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Thanks Susan.

I’ve found the simplest (and for the feint of heart the safest) way of handling KB5034441  is to allow one attempt at installing it along with the other updates, and then, when everything else is completed but that one has failed, to renew the Pause on updates for another 35 days. No point attempting a retry. That leaves it for another month.

Like Geo, I shall revert to using 0patch Pro who have done a good job with  W7.

However, given the likely high retention level with W10, and the higher profile that 0patch will have this time around, it wouldn’t surprise me if MS ended up either extending W10’s life or else dropping its ESU pricing for consumers so as to be more competitive with 0patch.

I certainly see no reason at all to embrace W11. That could change, of course, but I’d be surprised if it did.

“only cumulative monthly security updates will continue”

Yes please! Bring it on! And not just for Windows 11!

I’ve installed the January updates on both my desktop PCs this weekend. Both machines run W10 version 22H2 but they’re of varying age and specs. Neither installed KB5034441 despite a retry, and with the other updates installed successfully I simply paused updates on both machines until March, by which time hopefully MS will have sorted things out.

How do we know if we have a recovery partition, and if so what size it is? Similarly, how do we know if we have BitLocker?

I have 2 desktop PCs with Windows 10 ver 22H2, one was upgraded from Windows 7 and is a Home edition (presumably without Bitlocker), the other is a new machine supplied with Windows 10 pre-installed as a Pro edition.

I’m totally lost as to what I need to do if anything, other than wait until my update pause expires early next month.

Surely this update should be pulled until MS have fixed it. Yes this may mean there’s a risk to some by not installing it, but there seems to be a greater threat to many by installing it.

Can someone please remind us what the problem is if you have Copilot installed on a home desktop running Windows 10?

It appeared on one of mine with the October updates, or at least it was at some point between installing those and the November ones that I noticed a new icon on the top right side of Edge and found it was Copilot. I’ve ignored it ever since and haven’t experienced anything associated with it. Is it harmless if ignored?

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KWGuy

I’d been using my main computer for gaming and had just switched it off but left it on at the mains. I was sat at my second computer alongside it when there was a loud bang and sticky brown goo emerged from under the main computer and spread across the desk towards me. It wrecked the motherboard, memory chips and processor. The machine was 3 weeks inside the warranty so I was lucky in that respect,  although I think it also contributed to the failure of the graphics card just a few months later.

There had been a recall of machines with a specific  batch of the coolers used at that time but when I had asked if they wanted my machine back I was assured it wasn’t in the batch – I suspect that was wrong! The recall was due to a manufacturing fault in that when the pipe was made some filings weren’t properly cleaned out and with the machine in use they moved around the cooler until they got caught up together and blocked it.

In fairness, this was some 12 years ago, and while it has put me off liquid coolers for life I have  been assured here (by our esteemed Editor I think) that they have improved a lot since then!

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TaskForce141, TechTango

I have two desktops at home, and have never used sleep or hibernate because I’ve always read that they don’t work reliably. Also, I turn both computers and monitors off at night or if I’m going out for more than say half an hour.  I was brought up not to leave unnecessary appliances on when they are not being attended because of the fire risk, and that continues to represent the UK Fire Service’s advice today. I’m certainly glad that I was around when my computer’s liquid cooler blew a few years ago.

I used to use screensavers but they caused problems sometimes and I haven’t used them for years. Similarly I used to turn the monitors off when they were the kind that resulted in static images being burnt onto the screen, but these days I leave them on all the time I have the computers on.

The one issue I have coming up is the forced switchover from a landline phone plugged into the wall socket with Virgin Media’s form of VOIP which will mean plugging the phone into the modem which will then have to be left on 24/7 whereas I have always switched it off with the computers. This switchover is due to take place throughout the UK by the end of next year (meaning the end of local telephone exchanges) and I am gradually getting used to leaving the modem on if I go out during the day in an attempt to wean me off my old habits – but it still goes off at night!

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TaskForce141

I’ve tried various email clients over the years, including currently eM Client. None of them comes close to Windows Live Mail for me.

I do have to say tho that I had a smile just now when I saw that Microsoft had sent an email promoting a new look for Outlook. They sent it to my Outlook account which  had put it straight in the junk folder…

I don’t think I’ve ever had a hard drive fail as such, rather I’ve had the contents of a hard drive totally messed up by a Windows update (according to the technician who dealt with it for me). This was part of a home desktop with the only important stuff backed up so it didn’t cause me any major worries.

I’m intrigued by the reports of using a freezer to produce a temporary fix for an ailing hard drive. My main concern is always when the freezer fails, as I don’t have any backups for the frozen food! That actually happened just a few months ago, but happily family and neighbours came to the rescue and were able to look after the contents while I ordered the next day delivery of a replacement. It was a reminder that it isn’t just computers that fail, we all have a lot of other appliances that can be just as problematic when they fail and just as expensive to replace, if not more so.

Some want to do their civic duty, but the problem is that it can be pretty interrupting to normal life. I did have a good reason to get out of it one time – I was giving expert evidence in another hearing that day!

Heaven forbid that anyone should ever think of taking notes with pen and paper!

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SueW, Cybertooth, Myst

I’ve just ordered a new gaming desktop to replace my existing main one, and I decided to pay extra for a Windows 10 Pro OS (they didn’t have Home available) in preference to a Windows 11 Home OS. Windows 11 offers me nothing I do want and quite a lot I don’t want, while Windows 10 does everything well and the lack of any more feature updates is a positive attraction. When it reaches end of support in a couple of years time then assuming that isn’t further extended because of the large market share for Windows 10 then I’ll almost certainly have the option to subscribe to 0patch which continues to do a good job protecting my Windows 7 machine.

I ordered the new machine from one of the UK’s top suppliers of custom-built machines, and interestingly after the assistant handling my order had read the usual stuff about Windows 11 versus Windows 10 he confirmed that he too had recently decided to stick with Windows 10 for his new machine.

My two desktop PCs. I use them for routine home admin stuff along with the usual browsing and  emails etc, but their primary use is for my gaming hobby.

The other favourite thing is something that was installed on my mobile phone as we began to worry about the impending first Covid lockdown, namely WhatsApp. I wouldn’t be without it these days, it’s so useful for keeping in daily touch with the rest of the family and to a lesser but just as useful way with friends too.

I  have only experienced liquid cooling with one desktop purchased some 13 years ago, and in which the liquid cooler blew – fortunately just a few weeks before the warranty expired.

The computer wasn’t even on when the liquid cooler blew, I had been using it but had turned it off although it was still powered on at the wall socket. I was sitting at my other machine adjoining it when I heard a massive bang and a horrid brown mess started advancing across my computer desk from under the offending machine.

It destroyed the motherboard, CPU and memory chips, all of which were replaced under the warranty along with the cooler which was replaced with an air cooler. I suspect it was also instrumental in the failure of the graphics card only a short time later. I’ve had no problems with the air cooler since then, and only the graphics card has needed further replacing/upgrading in that time.  I shan’t be using liquid coolers again!