Windows 11 update breaks PCs that dare sport a custom UI
(2023/03/02)
- Reference: 1677711612
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/03/01/microsoft_windows_11_crash/
- Source link:
The massive update to Windows 11 rolled out this week is proving to be a headache for users who are running some third-party UI customization applications on their devices.
Microsoft said that after applying the [1]KB5022913 February 2023 non-security preview update – also called Moment 2 – Windows systems with some of those UI tools installed won't work at all as expected.
"Windows devices with some third-party UI customization apps might not start up," the IT titan noted on the [2]Windows Health Dashboard site.
[3]
"These third-party apps might cause errors with explorer.exe that might repeat multiple times in a loop. These types of apps often use unsupported methods to achieve their customization and as a result can have unintended results on your Windows device."
[4]
[5]
ExplorerPatcher and StartAllBack are two of the UI customizations apps caught up in borkage, according to the software purveyor, although in the latter case getting the most current build may fix the issue. The problem only effects systems running Windows 11 22H2. Windows Server is not affected.
ExplorerPatcher is an open-source program for both Windows 10 and 11 that deliver a range of customization options for the Windows device's desktop, including restoring the classic Windows 10 taskbar to Windows 11 devices to adding or removing features.
[6]
A problem between Windows 11 and ExplorerPatcher has been talked about in a GitHub [7]forum since at least late January. StartAllBack is a similar tool that offers Windows 11 users the ability to "restore and improve" everything from the taskbar and Start menu to File Explore, the control panel, and context menus.
[8]Microsoft inflicts Bing AI chatbot on Windows 11 users
[9]Microsoft pushed 'inaccurate' Windows 11 upgrade to unsupported devices
[10]VMware, Windows 11 shafted by Windows Server 2022
[11]Microsoft promises smaller Windows 11 updates with UUP – but there's a catch
Microsoft is offering a workaround for now and it's pretty blunt, recommending that you uninstall any third-party UI customization apps before loading the KB5022913 update onto the systems.
"If your Windows device is already experiencing this issue, you might need to contact customer support for the developer of the app you are using," the company wrote. "If you are using StartAllBack, you might be able to prevent this issue by updating to the latest version (v3.5.6 or later)."
It's unclear how – or whether – this issue will be resolved. Microsoft said it is investing the problem and "will provide more information when it is available." Those using any of these apps who encounter problems will have to contact customer support for the developer of the offending app.
The February 2023 update is an optional release that won't automatically be loaded but can be installed manually. Among the new features are a shortcut to Bing's AI chatbot being put in the taskbar and Phone Link for iOS so iPhone users can connect directly to the Windows devices.
[12]
It also includes [13]tabs in Notepad , a touch-optimized taskbar for 2-in-1 devices, and enhanced support for braille systems. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/february-28-2023-kb5022913-os-build-22621-1344-preview-3e38c0d9-924d-4f3f-b0b6-3bd49b2657b9
[2] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-11-22H2#3029msgdesc
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/discussions/729
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/01/microsoft_ai_chatgpt_bing/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/27/windows_11_inaccurate_upgrade/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/16/microsoft_windows_server_vmware/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/13/microsoft_uup_smaller_updates/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/23/microsoft_developer_windows_build/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Microsoft said that after applying the [1]KB5022913 February 2023 non-security preview update – also called Moment 2 – Windows systems with some of those UI tools installed won't work at all as expected.
"Windows devices with some third-party UI customization apps might not start up," the IT titan noted on the [2]Windows Health Dashboard site.
[3]
"These third-party apps might cause errors with explorer.exe that might repeat multiple times in a loop. These types of apps often use unsupported methods to achieve their customization and as a result can have unintended results on your Windows device."
[4]
[5]
ExplorerPatcher and StartAllBack are two of the UI customizations apps caught up in borkage, according to the software purveyor, although in the latter case getting the most current build may fix the issue. The problem only effects systems running Windows 11 22H2. Windows Server is not affected.
ExplorerPatcher is an open-source program for both Windows 10 and 11 that deliver a range of customization options for the Windows device's desktop, including restoring the classic Windows 10 taskbar to Windows 11 devices to adding or removing features.
[6]
A problem between Windows 11 and ExplorerPatcher has been talked about in a GitHub [7]forum since at least late January. StartAllBack is a similar tool that offers Windows 11 users the ability to "restore and improve" everything from the taskbar and Start menu to File Explore, the control panel, and context menus.
[8]Microsoft inflicts Bing AI chatbot on Windows 11 users
[9]Microsoft pushed 'inaccurate' Windows 11 upgrade to unsupported devices
[10]VMware, Windows 11 shafted by Windows Server 2022
[11]Microsoft promises smaller Windows 11 updates with UUP – but there's a catch
Microsoft is offering a workaround for now and it's pretty blunt, recommending that you uninstall any third-party UI customization apps before loading the KB5022913 update onto the systems.
"If your Windows device is already experiencing this issue, you might need to contact customer support for the developer of the app you are using," the company wrote. "If you are using StartAllBack, you might be able to prevent this issue by updating to the latest version (v3.5.6 or later)."
It's unclear how – or whether – this issue will be resolved. Microsoft said it is investing the problem and "will provide more information when it is available." Those using any of these apps who encounter problems will have to contact customer support for the developer of the offending app.
The February 2023 update is an optional release that won't automatically be loaded but can be installed manually. Among the new features are a shortcut to Bing's AI chatbot being put in the taskbar and Phone Link for iOS so iPhone users can connect directly to the Windows devices.
[12]
It also includes [13]tabs in Notepad , a touch-optimized taskbar for 2-in-1 devices, and enhanced support for braille systems. ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/february-28-2023-kb5022913-os-build-22621-1344-preview-3e38c0d9-924d-4f3f-b0b6-3bd49b2657b9
[2] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-11-22H2#3029msgdesc
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://github.com/valinet/ExplorerPatcher/discussions/729
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/01/microsoft_ai_chatgpt_bing/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/27/windows_11_inaccurate_upgrade/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/16/microsoft_windows_server_vmware/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/13/microsoft_uup_smaller_updates/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZAAtdvjLhHHqcLA8PePmMgAAAIo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/23/microsoft_developer_windows_build/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Binraider
Deliberately on purpose, no doubt, to ensure you get the latest adverts and un-uninstallable candy crush saga links...
Enterprise 10 isn't quite so badly infected, but the lock in with sharepoint garbage is real enough.
Customisation != setting pretty colours
pluraquanta
These types of apps often use unsupported methods to achieve their customization
Because you keep removing the supported methods, dickbags.
Re: Customisation != setting pretty colours
An_Old_Dog
Removing the supported methods, or just arbitrarily changing the API. " SetBackgroundColor now takes a triplet of int , unsigned int , and time_t for the BGR colour values."
Re: Customisation != setting pretty colours
stiine
Why? is that so I can make the background change to dark blue on August 15 2039?
Time to ditch this garbage OS
Microsoft has shot themselves in the foot so much lately due to faulty patches. It is time to seriously look at alternates for any user who is able to do so.