Crash of MLO on startup after Windows Update.

[John Bentley]

I've recently updated Windows (this happened as part of automatic updates). Now MLO crashes on startup. I see my tasks for a few seconds then MLO quits.

Double clicking on particular *.ml MLO files, apart from my default  *.ml file, produces the same result. So it seems unlikely that corruption of my default *.ml file is the cause.

I'm on:

* Windows 10 Pro (64 bit), 20H2, 19042.804.

* MLO 5.1.1 (Jan 15, 2021).

Anyone else getting the same problem with this version of Windows?

[Andrei, Win&Droid MLO user]

Have you tried to reinstall MLO application?

среда, 10 февраля 2021 г. в 06:56:04 UTC+2, johnny....@gmail.com:

[John Bentley]

On your prompting I made an attempt to uninstall MLO. I received the following error message:

> Could not delete mlo.exe. Please close MyLifeOrganized application [sic] and click Retry. If you previously installed MLO as different user [sic] (such as admin) run uninstall with this user.

However MLO was closed (and this was verfied via Task Manager); and MLO was installed under the current (non-admin) user.

I have made multiple restarts of Windows itself, but the problem with MLO remains (and now I can't uninstall it).

This is starting to feel like Microsoft has recently changed something in their security model which is causing issues with applications. As another example recent attempts to open any Microsoft management console (e.g. Right Click on Start button > Computer Management) results in those programs freezing.

:(

[John Bentley]

I've temporarily fixed the problem by rolling back one of the Windows updates (KB4601319).

In detail:

Uninstall the latest Windows Update:

* Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall updates.

* Click on the Date Modified column to sort by the date. For me, at the time, the update was listed as "Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB4601319)".  In Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history - the relevant update was listed as "2021-02 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 20h2 for x64-based Systems (KB4601319)" (and strangely remains listed there even after uninstall).

* Select the update; Click on [Uninstall]

* Restart Windows when prompted.

I've also temporarily paused Windows Automatic updates:

* Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Advanced Options > Pause Updates > Pause until [Some future date not more than 35 days ahead].

Now MLO starts up; as does any Microsoft Management Console (e.g. Right Click on Start button > Computer Management); as does Visual Studio Code (which previously was also failing to start up, although not previously mentioned).

In short this bug appears to be really on the Microsoft side rather than the MLO side.

[Andrei, Win&Droid MLO user]

👍

среда, 10 февраля 2021 г. в 11:37:37 UTC+2, johnny....@gmail.com:

[Stéph]

I'm currently on Windows Enterprise 10.0.18363, so I'm now nervous about what will happen when my company rolls out the next update. Have you tried uninstalling MLO, updating Windows again, then using the portable version of MLO? Just wondering.

[John Bentley]

Hi Steph,

I have not tried that and won't try that given even if it corrected the problem for MLO it's unlikely to correct the problem for other apps I was having problems with: Microsoft Management Console apps; and Visual Studio Code. I mean it's a worthy suggestion and appreciate that experiment would be helpful information back to you. I suppose I'm disinclined to spend that much time for a data point I think is unlikely to tell us much.

Addtionally it might be stronger information coming from someone else (i.e. if someone could reproduce the problem, even before attempts to correct it, with KB4601319 installed in their environment). There could well be something super quirky about my environment that doesn't have general applicability.

As an incidental matter, only upon your suggestion was I aware that there existed a portable version of MLO.

I'd suggest a redesign of the download page, https://www.mylifeorganized.net/todo-list-windows.shtml, to make this clearer (part way down the page I see the "Download Installer" and "Download portable" buttons but that design is at odds witht the buttons up the top "Support", "Download", "Buy Pro").

Additionaly If I look at https://mlo.uservoice.com/forums/9235-general/suggestions/1465161-portable-mlo there's no update to that suggesting the lack of portability has been corrected. Has MLO support monitoring of Uservoice been abandoned?

Also there's no "portable" string in the change log https://www.mylifeorganized.net/change-log.shtml

Cheers,

John

[Andrei, Win&Droid MLO user]

+ 1 to give some love to the portable version on download page.

четверг, 11 февраля 2021 г. в 05:44:57 UTC+2, johnny....@gmail.com:

[Stéph]

I'd forgotten about that Uservoice item - mainly because it doesn't bother me that the "portable" version of MLO leaves a trail in the Registry and a log file. The main reason I use the portable version is that I can run it on my work PC without having to ask my IT support to reinstall it for me every time there's a beta update. If it's not too visible, then I agree, the portable version should be highlighted better on the downloads page. There should also be a warning for people who like their portable apps to be secret portable apps which don't leave any kind of trail on the host PC.