Category Archives: Insider stuff

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

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

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

Recent Rising Reclaimable Counts

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Recently, I’ve been noticing that Cumulative Updates (CUs) typically leave upwards of 10 or more reclaimable packages around, following installation. If my memory is any guide, numbers from 2-4 had been more typical until earlier this year. But recent rising reclaimable counts seem all too likely these days.

So I asked Copilot about it: “Why does dism /analyzecompo-nentstore find more reclaimable packages after CU updates recently?” Imagine my surprise when Copilot cited one of my very own blog posts in response as a potential source of “deeper insights.” Wow: that’s a shock to me!

Here’s what DISM told me after I updated Windows 11 24H2 to 26100.4202 last week: 10 packages reclaimable!

Why Rising Recent Reclaimable Counts?

When I check the component store using DISM /Get-Packages after recent CUs I see numerous staged and superseded items in the listing. These are what often gets cleaned up when a following DISM /StartComponentCleanup is run. Google AI says that  recent changes to “checkpoint cumulative updates” in 24H2 means that “Future updates then build incrementally from these checkpoints, leading to smaller downloads and potentially faster updates.” Looks like it means there are more and smaller items of this kind, rather than fewer and larger ones, as under the previous regime.

Thus, I think the phenomenon is real, and reflects a change in update approach and architecture. DISM dispatches these items pretty quickly (at least anecdotally more quickly than the older approach, in my own personal experience). So all in all, I’m inclined to find this a good thing.

It’s nice when incremental changes in Windows mean improvements in the general state of Windows-World itself. Today, that’s my story — and I’m sticking to it!

Note Added 6/7: A New Top Count!

I ran DISM /AnalyzeComponentStore on the X380 Yoga just now (running 24H2 Beta Channel Build 26120.4230). It reported a whopping 21 reclaimable packages, all of which vanish after running DISM /StartComponentCleanup. See this:

I’m inclined to take this as further validation of my thesis that CUs bring more (and smaller) packages for cleanup in their wake. What do you think?

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

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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Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

Prepping New 5800X Production PC

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Son Gregory went off to college in Fall 2022. He took a desktop PC with him. Next Fall, he’s off to LA for a film industry internship as his capstone semester. That desktop is now mine: that’s why I’m prepping “new” 5800X production PC with a few items on order.

The old Antec A201 case got too beat up in return shipment to remain usable. So here’s what I’m planning to recover from that unit for re-use in a refurbished build:

  • AMD Vermeer Ryzen 7 5800X CPU (8 cores, 16 threads)
  • Asrock B500 Extreme 4 (AM4) motherboard
  • 64 GB G.Skill/Hynix DDR4 3200 RAM
  • Storage
    • Sabrent Rocket Q 2TB (1.863 in Explorer) PCIe x3 SSD
    • Toshiba X300 8TB HDD
    • Hitachi/WD HGST 4TB HDD
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

Add-ons Prepping New 5800X Production PC

I know this is neither a bleeding edge nor a trailing edge system. I plan to get at least another 3-4 years out of it. So I’m spending just over US$300 to bring it completely up to snuff. Here’s what’s coming from Newegg next week:

  • NZXT H6 Flow Case (~US$110): should give me plenty of room for my drives and peripherals with good ventilation and looks
  • ASUS ThunderboltEX 5 adapter (~US$173) will give me USB5 capability and access to Intel Thunderbolt Share

I’ve also got a 2TB PCIe x4 SSD in one of my higher-end enclosures — it’s a Crucial P3 that may find a home in the unused M.2 slot if that configuration works. I don’t know yet if using two HDDs may occlude too many SATA ports to leave room for both SSD slots.

What’s To Do, Meanwhile?

Gregory hadn’t cleaned the case for its three-year Boston residency. So I need to open it up, cleaning as I go, so I can get the parts ready for their new home in the NZXT case. Who knows what else I’ll find in the unit, once I get it unbuttoned? Good thing I’ve got a nice little shop vac I keep around just for cleaning up PCs and such.

Stay tuned! I’ll report back when all the parts show up and I put this puppy together. Should be fun…

 

 

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Insider stuff, Recent Activity, USB devices, WED Blog, Windows 11

Windows 11 24H2 Makes USB4 Mandatory

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I have to chuckle, just a little. Last Friday (May 30) MS released a Tech Community blog post that changes the latest Windows 11 Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP) requirements. I’m chuckling, because this change attaches to a 2024 version and it’s already half-way past 2025 (or nearly; and it’s almost 8 months after this OS went public on October 1, 2024). Whereas providing USB-C ports with leading edge capabilities had previously been optional for OEMs, Windows 11 24H2 makes USB4 mandatory, starting now.

It’s about time. Modern USB4 capable USB-C ports support fast charging, high bandwidth, and better display connections. Indeed, these connections help justify PC upgrades simply because such new devices can do more, faster than old ones.

Why Windows 11 24H2 Makes USB4 Mandatory

The lead-in graphic for this blog post is cribbed from the afore-linked Tech Community blog post. It shows why USB4 is preferable (and now, required) for the most modern Windows 11 iteration, namely:

  • Faster data speeds (bidirectional 40 Gbps for USB4v1, 80 Gpbs for USB4v2 aka USB5; USB5 can go 120 Gbps down, 40 Gbps up in some implementations)
  • Higher levels of accessory power (over 15W for laptops, docks and PCs; over 7.5W for tablets; most modern devices readily handle from 60-100W)
  • Dual 4K monitors at 60Hz, with higher numbers of monitors and refresh rates for USB5 vs USB4v1
  • PCI Express support through USB4 ports (both versions)
  • Thunderbolt 3 compatibility (both versions, USB5 is always Thunderbolt 4 compatible, some USB4v1 versions likewise)

All I can say about this recent change is that it’s something MS should have pushed through long ago. IMO, making it an OEM requirement for 24H2 from the get-go would have been good.

Better late than later is also good. And it means we can expect U4B4 baked into WHCP for 25H2 when it comes along. Is it too much to hope that MS might bump that up to USB4v2/Thunderbolt 4? I guess we’ll be finding out. Stay tuned, with fingers crosssed!

FWIW, this could address my long-standing buffuddlement that Copilot+ PCs did not require USB4 (or higher) in their PC requirements. Looks like this has now become a solid requirement. Good stuff!

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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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Insider stuff, Networking, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 10, Windows 11

Playing Windows Catch-up Post OOO

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OOO is, of course, a common abbreviation for “out of office.” I just returned from a family visit to Alexandria, VA, late Tuesday night, after attending a family wedding. Thus, for the past couple days I’m playing Windows catch-up post OOO on my mini-fleet of 10 PCs. Of those, 5 are desktops, and 5 are laptops in what I think is a common SOHO distro. It’s been a bit of an adventure, but by no means a real trial. Let me explain…

Deets on Playing Windows Catch-up Post OOO

If you look at the output from Advanced IP Scanner for my LAN, you can see all the currently active nodes there. Some items are routers or WAPs, others include TV sets, printers,  iDevices, smart thermostats and so forth. Note: I use Private IP addresses in the C range, which makes this stuff opaque from the outside. FWIW, Spectrum does a pretty good job of blocking scanning and intrusion attempts on their coax network, too.

Here’s the regime I’ve been running to make all my PCs current:

  • Run WU, apply updates, reboot as needed.
  • Run WinGet upgrade –all –include-unknown to update local apps for which it has package info in its database
  • Run PatchMyPC Home Updater to update local apps it handles that WinGet does not
  • Run vendor update elements for their contributions — e.g. Lenovo Vantage, Dell Command Update, Intel Driver and Support Assistant (DSA), and so forth

Total time required for the whole shebang for 10 PCs is about 2.5-3.0 hours altogether, including walking up to those PCs to light them up for those few not WOL (Wake on LAN) enabled.

What a Typical Week Away Brings the Fleet

Here’s what I observed for the various items mentioned across my collection of devices, all purchased in 2018 or later (except my primary desktop, which I’ll finally be replacing in June, now that our second X5800/B250 PC is home from Boston for good):

  • Given that the second (optional/preview) WU cycle hit while I was gone, about 60-70% of the PCs got a CU. Some handled them automatically on their own, others I had to run and/or restart manually (depends on configuration, not Microsoft).
  • For the majority of PCs, WinGet updates numbered from 3 to 7; one outlier needed 9 (but I hadn’t touched for a while before going OOO).
  • PatchMyPC found an average of 3-plus updates, and varied from 3 to 5.
  • Intel DSA offered new BlueTooth, Wi-Fi and Wired Ethernet drivers as it seems to do, two or more times a month, like clockwork.

All in all, it wasn’t too bad. Things are all caught up now. Glad to be back in the saddle, with all my gear clean and shiny, and ready to ride. Yesterday and today were both good days in Windows-World, with no snags worthy of note to report. Boring is good, sometimes!

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Time Server Selection Gradual Rollout

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Here we go again. I get back to the office after a week away, to learn that time server selection is moving from Control Panel to Settings in Dev and Beta Channel releases. But, there’s a pretty typical time server selection gradual rollout underway. And guess what: my Beta Channel test PC, as usual, is not in the vanguard of those being offered that update. That’s a distressingly familiar phenom, for yours truly.

What Happens During Time Server Selection Gradual Rollout?

According to Sergey  Tkachenko (via an X post from @PhantomofEarth) at WinAero, those Beta or Dev Channel images with this facility will see it show up in the ability to expand the Sync Now entry in Settings > Time & language > Data & Time under the Additional settings heading there. As you can see in the lead-in graphic, the X380 Yoga (my Beta Channel test PC) shows no caret to expand that Sync now entry. That means I haven’t caught any such update just yet.

When it shows up at some point in the future that PC will be able to select a time server for syncing under the Settings umbrella. For the time being, however, that PC must still use the Date and Time widget from control panel, Internet Time Settings tab, Configure Internet time settings subwindow, like so:

Until I get some new cumulative update (CU) or a new Beta version with the right facility, I’ll be using this tool to choose my default time server for synching up. It’s nice to know that MS is moving yet another capability from the old Control Panel environment into settings. It’s less nice to understand my test PC hasn’t yet made that grade. But shoot! That’s definitely the way things go in Windows-World from time to time, especially for your humble correspondent. Sigh.

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Cool Tools, Insider stuff, Microsoft 365, Recent Activity, Troubleshooting, WED Blog

Outlook .DOCX Files Won’t Open

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Here’s a pretty pickle. My most-used professional writing tool is MS Word, and I’m an Outlook user, too. A couple of days ago, I noticed that sent as attachments to Outlook .DOCX files won’t open. The first time it happened: I thought: “Corruption.” The second time, I thought: “Hmmmm. Something is up.” The third time, I KNEW “Time for Office repairs.”

Over the years I’ve written about fixing MS Office when it breaks or gets weird. You can find both 2021 and 2024 versions of such a story at ComputerWorld: 5 Steps to Repair Microsoft Office. [Note: the link is to the current version, natch.]

When Outlook .DOCX Files Won’t Open, Then What?

MS Office is a big, complex program. Occasionally it can have problems, sometimes small ones, sometimes big. To deal with such stuff MS has thoughtfully — and thankfully — built repair tools into the application installer environment.

Visit Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and look for your version of Office (in my case it’s named “Microsoft apps for enterprise – en-us”). Click on that entry, then click the Modify button. That produces the repair options presented in the lead-in graphic, with “Quick Repair” selected by default. QR uses local files to re-install and reset MS Office. Most of the time it fixes things.

This time, it did not, so I went back to that repair window and selected “Online Repair” instead. This downloads a fresh copy of all necessary files from MS servers, and does a clean re-install and reset instead. Perforce, it takes longer to do its thing (about 5-6 minutes for quick, and double that for online, on  my 2014 vintage i7 Skylake desktop).

But hey! The Online Repair worked. As soon as it completed, I opened Outlook, and grabbed the most recent message with a .DOCX attachment. This time, instead of throwing an error message saying it couldn’t read the file, it opened it up and let me get to work. Just what I was hoping would happen.

Sometimes, things in Windows-World come to a happy ending. This was such a time, and I’m glad. Huzzah!

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