Category Archives: Cool Tools

Cool Tools, PowerShell, Recent Activity, WED Blog

WingetUI Throws Bogus Update Notification

March 4, 2024 Ed Tittel 2 Comments

Alas, all tools have their little quirks. I’ve noticed recently that WingetUI is telling me to update CredentialManager (CM) from version 2.0 to version 2.0.0. They’re the same thing! Even more interesting when I tried running the Update-Module cmdlet manually, it told me CM wasn’t even installed on the target PC. So I used Install-Module to get it installed. You can see what happened next when I re-ran WingetUI in the lead-in graphic. Sigh.

Why Say: WingetUI Throws Bogus Update Notification?

What else should I say when WingetUI tells me to update something that’s not installed? And then, once installed it finds version mismatch from a “2.0” label from the developer versus aninternal Winget “2.0.0” label? Sigh again. I remember this kind of thing happening from time to time as I ran the old Software Update Monitor (SUMo), now out of action.

Look what happens when I click my way into “Package details” for CredentialManager inside WinGetUI and then click the update button for that package:

When it actually goes to look, it finds no update.

My best guess is there’s something in the CM manifest in the PS Gallery that’s presenting the version number as 2.0, and something going on with Winget that changes the value to 2.0.0. And indeed, if I look at get-installedmodule data again it shows the CM version number as 2.0. I’m hoping Demitrius Nelon and the winget team will check this out, and share their findings. Also filing a bug report via GitHub at the WingetUI pages.

Should be interesting to see what kind of response comes up. Cheers!

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Troubleshooting, WED Blog, Windows 11

Windows 11 Nears Built-in IPRI Facility

March 1, 2024 Ed Tittel 1 Comment

Here’s a nice Windows 11 milestone to ponder. Those who opted for KB5034848 (released 2/29/2024) already have it. Those who wait for the March Patch Tuesday release will get it. What is it: an IPRI, or in-place repair install capability, as depicted in the lead-in graphic from my Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Mobile Workstation. That’s the basis for the title (also above) that reads “Windows 11 nears built-in IPRI facility.” Let me explain what makes this cool…

Sussing Out Windows 11 Nears Built-in IPRI Facility

I’ve been hip to the IPRI technique — which basically involves launching setup.exe from an installer image that matches whatever version of Windows is currently running — since I joined up at TenForums.com back in November 2014. It’s my favorite technique to restore Windows to stable, normal operations when things start getting weird and normal troubleshooting techniques shed no light on things. IPRI works by re-installing all the OS files but leaving apps, applications, and the registry alone.

And now in the CU Preview for March (and thus presumably also in the March update), Windows 11 users running the latest version will get the “Reinstall now” button that lets them attempt to “Fix problems using Windows update.” While this will reduce my level of need for UUPdump.net to built an ISO for IPRI from time to time, it is incredibly convenient and generally helpful. Good stuff.

One word of warning: Having tried this tool out on a Beta release a couple of months back, I can observe it takes quite a while to do its thing. It took me 55 minutes to get through the process on that Beta image, and I assume it will do something similar with this Preview CU image should I put it to the test again. I’m pretty sure that’s because it has to build a custom image (just like the UUPdump.net batch file does) before it can start doing its repairs.

And so it often goes, here in Windows-World, where spending more time for improved convenience is a common trade-off. Cheers!

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog

Winget Solves Self-Update Issue

February 29, 2024 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, Winget would hiccup when updating itself. No longer. The latest leap to 1.7.10582 solves that, and adds a bunch of cool new functionality as well (e.g. repair command, enable Windows Features as dependency, access URL instead of local file, and more). As Winget solves self-update issue, it’s becoming even more of a go-to tool for admins and power users.

How Winget Solves Self-Update Issue

It’s taking the same approach that Windows Terminal has for a while now: it’s maintaining the existing process, and instructing users to “Restart the application to complete the upgrade.” Closing, then re-opening Windows Terminal does the trick nicely. Glad to see it.

Indeed, this is by any metrics a “big update” for Winget. Take a look at the release page and you’ll see 6 entries under the “Features” heading, with dozens more under “What’s Changed.” Good stuff!

Here’s the complete –info block for this latest incarnation, for the record:

Winget –info for v1.7.10582
[Click image for full-size view.]

These days, I’m about as big a fan of this tool as you can find. I highly recommend it for updating apps and applications in Windows. I also recommend that you send feedback to developers whose apps and applications you use, but who don’t yet submit package manifests to make their updates installable via winget. The winget Windows Package Manager Manifest Creator toolset also got a recent and major set of enhancements designed to persuade those not already using this tool to jump on board. Let them know!

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog

Exploring New NVIDIA Beta App

February 28, 2024 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

OK, then. Through what I can only describe as a bitter irony, the only desktop that I own with enough space in the case for a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is my aging i7-6700 Skylake build. It’s too old to meet Windows 11 system requirements so it’s running Windows 10. Even so, I put it through its paces just now, while exploring new NVIDIA beta app (NVIDIA App.exe). Its home page, with the exe file properties page overlaid, provides the lead-in graphic above.

What Exploring New NVIDIA Beta App Tells Me

If you visit NVIDIA’s “Test Drive” page for this beta software you’ll find a concise summary right next to the download link for same. It reads:

The NVIDIA app beta is a first step in our journey to modernize and unify the NVIDIA Control Panel, GeForce Experience, and RTX Experience apps.

Indeed, the driver update and subsequent desktop behavior is unchanged. I used the beta sofware to update my RTX 3070 Ti to version 551.61 (Rls 2/21/24). Just like GeForce Experience did, it changed all RDP windows from maximized to “fill entire pane.” It also moved all open windows from my (secondary) left-hand screen to the (primary) right-hand screen. Easily cleaned-up but I wish they’d change the code to capture home screen info and restore it at or near the conclusion of the driver install.

The NVIDIA Control Panel is indeed gone from Control Panel, though. Its functions are now integrated into the Beta app. I believe that’s a positive step. NVIDIA also mentions

a redesigned in-game overlay for convenient access to powerful gameplay recording tools, performance monitoring overlays, and game enhancing filters, including innovative new AI-powered filters for GeForce RTX users.”

I’ll have to turn this rig over to my gamer son when he’s home for Spring Break next week and see what he thinks of the gaming stuff. I’m no gamer myself (except for card and board games which exercise none of these advanced capabilities).

What About That New Software?

The beta software kicks off with a new version number of 10.0.0.499/p. So far it seems mostly like a stitched-together version of GeForce Experience and the Control Panel Item. But then, I can’t appreciate the game stuff. We’ll see how it all plays out. It’s undoubtedly more convenient to find everything together, though, so I’ll give NVIDIA brownie points for consolidation. The rest is still TBD. Stay tuned…

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, PowerShell, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

CNF Conundrum Gets Some Love

February 21, 2024 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

OK, then. I’ve been trying to figure out why, on some of my test PCs, I get an error message when PowerShell loads my profile and tries to import the PowerToys WingetCommandNotFound (CNF) module. You can see that error message in the lead-in graphic above (from my ThinkPad P16 Mobile workstation). Thanks to some fiddling around, this CNF conundrum gets some love — finally!

I haven’t figured out how to fix the problem properly just yet. But for the nonce, if I go into PowerToys, visit CNF, uninstall and then resinstall same, it returns to work. This happens every time I open a fresh PowerShell session, so it’s at least mildly bothersome. But I’m starting to make progress on figuring things out.

How CNF Conundrum Gets Some Love

The error message keeps changing on me as I add things to the folder where the profile resides — namely %user%\documents\PowerShell. First, it complains about not being able to find the module itself. I copy it into that folder. Then it complains about a .DLL. I copy that, too. Finally, it complains about an error handler not being able to field a thrown exception.

It’s not fixed yet, but I now know that this issue comes from my PowerShell modules path set-up. Something is wonky between those search paths (there’s one for the system, and one for my login account) and PowerToys. This happens for one of my Microsoft Accounts (MSAs) every time I use it to log into Windows, because this information is shared across those instances through OneDrive.

What’s Next?

I’ve got to research how I should be setting things up in the OneDrive environment to get PowerShell and PowerToys to get along with each other properly. I’ll be contacting the WinGet crew (Demitrius Nelon’s team at MS) to request additional info and guidance. That’s because my online searches have only clued me into what’s going on, but not how to fix it properly.

Stay tuned: I’ll keep this one up-to-date. And I’ll probably post again, when a resolution is formulated. This just in: OneDrive is reporting multiple copies of the PS profile in its file store. Could this be related? I have to think so. Again: stay tuned…

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Troubleshooting, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Repair Install Fixes Instability

February 20, 2024 Ed Tittel 2 Comments

At the beginning of this month, I performed an in-place upgrade repair install on my Windows 10 production PC. It’s now running Build 19045.4046. You can see that this repair install fixes instability on the PC in the lead-in graphic. Over the past 20 days I’ve had only one critical event — mostly self-inflicted when testing winget Chrome update behavior (see last Friday’s post for details). Otherwise, this 2016-vintage system has been rock solid of late.

When in Doubt, Repair Install Fixes Instability

Gosh! I’ve long been a believer that an in-place upgrade repair install (IPURI) is something of a Windows cure-all. Reminder: an IPURI runs setup.exe from a mounted ISO for the same version of Windows that’s currently running on a PC. Thus, it requires the host OS to be running well enough to replace itself. See these terrrific TenForums.com and ElevenForum.com tutorials for all the details…

Thus, you can’t use this technique if you’re having boot problems, or the OS isn’t running well enough to get through the GUI phase of a Windows upgrade. But for situations where the OS is running (but most likely, not as well as you might like) this technique works extremely well. My earlier Reliability Monitor trace, before the February 1 IPURI, looked something like a sawtooth wave on an oscilloscope. Ouch!

How to Get the Right ISO

I still use UUPDump.net to match build numbers between what’s running and the ISO I have it build for me. Then, I mount that ISO, and run setup.exe from the virtual DVD drive ID Explorer puts out there for me. Lately it’s been showing up as the E: drive; but this morning it comes up as P:. But you’ll most likely see it labeled with the initial characters of the image label like this:

Here’s what Explorer shows me when I mount the ISO I used on February 1 for an IPURI: Virtual DVD Drive P:

For the record, I also use the excellent Ventoy project software to boot into my various ISOs when an IPURI won’t do. Admins and power users will want to keep a USB handy with their fave ISOs for repair and recovery scenarios. I do that on a 1 TB NVMe SSD inside a USB3.2 drive enclosure. Lets me keep dozens of ISOs around, ready to boot into any of them on a moment’s notice. Good stuff!

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Winget Browser Updates May Be Curious

February 16, 2024 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

As far as I can tell, I’ve been blogging here about the Windows Package Manager — Winget, that is — since May 2022. Indeed it’s received regular mention ever since (nearly a third of all posts). I finally observed the other day that winget won’t update a browser with any of its processes running on the target PC. Also the browsers I use (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) still make you “Relaunch” to complete any update. This includes instances when Winget updates them successfully. Hence my assertion: Winget browser updates may be curious. And I mean both in terms of effect and outcome.

If Winget Browser Updates May Be Curious, Then?

It doesn’t stop me from trying, but the update doesn’t happen at all when any related process is running. Thus, for example, if any chrome.exe items show up in Task Manager>Details view, winget breezes past the update package and does nothing. Ditto for Firefox and Edge. But it’s a good flag for me to jump into each one’s Help>About facililty which is usually more than happy to update from insider the browser itself. And again, to request a “Relaunch” when that process comes to its conclusion.

It’s all part of the learning process in working with winget to keep Windows up-to-date. Sometimes — indeed nearly all the time — winget handles update packages quite nicely on its own. At other times (less often) winget acts as a sentinel to warn me that an update is available, which I then must figure out how to install.

Here’s a short list of such programs above and beyond the browsers already mentioned: Kindle for Windows, Discord, certain EA game executables, Teams Classic, Windows Terminal (now fixed), and even Winget itself from time to time. But gosh, it’s always fun to see what’s out there and what happens when winget wrangles update packages. It’s made my life ever so much more interesting (and updates easier) since it emerged in 2022.

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog, Windows 11

Build 26058 Explorer Brings Button Labels Back

February 15, 2024 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

It’s a small change but a helpful one. In Canary Channel Build 26058 Explorer brings button labels back. That is, instead of simply showing labels and forcing you to do one of these:

Remember what they are and what they do
Mouse over the label icon and read the text tip
Pick one and hope for the best

Explorer once again shows text to accompany the icons so users know what they’re doing. These show up at middle in the lead-in graphic, with icon buttons above and text below. To wit: Scissors button/Cut, overlaid pages/Copy, Text “A”/Rename, Block with pointer/Share, and Trashcan/Delete. Good stuff!

You can see what the old way looks like in the production Windows version (Build 22631) below where the icons appear at the bottom of the Explorer right-click context menu for files inside a folder. Much less intelligible, IMO.

Notice the line of icons at the bottom of the content menu. Mouseover will show tip text.

Rejoice When Build 26058 Explorer Brings Button Labels Back

It’s not a huge change to see text show up with a button, unprompted. But it is a comforting usability improvement. I’d always wondered why MS adopted this ultra-compact approach. But given the presence of tip text on mouseover, I’d always been able to suss things out if I wasn’t 100% what was what.

This latest improvement saves the time and effort involved in mousing over. I definitely appreciate it. On the one hand: thanks! On the other: Why’d it take so long?

And if those aren’t among the major dueling dualities here in Windows-World, I haven’t been paying attention for the past 30-plus years. Yeah, right…

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Microsoft PC Manager Makes Store Debut

February 8, 2024 Ed Tittel 2 Comments

They used to call it Microsoft PC Manager (Beta). Now, not only is the beta designation gone, Microsoft PC Manager Makes Store debut. And when you install it from the download, the program flashes this screen to confirm that change of status:

What do YOU think? Official it is!

Easy Pickings As Microsoft PC Manager Makes Store Debut

I’ve written a couple of prior stories about the Beta version so I’m fairly familiar with this program:

This blog “Introducing MS PC Manager” (July 24, 2023)
This AskWoody story “Introducing Microsoft PC Manager” (Oct 23, 2023) [Subscription required for access]
TekkiGurus “Introducing PC Manager (Beta)” (Dec 18, 2023)

I can say this much right away: with its release into the MS Store, installing MSPCM (as I like to abbreviate Microsoft PC Manager) has become a LOT easier. If you didn’t realize how the download button worked in the beta version you could easily be fooled into thinking installation didn’t work. Happened to me, anyway. And of course, installing via the Store means you can skip all the steps I depict in the afore-linked TekkiGurus story (as well as the ones I just skip over).

OK, Then: What’s Changed?

Other than dropping the (Beta) from the end of its name and popping up in the Store, I haven’t found that much different about the program just yet. Looks like I need to spend more time noodling around. Good thing that’s one of my favorite ways to spend time with Windows.

On the plus side, MSPCM is losing a lot of its rough edges. It still shows some signs that non-native English speakers put the text together, but it’s getting better, e.g.:

PC Manager will automatically boost your PC when high usage of RAM or there are 1GB of temporary files

Cleanup your system and free up spaces.

Built-in a variety of Windows tools.

The first of these items comes from the UI itself, the latter two from the PC Manager web pages. Still a bit of Chinglish in there, but they’ve come a long way since I started playing with this tool last fall. Check it: search for Microsoft PC Manager at the Microsoft Store, or follow its Store Link. Cheers!

Note: here’s a shout-out to Abishek Misra at WindowsLatest, whose February 6 story clued me into this new step in MSPCM evolution.

Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Tips, Tricks and Tweaks, WED Blog

NirSoft BatteryInfoView Works Well

February 2, 2024 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

I admire the heck out of Israeli software developer Nir Sofer. He’s the person behind the powerhouse utility provider NirSoft.net, where you’ll find nearly 200 (177 at last count) great Windows utilities ready for download and use. I just got reminded about his nifty BatteryViewInfo took in a recent AskWoody newsletter. Indeed the free NirSoft BatteryInfoView works well, and provides lots of useful battery status and health information. See a typical display from my 2018 vintage Lenovo ThinkPad X380 Yoga in the lead-in graphic.

Why say: NirSoft BatteryInfoView Works Well?

As you can see from the screencap above, BatteryInfoView (BIV) tells you pretty much everything you need to know about any given PC (laptop, tablet, etc.) battery. The current capacity and battery health values tend to be of greatest interest.

And indeed, Lenovo offers a battery settings control, for which it claims that setting maximum capacity to around 80% will result in longer battery life. I believe that translates into better battery health over time. Here’s what the X380 shows under battery charging threshold in the Battery section for Lenovo Vantage:

Note: Charge threshold is turned on. Charging starts at 75% and stops at 80%. [Click image for full-size view]

Notice further that in the lead-in graphic, battery health is 92.8%. On my Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme, which I obtained in 2021, I did not reset the battery threshold on that PC. Thus, even though it’s two years newer than the X380, its current battery health number is 89.3%. That’s about 4% less. To me, it shows that Lenovo’s recommendations to lower the stop and start values for charge levels really do have an impact on battery life. It’s not huge, but it’s not nothing, neither.

It also shows how a good tool can help admins and power users get the most from their technology investments.

Copilot Weighs in on Battery Health

Just for grins I asked Copilot “Working from NirSoft’s BatteryInfoView utility, at what level of “Battery Health” should one consider replacing the battery?” Copilot hemmed and hawed but ultimately said this:

In general, if the “Battery health” value is consistently below 80%, it may be a sign that the battery is deteriorating and may need to be replaced soon. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, and other factors such as the age of the battery, the usage patterns, and the operating conditions can also affect the battery life and performance. If you notice that your laptop’s battery is not holding a charge as long as it used to, or if you are experiencing other issues such as overheating, slow performance, or unexpected shutdowns, it may be a good idea to have the battery checked by a professional or replaced if necessary.

My original impression comes from translating a story from German into English for Tom’s Hardware back in the early 2000s. Even then, their research showed that a regime of reducing charge level was the best way to keep a laptop battery healthy in the long run. I wish I could find a link to that story (but I can’t) but they recommended dropping battery charge levels to 40% for long term storage, and recommended not charging batteries to over 80% if a PC remains plugged into AC power. Regular deep discharge cycles were also recommended. A 2023 Tom’s Hardware forum thread still cites the 80/40 rule, in fact. Sounds like the old rule is still cool.