14 March 2018

Comprehensive guide to Windows Update




  • About
    • Windows Updates come out every second Tuesday of every month (Patch Tuesday or Update Tuesday). 6PM UK time is 9am for Microsoft in the USA though, so the UK won’t get the updates until Tuesday evening – so depending on your work shift, you may get the updates through on the 2nd Wednesday of every month.
  • Advice beforehand
    • Set System Restore to enabled and create a point before installing them
    • Check Twitter for issues here and here
    • Check for issues on the MSRC blog here
    • Check for issues on the Release Notes
    • Check the Windows forum
  • General advice
    • Build update issues and solutions blog here
    • 'Which?' introduction to security and updates here
    • Life cycle fact sheet here
    • Update history for Windows 10 here
    • Cyber Aware here
  • After the upgrade
    • Free up space by using cleanmgr to delete the old Windows installation
    • As recommended by Microsoft, run chkdsk, sfc, and dism to repair Windows
      • chkdsk c: /scan /perf
      • sfc /scannow
      • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
    • Free up more space
      • dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup /resetbase
  • Settings
    • Windows 10
      • Settings - Update & security - Restart options - Show more notifications - recommend enable
      • Change active hours - recommend setting to best times for you here
      • Choose how updates are delivered - recommend disabling
      • Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows. - recommend enabling
      • Metered connection - for mobile networks or preventing automatic downloads here and here
      • Defer upgrades here
    • Windows 7
      • Prevent updates being installed on shutdown: how-to
      • Prevent updates being downloaded by changing settings (Do not check for updates)
    • Disable Microsoft Store updates here
    • Aggressive option
      • Disable Windows Update in services.msc
      • Reset script here
  • Troubleshooting
    • Windows 7/8
      • Stuck on 'Checking for updates' here
      • Cannot check for updates Fixit, blog
      • Windows Update Troubleshooter Fixit
      • Cannot get other products from Microsoft here to add IE11 to compatibility mode and trusted sites
    • Windows 10
      • Built-in troubleshooter in Settings
    • Various error codes Fixit and here
    • Couldn't complete the updates - reset Windows components here
    • Roll back drivers here
    • Microsoft Store issues here
    • Cannot connect to internet blog
      • Start, type “cmd” and right-click the Command Prompt result, then click Run as administrator
      • Enter the commands:
      • ipconfig /release
      • ipconfig /flushdns
      • ipconfig /renew
    • Manual reset of Windows Update
      • Start - Run - services.msc
      • Stop the services ‘Background Intelligent Transfer Service’, ‘Windows Update’ and 'Update Orchestrator Service'. If you can't stop them, set them to Disabled, and reboot, so they don't start on boot
      • Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution, and delete everything in the folder (but not the folder itself) (make sure you have 'Show hidden items' and 'Show operating system files' enabled so you can see and delete all files)
      • Restart the PC and run 'Check for updates' again
    • Bootloader problems here
    • Total identified Windows installations: 0 here
    • Use a proxy server
      • netsh winhttp set proxy http://proxy.myproxy.com:80 
        (to turn it off afterwards, run: netsh winhttp reset proxy)
      • There is also a WinINET proxy for Internet Explorer - see more details here
        HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\
        REG_SZ ProxyServer = “proxy.myproxy.com:80”
        REG_SZ ProxyOverride = “localhost”
        REG_DWORD ProxyEnable = 1

25 February 2018

My favourite movies/films

Not an exhaustive list, but it’s a start.

Generally in order of which ones I've either seen the most, have fond memories of, would recommend the most, or simply think are the best. Not including horror movies on this list, as that's really a different category/goal of film.
  1. Spirited Away
  2. Matrix
  3. Truman Show
  4. Donnie Darko
  5. Back To The Future
  6. Groundhog Day
  7. Iron Man
  8. Avengers: Infinity War
  9. Parasite (2019)
  10. WALL-E
  11. Monsters, Inc
  12. Iron Giant
  13. Matilda
  14. Belle (2021)
  15. Hot Fuzz
  16. Shaun of the Dead
  17. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 
  18. Princess Mononoke
  19. Coraline
  20. Moon
  21. Butterfly Effect
  22. Inside Out
  23. Day The Earth Stood Still (original)
  24. Lion King
  25. Aladdin
  26. Terminator 2
  27. Inception
  28. Arrival
  29. Avengers: Endgame
  30. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  31. Toy Story
  32. Toy Story 3
  33. Up
  34. Pan’s Labyrinth
  35. A Beautiful Mind
  36. 12 Years A Slave
  37. Beauty and the Beast
  38. Incredibles
  39. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2
  40. Oblivion
  41. 2001 Space Odyssey
  42. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  43. It's a Wonderful Life
  44. X-Men Days of Future Past
  45. Knives Out
  46. Fifth Element
  47. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  48. Shawshank Redemption
  49. Clockwork Orange
  50. Moonlight
  51. Godfather 2
  52. Kill Bill 2
  53. Elephant Man
  54. Bedazzled
  55. Bruce Almighty
  56. Your Name

Horror

  1. Jeepers Creepers
  2. Shining
  3. The Fly
  4. The Thing
  5. Insidious
  6. Signs
  7. Creep 2
  8. Sixth Sense
  9. Saw
  10. Se7en
  11. It Follows
  12. Babadook
  13. Requiem For A Dream
  14. Ghost Stories
  15. Lights Out
  16. It
  17. A Quiet Place
  18. Grudge
  19. Ring
  20. Paranormal Activity
  21. Invisible Man (2020)
  22. Rec
  23. Blair Witch
  24. Alien
  25. Psycho
  26. Unfriended
  27. Annabelle
  28. Rosemary's Baby
  29. Drag Me To Hell
  30. Mist
  31. Split
  32. Ma
I don't find scary:

  1. Exorcist
  2. Nightmare on Elm Street
  3. Loved Ones
  4. Funny Games
  5. Carrie
  6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
  7. Hereditary
  8. Any zombie films
  9. Jaws
  10. Get Out
  11. Shutter Island


13 February 2018

Force Awakens vs Last Jedi


  • Indigenous species
    • Ending of FA shows black seagulls occupying the island
    • LJ replaces with with Porgs. Add the crystal foxes, and the toad creatures on the island
  • Plot
    • FA reveals the plot of Luke Skywalker vs Ben Solo shortly after we meet Han Solo again and why Luke ran away.
    • LJ revolves around the reasoning behind Luke's story
    • In LJ, Rey learning the light/dark side of the force even though she'd mastered it in the first film
  • Villains
    • FA reveals Snoke as an intimidating but not formidable character.
    • LJ reveals him in detail, but he is easily killed by Kylo Ren.
  • Powers
    • FA introduces Rey picking up her powers really quickly, never recognised by herself before, compared to Luke doing weeks/months of training
    • LJ introduces new never-before seen powers like:
      • Snoke bringing Kylo and Rey together
      • Leia flying through space
      • Luke creating an interstellar hologram
      • Ghost Yoda is able to cast lightning
  • Fight battles
    • FA has the fights with Kylo (Rey and Finn), and Finn vs the 'Traitor' Stormtrooper
    • LJ has the Praetorian Guard scene
  • Starships
    • LJ introduces the Dreadnought and Snoke's ship
    • LJ introduces a hyperspace jump through a ship to destroy it
  • Humour
    • FA has BB-8, C-3PO providing quips, and Kylo attacking the computer consoles twice
    • LJ has Chewie preparing to eat roast Prog, the toad creatures getty angry, Yoda making quips, and Kylo attacking the elevator

13 December 2017

"Windows Update cannot currently check for updates"

There is a known issue with Windows Update for some users (see Computer World, ZDNet, Microsoft Answers), I got stuck with the message below. The issue occurs because the update repository appears to have expired on 03/12/2017 and Microsoft didn’t renew it. I don’t see this issue resolving itself though and just rebooting it doesn’t work. There is also a FixIt from Microsoft, however this doesn’t resolve the issue either.



To fix this:
  1. Start - Run - services.msc
  2. Stop the services ‘Background Intelligent Transfer Service’ and ‘Windows Update’
  3. Go to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution, and delete everything in the folder (but not the folder itself)
  4. Restart the PC
  5. Check for updates again – it may take 30-60 mins to scan and rebuild the repository
  6. Your updates will now be valid from 01/12/2017 to 01/07/2025 - this can be found in the file C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\AuthCabs\authcab.cab\authorization.xml


New dates, which is probably enough seeing that patches end for 7 in April 2020.

<IssuedDate>2017-12-01T00:00:00.0000000-00:00</IssuedDate>
<ExpiryDate>2025-07-01T00:00:00.0000000-00:00</ExpiryDate>

If you can get past this, but it sits saying "Checking for updates" for a long time, then try this KB update.

16 November 2017

What's wrong with politics?

Focusing on UK government but extending to cover other systems where necessary.


  • Individual leaders (prime minsters, presidents, chairmen) have too much power and use it to make bad decisions. For example, spreading fake news, creating a cult of personality, and controlling sectors like military. 
    • Example: Kim Jong-Un is a selfish dictator
    • Example: Putin took Crimea, permitted fake news stories about Hilary Clinton and Brexit
    • Example: Donald Trump, someone unqualified to make good decisions, had influence in all bad places, is sexist, misogynist, and corrupt, and generally had no respect for others
    • Solution: No country is appointed a single individual leader.
      • Method: A jury is selected at random from the electorate. Collectively, they must all agree to a decision. This is called citizen oversight.
        • Compare to: An oligarchy. Oligarchy are typically considered to be comprised of wealthy individuals with power. However, a randomly selected set would not have this issue unless individuals are promised returns after their roles. In this case, all decisions must be recorded and checked for ulterior motives. Communication outside is not permitted and warrants immediate removal.
        • Oligarchy means anarchy can be created and the system overthrown. Solution would be to appoint a new person, randomly selected, from a prepared group, who again, are randomly selected.
    • Solution: There are no leaders, and all decisions are purely down to the public.
      • This leads to the tyranny of the majority - people who are uninformed or able to exert influence can cause poor decisions.
  • Countries fail to comply with agreed laws
    • Example: Kim Jong-Un plans military weaponry
    • Example: Several countries including US, UK, Japan etc have nuclear weapons
    • The UN have very limited power, and being a member is optional
      • They do have the power to cease trade
  • Countries fail to make progress on meeting demands of climate change
    • Example: China is a developing country which gives it free reign to use fossil fuels like coal, even though this is hypocritical to other countries already reliant on renewable energy. The entire world suffers because of making exceptions and excuses.
      • Related: Black cabs are exempt from congestion charges in London, even though they are perfect candidates for hybrid and electric vehicles on short trips
  • Referendums can end up with highly negative consequences
    • Example: Brexit
    • Cause: Improper education to the public on both sides of the debate
    • Cause: Lack of promise or clear definition as to the consequences
    • Solution: Think tanks x 10. A better description would be 'Idea Banks'. Anyone from any background or age, regardless of being in the electorate, is able to submit ideas for policies and decisions. No education is required. Such a system would require curators, who sort, de-duplicate, organise, and qualify every idea submitted. Ultimately this results in a more manageable set of ideas, grouped into topics such as education, health and transport. Each idea then is classed with an upvote system.
      • Additionally, certain groups of individuals are expected to feed ideas into the system. Example: historians, futurists - people who know what bad decisions have been made in the past, and what decisions are most likely to help us to a better future. There is no longer a concept of a politician.
      • To become a curator does require knowledge and training, but all actions are observable and traceable by the public.
      • Platforms such as debate.org an be used to discuss topics and sides, on a bigger scale.
    • Solution: Electorate are required to demonstrate an understanding of consequences of their decisions, by passing competency tests and ensuring they are shown how any decision they make can influence. For example, swearing on a Twitter account looks unprofessional and means poorer career choices. There should be a compendium of these nuances of society, and people should be tested to ensure they are aware of these 'so what' consequences.

7 November 2017

Most popular Christmas adverts




27 October 2017

Pixel 2 issues and fixes

Summary of reported issues with the Pixel 2 /XL
  • Low saturation = feature of lower gamut - Update to add setting for high saturation
  • Burn in = common in OLED - Update to handle this by fade out
  • Fix:  https://support.google.com/pixelphone/forum/AAAAb4-OgUsFRyoLZZjXvo/?hl=by
  • High pitched sound / clicking = NFC - Update to fix this
  • Fix: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/forum/AAAAb4-OgUsXuQgtm5dK8I/?hl=by
  • Black/gradient crush
  • Grain
  • Blue tint

19 October 2017

Life philosophy

Some good recent videos about life and its meaning.

My thoughts summarised:
- Life is a chance to experience, to enjoy, and to discover. We might be the only life in existence, but that gives us the power to define our place and our destiny. If we can all do something to advance our species towards a hopeful future, be it solving problems or having fun, and potentially become the masters of the stars themselves, it will have been worthwhile.



   

27 July 2017

Thoughts on issues attributed to social justice warriors (SJW's)

Cultural appropriation

Culture cannot be copyrighted or be subject to intellectual property rights. I think the offence taken comes from people who lose the meaning behind something, though, which is still vague to me.

For example, an American Indian headdress is a symbol of the greatest respect in a tribe; it is something earned. However, wearing them at festivals and so on, I can see how it can be disrespectful to real American Indians.

I am uncertain on which way really. I can understand the disrespect, but I can see that a physical item of clothing is not necessarily important. However - there are cases where clothing must be adhered to - for example, I can't go around wearing a police uniform, or wearing a crown that looks like the Queen's. So this is quite a complex issue.

Behaviour

Behaviour cannot be copyrighted. Mannerisms, gestures, etc., belong to individuals, not a culture or race. Which is why if I say 'My name is Michael Caine' in the accent, that's an impression of an individual. Things like gestures, mannerisms, and accents, can only be tied to an individual - they are not part of a culture. Yes there are stereotypes, but those are only stereotypes. They do not define a culture.

Labels

Labels are human creations only. They do not define us. They are only to help us categorise, summarise and predict. Trying to label everything is futile.

23 July 2017

Walking Dead - Best Quote from Michonne

Have you ever had to kill people because they had already killed your friends and were coming for you next? 

 Have you ever done things that made you feel afraid of yourself afterward?

 Have you ever been covered in so much blood that you didn't know if it was yours or walkers' or your friends'? 

 Huh? Then you don't know.

From Season 6, Episode 3 "Thank You"
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