Are Windows XPS updates breaking stuff and violating privacy through Reactor?

One XPS Win update broke touchscreen while using Reactor seemed weird timing but the last Update came while playing Reactor again. I don't play all time but Sunday night is chill time. First mic came on w/out prompt. This continued w/Reactor closed, but trying to reopen would show already open?! Then PC keyboard Midi failed, then sound out put. All other AV tech on PC function normally. Just Reactor. Scope showed sound, then this failed. Uninstall/re attempts NI shows installed but path shows nothing, says "Open"; but can't open. How to flush these remnants and break lockout?

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lilpil

1000 unseen requests for mic over days; log says?! no mic prompts?!

lilpil

It had Reactor running invisibly in background, essentially, the mic going on and off; on jitter.

On noticing/addressing it through permissions, the app broke. NA is seeing PC ghosts and will not download fresh or uninstall or relocate fresh tools … a "bug" …

Jeremy_NI

I'm not sure to understand everything here. Have you reied the following? My NI Software Crashes at Startup (Windows)

If that didn't help, please try to summarize the issue, include screenshots if needed.

On noticing/addressing it through permissions, the app broke. NA is seeing PC ghosts and will not download fresh or uninstall or relocate fresh tools … a "bug" …

I'm particularly confused about this part.

Studiowaves

Did you by chance recently update to Window11 24h2 ? They did some major changes that might be throwing things off.

lilpil

To summarize: Last two forced Windows updates during Reactor use seems to have caused, first the touchscreen to fail; then the next update caused a background version to run which elicited thousands of mic requests w/out prompt. I only noted because mic was jittering on/off on the toolbar some days later. The background Reactor could not be shut off; instead, a second instance would open and crash. I went into my PC permissions and noted a new bar saying certain desktop apps may access mic; which didn't exist before. The original mic permissions were still off; as I would rarely use onboard PC mic for rec Reactor. On rescinding this new "permission", all onboard NI tools broke. NA sees remnants somewhere; despite un/reinstall; registry wipe, etc. The new tech is more expensive and less secure than ever, insidious exploits everywhere. I use a recovered Reactor to still build; but NA is stuck on those ghostly, nonexistent remnants, so … no more updates w/out a firmware re; ig :(

Jeremy_NI

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/184502#Comment_184502

I would suggest to contact our support regarding this issue, they might need to have a deeper look in your system. Maybe start with our installation/Native Access support: https://bit.ly/NI_support_NA

lilpil

Yes, it is the Windows behind this. This Sunday's "Update" broke the driver for the right speaker, now. Really, it is a greedy/punishing withdrawal of "services" _ this XPS is still brand new, babied and never used; but when fired up w/out paying a minimum $130 US/mo. "warranty", this is what happens with delivery of 'maintenance' courtesy of censorious criminal oligarchs. I never had a problem w/ NI. I will replace the toxic Win firmware and run Linux off a pen drive.

colB

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/187916#Comment_187916

If what you are spouting was true, there would be hundreds, maybe thousands of other users with the same problems. Some fairly large proportion of them would complaining here in the forum, kneejerk reacting about how NI suck, and threatening to leave or whatever…

Where are they?

It's much much more likely to be a combination of hardware setup and OS setting causing some sort of incompatibility.

Just because a issue started immediately after an update doesn't mean that the update is at fault. It is just as likely that there was an existing problem with your setup that wasn't tripping the older versions up, but the new version is more sensitive to that type of problem - probably because the earlier lack of sensitivity was a security hazard.

…and FWIW, if you can't get Windows to work smoothly, you're gonna have sooo much fun with Linux ;-)

lilpil

Yeah, the reason I posted it was to see if others had experienced this; you know… what forums are for. You didn't read before trying to juice that lack of sitch sims in this so popular social space - I said that these problems occurred during consecutive updates - i.e. several; and that issues only arose when using Reactor while "updates" were pushed through. The main motivator was the microphone/privacy issue… a def security risk. This is a Win/Dell-doh issue. Dell's own website ACKNOWLEDGES these issues, issuing firmware and driver updates that generally do not work w/out warrantied support. There are others experiencing these issues, but not specific to this niche community. That is where the solutions come from. I learned Linux while the best part of you ran down yo' Momma's leg… I just don't love it, ok?! You get kicked off "X" or something?!

colB

Just to be clear, you have a problem with Dell, that they acknowledge, but you came here to angry rant about it?

Studiowaves

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/194212#Comment_194212

I often wondered what these kids type on their cell phones. Complaints, blaming someone for something, and not a clue what the reality of the situation is. lol

lilpil

Yes, genius. I came here FIRST; wondering if others experienced this problem. It was the microphone access that made it feel urgent. Privacy Issue; yes?!

Then, after the initial post, I did more investigation and THEN discovered/confirmed the issues lay w/ Dell. I shared that here, not to "angry rant", as you perceive; but to report that , YES - these updates CAN break peripherals if they occur during usage. So other users are cognoscente,

and BTW - This is my XPS experience I report here; for other XPS users of Reactor (are you one?). I have long run Reactor on many different devices which utilize Win; w/out any major issues. Even works on knockoff Pi. I had high hopes the XPS would be a contender against Mac as a music workhorse; but their extortionary "warranty" system has been nothing but a real helltreat. You seem somewhat myopic; I asked : "Are Windows updates breaking stuff IN Reactor". I never once accused NI; and btw never had anything but joy here. Just a weirdly broken NA. The mic problem simply needed reporting, a legit security concern. That's it; not sure where this aggression comes from, but "guru" obvi just means way too much time trolling forum

You think I'm a kid. lol You don't know me; pls stop inflating hackneyed caricatures, ffs.

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