systems that may or may not have the requirements to run Windows 11. This to me just seem an arbitrary requirement because we’ve seen people run Windows 11 on a system that doesn’t have a TPM. Microsoft says this is for security but I can’t see this being for consumers. I’ve talked about how Windows 11 will fail, and I still think this will happen eventually once people see If Windows is worth upgrading.

The PrintNightmare

With the recent Windows updates the last few weeks has caused more pain for Microsoft. Since most people who are having problem probably have to buy new printers and those old printers are probably going to the waste side. Even manufacturers aren’t going to update their drivers for old printers. Microsoft likes the idea that people will need to buy new printers and maybe even new systems for that Windows 11 OS. They make their money by people upgrading their systems and getting a new Windows 11 key or even a new system by Dell, or some other OEM. Every computer technician is having to work harder for people who might want to install Windows 11. Even then the process of install Windows 11 is not something that can be done very quickly depending on how big the HDD you are going to be converting.

What is to come?

Some people are not going to install Windows and maybe will wait to see what Microsoft does. We’ve already seen a comparison from Windows 8 to Windows 10 and you know how well Windows 8 didn’t work out well. Some are probably going to install another OS that won’t require people to have some stringent requirements like Microsoft. Are you going to Install Windows 11 or are you waiting like I am because you don’t want to worry about all the security requirements to install Windows 11? I’d like to hear your ideas about Windows 11 and or what your will do in 2025 if they still require all these things.

Windows 11 comes with some Printer Problems and Other Issues

PaulOctober 13, 2021

Printer Issues

It seems that if you have a Brother printer there is an issue with being able to print after the latest updates to Windows 11. I am not sure why it isn’t on Windows 10 but according ghacks “Printers may not be detected correctly by the operating system if the printer is connected to the device via USB“. This issue might not only be for Brother printers but more than that. This is something just coming up on the net and not everyone knows what is going on but the fix for this issue is to make it a network printer and not connected to a USB. Microsoft hasn’t yet said anything about this issue.

Performance hit using Windows 11 on AMD

This isn’t a surprise to me but I didn’t know about this until as of late. It seems if you are using Window’s 11 and AMD than you might be getting a 5% -15% performance hit according to Bleeping computers. It can be up to 15% performance hit if you are playing games on Windows 11. The L3 cache is the issue with Windows 11 performance issues. AMD is working on fixing the issue and should have a BIO’s update available later on this year. Until then, I strongly recommend not upgrading to Windows 11. You should just keep with Windows 10.

Windows 11 uses to much memory

It seems to be the File Explorer is using way to much memory for Windows 11 and Microsoft is looking into why this is an issue. Microsoft has issued an update in the ‘Dev’ Channel according to bleeping computers and as of yet isn’t available in the release channel. It seems to be a memory leak that is causing the file explorer to have up to a 1GB size in Windows 11.

Parts of Windows 11 not translated

According to a Reddit user, there seems to be a problem with Windows 11 not translating to the right languages. I’ve seen the photo and I am not sure why it isn’t translate but you should check it out to find out what I am talking about.

These are just a few that I saw and thought I’d share with you about some of the problems with Windows 11 and the latest updates. I am sure this isn’t just Windows 11 but probably some of this might be even Windows 10 but it seems like Windows 11 is getting people’s attention and I thought it should at least be considered to stay off of Windows 11 until they get something done or make something compelling to upgrade to Windows 11.

Is it worth upgrading to Windows 11?

PaulOctober 11, 2021

Windows 11 is now Available

Microsoft releases Windows 11 last week and people all around have had their opinions from it’s good to not so much like I have said. It just isn’t worth it right now to upgrade. You have to worry about encryption of the HDD to having a TPM installed on your system. All these requirements doesn’t mean it is any safer than before. I know that Microsoft is preaching how this will help increase security in their OS. I personally think it is just a lot of hot air, any security that they might think will help, will eventually have some hacker or virus get around. It is a good idea for the short term but maybe no in the long term. We’ve seen blogs talk about how it isn’t worth it and others where Microsoft talked about all these things that will come along but have yet not even seen anything on Windows 11.

Upgrade Woes

Even if you wanted to upgrade, you still have to go through a lot of system preparation for you to even upgrade to Windows 11. You’ll need to enable TPM if you have it and also you will then need to make sure you have UEFI enabled. This also makes you to turn your hard drive partition from MBR into a GPT to be able to use Windows 11. This a lot of system just to use Windows 11. I am hopeful that Microsoft will release a good tool to help you with this issue because I am sure most systems don’t even have GPT being used in Windows 10. Microsoft has said in the past that you can avoid some of this if you install Windows 11 on a new system because you don’t have to encrypt your hard drive or use TPM. So downloading Windows 11 might work for some of you but I am little hesitant due to Microsoft saying that may not support them in the future but I don’t see this being the issue because of the security risks involve.

Should you upgrade

This has been the question for most people around the world. I’ve seen people wonder if they should upgrade. I say probably not right now, due it being so new. There are still problems and nothing is that compelling to install Windows 11 unless Microsoft brings on something so compelling that you will want Windows 11. If they supported DDR5 and helped make the system faster, I am sure it would be something that might compel people to upgrade to Windows 11. I am sticking with Windows 10 ]until I have to consider upgrading or installing a Linux Distro. I am going to say just wait and see what happens in the near future. Only you can really know for sure if you should upgrade. Are you going to upgrade or are you going to wait? Why Not leave a comment and tell me what your thoughts are about Windows 11.

Windows Update in September causes printing issues in IT Support

PaulOctober 4, 2021

Print Nightmare Patch

Microsoft released an update for Windows (KB5005565 , KB5005566, and KB5005652) that is causing quite some problems with Printers and networking. There have been reports that I’ve seen of this affecting business and all around. I’ve seen this in my Job also, Drivers not installing and Windows updates not installing because the drivers isn’t being able to be installed. Paper sizes and even POS printers not printing due to the Printer spooler being patched by Microsoft. Bleeping Computers even says that it broke the point to a network printer and is causing issues with people being able to print on the network.

Significant problems

Even I’ve seen the problems that came along with the new update. The real problem is how to protect the business who need to use their network for business purposes. What are some ways to do it and keep the business safe? These are all the questions that need to be answered but as of yet no one knows what the really way to patch the problem associated with the Print Spooler and Print Network.

IT admins have said as much as uninstalling the update resolves most if not all the printer issues they’ve seen the last week or two but that isn’t really suggested by Microsoft due to the Print Nightmare issues and ransomware issues that might arise from it. All I know is IT admins are left on the side of the road as to how to fix the issue without the patch or if there will be a hotfix now the road to fix the September update. Either way there isn’t much we can do but wait and see.

Possible ways to Mitigate this issue:

Change your Group Policy Object (GPO) in Active Directory on the target computers on the network to “RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators = 0” but than again we are just opening up that hole that Microsoft is trying to close.

Registry add:

reg add “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint” /v RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Again this will only bypass what Microsoft is trying to close with the vulnerability in Windows point and print issue on the network. You should be able to start printing after you reboot. This however isn’t suggested by me or anyone who is looking to keep the printer from being used in a ransomware attack.

Installing V4 drivers instead of V3 Drivers will solve this issue also but some vendors don’t even have V4 drivers available to install as of yet. Until they make those drivers available, there isn’t really much we can do about it or even suggest to the business that are having difficulty with the printing issue at hand.

Resources:

So you failed one or both A+ exam Tests and Now what?

PaulSeptember 17, 2021

I failed the CompTIA A+ Core 1 Certification

I am sure you are so surprised that I am saying this with very little hesitancy. I figure those of use who had to hear the bad news should at least know we aren’t alone in the struggle of get the certification. You’re probably thinking Now what do I do? I figure you have a couple of options to consider and we’ll talk about some of the options and what you might be able to do about it. First thing you have to consider is was your score really low or just missed it like I did. I’ve been doing IT on the side for several years. You’d think I would pass it on the first try, I was so hopeful. I missed it only be a several points to get to the 675, If you’re score is really under a 100 or so, you really need to consider what you can do better next time and be more prepared. You may even keep failing CompTIA A+ for several times before you can get to the 675 or higher to pass the core 1 exam.

Now what are you going to do?

This might be the first time or even the second time that you failed the exam. You have to consider why you are doing and consider if maybe you’re not ready to get the certification. It could just be dumb luck that you didn’t get, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least consider these questions for myself and think hard and long about what I wanted and why I wanted it. I’m not sure what goals you might of set for yourself but these are some important to think about. You might even need to cry to get the frustrations and disappointment out to be able to think clearly. In the end, it’s all about how you deal with the situation that makes or breaks your intentions to get the certifications.

What’s next?

Well for me, I’m going to have to take the test again for the Core 1 Test at least. I’ve scheduled the Core 2 for the next few weeks and intend to do that one just because I have already scheduled it and might as well see if I can pass at least one exam. If I can do at least the one exam the other one will be a lot simpler for me I think. You have to consider what you are wanting to do or if you think you can pass the next exam. I’m not going to give up just because I failed the first time. I’ve gotten this far and I won’t stop going farther. I know I can pass this exam if I just work on the questions and try to keep working to my goals. Some ways you can get ready for the next time:

I know I am not going to fail the next time and if I do, at least I have the experience to learn from and getting better. I am sure I am not the only one who has had this happen before. I’ve seen videos about people failing the CompTIA A+ certifications, so I guess it isn’t just me. This is what you need to learn for yourself that you’re not alone in the struggle of getting that exam certification and we all have had to do it at least once or twice. Hopefully this helps you to know you’re not alone.