Further chaos caused by Win10 upgrade

[rans6andrew]

I had a thread on this over a month ago and I am still suffering from the issues caused, among other things. I sorted out the issue with FF not being very good after the update. At the same time the Fitbit app stopped downloading the data from FILs Charge 3. We thought that the Fitbit was to blame as it had already been noticed that it was keeping a pseudo random time and the pulse rate measurement was reading way over. I had on device on each wrist and mine, which I trust, was reading around 55 to 60 BPM and his was reading 120 - 140. The clock was gaining a minute or two per hour when the device was not being worn and more than 10 minutes per hour when I wore it for a day. Actually, the Fitbit was only partially to blame for the App not working, the PC Bluetooth was not working at all. It didn't show any paired or unpaired devices when I checked it was powered on. A quick look at a Win8 machine with the same hardware build showed 3 Fitbits and an audio dongle within range although it would not pair with any of the Fitbits. Fitbit App doesn't work with Win 8.

Also, FIL uses the MS Money App which failed to launch when requested. It took the focus and opened a panel in the centre of the screen saying it was updating..... please wait...... apparently for ever. The panel offered the option to "Save to Clipboard" or to "Close". Until it had closed there was nothing else working, clicking anywhere on the screen made a "Doh" noise. I fixed this by copying to clipboard and then uninstalling/installing a fresh copy and it managed to preserve the data and settings, whew. Malware bytes went into overload but eventually settled down with just two items quarantined. The last thing I have not been able to sort out is the notification thingy in the bottom right hand task bar. This shows a steadfast 1 but won't let you see what the issue is.

I have checked the drivers for the Bluetooth and all claim to be up to date. It is possible that the hardware has failed but I doubt it as all of the other issues seem to be prompted by the Win10 upgrade in August. What should I do now? The replacement Fitbit is no use without a working App and Bluetooth connection. Incidentally, the Fitbit App reports "Searching for hardware" and then "connected" and then "Synching" which is a nonsense given the fact that the PC Bluetooth doesn't register any devices in view or paired. Needless to say it stays Synching for ever...........

FIL is adamant that he doesn't want or need a smart phone so we need the PC to be fixed.

Thanks for getting to the end of this missive, any help will be gratefully received.

Rans6......................

[Aneas]

I would be tempted to download a fresh up-to-date copy of Win 10 onto a USB stick and reinstall completely.
Do get all your Docs, Pictures, emails, address book, etc off first!!
But then I know you back everything up regularly!

[jimjim1]

I am not disagreeing with the re-install option suggested above however these may be useful.

Firstly make sure the machine has been FULLY restarted.

1. Disable Fast Startup
2. Shutdown
3. Turn PC back on

By default with Win 10 a Shutdown does not do a full software reload. A Restart does do a full reload BUT does not power off the hardware. NIGHTMARE.

I never use fast startup. I enable Hibernate on the Power Menu and I hibernate the machine when I am finished with it. I occasionally do a full Shutdown, perhaps every week ish, or as required.

For the naive user Sleep is a nightmare too. The machine can get uncontrolled shutdowns when the battery runs out or power is removed which can then cause issues. I avoid that too. I set the power button to Hibernate and usually lid closing to No Action.

Also:
Check that there are no errors showing in Control Panel/Device Manager
Errors show as red or yellow triangles by the devices. I can't recall if the error flags propagate up to the top level so I open the folders and check there. Come back for advice if errors or google.

I would also consider checking the integrity of Windows with:
(Note it is possible - but very unlikely - that these actions could corrupt the system so you should be prepared for recovery. i.e. don't blame me:-)

chkdsk /f

sfc /scannow

If sfc reports unfixable errors then

dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
If dism was used then a final
sfc /scannow
is I think necessary.

All from an Administrator command prompt.

Good luck.

Edit: sfc and especially DISM can take a LONG time. Do not interrupt them, make sure machine is plugged in. Exact time depends on many variables and I cannot really say for your machine. I have observed - sfc, half an hour maybe on a slowish machine but it had SSD, and dism say three times longer. YMMV.

[FullOppositeRudder]

Thanks jimjim1; quite a few points there of which I was unaware - especially the risks associated with the Sleep alternative to Shutdown. I'll try hibernate and see how it goes...

[Jhieminga]

Interesting to see that Microsoft has managed to make something as simple as shutting down your PC complex, and fraught with problems. I would say that you only need two options: go to sleep (or hibernate) and shutdown. If you need to create some strange software tricks to enable a 'fast startup' then I would suggest that your basic software startup process is too cumbersome and could do with a rewrite.

Fortunately, I'm no expert ;)

[NutLoose]

If you're using a bluetooth dongle jobbie, try it in a different USB port.

[rans6andrew]

I have re-installed the Win 10 and all of the apps we have added. Firefox, Libre Office, Money, Fitbit and a few PC maintenance things. The BT is still dead but at least the Fitbit app is now showing this rather than going through the expected Finding device - connecting - synching reporting without actually doing any of it. Took a while getting everything set up as it was before. Just need to get the FILs router code back in, at his.

The question of built in or external BT dongle has reminded me that I have a USB - BT dongle I could try if I can find the driver(s) for it. Thanks Nutloose.

Rans6........................