Metadata staging failed

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by Seer, Sep 14, 2019.

  1. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    Windows 10 1903 (but this should be affecting all Windows versions), on opening Devices and Printers, a clock icon is overlaying devices icons ('Device setup in progress') and Event ID 131 error is logged in Event logs with the message from the title. I have noticed this yesterday when I updated nVidia drivers and checked the logs afterwards. There are also ID 201 warnings complaining that connection to the WMIS (Windows Metadata Internet Services) cannot be established.
    I have tracked the issue to the folowing registry key -
    Code:
    HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Device Metadata\DeviceMetaDataServiceURL
    with a value of
    Code:
    http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=252669&clcid=0x409
    The URL redirects to -
    Code:
    https://devicemetadataservice.trafficmanager.net/dms/metadata.svc
    however this URL points to a site with a bad certificate -
    1.png
    On proceeding, I get 404 -
    2.png
    When I inspect the root of the site, I can see that something indeed has been changed there yesterday -
    3.png

    When I try to refresh Devices, the error is logged all over again.
    Can anyone confirm this behavior of devices in 'Devices and Printers' please?

    ........

    EDIT: I have just found an identical report here.
     
  2. stapp

    stapp Global Moderator

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  3. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    The clock overlay icons have disappeared (after being there for almost an hour) and now on every reboot I get a slew of these errors and warnings. No apparent issues with the system.
    I have no printer and no wireless connection. It's a desktop on ethernet.
    While I can't rule out a possibility that something is amiss on my system, I find it very strange that a resource for fetching metadata that is hard-coded in the registry leads to nowhere.
    That is indicative that the issue is there and not here.
     
  4. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    Skimming through old threads on TechNet, TenForums and elsewhere, I see it's a recurring issue, last seen 4 years ago. It's interesting that I have identical symptoms as Phil Shipley at TechNet now. And came to the same conclusion independently several hours later.
    I see a couple of ways being suggested to stop this behavior, but for now I don't see a valid reason to change anything on my system. Let's wait a bit.
     
  5. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    Hi seer. A while back, I turned off automatic device driver installations in my Windows 10, that caused a bunch of this errors to be logged in Events log after reboot. I don't remember the number or if it was an error or a Warning but it might of been the one you are getting. The mere fact of just disabling this function, caused the events after every reboot. It was so annoying to me, that I ended up reverting the change to get rid of the events getting logged.
    I get this 201 Warnings once every few months. I got one of them 3 days ago. This is the scenario that takes place before getting 201. I plug a flash drive, the flash drive opens up running sandboxed in a sandbox with no internet access allowed, the Warning takes place. The sense I made of this Warnings in the past was that Windows wanted to connect when plugging the flash drive, perhaps to update something, but couldn't because Sandboxie did not allow the connection. I usually see this Warning once and dont see it again for months.

    Bo
     
  6. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    Hi Bo.
    That must have been the same error (131) as what you did (disabling driver updates) is one of the suggested methods to stop this error.
    Yes, that's my reasoning as well. This 201 warning (as well as 200 and 202 in my case) are fired when metadata service is unable to retrieve online info for whatever reason. A sandboxed drive in your case.
    ...
    I have a very static system and have not changed anything, the errors just started appearing after a driver installation. I restored an image from a month ago, errors 131 were still logged. I just setup a fresh VM from a freshly downloaded Windows 10 x64 ISO, EventID 131 is logged on a vanilla setup and overlay clock icons are on all default devices - unable to fetch metadata.
    I am now even more sure that the problem is in the SSL certificate on Microsoft side.
     
  7. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    This was completely unnecessary as it only confirms what I already know, but I nevertheless installed Wireshark and opened Devices & Printers. This is what happens -

    1.png

    Without a detailed explanation, the screenshot shows initial request to WMIS site, a redirect (Moved Temporarily), a resource query (metadata.svc) and the connection closure.
    Finally (after 4 retries) the destination replies with a status code of '503 service unavailable' before the connection closure -

    2.png

    Once again, my obvious conclusion - Windows is a-ok, it's them.
     
  8. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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  9. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    You are welcome, Seer. I told you what I know my friend, that's it. Greetings.

    Bo
     
  10. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    The issue appears to be fixed, for the last 2-3 days I haven't seen EventID 131 and associated warnings and device metadata is updated properly on both host and guest machines.
     
  11. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    Hi @Seer, did you do anything to fix Event ID 131, or they got fixed on their own?

    I ask, because since this morning, I am now getting them after boot/reboot. Also, I tested plugging a flash drive, and I also get the Errors when doing so.

    I read the thread you linked earlier, and I see people who reported having the Errors in September are now again after Oct 10 getting the same errors.

    https://social.technet.microsoft.co...nkid252669ampclcid0x409?forum=win10itprosetup

    Everything is working great, and I haven't done nothing for trying to fix them other than read some links that suggest "temporary" workarounds. I have the feeling this errors are of the type that should be ignored. So, I am interested on knowing what you did (if anything) to fix them, perhaps you are also getting them now again.

    Bo
     
  12. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    I touched nothing, the issue resolved on it's own.
    I am not quite sure how this feature (fetching metadata) works, but the URL I questioned here stopped displaying a broken certificate message.

    Yes, the errors are back and overlay clock icons are rolling again.
    Don't have time atm, but will check tomorow if the symptoms are the same as a month ago.
     
  13. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    Thanks for the reply. I am not gonna do nothing either, and not going to let it bother me. Remember, before, I was not getting the errors as I am getting them now. I use to get them once and only once, once in a while when plugging a flash drive. Now, I also see the clocks in Devices. And, just opening Devices, generates more errors. So, this is all new for me. Let me know if you figure something out. I guess you started getting them again after Oct 10th.

    Bo
     
  14. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    Correct.
    Well, I just chacked as I saw your post. Did not notice them earlier today. I have Event Viewer opened all the time - and check there several times a day - I have a habit of doing that :)
    Will do, mi amigo :thumb:
     
  15. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    @bo elam
    Last night (local time) I had the infamous 131 errors.
    As of this morning they are gone again and everything is ok. I can refresh devices and no clocks appear.
    I can't reproduce the errors for the life of me, no matter what I do now.
    Do you still see them there?
     
  16. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    Scratch my previous post, after a couple of hours the symptoms are back.
    I fired up Wireshark again and I see almost the same as the last time, no need for a full screenshot.
    I can see the CNAME A aliases in the DNS responses that Ksuvi Khor mentions on TechNet, same as the last time, both on the go.microsoft address and also on the devicemetadataservice.trafficmanger.net redirected link.
    The first CNAME alias for go.microsoft is -
    1.png
    and the second one, for the redirect -
    2.png
    The first alias is the same as the last time, while the second one has changed.
    This may very well be where the issue is, namely that the second CNAME alias is wrong and points to the false resource.
    I am afraid there is nothing we can do about this.
     
  17. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    Yes.
    Based on what I read about this events, thats also what I think.

    Bo
     
  18. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    Hi @Seer, for the past couple of days (3 cold starts/1 reboot), I haven't had any DeviceSetupManager errors. Perhaps the situation is fixed (at least for now, anyway). Are you still getting the errors?

    I am not getting them anymore when plugin a flash drive either. When I first realized I was not getting the errors during starts or reboots, they would still show up when plugging flash drives, but eventually this was also fixed as I am now not getting them anymore when doing this function. Have you ever gotten the errors when plugin flash drives?

    Bo
     
  19. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    I still see them, they don't appear at system startup anymore, only when I try to refresh devices. No more warnings (200, 201, 202), only the 131 error. Never had this with UFDs but noticed that others are having them. I have several external HDDs and often connect/disconnect them during the day and this also doesn't log 131 errors.
    I tried some of the suggestions, changing time (NTP) server and changing the URL in the registry then refreshing devices, but no dice. The only thing left to try is to disable driver updates from Redmond, but I'm not doing that.
     
  20. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    I have time.nist for server but I dont remember when and if I did this change myself. I was getting the errors even though I am using nist for server, so probably this workaround dont work for everyone. About changing the URL in the registry, that workaround doesn't appeal to me so I never tried it. Regarding disabling driver updates, I did do that once before (not related to this errors), and what I got after disabling this updates was a whole bunch of errors (after seeing them in Events log, I reverted). The errors don't mean nothing but they were so many that Events log became spammed and it made checking the log very uncomfortable as it was hard to check it out quickly. So, if you do this, you ll be trading one set of errors for another.

    So, right now, I am getting no errors (131, 200, 201, 202). The system fixed the errors without me doing anything.

    Bo
     
  21. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    NIST's is not the default, time.windows is, but the server should not matter, I decided to try that for the heck of it. Perhaps changing it did some difference then (it was long ago) but not now.
    I'm not overly attached to Redmond drivers, but the updates are staying out of principle :)
    Thanks for reporting that things have changed there :thumb:, hopefully that'll also happen here soon. I'll keep this updated ofc.
     
  22. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    If it changes for me again showing the errors, I ll let you know. :)

    Bo
     
  23. RedBatman

    RedBatman Registered Member

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    I have been getting these errors on both my Windows 10 Desktop and my 8.1 laptop lately too. I have also turned off automatic device driver installations. Though just on my 8.1 laptop. When I access printers and devices this shows up on both systems. Any other ideas people have?
     
  24. bo elam

    bo elam Registered Member

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    Hi RedBatman. Since last time I posted in this thread, I gotten the errors for a 2 day span about 10 days ago, they went away on its own, and 2 days ago, I started getting them back again.

    Personally, I think this errors are the type you ignore and dont do nothing to fix them (as there is nothing for you to fix). Thats my opinion.

    By the way, earlier today I saw your thread at tenforums and planned to respond there to you later, since I am doing it here now, I wont post there.

    I recommend you stay away from messing with the computer to fix this errors as all you gonna get is create problems.

    See what I wrote about disabling driver updates in post #20. Doing that generates a bunch of errors or warnings (I dont remember which of the two).

    Bo
     
  25. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    I have to report that for the last couple of days I haven't seen a single EventID 131 error. My metadata cache (specifically .devicemetadata-ms file) located in %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceMetadataCache has a date of Nov 16th, clearly something was updated recently, so thats fine.
    What's less fine is that the cache folder contains metadata for a single device only - a Logitech unifying receiver. And none for my other devices - 3 disks, 2 monitors and another dongle - they don't have custom icons or extended info in device properties. When I refresh devices, metadata for them is requested, but none is returned.
    According to one of the articles in the extensive Microsoft documentation on Device Metadata Packages -
    Furthermore, according to WMIS documentation, Winqual site is used by the vendors to submit metadata -
    However, that link to Winqual site is dead and when I search for the term, Wikipedia says
    that Winqual was a service that was retired way back in the days of Windows 8, and moved to/merged with the dev center (sysdev.microsoft.com) -
    :confused:
    It's very strange that an official MS document from 2017 would link to a service that was retired almost 10 years ago.
    Anyway, the place where vendors put their metadata was moved once again (since the sysdev link is now also dead) this time finally to Partner Center for Windows Hardware -
    .........
    It's possible that WMIS now queries Partner Center for metadata and the server does not contain any for my other devices, but all this mess with incorrect info in the official documentation makes it likely that this feature does not work at all even if it doesn't give an error in Event Viewer.
    Yeah, a bit of a long post and nothing conclusive again, but I thought I should post this anyway.
     
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