Issue with Automatic Sleep in Windows 8.1

Got an issue where the system was not going to sleep mode automatically post Windows 8.1 Upgrade. Putting the system in sleep mode manually works fine with normal behavior with wakeup time and other power settings. After performing all the standard troubleshooting (Power Settings, Chipset, BIOS, Checking PowerCFG reports with different switches, Home-group settings, Media Sharing on Network) what took care of the issue was disabling ipV6. Please follow the steps mentioned on the MS KB Article on http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929852 in order to disable ipV6.

NOTE : Disabling ipV6 will not have any effect on the network connectivity as the communication over all the namespace for a generic network happens over ipV4. The same issue was observed with Windows 8.1 Preview as well.

Disable User Account Control (UAC) on Windows 8.1 and Windows 8

Yesterday I came across a customer who wanted to disable User Account Control (UAC). So I thought of sharing the same with the team.

 

Most of the time while troubleshooting we keep getting prompts regarding UAC (User Account Control) while installing any applications / software which require elevated permission, especially on Dell Connect. This is the biggest irritation in Windows is the UAC (User Account Control). Whenever a user tries to perform a task that requires administrative privileges, the operating system halts the operation and prompts the user to acknowledge it prior to running the task.
Fortunately, you can easily disable it. Here is how:

 

·                     Launch Control panel and go to Control Panel > User Accounts and Family Safety > User Accounts > Change User Account Settings > Slide the bar to the lowest position. 

·                     Alternatively you can completely disable UAC from Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy and from the left panel Local Policies > Security Options. You can disable or customize UAC by editing items labeled "User Account Control". But be warned this method will prevent any Metro apps from Launching.

Note: If you disable UAC it will stop warning you when you want to perform tasks. Only users who are willing to accept the risks should disable it. For more information about UAC please click.

Delay in Left or Right click after upgrading to Windows 8.1

Resolution: PC settings > PC and Devices > Tab labeled ‘Mouse and Touchpad’> Two drop menus for Mouse and One for touchpad > Select drop down menu for Touchpad > Select ‘No Delay’(Always On).

Windows 8.1 | Issues and resolution list

1.       Secure Boot is not configured” watermark appears after upgrading to Windows 8.1

a.       Issue Status: WIP

b.      Provisional Resolution Steps

                                                               i.      Enable Secure Boot from the BIOS. This should resolve a major chunk of the issues

                                                             ii.      For Windows 8.1 Pro, use GPEDIT to rectify

                                                            iii.      For Windows 8.1 Home, modify Registry as per mailer sent

                                                           iv.      Continue owning the case

2.       Certain Toolbars and Add-Ons may display a compatibility error on launch

a.       Issue Status: Closed – Resolved

b.      Resolution Steps

                                                               i.      Disable IE Enhanced Protected Mode

3.       Cannot detect/Unable to pair BT devices on the Dell Wireless 1705 card

a.       Issue Status: WIP – Awaiting More Info

b.      Provisional Resolution Steps

                                                               i.      Install the Windows 8.1 drivers from SDC

4.       Unable to login to Microsoft Account after upgrading to Windows 8.1

a.       Issue Status: WIP – Awaiting More Info

b.      Provisional Resolution Steps

                                                               i.      Try to validate the Microsoft Account on a different system

1.       If you encounter any issues with the Account, contact Microsoft (confirmed on today’s call)

                                                             ii.      If the issue recurs, roll back to Windows 8, install all updates, flash BIOS and try again

5.       Windows 8.1 Upgrade fails with an error “Uninstall Sentinel Runtime drivers”

a.       Issue Status: Closed – Resolved

b.      Resolution Steps

                                                               i.      Uninstall Sentinel Drivers

6.       Apps freeze or crash on launch

a.       Issue Status: Provisional Resolution Provided – Awaiting confirmation

b.      Provisional Resolution Steps

                                                               i.      Update the BIOS

                                                             ii.      Run the app troubleshooter

                                                            iii.      Ensure all Windows and app updates are installed

                                                           iv.      Reinstall the app

                                                             v.      Disable the antivirus

                                                           vi.      Create a new user account

7.       Windows 8.1 Upgrade not seen in the Store

a.       Issue Status: Provisional Resolution Provided – Awaiting confirmation

b.      Provisional Resolution Steps

                                                               i.      Ensure the BIOS is updated

                                                             ii.      Ensure Windows is updated, especially KB2871389

                                                            iii.      Ensure the current running OS is Windows 8/Windows 8 Pro and not a Volume License, Enterprise Edition of Windows 8, or a Preview version of Windows 8/8.1

                                                           iv.      Reset the Store using the WSRESET command

                                                             v.      Sync the App License

                                                           vi.      Ensure the following services are running:

1.       Windows Update

2.       BITS

                                                          vii.      Open Internet Explorer, and type the following in the address bar: ms-windows-store:windowsupgrade

Windows 8.1 install fails with error ‘Uninstall Sentinel Runtime drivers’.

Resolution:

1.   Go to the website http://sentinelcustomer.safenet-inc.com/sentineldownloads

2.   Click Sentinel HASP / LDK - Command Line Run-time Installer

3.   Unzip the file Sentinel_LDK_Run-time_cmd_line.zip out.

4.   Open the Command Line with Administrator rights. And navigate to the location where the file is unpacked. Follow the below screen shots for the same:

          Now enter the following command: haspdinst.exe-remove

          Once the software is removed you will get a confirmation message as below:

5.   Now continue with the windows 8.1 installation.

You can refer the below link for further references:

http://windowstechblog.nl/sentinel-runtime-drivers-windows-8-1-pro

Note: Open the link in Google chrome as it’s in foreign language and you will get a translate option to English.

Windows 8.1 drivers for DW1705

Systems shipped with DW1705 card may exhibit driver issues, particularly for Bluetooth post upgrade to Windows 8.1. The support site lists drivers for Windows 8 only.

For such card, please download and install the Windows 8.1 driver from this link: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/DriverDetails?driverId=DX6KD

Java issues windows 8/not able to play pogo games

Came across an issue, where on an OOB system, customer was not able to play Pogo games. Tried both internet explorer and google chrome. Java control panel was available in control panel, however none of the browser was detecting Java.

http://www.java.com/en/download/chrome.jsp?locale=en

On the above mentioned link, if you click on start free download, it gave page can’t be displayed error message. Did lot of troubleshooting, including changing DNS.

Following steps fixed the issue:

1)      Uninstall security software(if windows defender, it would not impact. Had to remove mcafee in one scenario)

2)      Remove any version of java if installed

3)      Installed java 32 bit from the offline installation file

http://www.java.com/en/download/windows_offline.jsp

This fixed the issue on two cases. Service tags 5PSYTX1 and 43YZ8Y1

Fixing Annoying Cursor Jumping Problem While Typing Documents in Laptops

We often come across cursor jumping issues while typing in laptops. The problem occurs while typing some text. It doesn't matter what and where are you typing, you might be typing in Microsoft Word or a web browser or anywhere else. When you are typing some text, the mouse cursor automatically jumps to a different location and if you don't notice it and keep typing, you may end up with an unpredictable document which might look written in an alien language.

So it’s definitely a problem present in some laptops and not in our hands. So what's the solution? How to fix this annoying cursor jumping problem?

Here is the answer! I found that a freeware "TouchFreeze" can fix this problem. It has been suggested by lots of people in Microsoft communities as well.

TouchFreeze is a free software which automatically disables the touchpad of your laptop as soon as you start typing. Since the touchpad is disabled, the cursor will not jump automatically while typing.

You just need to install the software and it'll sit in system tray. Its very simple to use and doesn't need any configuration. If you want to close it, you can right-click on its icon in system tray and select exit option.

If you are using a laptop and facing similar problem, you can give this freeware a try using following link

http://touchfreeze.googlecode.com/files/TouchFreeze-1.1.0.msi

Bibliography: https://code.google.com/p/touchfreeze/

Reset Google Chrome settings to its original defaults

With the updated Google Chrome, we have the option to reset Google Chrome to its default settings which was initially lacking in its predecessors.

Please find the snapshot below that can be retrieved from the top right  tab under Settings > Show Advance Settings.

Touch Related Issues to reenable ot intermittent related to docking and sleep mode issues

Apply the fix and reboot the system.

http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%208%20RTM/nosp/Fix415636/9200/free/454040_intl_x64_zip.exe

After this please check if Pen and Input devices is displayed in device manager

Check in Device Manager

1.       Enable the touch device driver if it had disabled

2.       Click on Finish button and restart the PC if needed after the device has been enabled

Microsoft Office Starter prompting for Product key

Issue : Customer might be prompted to Activate/ Purchase office when he attempts to opens Excel / Word file that is stored on his Pc where Office Starter was installed  

Cause : This issue is caused due to update in KB2589275.  This KB update is no more active and was rolled back on 14th Sep hence new customers performing updates should not face this issue

Solution:  For existing customers who have this issue, Please try the following solution steps  and revert in case you run into issues 

1.       Remove the KB 2589275

o    Windows 7 and Windows Vista

a.     Click View installed updates.

b.     In the list of updates, locate and click update 2589275, and then click Uninstall.

o    Windows XP

a.     Click to select the Show updates check box.

b.     In the list of updates, locate and click update 2589275, and then click Remove

2.       Change the File Type Association:  

1.     Right-click the Microsoft Office file that you want to open. For Windows XP you may have to press on SHIFT and right-click the file.

2.     Select Open with, and then click Choose default program... (for Windows 7 or Windows Vista) or Choose Program (for Windows XP).

3.     In the Recommended Programs list, select Microsoft Office Client Virtualization Handler.

4.     Click to select the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file check box, and then click OK.

3. Repair Office

4. Perform system restore.

Quick Tech Info

Here are some of the less known tech info from Computer World!!!!

1.     An FAT file system does not allow to copy a single file over 4GB (Windows Managed Unit). When attempted may throw an error that there is no enough space available on the drive whereas you do.

2.     Partitions marked as "OEM Partitions" cannot be deleted from Disk Management GUI.

3.     Most of the so called "memory optimizers" move the existing files loaded into memory into the virtual space which does free the memory space. But as the files are no moved to a virtual memory it will take the system longer to access those files and will lead to a slow performance instead of boosting the performance of the system.

4.     The official end date for Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 (extended support) from MS is April 8, 2014.

5.     Hotmail TrueSwitch service (service which allowed users to migrate to Hotmail without losing their existing emails) has been discontinued. All users with query regarding the same should be referred to support@trueswitch.com  as confirmed by MS.

6.     A 500 GB hard drive (or any storage device with a size defined by manufacturers) will always show a storage capacity in Windows which is less than specified by the hardware manufacturer. The reason is the unit used by hardware manufacturer for storage devices (Memory does not fall under storage device) 1 GB is 1000 MB , whereas windows calculates a 1 GB space against 1024 MB. The smaller storage units are also defined the same way. Finally we know why a 500 GB HDD will display a size around 465 GB within Windows!

7.     Space occupied by shadow storage (system restore images) will never be reflected in Windows Explorer view when we try to calculate the size of all the files in the OS drive , even we include the hidden files. That explains where some good 7 GB or more space goes undetected in Windows Explorer.

How to transfer data between 2 computers using C2G cable

Please find below the steps on how to transfer data between 2 systems using C2G cable. The cable when plugged doesn’t  give any prompt to use.

Take control of both the systems and then follow mentioned steps .

This C2G cable just helps us to see the content of both the computers. To transfer the data you

have to manually copy and paste.

Below are the screens which you will need to see.

Step 1:- Connect the C2G cable to old system and then to new system.

This is how it will look in the old system :-

Old system  screen

 This is how it will look in New system (Both shows the same screen)

Step 2 :-  On new system – right click on Go Suite and click on open Auto Play. (Only if the auto populate window does not appear)

Or when connecting the cable to new system below window may come up. Then just select Run GSloader.exe 

Step 3:- Then we will need to select on Go Bridge option.

Step 4:- This is the screen which will show up when we will click on Go Bridge . This is the data of the old system which we need to copy and paste as there is no automation process to start copying.

Step 5: - we all know how to copy and paste .

Step 6:- paste data

Step 7- We can even select all and then copy .

Step 8- Paste. 

Screen flickers on both Notebook and Tablet mode on XPS Duo 12 (9Q33)/Murcielago ULT

Issue :

Screen flickers on both Notebook and Tablet mode on XPS Duo 12 (9Q33)/Murcielago ULT

Problem & Root causes

Murcielago ULT uses eDP 1.3 panel with Power Self Refresh(PSR) and Intel Display Power Saving Technology(DPST) features. The screen may flicker on specific gray image when DPST is enabled.

Description

What are the problems and impact that customer will meet?

Screen will flicker on battery mode.

Work-around/Solution:

When user notices the screen flickers, please turn off DPST feature. If the screen still flickers, then turn off PSR as well.

If both PSR and DPST are turned off but the screen is still flickering, it may be hardware or other software issues.

Troubleshooting steps:

Step 1: Turn off Display Power Saving Technology and check if issue fixed

Step 2: Turn off Panel Self Refresh and check if issues fixed

Step 3: If both steps do not solve the flickering issues, please dispatch LCD and LCD cable

Office 2013 Download Issues

Often we come across issues where we are unable to download Office or the download is too slow even though the system is connected to a high speed internet access.

In case of any issues, we can try the following steps;

If the installation of Office 2013 seems slow, the antivirus software might be the problem. The antivirus software is doing what it is supposed to—to check the incoming files for viruses—but this slows down the Office 2013 installation.

We can either wait for the installation to finish or turn off your antivirus software—but don’t forget to turn it back on when you’re done installing Office 2013.

If the installation is already started and we decide to turn off the antivirus software, STOP the installation, run the Office UNINSTALLER, turn off your antivirus software, and start the installation again.

We have tried this on three systems where in Office was not installed over a 24 hrs period on two systems and almost 2 hrs on another, after the install was initiated.

One of these was on a system connected to DSL light.

Disabling the McAfee resolved it for all.

When initiating the download, make sure that you disable McAfee (or applicable AV) to restart automatically after a reboot.

Communicate the same info to the customer as well.

If setup hangs between 80% and 90%, stop the print spooler service on the PC

Problems with the print spooler service may cause setup to hang between 80% to 90%. You can temporarily stop the service, try to install Office again and then restart the service to fix the problem:

1.    On a Windows 8 PC, type services.msc from the Start screen and tap or click services in the list of results.
On a Windows 7 PC, click Start > Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.

2.    Look through the list of services, find Print Spooler, and open it.

3.    Tap or click Stop, and then tap or click OK.

4.    Try installing Office again.

5.    Once Office is installed on your PC, go back to the list of services and open Print Spooler.

6.    Tap or click Start, and then tap or click OK.

Note This issue may occur if you have an HP 4500 Officejet printer or an HP 8500 Officejet printer.

If setup hangs right at 94%, restart the PC

If you haven't already tried restarting the PC, do this if setup hangs right at 94%.

If setup hangs at any percentage:

Run an online repair of Office

1.    Open Control Panel, and choose Programs and Features.

2.    In the Uninstall or change a program window, find and select the Microsoft Office product you're trying to install from the list.

3.    Tap or click Change, choose Online Repair and tap or click Repair.

For more info refer to :

·         http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/access-help/downloading-office-2013-is-slow-HA103478444.aspx

·         http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2813190

USB3.0 hub of Dell U2913WM Issue

Symptom: when use USB3.0 hub of Dell U2913WM, the hub is lost and no response till plug a USB3.0 devices in the hub.

•Root Cause: The USB3.0 hub is made with TI solution. The USB3.0 hub doesn’t support USB selective suspend and causes the hub lost.

•Workaround: suggest user to disable the selective suspend in power option

•Solution: N/A

•Impact platforms: XPS2720

Removing Deleted Pictures from live Tile

Want to know how to remove his deleted pictures from the pictures app live tile, these steps can be tried.

1:    Make sure you delete these image(s) from the classic desktop/library or from SkyDrive, Facebook, or Flickr (or move them to a non-public location or different folder on your computer NOT part of your Photo Library).

2:   In the classic desktop, open Windows explorer(the folder icon is on your taskbar) and navigate to

C:\Users\youruserame\AppData\Local\Packages\microsoft.windowsphotos_some_random_stuff\LocalState 3:   Change the view to show Medium, Large, Or Extra Large icons 4:   Now that you can view the cached images, select the ones you want to remove and permanently delete them. Be sure to delete both the LargeTile*.jpg and SmallTile*.jpg (where * is a number) for the picture(s) in question. 5:   Final step, from the Windows 8 Start screen, swipe up on the Photo App tile or right click it and select Turn Live Tile Off. Then swipe up/right click again and turn it back on. It will repopulate without the deleted images. ALTERNATE METHOD : From the Windows 8 Start screen, select Settings, Tiles, and Clear personal information. This will clear all info from all tiles. Each tile will rebuild with new info from the point at which you cleared the info and the previous info will not be included. Important :: Try the first method if its just the pictures tile that need to be updated. This method will update all the tiles (mail, FB etc.)

Num Lock Key Off at Login

If someone reports his num lock key to be turned off at login and he wants the num lock to be on when he logs in to windows 8, please try the following steps.

1:  Go to REGEDIT.

2:  Browse to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard 

3: set   InitialKeyboardIndicators   (right click -> modify)  to a value of 2. 

In case cx wants help with other keys too viz. caps lock and scroll lock, here’s a list of values for  InitialKeyboardIndicators and their action….

0 - Turn all indicators Off (NumLock, CapsLock, ScrollLock)
1 - Turn CapsLock On
2 - Turn NumLock On
3 - Turn CapsLock and NumLock On
4 - Turn ScrollLock On
5 - Turn CapsLock and ScrollLock On
6 - Turn NumLock and ScrollLock On
7 - Turn all indicators On (NumLock, CapsLock, ScrollLock)

Intel IRST Intel Rapid Smart Technology issue: Accelerated Device 'None'

I’ve come across an issue twice in the last week where Intel IRST acceleration could not be properly enabled as the Accelerated device after enabling acceleration still said ‘None’. As can be seen from the screenshot below, the status for the device says ‘None’ and if ‘Select device’ is clicked on we get an error to indicate that acceleration is actually not working:

After trying various permutations, the issue was resolved by refreshing the partition table. PFB the steps for the same:

Ø  Click on ‘Reset to available’ to disable the current acceleration of the HDD using SSD.

Ø  Open Disk Management and right click on the primary partition and choose to shrink it. It doesn’t matter how much size you shrink it to, we just need to shrink the OS partition and have another volume created as ‘Unallocated space’. Do not format this newly created volume, leave it as it is for now.

Ø  Once this process is done, again launch IRST and enable acceleration. Now you would see the current HDD volume being selected for acceleration using the SSD.

Ø  Restart the system and open Disk Management again, choose to extend the primary partition again so that the earlier created volume is re-joined.

Ø  Restart once more to confirm acceleration is still working, it should be.

This issue would normally be seen once a customer has performed OSRI and the partition table is not picked by the IRST application. Hence, the shrink procedure is used to refresh the partition table and IRST is able to pick up the OS volume to accelerate.