A few hours ago, Microsoft released a new cumulative patch for Windows 11 22H2, KB5020044. We are talking about a maintenance patch focused on fixing system problems. It also aims to add some functionality or feature that was left behind with the release of the system. All users can already find this patch, as an optional update, in Windows Update. It certainly brings many changes. However, the one that stands out the most is that it finally solves the performance problems when playing games.

KB5020044: main changes

As we can see on Microsoft’s update page, this patch finally addresses and fixes a number of bugs related to the graphics card debugging feature. These bugs directly affected the performance of the computer. Therefore, once this update is installed, games will finally run smoothly again. That is, more stable, and with much higher FPS.

In addition to this long-awaited fix, the new Windows 11 22H2 update also introduces several new features in a package called Moment 2. These new features were planned for the release of the 2022. However, for various reasons, they had to be postponed. Among others, the new features that we will find after installing this new patch are:

• We will now see alerts when we run out of space on OneDrive within the Windows settings page.
• If we have multiple accounts, we will see the total storage space on the profile page.
• On the personalization page, we will now see a combination of Windows Spotlight and Themes.

Other corrections

In addition to all of the above, this patch also addresses other very important fixes. The aim is to avoid problems when using the operating system. The most important ones we find are:

• Fixed a problem that caused some apps not to run.
• Fixed a bug that caused a crash in Windows Explorer, especially when closing a context menu, and caused it to close.
• Also, fixed a bug that caused that, when using the open with option, some applications stopped working.

You can see the full list of fixes in this patch at the following link.

How to upgrade to fix this Windows 11 bug.

As this is an optional patch, the update is not automatically installed on the systems. In fact, we will have to do it ourselves. To do this, what we have to do is to open the Windows Settings menu (using the keyboard shortcut Windows + I). Once there, go to Windows Update. Here we will be able to see the update ready to be downloaded and installed. And, if it does not appear, we must perform a manual search for updates from the button.

If not forced manually, remember that on December 12, Microsoft will release its new cumulative and security patches. It is expected that in addition to other fixes, they will include the changes of this optional update. This is how we have seen Microsoft get rid of this annoying bug in Windows 11.

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Why does the blue screen of death appear (memory management)?

The system freezes and forces you to reboot. Generally, this is not a major problem. However, it has a bad reputation that it has gotten since previous versions. From Windows 10, it is a less frequent and less serious error, although it continues forcing to restart the computer if it appears. Mostly, the inconvenience disappears when using this method. However, it may be reproduced incessantly. Therefore, it is necessary to get to the root of the issue.

Kindly note that the system usually boots normally once you have restarted it. However, this blue screen may constantly reappear if any of the boot files are corrupted. It also happens if the ram is not empty at shutdown. Consequently, the Memory Management message appears. This refers to the failure in the management of this memory that serves as a support for booting the computer.

To check if the RAM status is correct, there are different free tools that you can use. The most convenient is the one that Windows has natively. Enter the Start menu and look for Windows Memory Diagnostics, where you can restart the computer to check for RAM problems.

What does the blue screen of death without letters mean in Windows 10?

When a blue screen appears, it is usually related to some code. Indeed, this code shows the type of problem that has caused the system to freeze. Therefore, knowing the meaning of the code on the screen, we can determine the origin of the failure. Consequently, it could be the drivers, a program that is incompatible with Windows 10 or a critical system process has suddenly stopped. Some of the ones that may appear are the following:

• CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED
• SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
• IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
• VIDEO_TDR_TIMEOUT_DETECTED
• PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
• SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
• DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION

However, some cases may occur in which no code or text appears on the blue screen. Consequently, only a background of that color appears. It is certainly a situation that fills with uncertainty the user who does not know how to act. First, you just have to turn off the computer with the physical button and turn it on again. When you get to the desktop, try to update the Windows drivers, as this is the most common problem with the blue screen.

Other tricks to solve this Windows problem.

Fortunately, many of these errors have common solutions and do not require the download of external programs. Therefore, they can be fixed with Windows’ own tools. We will look at different methods. Some are more complex than others, but eventually, they serve to solve this annoying error.

Reinstall programs.

The problem with this error may be in a third-party program that you have installed on your computer. The downloaded version may be incompatible with Windows 10. As a result, this error usually pops up when you start that specific program. The solution to this is to install another version that is compatible with the system, either newer or older.

If the error persists, then you should think about an alternative to that program. To uninstall it, go to Control Panel>Uninstall Programs and look for the one that is giving you problems. However, sometimes the damage is such that it does not allow access to the Windows graphical interface. If so, take a look here to learn how to uninstall programs with CMD.

Use an antivirus.

It is quite possible that some program has caused a virus or malware to lurk in the system. Consequently, uninstalling the application will do no good if you don’t fix the malicious file. So use an antivirus to scan the entire storage and find the virus that will continue to give problems with the blue screen.

We can resort to Windows Defender or a third-party solution. In general, the Windows 10 internal antivirus is sufficient. However, if the error persists, you can try a serious provider.

Update Windows drivers.

We already told you that driver incompatibility is usually the common reason for almost all blue screens, both those of the system and those of a specific program. A situation that can be avoided if you keep the drivers up to date. You can also do it from the system itself, or resort to third-party solutions.

The easiest and safest option is through Windows Update, a tool that stores operating system updates and makes them available for download. In the previous link, we show you how to do it. On the other hand, from Device Manager you can check if any of the recent drivers are giving operating problems. Therefore, it will give us clues about the origin of the blue screen of death.

Safe Mode

This mode starts Windows in its most basic state, with a limited number of files and drivers. This way, we can troubleshoot problems without compromising the rest of the computer. Furthermore, this configuration makes it possible to rule out that the fault is in the basic configuration and that the device drivers are causing the error. To gain access, a series of steps must be followed. Don’t worry, here we explain step by step what to do.

System Restore

If none of these steps allow you to fix the blue screen of death, there is still one option left. We will be able to restore the system to a state before the error. Please see our tutorial to learn how to do this.

If you still can’t find the error, then you should reinstall Windows from scratch. This is certainly the most radical solution, but every so often there is nothing else to do. Anyway, these are the 7 solutions for the screen of death in Windows. Bye!

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What is HiveNightmare?

This security flaw is present in all Windows versions from 1809 onwards. It is even present in Windows 11. Thanks to this flaw, any user can access critical system files. Even without administrator privileges. Some of these files are SAM, SYSTEM, and SECURITY. Therefore, accessing any user would have high levels of privileges on the system. So you could literally do anything. For example, execute random code in the PC memory. Or change Windows programs. Also, this bug is very similar to Sequoia. Which affects GNU/Linux systems.

At the moment, Microsoft has not released much information about it. However, researchers have released a handy tool. Which allows you to determine if your computer is affected by this vulnerability.

How to know if your PC is vulnerable to HiveNightmare.

This time we will use a simple script. It is available from GitHub. Consequently, we will be able to check the permissions of the SAM, SYSTEM, and SECURITY files. To do this we will run a couple of PowerShell commands. To do so, press the Win+X combination to open PowerShell with administrator privileges.

Then run the following command:

Invoke-WebRequest -URI https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JumpsecLabs/Guidance-Advice/main/SAM_Permissions/SAM_Permissions_Check.ps1 -OutFile ./SAM_Permissions_Check.ps1 -usebasicparsing

This action will allow downloading from PowerShell the script SAM_Permissions_Check.ps1. The download is done from the GitHub servers and only takes a few seconds. Finally, just run the following:

.\SAM_Permissions_Check.ps1

f you have permissions errors, try:

Unblock-File -path C:\path\to\SAM_Permissions_Check.ps1
powershell -exec bypass .\SAM_Permissions_Check.ps1

The script will scan the computer for vulnerabilities. In fact, it will mark in red the affected files. On the other hand, it will show protected files in green.

You can also use the command prompt. With this in mind, run the following command from CMD:

icacls %windir%/system32/config/sam

If a message like BUILTINUsers:(I)(RX) is displayed, then we are in danger. Otherwise, there is no problem.

Resolving vulnerability.

Let’s show you what to do if your computer is at risk. You have to open a CMD with administrator privileges. Then, just run the following commands:

icacls %windir%\system32\config. /inheritance:e
vssadmin delete shadows /for=c: /Quiet
vssadmin list shadows

The first command activates ACL inheritance. The second deletes shadow copies from the system. Finally, the third command checks that there are no shadow copies on the system. Ultimately we have seen how to find out if the computer is vulnerable to HiveNightmare. Ultimately we have seen how to find out if the PC is vulnerable to HiveNightmare. A better way to keep your computer safe from threats. Bye!

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This serious Windows flaw affects the security of accounts and the system in general.

As mentioned, some system-related files may be exposed. Among them, the Account Security Manager file. Which stores all the hashed passwords of the system accounts. The problem originates from an error in Windows backups. Consequently, any user could use the command prompt to access the NTLM hashed password. Consequently, change the sysadmin password. This would grant you these privileges. In addition to replacing the real administrator. Certainly, vulnerability is limited. It requires physical access to the computer. However, it would affect corporate environments.

The problem is present from Windows 10 version 1809 onwards, including Windows 11. However, by doing a clean install of version 19042 there should be no problems. Microsoft has confirmed the flaw. It also announces that they are working to resolve it. For the time being, they offer an alternative solution. While a security patch is being released. What you have to do is the following:

• Open the Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell as administrator.
• Run the command: icacls %windir%\system32\config. /inheritance:e
• Delete the Windows 10 restore points and delete existing volume snapshots (%windir%\system32\config)
• Create a new system restore point.

As you can see, a serious Windows bug affects account security. We can only hope that it will not affect so many users. As always, we recommend a lot of common sense. In addition to being aware of the updates. All right, that’s all for now. Stay tuned for the latest news on osradar. See you soon!

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The October 2018 update was supposed to bring out Windows 10 version 1809 whereas the previous one was Windows 10 version 1803. Since the starting of the update, there has been a huge uproar in the community that the update was deleting user files at random!

Did you know that you can download Windows updates manually and install them on a later date? Check out WSUS Update tool.

Windows update deleting user files

It’s always recommended that you keep your system up-to-date whether you’re a Linux user or Windows or macOS or whatever. There are devs working all the time to make sure that there’s no hole in the system you’re using. If there is any, then they dispatch a fix for the public to make sure that everything is safe and sound once again. The process will go on infinitely, of course.

In the case of feature updates, they also follow up the above cycle. However, things aren’t always perfect with updates. This time, Microsoft messed up really hard with Windows 10 version 1809 update.

The update went live a few days ago (from the time of publishing this blog). Since the release, there have been multiple cases where users reported that the update was randomly deleting files. In one case, it went really serious – a user lost data worth of years!

At first, Microsoft didn’t accept the fact that the update was the culprit behind it. Now, they ensure that they’ve accepted the truth by pulling out the update from the mainstream channel.

What to do now

If you’re one of those who’ve been infected with the bug, make sure that you make the least usage of your system. The best option you can do is get a recovery software and recover your data as much as possible. Note that not 100% of the data may be recoverable. There’s a high chance that the system may have already overwritten a few of them.

Microsoft is also offering the same service which is a pretty obvious thing to do. Your data is still in your storage media but the reference for that is removed from the database of the OS.

Prevent such incidents in the future

It’s always worth backing up your data, even if you need to spend a few more bucks on the storage medium. For example, if you’re having a huge collection of movies, make sure that all of them stays at a separate hard disk so that the data is safe even if your entire computer is wiped clean. The same goes for other files like official documents etc.

If you’re working with smaller files, it’s good to host them on cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox etc. That will allow you easier access from anywhere in the world.

Until the update is fixed properly, it’s alright to wait for the future update.

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