NoelC

Heh heh heh, "SuperflopApps". Very well put. -Noel

It turns out these comms are legitimate. The site ctldl.windowsupdate.com is contacted as part of normal certificate management activiites. Thanks to xpclient (over on the Classic Shell site) for the info and this link: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn265983.aspx The scary part is that I had already figured this out once for one of my systems but had neglected to remember it. The only reason it was blocked is that I had accidentally assigned a more restrictive zone to Explorer.exe than I should have. -Noel

Sounds like you had the wrong version installed. You probably don't need to uninstall everything. Just visit the download page and get the latest release package, and replace the files. -Noel

I haven't seen any Windows 8.1 file association reset by updates as far back as I can remember, but then I have most video and audio associations pointed to WMP so I might not have noticed them returning things to it. I don't know what "foobar 2000" does; I don't use it. I'd say from my experience that they're not doing file association resets to Win 8.1 in general. Not at all like what happens with a Win 10 in-place upgrade where they even reinstall the Apps... -Noel

You're not wrong. There is no logic. A lot of people with a lot of years experience agree. Regarding the "free upgrade"... Would you trade your tried and true, reliable and still pretty nice car for a much uglier, lesser car that's a couple of years newer just because someone offered an even trade? You might consider it, but ultimately, if your existing car was pleasing you and you didn't sense a better value in the newer one, it's pretty clear you'd just move on. And so what if it's "free"... If in 2018 Windows 10 turns into something that's really desirable, we can always scrape together a few hundred dollars and buy a license (assuming it would even be that much). We've always been able to manage to find the money to pay for software with value in the past. It's just that right now the added value isn't even worth $0.00. -Noel

In the past day I've observed my Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 systems all doing something uncommon: My firewall blocked all these systems from communicating with ctldl.windowsupdate.com. Specifically, it's Explorer.exe doing the trying. Normally I do not see these different systems all do something similar like this at nearly the same time, and Explorer.exe only VERY rarely communicates online. Curious, eh? I have everything set as manual as possible on all three of these systems. Beyond the WU settings, I have various pro-privacy registry tweaks, the Windows Update service disabled, and of course the firewall in place to block comms that are not explicitly allowed (and without reconfiguration, which I do when requesting updates, Windows Updates are not allowed). Explorer itself is not normally in the habit of communicating online much at all, which makes these observations stand out. These are excerpted from my DNS server logs, coincident in time with the windowsupdate.com checks. The other DNS resolutions for the Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 systems around the same times as the ctldl.windowsupdate.com checks are listed in respective order. DualServer20160419.log:[19-Apr-16 17:55:59] Client 192.168.2.44, crl.microsoft.com A resolved Locally to 23.14.84.171 DualServer20160419.log:[19-Apr-16 17:55:59] Client 192.168.2.44, ctldl.windowsupdate.com A resolved Locally to 96.16.98.112 DualServer20160419.log:[19-Apr-16 23:41:06] Client 192.168.2.32, crl.usertrust.com A resolved from Forwarding Server as 178.255.83.2 DualServer20160419.log:[19-Apr-16 23:41:07] Client 192.168.2.32, ctldl.windowsupdate.com A resolved Locally to 96.16.98.112 DualServer20160420.log:[20-Apr-16 08:31:49] Client 192.168.2.26, ctldl.windowsupdate.com A resolved Locally to 96.16.98.112 DualServer20160420.log:[20-Apr-16 08:31:49] Client 192.168.2.26, ocsp.startssl.com A resolved Locally to 23.14.84.171 DualServer20160420.log:[20-Apr-16 08:31:49] Client 192.168.2.26, www.classicshell.net A resolved from Forwarding Server as 184.168.173.1 I don't think this is triggered by Classic Shell itself, which does do occasional auto-update checks. It's installed on all my systems, but since only one of the them actually checked classicshell.net it may just be a coincidence because those were times the systems were logged-in. But the unexplained part of the coincidence is that both Classic Shell and whatever else wants to talk to ctldl.windowsupdate.com at the same logon, after going more than a month without trying to communicate with anyone. There's nothing special about April 19/20 as far as I can see, EXCEPT if Microsoft built some kind of secret check into Windows to happen around this time. I am imagining some kind of internal update process that's occasionally kicked off inside Explorer. I'm also asking on the Classic Shell forum about this. Any thoughts? -Noel

For me version 1.4.5 seems to work fine with build 10586.218. Check your software version (look in debug.log)... Should be 1.4.5.520. The symbol file I have is uDWM.pdb and it's dated March 3, 2016. What does your debug.log show for a recent bootup? -Noel

As mentioned, the workaround leads to a failure of System Protection. Windows 10: "not something one can say will still work the next day" I like it! -Noel

I only looked at your main page. It did not occur to me to go digging into your subpages. Perhaps I am just not the stalking type. And yes, you have identified me correctly. -Noel

I think most folks have little time to respond to noise. It's a testament to everyone that no one found enough merit in the information to comment about it - and I am only commenting about the passing along of it, not the information itself. As with "online social networking", I think everyone craves a moment in the spotlight. He may be thinking, "who knows, maybe someone in power will see my amazing work and offer me a job." You're right, it's amusing. And just sad. As far as your page goes... You got me to visit it out of respect for you, but I have no certainty which of the names mentioned there are you. I can guess, knowing from other interactions that you're a fellow Italian. And that's what modern communication is all about right? Say nothing, keep 'em guessing, and keep 'em thinking about you instead of whatever's really important in their lives. -Noel

That's the trouble with "tweaking" apps that purport to make it unnecessary to actually understand what is being done (and facilitate tweaking by those who think it's magic). They don't actually know what they've done. Kudos to the tweaking app authors who describe what's being done. Like MaxXPsoft, long ago I just set the registry keys and have since avoided installing KB3035583 and a few others that purport to "ease the Win 10 experience", and Windows 10 doesn't show up. And it goes without saying that one MUST be in control of Windows Update. Anyone who still has Windows Update on automatic is probably a lost cause at this point. I not only control that at my convenience, but Disable the Windows Update service when not using it, as well as reconfigure my firewall software to not allow connections to the Windows Update sites. The whole "reconfigure before manually requesting Windows Updates" process makes it take about 15 seconds longer to initiate. Maybe 20. The answer is NOT to add more software. The answer is to add more KNOWLEDGE, then optimize the execution of the smart approach. -Noel

Just a few days ago I installed the new Update 2 of Visual Studio 2015 Community Edition. It works well enough, but it brings back to mind an issue that saw with the earlier releases and worked around... It wants to start VsHub components that don't appear to be needed, and which look like they're trying to share data with the world. Several processes from folder "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VsHub\1.0.0.0" are started, and remain running persistently when Visual Studio is run and after it exits: VsHub.exe Microsoft.VsHub.Server.HttpHost.exe Microsoft.VxHub.Server.HttpHostx64.exe Server?!? I do NOT wish to have ANY program "share my data" without my knowledge, yet I cannot find a setting that stops VsHub from starting. I've unchecked all the boxes I can find that might govern this activity, and yet these programs still start and run, and attempt to communicate online. Things that auto-start and run in the background and serve your data to others online? Shades of Windows 10 anyone? Thing is, I'm not running it on Windows 10. As of VS 2015 CE Update 1, I found that the VsHub processes could be blocked by removing Execute permissions. I got a lot of positive feedback on the StackOverflow site for suggesting this. Clearly I'm not alone in wanting my system to NOT become a "server of all Noel's data". I'll probably investigate whether the same tweaks will work with Update 2, but... Do you think "cloud integrated" software that provides no way to control its online participation is welcome? Even when it's free? -Noel Edit: Some hard info, just to prove I'm not being "tin foil hat paranoid"... I closed down all VsHub processes, then traced the DNS names being accessed by Visual Studio on an otherwise idle system... These were accessed during VS 2015 startup [19-Apr-16 10:09:49] go.microsoft.com [19-Apr-16 10:09:49] download.microsoft.com [19-Apr-16 10:09:51] az667904.vo.msecnd.net [19-Apr-16 10:09:51] az700632.vo.msecnd.net [19-Apr-16 10:09:56] vortex.data.microsoft.com [19-Apr-16 10:09:59] ocsp2.globalsign.com These were accessed after I opened a solution [19-Apr-16 10:10:11] go.microsoft.com [19-Apr-16 10:10:23] crl.usertrust.com This was accessed after I exited VS 2015 [19-Apr-16 10:10:49] sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com By my reckoning that's an update site, several Azure servers, and several Microsoft telemetry sites all being contacted either without or actively against my permission. I have opted out of ALL CEIP settings everywhere I can find them, and I always disable ALL "auto update" functions.

1. I honestly don't know if your name is Ratish Philip or Jack Lazarus. It's probably not actually "Jaclaz" because if it were you'd capitalize the first letter. That's the downside of "anonymity" and using handles. In my opinion avoiding using your own name seems to cheapen the message. My name really is Noel. Nice to meet you, er, ah... 2. This new forum software could conceivably (though unlikely in your case) confuse people into writing information in a quote in a way that isn't intended. Tell me honestly that you've never misplaced text in a post. Ever. 3. The wording in the quoted phrase "my concept" made it difficult to tell who wrote what, given item 1 above and that knowing you're generally kind of "anti-anything-newer-than-XP". I didn't see a good reason why you'd post it. And I still don't because for some reason you chose to avoid answering my root question: Why post this? If you have no thought that there is something special on that site, why post about it? I'm not being critical - maybe you feel it's a conversation starter, I don't know. That you DID post implied you DID find something about it worth repeating. If you just repeat things you found online without a good reason in the day and age of oxymorons like "online social networking", such a post just adds to the noise. I'd have gone and read about it more if I'd learned you were the actual author. You have to admit, for a guy who doesn't embrace Windows 10 at all to post, out of the blue, a link to a Windows 10 Design Concept App seems unexpected. Are you just trying to be helpful to those out there who feel Apps are the future? Maybe you figure anything is better than the way Microsoft is doing it now. Personally - and being frank - I am starting to see peoples' attempts to influence the further "design" of Windows 10 as frustrating, because it just reminds me that Microsoft doesn't listen and isn't going to listen! This whole thing sounds like a criticism of your post or presence here on this forum. IT'S NOT. I'll acknowledge (again) that you are VERY GOOD at finding information online that is pertinent to other people's queries. I appreciate that, and if I (we? no one else responded) have to be (slightly) confused by the reasoning for posting about some random App idea from someone else, I'd say "never change, jaclaz" and "keep up the good work". But I really would like to know your motivation for posting a link someone else's "does nothing useful" App. -Noel

I think they've presumed too much: That people will continue to focus on installing and maintaining Windows at their current level... Win 10 ain't new and exciting any more, and it's getting to be pretty well known worldwide as a basic disappointment. Nothing seems to be coming out of Microsoft with all these continuous pre-releases and cumulative updates that makes it seem any less boring. Plus the world actually DOES need to get its real work done, and that doesn't happen if all you do is play with Windows. My Win 8.1 setup is still light, fast, and stable. I have recently checked for and installed security updates, and have tweaked it and muzzled it so that I'm sure it remains private. From what I can see, the license gets checked whenever I open the flood gates just a little in order to facilitate checking for those updates, so even though I went 3 months one time, I won't really know the answer to this thread until I really do cut off updates entirely, long-term. I'm sure that'll happen at some point. -Noel

I think real-time system protection strives to undo things you or any program do to Defender keys and values. For obvious reasons. -Noel

Is there anything about adding software to counter software that's been unwittingly added that's somehow better than just always hiding / avoiding installing KB3035583? More software isn't always the answer... -Noel

There are very few tweaking threads here about Windows 10. Likewise, in a few other places I frequent the discussion about configuring and modifying Win 10 has all but stopped. I personally DON'T go to answers.microsoft.com - wouldn't be caught dead there any more since Microsoft made it plain my kind wasn't welcome. As a tweaking community I feel like we're losing critical mass with regard to Win 10... I mean, I kind of understand... Win 10 is just stagnant and isn't that interesting any more. Microsoft's policies of continuing to un-tweak Win 10 are wearing people down. People aren't really adopting it, but are mostly just falling back to older Windows after trying it once. People are waiting for the next (Redstone) release before fooling with Win 10 any more. Did I miss anything? -Noel

This is something YOU mocked up, jaclaz? Is there something special about it? Is it that source code is provided that makes it interesting? -Noel

No, not server load unless it's somehow very indirect. I've watched the traffic. When the bug is realized it's gone into a CPU-only loop consuming one core - it's not doing any network I/O, and we're rather past the era where a CPU hard-loops for I/O anyway. I suppose it could be an exceptional path through the code that happens as a result of some network resource not being available, and that path leads to the looping behavior. Bear in mind it DOES ultimately finish. Personally, I'm quite convinced it's done on purpose by Microsoft in order to make life worse for older Windows users. -Noel

For those of you testing Windows 10 Pro... Do you see errors when starting gpedit.msc (the Local Group Policy Editor)? If so, the problem appears to be that there are at least some leftover files in the C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions and C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions\en-US folders that shouldn't be there. Taking ownership, granting oneself Full Control permissions, and deleting the files whose dates don't match all the others seems to clear up the error messages, BUT... Deleting one of them that gives me trouble also breaks system protection (i.e., SFC /SCANNOW reports an error and restores the WindowsStore.admx file that emits the error): This looks a lot like Microsoft isn't managing what's in the PolicyDefinitions folders very well via Windows Update, but it's almost hard to believe that they'd be making mistakes that are so blatant. It sure looks as though they've mixed up the released version of Windows 10 with pre-release builds, since the date on the offending WindowsStore.admx file is March 23, 2016, and it superseded one that had the same date as all the other files (October 30, 2015). There is NO corresponding update to the WindowsStore.adml localization file in the en-US subfolder. Your thoughts / experiences? -Noel

Yes, they're doing everything in their power to "make it all about running Windows". Even the serious users amongst us are constantly struggling to get the system under control, and when it feels like we're close we find the dam has sprung another leak elsewhere. An example: No sooner than I have the incantations to correct an .EDB database error that cropped up out of the blue, which was blocking the Settings App (which I don't want in the first place, but am now being forced to use if I want to run Windows 10), now suddenly, without a setting change or intention, my VM jumps to the lock screen when it is left alone. And they're dragging Windows 7 users into that mess too... Reference all the CPU looping delays being reported lately just by people trying to complete a Windows Update. And just now I noticed some new errors emitted by gpedit.msc when starting up, implying Microsoft has screwed something up with their latest update. Sigh. -Noel

I'm afraid I don't fully understand what you mean, Jordan. For me Aero Glass for Win 8+ works fine automatically starting with Win 10 build 10586.218. -Noel

Thank you, jaclaz, Recovering a known good vedatamodel.edb file and deleting the .log files indeed resolved the problem and sped the logon back up. The only difficulty with this particular file is that you need to log off to be able to access it, as the Tile Data Model Service has it open whenever you're logged in. For me that was no issue, as I could just log out and access the folder C:\Users\NoelC\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database via networking. It's possible just deleting the offending .LOG file might have been enough to fix it, I don't know. Kudos to you for finding just the right info! What I don't yet know is what's regularly corrupting this database (.LOG file). I loved the comment by the poster at the second link, about the apparently problematic EDB format from Exchange being used in Windows 10 for a critical data structure: "I was very excited to see that it was in use here." Microsoft is prone to building on shaky foundations. Perhaps there is a need for a "backup a good copy of the EDB so it can be restored on demand" application or script. -Noel

That's a reasonable thought, but the SET command is only in force for the duration of the job, which is a "go gather some system data, log it, and exit", so the change isn't permanent. Were you thinking the SET command would affect things system-wide? -Noel

I've yet to figure out why, but after a few days my up-to-date and heavily tweaked 10586 test VM somehow loses the ability to run the Settings App and the Windows Start menu. The Start Menu I couldn't care less about, as I use Classic Shell, which continues to work, but there are things that are needed from the Settings App (like running Windows Update). I've recovered from this several times by going back to an older 10586.104 snapshot, applying all Windows Updates, then moving forward. I've even saved a snapshot of 10586.218 (while running) that when I restore it I can still run Settings. Before I saved that snapshot I made sure I could reboot over and over and run Settings successfully. But once I reboot the above, I can no longer start Settings. After a logon that takes about 10 seconds longer than it should, when I try to start Settings, after a few second delay Explorer starts up instead, pointed to my Documents area: Note that ApplicationFrameHost is not running. The Windows Start Menu also does not open. Another thing I've noticed is that when the system gets into this state where Settings won't start it seems to take longer to log in than it did when settings will work. It's like some part of the UWP startup process is failing during logon, thus leading to Settings not being able to run. It's not that NOTHING from the UWP can run when the system gets into this failure state... I can open the Notifications pane. This system has had Cortana and all other Apps removed. It's as though something expires or becomes corrupted some days after having a working system. This didn't happen before build 10586.164. I don't see blocked attempts to communicate online, so I don't think it's a matter of not being able to call the mothership. Edit: More info: An error is logged in the Application log when I try to run SystemSettings.exe: Faulting application name: SystemSettings.exe, version: 10.0.10586.11, time stamp: 0x56457cb1 Faulting module name: SystemSettings.dll, version: 10.0.10586.71, time stamp: 0x5699d4ed Exception code: 0xc0000409 Fault offset: 0x00000000000218fa Faulting process id: 0x908 Faulting application start time: 0x01d198cc250a8566 Faulting application path: c:\Windows\ImmersiveControlPanel\SystemSettings.exe Faulting module path: c:\Windows\ImmersiveControlPanel\SystemSettings.dll Report Id: a93cd376-4805-415a-87a4-80b90c494e5b Faulting package full name: Faulting package-relative application ID: The above is followed in about 7 seconds by this: svchost (1952) TILEREPOSITORYS-1-5-21-1325954093-1754166717-3042824528-1001: The log range read from the file "C:\Users\NoelC\AppData\Local\TileDataLayer\Database\EDB.log" at offset 688128 (0x00000000000a8000) for 4096 (0x00001000) bytes failed verification due to a range checksum mismatch. The expected checksum was 0 (0x0) and the actual checksum was 999080185957709705 (0xddd7222c223f789). The read operation will fail with error -501 (0xfffffe0b). If this condition persists then please restore the logfile from a previous backup. Fellow Windows 10 tweakers: Can you think of anything that could cause this? Do you have any ideas how to proceed to diagnose and fix this? What I should look at? -Noel