Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Windows 10 May 2019 Update hits worrying stumbling block with USB drives
Those trying to upgrade to the latest update for Windows 10 are finding their PC is being blocked from making the move if they have an external USB device or an SD card plugged into their machine.
Why? It seems that the May 2019 Update – which is still in the final stages of testing, ahead of an expected release in May, naturally enough (probably later in the month) – is suffering from a problem whereby all drives can be inappropriately reassigned different letters if USB devices or SD cards are connected to the PC.
As you’re probably aware, Windows gives every drive attached to a computer a letter, whether that’s an internal hard drive or SSD, optical drives, or indeed external drives such as USB sticks.
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And when upgrading to the May 2019 Update, it’s possible that these drive letters can be changed, with potentially nasty side-effects.
Microsoft explains: “Example: An upgrade to the May 2019 Update is tried on a computer that has the October 2018 Update installed and also has a thumb drive inserted into a USB port.
“Before the upgrade, the device would have been mounted in the system as drive G based on the existing drive configuration. However, after the upgrade, the device is reassigned a different drive letter. For example, the drive is reassigned as drive H.”
Internal hemorrhaging
The real sticking point is that this reassignment of drive letters isn’t limited to removable hardware such as USB devices, but internal hard drives can also be affected. In that case, you can imagine the potential damage when the PC is looking for files on a certain drive which are no longer there because it has been reassigned a different letter – or indeed if your system drive succumbs to this fate, heaven forbid.
So you can understand why Microsoft has blocked upgrades in the case of computers with such USB devices attached. Those who wish to upgrade their preview version of Windows 10 can currently get around the block simply by unplugging any external USB devices or SD cards, and restarting their machine, whereupon the May 2019 Update should become available.
Presumably, the issue whereby internal drives are reassigned a different drive letter can’t occur if there are no external devices plugged in.
Of course, this problem should most definitely be solved (we would hope) by the time the May 2019 Update is released to the general computing public. The last thing Microsoft needs is another disastrous issue like the file deletion problem which hit the infamously bug-plagued October 2018 Update, particularly as Microsoft has vowed to get things right this time around.
Microsoft observed: “This issue will be resolved in a future servicing update for Windows 10. For Windows Insiders [preview build testers], this issue is resolved in build 18877 [which is still to be released] and later builds.”
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Via The Register
source http://www.techradar.com/news/windows-10-may-2019-update-hits-worrying-stumbling-block-with-usb-drives
Ford's self-braking shopping cart will stop your little ones ramming strangers' shins
Ford has created a shopping cart with automatic braking to stop kids ramming it into shelves, signs, and other customers.
You were probably guilty of doing it yourself – getting a good run-up, then leaning on the handle of the cart and coasting along like a supermarket superhero. Great fun, until you collide with an elderly shopper or a stack of cereal boxes you were too short to see.
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The futuristic looking self-braking cart is fitted with sensors to detect obstacles, and automatically slows down to avoid hitting shoppers and shelves.
Safer shopping
The cart is the latest in a series of concept designs that pluck Ford's driving aids from its cars and put them to use elsewhere. Past projects have included the lane-keeping bed, which detects when your partner has strayed onto your side and shifts them back, and the noise-canceling kennel, which blocks out loud noises like fireworks that could alarm your pet pooch.
In this case, the design is inspired by Ford's Pre-Collison Assist technology, which is available in most models and uses a forward-facing camera and radar to detect vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists in the road. When a person is detected, the system warns the driver and applies the brakes automatically if they don't respond in time.
The cart is only a concept for now, so it won't be appearing in stores just yet, but it's interesting to see other ways in-car tech could be used to solve problems away from the streets.
source http://www.techradar.com/news/fords-self-braking-shopping-cart-will-stop-your-little-ones-ramming-strangers-shins