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Message
Help, latest Windows update screwed up my rugged laptop
Posted on 10/13/26 at 10:36 pm
Posted on 10/13/26 at 10:36 pm
Ok, I decided to check out rugged laptops. I picked up a Getac V110 G6, which has a 10th gen i7, 16g ram, etc etc.
It has W11 pro. For those familiar with it, it has a bright screen that you can see outdoors (800 nits).
It came in last week, and everything worked great. I was playing around with the GPS, the barcode reader, etc.
A few days ago we had a windows update (over the weekend). I installed it, and... oh shite.
If I have it shut down, and turn it on (unplugged), I have control of the brightness and the power modes. But if I plug it in at any point while on, it goes into power saver mode, and fricks everything up. When I unplug it, brightness drops to about 30% or lower- hard to read even indoors, impossible outside. Adjusting the brightness causes the slider to move, but will not actually brighten the screen. Changing the plan to balanced, or default, performance etc.. nothing. Stays dim. Only fix is to shutdown, then turn back on- restart does not fix this. Again, worked perfectly before the update.
I've reinstalled drivers for intel graphics and from the Getac site for the display, I've changed the mode in the BIOS to performance, I've tried a few other things that AI suggested (disabling fast boot since they say it might be caught in a loop, pulling the batteries out and pressing the power switch for 45 seconds to purge any residual charge etc). My batteries for this are at about 74% of life (they're 2100mAH, reading at about 1600 max capacity now).
I did push windows over to dark mode and I put in a dark (carbon fiber) wallpaper, AI thought it might be reading the dark stuff so I made sure to disable any dynamic screen brightness settings that I could find. No joy with anything.
I can currently still boot it unplugged, it will be bright. Even after hotswapping batteries (you can do that with this) it will go back to full bright controls after closing the port covers. But like I said, plug it in while on, and it locks down into power-saving mode. I suppose there may be a windows fix coming, but if anyone has a solid idea on what is causing this, I'd greatly appreciate it.
It has W11 pro. For those familiar with it, it has a bright screen that you can see outdoors (800 nits).
It came in last week, and everything worked great. I was playing around with the GPS, the barcode reader, etc.
A few days ago we had a windows update (over the weekend). I installed it, and... oh shite.
If I have it shut down, and turn it on (unplugged), I have control of the brightness and the power modes. But if I plug it in at any point while on, it goes into power saver mode, and fricks everything up. When I unplug it, brightness drops to about 30% or lower- hard to read even indoors, impossible outside. Adjusting the brightness causes the slider to move, but will not actually brighten the screen. Changing the plan to balanced, or default, performance etc.. nothing. Stays dim. Only fix is to shutdown, then turn back on- restart does not fix this. Again, worked perfectly before the update.
I've reinstalled drivers for intel graphics and from the Getac site for the display, I've changed the mode in the BIOS to performance, I've tried a few other things that AI suggested (disabling fast boot since they say it might be caught in a loop, pulling the batteries out and pressing the power switch for 45 seconds to purge any residual charge etc). My batteries for this are at about 74% of life (they're 2100mAH, reading at about 1600 max capacity now).
I did push windows over to dark mode and I put in a dark (carbon fiber) wallpaper, AI thought it might be reading the dark stuff so I made sure to disable any dynamic screen brightness settings that I could find. No joy with anything.
I can currently still boot it unplugged, it will be bright. Even after hotswapping batteries (you can do that with this) it will go back to full bright controls after closing the port covers. But like I said, plug it in while on, and it locks down into power-saving mode. I suppose there may be a windows fix coming, but if anyone has a solid idea on what is causing this, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 8:24 am to Scoob
doesn't sound very rugged.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 12:50 pm to Scoob
Have you tried updating the BIOS? My PC had odd ACPI behavior that required me to unplug it for 5-10 minutes in order to recover. This used to happen 2-3 times a month, but after a BIOS update (and a bunch of other fiddling around) it will only do it about every 90 days.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 1:13 pm to Scoob
Does the OEM have a factory re-install image available?
Insert typical MicroSLOP update helping you comment here.....
Insert typical MicroSLOP update helping you comment here.....
Posted on 10/14/26 at 1:14 pm to notsince98
The thing is physically a beast. Magnesium frame, sealed ports and keyboards. Can spray it with a hose, drop it in a ditch etc.
I decided to play around with these, and the Getac V110's are the best deal it seems. I picked up this one (V110 G6, 10510u i7) on a decent deal. It was marked "moderate to heavy wear but functional", and the place mismarked it. It was supposed to have 8gb ram, it came with a 16 instead. Was supposed to be missing a port cover, but it wasn't- the barcode reader that was mounted is sealed and doesn't have a cover. It has scuffs on the external, but that's just character to me
, and it came with the hard handle and stylus, original charger, and the 2 included batteries were used but still have about 74% charge capacity. The one I got has the internal GPS chip, 4G LTE simcard slot, and barcode reader.
I didn't get it from Bob Johnson's site, but it's identical to the one he reviews here
The one I got was cheaper than on his site, got it for 399. He doesn't have the G6 i7's, he has the i5's for 499-599, and charges extra to get the handle + stylus.
After fiddling around with it, I decided to look around and get my son an i5 model (ebay for about 200). Just for fun, I also grabbed a pair of the $99 scratch and dent G4's from Bob Johnson's site... they come without speakers, so the markdown. Fine I could use bluetooth or a headphone if I want sound from them, and just for the extra batteries I think they're a decent deal (the batteries interchange). I'm planning on loading Forscan and similar on one of the G4s to fart around with the vehicles
Posted on 10/14/26 at 1:16 pm to LemmyLives
quote:
Have you tried updating the BIOS?
I updated the BIOS, but prior to the windows update.
Getac has a utility for updates, I ran it when the laptop came in, and it updated BIOS and stuff that day. The Windows update came a week later..
Posted on 10/14/26 at 1:29 pm to dakarx
quote:
Does the OEM have a factory re-install image available?
I went to the Getac site, it's where I reinstalled my driver package from.
They have a recovery tool, which would be a nuclear option=
reverts to original as-shipped for the OS, etc.
Not really too keen on playing with that, as this is a 2020 model, and my understanding is it came w W10 pro. I now have W11 pro, which would be an OS and 4+ years of patches and upgrades. I'm thinking about rolling back the most recent upgrade at least.
quote:There seems to be some very persistent and hidden "carbon friendly" shite in that upgrade. I've set power mode to performance in the BIOS, and even that doesn't help.
Insert typical MicroSLOP update helping you comment here....
I don't want to save battery life, I want to burn it up
. I want to walk around outside and read my screen in the sunlight, because that's what the thing is capable of. I mentioned loading Forscan, it would be nice to hook up the cable to my Miata outside in tablet mode, and be able to read things.
Again, the issue that's arising is that once it gets plugged in, it is triggering a Windows takeover of the power settings, and it will run bright when plugged in, and go VERY dim when unplugged. Sliders move but it will not actually adjust the screen brightness.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 1:35 pm to Scoob
quote:
They have a recovery tool, which would be a nuclear option=
reverts to original as-shipped for the OS, etc.
True nuclear option would be installing any Linux distro. If it is a 2020 model all hardware would likely be supported out of the box.
Of course I am very biased towards unix/linix
Posted on 10/14/26 at 2:01 pm to dakarx
quote:Yeah but I want to run some Windows programs, like the Getac utilities and Forscan.
True nuclear option would be installing any Linux distro. If it is a 2020 model all hardware would likely be supported out of the box.
I've played with various linux distros, for decades. I have Mint on something currently. It can be a pita to do some things; my primary printer is a wired laser printer on a microPC on my home network. Piece of cake to access and share from Windows, and I have something installed that allows android to find and print from it (phones and tablets). Was a whore to get the thing to work with the linux laptop.
So AI is saying the latest update is specifically pushing this power saving issue. I suspect there will be a patch or hotfix soon, because it's too "universal" and screws the 'rugged' industry over.
quote:
AI Mode Conversation: microsoft latest update overrides power controls windows 11 pro
You said: microsoft latest update overrides power controls windows 11 pro
microsoft latest update overrides power controls windows 11 pro
Recent Windows 11 updates apply global power and sleep timeouts across all power plans automatically, which can overwrite custom or user-preferred settings.
Why Power Controls Change After Updates
• Global Power Plan Unification: Changes made in Windows Settings (such as display, sleep, and hibernate timeouts or lid/button actions) now apply universally across all power plans to improve setting persistence, occasionally resetting custom configurations.
• Modern Standby & Energy Defaults: Microsoft periodically tightens default screen and sleep timeouts for modern standby and S3 devices to lower energy use.
• OEM or Utility Interferences: Manufacturer apps (like Dell Power Manager, Lenovo Vantage, or ASUS Armoury Crate) or active Group Policies can also overwrite or lock power options after an update.
How to Fix or Revert Power Overrides
• Disable OEM Utilities: Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), go to the Startup apps tab, and disable manufacturer-specific power or battery management tools.
• Restore Default Power Schemes:
1. Right-click the Start button and open Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type powercfg -restoredefaultschemes and press Enter.
3. Restart your computer and reapply your preferred timeouts in Settings > System > Power & battery.
• Check Group Policy (Windows 11 Pro): Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Power Management to ensure no active policy is forcing sleep or idle resets.
• Disable Fast Startup (if sleep/power-off is misbehaving): Open the legacy Control Panel, go to Power Options -> Choose what the power buttons do, uncheck Turn on fast startup, and restart.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:04 pm to Scoob
You could load Linux up on it to see if behaves any differently. Could be some vendor locked feature that it requires power to be able to utilize the brightness? No eye deer
I love some of these rugged devices. My Dell 7212 Rugged is a beast, even with its older hardware
I love some of these rugged devices. My Dell 7212 Rugged is a beast, even with its older hardware
Posted on 10/14/26 at 5:43 pm to Scoob
There was a recent thread (I think here) that involved vendor remote management software (Dell, as I recall) sucking up an extreme amount of RAM or outbound data in the GBs in a month.
Perhaps some of the Getac stuff conflicts with the latest MS updates?
Perhaps some of the Getac stuff conflicts with the latest MS updates?
Posted on 10/14/26 at 6:00 pm to bluebarracuda
No, it's a W11 pro 26H2 update thingie. I have spent the past few days enabling, disabling, reinstalling, isolating, etc.
Vendor did not lock it down, it was functioning 100% prior to that update.
Since the update, if I boot unplugged, it functions 100%. I can pull a battery and reinsert it, works just fine.
If at any point I plug the power cable in while running, I get blasted into windows-mandated powersaving eco-friendly hell. This persists across a restart. ONLY way out is to shut down, unplug, then power it up.
Full disclosure, I spent the better part of the past few days fighting this, using AI as a consultant on what to attempt. after messing with everything (using more command prompt than I normally would do with linux even), both I and AI have determined to leave it alone (after correcting our attempted "fixes") and wait for an update to address it. I expect Getac will come up with a patch or fix, as it otherwise destroys the primary functionality of the device... if you can't read it unplugged and outdoors it's worthless.
My workaround for now will be turning it on that way, and not pluggin it in. I have a couple more (older versions) coming in, and I found a used battery charger (2 battery slots) for cheap, that I will keep the batteries charged via that. And just hotswap as needed.
*Bob Johnson has G4's with no speakers for 99 apiece, comes with 2 batteries.
And not update the other machines until the fix gets pushed through.
I may drop Mint onto one of the G4 devices,
Vendor did not lock it down, it was functioning 100% prior to that update.
Since the update, if I boot unplugged, it functions 100%. I can pull a battery and reinsert it, works just fine.
If at any point I plug the power cable in while running, I get blasted into windows-mandated powersaving eco-friendly hell. This persists across a restart. ONLY way out is to shut down, unplug, then power it up.
Full disclosure, I spent the better part of the past few days fighting this, using AI as a consultant on what to attempt. after messing with everything (using more command prompt than I normally would do with linux even), both I and AI have determined to leave it alone (after correcting our attempted "fixes") and wait for an update to address it. I expect Getac will come up with a patch or fix, as it otherwise destroys the primary functionality of the device... if you can't read it unplugged and outdoors it's worthless.
My workaround for now will be turning it on that way, and not pluggin it in. I have a couple more (older versions) coming in, and I found a used battery charger (2 battery slots) for cheap, that I will keep the batteries charged via that. And just hotswap as needed.
*Bob Johnson has G4's with no speakers for 99 apiece, comes with 2 batteries.
And not update the other machines until the fix gets pushed through.
I may drop Mint onto one of the G4 devices,
Posted on 10/14/26 at 6:29 pm to Scoob
At least the October update for released yesterday so you can try that out
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