Window's Weaknesses

Porthos · Oct 17, 2023

Twangbuster007 said:
Get real boys and girls...Sloppy programming engenders sloppy, unreliable outcomes. It might work some of the time for some of the people some of the time...as for the others?...You get my drift.

Do you still have all of the Dell factory junk still installed? Amazing how removing all of it or doing an actual clean install makes a difference in Windows. This goes for ALL OEM preinstalled utilities.

hsehestedt · Oct 17, 2023

My take is a little bit different...

If you had the same issue on Windows 10 and you performed an upgrade to Windows 11 rather than a clean install, then you may have simply kept whatever was already wrong in Windows 10. Remember that when doing an upgrade Windows attempts to maintain your current settings and configuration where possible. For this reason, I always suggest only performing an upgrade when everything is running properly on your system before the upgrade.

That said, here are some things to check:

1) Make sure that ALL of these settings are correct: Your regional settings, your time zone, your local time (within a few minutes of correct time).

2) Try resetting the Microsoft Store cache

Reset and Clear Microsoft Store Cache in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to clear and reset the Microsoft Store cache for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Microsoft redesigned the Microsoft Store from the ground up in Windows 11, making space for more content, keeping the user experience simple and responsive. It will help...

www.elevenforum.com

3) Try going into Settings > Apps > Installed Apps > Microsoft Store > Click on "..." > Advanced options > Under Reset try either the Repair or Reset options.

As for the lockscreen issue, I would need a little more information. Could you provide a little bit more detail on this? For example, what behavior are you expecting to see and what exactly is happening or not happening? What do you observe instead of the expected behavior?

Twangbuster007 · Oct 17, 2023

Yes...would like to use dynamic theme...except I can't get into the Microsoft Store! As far as installing Windows being "labor intensive" you are correct. It is automated....until you have to spend hours reinstalling programs and Apps. I haven't tried the option that keeps your programs and data. Are there many reconfigurations required after doing that type of reinstallation?

kelper · Oct 17, 2023

Twangbuster007 said:
Yes...would like to use dynamic theme...except I can't get into the Microsoft Store! As far as installing Windows being "labor intensive" you are correct. It is automated....until you have to spend hours reinstalling programs and Apps. I haven't tried the option that keeps your programs and data. Are there many reconfigurations required after doing that type of reinstallation?

no

TraderGary · Oct 17, 2023

FWIW, here's how I work:

I do a clean install a couple of times a year because I like to keep a clean, fast computer. From start to finish a clean install takes well under an hour, including reinstalling my programs and data.

I subscribe to Microsoft 365, so my Microsoft Office reinstalls automatically, and I have 1 Terabyte of cloud OneDrive. All my data is kept in OneDrive, so as soon as I log in to Windows, all my data is instantly there. My Adobe subscription to Photoshop/Lightroom is an automatic install. My Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation installs quickly as all my configurations are kept on Interactive Brokers computers. The apps that I install from the Microsoft Store are always ready to go when I need them. I open my Microsoft Store Library and there they all are! I really am up and running with what I use to work in less than an hour.

During installation, I'm using my 2nd computer. I'm never down. Both of my computers connect to OneDrive, so all my data is always completely up to date on both computers in real-time. I can transparently move from one computer to the other.

hsehestedt · Oct 17, 2023

TraderGary said:
FWIW, here's how I work:

I do a clean install a couple of times a year because I like to keep a clean, fast computer. From start to finish a clean install takes well under an hour, including reinstalling my programs and data.

I subscribe to Microsoft 365, so my Microsoft Office reinstalls automatically, and I have 1 Terabyte of cloud OneDrive. All my data is kept in OneDrive, so as soon as I log in to Windows, all my data is instantly there. My Adobe subscription to Photoshop/Lightroom is an automatic install. My Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation installs quickly as all my configurations are kept on Interactive Brokers computers. The apps that I install from the Microsoft Store are always ready to go when I need them. I open my Microsoft Store Library and there they all are! I really am up and running with what I use to work in less than an hour.

During installation, I'm using my 2nd computer. I'm never down. Both of my computers connect to OneDrive, so all my data is always completely up to date on both computers in real-time. I can transparently move from one computer to the other.

Fantastic! See, you have a well thought out plan for reinstalling Windows. Having a plan makes all the difference in the world. There are many who only make a plan on the fly when disaster strikes, but having a plan like this makes things so much easier.

Look, I get it. I realize that many will not want to dive in like this or may simply not have the expertise to figure out all the details involved. But for them, it's still a good idea to have a plan, even if that plan is just to start off by restoring a backup.

The point is simply to have some sort of a plan, even if only a simple one, so that you don't have to struggle later.

Scott · Oct 17, 2023

Click the start menu and type system information open the app and fill these in. Enquiring minds want to know...

antspants · Oct 17, 2023

TraderGary said:
FWIW, here's how I work:

I do a clean install a couple of times a year because I like to keep a clean, fast computer. From start to finish a clean install takes well under an hour, including reinstalling my programs and data.

I subscribe to Microsoft 365, so my Microsoft Office reinstalls automatically, and I have 1 Terabyte of cloud OneDrive. All my data is kept in OneDrive, so as soon as I log in to Windows, all my data is instantly there. My Adobe subscription to Photoshop/Lightroom is an automatic install. My Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation installs quickly as all my configurations are kept on Interactive Brokers computers. The apps that I install from the Microsoft Store are always ready to go when I need them. I open my Microsoft Store Library and there they all are! I really am up and running with what I use to work in less than an hour.

During installation, I'm using my 2nd computer. I'm never down. Both of my computers connect to OneDrive, so all my data is always completely up to date on both computers in real-time. I can transparently move from one computer to the other.

It’s good you have a planned install. It helps a lot. I have a long list I follow religiously. Yet the difference is, I have a lot of software I rely on, mainly graphics related. It can take me at least a day to setup properly, 2 days if I am pedantic and also take decent breaks, plus life happens in between. Everybody's software cache (and tweaks) are different.

Twangbuster007 · Oct 17, 2023

Just an Update: I finally got into the Microsoft Store App. I tried to install, as suggested, 'Dynamic Theme.' Looks like a pretty good app. But as you can see in the image it is stuck with the wheel turning around for over 2 hours now. Considering my Infinity-Ethernet connection is rock solid one can only assume that this is a problem with the Microsoft Servers...basically not serving their customers. Blaming the user for this kind of problem is truly ridiculous. Check Google: There are many posts about issues accessing the store and its Apps...as there are regarding Windows Spotlight and Lockscreen issues. I don't understand why this support group is so bent on absolving Microsoft of responsibility. I mean is this help group here to really support the user when faced with problems, or to support the company itself? Sometimes I wonder!

antspants · Oct 17, 2023

Twangbuster007 said:
I don't understand why this support group is so bent on absolving Microsoft of responsibility. I mean is this help group here to really support the user when faced with problems, or to support the company itself. Sometimes I wonder!

No call for you to be insulting members here.

lintek214 · Nov 15, 2023

antspants said:
I buy a brand new laptop, windows works pretty much flawlessly. I start adding software/apps/adjustments… I’m in for a ride.

Yup. That's why I have not installed anything on my new Lenovo Slim 3 15IRU8. Not even Adobe Reader.

I did remove some of the bloatware, but I'm operating pretty much an out-of-box laptop.
So far, I received a few patches from MS and nothing has broken. Life is good.
I'm holding off the manual install of 23H2. At some point it will install without me pushing the button. No worries.

hsehestedt · Nov 15, 2023

lintek214 said:
Yup. That's why I have not installed anything on my new Lenovo Slim 3 15IRU8. Not even Adobe Reader.
I did remove some of the bloatware, but I'm operating pretty much an out-of-box laptop.
So far, I received a few patches from MS and nothing has broken. Life is good.
I'm holding off the manual install of 23H2. At some point it will install without me pushing the button. No worries.

Why not use a staged approach with testing?

For example, start by making an image backup. Add an app and test it. Make sure everything is working well. If you have a problem, revert to your image backup. Repeat for additional apps, maybe making a new image backup every once in a while, so that you don't have to go all the way back to the start if something goes wonky.

When done, hold on to the backups for a few days until you are completely comfortable with the operation of the system.

idgat · Nov 15, 2023

Twangbuster007 said:
Just an Update: I finally got into the Microsoft Store App. I tried to install, as suggested, 'Dynamic Theme.' Looks like a pretty good app. But as you can see in the image it is stuck with the wheel turning around for over 2 hours now. Considering my Infinity-Ethernet connection is rock solid one can only assume that this is a problem with the Microsoft Servers...basically not serving their customers. Blaming the user for this kind of problem is truly ridiculous. Check Google: There are many posts about issues accessing the store and its Apps...as there are regarding Windows Spotlight and Lockscreen issues. I don't understand why this support group is so bent on absolving Microsoft of responsibility. I mean is this help group here to really support the user when faced with problems, or to support the company itself? Sometimes I wonder!

Blaming the user in this case is fully justified. Nothing posted by the OP so far gives any support to a problem with Windows, there's too much evidence so far of user unfamiliarity and inexperience.

The days of click-and-it-will-happen are over, owning a computer is no longer a passive endeavour, it's a very active user participant understanding experience. And if users continue to expect that everything will just happen they will lose the enjoyment. Expecting a one response one sentence "Do this ..." fix from a forum just ain't gone work.

pparks1 · Nov 15, 2023

Twangbuster007 said:
I don't understand why this support group is so bent on absolving Microsoft of responsibility. I mean is this help group here to really support the user when faced with problems, or to support the company itself? Sometimes I wonder!

Well, you do realize that we are not Microsoft, nor are we affiliated with Microsoft in any way? We are simply here as enthusiasts and windows users who like to try to help others with their problems. We have no more insight than you.

Second, there are many of us here, but doesn't appear to be many having issues similar to yours. I know that my systems are working quite well, both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Clearly if there was a magic powershell command or button that I, or others, could tell you to push to fix your problems we would. When we cannot see or duplicate a problem, it makes it next to impossible to try to come up with solutions.

What I would do is this
#1). Either in a VM, or installing Windows on a vhdx file on your drive (thus setting up a simple dual boot) install Windows 11 cleanly and see if you immediately have the problem. Come back to us and let us know the results. This is something any of us here could do alongside with you if we can reproduce the problem.

If you want to do the vhdx setup thing (it's really super easy, with no real risk). Here are your steps.

mkdir D:\win11-vhdx

Open Disk Management
Action > Create VHD, ensure you do a VHDX file;. I put mine in D:\win11-vhdx
I created a 100GB fixed disk
Right click on this new disk and initialize as GPT, and give it a drive letter ( I used drive F)

Mount Windows 11 iso (I used drive g)
Open cmd as admin
G:
cd sources
dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:G:\sources\install.wim (Get index of version you wish to install, I'm installing Windows 11 Pro which is index 6)
dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:G:\sources\install.wim /index:6 /ApplyDir:F:\

Make a boot entry for Windows
bcdboot F:\Windows /d (the /d says to leave your current default boot entry intact, so it will still boot to the native windows install on your machine)