Anniversary Issue

bargi · 07 Oct 2016

I appreciate your responses and hope that you can help me further. I downloaded Windows 10 on July 12 and have been trying to get it to function ever since. I have read in different forums and have followed the recommendations to no avail. At this stage I am feeling a high level of frustration verging on depression. I have a number of issues but will deal them out one at a time. The issue of the day is no sound. I was using a pair of inherited speakers and the only identification I can find is CE. I heard a loud roar which the volume control did not modify. Assuming they were shot, I installed a set of Boston Acoustics BA635 - also inherited. Still no sound. I did all kinds of Troubleshooting for sound issues and everything checks out fine. The volume control gives a reading as though they were working. Then I surmised that perhaps both sets were too old to work with Win 10 so I bought a pair of Logitech. Repeat of the same process with everything saying they are working - but still no sound. I have been living with Device Manager and could tell you all the steps that I have taken but expect you know what the recommendations are and I have followed them many times. I feel that I am asking the impossible of you and I apologize for that.

simrick · 07 Oct 2016

Hi.
Let me first say that I am sorry to hear about all your frustrations with the upgrade to W10.

That being said, I will tell you that a 4-year-old computer will run W10 famously if clean installed, instead of upgraded from W7. I have seen numerous problems with W7 to W10 upgrades, all of which were resolved with a clean install. There is just too much baggage from a W7 upgrade to deal with.

The members here will certainly help you do this, if you're willing. Or, you can take the machine to your local PC shop and have them do it. Just be sure your data is backed up, and you have any install media and keys for any paid software. We can also get your older games working again.

bargi · 08 Oct 2016

Thank you so very much for responding, Simrick. I am thinking that the clean install sounds like my best option. One thing that puzzles me is that I did the Win 10 change on my 2 year old HP laptop at the same time as the desktop and, although there were a few problems, I was able to deal with them. Before I commit I have a few questions. I use Carbonite so I am sure my data is backed up but "install media and keys for any paid software" is giving me pause. I can think of only one commercial program that I have purchased so I can check with that company for directions. However, I have paid and made donations to several private genealogy sites but I am assuming that since I have a user name and password, I am good there. Will this installation of Win 10 also be gratis? Can you give me some guidance as to how long the uninstall and the clean install will take? Since I am unsure what installed media are, I assume I have none thereof. I will have to do the procedure myself as wrestling the tower to the shop would be difficult but I am even more daunted by having to unhook everything and then hook it back up correctly. I will take a few days to get my ducks in a row and then will be back for your instructions.
Ever so grateful, bargi

simrick · 08 Oct 2016

bargi said:

Thank you so very much for responding, Simrick. I am thinking that the clean install sounds like my best option. One thing that puzzles me is that I did the Win 10 change on my 2 year old HP laptop at the same time as the desktop and, although there were a few problems, I was able to deal with them.

Was your laptop upgraded from Windows 8? I've not seen as many problems on W8 upgrades as W7 ones. Then again, some W7 upgrades have been uneventful, while others have been nightmares. And, sometimes it made a difference what all was installed on a system when the upgrade was performed.

bargi said:

Before I commit I have a few questions. I use Carbonite so I am sure my data is backed up

That's good. I will however, mention a few things: Without knowing how much data you have nor the speed of your internet service, you might consider an external hard drive as well. A simple COPY/PASTE command from Documents/Downloads/Music/Pictures/Videos to a respective folder on the external hard drive will speed up the restoration process. In the future, the hard drive can be used for regular system image backups, using an imaging program, such as Macrium Reflect Free. If you're interested in that, we can pursue it after the clean install is completed. Regular images would be a good insurance policy against things like virus/malware attacks, and operating system problems (like borked updates). It would prevent you from ever having to clean install again, as it is a snapshot in time of your entire operating system, including all installed programs, which can be restored easily when needed. Keep it in the back of your mind for now.

bargi said:

but "install media and keys for any paid software" is giving me pause. I can think of only one commercial program that I have purchased so I can check with that company for directions.

If you like, you can provide a list of installed programs, and we can have a look to see what preparation may be necessary, just to be sure. To do this easily, download and install Ccleaner Free, navigate to the following location, export the installed programs list, and post it here.

Anniversary Issue-ccleaner-installed-progs.png

bargi said:

However, I have paid and made donations to several private genealogy sites but I am assuming that since I have a user name and password, I am good there.

Yes, sure. They have online accounts for you, and there is no software on your system for those types of accounts, so you're all set there. One question I have is, do you use an email client, or do you collect your email online using your browser?

bargi said:

Will this installation of Win 10 also be gratis?

Yes. Once a system has had Windows 10 installed and activated on it, you can reinstall W10 as often as you like/need. The activation is stored on the MS servers, and the system will be reactivated after it goes online again.

bargi said:

Can you give me some guidance as to how long the uninstall and the clean install will take?

The uninstall is just a matter of deleting all partitions on the drive, so it takes seconds. The clean install will take about as long as it took to upgrade the system - about 1 to 2 hours, depending on your system specs and internet connection speed.

bargi said:

Since I am unsure what installed media are, I assume I have none thereof. I will have to do the procedure myself as wrestling the tower to the shop would be difficult but I am even more daunted by having to unhook everything and then hook it back up correctly.

Let's have a look at your installed programs, and see what you need.
The install media for Windows 10 will need to be downloaded and saved to either a DVD disk or USB stick, depending on which you prefer to boot your system from.

bargi said:

I will take a few days to get my ducks in a row and then will be back for your instructions.
Ever so grateful, bargi

Sounds good.
You can have a read of this tutorial to familiarize yourself with the procedure, and please ask questions before we begin.
Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums
.

bargi · 13 Oct 2016

simrick said:

Was your laptop upgraded from Windows 8? I've not seen as many problems on W8 upgrades as W7 ones. Then again, some W7 upgrades have been uneventful, while others have been nightmares. And, sometimes it made a difference what all was installed on a system when the upgrade was performed.

That's good. I will however, mention a few things: Without knowing how much data you have nor the speed of your internet service, you might consider an external hard drive as well. A simple COPY/PASTE command from Documents/Downloads/Music/Pictures/Videos to a respective folder on the external hard drive will speed up the restoration process. In the future, the hard drive can be used for regular system image backups, using an imaging program, such as Macrium Reflect Free. If you're interested in that, we can pursue it after the clean install is completed. Regular images would be a good insurance policy against things like virus/malware attacks, and operating system problems (like borked updates). It would prevent you from ever having to clean install again, as it is a snapshot in time of your entire operating system, including all installed programs, which can be restored easily when needed. Keep it in the back of your mind for now.

If you like, you can provide a list of installed programs, and we can have a look to see what preparation may be necessary, just to be sure. To do this easily, download and install Ccleaner Free, navigate to the following location, export the installed programs list, and post it here.

Yes, sure. They have online accounts for you, and there is no software on your system for those types of accounts, so you're all set there. One question I have is, do you use an email client, or do you collect your email online using your browser?

Yes. Once a system has had Windows 10 installed and activated on it, you can reinstall W10 as often as you like/need. The activation is stored on the MS servers, and the system will be reactivated after it goes online again.

The uninstall is just a matter of deleting all partitions on the drive, so it takes seconds. The clean install will take about as long as it took to upgrade the system - about 1 to 2 hours, depending on your system specs and internet connection speed.

Let's have a look at your installed programs, and see what you need.
The install media for Windows 10 will need to be downloaded and saved to either a DVD disk or USB stick, depending on which you prefer to boot your system from.

Sounds good.
You can have a read of this tutorial to familiarize yourself with the procedure, and please ask questions before we begin.
Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums
.

Well, I read. or rather looked at, the Clean Install instructions and am beyond intimidated. You are dealing with an 82 year old woman who sometimes doesn't follow recipe instructions all that well. The current situation is that my 2nd monitor has self-corrected and is presently back to normal and I am hoping this is permanent. It has self-corrected before and then reverted to green. As I was writing this, the monitor has gone green again. I have my games again. I had installed them in 10 before but an update wiped them out. There are only two things bothering me now which are no sound and the fact that the computer will not awaken from either Hibernate of OFF without a hard turnoff and reboot. I have been considering my options which are as I see them
1. live with things as they are
2. call the Geek Squad - scared of that option from what I've heard
3. use my laptop as my main computer and get a tablet for the other floor
4. make the jump across the aisle to a less troublesome system

My laptop was also running 7 but it was less loaded. I was using it much as people do tablets. I wondered if that and it being two years newer was why I have not had the problems with it. The games are not that important to me although I do reward myself with three games of Freecell before I hang it up for the night. I play Solitaire during long and less than stimulating phone calls. I downloaded the games from a website the first time and to reinstall Solitaire on my laptop. I was able to get Freecell back on my desktop from a site with a rubric like "Windows 7 programs for Windows 10". Just one click and it was done. Do you know that program? I have not been able to find it again. I shall probably lumber along as is until I cannot tolerate the situation any more and then choose another option. No guts and no brains here. I am most appreciative of your coming to my assistance which gave me information that I did not have.

simrick · 14 Oct 2016

bargi said:

Well, I read. or rather looked at, the Clean Install instructions and am beyond intimidated. You are dealing with an 82 year old woman who sometimes doesn't follow recipe instructions all that well.

I apologise for the intimidation, and applaud you for your tenacity and willingness to embrace computer technology! I can see how a clean install might seem daunting.

bargi said:

The current situation is that my 2nd monitor has self-corrected and is presently back to normal and I am hoping this is permanent. It has self-corrected before and then reverted to green. As I was writing this, the monitor has gone green again.

This sounds to me like a possible hardware problem. The first thing I would suspect is the connections from the monitor to the computer. The best thing to do first is to unplug the cable and plug it in again - not the power cable, the video cable that runs from the monitor to the computer. Re-seat it on both ends, (computer and monitor). Sometimes re-seating will resolve a problem. Next, I would try replacing that cable with a new one, as cables do go bad.

I would also check the video drivers and make sure they are up-to-date. You can right-click the Start button, select Device Manager, and look for your Display Adapter Then, right-click it and select Update Drivers, and Search Automatically.

Also, if there are drivers specifically available for your monitor, make sure they are installed and up-to-date. You'd want to go to the web site of the monitor manufacturer to get those.

bargi said:

I have my games again. I had installed them in 10 before but an update wiped them out.

Yes, that happens with major updates.

Glad you've got them back.

bargi said:

There are only two things bothering me now which are no sound and the fact that the computer will not awaken from either Hibernate of OFF without a hard turnoff and reboot.

I would turn off fast startup, and also check the power settings.
Fast Startup - Turn On or Off in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

Right-click on the Start button and select Control Panel, then Choose what the power buttons do.
Under Power and sleep button settings, make sure When I press the power button: is set to Shut down.

Back in Device Manager, I would check to see if there are any bangs on any audio devices. Bangs are exclamation marks or question marks that show up on devices that are having problems. Do the same as for the Display Adapter, right-clicking and checking for driver updates.

bargi said:

I have been considering my options which are as I see them
1. live with things as they are
2. call the Geek Squad - scared of that option from what I've heard
3. use my laptop as my main computer and get a tablet for the other floor
4. make the jump across the aisle to a less troublesome system

1. I hope we can at least fix some of these issues for you, avoiding the clean install. Unless you have a grandchild/neighbor who is familiar with doing it, and would do it for you.
2. I'll pretend you didn't list this one.

3. Tablets are nice, portable options. :)
4. If that means what I think it means, I'm not going there!

bargi said:

My laptop was also running 7 but it was less loaded. I was using it much as people do tablets. I wondered if that and it being two years newer was why I have not had the problems with it.

Quite possible, as newer hardware has newer, better-supported drivers. Could also be the combination of that and OEM-installed software (affectionately called bloatware).

bargi said:

The games are not that important to me although I do reward myself with three games of Freecell before I hang it up for the night. I play Solitaire during long and less than stimulating phone calls. I downloaded the games from a website the first time and to reinstall Solitaire on my laptop. I was able to get Freecell back on my desktop from a site with a rubric like "Windows 7 programs for Windows 10". Just one click and it was done. Do you know that program? I have not been able to find it again.

Yeah, I think this is what you want:
Get Windows 7 games for Windows 10
.

bargi said:

I shall probably lumber along as is until I cannot tolerate the situation any more and then choose another option. No guts and no brains here. I am most appreciative of your coming to my assistance which gave me information that I did not have.

Honestly, if you could round up a nice young man or young lady, (perhaps at your local church?), who'd be willing to clean install Windows 10 for you, and then put all your programs and data back on, it would probably be the best option. But perhaps some of the options I've listed here will help. :)

bargi · 21 Oct 2016

Of course, you are so right that I need some outside help from someone who has more computer knowledge and I will continue to try to find that someone. However, until I can do that, I will rely on the good graces of you helpful people in the forums. I am not a novice with computers as I date from DOS and, at one time, was the "go to" person in my family. I think I lost my way after XP was taken away, kind of like when people used to work on their cars themselves but no longer can. I am going to try another monitor to see if I have a faulty monitor but it seems strange to me that the problem only started with Win 10. I did as you suggested by turning off Fast Startup but have not yet checked to see if that made a difference. Winearo was the program that I used to get my games back but I am still searching for the page that let me just click to install Freecell. I thought it was a Windows program but I have been through my History and cannot find it. Surely would like to as it contained much more than just games.

Knowing nothing does not stop me from having an opinion as to what is wrong. A screen came up that told me that DVI and VGA were not connected. Now DVI shows as being connected but not VGA. What does VGA do and how do I connect it? I am thinking if that were working right, my Hibernate problems would be over. Another frustrating thing is that when I check out my monitor etc. in Device Manager, I am always told that they are working correctly. Again, thank you so very much for your input.

Bree · 21 Oct 2016

bargi said:

I think I lost my way after XP was taken away...
... I am still searching for the page that let me just click to install Freecell.

If you still have your old XP machine then you can copy Freecell.exe, Sol.exe and Cards.dll from it - no installation required, just put them in a folder and run them from there. Copy the .chm files too if you want the 'Help'. Works fine for me on Windows 10.

simrick · 22 Oct 2016

bargi said:

....Knowing nothing does not stop me from having an opinion as to what is wrong. A screen came up that told me that DVI and VGA were not connected. Now DVI shows as being connected but not VGA. What does VGA do and how do I connect it? I am thinking if that were working right, my Hibernate problems would be over. Another frustrating thing is that when I check out my monitor etc. in Device Manager, I am always told that they are working correctly. Again, thank you so very much for your input.

DVI and VGA are the connection methods for your monitors.

Having that message pop up, that both were not connected, but still being able to see the message on your monitor, may indicate a failing graphics card? If it were just one, I would think a failing cable - but both at the same time?

Did you try re-seating the cables on both ends (the monitors and computer)?
Did you have a look on the OEM's website(s) for updated graphics drivers? Also updated sound drivers?