Windows Search Went Down For Hours Because of a Microsoft Services Outage (theverge.com) 68
Microsoft's built-in Windows search went down for more than three hours today due to access and latency issues "with multiple Microsoft 365 services." While the issues have since been resolved, it comes just days after Microsoft's Teams service experienced a widespread outage after the company forgot to renew a SSL certificate. The Verge reports: Windows search is built into Microsoft's latest Windows 10 operating system, and it started presenting blank search results for apps or any other search queries at around 8AM ET today. Windows search uses the Bing backend to search for results across the web, and it appears that this was the source of the issue. Microsoft blames a "third-party networking fiber provider" for experiencing a network disruption resulting in multiple Microsoft 365 services issues. "This issue has been resolved for most users and in some cases you may need to reboot your machine," says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge.
Why again... (Score:5, Insightful)
...does a search feature of my local computer have to connect to Microsoft's servers?
Re: (Score:2)
...does a search feature of my local computer have to connect to Microsoft's servers?
It doesn't; see my post [slashdot.org] below.
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It only connects to the web if you've enabled web search or Cortana integration. There are at least five different ways to turn it off if you don't want it, including a toggle switch for it in the out-of-box-experience wizard.
Re:Why again... (Score:5, Informative)
Wrongo, kiddo.
I've turned alllllllllllllllllllllll that shit off and rejected every possible permission for Cortana, etc. (The "5 different ways for turning it off" are really 1 single way for turning it off, to be done in 5 places, and if you miss one or get one wrong it's all on, all the time. And they recently ripped out one of the UIs for turning shit off.)
Then MS pushes a new update pegged to a new registry setting, WITH NO UI TO CONTROL IT, and Bingo Fucko, Start searches the fucking web via Bing.
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I use Windows because I support Windows at work and I play games. Linux, Mac OS, etc. are not viable for this.
(Neither are Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 and up, but here we are.)
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Since when is Linux not viable for games? Almost my whole Steam library (going back 16 years according to them), plays just fine under Linux, AAA titles and all.
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I get where you're coming from, but things have massively improved with Steam pushing their own spin of WINE.
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I get where you're coming from, but things have massively improved with Steam pushing their own spin of WINE.
So what you're saying is Linux gaming is an unsupported shitshow of workarounds? I hear you man. I hear you.
The presence of Wine or that Steam is rolling their own version does not make Linux a gaming platform.
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It ceases to be a shitshow of workarounds when you've gone and reimplemented the whole darn thing.
WINE isn't a workaround. It's a full blown implementation of all the bells and whistles. And you sound like a No True Scotsman/gaming system.
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Since when is Linux not viable for games?
What kind of a completely daft comment is that? Firstly not nearly all Steam titles are available on Linux. Secondly not nearly all games are available on Steam. The state of Linux drivers are basically amateur hour compared to driver development for GPUs on Windows. And that's to say nothing of any VR titles or hardware which flat out has no support on Linux.
Come join us back in reality.
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https://store.steampowered.com... [steampowered.com]
You know that Linux has a bigger market share than VR, right? In the number one marketplace for VR enabled games?
You're grasping at straws. Compared to what "gamers" are running, statisically, with Actual Data!, my Linux box has 4x the RAM and a Quadro card that handles gaming juuuust fine at maxed out settings. Could get a lower end "gaming" card, I suppose. And a lower end "gaming" OS like Windows, I suppose.
But why? My games work. My OS works. My hardware trashes most "ga
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That's what I said. You use Windows because you prefer to be treated that way.
If you just say "Yes, I especially like playing games with it" instead of getting passive-aggressive about Linux, you'll feel better about yourself, you'll feel better about your choices.
I use Linux because I prefer the way it treats me. And it works better for the games I play. (chess, and Civ V) It feels better to choose what you want and want what you choose than to be a whiny bitch about it.
Re:Why again... (Score:5, Informative)
There is an easier way. Open gpedit.msc and go to Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Search. There is an option called "Enable Cortana", if you disable it then Cortana is dead regardless of any other settings.
Group Policy Editor is often the easiest and best way to control your computer because it's designed for system administrators on corporate networks who don't tolerate any bullshit.
Re: Why again... (Score:3)
And it's only available on Windows Professional.
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Re: Why again... (Score:5, Interesting)
It connects if you haven't specifically disabled it through a registry hack. And you have to watch it too since an update can enable it again.
The result is that Microsoft sees what you are searching for on your own computer by default.
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Because that's where they store the index of your computer. What? You wanted it stored locally?
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Uh, yes?
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The confusion is understandable, but you see, it isn't your computer.
As such, they quite reasonably want control over their data.
Re: Why again... (Score:2)
Same question. I noticed this yesterday on my rarely used Windows laptop which was on to test something Win specific with the touch screen browser interaction. I actually rebooted the thing.
On my Mac searching does not need a network connection. Spotlight rules.
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You have to look at it from the point of view of Microsoft's executives.
From that perspective, for everyone's "personal" computers to rely wholly on Microsoft's servers is not a bug.
It's a feature.
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Disable Windows web search ... (Score:5, Informative)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search]
"BingSearchEnabled"=dword:00000000
"CortanaConsent"=dword:00000000
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Disable Windows web search ... (Score:3)
Yep and should have been off and in a settings dialog. And a âshowing local searches onlyâ(TM) message instead of a blank nothing.
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Better solution: Don't use a malware marketing platform instead of a real operating system.
Windows 7 works fine. MX Linux or Manjaro work better.
Can someone explain... (Score:3)
Why doesn't search spin off TWO threads, one to search the local computer, and the other to search online, if the user has that feature enabled?
This way both threads can work and local results can be returned while the other thread tries to search online. This has two WONDERFUL benefits:
- You will get local results faster, regardless of the state of online search,
- Local search will work period, even if you're not online.
This is... common sense shit? Computers can multitask; there's no reason both searches can't happen simultaneously. Sometimes I wonder what they're smoking at Microsoft; I've been wondering this on and off for 25+ years now.
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Fail gracefully is something should always be part of the design of any web based service.
Re:Can someone explain... (Score:4, Insightful)
Windows being graceful only amounts to Ballmer wearing a tutu to work again.
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Fail gracefully is something should always be part of the design of any web based service.
Who said that first? Was it the Microsoft team that designed this [wikipedia.org] or the Apple team that designed this [wikipedia.org] or this [wikipedia.org]? :-)
In a semi-related true story, I once got a fatal error message from Tcsh that said, "Assertion Botch. This can't happen!" as the shell failed. Man, talk about a paradox.
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"the design of any web based service" is compared to a non recoverable kernel panic? I really don't understand. If web search is enabled, it returned no results, not a kernel panic. At least it should have been in the summary if true.
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If web search is enabled, it returned no results, not a kernel panic.
It still should have returned local results.
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You could have left it at:
Fail gracefully is something should always be part of the design.
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Why doesn't search spin off TWO threads, one to search the local computer, and the other to search online, if the user has that feature enabled?
Because without service outages, unpaid interns would never get any breaks.
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Do you really expect them to be able to write something multi-threaded properly?
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I'll go. The failure mode for a certificate was considered permanent failure and never tested. It was never considered by anyone part of this team. Not part of the design, not part of the architecture.
Microsoft consistently fails at code reuse, bubbling up one error as something else and likely inadvertently hiding the source of problems. If you find the right debugging tool, you can usually see the problem.
And ultimately, it's the choice to hide potentially complicated messages to prevent confusion. A sear
Everything (Score:4, Informative)
There is a simple windows program called "Everything" that indexes all your drives and searches as fast as you type. I use it daily and its what windows search should be. https://www.voidtools.com/ [voidtools.com]
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There is a simple windows program called "Everything" that indexes all your drives and searches as fast as you type. I use it daily and its what windows search should be. https://www.voidtools.com/ [voidtools.com]
Damn, that's good. Thanks.
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There's also DIR filename.ext /s run from the root directory. Since I always have a command prompt open anyway that's always been faster for me. It's likely that your "Everything" is just a pretty shell for DIR.
What's wrong with this picture? (Score:2)
don't judge without information (Score:3)
You want reliable, fast search? (Score:1)
Use a DOS window. Search is lightning fast and you don't need no steenking internet
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I think you mean a "command prompt window" or "command window" DOS has not been part of Windows for many years. The command prompt window can be mistaken for DOS because it looks like DOS running in a window and runs many of the old commands.
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DOS has not been part of Windows for many years.
That's what they want you to think!
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Since Windows 2000. IIRC Win NT still ran a copy of DOS in a separate memory space to give the command prompt, Win2K rewrote it as a separate app with almost all of the same functionality, and it hasn't changed much since. I still have my DOS 5 book, since it's the best reference I've run across for writing batch files.
Is the Pentagon Watching? (Score:3)
This doesn't bode well for the Pentagon contract. I've worked on the MS campus off and on for years and have repeatedly experienced router loops, DNS corruption, and AD replication storms that lasted days. My coworker's previous job was network support for Azure. When he heard about the Pentagon contract his first comment was, "They're going to regret that."
Fuck the future (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I experienced this (Score:5, Interesting)
Last time I dealt with Windows Search I found this out:
You can't add a keyboard language if Windows Search service is locally disabled.
Was building an image for a school computer, turned off Windows Search (because that's what we do, too much opportunity for little kids to fly off onto the Internet without meaning to), later realised we needed to add English (UK) to make things work properly... couldn't. Nothing appeared. No languages available. No error message. No nothing.
Modern software is SO reliant on just having everything running their way (no matter your objections) that it's all integrated and you can't stop it being affected. Linux and systemd is the same.
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Then you use a command prompt, which should have been your first choice anyway. DIR works considerably faster than Windows Search ever has.
People were stumped (Score:2)
Both of them.
blank window (Score:2)
you can't figure out those MS developers, they way they present errors always leaves something to be desired.
either you get an error, but it is complete gibberish or totally useless or, as in this case - nothing.
Yep, that hit me (Score:2)
And it really sucked ... I'm not a big fan of Start menu search but got used to it since the menu structure often makes little sense. E.g. go ahead, try to find the Remote Desktop client in the Start menu if you normally just type "Remote" ...
Took awhile to find the registry hack. Irritating.
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try to find the Remote Desktop client in the Start menu
Type MSTSC at a command prompt. What, you don't have a command prompt open? Why?
I have no idea where the icon is, I haven't searched for it that way since shortly after it was introduced. It was under Accessories then, and a sub-entry (Advanced maybe?) with a couple other tools like the modem terminal window.
Re: Yep, that hit me (Score:2)
It helps to have been around since Remote Desktop was calle Terminal Services so that you know why it's called mstsc.
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try to find the Remote Desktop client in the Start menu
Type MSTSC at a command prompt. What, you don't have a command prompt open? Why?
I have no idea where the icon is, I haven't searched for it that way since shortly after it was introduced. It was under Accessories then, and a sub-entry (Advanced maybe?) with a couple other tools like the modem terminal window.
It was just one example. The point is, with a modern GUI you shouldn't have to memorize lots of cryptic commands.
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Then make a folder off the Start menu with icons for the programs you use most often. Or create shortcuts on the desktop. Or create a folder off your home drive with shortcuts, or . . .
There has never been a shortage of ways to do common actions in Windows, more troublesome for helpdesk staff to learn all the different ways users arrive at the same point.
It's called 365 for a reason... (Score:2)
This happens every leap year.
-k.