WINDOWS ‘APRIL UPDATE’ PROBLEMS FIXED!
Judging by your emails, the latest Windows update (version 1803) has caused more than its fair share of frustrations. Our Problems Solved team takes a look at how to fix your most common headaches…
Why am I being told I have no operating system?
Q I think the April 2018 Update has destroyed my Windows 10 laptop. The installation reached 100 per cent, then a blue screen asked me to select a language, which I did. Another blue screen gave me five options – the first was to roll back. The screen then went black with a message saying there was no operating system on the device. I realise I should have kept a record of everything on the laptop and created a rescue disc. Can you help?
Harry Fry
A we’ve had a number of similar emails from readers about the update falling at the last hurdle. In your case, it sounds like a clean install of Windows may be the best option. Because your laptop won’t load Windows, you’ll need to use another computer to download Microsoft’s free media-creation tool. You’ll also need either an 8GB USB stick or a blank DVD on which to load the installation files.
Visit Microsoft’s site ( www.snipca.com/21565), then under ‘Create Windows 10 installation media’ click ‘Download tool now’. Run the tool and, when prompted, select the ‘Create installation media for another PC’ option. You’ll also need to specify whether you want the 32bit or 64bit version. If you’re not sure which version your laptop is, check its documentation.
Next, select either USB stick or DVD then follow the on-screen prompts. If you’re using a DVD, the tool will provide an ISO file that you need to burn to a blank disc (Cdburnerxp from www. snipca.com/21566 lets you do this for free). Once that’s done, insert the USB stick or DVD into your laptop and reboot. Windows 10, complete with the new April 2018 Update, should now start installing.
What is this warning about a partition I didn’t create? Q when I updated my PC, the hard drive was partitioned with an extra drive letter. The partition’s capacity was 450MB, and given the letter ‘F’, but Windows continuously notified me that the drive was over its capacity and needed attention. I reverted back to version 1709. I’m now dreading the time when I’ll be forced to update.
Barry Scrivner
A during the update process, it’s normal for Windows to create a new partition to store recovery data. However, it shouldn’t have assigned the partition a letter - this is causing your low-space warnings. Re-running the update might solve the problem, but if a letter is assigned to the partition again you’ll need to manually remove it.
To do this, click Start, then type diskpart. Right-click it in the menu, then select ‘Run as administrator’ to bring up Command Prompt. Next, type list volume, press Enter and make a note of the volume number of the new recovery partition. Next, type select volume followed by a space then the number of the volume you noted down (for example select volume 1), then press Enter. Finally, type remove letter= followed by the letter of the recovery partition (it’s ‘F’ in our screenshot left). The data in the partition will remain in place, but it will be hidden and you should stop seeing the warnings.
How can I prevent the update reinstalling after rolling back? Q i’ve just rolled back from the April 2018 Update because Microsoft changed my Start menu shortcuts so the Documents and Pictures folders linked to Onedrive (even though I’ve never used Onedrive). Also, when the screensaver kicked in, my computer froze showing
just a blank screen. Luckily I had a full hard-drive backup of version 1709 (Fall Creators Update), which I’ve reloaded and it’s working fine. How can I stop Microsoft installing the April Update again?
Dave Shorten
A you can delay Windows updates by setting your network connection as ‘metered’. This means Windows will assume you’re on a pay-as-you-go plan for your internet and won’t download large updates automatically.
However, doing so may leave you vulnerable to hackers because you won’t receive ‘general’ security updates as they’re released (although Microsoft says it will still try to install ‘critical’ updates). If you connect via Wi-fi, click Start, type change wi-fi settings, then press Enter. Next, click ‘Manage known networks’, select your network and click Properties. Finally, scroll down and switch on ‘Set as metered connection’ (see screenshot below).
Setting a wired (Ethernet) connection is a similar process. Click Start, type change ethernet settings, press Enter, then click your Ethernet connection and set the metered connection option to On.
As far as your Onedrive problem is concerned, simply disabling it should fix it. To do this, right-click the cloudshaped Onedrive icon at the bottom right of the notification area, then select Settings. In the window that opens, select the Account tab, then click ‘Unlink this PC’. You’ll be prompted to confirm your decision, after which Onedrive shouldn’t trouble you anymore.
Your screensaver problem was probably caused by an outdated display driver. Click the Start button, type device manager, then press Enter. In Device Manager, double-click Display Adaptors, then right-click the adapter that appears. From here, click Update Driver and then ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’. If this doesn’t resolve things, disabling the screensaver until a fix is released is your only option.
How do I set my keyboard to UK English?
QI
updated four PCS and two of them have the same fault: I can no longer type the pound (£) sign, while the ‘@’ and double-quote marks keys have swapped. I’ve checked the keyboard settings are still set to English (UK). Both PCS were working fine until this update.
Alan Stokes
A windows delights in offering a multitude of regional settings. Although you have the main region setting as UK, a US keyboard may still be lurking in the background, (eliminating the £ sign and swapping ‘@’ and the double-quote marks). To check, open Settings, type region & language settings (note the ‘&’), then press Enter. Make sure ‘Country or region’ is set to United Kingdom.
Next, scroll down to the ‘Preferred languages’ section, click the United Kingdom keyboard, then select Options. If the United Kingdom keyboard isn’t shown, add it by clicking the ‘+’ button. Finally, delete any non-uk keyboards by selecting them and clicking Remove (see screenshot above).
The update has killed my webcam – how can I fix it?
Q MY Logitech webcam has been rendered useless by the update and reloading its drivers doesn’t fix it. The webcam works perfectly well on my Windows 7 laptop, so it isn’t broken. At present, I have no visual communications with Skype.
AJ Blackbourn
A the April 2018 Update brought with it new privacy settings, and these are probably blocking Skype from accessing your webcam. Thankfully, it’s a quick fix. Click the Start button, type camera privacy settings, then press Enter. Make sure ‘Allow apps to access your camera’ is set to On, then scroll down and set Skype to On (along with any other programs you want to make your camera available to - see screenshot below).