Windows search breaks with any CU since aug including the sep 26 upd

moxnix · 01 Oct 2019

I would like to push the last few months windows updates to the computers in our small business however on my test machines every time i push the CU for 1903 windows search breaks we have enough computers that I cannot push it out then manually go and apply fixes to each machine. Should i just wait until a future CU fixes these issues? Is there perhaps something in my domain causing this? I know this was an issue with the first update that had cortana spiking cpu use i would have thought it was resolved by now but every time i load a new CU same issue computers i test on cannot search and uninstalling the CUs always fixes the issue.

dalchina · 01 Oct 2019

every time i load a new CU same issue computers i test on cannot search

Hi, can you confirm that search indexing is working?

Cumulative Update KB4515384 Windows 10 v1903 build 18362.356 Sept. 10
says

Addresses an issue that causes high CPU usage from SearchUI.exe for a small number of users. This issue only occurs on devices that have disabled searching the web using Windows Desktop Search.

- and note the stated cause.

Does indexed search using file explorer work for you, or is it just search using Cortana that doesn't work?

In what way does search fail?

i push the CU for 1903

- to which CU are you referring?

And just to check, are your PCs using build 1903?

Known and Resolved issues for Windows 10 May 2019 Update version 1903
says

Windows Desktop Search may not return any results and may have high CPU usage
Windows Desktop Search may not return any results and SearchUI.exe may have high CPU usage after installing KB4512941.

See details >

OS Build 18362.329

August 30, 2019
KB4512941

Resolved
KB4515384

moxnix · 01 Oct 2019

"In what way does search fail?" You cannot even select the windows search box.
"have disabled searching the web using Windows Desktop Search." we don't want this enabled we want the search to only work on local items.
2019-09 for 1903 is the issue the current kb is 4517211 but all previous KBs for 2019-09 have also broken
the search function.

As far indexing i can reload the bad kb on one of my test pcs and check but we have a lot of pcs and I cannot go around to each one to fix index issues. If there is something i can do group policy wise without enabling web based searching then that could work.

dalchina · 01 Oct 2019

Thank you for your reply.....

"In what way does search fail?" ...cannot even select the windows search box.

Check ctfmon.exe
Can't type in Windows 10 apps, Search Box, Dialogue Boxes, Cortana, etc.

Web search:
Turn On or Off Search online and include web results in Windows 10
N.B. this will not work for coming builds- see limitation in tutorial.

2019-09 for 1903 is the issue the current kb is 4517211 but all previous KBs for 2019-09 have also broken the search function.

I've never experienced this. Broken in what way? Indexing? file explorer search? unable to type in search box? Something else?

You've not commented on my questions about proving search indexing is working - e.g. using file explorer and inspecting Indexing Options and items indexed.

Group Policy: try

Windows search breaks with any CU since aug including the sep 26 upd-snap-2019-10-01-18.52.53.png

Confirm you do not have CPU usage issues related to SearchUI.exe
A fix is coming for a ‘high CPU usage’ bug caused by a recent Windows 10 update | PC Gamer

moxnix · 01 Oct 2019

just retested it. The indexing is fine no problems when i run the troubleshooter and i can search with file explorer you cannot type into the windows search box at all or even get a cursor to appear. I do not see the cortana search process running i tried running power shell commands and restarting to get it to work and no dice either. Running powershell commands on each client pc is not an option anyway. If i try and look at cortana settings via searching and clicking on cortana permission or language settings nothing happens at all though im not even sure these are the same thing. I edit group policy to enable cortana that didn't help. I check the web search in group policy it was not configured and did not work on disabled or enabled. I think the issue is now obvious cortana search that controls that search box wont run and I have no idea why only that when i remove the update it returns and works with the update it doesn't show up at all... i do see ctloader

dalchina · 02 Oct 2019

In build 1903 it seems that SearchUI.exe relates to the search box.

moxnix · 04 Oct 2019

Searchui.exe is the cortana search process I thought? its not running and i have no idea why. I tested CU 2019-10 this morning still does not load. did sfc scan now didn't work either did dism commands didn't work either error code 0x800f081f. I am at a total loss looks like im deferring updates for another month. Do you know what they changed in CU 2019-09 that effects searchui.exe /cortana? Tried rebuilding the index doesn't work. When i try and just launch it from its folder it throws an event viewer error

"Faulting application name: SearchUI.exe, version: 10.0.18362.387, time stamp: 0x5d89925e
Faulting module name: Windows.UI.Xaml.dll, version: 10.0.18362.387, time stamp: 0xd6182d63
Exception code: 0xc0000409
Fault offset: 0x000000000013e760
Faulting process id: 0x25ec
Faulting application start time: 0x01d57acbe84261dd
Faulting application path: C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\SearchUI.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\System32\Windows.UI.Xaml.dll
Report Id: 905ffa70-9e73-40d0-8fd1-0416d8a8cdcc
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID: "

- - - Updated - - -

Had a guy at Microsoft forums tell me to try

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

Delete BingSearchEnabled from here and restart your computer

I did that and its still not running :/.

dalchina · 04 Oct 2019

You're definitely using build 1903 (10.0.18362.387). In 1903, Cortana was relegated to being voice activated only, and the search function separated from Cortana. (E.g. Win key + s, taskbar search box).

I don't know what CU 2019-09 is exactly- people get these at different times. If you look at e.g. your Update History you can identify which update you are referring to, and then read the relevant News article about the details of and issues with that particular update.

Could it be that you have a group policy in force that is interfering with search?
You could try
Reset Local Group Policy Editor Settings to Default in Windows 10

and an in-place upgrade repair install on one of these PCs to see if you can get it performing normally.

Considering your problem of not being able to type in the taskbar search field:
If I search this forum for
can't type in search
I see

Windows search breaks with any CU since aug including the sep 26 upd-1.jpg

If you were to look through those there may be something more than I've mentioned above which may help.

moxnix · 04 Oct 2019

Thanks i checked out some of those already I'll sift back through them. I tried your group policy solution it didn't work. I have not tried doing an in place repair but that's not a viable solution even if it worked. I do not want to push these updates then spend a weekend going around to every computer in our organization repairing every installation. If it did work I don't know how that would help me in troubleshooting my issue here either. I have read the KBs for all the problem CU's and nothing about this issue exists in thier notes. The guys on Microsoft's forums seemed surprised that it is an issue after they fixed the bug that stopped cortana from eating tons of CPU and making search not work. I did get this bug with that patch though you could at least click in the search box before it just didnt display results ... whatever they did to fix that issue seems to have prevented it from running on my machines at all. The only thing I can think off that makes the PCs in my organization different than others that could effect something like this is the win10 cleanup script we run that came from spiceworks that removed things like the adds for mine craft and such. Some of these test boxes that hasn't been run since before they were on 1903. I also used the "Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}" solution but that also did not help. I am at a loss ill try and comb through these forums and google a bit more. I wish I knew what caused the original cortana issues that were more widespread and what they did to fix them...

dalchina · 04 Oct 2019

Note this with respect to one update:
The KB4515384 update for Windows 10 1903 is causing sound problems in games

Microsoft recently released the KB4515384 update for Windows 10 version 1903, and this was supposed -- among other things -- address the high CPU usage problem caused by the earlier KB4512941 update. Unfortunately, this cumulative update was found to cause issues with the Start menu and searching for some users, and Microsoft is currently looking into addressing these problems.

Stated as resolved:
Known and Resolved issues for Windows 10 May 2019 Update version 1903