The Task Bar That Didn't Want To Go To Work
This is the way I would characterize a release that Microsoft
automatically applied to my Surface Pro on 12/10/2019.
I didn't reboot the system until the new year, only to find that
a security system release prevented the Windows task bar from working.
Had I not been able to diagnose the problem as being related to
this particular security release, including finding a way to back
it out, my system would still not be running, and I would not
be writing this now.
But as it happens, my action to back out Microsoft Security Update
KB4530715, made all the difference, between having a working task-bar,
and one that would always be busy doing something else.
Whatever it was doing, it didn't take a large amount of CPU time.
It just never got around to doing what needed to be done,which was
service user inputs. It didn't receive a single click I sent it, as
far as I could tell.
So, what happens when your task bar doesn't work?
Well, it's really not pretty. Suddenly, unless you have left
an app's icon on your desktop, you will find it very difficult to get
to that app, like system level apps you need to diagnose the problem.
For instance, I didn't have a copy of the Windows "setup" app on
my desktop, although I did have one on my start menu pop-up screen.
That one didn't do me any good, once the start menu would not pop up.
Right, so finally, how to recover.
Well, I've got to finally give Microsoft credit for coming around to
implementing the necessary back-out software that is required when something
"semi-catastrophic" happens like this. They do have a facility, if you
can only find it, for backing out the security release causing the problem.
Be aware that any particular release product from Microsoft could contain
this flaw, unless they specifically proclaim to the contrary.
I did not find the flaw that was reflected in the article that made me aware
of the problem. I found the same problem in an entirely different release.
It was originally found in a roll-up release, but I found it in a security release.
So, my recommendation is to go into Windows "Setup" and then into "Update & Security".
From there, go into "Advanced settings". Then try to disable automatic updates as best you can.
Microsoft sure doesn't make it easy, that's for sure.
Also, please be aware that I'm currently running Windows 10 Release 1809 OS Build 17763.1
