Breaking: June 2023–images not rendering in Outlook

If you are having issues (in June 2023) with Outlook suddenly not rendering images in received Outlook email – like when LinkedIn tries to sell you something (again..) and there are only placeholders where images/pictures/photo should be:

You should:

First:

1. Carry out initial troubleshooting, by following the steps suggested by our friends over at Slipstick

2. If that doesn’t fix it, make sure that your Temporary Internet Files folder is correctly set, by following this process over at TheWindowsClub

If none of that worked, it might** be that you are impacted by this:

On or around June 20th 2023, an as yet, unidentified Microsoft update* seems to have rendered this directory:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache

to be read-only.

To check if this is what is affecting rendering of images in Outlook for you, do this:

1. Go to Internet Properties (you can type this into desktop search) –> General –> Settings

2. Check to see if the current location is blank and/or, what the size is.

3. If the location shows as blank or if the size is zero or gives an error if you try to increase it to be greater than 8MB, then you probably have been impacted.

The fix, is to hit the “Move folder” button and set a different location of the Temporary Internet Files.

[In my illustration, I have set the Temporary Internet Files location to  C:\Temp – but that is a bit dozy, particularly in a enterprise environment, as you really want it somewhere under %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local (so it follows Active Directory users between devices) but if you are enterprise support, I am sure you can work out where is best to temporarily relocate it for your environment.]

——

As a technical aside, I remain perplexed by the problem – and my temporary solution, as it appears that:

Edge should use: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Cache

AND

Outlook should use: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef\webview2

*Not sure which – could be:

June 13, 2023—KB5027231 (OS Build 22621.1848 – W11)

OR

Edge 116.0.1923.0

OR

A MS Office update, Windows Defender or similar.

** Remember, the value of shares may go up or down. Your property is at risk etc. I am only some fat bloke on the Internet, so what do I know? This is all at your own risk, blah, blah, blah..

All current versions of Microsoft Windows 10 (Winows Server 2016) – as of 26th April 2019

For IT professionals and home users alike, it is very difficult to get our heads around the various versions (known as “Builds”) of Windows 10 and it is even more tricky to identify which versions are still supported (Microsoft calls this being “Serviced” – because Windows 10 is “Windows as a Service”) and until when.

I could be wrong, but I don’t believe there is a similarly comprehensive table of Windows 10 Builds and releases out there – until someone copies this page of course…

If you do want to copy and re-use this table, please just credit me as @Woody_MS_Bloke

 Article updated 26th April 2019

Build 18885 (20H1) PC released to Windows Insider Fast (was Skip-Ahead) – 26th April 2019 (Version 20H1). [Note: Windows Insiders on Build 18362.53 who were unable to update to Build 18875 will need to install Build 18362.86 (KB4497093) *FIRST* before being able to receive Build 18885]

Build 18362.53 (KB4495666) PC released to Release Preview Ring – 9th April 2019 (Windows 10 May 2019 Update – Version 19H1).

17134.753 (KB4493437) Redstone 5 Build PC and Windows Server 2019 (all versions) – October 2018 October Update (Version 1809) – 25th April 2019.

18346 – Windows Server vNext Insider Preview Build – released to Windows Server vNext Semi-Annual Channel – 5th March 2019.

17744 Windows Server 2019 vNext Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) released to WI Preview Build – 28th Aug 2018.

17134.706 (KB4493464) Redstone 4 Build (version 1803) PC – 19th February 2019.

16299.1127 (KB4493440) is the Creators Fall Update RTM (Version 1709) PC – 25th April 2019 [Note: This version – 1709 – of Windows 10 reached end of service 9th April 2019 for Windows 10 Home, Pro, Pro for Workstation, and IoT Core editions. Windows 10 Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions will continue to receive servicing for 12 months at no cost until April 2020]

15254.562 (KB4495357) WindowsPhone Build (Version 1709) – 9th April 2019.

15063.1784 (KB4493436) is the Creators PC build (Version 1703) – 25th April 2019. [ Note: This version – 1703 – of Windows 10 reached end of service on October 8, 2018. Devices running Windows 10 Home, Pro, Pro for Workstation, and IoT Core editions will no longer receive monthly security and quality updates that contain protection from the latest security threats. Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education editions will receive additional servicing until October 2019.]

15063.1747 (KB4493474) is the Creators RTM Phone build (Version 1703) – 9th April 2019.

14393.2941 (KB4493473) is Anniversary Edition RTM (Version 1607 and Windows Server 2016) – 25th April 2019. [Note: Servicing for ALL versions – including Server 2016 – of build 1607 ENDED 9th April 2019 and doesn’t extend beyond this date. To continue receiving security and quality updates, Microsoft recommends updating to the latest version of Windows 10.]

10586.1540 (version 1511) – 10th April 2018.  [Note: Servicing for ALL versions of build 1511 ENDED 10th April 2018 and has not been extended beyond this date. To continue receiving security and quality updates, Microsoft recommends updating to the latest version of Windows 10.]

10240.18187 (KB4498375) (initial Version) – 25th April 2019.

© Woody – April  2019

[This article is original work – in it’s contents – over which I own and retain textual copyright – except for products and product names mentioned herein – of which Trade Marks and Copyrights remain with the original developer – in this case, Microsoft and other contributors to Microsoft products.

You are welcome to use and otherwise republish this article as you will – but I just request that you attribute me as the original author. Thanks.]

Fix: for VERY slow WiFi in Windows 10

Article updated 6th Jan 2016 – please see addendum at the end

Some users of Windows 10 (any build number) have complained that their WiFi has been going slow –  VERY slow. Separately, some people, who haven’t noticed that they have a slow WiFi connection, have complained about other symptoms related to a slow network connection – like poor quality Skype, Lync and Skype for Business calls.

I have discovered that the problem is related to Bluetooth being turned on.

Here are my speeds from the Thinkbroadband  Speed Test (a far more accurate test than others out there) showing my speeds with Bluetooth turned off and then on:

To cut a very long story of testing with various WiFi and Bluetooth drivers and testing with PC’s with different WiFi and Bluetooth hardware, I have discovered what causes this problem (but I don’t know why – yet).

The fix, is simply to turn OFF location in Settings –> Privacy –> Location:

Obviously, I would love to know if this fixes slow WiFi for you – so please leave a comment.

Addendum 6th Jan 2016

After further testing, I have discovered the problem/fix to be much more subtle and while still related to the Location state, it doesn’t actually matter what state it ends up in, as long as the state is toggled.

i.e. If your have WiFi AND Bluetooth ON AND your WiFi is running slow, simply try changing the Location state to the opposite of what it currently is and then change it back again.

For me, on a new install (any W10 build) or rebuild/update, if WiFi and BT is initially ON by default I have SLOW WiFi whatever the state of Location i.e. Location can be initially on or off, it doesn’t matter. What is important, and the fix for me, is that the state of Location just needs to be toggled in order for slow WiFi speed to recover.

© Woody – January  2016

[This article is original work – over which I own and retain copyright.

You are welcome to use and otherwise republish this article as you will – but I just request that you attribute me as the original author. Thanks.]

get_iPlayer: Important July 2015 Update

get_iPlayer downloads BBC iPlayer TV and Radio programmes – so that you can retain and view them for posterity.

As time ever marches on,  stuff changes and my original article on get_iPlayer could really do with a major update – and, yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll get round to it one day – so if you are coming to get_iPlayer for the first time please do this:

1. Read the original article that explains how to install and use get_iPlayer, but PLEASE DON’T install it from the links on that page.

2. Install the latest version of get_iPlayer from here – and catch up with the forum and discussions etc. The Square Penguin folk have done a really great job and are to be applauded.

3. Read this article for those who are having trouble recording and/or finding programmes in the iPlayer feeds.

Enjoy,
Woody.

Breaking: 3rd June 2015 – the BBC has broken get_iplayer (contains workarounds)

July 2015 Update: Please read this article FIRST.

 

Just a quick update from my mate Crispy, to point out that SquarePenguin is alerting us to a change that has broken iPlayer.

Either use the workaround SquarePenguin provides OR use the workaround of copying and pasting the url of the programme from iPlayer directly into get_iplayer here.

How to speed up Windows 10 (Technical Preview – Build 9926)

If you are a Windows 10 Technical Preview “pioneer”, you will already be loving the enhanced GUI, Cortana and the new Notification Center etc. HOWEVER you might find it goes a bit slow at times and, if you like to keep an eye on Task Manager, you’ll note that CPU utilisation can shoot up randomly – so here are two Woody Gems® for how to remediate that:

Warning: If you are currently running Windows 10 Technical Preview, then this article assumes that you know what you are doing. If you are unused to using regedit or of a slightly nervous disposition, then DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL – here is a picture of some kittens instead.

1. If enabled, speed up Windows 10 by disabling Windows Installer logging

See: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223300

Note: The “Fix it” won’t run on Windows 10 – so ensure that you delete (if it exists) this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer\Logging

2. STOP the Diagnostic Tracking service:

In Task Manager,  find and expand, the Service Host Local System with from 17 – 23 processes/services. Right-Click the Diagnostics Tracking Service and select “Stop”

[Yes, you could permanently disable this Service – but given that I am not entirely sure what it does – except for chewing CPU cycles – it might be safer to just stop it as needed]

That’s it – Windows 10 Technical Preview will go like the clappers now.

A Fix for WiFi and/or Lync drop-outs in Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 (Preview)

Running Windows 8.1 on a Laptop or tablet and your WiFi sucks? Can’t maintain a stable Lync or Skype connection and OneDrive syncing doesn’t work very well? Then I might just have the workaround that you won’t find anywhere else.

Regular readers (and there have been over 222K of you so far – thanks!) will be aware of this article that I wrote in Dec 2013 for those having issues getting their new Christmas present connected to a WiFi network. This is a replacement article – because Intel has now issued a driver that appears to fix all of those issues.

For those readers who are NOT having WiFi connectivity issues currently, it is probably best to leave things as they are – don’t fix things that are not broken etc – but for those who are troubled by random disconnects or applications that drop the connection – and I am referring to you Microsoft Lync – read on:

There are two parts to this – because there are two separate issues that can combine to deliver the same symptoms, so you need to attend to one or the other or both:

PC running Windows 8.1 (or later – including Windows 10)

Check to see if the WiFi chipset in your PC (most probably a laptop, Notebook or tablet) is made by Intel:

1. Control Panel -> Device Manager -> Network Adapters
2. Right Click the WiFi network -> Properties -> Driver tab
   

IF your WiFi device is a 6 or 7 series – see article tags for full list – (in the illustration above, a 6 series 6235) and you haven’t updated the drivers, then you should.

This is because, Windows 8 shipped with Intel driver 14.8.8.75 for the 6 and 7 series Intel WiFi chipsets and it was good and worked just fine. Unfortunately, when Windows 8.1 Released to Manufacturing (RTM’d) it contained Intel WiFi driver 15.10.0.12 as the default (broken) driver and it wasn’t possible to downgrade back to the previously stable driver 14.8.8.75.

Intel then released various updated WiFi drivers for Windows 8.1, the most stable (of a bad bunch) being 15.10.5.1 – but it still didn’t cut the mustard – evidenced by over 1131 posts on the subject at Intel’s Community site .

HOWEVER, Intel now seems to finally have nailed the problems in an updated driver set 17.0.1

Note 1: Intel has a rather strange driver versioning scheme in which a driver set has a version number (in this case 17.0.1) but that set contains individually versioned drivers for the different chipsets that it installs on. So in the illustration above, driver set 17.0.1 actually installed Intel driver 15.14.0.2 on my Intel WiFi chipset N6235.

Note 2: Download and install Wireless_17.1.0_De132.exe if you have a 32bit version of Windows and Wireless_17.1.0_De164.exe if you have a 64bit version (Control Panel -> System will tell you which version you have) as the two other downloads presented at that link contain the full Intel ProSet software package – which is probably only needed if you are into Miracast and hey, let’s walk before we can run …..

Note 3: Once you have installed the 17.0.1 driver set, hit the Advanced tab:

1. Control Panel -> Device Manager -> Network Adapters
    
   
2. Right Click the WiFi network -> Properties -> Advanced tab
   

And set the following:

AD-Hoc QOS Mode: WMM enabled

Roaming aggressiveness: Lowest

Mixed Mode protection: CTS-to-self enabled

Then, in the Power Management tab, turn off “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save Power”

 

Applications dropping out (particularly Lync) when connected to a WiFi network

There is a technology/protocol called UPnP that is supported by most home Broadband/ADSL/WiFi routers (look it up if you want more info).

Most routers run a variant of Linux – and in particular, a router optimised module called Busybox.

There seems to be a bug in a number of versions of Busybox, which cause it to crash/hang/reboot if overwhelmed with UPnP port requests.

This crash/hang/reboot is imperceptible to users of that routers WiFi network EXCEPT for those apps which require continuous real-time network connectivity, like Lync and Skype etc – for which the internet connection appears to have dropped until Busybox in the router can recover itself.

This issue has been more prevalent with Windows 8.1 onwards – because it seems that something in the UPnP calls it makes to the router is causing this issue. This means that ANY Windows 8.1 PC connected to your network could be causing the problem if you have a router running a version of Busybox that is susceptible.

We know that routers which are affected are (at least):

Plusnet, BE, Zen, Andrews and Arnold, O2,TalkTalk and other UK ISP’s Technicolor TG582N

 

Virgin Media (UK) Superhub

 

Orange/EE Broadband Brightbox (AKA the Arcadyan AR7516)

 

If you turn off UPnP on other routers and find that it improves stability, please tell me, and I can add them to the list here:

Windows 8.1 WiFi works fine without having to turn UPnP off with:

Netgear DG834G V4 with  V5.01.16 – DGTeam Rev. 1018 firmware

Applications over WiFi like Lync and Skype work fine when UPnP is turned off  with:

Technicolor TG582N – Connect with a web browser (by default, to 192.168.1.1 – but your configuration may vary) and disable by clicking “Game & Application Sharing” in the toolbox menu and under “Universal Plug and Play” there should be a checkbox to enable/disable UPnP.

Virgin Media (UK) Superhub – Don’t know how to disable it, as I haven’t got one – but it should be listed in the web interface somewhere.

Orange/EE Broadband Brightbox – From the web interface, select “Advanced setup” and UPnP is a menu item on the left hand side.

© Woody – November 2014

[This article is original work – over which I own and retain copyright. However, it is based on multiple documentary sources placed in the public domain and I acknowledge and thank all the folk who have contributed to that (and in particular, Damian who beta tested the updates for me).

You are welcome to use and otherwise republish this article as you will – but I just request that you continue to attribute me as the original author.

Thanks.]

Nov 2014 Update: For those having trouble with get_iplayer

---

July 2015 Update: Please read this article FIRST.

For those trying (and failing) to download radio programmes via get_iplayer, Peter has very kindly responded with a solution here.

---

 

This is a very swift blog entry (and an experiment in blogging direct from OneNote…) for those folk who are having trouble with get-iplayer (see my original article)

Starting 30th Oct 2014, the BBC removed the previous way they published iPlayer RSS and Feeds to make way for a new API called Nitro – and it has broken a lot of third party apps (including the iPlayer plugin for XBMC). This has naturally caused a LOT of upset.

The good news, is that the folk over at Square Penguin seem to have managed a workaround and have now released an update: V2.90

If the V2.90 update doesn’t work for you, try this:

Presume that you want to record “Rule Britannia! Music, Mischief and Morals in the 18th Century:

Copy (CTRL-C) the iplayer programme URL (ringed in red) which is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b041m4rl/rule-britannia-music-mischief-and-morals-in-the-18th-century-episode-3

Paste (CTRL-V) the URL into the Quick URL box in get_iplayer PVR and then hit Record

Once the download is complete, RIGHT CLICK on the file in Windows Explorer and select Properties (should be right at the bottom of the drop-down box that appears).

Click on the Details tab and click in the title box to edit it to be the name of the downloaded programme. This will enable it to show up with the correct name in whichever video player you use.

BT line with Caller ID/Display? Your bill is about to increase – as BT slides a cheeky price increase (from 4th Jan 2014) under the radar…

So, I have a BT line with “Caller ID” – AKA “Caller Display”, you know, the BT Calling “Feature” that shows that your mother-in-law is calling the telephone number of the person calling you.

Up until now, BT Caller Display has been free – as long as you make at least two “chargeable or inclusive” calls a month – otherwise a £2.00 a month charge applies.

However, did you know that from 4th January 2014, this previously free service will cost you an extra £1.75 per month?

You may not have been unduly concerned as you poked around in BT’s completely obfuscated and impenetrable website, because it clearly says here “BT Privacy with Caller Display will cost £1.75 a month from 4 January 2014, but existing customers of the service can pre-register to continue getting it free for 12 months.”

So that’s OK – quickly register for BT Privacy and neatly side step the £1.75 per month price increase then. Oh no … I didn’t use the word “obfuscated” for nothing!

Scroll right to the bottom of this page and open the section entitled “The legal stuff”. Now, scroll down to the paragraph that starts BT Privacy with Caller Display Free for 12 months and see that it is hiding this little gem “Pre-register before 6th December 2013”.

So you did pre-register before 6th December 2013 for your BT Privacy with Caller Display Free for 12 months didn’t you?

If, by now, you are as annoyed as me by what I consider to be a hidden con, then you may just be looking for a new supplier for your phone line…

There are hundreds of suppliers out there – so you can do your own homework, but having two telephone lines, one already with Plusnet Broadband on it and the other that just needs to be a (now non-BT grrr…) phone line only, I went off and did a comparison. This revealed that I should swap one line (the line that already has my Plusnet broadband) to Plusnet and the voice only phone line to Madasafish.

Feel free to use this table to plug in your own figures:

	BT	Plusnet	Madasafish
Line Rental (per month)	£15.99	£14.50	£11.99
Caller Display	£1.75	£0.99	£0.99
Unlimited Anytime calls	£7.00	£5.00	£5.00
Monthly Total (if paying line rental monthly)	£24.74	£20.49	£17.98
Line Rental Saver (pay 12 months in advance)	£141 pa (£11.75 pm)	£131.88 pa (£10.99 pm)	N/A
Equivalent monthly total if purchasing Line Rental Saver.	£20.50	£16.98	N/A
Monthly total if adding Unlimited (up to) 16MB Broadband	£45.74	£22.99	Not an economic proposition
Monthly total if adding Unlimited (up to) 16MB Broadband and purchasing Line Rental Saver	£41.50	£19.48
Year 1 total cost	£435	£233.76
Year 2 total cost	£498	£323.64
Total over 2 years	£933	£557.4

Notes:

1. BT own Plusnet, who in turn own Madasafish. Plusnet have UK based 24/7 support and multiple awards.

2. It is not possible to purchase a phone only service from Plusnet.

3. While it is possible to purchase broadband from Madasafish – it is simply not an economic proposition but, weirdly, you do get 100MB of web space included – so may be useful for someone?

4. All figures include current offers: BT – half price broadband at £10.50 for first 6 months and £21.00 per month thereafter AND Plusnet – broadband at £2.50 for first 12 months and £9.99 per month thereafter.

A fix for connectivity issues with Intel Centrino WiFi and Windows 8/Windows 8.1 (trouble with the new laptop you got for Christmas?)

Updated 31st December 2013 based on personal testing, direct feedback as a result of this article and the conversation on the Intel Wireless Networking Community (67 pages about this problem so far …) here.

Purchasers of Laptops with Intel WiFi adapters seem to have been having a hard time of it lately and have been reporting one of more of the following issues:

On upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, their WiFi no longer works or has become unreliable.

and/or

Even on Windows 8 (yet to upgrade to Windows 8.1) their WiFi connection is unreliable – or doesn’t work at all – see the protests at the Intel Support Community web site.

and/or

With Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, folk experience various application hangs or failures – like the new (to Windows 8) IE11 hangs or appears to mis-render pages and Lync and Outlook appear to hang or lose connectivity.

If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms, do this:

a) It is generally held that the most stable Intel Centrino WiFi driver for Windows 8 is version 14.8.8.75. This is the base driver that comes in the box with Windows 8, so if you are still on Windows 8 (as opposed to 8.1) roll back your Intel WiFi driver to 14.8.8.75.

b) If that doesn’t work, or you are already on Windows 8.1:

1. Control Panel –> Programs and Features and REMOVE any Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software but DO NOT  remove anything that says it is Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software for BLUETOOTH® technology

AND

2. UPDATE your Intel WiFi driver to 15.10.5.1 for Windows 8 or 15.10.5.1 for Windows 8.1.

IMPORTANT: ONLY install the updated drivers and NOT the full Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software – so only download and install the file that is:

Wireless_16.7.0_De164.exe for 64bit Windows 8.1
Wireless_16.7.0_De132.exe for 32bit Windows 8.1

Wireless_16.7.0_De64.exe for 64bit Windows 8
Wireless_16.7.0_De32.exe for 32bit Windows 8

[The “D” in the driver name, stands for “Drivers only” – and no, I haven’t the faintest idea why Intel should publish a driver update with a version of 16.7.0 which installs a driver version 15.10.5.1 …]

AND

3. Once the driver version 15.10.5.1 is installed and the PC has been re-booted, Control Panel –> Device Manager –>  Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6235 –> Properties –> Power Management and REMOVE the tick from the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” checkbox:

c) If you still experience problems once you have upgraded your WiFi drivers, then try the Intel WiDi Update Tool.

WiDi is Intel’s implementation of Miracast – which allows mobile PC screens to be projected wirelessly, via WiFi, to a suitably Miracast enabled display. Miracast requires the correct combination of Screen drivers, WiFi drivers and supporting software, so this is a good tool to run to ensure that you have all the correct drivers loaded for your particular laptop.

So, none of that worked?

OK, roll your sleeves up for this – but it’s not for the feint hearted:

Testing with friends and colleagues has now conclusively proved that some Broadband Routers with WiFi can hang and lose connectivity with Windows 8/8.1 devices if they have UPnP switched on (which is the default for most routers). To the laptop user, this router hang will appear as a local WiFi problem – i.e. the laptop user will think they have a problem with their Laptop Intel WiFi – when it is actually the router that you are connected to that has the problem.

Switching OFF UPnP on affected routers has a very high probability of fixing your WiFi network dropout/hang issue and to date, I haven’t found any adverse effects (Xbox gaming e.t.c. still seems to work fine with UPnP switched off).

Unfortunately, you will have to work out how to switch off UPnP for your particular router by reading its manual I am afraid, but I can tell you that testing so far indicates that the following routers hang with Windows 8/8.1 if UPnP is left turned on:

Plusnet, BE, Zen, Andrews and Arnold, O2,TalkTalk and other UK ISP’s Technicolor TG582N

Virgin Media (UK) Superhub

Orange/EE Broadband Brightbox (AKA the Arcadyan AR7516)

No, I have no idea what it is about Windows 8/8.1 which is causing a problem with UPnP in some routers – but I will update this article.

If you turn off UPnP on other routers and find that it improves stability, please tell me, and I can add them to the list here:

Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 WiFi works fine without having to turn UPnP off with:

Netgear DG834G V4 with  V5.01.16 – DGTeam Rev. 1018 firmware

Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 WiFi works fine when UPnP is turned off  with:

Technicolor TG582N – disable by clicking “Game & Application Sharing” in the toolbox menu and under “Universal Plug and Play” there should be a checkbox to enable/disable UPnP.

Virgin Media (UK) Superhub

Orange/EE Broadband Brightbox

–