Computerniks - Computer Repair Lancaster PA

Yesterday I ran into an issue trying to use a data transfer cable (from Insignia) to copy data from a Windows 10 pc to a new Windows 11 pc. The built-in software worked fine with the Windows 10 system, but wouldn't launch on the Windows 11 system. After several failed attempts, I tried an older cable I carry (The Tornado) and had similar results. It worked with 10, but not 11.

It's a rare month that I am not copying data to new computers, so this was really baffling. Looking online I learned that Microsoft has been doing several things to harden security over the last couple years. These include...

Portable EXEs from USB devices requiring explicit approval.
Auto-launch from virtual CD devices being blocked by default.
Legacy USB-bridge devices being blocked.
Unsigned kernel-mode drivers not loading at all.
EXEs without modern signatures being blocked.
No loading of deprecated USB-bridge chipsets.
Mandatory driver signature verification.
Blocking of 32-bit helper services.

So, it seems I need to find a transfer cable that isn't impacted by these changes. I asked Copilot what other devices are likely to be impacted by these changes. I will post it's reply as the first three comments as it's a bit lengthy. For most computer users, they won't likely run into much, if any, issues. But if you are trying to use older equipment, you may want to read that list.

And as for how I resolved copying data from the old pc to the new, I ended up copying the data to an external hard drive and then copying it from that to the new pc.

(Image is not of the actual model cable I was using)

A "stomach-dropping" feeling at the worst time...

While helping a client deal with the aftermath of a scam that started as an email purporting to be an PayPal invoice listing an unauthorized payment and ended with accessing a Google Doc fake "Refund form" and an aborted phone call, I found that the contents of my client's various personal data folders such as Documents, Downloads and Pictures were emptied. The client was smart enough to have a backup process in place, but when I opened the backup program, this is what I saw. What made it even worse is the client had renewed his subscription 6 months ago.

This is one of the downsides of cloud storage. You think you are doing everything right and still fall victim to items beyond your control. I'm not knocking cloud storage, but convenience does mean giving up a level of control.

(luckily my client's story is ending on a good note with my being able to restore his data despite this message.)

Computerniks - Computer Repair Lancaster PA Computerniks comes to your home or small business to help with a variety of computer problems, such