Tag: Windows 10 Tech Preview

Get Miracast working on Surface Pro original with TH2 10586

Posted barbbowmanPosted in Miracast, Surface, Windows 10

 

I wrote about how Microsoft broke Miracast for Surface Pro original users when Windows 8.1 was released http://digitalmediaphile.com/index.php/2013/10/26/how-to-make-miracast-work-on-surface-pro/ and surprise, surprise, they’ve done it again with TH2 Build 10586. The supplied driver for the Marvell Wireless is not Miracast enabled. I don’t know why, as the chip is the same as the Surface Pro 2.

Here’s an unsupported way to get Miracast to work on your SP original with 10586.

Go to http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=49042 and download Surface Pro 2\SurfacePro2_Win10_150818_0.zip. Open the archive and copy the WiFi folder from SurfacePro2_Win10_150818_0.zip\SurfacePro2_Win10_150818_0\Drivers\Network\WiFi to your desktop or other place where you can easily find it. Then follow these instructions:

  1. Type Device Manager in the Cortana/Search box and open it.
  2. Find Network adapters, expand it, right-click on Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller, and then select Update Driver Software.
  3. Select Browse my computer for driver software.
  4. Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
  5. Click Have Disk.
  6. Click Browse.
  7. Navigate to the Wifi folder (it has the INF file for the wifi driver), then click Open.

Go to the Action center, select Connect and your Miracast device should be discovered. Connect and enjoy!

mira sp1 working

Above shows a successful Miracast streaming session with my Surface Pro original happily connected to a Microsoft Display Adapter.

Fix for Start Menu Not Working on Windows 10 Bld 10130

Posted barbbowmanPosted in Windows 10, Windows 8.1

Screenshot (3) 

I keep trying to get the Start menu on Windows 10 to show what I want and not what Microsoft wants. I turned off the first two entries in Personalization, Start. I especially do NOT want app or content suggestions in my Start menu. I suppose this is yet another bug. But it is most annoying that I can’t get the Start menu to look anything like the Start menu in Windows 8.1 on my tablet. And I LIKE the Start menu on tablets in 8.1. The Windows 10 Start menu was built for Phones and for folks that use Portrait View.

 

If you find that you can no longer get the Start menu to display in 10130, you’ll have to not opt out of what Microsoft wants. At least for now.

Windows 10 blew itself up and is aggravating Me

Posted barbbowmanPosted in Windows 10

 

I hadn’t planned to spend all night Friday and most of Saturday morning dealing with annoying Insider Preview Windows 10 issues. But that happened on my Surface Pro original.

It all started yesterday afternoon when I dug into why some June updates were sitting in the “Downloading” status and were stuck. Reboots didn’t help, just stuck at 53% for hours and hours. So I tried to reinstall 10130 from ISO over the top of 10130 to see if I could do an in place upgrade to repair whatever was wrong. After a couple of hours, I thought I was going to be ok, had two reboots, and got to a prompt that required me to select NEXT. I’d hit NEXT either by touch or type keyboard and the tablet would reboot. Rinse and repeat. Held down the power button to insure totally off. Powered on, got to select NEXT. Boom. Rinse and repeat.

So last night it was time to nuke and pave. I decided to see what a real upgrade over 8.1 Pro might be like for a typical end user.

I created a USB recovery drive for my original Surface Pro using the downloadable bits online. I did the volume down/power thing and booted off the USB and ran the setup. It took forever. And that was Windows 8.0. I couldn’t install 8.1 from the Store without installing Windows Updates. 142 of them. I have a fast connection, but that took hours. Went to bed. Got up early and updates were installed, rebooted a couple of times, found more updates, more reboots. Went to the Store and started the 8.1 updates. Went out and did some grocery shopping. Couple of hours later 8.1 was installed. Went to the Store, My Apps, got the ones I needed. Note that they did NOT appear on the Start Screen with the indicator to download so I had no familiar Start Screen layout. My sync settings WERE correct. Maybe because this tablet once had W10 on it this sync piece no longer applies when you first power up a “new” computer. Anyway, I downloaded the apps and they landed in their designated layout on Start.

Went to insider.microsoft.com as again, I wanted to see what the end user experience would be upgrading from 8.1. 10074 was offered, not 10130, I guess because of all the issues people have been reporting with 10130. So two hours later, 10074 is installed. And my Start menu is replaced by what I guess is the “default” arrangement for Start. My carefully arranged app tiles from 8.1 totally ignored.

start 

Now from within 10074, Windows Update, I have to install the offered 10130.

reinstall10

OneNote and Mail Updating Errors on Win 10 9879

Posted barbPosted in Windows 10

 

There are lots of reports of the OneNote and Mail, Calendar, and People apps not updating on the latest build 9879 of the Windows 10 Technical Preview. I’ve seen these myself and this is how I’ve fixed them

onenote win 10 

 

 

For OneNote:

1)      Start Admin command prompt and type “powershell” and press Enter    

2)      In powershell prompt: get-appxpackage *microsoft.office.onenote* | remove-appxpackage    

3)      In powershell prompt: remove-appxprovisionedpackage –Online –PackageName Microsoft.Office.OneNote_2014.919.2035.737_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe   

4)     Restart Store, Search for OneNote app and install

 

For Mail, Calendar, and People

 

1)      Start Admin command prompt and type “powershell” and press Enter    

2)      In powershell prompt: get-appxpackage *microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps* | remove-appxpackage    

3)      In powershell prompt: remove-appxprovisionedpackage –Online –PackageName microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_17.5.9879.20671_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe – this might error – ignore it    

4)     Restart Store, Search for Mail app and install – might fail to install the first time, but try a second time and it should install