Windows 11 problems

Microsoft has announced a big shakeup to the support and troubleshooting options that are currently available in Windows 11. The company says that over the course of the next three years, it will be gradually retiring the Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool (MSDT) and MSDT Troubleshooters currently used by many people to diagnose and fix problems with the operating system.

The ultimate plan is to remove all existing troubleshooters and kill off the MSDT platform using an update for Windows 11. The changes are something that we've heard hints and rumors about previously, but now it has been confirmed. So, what does it mean for Windows users?

It is no secret that the updates released for Windows 11 have been rather more problematic than updates for previous versions of Windows. Microsoft has managed to earn itself an unenviable reputation for poor quality control, with update after update causing a wide range of issues over the past year and a half.

The problems with updates tend to rear their heads once they have been installed, but there is also an issue that is preventing people from installing updates in the first place. The recently released KB5022303 and KB5022360 updates are among those that fail to install, generating various unhelpful error codes including 0x800f0988 and 0x800f0831.

Updates for Windows 11 have proved to be astonishingly problematic over the last year and a half. Just about every patch and update that has been released has ended up causing new issues that have had to be addressed with yet another update.

Considering the problems caused by Windows Update, it is interesting to see a new option Microsoft is working on at the moment. Hidden in the latest Insider builds of Windows 11 is a new addition to the Recovery tools in the System section of the Settings app: Fix problems using Windows Update.

Ahead of a full, wider release next month, Microsoft has made available a preview version of the KB5022360 update for Windows 11.

This is a non-security update, but it does include -- in Microsoft's words -- "quality improvements". What this means in practice is that the update addresses a number of Windows 11 problems such as an issue with searchindexer.exe and another with firmware Trusted Platform Modules (TPM). It also introduces a change to the way .NET Framework update previews are installed.

Microsoft has confirmed an issue in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that can leave the Start menu unresponsive, as well as causing problems with Windows Search and the launching of UWP apps.

The company is continuing to investigate the matter and says that it will provide a fix in a future update. In the meantime, however, Microsoft has provided details of a workaround.

Microsoft has issued a warning about yet another known issue with Windows 11. Affecting version 22H2 of the operating system, the problem means that users may experience problems launching certain apps after performing a system restore.

The company says that the bug caused problems with any application that uses the MSIX Windows app package format, and concedes that various titles of its own -- including Office and Terminal -- are affected.

Microsoft has released the KB5022287 update for Windows 11 21H2, as well as the KB5022303 update for Windows 11 22H2.

Both updates are mandatory and, like this month's updates for Windows 10, include fixes for Local Session Manager (LSM) and ODBC issues. There is also a fix for a blue screen 0xc000021a error and numerous security patches.

The arrival of tabs in File Explorer with the release of Windows 11 22H2 was warmly welcomed after years of users requesting the feature. But it seems that in introducing a tabbed interface to Windows' file browser, Microsoft has also exposed users to a seriously annoying bug.

Growing numbers of people are complaining that the updated version of the app is stealing focus. Those affected by the problem report that the File Explorer window randomly jumps in front of other apps.

Grandmothers can be great ladies, but let's be honest -- they aren't very good at using computers. It's not their fault though -- they didn't grow up with them. That's why every time you visit grandma for Christmas, she asks you to fix her computer.

If you are sick of removing malware from grandma's PC, there is a simple solution -- install Linux! Yes, by formatting grandma's hard drive and replacing Windows with Linux, she will have the best Christmas ever.

It is the time of the month that sees Microsoft releasing previews of the updates that will be made available to everyone next patch Tuesday. In line with this, the company has released a preview of the KB5018496 update for Windows 11 2022 Update / Windows 11 22H2.

This is a non-security update, but it includes an impressive number of not only fixes, but also new features for the latest version of Windows 11. It does not, however, address some of the known issues that have been acknowledged recently including problems with slow file copying, and issues with provisioning packages.

Microsoft is warning people who use Windows Hello not to upgrade to Windows 11 2022 Update because the sign-in system may end up not working.

The company has also put a safeguard block in place meaning that people who may be affected by the issue will not be offered the Windows 11 22H2 upgrade. There is also a warning not to try to bypass the block with a manual upgrade due to the problems this may cause.

Microsoft has released its first update to Windows 11 22H2 / Windows 11 2022 Update in the form of KB5018427. This is a cumulative security update that includes the improvements from the previously released KB5017389 update, as well as additional "security issues".

While the update addresses quite a large number of problems with Windows 11 22H2, it does not fix the known issues with provisioning packages or slow file copying.

The problems with Windows 11 2022 Update just keep on coming. Microsoft has just confirmed an issue that people have been complaining about since the release of the first major update for Windows 11 -- slow file copying.

It is a problem that the company previous acknowledged quite quietly when it released the preview version of the KB5017389 update recently, but is now being rather more open about. Microsoft is describing the issue as "slower SMB read performance for large files in 22H2", and while there is currently no fix, there is a workaround.

The problems with Windows 11 2022 Update keep on popping up, and now Microsoft has issued a warning that "provisioning packages might not work as expected".

What this means in practice is that the Windows 11 OOBE (Out of Box Experience) may not complete, or it might cause unexpected restarts. Microsoft warns that the likes of businesses and schools are most likely to be affected by the issues.

It may only be a little over a week since Microsoft released Windows 11 2022 Update, but the problems it is causing are coming thick and fast.

The most recent issue involves printer drivers, and it has caused the company to place a compatibility block on some people upgrading to the latest version of Windows 11. The good news is that there is a relatively simple workaround in the meantime.