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My favorite keyboard is the one on an IBM Selectric  typewriter! (Or a Xerox Memorywriter.) Yep. And I know of no way to adapt one for use with any kind of computer, from the old DOS machines to the latest hardware.

What I like about these old contraptions is the way the keys were stepped, on different levels, not merely on a tilted base. Having learnt to type on an archaic Smith-Corona, I have not ever been able to get used to PC-style keyboards. For god’s sake even old keypunch machine keyboards were stepped, not merely tilted. I realize they would be impractical for a laptop, but why can’t an enterprising manufacturer give a stepped keyboard a try?

I’m not kidding. This post is not a joke. I just cannot type as well on a modern keyboard as on one of the old-style stepped keyboards!

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Will Fastie, Cybertooth, Renee, rpetruzz

Agree with Susan absolutely. I have an older HP laptop that came with WIN 8. I upgraded it to WIN 10 and am left with an OEM partition (with the WIN 8 backup) that I emptied out but which prevents me from expanding my C: partition.  Microsoft should have provided a mechanism for recycling the OEM partition in conjuction with the upgrading process. (I have newer hardware, as well, that came equipped with WIN 10, but the older one is preferred on trips as it would be no great loss if swiped or worse.)

If WuMgr is an “alternate method” then just what happens to Windows Update in Settings? Does WuMgr render WU inoperable?

Say one wants to hide a particular update for a month or two, then after the bugs have been repaired to the update one wishes to install it, will it be hidden or available in Windows Update or does one have to return to WuMgr to unhide it first and then install it from there?

In other, words does WuMgr clobber Windows Update or do they remain operable side by side? If Auto Update is unchecked in WuMgr, does Widows Update show updates “paused?” If Auto Update is checked, will an update show up in WU?

w

I also received an update from Dell for my Dimension 8900 a few days ago, which definitely included an update for the “BIOS.” Actually, I read about this issue a couple of days ago, but did not get around to reporting it here. Nonetheless, I plan to check manually for updates for the next few days–past the “by May 10” Dell fix promise date. (I’m too lazy to check out the status of the culprit file.)

Here is a suggestion for an improvement:

Place the link(s) for “older entries” and “newer entries” on top of each page as well as at the bottom of each page. I almost always read the posts oldest to newest–especially if I have not visited the site for a day or two or more. If read that way, then upon reaching the newest post on a page one must return to the bottom of the page to switch to newer entries. With the links at both the top and bottom of each page, there would be no extra step involved in switching pages, whichever way one chooses to read entries on the site.

I suggested this change to Woody quite a while ago and he thought it is an excellent idea.

So far all changes look great!

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KWGuy, jburk07, Will Fastie

Having installed the updated Dymo fixes, I am in no hurry to update Windows until DEFCON-1 status is revoked. Per my usual practice, I will not allow WIN to update until just before April’s updates are released. Incidentally, I had not previously noted that I am on 2004=20H1.

For now I will only repeat an observation I mentioned to Susan when commenting on her update survey. Can you imagine what the consequences would be if everyone owning any kind of Buick or Toyota automobile had to bring it in to a dealer every month, month after month, year after year, to ensure it would run trouble-free for the next 30 days? That is, until it ran into an EOL?  By what act of legal legerdemain are Microsoft allowed to get away with it? Someone, somewhere years and years ago should have pursued legal (or legislative?) action to hold them accountable for demonstrably defective merchandise! By their own admission!

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Cybertooth

Well, since I very well may be the “Mikey” who first reported problems with Dymo software at Ask Woody last week, here is the latest from Dymo, as reported at post #2351377.

Dymo is now offering new versions of its software that will solve the BSOD issue in most instances. Here is notice from their download website–

“The latest Windows update has caused some issues with printing from our software. Our team has been able to fix the issue of printing blank labels from our DYMO Connect and DYMO Label Software by introducing a new update. In order to run the latest software update, please open DYMO Connect, click “Help” > “Check for Updates” and download the latest version. Alternatively, you can download the newest version of our software here. In order to download the latest DYMO Label software update click here.

Please be informed that the update did not fix the issue of printing blank labels from our latest versions of DYMO ID (XTL). You can still use our software, if you follow the instructions here.”

I have installed the new versions of the software, but since I am observing the DEFCON-1 update protocol, I still have not allowed any of the March security updates to install, so I cannot test Dymo’s fixes. If they work, is there then no need to install Microsoft’s fixes?

Dymo is now offering new versions of its software that will solve the BSOD issue in most instances. Here is notice from their download website–

“The latest Windows update has caused some issues with printing from our software. Our team has been able to fix the issue of printing blank labels from our DYMO Connect and DYMO Label Software by introducing a new update. In order to run the latest software update, please open DYMO Connect, click “Help” > “Check for Updates” and download the latest version. Alternatively, you can download the newest version of our software here. In order to download the latest DYMO Label software update click here.

Please be informed that the update did not fix the issue of printing blank labels from our latest versions of DYMO ID (XTL). You can still use our software, if you follow the instructions here.”

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Travasaurus

The reason you had no problem to begin with probably is because you may have been using an older version of the Dymo software, which was not affected by the March 2021 Windows update. Recall that Dymo’s workaround was to install an older version of the DYMO Label software.

[MikeyD215]

I purchased a Dymo LabelWriter 450 Turbo a couple of days ago and got around to installing it hours ago. When I went to the Dymo website to register the product and download the Dymo software the following message was displayed atop their website:

“DYMO Software compatibility issues with Microsoft Windows Update.

The latest version of DYMO Connect and DYMO Label Software is not compatible with Microsoft’s recent Windows update and consumers may have user experience issues. Please follow the instructions available here to solve the issue of printing blank labels.
Thank you for your understanding and our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused.”

The solution is either (1) uninstall the March Win10 update, or (2) uninstall the latest version of the Dymo software and install an earlier version, a link for which is provided. Even though I had not installed the Win10 update (we are in Defcon-1, after all).  I downloaded and installed the older Dymo version. I then successfully printed out a label.

Now I don’t know what would have happened had I installed the March update to Win 10 Pro (2004) and the newer Dymo software version. Does “user experience issues” mean a BSOD? I dunno. But you can add Dymo to the list of printers experiencing issues caused by the update.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by MikeyD215.

Earlier today I followed the instructions in the article that you linked and so far so good. It turned out that the new user  folder was useless. First I changed the name of of the “renamed” user folder to user.OLD, signed out and signed back in again. Sure enough it was signing in from the original user folder.

The folder with the “rename” was thus superfluous. Next I followed the instructions in the article and was surprised to discover that the “renamed” user had no SID number. So, if changing a user account name via settings/control panel, a new SID is NOT being created, even though a new (useless) user folder will be. Hmm, intentional or oversight?

I fixed the entry in the reg and then used Explorer to change the name of the former user folder to the new name, signed out of the admin account and successfully signed in to the renamed account without a hitch. Now I will hold off for a few days before deleting the redundant user folder until it is reasonably clear that everything is working as it should.

Then I’ll proceed with the imaging, which is what initiated this exercise. Thanks for the tip!

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b

The screenshots in this article no longer appear.

Here is what I do to ensure I have backups for extra folders I have created myself that are not sub-folders under the “default” folders: Turn on File History and then manually add your own folders to the list. File History is separate from the Windows Backup and Restore routine under discussion here, but it is available to backup any kind of folder you want in addition to the “default” folders.

Better still it backs up any file that shows up as soon as it is saved without waiting for a formal backup to occur. For example, I have created a folder “Installation Archive,” divided into sub-folders where I store installation files, hot fixes, .reg files, .iso files, fonts, icons, documentation, etc. Clearly, I could have accomplished the same by utilizing the Downloads folder, but it is a carryover from a structure I had created originally under Win-XP and which I view as a warehouse. It doesn’t matter if it is not included in the backup under discussion here, because I can retrieve files or entire folders from File History.

I disabled EaseUS on startup, rebooted and tried to use WIN 10 backup to create an image again. It worked!

So either it was the disablement or the reboot or both. Or a cranky backup effort previously? But all set now. Let’s see what happens next Sunday night when the next automatically scheduled backup runs. Incidentally, I also use file history on same external drive, along with WIN-10 file backup. OS and programs all on SSD C:\ drive, all data files on HDD D:\ drive. Am planning to use a second external drive henceforth, as well, which is why I added EaseUS backup.

Thanks for your advice. I figured I would give it one more try to see if I could get an error message that would provide more information.

My system was set up to create an image and file backup to an external drive every Sunday night. However, just this past Sunday after it ran I got an error message that the image creation had failed. I tried to run it manually and it failed again. Even though it appeared that the drive was less than half full I deleted several older file backup sets and tried again. The image failed again. Now in the past week I did install EaseUs ToDo backup, as a backup alternative, but I had not used it yet (though it is running upon startup.)

Could it be interfering with the WIN-10 Backup image creation?

Does anyone have any suggestions?