Category Archives: Cool Tools

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

Database Mixup Prompts Bogus Update

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There’s always something interesting going on with WinGet, the MS package manager for installing and updating Windows stuff. Yesterday, a database mixup prompts bogus update orders for Visual Studio 2022. Let’s look at what happened, so I can explain the nit-picky little details involved.

But first: there really is no update involved. In fact, the Visual Studio version numbers are identical: 17.14.6, as you can see in the lead-in graphic. Note that the same version number appears in the columns for both “Version” and “Available.”

Fixing Database Mixup Prompts Bogus Update

The devil for these particular details lies in the difference between the two strings. The info from the “Version” column comes from the local copy of the WinGet source. It includes the parenthetical phrase after the version number — “(June 2025).” The “Available” version info does not include that string. Thus, there’s a mismatch, even though they’re the same base version number.

Simply put, because the version numbers don’t match, WinGet blithely assumes they’re different. Technically, they are. But they differ because somebody erred in creating one version string or the other.

Who’s on the Hook for a Fix?

Why Microsoft, of course, because Visual Studio is their product. Thus, they’re responsible for the package data in the WinGet database. As you can see in the following screenshot, in fact, that fix is already in. It depicts this morning’s WinGet show  and WinGet list data for Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.Enterprise. Note that the version number info now agrees completely. Fixed!

The previous discrepancy is gone. [Click image to view full-sized.]

For further proof, I ran WinGet upgrade –all –include-unknown. It shows that CrystalDiskMark and Edge need updates, but Visual Studio no longer appears. The mismatch is corrected, so it’s no longer incorrectly flagged for update.

I’m a huge fan of WinGet, not least because the team at MS that works on its software and data is on top of things. Good stuff!

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

Strange Crystal Dew World Hiccup

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Yesterday, I noticed that both WinGet and PatchMyPC Home Updater hiccuped when trying to update CrystalDiskMark (8.0.6 to  9.0.0) and CrystalDiskInfo (9.6.3 to 9.7.0). This strange Crystal Dew World hiccup (that’s the home site for both apps) got me wondering if the developer had abandoned freeware versions of those tools for ad-driven (installer-based) or for-a-fee (MS Store) versions only. I’m please to report that my presumption was wrong, and new freeware versions for both programs are updating properly now.

What Caused This Strange Crystal Dew World Hiccup?

Apparently there was some delay between when the new version info got broadcast and when the Crystal Dew World website got updated. Indeed I saw web info (which serves as the lead-in graphic for the story) that led me to wonder if ad-driven (ZIP and Installer) or paid-for (Store) versions were the only remaining versions of CrystalDiskMark (CDM) and CrystalDiskInfo available.

This morning, however, when I went back to check again, things were different. I still see the same situation at Crystal Dew World (here’s a link to its CDM download which includes an installer named CrystalDiskMark9_0_0Ads.exe). But WinGet and PatchMyPC can both successfully upgrade these tools now (they threw “hash match fail” errors yesterday) and are proffering ad-free freeware versions that come from sourceforge (you can use WinGet Show CrystalDewWorld.CrystalDiskMark to reveal its database contents).

Updates Take Time to Propagate

I’ve seen similar things happen before — often, with MS facilities such as PowerShell and Windows Terminal — when an update emerges but packages and database contents don’t synch up. All in all, though, I’m glad that freeware, ad-free versions of these useful tools remain available. If they didn’t I’d have to find something else!

And, far too often, such things become necessary here in Windows-World. Not this time, apparently for CDM and CDI. Not yet, anyway… But the ad-oriented interface at Crystal Dew World strongly suggests it could happen if not now, perhaps later.

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

Interesting ThinkPad T14s Snapdragon Intake

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Here, interesting comes from the purported “Chinese” curse: “May you live in interesting times.” If fact, those times got a little too interesting for me once or twice last week, as I worked my way through intake on a the Snapdragon X version of the ThinkPad T14s from Lenovo (see “Speeds and Feeds” for more of those details). Indeed, I experienced what I choose to call an interesting ThinkPad T14s intake because of WU issues that popped up along the way.

Ultimately, I would have to send the PC back to Lenovo for a replacement because:

(a) I couldn’t repair a Windows Update error on the latest CU

(b) When I tried an in-place upgrade repair install, the PC asked for a BitLocker recovery key during one of the post-GUI install boot-ups. [The lead-in graphic shows this on its way to a fiery crash.]

I’ll admit it: I was caught unprepared. And when the Lenovo Recovery Media facility could only produce a USB key (no digital download for me, alas), an overnight swap was my only way to proceed. Sigh, sigh, and sigh again.

What Interesting ThinkPad T14s Snapdragon Intake Means

For me, it meant an irresolvable issue trying to catch the machine up to current CU levels. For the first time in recent memory the ElevenForum.com reset/reregister WU script failed to fix that, too. Thus I had to avail myself of the “Reinstall now” button in the options available from this Windows 11 24H2 instance via Settings > System > Recovery. That’s what you see as the lead-in graphic above, at 35% complete during the GUI install phase.

Along the way to catching the OS up, I installed a bunch of apps I like to use (12 in all: 7-Zip, Adv IP Scanner, CPU-Z, CrystalDiskMark, Everything, FileZilla, GadgetPack, Notepad++, PS 7.5.1, PowerToys, and Speccy). I also turned on Remote Access so I can view the desktop on a 27″ monitor instead of a 14″ laptop.

It was all good until I tried running WU. It was stuck, stuck, stuck, on the latest CU. It was throwing Error Code 0x800F0905, which Google tells me means “an issue with Windows Update or a corrupted installation file.” That’s why I went to the reset/register script immediately thereafter, and then Reinstall now when that failed as well. As I said earlier, I ended up swapping my ultimately bricked T14s for an identical replacement. It had to retry the stuck CU, but succeeded on a second attempt. So now I have a working T14s to play with for a while.

So following the well-known principle of “If you don’t get it right the first time, do it over,” I reinstalled all the apps I’d added to the first, bricked version. Then I enabled Remote Access so I can use RDP,  set up Windows Terminal and PowerShell, and I’m now fully off and running.

Speeds and Feeds, and More

The T14s Gen 6 model that Lenovo sent me includes the following:

  • Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 CPU (3.4GHz, 12 cores/threads)
  • Adreno X1-85 GPU (built-in)
  • Hexagon NPU (delivers 45 TOPS)
  • 32 GB LPDDR5X-8448 MHz RAM
  • Samsung OEM PCIe Gen4 NVMe 1TB SSD
  • 14″ WUXGA (1920×1200, IPS, Anti-Glare, non-touch)
  • Windows Hello 1080P PHD camera, fingerprint reader
  • Qualcomm Wi-Fi 7 NCM825A 2×2 BE & Bluetooth 5.3
  • 2ea USB4 USB-C (40Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports

As configured the unit currently goes for US$1,259 at the Lenovo Store. It’s sturdy, has a standard ThinkPad look and feel, and both thin and pretty lightweight (2.72lbs/1.24kg). It’s not quite as awe-inspiring as the less expensive Slim 7X model I reviewed almost a year ago, but it’s bigger, beefier, and pretty darn snappy. I will take it on the road with me at my next opportunity and see how it plays.

So far, though, it’s a solid performer and seems to get things done with verve. I look forward to a machine that will let me use the benefits of Copilot+ PCs in the near future. Indeed, that’s why I asked Lenovo to send me this unit. Stay tuned: I’ll tell you lots more, real soon.

 

 

 

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

Learning New Backup Post-Blowup

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I must confess. I blew up a Lenovo review unit Wednesday trying to fix an update problem. Now after what I learned during that experience, I’m learning new backup post-blowup. First, I’ll explain the need for new backup; then the blowup,; and finally, the backup and recovery manuevers I must now make part of my review process. It all ends with an ironic footnote, as my precautions prove unneeded.

To begin with, I’d like to thank Amanda Heater and Michael Redd of the Lenovo Reviews team, based in North Carolina. They didn’t even laugh at me when I told them what I’d done. They simply offered to cross-ship me a replacement system while I returned the one I so thoroughly munged. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

Why I’m Learning New Backup, Post-Blowup

It all goes back to Paramount Software, maker of the excellent backup and recovery toolset known as Macrium Reflect. I’ve been a happy and satisfied use of same for seven years or more. But as of January 1, 2024 (now 18 months ago), the company dropped its free version of that software. In good conscience that meant when I updated my ComputerWorld  story How to make a Windows 10 or 11 Backup, I had to recommend one or two free backup packages, as well as continuing my ongoing endorsement for Reflect (I own 8 licenses for version X and 4 for version 8, in fact).

So while I’m intaking the second iteration of a Lenovo ThinkPad T14s (the Snapdragon X variant of their thin-and-light 2-in-1 business laptop), I’m also learning how to install and use Easus ToDo Backup (one of the three free packages I mention in the February 2024 revision to the afore-cited CW story, the other two being AEOMEI Backupper Standard and MiniTool ShadowMaker Free).

It’s been both interesting and frustrating. I know Reflect so well now I don’t have to think about what I’m doing anymore: I just do it. In using Easus ToDo, I’m reminded of how idiosyncratic UI design can be, and how careful one must be in reading UI clues to understand how to define, schedule and run backups. Ditto for building and using recovery media. Long story short, I did figure things out, and I do have two backups of the T14s, working recovery media, and am ready to use them if needed. I’ve also saved a copy of the T14s BitLocker Recovery Key to a USB flash drive and my MSA.

What About That Blowup?

In working on the first of the two T14s laptops Lenovo sent me, I learned something about Windows 11 that I didn’t know, and would have preferred never to learn. In working through my normal intake process I ran Windows Update. It showed a pending CU that would not install, with the error code 0x8007000D, which indicates a corrupt Windows download or some issue with WU itself.

So naturally, I next ran the batch file from the Eleven Forum Tutorial: Reset Windows Update in Windows 11. This nearly always works to set WU back to rights, and let me get on with my updates. Not this time. The OS recommended, and my own experience concurred, that an in-place repair install was the next step in fixing this issue.

That’s where the blowup happened, as I encountered a Windows misbehavior I’ve never, ever seen before. I used the “Reinstall now” button in Settings > System > Recovery. It appears under the heading of “Fix problems using Windows Update.” It’s usually pretty foolproof and often turns a balky or misbehaving Windows OS into its tidy and proper counterpart. But first a short detour to describe the in-place repair upgrade or install.

More About the In-Place Repair Install

A repair install goes through two major phases. First, there’s a GUI-based portion, where it copies over the Windows OS installer and the files it needs to install the OS. Second, there’s a reboot after which a WinPE-based installer takes over and finishes building a new OS from a whole new set of files and data structures. Usually, Windows 11 reboots 2 or 3 times after the initial reboot as it finishes various aspects of that install process. When it’s done, a newly installed and presumably pristine version of Windows is running, usually devoid of the issues that prompted this repair fix.

This time, on either the first or second post-GUI reboot, the boot handler brought up a BitLocker recovery key screen. It also informed me that something about the boot environment had changed enough during the install that this key was needed to proceed. Ooops!

What Makes BitLocker Key Request a Blowup?

I didn’t have the BitLocker recovery key for that machine locally, and it hadn’t yet propagated into my Microsoft Account (MSA) online. I literally couldn’t access the hard drive. When I attempted to use the Lenovo image recovery service, I couldn’t get it to fork over a digital download. I could buy a pre-loaded USB for US$29 but it could take as long a week to make it to my door. Lenovo suggested that I return the unusable T14s to them, while they would cross-ship a new, working one to me for next-day delivery.

That’s the machine I’m working on right now. And my first steps on that second iteration were to:

  1. Install Easus ToDo Backup, and make a full-drive C: image backup
  2. Build the ToDo Recovery Media (this bootable flash drive will let me restore any ToDo image even if the C: drive is inaccessible)
  3. Make a file copy of the BitLocker recovery key to that same bootable flash drive, should I need for any reason. I also forced a copy into my MSA online as well (I don’t always travel with a full set of UFDs).

This is a new and permanent set of intake activities when I get a new PC or review unit from an OEM like Lenovo (I’ve also reviewed PCs and laptops from ASUS, Acer, MSI, Dell, Panasonic, and HP in past years). If a repair install can provoke the Bitlocker key request, I have to be ready for that. Now, thanks to the foregoing steps, I will be.

Ironic WU Conclusion

The CU that caused me problems on the first machine also needed installing on the second one. It was KB5063060 (26100.4351 Out-of-band). It failed on the first attempt right after the machine came up for the first time upon unboxing. But this time, the Retry button resulted in a successful installation. The machine’s all caught up and I didn’t need to run the in-place upgrade repair install, nor to recover from its failure (and supply the Bitlocker key on demand).

I was ready for things to go south. I’m grateful they did not. But, as I can attest from painful recent experience, it’s better to have the recovery tools and data and not need them, than it is to need them and not have them.

And wow, it seems ever so appropriate to recite this saga on a day emblematic of mala fortuna: please note that it’s Friday the 13th. It can be a risky day in Windows-World, as in other worlds as well.

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Order EX5 Receive EX4 Request Refund

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Wow! I can’t believe what happened to me. I’m rebuilding the AMD 5800X PC in a new case, and ordered an Asus Thunderbolt EX5 to include, so I can try out Thunderbolt 5 and the Intel Thunderbolt Share application (licensed to a device or PC). Here’s what happened: order ex5, receive ex4, request refund (being processed), order again from Amazon. The replacement is on its way and should be here by Friday. All in all, I’m stunned.


As you can see from my carpet-based photo above, I received a ThunderboltEX 4, even though I ordered the next-gen version. Back it goes! Just printed a label and will send it back from the UPS Store later today. And to think I paid extra, because Amazon had none in stock that day. I should — and do — know better. Sigh.

Getting Past Order EX5 Receive EX4 Request Refund

All I can do now is wait. It won’t be terribly long, though because my Amazon Premium membership gets it delivered to me tomorrow, free. I need to try this item out so I can test-drive the Intel Thunderbolt Share application. It’s licensed to specific devices. And because I don’t have any laptops or docks with said license, this is a relatively affordable (~US$140) way for me to give it a whirl.

What I didn’t expect, after many, many years of entirely positive experiences with Newegg, was that one of their “stores” would try to slip me old wine and claim it was a new bottle. Not so, alas, and it won’t work for what I need it to do.

Ain’t that just way things go here in Windows-World sometimes? You ask for something specific for a supposedly included feature. Then you get something completely different, and deal with the aftermath. Sign again.

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X12 Gains QMR Support

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Wow! What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, Quick Machine Recovery didn’t work on my 2021 vintage Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Hybrid Tablet (with 11th-Gen i7-1180G7 CPU). This morning, the X12 gains QMR support and the test mode actually works. Methinks the edge of the gradual rollout just made it four generations back from the leading edge. (Copilot sez that if intel still used such numbers, Arrow Lake would like be 15th-Gen.)

If X12 Gains QMR Support, How Can You Tell?

Interestingly, even though the QMR test completes successfully on the X12, the QRM entry under Settings > System > Recovery — depicted from the 13th-Gen P3 Ultra ThinkStation above — is absent. Ditto for the QRM update (KB5056862) in Update History.

And yet, it works. Something isn’t precisely right around here, because QRM works (or says it completes the self-test successfully) without including those other presumptive signs of capability. It’s a bit confusing, if not at least mildly troubling.

Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

All this leaves me wondering how much further down the device chain this stuff will propagate. There’s a hard stop at 8th-Gen in that progression. Because my X380 is of that specific generation, all I can say right now is: “The update hasn’t gotten there yet.”

I just tried all the methods that the QRM article from MS Learn recommends to get it working when it opens to the WinRE boot screen, instead of going through its paces. Nothing doing, just yet. I’ll keep trying, and I’ll keep reporting: stay tuned and you can know, too.

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QMR Wants Newer PCs

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I have to laugh at myself. I’ve been waiting since Quick Machine Repair (QMR) emerged in April 2024 for it to show up on my Beta Channel test PC. (KB5056862 first appeared on June 2 for Build 26200.5622.) Alas, I probably could have kept waiting much longer. That’s because my Beta Channel test PC is built around an 8th-Gen i7-8650U CPU. But it seems that QMR wants newer PCs to include them in this gradual rollout. Let me explain.

Why say: QMR Wants Newer PCs?

I switched the Lenovo ThinkStation P3 Ultra, with its 13th-Gen i9-13900 CPU, over to Beta Channel. As soon as I brought up Build 26120.4230, WU extended the KB5056862 update. You can see that item in the Update History for that machine as the lead-in image above, in fact. What’s going on here?

It’s often the case that boot-related stuff on gradual rollout starts with newer PCs. It only makes its way back to older machines once MS is convinced that it really works as it should. And indeed, I followed the step-by-step instructions for testing QMR on the P3 Ultra (with the afore-depicted KB installed) from MS Learn’s Quick Machine Recovery article. It worked just like they said it would, too.

Meanwhile, the X380 Remains on Hold…

The older X380 is still on the outside, looking in, waiting for MS to extend the Quick Machine recovery update its way. I think it will keep waiting for some time yet. But at least, I have now been able to run the utility and see how it works. I’ll be reporting that in detail for an upcoming ComputerWorld story that’s due for submission on June 25. Stay tuned, and I’ll provide a link when that story goes live.

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Still No Snapdragon X Mini-PCs

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I’m disappointed, and more than a little curious. Last year Qualcomm announced a pilot program offering developer kits with Snapdragon X CPU in a mini-PC format. I bought in, only to see the program cancelled. Then, I spent two months chasing my refund down. The lead-in graphic is a publicity still of that very device from Qualcomm itself. Other companies, including Lenovo and Geekom, announced plans to release SFF PCs built around this SoC in early 2025. Despite release dates floated for H1 2025, there are still no Snapdragon X mini-PCs for sale from anybody, anywhere. Nor do I see signs that any might appear in the market any time soon. Oops!

Why Still No Snapdragon X Mini-PCs?

My gut feeling is that the answer is, in an acronym, USB. As the Snapdragon X architecture currently stands, it supports only a single USB4 (40 Gbps) and one USB 3 gen 2 (10 Gbps) port. Charging on a mini PC could possibly leave the USB4 port open (TBD, with none such for sale right now). Even so, that’s too few high speed ports for the build to make good economic sense. Who wants to spend $500-700 (or more) on an SFF PC, only to plunk down another $200-300 for a USB4 or 5 dock to bring the port count up to where it needs to be?

I’m guessing that these projects are on hold while Qualcomm is defining its next-gen Snapdragon X architecture. I’m also guessing that the new version will include either 2 or 3 USB4 or 5 ports so that such units can support a more plausible number of high speed video and storage connections in a compact form factor. Especially on tiny PCs ports enable them to do what users need.

An Interesting Upcoming Snapdragon Summit?

Qualcomm is expected to uncover details about the next-gen Snapdragon X architecture and capabilities when the company holds its September Summit in Maui. I’m expected the current paucity of ports to be over topped. And possibly, a new crop of promised mini or SFF PCs could follow in its wake. It should be interesting to see how it all turns out.

I’m pretty sure at this point that we won’t see any SFF or mini PCs around the current Snapdragon X version. The only possible exception might be a low-ball, dirt-cheap model. OEMs may seek to produce some revenue from the efforts that have apparently been expended in trying to build this recalcitrant beast. I’m not holding my breath, however… Let’s hope the next generation is a different story, and has a happier ending!

 

 

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WinGet Source Winget Goes MIA

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This morning, I find myself in an interesting pickle. On about half the PCs in the mini-fleet here at Chez Tittel, the default source for WinGet came up “missing” this morning. You can see the evidence in the lead-in graphic, which shows winget missing from the list of available sources, and says it cannot find a source with that name.  Thus, when I say that WinGet source winget goes missing, I mean winget itself cannot find its usual default source, period. That’s a problem, because it means WinGet can’t access its basic package database to see if anything needs an update. Sigh.

Fixing WinGet Source Winget Goes MIA

There’s an “add” parameter for the WinGet source command that can fix this little disappearance — in most cases. If you check the next screencap, you’ll see it worked to bring back the default source on my Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Mobile Workstation, and subsequently shows a raft of seven (7) pending updates.

For most PCs, adding back the default source using the URL “https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache” does the trick.

But on one of my PCs (so far as I’ve checked right now) this doesn’t work. I get an error message instead, as shown here:

According to Google Search this error code indicates a DNS resolution issue with the URL string (which works on other, likewise-affected PCs). I’ve flushed the DNS cache and reset winsock, both to no avail. I’m not sure how to fix this, so I’ve posted a question to the WinGet community on Teams. Hopefully, one of the real wizards there will have some other fixes for me to try.

And… … … the day gets off to an interesting start, with a meaty mystery, here in Windows-World. This is my idea of fun, so I’m enoying it to the max! Stay tuned: I’ll follow up when a repair becomes known.

WinGet Teams Chat Provides a Fix!

I’ve been back-n-forthing with Demitrius Nelon, WinGet Team Lead, since posting this initial item. He had me look at some logs and try a few things. Here’s the magic incantation that fixed my problem on the X380 Yoga:

Winget source reset –force

As you can see in this closing screencap this did the trick:

This same command has come in handy before — such as fixing source update fail errors (read about that in this November 2024 post) — and will no doubt come in handy again. All I need to do is remember to use/try it!

 

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Disturbing Thunderbolt 5 Revelation

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I just read (and recommend) an interesting WinCentral story about the latest, emerging Thunderbolt standard from Intel — namely, Thunderbolt 5. It confirms my suspicions that laptop and PC makers have been slow to incorporate this technology in their products. Indeed, the story’s author, Cale Hunt, reports he’s found exactly ONE laptop with such capability: the Razer Blade 18 2024, whose weight, size and accoutrement position it as a gaming-oriented device. This disturbing Thunderbolt 5 revelation is offset only by increasing availability of new docking devices to get over this lack. But there’s a catch…

Disturbing Thunderbolt 5 Revelation
Comes with a Catch

What’s the catch? You can’t use Intel’s new Thunderbolt Share app unless at least one TB5 device in a PC-to-PC chain is licensed to use that software. That said, if you’re willing to spring US$300 (or more) to buy a TB5 dock you can use its license to link two otherwise unlicensed PCs together. Go figure!

So far, says Copilot, the range of TB5 capable docks includes:

  • OWC Thunderbolt 5 Dock – Features 11 ports, including three Thunderbolt 5 ports, USB-A, Ethernet, and SD card slots. Supports dual 6K or triple 8K displays.
  • Beelink Mate Mini – Designed for Mac Mini, offering Thunderbolt 5 connectivity and additional storage options.
  • CalDigit Element 5 Hub – A multi-port Thunderbolt 5 hub with nine ports, including Thunderbolt 5 / USB4 v2 connectivity.
  • Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock – Includes four Thunderbolt 5 ports, USB-A, Ethernet, and SD card slots, plus built-in SSD storage.
  • Kensington SD5000T5 EQ – A triple 4K docking station with 140W power delivery, three Thunderbolt 5 ports, and USB-A 3.2 Gen 2.

Of these, WinCentral author gives the Kensington model the nod for the best price/performance. I think I’m still waiting for CalDigit to release a TS5 model to replace its best-of-breed TS4 offering.

Where Is TB5 Going in the Marketplace?

Right now, the answer to that query has to be “Noplace fast.” I don’t see the latest version catching fire until more laptop makers start building TB5 ports into their devices, and licensing TB Share from Intel. I’m not holding my breath on that one…

I am, however, rebuilding an Asrock B250 mobo-based AMD 5800X PC and plan to include an Asus Thunderbolt EX5 adapter card. Its product page specifically claims Thunderbolt Share certification, so that unit should gain such capability. Then, I might learn something more about this stuff. When I do, I’ll share here so you can know, too. Right now, it’s still cloaked in mystery…

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