Windows Repair not able to run on the Win 10 20H2

[Willy2]

- From someone from the CCleaner website (" https://community.ccleaner.com/ ") I received the following question:

Quote:
"Willy have you heard any reports of Windows 10 20H2 being unable to sign in with a Microsoft account when in safe mode?

I know someone who helps friends with their machine problems and he has found that he cannot use Tweaking any more because if someone has a Microsoft account you cannot sign in to it in safe mode (with networking or without)

Local accounts are okay."

In other words: Windows Repair gets blocked. Please pass this on to Shane. This kind of stuff is WAY above my paygrade.

[Willy2]

- This begs the question: What is this Microsoft account used for ? OneDrive ? I use the standalone version of OneDrive and it seems to have "some issues" when I remove the software.

[Boggin]

I don't think I have a Microsoft account but when I use the option to boot into Safe Mode with Networking in WR I don't get any prompts to log in which I get when I press and hold SHIFT throughout a Restart to get to the advanced boot options.

Can you pass that on to see how they fare.

[Willy2]

Then you can't replicate the error because this blocking of WR seems to happen when the user has that Microsoft account (activated). That's the point.

I assume Microsoft is using that MS account in an (successful ??) attempt to direct more customers towards their own products (like "OneDrive" and "the cloud" ??).

[Willy2]

Can't you temporarily create/activate the MS account and run WR once more ?

[Boggin]

I don't particularly wish to create a MS account on my Win 10 machines, but you haven't said if using WR to boot to Safe Mode with Networking is a workaround to this.

Do you have a MS account to check this out ?

[Willy2]

- No, I can't make an MS account because I stil am on a Windows 7 system. And I am in no hurry to make the jump to Win 10.
- The fact that it only happens with the latest Win 10 update suggests that it's a Win 10 issue.

[Boggin]

Have you checked with those others to see if using WR to boot into Safe Mode with Networking is a workaround.

[Willy2]

- "that other person" doesn't want to "waste more time" on this problem. She also can't test it because she doesn't use that MS account and doesn't want to activate that MS account.

- I reread the 1st post and it seems to be very straightforward. Having a MS account blocks the user from signing in at all. And then the user can't use WR anymore. But I think it also a matter of programs "interfering" with the MS account.
- Computers & Software are complicated things, right ?

[Boggin]

I'll copy a link of your thread to Shane, but wouldn't expect an answer too soon, although I could be surprised

[Willy2]

- Ooops. Made a mistake in my previous post. I was in a hurry when I typed that reply. It should be (correction in bold characters):

"I reread the 1st post and it seems to be very straightforward. Having a MS account blocks the user from signing into Safe Mode. And then the user can't use WR anymore. But I think it also a matter of programs "interfering" with the MS account.

[Willy2]

- I also experienced that programs behaved differently in different circumstances.
- One example was that there was a difference in behaviour beween Safe Mode and "Normal" mode.
- A second example was that one program showed behaviour (A). But a few days later the same program showed a slightly different behaviour (B). And 4 of 5 days later the program showed behaviour (A) again.
- My personal opinion is that A LOT OF these differrences in behaviour can be attributed to how well a program protects its own "(internal) variables".

[Boggin]

What is behaviour (A) and behaviour (B) ?

Safe Mode is mainly a diagnostic mode as it isolates all third party programs from starting in the background.

The reason why it's advocated that WR is run in Safe Mode with Networking is to prevent antivirus programs interfering as they can do with programs it detects that can change the registry.

If a program is running fine in normal mode then there's no need to boot into Safe Mode to see how it runs.

[Willy2]

- Behaviour A & B occurred in another program (not made by Tweaking.com).
- WR running in Safe Mode also has another advantage. It runs (much ??) faster than in "Normal Mode".