My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update you
get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window. I never
stops. I've tried googling it and the suggestions have yielding
nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.

Todesco wrote:
> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update you
> get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window. I never
> stops. I've tried googling it and the suggestions have yielding
> nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.

Start : Run : winver

will present a dialog telling us how long
this situation has been happening.

Have you made a backup image of C: before, and
do you have an emergency boot CD or DVD to do a
restore with ? This is as a safety precaution,
in case repairing it does not work out, for any
reason.

*******

A Repair Install, preserved your programs and data files,
and is one way to clean up the OS. It will be release
19043.xxx , which is 21H1 (first half of 2021 OS).

https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10

You can download that using the Windows 10 box, to get
an ISO that fits on a DVD. But you don't need a DVD
in hand, to do this repair install. The whole operation
can be done with nothing more than the hard drive.

You will need some slack space on C: for the install.
Say 20GB minimum of slack space, plus the room taken
by a 4.3GB download.

When you get the MediaCreationTool, it will ask if this
download is for another machine or not. Say yes, as that
way, you will have media in hand after MediaCreationTool
finishes. Creating a "Windows.iso" type of file, is sufficient
for making a repair install.

Once you have the Windows.iso file, you can use Imgburn
or a similar burning program to make a bootable DVD. This
would only be for emergencies, such as if you needed to do a
Clean Install of Windows 10 at some later point in time.

*******

So now I assume there is a 4.3GB "Windows.iso" type file,
matching the bitness of your OS. If your OS is 64bit, the
ISO collected should be the 64bit version too.

Start : Run : sysdm.cpl

should have a line which identifies whether the OS is
64 bit. Another kind of check, is list C: . A 64-bit
OS has both of these two items.

C:\Program Files
C:\Program Files (x86)

as evidence it is 64 bit. Otherwise it is the 32 bit version.

How to install (once you have made your backup as
a safety precaution):

1) Right click "Windows.iso" in your Downloads folder.

2) Select "Mount" from the top of the right click
context menu.

3) This will create a virtual DVD drive. Using
File Explorer, navigate into the new virtual drive
E: or similar.

4) At the top of the virtual DVD drive, locate
"setup.exe" and double-click it. This will kick
off the Repair Install.

5) Before it does anything, it prints a summary on the
screen, that it is going to preserve your programs
and your data files. That's important, as if the wrong
thing was ever to be printed there, bad things could happen.
The machine should be set up to boot into C: properly as
normal, or otherwise you'd have to baby sit the thing
during the entire install.

6) When you click the button to do the Repair Install
which preserves Programs and User Data, it could take
a couple hours to migrate files from C:\Windows to
C:\Windows.old, then load new content into C:\Windows.
It has to consider all your installed programs while
this activity happens. It might reboot three times along
the way. The DVD image does not have to stay loaded on
the desktop during the install -- the necessary files
are copied from Windows.iso before the first reboot happens,
and no further files are needed after that.

After a couple hours it should be done.

Then, check Windows Update and see if it is working.

Done this way, this will leapfrog you to 21H1 19043.xxx
version. And now, Windows Update rotating balls should
stop after a minute or two, and be replaced by a list
of updates for 19043.xxx .

*******

Alternatives might be:

Start : Run : control

Then select Troubleshooting and look for Windows Update troubleshooter.

Or, you could look online for a SoftwareUpdates deleting
recipe, to refresh SoftwareUpdates. The only problem with
doing that, is you need the script to help you do that,
and the script hasn't been updated since DoSvc came along.

Doing the Repair Install, it's a large download (4.3GB
if done from the Windows 10 OS), but the procedure is
pretty simple. And it is safe, as long as you did a
backup of C: as a precaution before starting. The installer
really should not be fouling up on this, but we have to
be ready for anything when it comes to computers. If the
Repair Install fails, it will back out, but that could
take an hour or so to complete the back out.

Paul

Todesco <actodesco2@gmail.com> wrote:

> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update you
> get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window. I never
> stops. I've tried googling it and the suggestions have yielding
> nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.

Have you used any tweakers, like WinAero Tweaker, to disable updates?
WinAero, for example, presents an option to disable Windows Updates.
When enabled, you cannot use the Windows Update wizard until you
reenable Windows Updates using WinAero.

On 2021-09-20 11:50 a.m., Todesco wrote:
> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem.  If you select windows update you
> get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window.  I never
> stops.  I've tried googling it and the suggestions have yielding
> nothing.  Any ideas?  Thanks.

An annoying problem, for sure. Go to the Windows Explorer, right-click
on your hard disk and click Properties. Choose Disk Cleanup, then Clean
Up System Files. Get rid of everything, try again.

That should, at the very least, get you to see what updates are available.
--
@RabidHussar

On 2021-09-20, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:
> Todesco <actodesco2@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update you
>> get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window. I never
>> stops. I've tried googling it and the suggestions have yielding
>> nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.
>
> Have you used any tweakers, like WinAero Tweaker, to disable updates?
> WinAero, for example, presents an option to disable Windows Updates.
> When enabled, you cannot use the Windows Update wizard until you
> reenable Windows Updates using WinAero.

I finally used the task manager to check the update progress. The
'interesting' thing is that the ms antimalware is also running &
used up more cpu & disk access/space than the update going on.

Looks like the antimalware is checking everything from ms update
prior to installing? Is there a way to auto disable antimalware for
the win 10 update & then re-enable? I believe that antimalware
is the reason the update process is so very slow the so-called
progress bar so very inaccurate.

lew wrote:
> On 2021-09-20, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:
>> Todesco <actodesco2@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update you
>>> get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window. I never
>>> stops. I've tried googling it and the suggestions have yielding
>>> nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.
>> Have you used any tweakers, like WinAero Tweaker, to disable updates?
>> WinAero, for example, presents an option to disable Windows Updates.
>> When enabled, you cannot use the Windows Update wizard until you
>> reenable Windows Updates using WinAero.
>
> I finally used the task manager to check the update progress. The
> 'interesting' thing is that the ms antimalware is also running &
> used up more cpu & disk access/space than the update going on.
>
> Looks like the antimalware is checking everything from ms update
> prior to installing? Is there a way to auto disable antimalware for
> the win 10 update & then re-enable? I believe that antimalware
> is the reason the update process is so very slow the so-called
> progress bar so very inaccurate.

During a Windows Update, there are two wasteful processes
competing with you.

Windows Defender
Search Indexer (notes files being deleted and files being added)
(indexes the added files, merges indexes)

The Search Indexer ties to the USN Journal. If the Search
Indexer were to stop, it can "catch up" later as the USN Journal
is there for the reading later.

However, the controls for Search Indexer are useless. How it should
work, is if it is killed three times, it should stop restarting itself.
But no... it won't stay stopped. You can kill it again and again in
Task Manager, and it restores itself very quickly.

Window Defender has a disable control that disables RealTime protection.
You can use that during a Windows Update, then turn it back on.
But it is as ill-behaved as Search Indexer in some ways. On
a reboot, it enables itself again, so the reboot after a
Windows Update saves you the trouble of enabling again.
On one Windows 10 release, the control didn't work. On
another, it would restart itself after about ten minutes.

Manage Settings

https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2020/09/windows-security-av-manage-settings.jpg

Real Time Protection OFF

https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2020/09/disable-dender-protection-windows-10.jpg

Paul

On 20/09/2021 23:24, Paul wrote:
> lew wrote:
>> On 2021-09-20, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:
>>> Todesco <actodesco2@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem.  If you select windows update
>>>> you get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window.
>>>> I never stops.  I've tried googling it and the suggestions have
>>>> yielding nothing.  Any ideas?  Thanks.
>>> Have you used any tweakers, like WinAero Tweaker, to disable updates?
>>> WinAero, for example, presents an option to disable Windows Updates.
>>> When enabled, you cannot use the Windows Update wizard until you
>>> reenable Windows Updates using WinAero.
>>
>> I finally used the task manager to check the update progress.  The
>> 'interesting' thing is that the ms antimalware is also running &
>> used up more cpu & disk access/space than the update going on.
>>
>> Looks like the antimalware is checking everything from ms update
>> prior to installing?  Is there a way to auto disable antimalware for
>> the win 10 update & then re-enable?  I believe that antimalware
>> is the reason the update process is so very slow the so-called
>> progress bar so very inaccurate.
>
> During a Windows Update, there are two wasteful processes
> competing with you.
>
>    Windows Defender
>    Search Indexer (notes files being deleted and files being added)
>                   (indexes the added files, merges indexes)
>
> The Search Indexer ties to the USN Journal. If the Search
> Indexer were to stop, it can "catch up" later as the USN Journal
> is there for the reading later.
>
> However, the controls for Search Indexer are useless. How it should
> work, is if it is killed three times, it should stop restarting itself.
> But no... it won't stay stopped. You can kill it again and again in
> Task Manager, and it restores itself very quickly.
>
> Window Defender has a disable control that disables RealTime protection.
> You can use that during a Windows Update, then turn it back on.
> But it is as ill-behaved as Search Indexer in some ways. On
> a reboot, it enables itself again, so the reboot after a
> Windows Update saves you the trouble of enabling again.
> On one Windows 10 release, the control didn't work. On
> another, it would restart itself after about ten minutes.
>

If another virus scanner is present it's supposed to keep itself
disabled. Is there something that can be added to the registry to make
it think the system is protected by another scanner?

Dex wrote:
> On 20/09/2021 23:24, Paul wrote:
>> lew wrote:
>>> On 2021-09-20, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:
>>>> Todesco <actodesco2@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update
>>>>> you get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window.
>>>>> I never stops. I've tried googling it and the suggestions have
>>>>> yielding nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.
>>>> Have you used any tweakers, like WinAero Tweaker, to disable updates?
>>>> WinAero, for example, presents an option to disable Windows Updates.
>>>> When enabled, you cannot use the Windows Update wizard until you
>>>> reenable Windows Updates using WinAero.
>>>
>>> I finally used the task manager to check the update progress. The
>>> 'interesting' thing is that the ms antimalware is also running &
>>> used up more cpu & disk access/space than the update going on.
>>>
>>> Looks like the antimalware is checking everything from ms update
>>> prior to installing? Is there a way to auto disable antimalware for
>>> the win 10 update & then re-enable? I believe that antimalware
>>> is the reason the update process is so very slow the so-called
>>> progress bar so very inaccurate.
>>
>> During a Windows Update, there are two wasteful processes
>> competing with you.
>>
>> Windows Defender
>> Search Indexer (notes files being deleted and files being added)
>> (indexes the added files, merges indexes)
>>
>> The Search Indexer ties to the USN Journal. If the Search
>> Indexer were to stop, it can "catch up" later as the USN Journal
>> is there for the reading later.
>>
>> However, the controls for Search Indexer are useless. How it should
>> work, is if it is killed three times, it should stop restarting itself.
>> But no... it won't stay stopped. You can kill it again and again in
>> Task Manager, and it restores itself very quickly.
>>
>> Window Defender has a disable control that disables RealTime protection.
>> You can use that during a Windows Update, then turn it back on.
>> But it is as ill-behaved as Search Indexer in some ways. On
>> a reboot, it enables itself again, so the reboot after a
>> Windows Update saves you the trouble of enabling again.
>> On one Windows 10 release, the control didn't work. On
>> another, it would restart itself after about ten minutes.
>>
>
> If another virus scanner is present it's supposed to keep itself
> disabled. Is there something that can be added to the registry to make
> it think the system is protected by another scanner?

Option Two (uses a .reg file to right-click and "Merge")

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5918-how-turn-off-microsoft-defender-antivirus-windows-10-a.html

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
DisableAntiSpyware DWORD 1 # This turns off WD

Does this actually work ?

That's the thing about AV operation, you can never
be sure any of the controls work! Even when an AV is
uninstalled, parts of it remain installed.

Paul

Paul wrote:
> Dex wrote:
>> On 20/09/2021 23:24, Paul wrote:
>>> lew wrote:
>>>> On 2021-09-20, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:
>>>>> Todesco <actodesco2@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update
>>>>>> you get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the
>>>>>> window. I never stops. I've tried googling it and the
>>>>>> suggestions have yielding nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.
>>>>> Have you used any tweakers, like WinAero Tweaker, to disable updates?
>>>>> WinAero, for example, presents an option to disable Windows Updates.
>>>>> When enabled, you cannot use the Windows Update wizard until you
>>>>> reenable Windows Updates using WinAero.
>>>>
>>>> I finally used the task manager to check the update progress. The
>>>> 'interesting' thing is that the ms antimalware is also running &
>>>> used up more cpu & disk access/space than the update going on.
>>>>
>>>> Looks like the antimalware is checking everything from ms update
>>>> prior to installing? Is there a way to auto disable antimalware for
>>>> the win 10 update & then re-enable? I believe that antimalware
>>>> is the reason the update process is so very slow the so-called
>>>> progress bar so very inaccurate.
>>>
>>> During a Windows Update, there are two wasteful processes
>>> competing with you.
>>>
>>> Windows Defender
>>> Search Indexer (notes files being deleted and files being added)
>>> (indexes the added files, merges indexes)
>>>
>>> The Search Indexer ties to the USN Journal. If the Search
>>> Indexer were to stop, it can "catch up" later as the USN Journal
>>> is there for the reading later.
>>>
>>> However, the controls for Search Indexer are useless. How it should
>>> work, is if it is killed three times, it should stop restarting itself.
>>> But no... it won't stay stopped. You can kill it again and again in
>>> Task Manager, and it restores itself very quickly.
>>>
>>> Window Defender has a disable control that disables RealTime protection.
>>> You can use that during a Windows Update, then turn it back on.
>>> But it is as ill-behaved as Search Indexer in some ways. On
>>> a reboot, it enables itself again, so the reboot after a
>>> Windows Update saves you the trouble of enabling again.
>>> On one Windows 10 release, the control didn't work. On
>>> another, it would restart itself after about ten minutes.
>>>
>>
>> If another virus scanner is present it's supposed to keep itself
>> disabled. Is there something that can be added to the registry to make
>> it think the system is protected by another scanner?
>
> Option Two (uses a .reg file to right-click and "Merge")
>
> https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5918-how-turn-off-microsoft-defender-antivirus-windows-10-a.html
>
>
> "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
> DisableAntiSpyware DWORD 1 # This turns off WD
>
> Does this actually work ?
>
> That's the thing about AV operation, you can never
> be sure any of the controls work! Even when an AV is
> uninstalled, parts of it remain installed.

I forgot to add the warning in the article about
disabling Anti-Tamper first, which is down at the
bottom of the features of the Windows Defender settings page.

The anti-tamper might prevent that from being set, or
it might make it owned by TrustedInstaller or something.
You can only easily Merge a registry setting, as a function
of the registry item ownership. Something owned by user
or Administrator, could be easy. Something owned by
SYSTEM or TrustedInstaller, takes monkey business.
(More than one third-party app, like psexec and
the boot guys programs.)

Let's hope this is one of the easy ones.

Paul

On 21/09/2021 11:55, Paul wrote:
> Dex wrote:
>> On 20/09/2021 23:24, Paul wrote:
>>> lew wrote:
>>>> On 2021-09-20, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:
>>>>> Todesco <actodesco2@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem.  If you select windows update
>>>>>> you get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window.
>>>>>> I never stops.  I've tried googling it and the suggestions have
>>>>>> yielding nothing.  Any ideas?  Thanks.
>>>>> Have you used any tweakers, like WinAero Tweaker, to disable updates?
>>>>> WinAero, for example, presents an option to disable Windows Updates.
>>>>> When enabled, you cannot use the Windows Update wizard until you
>>>>> reenable Windows Updates using WinAero.
>>>>
>>>> I finally used the task manager to check the update progress.  The
>>>> 'interesting' thing is that the ms antimalware is also running &
>>>> used up more cpu & disk access/space than the update going on.
>>>>
>>>> Looks like the antimalware is checking everything from ms update
>>>> prior to installing?  Is there a way to auto disable antimalware for
>>>> the win 10 update & then re-enable?  I believe that antimalware
>>>> is the reason the update process is so very slow the so-called
>>>> progress bar so very inaccurate.
>>>
>>> During a Windows Update, there are two wasteful processes
>>> competing with you.
>>>
>>>     Windows Defender
>>>     Search Indexer (notes files being deleted and files being added)
>>>                    (indexes the added files, merges indexes)
>>>
>>> The Search Indexer ties to the USN Journal. If the Search
>>> Indexer were to stop, it can "catch up" later as the USN Journal
>>> is there for the reading later.
>>>
>>> However, the controls for Search Indexer are useless. How it should
>>> work, is if it is killed three times, it should stop restarting itself.
>>> But no... it won't stay stopped. You can kill it again and again in
>>> Task Manager, and it restores itself very quickly.
>>>
>>> Window Defender has a disable control that disables RealTime protection.
>>> You can use that during a Windows Update, then turn it back on.
>>> But it is as ill-behaved as Search Indexer in some ways. On
>>> a reboot, it enables itself again, so the reboot after a
>>> Windows Update saves you the trouble of enabling again.
>>> On one Windows 10 release, the control didn't work. On
>>> another, it would restart itself after about ten minutes.
>>>
>>
>> If another virus scanner is present it's supposed to keep itself
>> disabled. Is there something that can be added to the registry to make
>> it think the system is protected by another scanner?
>
> Option Two (uses a .reg file to right-click and "Merge")
>
> https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5918-how-turn-off-microsoft-defender-antivirus-windows-10-a.html
>
>
>    "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
>        DisableAntiSpyware DWORD 1        # This turns off WD
>
> Does this actually work ?
>
> That's the thing about AV operation, you can never
> be sure any of the controls work! Even when an AV is
> uninstalled, parts of it remain installed.
>
>    Paul
>

Seems to have done the trick, for now, rebooted twice and still
disabled. Hope it holds when Patch Tuesday rolls around.

On Tue, 21 Sep 2021 06:55:58 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid>
wrote:

>Dex wrote:
>> On 20/09/2021 23:24, Paul wrote:
>>> lew wrote:
>>>> On 2021-09-20, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:
>>>>> Todesco <actodesco2@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update
>>>>>> you get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window.
>>>>>> I never stops. I've tried googling it and the suggestions have
>>>>>> yielding nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.
>>>>> Have you used any tweakers, like WinAero Tweaker, to disable updates?
>>>>> WinAero, for example, presents an option to disable Windows Updates.
>>>>> When enabled, you cannot use the Windows Update wizard until you
>>>>> reenable Windows Updates using WinAero.
>>>>
>>>> I finally used the task manager to check the update progress. The
>>>> 'interesting' thing is that the ms antimalware is also running &
>>>> used up more cpu & disk access/space than the update going on.
>>>>
>>>> Looks like the antimalware is checking everything from ms update
>>>> prior to installing? Is there a way to auto disable antimalware for
>>>> the win 10 update & then re-enable? I believe that antimalware
>>>> is the reason the update process is so very slow the so-called
>>>> progress bar so very inaccurate.
>>>
>>> During a Windows Update, there are two wasteful processes
>>> competing with you.
>>>
>>> Windows Defender
>>> Search Indexer (notes files being deleted and files being added)
>>> (indexes the added files, merges indexes)
>>>
>>> The Search Indexer ties to the USN Journal. If the Search
>>> Indexer were to stop, it can "catch up" later as the USN Journal
>>> is there for the reading later.
>>>
>>> However, the controls for Search Indexer are useless. How it should
>>> work, is if it is killed three times, it should stop restarting itself.
>>> But no... it won't stay stopped. You can kill it again and again in
>>> Task Manager, and it restores itself very quickly.
>>>
>>> Window Defender has a disable control that disables RealTime protection.
>>> You can use that during a Windows Update, then turn it back on.
>>> But it is as ill-behaved as Search Indexer in some ways. On
>>> a reboot, it enables itself again, so the reboot after a
>>> Windows Update saves you the trouble of enabling again.
>>> On one Windows 10 release, the control didn't work. On
>>> another, it would restart itself after about ten minutes.
>>>
>>
>> If another virus scanner is present it's supposed to keep itself
>> disabled. Is there something that can be added to the registry to make
>> it think the system is protected by another scanner?
>
>Option Two (uses a .reg file to right-click and "Merge")
>
>https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5918-how-turn-off-microsoft-defender-antivirus-windows-10-a.html
>
> "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
> DisableAntiSpyware DWORD 1 # This turns off WD
>
>Does this actually work ?
>
>That's the thing about AV operation, you can never
>be sure any of the controls work! Even when an AV is
>uninstalled, parts of it remain installed.

Not if you use Revo Uninstaller and have it search for leftover files
after the uninstaller finishes. You can then clean all the cruft out
of the registry that gets left behind by the uninstall.

>>>>>>>>>>jetjock<<<<<<<<<<

On 9/20/2021 12:25 PM, Paul wrote:
> Todesco wrote:
>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem.  If you select windows update you
>> get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window.  I
>> never stops.  I've tried googling it and the suggestions have yielding
>> nothing.  Any ideas?  Thanks.
>
> Start : Run : winver
>
> will present a dialog telling us how long
> this situation has been happening.
>
> Have you made a backup image of C: before, and
> do you have an emergency boot CD or DVD to do a
> restore with ? This is as a safety precaution,
> in case repairing it does not work out, for any
> reason.
>
> *******
>
> A Repair Install, preserved your programs and data files,
> and is one way to clean up the OS. It will be release
> 19043.xxx , which is 21H1 (first half of 2021 OS).
>
> https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10
>
> You can download that using the Windows 10 box, to get
> an ISO that fits on a DVD. But you don't need a DVD
> in hand, to do this repair install. The whole operation
> can be done with nothing more than the hard drive.
>
> You will need some slack space on C: for the install.
> Say 20GB minimum of slack space, plus the room taken
> by a 4.3GB download.
>
> When you get the MediaCreationTool, it will ask if this
> download is for another machine or not. Say yes, as that
> way, you will have media in hand after MediaCreationTool
> finishes. Creating a "Windows.iso" type of file, is sufficient
> for making a repair install.
>
> Once you have the Windows.iso file, you can use Imgburn
> or a similar burning program to make a bootable DVD. This
> would only be for emergencies, such as if you needed to do a
> Clean Install of Windows 10 at some later point in time.
>
> *******
>
> So now I assume there is a 4.3GB "Windows.iso" type file,
> matching the bitness of your OS. If your OS is 64bit, the
> ISO collected should be the 64bit version too.
>
>    Start : Run : sysdm.cpl
>
> should have a line which identifies whether the OS is
> 64 bit. Another kind of check, is list C: . A 64-bit
> OS has both of these two items.
>
>    C:\Program Files
>    C:\Program Files (x86)
>
> as evidence it is 64 bit. Otherwise it is the 32 bit version.
>
> How to install (once you have made your backup as
> a safety precaution):
>
> 1) Right click "Windows.iso" in your Downloads folder.
>
> 2) Select "Mount" from the top of the right click
>    context menu.
>
> 3) This will create a virtual DVD drive. Using
>    File Explorer, navigate into the new virtual drive
>    E: or similar.
>
> 4) At the top of the virtual DVD drive, locate
>    "setup.exe" and double-click it. This will kick
>    off the Repair Install.
>
> 5) Before it does anything, it prints a summary on the
>    screen, that it is going to preserve your programs
>    and your data files. That's important, as if the wrong
>    thing was ever to be printed there, bad things could happen.
>    The machine should be set up to boot into C: properly as
>    normal, or otherwise you'd have to baby sit the thing
>    during the entire install.
>
> 6) When you click the button to do the Repair Install
>    which preserves Programs and User Data, it could take
>    a couple hours to migrate files from C:\Windows to
>    C:\Windows.old, then load new content into C:\Windows.
>    It has to consider all your installed programs while
>    this activity happens. It might reboot three times along
>    the way. The DVD image does not have to stay loaded on
>    the desktop during the install -- the necessary files
>    are copied from Windows.iso before the first reboot happens,
>    and no further files are needed after that.
>
> After a couple hours it should be done.
>
> Then, check Windows Update and see if it is working.
>
> Done this way, this will leapfrog you to 21H1 19043.xxx
> version. And now, Windows Update rotating balls should
> stop after a minute or two, and be replaced by a list
> of updates for 19043.xxx .
>
> *******
>
> Alternatives might be:
>
> Start : Run : control
>
> Then select Troubleshooting and look for Windows Update troubleshooter.
>
> Or, you could look online for a SoftwareUpdates deleting
> recipe, to refresh SoftwareUpdates. The only problem with
> doing that, is you need the script to help you do that,
> and the script hasn't been updated since DoSvc came along.
>
> Doing the Repair Install, it's a large download (4.3GB
> if done from the Windows 10 OS), but the procedure is
> pretty simple. And it is safe, as long as you did a
> backup of C: as a precaution before starting. The installer
> really should not be fouling up on this, but we have to
> be ready for anything when it comes to computers. If the
> Repair Install fails, it will back out, but that could
> take an hour or so to complete the back out.
>
>    Paul
Thank Paul. I have 2 thumb drives, "windows 10 pro install disk" and
"AMD windows 10 recovery disk" I'm a little confused about which one to
use and confused about what I'm doing. BTW, I back up monthly on about
the 1st of the month, however, I forgot to do it for September. This
problem has been around for some time now.

Todesco wrote:
> On 9/20/2021 12:25 PM, Paul wrote:
>> Todesco wrote:
>>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem. If you select windows update
>>> you get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window. I
>>> never stops. I've tried googling it and the suggestions have
>>> yielding nothing. Any ideas? Thanks.
>>
>> Start : Run : winver
>>
>> will present a dialog telling us how long
>> this situation has been happening.
>>
>> Have you made a backup image of C: before, and
>> do you have an emergency boot CD or DVD to do a
>> restore with ? This is as a safety precaution,
>> in case repairing it does not work out, for any
>> reason.
>>
>> *******
>>
>> A Repair Install, preserved your programs and data files,
>> and is one way to clean up the OS. It will be release
>> 19043.xxx , which is 21H1 (first half of 2021 OS).
>>
>> https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10
>>
>> You can download that using the Windows 10 box, to get
>> an ISO that fits on a DVD. But you don't need a DVD
>> in hand, to do this repair install. The whole operation
>> can be done with nothing more than the hard drive.
>>
>> You will need some slack space on C: for the install.
>> Say 20GB minimum of slack space, plus the room taken
>> by a 4.3GB download.
>>
>> When you get the MediaCreationTool, it will ask if this
>> download is for another machine or not. Say yes, as that
>> way, you will have media in hand after MediaCreationTool
>> finishes. Creating a "Windows.iso" type of file, is sufficient
>> for making a repair install.
>>
>> Once you have the Windows.iso file, you can use Imgburn
>> or a similar burning program to make a bootable DVD. This
>> would only be for emergencies, such as if you needed to do a
>> Clean Install of Windows 10 at some later point in time.
>>
>> *******
>>
>> So now I assume there is a 4.3GB "Windows.iso" type file,
>> matching the bitness of your OS. If your OS is 64bit, the
>> ISO collected should be the 64bit version too.
>>
>> Start : Run : sysdm.cpl
>>
>> should have a line which identifies whether the OS is
>> 64 bit. Another kind of check, is list C: . A 64-bit
>> OS has both of these two items.
>>
>> C:\Program Files
>> C:\Program Files (x86)
>>
>> as evidence it is 64 bit. Otherwise it is the 32 bit version.
>>
>> How to install (once you have made your backup as
>> a safety precaution):
>>
>> 1) Right click "Windows.iso" in your Downloads folder.
>>
>> 2) Select "Mount" from the top of the right click
>> context menu.
>>
>> 3) This will create a virtual DVD drive. Using
>> File Explorer, navigate into the new virtual drive
>> E: or similar.
>>
>> 4) At the top of the virtual DVD drive, locate
>> "setup.exe" and double-click it. This will kick
>> off the Repair Install.
>>
>> 5) Before it does anything, it prints a summary on the
>> screen, that it is going to preserve your programs
>> and your data files. That's important, as if the wrong
>> thing was ever to be printed there, bad things could happen.
>> The machine should be set up to boot into C: properly as
>> normal, or otherwise you'd have to baby sit the thing
>> during the entire install.
>>
>> 6) When you click the button to do the Repair Install
>> which preserves Programs and User Data, it could take
>> a couple hours to migrate files from C:\Windows to
>> C:\Windows.old, then load new content into C:\Windows.
>> It has to consider all your installed programs while
>> this activity happens. It might reboot three times along
>> the way. The DVD image does not have to stay loaded on
>> the desktop during the install -- the necessary files
>> are copied from Windows.iso before the first reboot happens,
>> and no further files are needed after that.
>>
>> After a couple hours it should be done.
>>
>> Then, check Windows Update and see if it is working.
>>
>> Done this way, this will leapfrog you to 21H1 19043.xxx
>> version. And now, Windows Update rotating balls should
>> stop after a minute or two, and be replaced by a list
>> of updates for 19043.xxx .
>>
>> *******
>>
>> Alternatives might be:
>>
>> Start : Run : control
>>
>> Then select Troubleshooting and look for Windows Update troubleshooter.
>>
>> Or, you could look online for a SoftwareUpdates deleting
>> recipe, to refresh SoftwareUpdates. The only problem with
>> doing that, is you need the script to help you do that,
>> and the script hasn't been updated since DoSvc came along.
>>
>> Doing the Repair Install, it's a large download (4.3GB
>> if done from the Windows 10 OS), but the procedure is
>> pretty simple. And it is safe, as long as you did a
>> backup of C: as a precaution before starting. The installer
>> really should not be fouling up on this, but we have to
>> be ready for anything when it comes to computers. If the
>> Repair Install fails, it will back out, but that could
>> take an hour or so to complete the back out.
>>
>> Paul
> Thank Paul. I have 2 thumb drives, "windows 10 pro install disk" and
> "AMD windows 10 recovery disk" I'm a little confused about which one to
> use and confused about what I'm doing. BTW, I back up monthly on about
> the 1st of the month, however, I forgot to do it for September. This
> problem has been around for some time now.

A Repair Install, preserved your current Program Files as
well as your user (home) directory. I would make a backup of C: though,
as protection against every possible outcome!

When you used MediaCreationTool, that probably made your
"windows 10 pro install disk". I don't know if the characteristics
are distinctive enough for unambiguous identification. We're
looking for "Setup.exe" at the top level. We're looking
for a "Sources\install.esd" type of file, like 3GB or so in size.

Unfortunately, I bet the AMD stick has similar resources,
so we can't get an unambiguous answer. Maybe the AMD
one would reset your Programs setup for example. I don't
really know for sure.

But if I had a stick which I knew was prepared by
MediaCreationTool, that's the one I'd want for this,
and its "Setup.exe" file. And before it goes ahead
with the Repair Install, it should reassure you that
it is not going to "zorch" your files :-) Since I don't
have an "AMD stick" here, I don't know what to expect
with that one.

Paul

On 9/27/2021 2:56 PM, Paul wrote:
> Todesco wrote:
>> On 9/20/2021 12:25 PM, Paul wrote:
>>> Todesco wrote:
>>>> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem.  If you select windows update
>>>> you get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window.
>>>> I never stops.  I've tried googling it and the suggestions have
>>>> yielding nothing.  Any ideas?  Thanks.
>>>
>>> Start : Run : winver
>>>
>>> will present a dialog telling us how long
>>> this situation has been happening.
>>>
>>> Have you made a backup image of C: before, and
>>> do you have an emergency boot CD or DVD to do a
>>> restore with ? This is as a safety precaution,
>>> in case repairing it does not work out, for any
>>> reason.
>>>
>>> *******
>>>
>>> A Repair Install, preserved your programs and data files,
>>> and is one way to clean up the OS. It will be release
>>> 19043.xxx , which is 21H1 (first half of 2021 OS).
>>>
>>> https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/software-download/windows10
>>>
>>> You can download that using the Windows 10 box, to get
>>> an ISO that fits on a DVD. But you don't need a DVD
>>> in hand, to do this repair install. The whole operation
>>> can be done with nothing more than the hard drive.
>>>
>>> You will need some slack space on C: for the install.
>>> Say 20GB minimum of slack space, plus the room taken
>>> by a 4.3GB download.
>>>
>>> When you get the MediaCreationTool, it will ask if this
>>> download is for another machine or not. Say yes, as that
>>> way, you will have media in hand after MediaCreationTool
>>> finishes. Creating a "Windows.iso" type of file, is sufficient
>>> for making a repair install.
>>>
>>> Once you have the Windows.iso file, you can use Imgburn
>>> or a similar burning program to make a bootable DVD. This
>>> would only be for emergencies, such as if you needed to do a
>>> Clean Install of Windows 10 at some later point in time.
>>>
>>> *******
>>>
>>> So now I assume there is a 4.3GB "Windows.iso" type file,
>>> matching the bitness of your OS. If your OS is 64bit, the
>>> ISO collected should be the 64bit version too.
>>>
>>>     Start : Run : sysdm.cpl
>>>
>>> should have a line which identifies whether the OS is
>>> 64 bit. Another kind of check, is list C: . A 64-bit
>>> OS has both of these two items.
>>>
>>>     C:\Program Files
>>>     C:\Program Files (x86)
>>>
>>> as evidence it is 64 bit. Otherwise it is the 32 bit version.
>>>
>>> How to install (once you have made your backup as
>>> a safety precaution):
>>>
>>> 1) Right click "Windows.iso" in your Downloads folder.
>>>
>>> 2) Select "Mount" from the top of the right click
>>>     context menu.
>>>
>>> 3) This will create a virtual DVD drive. Using
>>>     File Explorer, navigate into the new virtual drive
>>>     E: or similar.
>>>
>>> 4) At the top of the virtual DVD drive, locate
>>>     "setup.exe" and double-click it. This will kick
>>>     off the Repair Install.
>>>
>>> 5) Before it does anything, it prints a summary on the
>>>     screen, that it is going to preserve your programs
>>>     and your data files. That's important, as if the wrong
>>>     thing was ever to be printed there, bad things could happen.
>>>     The machine should be set up to boot into C: properly as
>>>     normal, or otherwise you'd have to baby sit the thing
>>>     during the entire install.
>>>
>>> 6) When you click the button to do the Repair Install
>>>     which preserves Programs and User Data, it could take
>>>     a couple hours to migrate files from C:\Windows to
>>>     C:\Windows.old, then load new content into C:\Windows.
>>>     It has to consider all your installed programs while
>>>     this activity happens. It might reboot three times along
>>>     the way. The DVD image does not have to stay loaded on
>>>     the desktop during the install -- the necessary files
>>>     are copied from Windows.iso before the first reboot happens,
>>>     and no further files are needed after that.
>>>
>>> After a couple hours it should be done.
>>>
>>> Then, check Windows Update and see if it is working.
>>>
>>> Done this way, this will leapfrog you to 21H1 19043.xxx
>>> version. And now, Windows Update rotating balls should
>>> stop after a minute or two, and be replaced by a list
>>> of updates for 19043.xxx .
>>>
>>> *******
>>>
>>> Alternatives might be:
>>>
>>> Start : Run : control
>>>
>>> Then select Troubleshooting and look for Windows Update troubleshooter.
>>>
>>> Or, you could look online for a SoftwareUpdates deleting
>>> recipe, to refresh SoftwareUpdates. The only problem with
>>> doing that, is you need the script to help you do that,
>>> and the script hasn't been updated since DoSvc came along.
>>>
>>> Doing the Repair Install, it's a large download (4.3GB
>>> if done from the Windows 10 OS), but the procedure is
>>> pretty simple. And it is safe, as long as you did a
>>> backup of C: as a precaution before starting. The installer
>>> really should not be fouling up on this, but we have to
>>> be ready for anything when it comes to computers. If the
>>> Repair Install fails, it will back out, but that could
>>> take an hour or so to complete the back out.
>>>
>>>     Paul
>> Thank Paul.  I have 2 thumb drives, "windows 10 pro install disk" and
>> "AMD windows 10 recovery disk"  I'm a little confused about which one
>> to use and confused about what I'm doing.  BTW, I back up monthly on
>> about the 1st of the month, however, I forgot to do it for September.
>> This problem has been around for some time now.
>
> A Repair Install, preserved your current Program Files as
> well as your user (home) directory. I would make a backup of C: though,
> as protection against every possible outcome!
>
> When you used MediaCreationTool, that probably made your
>  "windows 10 pro install disk". I don't know if the characteristics
> are distinctive enough for unambiguous identification. We're
> looking for "Setup.exe" at the top level. We're looking
> for a "Sources\install.esd" type of file, like 3GB or so in size.
>
> Unfortunately, I bet the AMD stick has similar resources,
> so we can't get an unambiguous answer. Maybe the AMD
> one would reset your Programs setup for example. I don't
> really know for sure.
>
> But if I had a stick which I knew was prepared by
> MediaCreationTool, that's the one I'd want for this,
> and its "Setup.exe" file. And before it goes ahead
> with the Repair Install, it should reassure you that
> it is not going to "zorch" your files :-) Since I don't
> have an "AMD stick" here, I don't know what to expect
> with that one.
>
>    Paul
Thanks, I'm going to run my backup now ... actually for October. Then I
can try to "fix" things.

On 9/20/2021 11:50 AM, Todesco wrote:
> My Windows 10 Pro box has a problem.  If you select windows update you
> get the dots moving horizontally across the top of the window.  I never
> stops.  I've tried googling it and the suggestions have yielding
> nothing.  Any ideas?  Thanks.
Well, it's been a long time since I started this thread. As it wasn't
really a top priority, I worked on it only in spurts when I had the
time. It's surprising how little time you have when you are retired!
Anyway, I found the problem. Thanks for all who offered suggestions,
etc. I think you probably lead me to finding the solution. Plus, I
learned a lot along the way about windows services, etc. I found a
program installed that blocked all updates. I think I remember, a while
back, someone suggested blocking updates for a while because the
upcoming update was probably buggy. Did I install that? Probably. If
I did, I should have put it on the calendar to remove it on a certain
date, but apparently not. Anyway, thanks for all who replied.