Problems after Windows 10 update

After updating Windows 10 Home (to build 21313) on my laptop, I have the following two problems :-

1. Fn + Brightness keys (F9 and F10) no longer work. Fn + sound keys and other such functions working correctly. I can, however, still use brightness slide bar in Settings to adjust brightness.

2.When closing lid of laptop, machine will not sleep although power options have been set up for this. Machine will sleep when using the Start menu Power button.

Both these problems do not occur when I boot to Linux Mint Live from a USB stick.

I am suspecting a driver issue. Any ideas ?

Noted this is related to an Insider build:
Windows 10 Insider Preview Dev Build 21313 (RS_PRERELEASE) - Feb. 12

In general issues which may be related to driver updates the rule is to use the last available relevant driver from the manufacturer's site where this is applicable.

Does yours have a driver download page? It seems quite new.

Your device may have a utility/driver supporting hotkeys e.g. mine has


All this aside- it could be there may simply be an incompatibility that can't be resolved.

For want of a better idea, some people found the first answer here helped:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-other_settings/keyboard-brightness-keys-not-working/047110c1-2c25-436c-b580-6850248eed77

laptop - brightness control stops working after latest windows 10 update - Super User

This is a list of workarounds that worked for some people :

• Restore power defaults
  In Control Panel > Power Options, click Change Plan Settings and then on Restore default settings for this plan. Do this for all your Power Plans.
• Disable Adaptive Brightness
  In Control Panel > Power Options, for your active power plan click Change plan settings, then Change advanced power settings. In the Power Options dialog, expand Display and then expand Enable Adaptive Brightness. Set all of them to Off.
  These setting are worth a look if you have then : Display brightness, Dimmed display brightness and Enable adaptive brightness.
• Disable the Intel Power Saving Technology
  This setting is found in your Dell or Vaio Control Center. For more info see this article.
• Disable the BrightnessReset task
  Open Task Scheduler and in the left pane expand Task Scheduler Library. Navigate to Microsoft > Windows > Display > Brightness (if you have it). If you see on the right a scheduled task called BrightnessReset, double-click on it, choose Properties > Triggers tab > Edit, then disable it and see if it works for you. A reboot might be required.
• Run the Power Troubleshooter
  You may access it via the Windows 10 Troubleshooters Settings Page or run the following command directly to bring up the built-in Power Troubleshooter
  
  msdt.exe /id PowerDiagnostic
• Registry change
  Use regedit to go to the key
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}.
  If you see any items named KMD_EnableBrightnessInterface2 or MD_EnableBrightnesslf2, set them to zero and reboot.
• Power troubleshooting
  For further troubleshooting of Power Plans, use the built-in PowerCFG command line tool.

Restoring power plans to default may relate to your sleep issue too.

Hello @Janner Oyibo,

Janner Oyibo said:

If I can't find a solution in the next day or so, I'll have to bite the bullet and do a fresh install (something I was really trying to avoid)...................

If it does get to that stage, and as an alternative to a Clean Install, you could possibly try . . .

 In-Place-Upgrade - Repair Install

Information & Tutorials:

This is a Non-Destructive Process which keeps ALL your Apps, Programs, and Personal Data Intact . . .

IMPORTANT: This is an extract from the Tutorial below . . .

• You will only be able to do a repair install of Windows 10 from within Windows 10. You will not be able to do a repair install at boot or in Safe Mode.
  
• You will need at least around 10 GB + what Windows is currently using of free space available on the Windows drive.
• The installation media (ex: ISO or USB) must be the same edition and same or newer build as your currently installed Windows 10. If it's not, then the repair install will fail.
• The installation media (ex: ISO or USB) must be the same base language (aka: system default language) as your currently installed Windows 10. If it's not, then you will not keep anything.
• If you have a 32-bit Windows 10, then you must use a 32-bit ISO or USB.
• If you have a 64-bit Windows 10, then you must use a 64-bit ISO or USB.

> How to Do a Repair Install of Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade

Basically . . .

[1] Download the ISO to the Desktop.
[2] Right-click the ISO > Mount.
[3] Open File Explorer.
[4] Double-click the Mounted Drive to open it.
[5] Double-click setup.exe.
[6] Choose the Upgrade option.
[7] Select Change what to keep.
[8] Select One of the following . . .

• Keep Personal Files and Apps.
• Keep Personal Files Only.
• Nothing.

[9] Unmount the ISO by right-clicking the Mounted Drive > Eject.

The ONLY downside is that you could possibly lose some of your personalizations.

Recommendations:

DISABLE:

ANY Non-Microsoft . . .

• Antivirus Software.
• Firewall software.
• Drive Encryption Software.

I hope this helps.