Preventing Windows Update from updating a certain driver via command line/script?

I work as a part-time system administrator and recently (in the last few months), we've been experiencing BSODs on almost all PCs in our group. We do know that most of these BSODs were caused by a certain Intel graphics driver, which was installed via Windows Auto Update in march.

So we tried to install an older version. This worked out well, but: Windows updated the driver. Now, in the AU settings, it clearly says that this very update is optional. We configured our AU to install crucial updates only.

So the first question is: Why does WAU install non-crucial drivers even though it's not configured to do so?

Now, to my second question. It's possible to hide optional updates so WAU doesn't install them. So I thought it might be a good idea to install the old driver and then check WAU for the optional driver update (odu) and then hide it. I didn't see the driver in the "optional updates" section yet, but it might show up some time soon.

Since there are about 15 PCs with that problem and we use a distribution service (WPKG) it would be very convenient to do the following:

• having a script run by WPKG that checks whether the odu is present. This script could be js, bat or vbs. The script is run upon start-up. Using "grep", sadly, is not an option.


• if the script returns true, the odu will be hidden and thus the update disabled, the older driver prevails and no more bluescreens will show up.

Is this possible, if so: How?

Thank you

partitioning - Windows 10 not showing files and folders in E drive

I've partitioned my HDD into 4 parts - C, D, E, H drives. Recently E drive got full. After that, its files and folders disappeared. I also have dual boot Ubuntu. I can see the files and folders on Ubuntu. I deleted around 6 GB using Ubuntu, but still, any files or folders are not showing up in Windows. I tried optimizing the disk but it didn't help. Please help.

Answer

Showing Hidden and Protected System Files with File Explorer

From File Explorer, click the View tab. From the Options drop down select Change folder and search options. When the Folder Options window opens, select the View tab from there, and then check Show hidden files, folders, and drive, uncheck Hide empty drives, and uncheck Hide protected operating system files, press Apply, Ok and now check the "E" drive from File Explorer and you can do with them whatever you want at this point for your needs.

Add/Subtract button Excel VBA

Here is an example of my project in this picture

I like collecting, so I am making an inventory sheet in Excel.

I want to make a way that I can click a button and it affects the next, or previous cell

For example:

Cell C3 would have an Add button, Cell D3 would have the number of copies I have of that item, and Cell E3 would have a Subtract button. By clicking the button in C3, it would add one more to the number in Cell D3. If you click the button in C1, it would subtract from Cell D3. Seems pretty straight forward.

Heres the conditions though:

I have like 200 items per sheet on like 20 sheets (not in the example). I would like some way that I could add the macros to all the buttons without having to make a new macro specific to each button. I also do not want it to work with the selected cell. It needs to affect the cell to the right for the add button and the cell to the left for the subtract button.

I looked everywhere for an answer, and I came pretty close to the solution.

The is the closest thing I could find but its not what i am not what i am ooking for:

 Sub AddOne()
 ActiveCell.Value = ActiveCell.Value + 1
 End Sub

 Sub SubtractOne()
 ActiveCell.Value = ActiveCell.Value - 1
 End Sub

I hope this makes sense and thank you all for your time.

advertisements - Removing ads from Foxit Reader

I want to remove the ads from the title bar in Foxit Reader. Back in version 1.x, this was possible with a modification of the registry. Is there something similar for newer versions? I am using v3.3.1 now.

Answer

From Foxit Software - Technical FAQ :

You can remove the Advertisements bar easily by right-clicking on a blank area of the toolbar and then uncheck Advertisement on the context menu.

I also think I remember an "Advertisement" entry on the View menu in version 3 (I now use version 4).

macos - How do you use a Mac without a mouse?

So I was using my Mac Mini and decided to set the application button on Logic Click mouse to open Exposé. I had this set up at one time and found it useful. So I open the Exposé control panel and took a look at the triggers for Exposé. There is drop down for a secondary trigger. In that drop down there was a ton of mouse buttons 100+. So I selected #32 just to see what button #32 was on my 5 button mouse.

Turns out it's all of them!

Headdesk

So no matter what button I press guess what happens... I get Exposé.

So using the just the keyboard how do I:

1. 
   

   Change the Exposé trigger?

   
   

   I can use the keyboard to bring up the control Exposé panel but guess what I can't get anything else to come in to focus.

   
   


2. Kill Exposé?

Right now all I can say is D'oh!

Any ideas?

EDIT

Also I should mention it is an older PowerPC G4 processor.

Booting into safe mode doesn't help.

Answer

Control-F7 is a toggle that will "Change the way Tab moves focus" -- either between text boxes and lists only, or all controls. You want the latter.

Note that with some keyboards that put other functions on the F-keys -- I have Rewind -- you also have to press fn; so fn-Control-F7 should let you Tab to those popups. Space to open the popup, arrow to the selection and Return.

windows 7 - Disable scrolling-icon

How can I disable this scrolling icon?

Windows 7, Synaptics TouchPad

Answer

According to this forum topic there should be a registry key you can change:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Synaptics\SynTPEnh]
"UseScrollCursor"=dword:00000000

Just add this to registry. Either copy-paste the above text into Notepad, save it as a .reg file and run it, or manually add it using RegEdit (on my system, this value didn't exist, so I had to create it manually). Afterwards, restart SynTPEnh.exe and SynTPHelper.exe (use TaskManager to kill them, then restart them from the Synaptics installation folder, which is usualy C:\Program Files\Synaptics\SynTP). Or simply restart your system.

audio - Windows keeps making these random "device connect" and "device disconnect" sounds

Throughout the day I notice that my computer makes apparently random device-connect and/or device-disconnect ("boink") sounds.

I suppose it is the same sound you hear when connecting or disconnecting a USB device such as a thumb drive. I've noticed that this happens on each of three computers I work with at home, my wife's computer, and my machine at work. It happens without any user action at all - i.e. I'll be just sitting there (hands off my mouse and keyboard), and the computer will make the sound. There is no visual queue or anything. Just the sound.

I have sometimes gone in pursuit of the sound - running virus scans, examining event logs and such, and observing task manager - but have never had any luck tracking this thing down, but have not had any luck.

I've been noticing this since Windows Vista and now the sounds have followed me through to Windows 7.

Surely someone else out there must be experiencing this and can explain what is happening.