Beware - Windows 10 - new release problems!!!!

Steve G1XOW

Everyone using W10 now :

Please be aware that there is a major new release of W10 about to be dropped on your PC. Its called the "W10 Anniversary release/update".

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/upcoming-features

I installed it 2 days ago and it completely **** up my CAT virtual serial ports and DAX, also the ports for my SteppIR and rotator controller.

After the "upgrade" I found about 20 random VSPs listed in device manager, and many unsolved drivers too.

I spent a half hour trying to fix it, but as I'm in full contest mode this weekend (didn't want to experiment with my previous functional system), I thus kicked it back in to the long grass.

Naturally, as any good tech would do, I'd previous created an entire machine image on another drive, which I quickly restored, so back to normal life again.

You do always create a recovery image, right?

73 de Steve G1XOW

Gene - K3GC

Judging by the date of your upgrade you installed a beta version.  Let's hope the bugs will be squashed by the time the official comes out on August 2.
I have NEVER done an upgrade, major or not without a full image - saved my **** many a time.

K5CG

Clonezilla  is a great open source (free) tool to save/restore disk images. I use it for all my servers, laptops and virtual machines here at home.

Thanks for the Heads Up on this update. I'll be making a backup here right away.

Steve G1XOW

Gene,

no not a beta, actually release code!  I'm a Microsoft Certified systems Engineer, so I get to mess stuff up before anyone else!

Gene - K3GC

No fair!!  I want to mess my system up early too

Bill W2PKY

I just upgraded from Win7 Pro to Win 10 and had similar issues with CAT & DAX. All my WSJT-X instances needed to be reconfigured for CAT & DAX settings. The issue with DAX was resolved by uninstalling SSDR, however, there is a message when uninstalling SSDR that asks whether DAX should be uninstalled or left on the computer. I had to select uninstall DAX in order for DAX to reinstall and work properly.

K5CG

Yes, I've left DAX and CAT on a system before too when trying to uninstall everything. The popup's question is counter to most other software. It asks if you want to keep, rather than remove, and the knee-**** reaction is to click YES, which leaves those applications alone. One must be careful to read everything calmly.

Michael Coslo

I think the answer to Flex users problems is it is becoming clear that they are going to have to become Computer  literate at the advanced level. Making full system Disk images, and running VM's is probably a little beyond what most people do or expect to do. I'm usually a little surprised when people have their data backed up. 

My own personal radio backups if my W10 goes belly up is a W7 version on my iMac and Dogpark SDR on the Mac side. So I'll let this upgrade go through on the W10 machine and see what Nadella hath wrought. Again.

KC9NRN

Same here, I image backup the machine to a server. For this "upgrade" I'm removing all Flex software before loading the latest build. If it gets borked I'll go back.

Are we having fun yet?

Walt - KZ1F

Well, actually, this is, in my humble opinion,a principal motivation to spend $1200 and get a Maestro. Windows compatibility becomes, in theory, a non issue. Well that and knobs and switches. I think there is a much better match between Maestro and the 6300 notwithstanding the additional pric it adds to the station. This is why I suggested a 6400 rig where the client code was embedded in the transceiver such that the radio could be used without requiring a questionably stable OS. My contention is, priced correctly, it would sell off the shelves. Even in the case of the proposed 6400, flexlib would still be available for remote Maestro operation.

PE3DON

I heard various discussions on this issue both concerning powerSDR and smartSDR. problems caused by the update / upgrading of Windows. It seems virtually impossible to prevent this once you are on the internet.

I decided not for any purpose to be on the internet any longer with my windows7 systems that are solely configured to serve my Flex3000 ( one machine) and  Flex6700 on the other machine.

Flex6700 and maestro go via a  separate wifi router.

Upgrade of the SDR software is installed via an USB stick. Sofrware downloaded via my Apple macbook.  It is really rediculous that I am forced to do it this way, just because of the contantly induced driver problems by stealthy intruder watch microsoft (small capital)

Anyway as it is ment as an advise to us all with Flex systems.
I was wondering if we could go for a Linux version / compilation of Power / SmartSDR.

73, to us all
PE3DON / LA4SSA / TF1DD
Don

Walt - KZ1F

If you google this, there have been several conversations on a Linux version of SSDR and/or a facsimile. I believe Tim has adequately reflected FRS's view on the matter. 

I will pass on the opportunity to say anything self-serving.

As for PSDR, I believe there is a Linux variant someone wrote. I am not sure how current it is or to what extent anyone is maintaining it. That's one issue with open source projects, while there could be tremendous interest in it from a user perspective, if you 1) don't know how to do software development and 2) don't wish to roll up your sleeves, then what you get is how the last person left it. I believe I saw reference to it in the context of the Anan but I don't know the degree to which that code would be workable on a 1500, 3000, or 5000, certainly not on a 6000.

G8ZPX

Buying most flavors of SDR technology means we have to be computer literate to a large degree. This I feel is a given which we need to be fully comfortable with before purchase.

Basing an SDR ecosystem around PC hardware and *ANY* o/s adds vast amounts of complexity (and thus interoperability and compatibility issues) that simply were not an issue when the PC was a kind of optional accessory, i.e. only used for logbook and surfing ****!

Now, the PC and its networking are core components of our shack and our ability to play radio.  Will SDR work without it, no. Trying to be 'SDR happy' without good computer skills is like trying to be a ham without understanding RF and propagation.

They used to say that the antenna should be the highest priority and investment in Ham life, but these days the SDR-PC combo has to be a close second.

Go about *all* software upgrades with a diligent belt-and-braces attitude. Hope for the best, but plan ahead for the worst!

73 de Steve G1XOW

PE3DON

Hi Steve, not my point to be a computer enthousiast. but the thing is rather the agressive way microsoft plugs in the updates that destroys time and again the driver settings of our radio system.
73, de Don / PE3DON

Walt - KZ1F

"is like trying to be a ham without understanding RF and propagation."

And you don't think that's happening too?

But, to your point, yes I concur. I would add to your comment, being fluent in a web browser and outlook express and N1MM+ or HRD does not impart the skills (I believe) you are referring to. Microsoft has done a good job making Windows a consumer product. Linux is not a consumer product. I would argue, however, Microsoft has not done a particularly good job making Windows, beyond IE and Outlook, a consumer product. Well, there is of course, "Angry Bird". :-)

G8ZPX

Don,

MS certainly has cocked up with the latest overt upgrade process, but no need to be a victim of it. MS ****-ups pay my salary but you can be smarter than the average bear for free!

Simply disable the Windows Update service, and also the BITS (background intelligent transfer service) and you will never be bothered by MS updates again. For the w7/8 to w10 upgrade-trojan, simply download and run GWX control panel.

73 de Steve G1XOW

G8ZPX

Walt, under the hood they are all command-line driven o/s, so when you peel away the facade of a cosmetically pleasing GUI what's the difference really?

My I.T. background goes back beyond the GUI, and I well remember plenty of issues like these from way back.

5 hours of testing for every hour of coding is what I was told to expect in my career. Didn't realize the same rule would still hold true 32 years later!

G8ZPX

ps. did you know that MS is incorporating a real-mode Linux Bash Shell in W10?

...a precursor of things to come maybe.

Walt - KZ1F

Do you wear makeup? Yeah, I know, what a crass thing to say. I would not have guessed you're in your 50's though.

Interesting though, I started Linux with Fedora Core . That, absolutely required a labor of love and pretty decent sysadmin skills to maintain. In 2007 I was lamenting to our (Linux) kernel developer that Fedora required a pretty heavy skill set. He turned me on to Ubuntu, and yes, for the most part, it 'just works', which actually was, if not unofficial, tag, vs the others. Somewhere I have a Fedora 21 image..ah, on my cloud, that I use as that is the basis of RHEL 7. But administering Linux is still different than administering Windows. It is really easy to turn off all updates on Linux though, or just accept security updates. I was under the impression with W10 (home) one could not turn off updates. You'd have to get W10 (Professional) for that. Is that, in actuality, the case? My Win7 is (Professional) vs (Home) so I can not relate to peculiarities as a home user edition user.

Walt - KZ1F

No, Steven, I actually did not. Did you know that Red Hat is working closely with Microsoft, at least on a Windows version of OpenShift?
A harbinger of bad things to come. But, I am not surprised now that the fab four are out of power there would be executive management that actually is aware Redhat and, to a lessor extent, Canonical are eating their lunch.

KC9NRN

Steve, 

Agreed, if you're running Windows 7 and want to keep it download the GWX control panel and you're good to go. I hate OS upgrading so I downloaded the ISO and went that route which, counter to what MS said wasn't difficult to do last year.

I too make my living off of the back of MS, love them or hate them without them what would we be working on today?

KC9NRN

Walt,

Ubuntu is nice, they had a couple of version that remind me of Windows ME so I tried others. I keep going back to Ubuntu though.

Linux makes a great phone system OS, I implemented SipXecs at my previous company, for a free implementation (OS wise) it worked fantastic and I installed it on an old DL380 G4, it had 100% up time, loved it.

Tim - W4TME

Same song, different verse (upgrade)...
https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/204975589-How-to-do-a-Complete-uninstall-of-SmartSD...

Remove the SmartSDR ecosystem from your PC prior to doing a Win10 upgrade.  Then reinstall the version of SmartSDR you were previously using.

Bill -VA3WTB

@ Norticpc
can you tell more about the control panel for Win 7, I'm not following, I would just be fine with Win 7. My other box is Linux Mint,,love it.

Tim - W4TME

And....

To quash the impending Linux is the greatest operating system in the universe fork (just search the community to find the gazillion articles already attesting to this proclamation) has begun and will go on forever in an endless do while alive loop, filling up unsuspecting inboxes with reply after reply, I am inclined to enact the CSNREF (community signal to noise enhancement filter), aka "closing the post.