Category Archives: Windows 11

Device drivers, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11, Windows Update

Ghost in the Machine Needs Printout

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I have to chuckle when I read about these kinds of things. For much of the week I’ve been reading online (see list of articles near the end) about printers waking up and printing stuff on their own. On  Windows 11 PCs running Build 2263.4825, it seems that those with specific printers may start printing garbage output spontaneously. ICYMI, “ghost in the machine” is a British philosopher’s shorthand phrase for Descartes mind-body dualism. In this case, I’m twisting that metaphor further to impute independent action to a Windows print driver gone wrong. That’s why I aver that the Ghost in the Machine needs printout.

Why the Ghost in the Machine Needs Printout…

Newer printers (mid-2010s and afterward) that support driverless printing technologies such as Mopria  (a printer maker alliance that includes Canon, HP, Samsun and Xerox) and AirPrint (an Apple technology widely used by printer makers, too) also support dual-mode printers. For the ghost to start printing on its own, such devices much support both USB print and IPP over USB protocols (IPP is the Internet Printing Protocol). After updating Windows via KB5050092 (release 1/29/2025) such printers may start spewing pages, no user print requests nor print spooler files needed.

You can read about this specral phenomenon from a plethora of sources including:

BleepingComputer Recent Windows updates make USB printers print random text (March 12)

Windows Forum Windows 11 Printing Glitch (March 13)

PC Gamer Haunted printers turning on by themselves and printing nonsense (March 12)

I’m not the only industry follower who’s picked up on the “ghost in the machine” metaphor, apparently. And you thought Windows was a brute and soulless beast, I’ll bet…NOT! Anybody who works with the OS for any length of time knows full well it’s possessed of a host of spirits that range all the way from the most angelic to the deepest of deviltry. I’ll let you decide how magnificent or malefic this particular haunt might be for yourself.

One more thing: the uber-cutesy graphic that starts off this blog post is Copilot’s response to a prompt that reads “show a PC printer possessed by a ghost.” Another clear case of you get what you pay for, IMO.

 

 

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AI, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

Copilot UI Goes Native

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OK, then: MS just pushed a new Copilot version via the MS Store (1.25023.106.0). After the update, it announces itself anew on the desktop “Hi, I’m Copilot, your AI companion.” And again — as shown in the lead-in graphic — it asks you to set it up with toggles for diagnostic data, auto-start at log in, and the Alt+Spacebar shortcut.

What Copilot UI Goes Native Means

Apparently MS is previewing this new look in at various Insider Preview channels (I see it in the Canary and Beta Channels right now). According to Zac Bowden at Windows Central, this represents a “brand-new Copilot app for Windows 11 that utilizes the company’s native app UI framework for a more cohesive experience.”

Among other things, this includes (all bullet points quoted verbatim from Bowden’s story):

  • a sidebar for different chats
  • mica blur effects
  • native context menus and buttons … more aligned with Windows 11’s design language

FWIW, that sidebar appears to the left in the Copilot Window and shows links to previous chat topics. Interestingly, the new version picks up this info from the online data Copilot maintains about users, so you can see the 20 most recent prompts when you fire up the new version for the first time.

Copilot Is Unable to Explain Itself

Just for grins, I asked Copilot to tell me about its new UI capabilities. It replied by saying it lacked “specific knowledge about my interface or updates…[it is]… designed to work seamlessly with the tools available … to make …. interactions engaging and smooth.” This includes the following items (quoted verbatim):

  • Visual Elements: I can use markdown formatting to structure and present information in an appealing way, such as headings, tables, bullet points and even LaTex for math equations.
  • File and Image Integration: You can upload images or files, and I can understand and describe their content (though I can’t edit images you upload).
  • AI Tools: I have capabilities to search the web for up-to-date information or generate unique, creative images based on your prompts.
  • Language Adaptability: I adapt to your tone and preferences, aiming to feel less like a tool and more like a thoughtful collaborator.

And here’s the image it generated to show those things off, after I asked it to include some text labels in its initial cryptic offering:

Here’s Copilot’s effort to depict its manifold capabilites (note the various misspellings throughout). Sigh.

It did do something more interesting when I pointed those misspelling out and asked it to correct the. Hooray! It’s another rabbit hole.

My only question is: is the gibberish deliberate or accidental? It’s nteresting, though. Bu overall, Copilot still feels more like a tool to me, and less like a thoughtful collaborator. Just sayin’…

Note Added 15 Minutes Later

I now see that the new version is more widely available than I had thought. It’s running on my Windows 10 desktop right now (Release Preview Insider Channel). But it’s that, too, is a Windows Insider item. It’s not coming through on any of my production Windows 11 PCs (currently at Build 26100.3194).

 

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Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Updates, WED Blog, Windows 11, Windows Update

Installing Build 27802 Throws Memory Error

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Here’s a new one on me. Last Friday, as I was installing the latest Canary Channel upgrade, the installer threw an error code that I’d not seen before. That code is 0x8007000e; its output from the Microsoft Error Lookup Tool (err_6.4.5.exe) appears as the lead-in graphic above. That error occurred during the GUI portion of the install. And it occurs to me that while installing Build 27802 throws memory error, it might have been because I was running WinGet in parallel, installing other stuff at the same time. I’m guessing was a self-inflicted thing…let me explain.

Self-Inflicted: Installing Build 27802 Throws Memory Error

The recommendation that comes with this error, is to restart the PC and try again. As soon as I did that — without added activity on the side — the upgrade installed successfully with no further errors along the way. As I look back on what got updated during my first botched attempt, I see that some fairly intense items were involved. Most notably, it included Visual Studio, for which a typical install is usually around 50GB in size. I can see where trying to juggle both on a 2021 vintage laptop (Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Tablet with 16GB RAM) might cause resource issues.

Anyway, the proof’s in the observation that a second attempt worked. That’s probably because I didn’t try to multi-task while the GUI install was underway. The only reason I haven’t done this to myself before is that you can’t do anything to the PC except let the installer run, during the post-GUI phase!

27802 Takes a While to Complete, Too

I couldn’t help but notice — because I perforce went through the process twice on the X12 — that the upgrade process to this latest build takes some time to complete. Normally, a Canary Channel upgrade finishes in under half an hour. This time around, the whole process — including download, GUI install, and post-GUI install — took about 75 minutes to complete from desktop to desktop.

At least I now know I should leave my PCs (mostly) alone while the GUI phase of a Windows upgrade is underway. I wonder what my next creative abuse of the runtime and installer will teach me? There’s always something new and interesting to learn, here in Windows -World!

 

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

Skype Attains Oblivion in May 2025

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First it was a swelling rumor, based on some  eagle-eyed code scanning (reported at XDA.com on Feb 27). Today, it’s established fact, as Zac Bowden at WindowsCentral updates his story with “Microsoft has confirmed that Skype is shutting down in May, with warnings now appearing within Skype apps.” MS wants everybody to move to Teams instead, and offers tools to move chats as needed. If all goes according to plan, that means Skype attains oblivion in May 2025.

Note: I’ve morphed the screencap from the afore-cited XDA story that shows the warning “Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams.” in text form. Reading the code can occasionally provide insights (and reveal future plans, as in this case).

After Skype Attains Oblivion in May 2025, Teams Takes Over

With a much broader range of capabilities, and options to scale audiences into the thousands, Teams can do everything Skype can, and quite a lot more. The transition is already over for some — including your humble author. Hopefully, it won’t be too difficult for those hold-outs still using Skype to switch over to Teams, too.

A Skype Timeline and Some Recollections

Skype started out on the Internet back in 2003 as a standalone service. Mostly it required establishing credit to offset upcoming charges, with occasional replenishment to keep a positive balance after that. For a while, my wife used it to interact with members of her family (who live in Germany) via voice and video on her PC. Microsoft acquired the company in 2011, and made a half-hearted attempt to build it into Windows 10 in 2015.

If memory serves, we all quit using it around that time. FaceTime on the iPhone was free and easier to use. Plus phones are better suited as communications devices than bigger laptops or deskbound desktops. I’d argue that Skype’s demise has been foreshadowed for a long, long time, and that it’s planned end-of-life-and-service date is no big surprise to anyone.

So long Skype. For my purposes, Teams already works better, and does more, than you ever did.

Note Added 2 Hrs Later

See Tom Warren’s Verge story Microsoft is shutting down Skype in favor of Teams for more useful details. The drop-dead date is reported as May 5, and further info on options open to current Skype users is provided. Apparently, he got an MS spokesperson to provide additional tidbits to help prepare the userbase for this change.

 

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Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

So Long, ThinkCentre M90a Gen5 AIO

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Allrighty, then: I’m packing up the Lenovo All-in-One for return to North Carolina. It’s been fun, but it’s time to say “So long, ThinkCentreM90A Gen5 AIO.” As I’m readying the unit for return, I’ll also file this blog post by way of final thoughts and farewells to this doughty device. Overall, it’s actually quite fast and capable.

Adieu & So Long, ThinkCentre M90a Gen5 AIO

Overall, I like the performance and compactness of this All-in-One. As I said before, this unit would make a great office/cubicle PC; ditto for college students looking for a dorm room desktop. It would, however, make sense, to spend ~US$500 less for 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD with no optical drive, then add more memory and a second SSD at market prices to match the pricier configuration. That’s because, as configured, this unit costs around US$2K (i7-14700, 1TB SSD, 32GB RAM, Windows 11 Pro, optical drive).

I also don’t understand why Lenovo didn’t provide Thunderbolt 3 or better ports — ideally, USB4 compliant ones — in this AIO. It comes equipped with numerous USB-A ports and a single USB-C (8 in all). Alas, they top out at 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds (2 of those, plus another 6 USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps ports, all of the Type A variety).

An AIO Past Its Peak?

Though the CPU is a speedy 20-core model (8 P-cores for 16 threads, 12 E-cores for a total of 28 threads altogether), no NPU means this unit is not Copilot+ capable. Those wishing to exercise Windows 11 24H2’s more advanced AI capabilities can’t do so on this PC. I’m also a bit vexed at the lack of high-speed USB as well. But if those things don’t play into your users’ computing needs, this is  a solid, work-ready PC. If I were going to buy one myself, though, I’d look for refurb deals or discounts from Lenovo or other resellers.

The display is gorgeous (2880×1800) and supports refresh rates as high as 160MHz. It’s a treat to look at, and work with. I also hooked it up to a 34″ external Acer monitor, and the Intel 770HD chipset had no issues driving its built-in 24″ display at the same time. It made for some impressive and watchable screen real estate. Yes, I know: that plays against the compactness factor, but I was curious! HWiNFO output for the built-monitor serves as the lead-in graphic here.

As the unit heads back to the reviews team, I find myself wondering what Lenovo might send my way next. Stay tuned: I’ll tell you all about it. Can’t wait!

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Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Thoughts & concerns, WED Blog, Windows 11

Lenovo Q3 Results Support Refresh Year Notions

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The world’s biggest PC maker — Lenovo, that is — just reported results for the third quarter of its fiscal year (ended Dec 31). It shows approximate growth in revenues and profits over Q3 for the previous fiscal year. One phrase from the report (PDF) caught my eye: “Commercial sales benefited from the Windows 11 refresh, with premium workstation sales spearheading demand recovery…” Hmm, could it be possible that these Lenovo Q3 results support “refresh year” notions for 2025? You bet!

How Lenovo Q3 Results Support Refresh Year Notions

Back on January 6 I posted about the MS supposition that AI additions to Windows 11 plus Copilot+ PCs could turn 2025 into The Year of the Windows 11 Refresh (that’s a link to their blog on this topic as well as a good summary). As the biggest player in the PC market, Lenovo’s latest quarterly numbers certainly plays into this picture. And it does so in a way that speaks for the “refresh year” idea, rather than against it. Could MS actually have a clue?

I cribbed the lead-in graphic for this story from Paul Thurrott’s coverage of this topic: Lenovo Revenues Jump 20 Percent to $18.8 Billion. It shows how the number have fared over the past 5 quarters, with a dip from Q1 to Q2 in that series, but steady growth and recovery since then.

What Else Could Speak to Refresh?

It is interesting to see how next-ranked PC players numbers either further support this notion, or call it into possible question. Copilot says that means HP, Dell and Asus (Apple holds spot#4, but I’m pretty sure they’re not much into playing the Windows 11 refresh game).

HP’s Q4 24 results show a 1.7% jump YoY (nowhere near Lenovo’s ~20%), but they do cite “steady progress in Personal Systems and Print.” Dell’s overall revenues and earnings declined over 2024, as did the number of units it shipped that year (39.1M vs. 61.8M for Lenovo, 53M for HP, and 17.9M for Asus). Asus was up 8.8% YoY in PC sales, and their strong showing in PC sales helped contribute to their success.

Nothing Entirely Clear Yet, Yea or Nay

Lenovo’s results are the only ones that mention the refresh phenomenon explicitly. But if it pans out further, I expect we’ll hear more from other OEMs, too. Stay tuned: I’ll keep you posted.

 

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Copilot+ PCs, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

MS Seemingly Drops Intel Gen7-10 24H2 Support

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Whoa! Maybe even “Double Whoa!!” Look closely at the recently updated Microsoft Learn Windows Hardware Developer document Windows 11 Version 24H2 supported Intel processors. Careful examination shows that MS seemingly drops Intel Gen7-10 24H2 support. That’s right: everything from Gen 7 (Kaby Lake; 2016 mobile/2017 desktop) to Gen 10 (Comet Lake; 2017 for both mobile and desktop) is absent from that list. I’m concerned, and so are lots of other industry followers and reports (e.g. WinAero, Tom’s Hardware, Eleven Forum, and so forth). Can this be true?

Really!? MS Seemingly Drops Intel Gen7-10 24H2 Support

Initially, I wondered if this could be an error or oversight. But apparently, it’s a deliberate strategy aimed at OEMs. Indeed, a Windows Latest item dated today (2/17/2025) explicitly debunks this notion: No, Microsoft is NOT dropping Windows 11 support for Intel 8th, 9th, and 10th Gen chips. Though the absence of these items prompted plenty of speculation that Gen 7-10 were falling off the 24H2 table, here’s what that item states:

…first…Microsoft has renamed the document to mention the Windows 11 24H2 release. Second, the list of supported processors does not include “8th gen, 9th gen, and 10th gen Intel” chips. This led some people to believe that older Intel chips are no longer officially supported for “Windows 11 24H2.”

In response to this belief, Windows Latest asked MS directly and got this added clarification:

In a statement to Windows Latest, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 11 hardware requirements hadn’t changed since 2021.

I’ll also observe that the first paragraph of this Learn item states “…released and future generations of processors which meet the same principles will be considered as supported, even if not explicitly listed.” Guess what? That includes the “missing” Intel Gen7-10 CPUs, dear readers.

Windows 11 for AI vs. Other Flavors

Apparently MS is steering OEMs toward Intel CPUs that provide the necessary NPU and other items necessary to qualify for Copilot+ classification. It’s another logical, if vexing, consequence of the “Year of the Refresh” that MS is promoting for OEMs that want to support 24H2 fully and completely. Go figure: it seems to be something of a tempest in a teapot!

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Insider stuff, Remote Desktop (RDP), WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

RDC vs. Remote Desktop

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I make remote connections to Windows PCs all the time, every day. I often switch between the Remote Desktop  Connection (RDC, aka mstsc.exe) and the Remote Desktop app (9WZDNCRFJ3PS in the MS Store). Lately, I’ve noticed that the .exe is prey to a hiccup to which the app is not — namely, RDC will often hang at the lock screen with spinning balls frozen when I start a remote session. Remote Desktop never does this. Because I know RDC better than Remote Desktop I used to prefer it. Because I favor speedy in-and-out over redoing my link I’m now leaning toward the latter. Thus, in my recent estimation of RDC vs. Remote Desktop, the app is gaining favor.

More Differences in RDC vs. Remote Desktop

This got me to wondering about other differences between the older exe and the newer UWP app. Looks like Remote Desktop can do other stuff that RDC cannot, too, including:

  • Auto updates through the MS Store (Winget handles mstsc.exe)
  • Modern UWP app interface with thumbnails and minimal controls (Full-Screen and Disconnect only)
  • Access a complete remote desktop or access one remote app without running a complete remote desktop
  • Works across MacOS, iOS/iPadOS, Android, Chrome and Web browsers (IDKICDT)
  • Multi-monitor support lets Remote Desktop map multiple monitors from remote client to host desktop
  • Works with Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 Cloud

In some situations, I can see where single-app remoting could be good. I also like support for multiple client OSes and monitors. I wish I had the ability to try out the cloud capabilities, too. Sounds like fun.

Maybe It’s Time to Join the 21st Century?

I’m thinking I should be using Remote Desktop more than RDC. I think I’ll try it for a while and see how it goes. It could be that some of my issues with VMs might also be MIA in the newer app. Let’s find out!

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Apps > Resume Works Between WinPCs

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In reading this morning about how Build 27788 enables an Apple Hand-off like experience, I looked around my mini-fleet of PCs for Apps > Resume. It’s not only present in that build, it’s also in the current production build (26100.3037), too. In fact, the only build I’m running where it’s MIA is Beta (26120.3073). I was also able to observe that Settings > Apps > Resume works between WinPCs, as well as from phones to PCs and vice-versa. Good stuff.

OneDrive Is Why Apps > Resume Works Between WinPCs

If the same MSA is open on both desktops for a pair of Windows 11 PCs, OneDrive and its synching behaviors make the same files available in the primary user account folders (e.g. Desktop, Documents and Pictures). That’s the mechanism that lets you ping-pong working on the same file across two or more PCs (and other devices as well). In my case, these files show up in a OneDrive (cloud icon) folder named “Ed – Personal” like so:

I used text for a reply to an AskWoody column (boxed item) as my example.

To me, this makes OneDrive file sharing more user-friendly. I don’t just want to be able to open and use files shared in the cloud. I want to be able to pick up where I left off. That’s what made Apple’s Hand-off initially compelling, and what explains the motivation for Microsoft’s implementation in the form of Apps > Resume. I can — and will — use this!

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Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Troubleshooting, WED Blog, Windows 11, Windows Update

Long Hard 27788 Upgrade Road

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Whoa! In the realm of Windows Insider Preview upgrades, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. This time around — starting from Build 27783 — I found myself on a long, hard 27788 upgrade road for this latest Canary Channel version. When I tell you what happened, and how I surmounted the obstacles on that path, you may be able to save yourself some unnecessary time and effort.

To begin with, what I lost on this upgrade road was time. I spent most of yesterday afternoon going through various motions to try to get the Insider Preview for 27788 and a companion KB5053390 (CU for .NET Framework…) up and running. All such attempts, alas, proved fruitless.

Traversing That Long Hard 27788 Upgrade Road

Getting to the state depicted in the lead-in graphic — showing that the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Hybrid Tablet is up-to-date in WU and running Build 27788 in Winver — took some doing and some time. In fact, it wasn’t until I read about a workaround in an ElevenForum post from Russian user @Dronix that I made any real headway. Along the way, each update/upgrade cycle took about 1:10 (70 minutes) to work through.

I’ll deliver a recitation of what I tried that didn’t help my problems. I am also speculating when I say this, but I believe one can’t upgrade to 27788 until KB5053390 for .NET completes successfully. There may be dependencies in the upgrade that need the previous CU to complete successfully. And indeed, once I did that, the upgrade went through without further issues.

Here’s my list of failed strategies:
1. Simply retry the failed KB or upgrade item.
2. Run Eleven Forum’s Reset_Reregister_Windows_
Update_Components.bat from this Reset WU tutorial
3. Run the built-in WU Troubleshooter

What Worked: DISM-GUI 1.3.1.02

Turns out there’s a German software tool named DISM-GUI that lets one install KB .cab files from failed installations. You have to know the name (a partial name will do) of that file to provide it as a target. The afore-linked Eleven Forum thread identifies it, and it includes the KB number as a sub-string. Using Voidtools Everything, I found it immediately (search string *KB5053390*.cab). For the record, the filename is:

Windows11.0-KB5053390-x64-NDP481.cab

Click on the box in DISM-GUI that reads “CAB Install” (lower left) and the program will prompt for the file location. You can get that from Everything, then left-shift click and use the “Copy as Path” option (you’ll have to delete opening and closing quote marks).

This opens a Command Prompt session and uses DISM to install the package for you. Unlike the WU driver install, this actually works. And it takes less than two minutes to complete. Then, when you’ve got the CU installed, the follow-up upgrade to 27788 works, too.

TLDR: Possible Problems with 27788 Are Fixable

If you read through the whole Eleven Forum thread about 27788, some posters were able to install KB5053390 and the 27788 upgrade without any difficulties. Numerous others — myself included– got exactly nowhere until they used DISM-GUI to get over the KB5053390 hump.

Should you find yourself in the same boat, you can go straight to the workaround using that tool, and avoid the hours and hours of thrashing about I went through yesterday. Why not learn from my experience, instead of repeating that misery?

Providing such info explains why I write this blog. It also explains why I expect lifetime employment doing that kind of thing here in Windows-World. It’s always something…

But Wait! There’s More… (Added Jan 7)

When I logged into the X380 and the X12 this morning, KB5053390 again showed up as needed. And again, a regular WU install failed. So this time, I fired off DISM-GUI taking the left-click “Run as administrator…” option. Apparently that did the trick. Here are some screencaps along the way:

Between the 2nd and 3rd screencap, I ran DISM-GUI again (as admin) and it showed a successful conclusion at the command line, then reboot with successful update there after). Once I rebooted the system and it worked through the rest of the process, I got the 3rd figure above from WU. Gadzooks! I hope it’s finally over…

 

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