andyfrench.info

The Problem

After upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 the File Explorer takes a very long time to open, sometimes up to a minute. 

The Solution

The solution that worked for me was to delete all the files in the following directory:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations

I believe the files stored in this location are "jump list" files used by Windows to allow you quick access to files from applications pinned to the task bar. By to right-clicking an application icon pinned to your taskbar you get a pop-up menu providing quick access to recent, pinned, or frequently-accessed files. The jump lists are essentially the data that make this possible.

I’ve been seeing this in my Windows 10 update after receiving a notification that it failed to install:

Canon - Printer - 4/21/2000 12:00:00 AM - 10.0.17046.1000
Status: Awaiting install

It seems I’m not alone in spotting this rather odd and somewhat suspicious issue:

See:

• Bogus Win10 Printer Update Alerts
• https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/7uqj49/cant_install_update_canonprinter_update_from/
• https://www.tenforums.com/drivers-hardware/97218-cant-get-rid-printer-6-21-2006-12-00-00-am-10-0-15063-0-update.html

For now I am trying the “Show or hide updates” troubleshooter package from Microsoft which you can find here:

• How to temporarily prevent a Windows Update from reinstalling in Windows 10

Problem

When creating a scheduled task on Windows Server 2008 I needed to assign a local user to run the task. For this to work the user must be given “Log on as a batch job” privileges.

Solution

1. Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy
2. Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment
3. Find and double-click on the “Log on as a batch job” policy.
4. Add User or Group…
5. Add the user and click OK.

I like using Launchy to open and close applications. This includes opening Remote Desktop but it’s nice to be able to jump straight to a Remote Desktop session on a particular machine by simply typing the machine name into Launchy.

The way I do this is:

1. Create a folder under C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Start Menu\Programs\ called Shortcuts.
2. Add this folder to the Launch catalog using the Launchy options dialog.
3. Create a new shortcut in the new folder.
4. For the ‘Location of the item’ type %windir%\system32\MSTSC.EXE /v:MACHINE_NAME where MACHINE_NAME is replaced with the name of the machine you want to Remote Desktop to.
5. For the name of the shortcut use the machine name.
6. Save the shortcut and get Launchy to rescan its catalog.

Now, by tying the machine name into Launchy you can immediately open a Remote Desktop session to the machine.

I was on a Windows XP machine and needed to access file security settings for a certificate file but the Security tab was missing.

To make the tab available I did the following:

1. Launch Windows Explorer or My Computer.
2. Click on the Tools > Folder Options.
3. Click on View tab.
4. In Advanced Settings uncheck the “Use simple file sharing (Recommended)” check box.
5. Click OK.

Note: If that doesn’t work try clicking on “Apply to ALL Folders”. The result should be a restored Security tab.

Run the following command to export all scheduled tasks to CSV format:

schtasks /query /FO CSV /V > c:\output.csv

This can then be opened with Excel. Alternatively, to make a copy/backup of all the scheduled tasks on a machine right-click on the %systemroot%\Tasks folder and copy it. Paste it where you want.