Hold off installing KB4512941 for Windows 10 v1903

[Andavari]

Hold off installing KB4512941 for Windows 10 v1903.

Immediately after 2019-08 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems (KB4512941):
* Cortana is now using 290MB up into the 330MB range of RAM, as reported by Task Manager.
* Cortana is now constantly using at least 30% CPU, as reported by Task Manager.
* Cortana power usage is very high, as reported by Task Manager.

And there's no uninstall for the update.

I reported all the Cortana related issues to Microsoft.

[hazelnut]

No problems here after installing KB4512941

Also see here for more info perhaps

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/bork-tuesday-any-problems-yet.370217/page-216#post-2852543

https://www.tenforums.com/windows-10-news/139532-cumulative-update-kb4512941-windows-10-v1903-build-18362-329-aug-30-a-2.html#post1706758

[Andavari]

1 hour ago, hazelnut said:

https://www.tenforums.com/windows-10-news/139532-cumulative-update-kb4512941-windows-10-v1903-build-18362-329-aug-30-a-2.html#post1706758

I had just restored from a Macrium Reflect image. And decided to give it a go once more after using the registry editing instructions in that link before allowing it to download and install, and this time it worked without issue.

Have to say with every big change Microsoft makes it's making Windows 10 seem stupid to keep using because there's always some damned issue, which is getting very old very fast.

[hazelnut]

As I said, no issues here.

Had you made any changes previously eg using O and O shut up, or Win10 Shut up ?

[siliconman01]

There is chatter about Cortana high CPU usage at the link below.  Appears to be some fixes for it too.

https://www.tenforums.com/windows-10-news/139532-cumulative-update-kb4512941-windows-10-v1903-build-18362-329-aug-30-a-2.html

[hazelnut]

1 hour ago, siliconman01 said:

There is chatter about Cortana high CPU usage at the link below.  Appears to be some fixes for it too.

https://www.tenforums.com/windows-10-news/139532-cumulative-update-kb4512941-windows-10-v1903-build-18362-329-aug-30-a-2.html

That is the same link as I posted 

[Andavari]

17 hours ago, hazelnut said:

Had you made any changes previously eg using O and O shut up

Of course I did and still do use O&O ShutUp 10, and O&O AppBuster. From other reports on the web they seem to not be the issue, but the update itself.

Strange how changing a single Bing related registry setting could make such a drastic difference.

[hazelnut]

4 hours ago, Andavari said:

Of course I did and still do use O&O ShutUp 10, and O&O AppBuster. From other reports on the web they seem to not be the issue, but the update itself.

Strange how changing a single Bing related registry setting could make such a drastic difference.

That is why I never use tools like ShuUp, the settings come back to haunt you.

Most of the people with issues had used it or messed with things using other tools.

[Andavari]

It had nothing to do with it.

[hazelnut]

3 minutes ago, Andavari said:

It had nothing to do with it.

Yes it did 

[nukecad]

I just installed KB4512941, (despite already reading this) - not happy.

I had Cortana disabled/suspended on my laptop (registry hack).

That update has re-enabled Cortana, and yes it was then immediatly taking 65% plus of my CPU.

The changed registry entry is still as it was to disable Cortana - so MS have implemented something else.

It's immediately apparent if you open the Start menu and start typing, instead of the previous behaviour it now opens a Cortana search window.
Kill Cortana in task manager, start typing in the start menu and Cortana is back.

Very sneaky by MS.

(And no I don't use any of those 'shut up' apps mentioned before).

Time to read some of the above links.

EDIT - And the D*** thing keeps turning itself on again, hogging the CPU and slowing everything else down.

[hazelnut]

I don't have any problems with Cortana or Search after that update nukecad on any of my machines.

However I had no registry hacks in place... always leads to problems down the line 

Si in my book MS has done nothing wrong.

[nukecad]

It may well be that Cortana may stop hogging the CPU after a while of use , but that's not the point.

I don't and never did want Cortana, I used a valid registry setting to turn it off, MS have no right to try and force me to use it again.

I especially don't want it doing this -

I've no doubt that when I look I'll find that my microphone and webcam have been turned on again.

[nukecad]

As I suspected when I went into Device Manager I fund that my previously disabled Camera had been turned back on.

The microphone had been disabled in Bios/Uefi so doesn't show in device manager.

I think I'll go offline for a while with this laptop.

[nukecad]

I believe that I've worked out what is going on with Cortana, and it's MS making assumptions and being lazy again.

It's already well known that they are making changes to Cortana and search.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/microsoft-announces-updated-cortana-app/

MS are simply assuming that everyone uses Cortana, and no one would have ever disabled it before now.

So if you have Cortana in use / enabled then you will not see any issues.

But - if you had Cortana disabled you will see issues because -

• Cortana has been turned on again as default by this update. (Regardless of your previous registry settings)
• Cortana now has to index everything on your computer to enable it to search.
• It's this initial indexing that is using all your CPU and slowing everything down.

Once the initial indexing is done then it should stop hogging the CPU.

I'm sure that it won't be long until the new registry settings to disable Cortana again are found and shared.

The camera being turned on again (and maybe the microphone) are going to be part of the Cortana default settings.

 

[Andavari]

15 hours ago, hazelnut said:

Yes it did 

Another laptop which isn't mine that doesn't use any of those O&O tools had the exact same buggy behavior, so it couldn't have been the cause.

[Andavari]

Thanks for sharing the info on the camera and microphone. Mine were disabled in Device Manager, the update re-enabled the HD WebCam but not the microphone. I've re-disabled the cam.

[nukecad]

From my phone.

I'm sat here watching task manager on the laptop (I'm not that obsessive, I'm also watching the Belgian GP highlights on the TV).

I've got the laptop in flight mode so no internet connection.

Cortana is still running at 75-80% CPU and accessing the HD at 0.1 MB/s.

To me that's confirmation of what I had guessed about it reading/indexing everything on disc, including the contents of text files, pdfs, etc.

Edit. Looking closer (during an ad break in the GP) at the moment it's actually writing more to disc than it's reading.

[nukecad]

I've decided it's not actually doing anything and is stuck in a loop.

So I'll try uninstalling the update.

[nukecad]

That seems to have worked, Cortana is still in task manager but it's back to it's previous permanently suspended state. (I'll go check the camera and mic again).

Go to Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall Updates.

In the screen that comes up Double click on the update and then click Yes to uninstall it.

[Andavari]

Making this registry change before re-installing it worked for me. Might/should work after the fact too.

[nukecad]

I'd seen that registry change, but don't like making reg changes just for a temporary work around. (You often forget to change them back again once no longer needed).
Plus that would still leave Cortana enabled which I don't want.

Hopefully MS will sort this out before they include it as an automatic update next patch Tuesday.

I'm still not happy that they put a beta update with known problems out as an 'Optional' update to non-insider machines, without any warning at all.

'Optional' is not 'Experimental' - the Insider rings are supposed to be where experimental stuff gets put out.

[hazelnut]

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-10-kb4512941-update-causing-high-cpu-usage-in-cortana/

[Andavari]

6 hours ago, nukecad said:

I'm still not happy that they put a beta update with known problems out as an 'Optional' update to non-insider machines, without any warning at all.

'Optional' is not 'Experimental' - the Insider rings are supposed to be where experimental stuff gets put out.

Seems like many Win10 updates/upgrades are just a beta experiment, always fraught with issues, some of which could be avoided.

[Andavari]

After installing the mentioned KB in this topic is anyone else also having the issue of Focus Assist keep re-enabling itself and issuing notifications even after supposedly fully turning it off. It's happened to me multiple times, especially if I've did a cold boot or restart.