What you should know about Windows to Go

Program Manager prevents proper Win10 shutdown

Some users are reporting that “Program Manager” — a tool absent from Windows since the 1990s — is somehow preventing correct shutdowns in Windows 10!

Plus: Does local encryption protect files against ransomware? And a new Win10 “expired license” scam is making the rounds, trapping the unwary.

Can’t shut down Win10 due to “Program Manager”

Reader Pedro wrote in with a problem that was, at least initially, extremely puzzling.

• “When I turn off my PC, a message pops up warning that “Program Manager” is preventing Win10 from shutting down. I’m given several choices: Force Shutdown, Cancel, or Close Program Manager and try again.

  “I have been through the various Windows and Tech forums — but none helped.

  “What’s the problem and what do I need to do to remove it from my laptop?”

This question brought me up short at first. Windows used to have a component called “Program Manager,” but that was way back in version 3.x (early 1990’s)!

When I searched online for an answer, I found that quite a few people were reporting the same issue. I wondered if Microsoft had recently resurrected the old name and given it to some component of Win10, perhaps in the Anniversary Update.

But the answer turned out to be much simpler than that. Some current third-party apps include their own Program Manager; one that has nothing to do with the old Windows program of the same name. These non-Microsoft versions aren’t part of Windows, they manage only whatever third-party software they came with.

One common example: Some Logitech devices and software (programmable mice, keyboards, Logitech’s SetPoint utility, and so forth) have a “Program Manager” component.

So the “Program Manager” that’s preventing your shutdown isn’t a Windows problem at all. Rather, it’s caused by some third-party application.

Here’s the fix:

(The first three steps are “just in case” safety measures; optional, but highly recommended.)

• 1: Make a full backup or system image.
• 2: Run a whole-system anti-malware scan, using the tool of your choice. You want to ensure that no malicious software is present and possibly masquerading as “Program Manager.”
• 3: Run Windows’ System File Checker (sfc.exe) to ensure your core operating system files are undamaged. Open an admin-level command window and enter sfc /scannow at the command line. Then follow any prompts you receive to allow SFC to repair/restore damaged files. (For more info, see the MS Support article, “Using System File Checker in Windows 10.”)
• 4: When your PC is fully backed up, proven to be free of malware, and known to have good system files, download and install the latest drivers and related software for any third-party hardware add-ons you’re using. Again, just as an example, if you’re using Logitech gear, visit the Logitech support site for new drivers and SetPoint software, if applicable. With new drivers and software installed, try shutting down your system. If the Program Manager problem is solved, you’re done!

If you still have a problem, the only certain option left is to remove (uninstall) the software with the troublesome Program Manager (for example, uninstall Logitech SetPoint and drivers).

In many cases, you can use Windows’ built-in drivers and control software to manage the basic functions of third-party mice and keyboards — you’ll simply lose whatever extra customization is provided by the third-party app.

If you don’t know where the malfunctioning Program Manager comes from, open Win10’s Task Manager. Run through its Processes, Details, and Services tabs, one by one, look for any software with the name Program Manager or something similar.

Right-click the listing for that program and click Search online; the results should tell you what you need to know about the program you’ve clicked — including who the publisher is and how to update, disable, or uninstall that software. (For more information on using Task Manager, see the June 12, 2014, Best Practices column, “A visual tour of Win8’s new Task Manager.” The Win10 Task Manager is essentially identical to Win8’s.

If you can’t find any way to identify, control, or eliminate the errant Program Manager, you can use Win10’s Reset options to strip it out (along with other third-party apps you’ve installed). For how-to info and important cautions, see the section labeled “OS, apps, and settings backup and recovery” in the Oct. 15, 2015, Top Story, “Best of breed: Win10’s hybrid backup system.”

Once your system files are known to be healthy and malware-free, and once any third-party Program Manager is either updated to a Win10-compatible version or removed outright from your system, you should be able to shut down normally.

Does encryption protect against ransomware?

An anonymous reader asked:

• “Can ransomware encrypt a password-protected/already-encrypted folder on Windows?”

Password-protecting or encrypting your files offers zero protection from ransomware.

When ransomware encounters an already-encrypted file or folder, it simply adds its own layer of encryption on top of what’s already there. In other words, your files will be doubly encrypted; they’ll be locked up inside the ransomware’s encryption. You won’t be able to decrypt or get at your folders until you get rid of the ransomware’s top-level encryption.

The only true defense against ransomware is to combine these three steps: 1) Prevent the attack in the first place by using good Web-surfing practices; 2) have active anti-malware; and 3) keep fully up-to-date backups that are off system, which will let you completely restore your setup if a ransomware attack succeeds.

Don’t be fooled by a new Win10-licensing scam

The other day, I received a very strange phone call via my voicemail, which generated the following transcript (I redacted the phone numbers):

“This is to notify you that your Microsoft Windows license key has been expired in your computer so Microsoft Corporation has stopped the services in your computer. To renew the Windows license key, please call 866 XXX XXXX. Let me repeat. This is to notify you that your Microsoft Windows license key has been expired in your computer so Microsoft Corporation has stopped the services in your computer. To renew the Windows license key, please call 866 XXX XXXX. I will repeat 866 XXX XXXX.”

Curiously, the recorded message wasn’t placed by a human — it was a robotic, text-to-speech-generated voice.

The voicemail message contained many hints that the call was a scam. First and foremost, Microsoft would not call you to report a licensing problem on your PC. Typically, a license issue would pop up a message on your computer screen — often during or shortly after an upgrade or new installation, as part of the activation or re-activation process.

You can easily check whether your PC has a valid activation on the Windows System page (click Control Panel/System and Security/System; in Win10, an alternative is Settings/Update & Security/Activation).

There are other, subtler hints that the call was bogus. For example, Windows keys don’t “expire.” Microsoft support contracts might expire, but, generally speaking, once the OS is activated, the license key is good for the life of the system.

Then there’s the stilted and awkward phrasing throughout the message that suggests it was produced by an amateur; and probably by someone for whom English is not the native tongue. Despite whatever other flaws Microsoft might have, its sales and tech communications are usually professionally written and correct in whatever language they’re presented.

Still, there are elements of the message that might fool the unwary or inexperienced. For example, “Microsoft has stopped the services in your computer” sure sounds scary and might seem plausible to a non-technical person. But that warning is actually senseless — the PC wouldn’t work at all if its “services” were stopped.

Also, the phone number’s 866 prefix is a for-real toll-free telephone exchange. If you assume that hackers would never use a toll-free number, you might assume the message is legit.

(Because the number was toll free, I called it just to see what would happen. An answering machine invited me to leave a message and my number for a callback — I declined.)

I was unharmed because I quickly recognized the message as bogus; and I assume most Windows Secrets readers would, too. But if you have less-experienced co-workers, family members, and/or friends who might fall prey to this scam, give them a heads-up.

Tell them this: 1) If they get a call about a problem with their PC, it’s probably a scam; they should simply hang up and not interact with the caller in any way. 2) Write down the originating phone number, if possible, and also any mentioned call-back numbers. 3) Report the call to the appropriate authorities using tools such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s FTC Complaint Assistant page or the USA.gov site’s Identify and report scams and frauds page.

For more on this topic, see the FTC’s Phone Scams information.

Be careful out there! Threats to our financial and digital security come in many forms.

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What you should know about Windows to Go

Windows to Go is a version of the OS that can be booted from USB devices. It’s designed as an enterprise tool, but it showed up in Win10 Pro Version 1607.

Also, Windows BitLocker is an easy tool for encrypting vulnerable flash drives and other removable storage.

Access — and run — Windows via WtG

Recently, reviewing the options in Win10 1607 Pro’s Control Panel, I was surprised to see Windows to Go (WtG) listed. It was not included in my last Pro version of Win10 1511, so this appears to be something new. I was curious about this version of WtG because I’d run across it once before — more on that in a minute.

Despite being include in Win10 Pro, Windows to Go is not intended as a consumer feature. It’s designed to let IT departments set up bootable Windows environments on USB-attached storage devices. Think of it as a dual-boot system where one of the start-up drives is a thumb drive or USB-attached hard drive.

Officially, WtG is licensed under Microsoft’s corporate volume activation. According to a TechNet article, “Windows to Go: Feature overview,” WtG runs on a hardware platform as a completely separate entity. Once booted from a USB-storage device, the OS has no access to a PC’s internal disks. It also doesn’t use the hardware-based Trusted Platform Module, system hibernation, or the Windows Recovery Environment. And you can’t refresh or reset a WtG setup.

A WtG drive can be used on different hardware platforms; when booting for the first time on a PC, it typically finds and loads all the drivers needed to start operating.

On my Win10 Pro system, clicking Windows to Go in Control Panel launches a simple dialog box that asks for the bootable drive and an “Enterprise” image. For corporate settings, Microsoft offers the Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer (more info) for building custom images. But there are also third-party apps such as WinToUSB (info) that have WtG-creation capabilities.

One more wrinkle on portable Windows: Microsoft states that an official WtG setup requires a certified USB drive, as detailed in a Windows Business Blog article. But “unofficial” setups will apparently run on almost any USB-attached storage — as I discovered by accident.

Recently, one of the PCs in my home crapped out after a Windows 10 upgrade. I could access the hard drive via my StarTech drive adaptor (more info), but I did not have a spare PC to boot the drive — and a family member needed a functioning system, immediately.

Out of curiosity and a bit of desperation, I connected the drive (via the USB drive adapter) to a spare Apple Mac Mini. OS X makes it quite easy to select between attached bootable drives, and to my surprise, Windows booted and ran normally — and continued to do so for the several days it took me to buy and set up a new HP notebook.

During the initial Windows/Mac Mini boot, it became obvious that Win10 was operating as a Windows to Go setup — including a message that the OS was “Getting devices ready.” In other words, Windows was looking for and using the hardware drivers it needed run.

More recently, I tested another hard drive, removed from a recently deceased laptop PC. This time I attached the drive to a Win10 desktop, again via USB. After ensuring that my desktop was set to look for bootable USB devices, I restarting the system. Win10 again booted as a Windows to Go setup, including the initial process of installing the needed drivers. But in this case, the display resolution was off and needed some adjustment.

Windows to Go seems to be another one of those odd Microsoft IT tools that are appearing on many standalone systems. It’s as if the Redmond folks don’t know that Windows Pro is used on millions of standalone PCs. While my setup was far from an official WtG setup, the tool proved to have a troubleshooting application Microsoft hadn’t considered.

Understanding Win10’s encryption tool, BitLocker

BitLocker is another of those Windows features that came out of the IT side. There are more-flexible third-party encryption tools for standalone systems, 7-Zip and Boxcryptor, for example, but BitLocker is better integrated into Windows 10; for example, it supports Trusted Platform Module hardware protection, on those systems that support TMP 1.2.

The most important aspect of BitLocker is that it protects entire drives — you can’t select specific files or folders.

I’m not comfortable using it to encrypt my primary system and data drives, but for quick and easy flash-drive protection, the tool (sometimes referred to as BitLocker To Go) is a good option.

(There is a BitLocker To Go Reader app available for download that allows XP and Vista systems to read from — but not write to — BitLocker-protected removable drives.)

BitLocker requires Pro or Enterprise versions of Windows and some free space on the USB drive. (The setup wizard will warn you if the flash drive is too full.) To start, open the BitLocker applet in Control Panel; during setup, you’ll be prompted for a password and recovery-key options. Encryption time will depend on the amount of data on the drive.

There are several options for creating a recovery key: save to your MS account, save to a flash drive, save to a file, and print the key. For a BitLocker-protected flash drive, the best option is to use your MS account — you can recover the key from any PC connected to the net. Your account can also list all recovery keys you’ve created.

When you again attach the drive to a Win7, Win8.1, or Win10 system, you’ll be prompted for the password. But on secure systems, you can choose to have the drive automatically unlocked whenever it’s plugged in. And to manage the password or turn off BitLocker, simply go back to the Control Panel BitLocker app.

Flash drives are obviously the most vulnerable form of data storage. They’re easily lost or stolen. Give yours some quick protection.

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