Dell wireless keyboards deleting text on its own

For several years, I’ve encountered an issue with Dell OptiPlex workstations related to the Dell wireless keyboard, often overlooked during quoting. Occasionally, clients report unexpected email deletions in Outlook, with messages moved to the Archive folder. This happens when the backspace key is triggered, which can be disastrous.

After searching online, I found a Dell forum thread confirming multiple reports of this issue with the wireless keyboard. One plausible explanation is debris getting stuck under the backspace key, causing it to activate unintentionally.

While some speculate wireless interference, it seems more likely that the design, specifically the spacing between keys, may allow debris to lodge under the backspace key, causing it to remain stuck.

Unfortunately, there are no concrete fixes yet. You can read more in the thread here: ‎Random deletion of text | DELL Technologies

Outlook 365/Exchange Online clearing auto-complete is not possible anymore

According to this article here: The Outlook AutoComplete list – Outlook | Microsoft Learn

Original KB number:   2199226

 Important

Exchange Online provides some search features through Microsoft Search. Beginning in Outlook for Microsoft 365 Version 2202 (Build 14931.20604), if you’re connected to an Exchange Online mailbox, the suggestions list for the To/Cc/Bcc lines when you compose a message is powered by Microsoft Search. In this specific scenario, only two sections of this article apply: “Enable the AutoComplete feature” and “Remove AutoComplete list entries one at a time.”

This is absolutely asinine if you ask me. There is a second option under this article: Manage suggested recipients in the To, Cc, and Bcc fields in Outlook – Microsoft Support

You have to go to https://myaccount.microsoft.com/settingsandprivacy/

For work or school accounts do the following:

  1. Go to Settings & Privacy for your work or school account.
  2. Select the Privacy tab, and under Data options, expand Manage Contact Search.
  3. You can Reset IndexDownload Contacts, or turn off Capture implicit contacts and contact ranking from my communications.

Then it takes about 48 hours to clear out all your auto-complete contact info that isn’t saved to your contact list.

Note: This settings applies to suggested contact search information for your account and all places where that account information is used in Microsoft (Bing, Calendar, Delve, Excel, LinkedIn, Office Document Sharing, Office.com, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook Desktop, Outlook Mac, Outlook Mobile, Outlook Web Access (OWA), OWA Mini, People, PowerPoint, Project, SharePoint, Teams for Life, Teams for Work, Windows Search, Windows Share Sheet, Word, Yammer). This doesn’t apply to Xbox.   

Thank you Microsoft for giving us less and less options that we have control over. Fuck the cloud.

Do not use third party applications to log in to Instagram

I learned the hard way. They will ban your account for using any third party application to log in to Instagram. All I wanted to do was save a video in order to try and extract the audio from said video. About a week later I was browsing Instagram and bam, your account has been banned. I have no idea if the appeal will work. I doubt it, as many others have said it didn’t help them. A very valuable lesson learned. Especially if you use Instagram for any business activity. You will be screwed.

Microsoft 365 OWA Outlook can’t load shared calendars or shared calendars in OWA appear and disappear

I didn’t find much with my Google-Fu, but I found another issue related to outlook.com accounts and put two and two together to fix my issue.

If you run into a problem with a Microsoft 365 Exchange Online account trying to access shared calendars in OWA, but the calendars appear and then disappear – as well as you can’t see the Shared calendars option under OWA (outlook.office.com), Settings, Calendar (there should be Shared calendars here) and OR if you do have Shared calendars as an option, but when you click on it it says unable to load these settings – check the Accounts section under the OWA, Settings, Calendar section. There might be a Microsoft account, which will be a non-work/school account, aka outlook.com account, or an older email address that is probably the same as your work/school account. Remove it from the Account section.

Second, I highly recommend changing the Microsoft account’s sign-in username from [email protected], which is probably your Microsoft 365 work/school username, to [email protected]. You can do this via live.com by logging in to your Microsoft account (non-work/school account) and updating the settings there.

Microsoft’s Storage Migration Service stuck on loading

I have been trying to transfer file shares from a Server 2012 Essentials to a Server 2022 server.

I had success two days ago using the same exact set up and Storage Migration Service.

I tried it on a second client and continued to run into problems where it was stuck at the transfer portion and all it said was loading….

I went back to the first server I migrated the other day and I saw there was an update for the Storage Migration Service extension in Windows Admin Center.

I noticed the first server was now stuck at loading.

I didn’t think anything of it as it sometimes happens. You would think Microsoft would test their products and updates – they really don’t.

I finally figured out how to uninstall the WAC extension. You have to turn off automatic updates before you’ll see the option to uninstall an extension.

I reinstalled version 2.44.0 which was the default that came with this Windows Admin Center install package.

As soon as I downgraded the Storage Migration Service package, IT WORKS!

Everything I could find, which wasn’t much, ended up in “update the extension” and that fixed the problem.

I hope this helps someone from pulling their hair out.

Windows 11 Pro, Dell OptiPlex 7000 Tower and DisplayPort to HDMI cables

I’ve got an interesting issue going on with a client. They have fairly new, purchased in 2022, Dell OptiPlex 7000 series Tower computers with Intel UHD integrated graphics.

Two end users are currently affected by an issue after upgrading to Windows 11 Pro from Windows 10 Pro.

Within a week one or both of their Dell monitors which are connected via DisplayPort to HDMI cables, have gone blank. Going into power save mode is what the monitors say. No monitors in Device Manager.

Dell BIOS works fine, the Dell splash logo appears upon first turning the computer on and or rebooting.

I tried updating the Intel graphics driver. When that didn’t work, I tried installing all available updates from Dell Command as well as Windows update. I even went as far as doing a refresh keeping documents.

No luck. The strange thing is initially both monitors didn’t work for one end user, but the second end user had one monitor working and the second not. They swapped cables from the working monitor to the second user and that monitor started working. They purchased the same DisplayPort to HDMI cable and tried with the second monitor to no avail.

Instead of putting anymore time into this issue, I suggested purchasing a monitor with native DisplayPort ports. That’s the end solution – I hope. I’ll know more when they get their monitors. In the mean time, if you find a solution to this, feel free to comment. I saw a Microsoft forum post where two users had similar setups and could not get their monitors to work after upgrading to Windows 11. My honest suggestion is to not use Windows 11 period. I am going to wait until Windows 10 goes completely end of life before even attempting to upgrade to Windows 11.

Windows 11 reminds me so much of Windows Vista and Windows 8. Both piece of shit products that I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.

Trying to install QuickBooks Premier Pro 2022 onto Windows Server Essentials 2016 with error code 1603

I have been trying to figure out why QuickBooks Premier Pro 2022 will not install on Windows Server Essentials 2016.

It gets a quarter of the way in and then throws an error 1603.

I’ve searched high and low and HATE Google results. Nothing but handpicked garbage content farm webpages that do not help at all. I miss you could find an obscure blog on the first or second page with a fix right there. Instead, you get this ad-filled almost AI created gibberish with nothing but rehashed “fixes” from every other website that, again, is filled with nothing but ads.

I’ve tried uninstalling the C++, .Net Framework, etc. to no avail.

I just downloaded a trial of QuickBooks Enterprise 2023 and it installed with NO PROBLEMS.

I stood up a Server Essentials 2016 virtual machine and was able to install QuickBooks Premier 2022 OK with no problem.

However, I came across at least three other people who have had a problem with trying to install QuickBooks Premier 2022 onto either Windows 10 or a server operating system.

If you came across this and fixed it, please comment below. I’ll do the same if I find a fix. I know it will make a lot of people happy.

An interesting update happened last night. I downloaded a trial of QuickBooks Enterprise 2023, and it installed within five minutes.

I’m trying to run Process Explorer and Process Monitor, but am coming up short. If you have any expertise in either of these programs and troubleshooting what might be causing the install to fail with error 1603, please leave a comment below.

I FUCKING FIXED IT!

I used RegScan and performed a scan on all registry hives for “QuickBooks” and then exported them out and finally deleted them all.

I rebooted and sure enough it fucking installed. I knew it was a rogue fucking registry key. I hate Microsoft and Intuit!

Windows 10 start menu not responding/Outlook prompting for password using modern authentication window, but it’s blank

For those of you who encounter the above issue and attempt to use PowerShell to run the Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”} but the process never finishes, check the permissions on these two registry keys: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders – it should have a user called All Application Packages with read permissions.

In particular, the second one. I had an issue where the Get-AppX command would not complete on a Windows 10 Dell OptiPlex machine. I tried restarting to no avail.

I checked on the first registry key and All Application Packages were listed with read permissions for that key.

I checked the second, and All Application Packages were not there at all. I had to go to Advanced, Select a principal, if you’re on a domain, change the From this location: to the actual computer you’re using. Enter All Application Packages into the object name to select the box and hit OK.

Make sure it has read permission on the second registry key.

I rebooted the machine, and the start menu was working. I was also able to input the user’s Outlook password.