error messages Archives

Winsage

July 24, 2025

Top 6 new features and changes coming to Windows 11 in August 2025 — from AI agents to redesigned BSOD screens

Microsoft is rolling out new features for Windows 11, with most users expected to access them by August. Users can enable "Get the latest updates as they become available" in Windows Update for early access. Key features include: - Copilot Vision: An AI assistant that can view the user's desktop in real-time, facilitating discussions about projects and modifying settings through natural language commands. - Relight in Photos: A feature that uses on-device AI to enhance images with virtual lighting sources, allowing manipulation of up to three light sources and offering built-in presets. Currently exclusive to Copilot+ devices powered by Snapdragon, with future support for Intel and AMD systems. - Object Select in Paint: An AI tool that identifies and isolates objects in images for easy cutting, along with a sticker generator for creating custom stickers. This feature is exclusive to Copilot+ but works across Snapdragon, Intel, and AMD platforms. - Perfect Screenshot in Snipping Tool: An AI feature that automatically crops screenshots to eliminate background elements, along with a color picker for identifying hex codes. - Quick Machine Recovery: A redesigned BSOD that appears for about two seconds, improving the recovery process, along with automatic detection and troubleshooting of boot issues to restore the operating system.

AppWizard

July 24, 2025

At long last and ‘with gracious permission from Valve,’ Garry’s Mod now contains ‘most of Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2 Episodic content’ even if you don’t own those games

Players of Garry's Mod will no longer need to own or install Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source to enjoy community maps that use assets from these games. This update aims to reduce the occurrence of missing textures and models, which previously resulted in visual glitches like pink checkerboards and ERROR messages. However, it does not guarantee the complete elimination of all missing content issues, and players may still encounter some visual glitches. Additionally, the update does not include actual map files, voice-over files, or music from these games due to licensing constraints. The gaming community has responded positively to these changes.

Winsage

July 18, 2025

Microsoft mistakenly tags Windows Firewall error log bug as fixed

Microsoft mistakenly categorized an ongoing bug related to Windows Firewall error messages as resolved in its latest updates. The bug, which causes users to encounter Windows Firewall errors in the Event Viewer with event ID 2042, appears each time the system is restarted and is logged as "Config Read Failed." Microsoft clarified that these errors do not indicate a malfunction and can be ignored, as they are related to an upcoming feature not yet fully integrated into the operating system. The company apologized for the miscommunication and stated that a resolution is planned to be included in an upcoming update.

Winsage

July 17, 2025

Windows 10 update messes up emoji picker, proving that even though the OS is about to shuffle into its grave, Microsoft can still break stuff

Windows 10's July update (KB5062554) has caused the emoji picker functionality to malfunction, particularly affecting the search feature, which now returns error messages indicating no results. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix for users on Windows 10, version 22H2. Some users have reported that uninstalling the July update resolves the problem. The update has sparked discontent among users, with discussions occurring on platforms like Reddit. Speculation exists regarding Microsoft's motivations for making changes to Windows 10 as it approaches its End of Life in October 2025.

Winsage

July 15, 2025

You might want to skip this Windows 10 update: Emoji feature hit by new bug

Microsoft's July Patch Tuesday update for Windows 10, identified as KB5062554, aimed to fix security vulnerabilities but caused the emoji search panel to malfunction. Users reported that while the emoji picker is accessible via the Win + dot shortcut, keyword searches for emojis result in error messages. Discussions about the issue have emerged on online forums, with many users finding that uninstalling the update temporarily resolves the problem, which reoccurs upon reinstallation. Microsoft has not acknowledged the issue publicly, raising concerns about the quality of future updates as Windows 10 approaches its end of life in October 2025. A temporary workaround for affected users is to restore their system to a point before the update and avoid reinstalling the patch until a fix is released.

Winsage

July 14, 2025

Windows 11 update changes critical warning that’s remained unchanged for 40 years

Microsoft has announced the retirement of the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) after nearly forty years, transitioning to a new error screen called the Black Screen of Death. The new screen will feature a black background, replacing the blue, and will provide clearer error messages, such as "Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart." This change is part of a broader initiative to improve user experience during critical failures, including a significant reduction in reboot times to approximately two seconds. The redesign was influenced by the CrowdStrike outage and aims to enhance clarity and efficiency in troubleshooting. The rollout will begin with Windows Insiders and expand to millions of PCs globally.

Winsage

July 11, 2025

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 (Canary Channel)

Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27898 has been released to the Canary Channel. Key features include: - Taskbar Icon Scaling: Icons on the taskbar can automatically resize when the taskbar is full, with options to keep them at original size or always small. - Quick Machine Recovery: This feature identifies and resolves common issues automatically via the Windows Recovery Environment, reducing downtime. - Custom Words in Voice Access: Users can add custom words to the voice access dictionary to improve dictation accuracy. - Screen Curtain in Narrator: This feature blacks out the display for privacy while using Narrator. - Privacy Dialogs Update: Privacy dialogs for app permissions have been redesigned for better focus. - Accessibility Enhancements: Text descriptions for assistive technologies have been added to the Accessibility flyout. - File Explorer Improvements: Dividers have been added to the context menu for better organization. - Adaptive Energy Saver: An opt-in feature that manages energy saver settings based on power state and system load. - Windows Share Updates: Visual previews are now shown when sharing links or web content. - Expanded Voice Access Support: Voice access now supports Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese. - Narrator Guidance: Narrator will guide users through its features with modal windows. - Settings Adjustments: The selected country or region during setup is now displayed in Settings. Fixes include performance improvements in File Explorer, resolution of input issues with the touch keyboard, and fixes for crashes in Settings. Known issues involve potential loss of Windows Hello PIN on new Copilot+ PCs and graphical issues with Remote Desktop on Arm64 PCs.

Winsage

July 10, 2025

Microsoft admits Windows Server Update Services sync is failing

Microsoft has acknowledged ongoing issues with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) that are affecting the synchronization and deployment of updates, leading to significant challenges for businesses. Users have reported synchronization failures and timeout errors, with many expressing frustration over the lack of communication from Microsoft. The affected platforms include various versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, as well as multiple Windows Server versions. Error logs indicate problems such as "Unable to connect to the remote server." Currently, there is no workaround available, and Microsoft is working on repairs related to a problematic update revision. Reports of the issue have emerged globally, with some users experiencing new errors and an overwhelming number of updates being downloaded.

Winsage

July 9, 2025

Microsoft confirms Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) sync is broken

Microsoft has acknowledged a disruption affecting Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), preventing organizations from syncing with Microsoft Update and deploying the latest Windows updates. Reports indicate that synchronization has been compromised since last night, with error messages such as "A connection attempt failed" and ".NET errors indicating that 'The operation has timed out.'" Some administrators noted a brief resumption of synchronization around 12:30 am ET, but it was short-lived. Microsoft attributed the issue to a "problematic update revision in the storage layer," which affects devices trying to sync updates via WSUS. There are currently no workarounds available, and Microsoft is working on a resolution.

Winsage

July 7, 2025

Oh dear – Microsoft Windows Firewall was found to be complaining about…Microsoft code?

Microsoft acknowledged an issue with Windows Firewall following the June 2025 preview update of Windows 11 24H2 (KB5060829), which generates "Config Read Failed" error messages in security event logs. Despite frequent logging upon device restarts, Microsoft stated that this does not indicate a malfunction of Windows Firewall and can be ignored. The issue is linked to an under-development feature, and no resolution timeline has been provided. Additionally, there is a problem with displaying Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters at 96 DPI in Chromium-based browsers, which Microsoft is working on with Google.