This is not so much description of a problem with the latest OS offering from Microsoft as it is a tale of how that bug effected my machine, and the global cooperation that finally identified and solved it.
 
Warning: This might get a little “techie” for some people. If that is you, just skip to the summary for the conclusions, and how this might impact you.
 
The gist of the problem is that alternate users on a Windows 10 system may have a failure in the User Profile Service and be unable to log on.
 
That is the problem I was having, but not the way it was showing itself on my machine.
 
Background  

I use a very nice application development product from Unisys called Agile Business Suite (AB Suite – find out more about it on their web site here - http://www.unisys.com/offerings/high-end-servers/clearpath-forward-systems/cross-platform-software/agile-business-suite ). It has two major parts, a Development Environment that works as a package in Visual Studio, and a Runtime Environment that installs on a Windows server or desktop, and uses the latest Windows .NET environment and SQL Server.
 
In June of last year I bought a new laptop for business. It came with Windows 8.1, and right away I installed Visual Studio, SQL Server, and AB Suite 5.0. Then in July I upgraded to Windows 10, almost as soon as it was available. I did the recommended in-place upgrade, and everything seemed to go pretty well (see my blog entries about Windows 10, if you are interested).
 
AB Suite was not officially supported with Windows 10 at that time, and the clients I have been working with were using an older version, so I had either been using a remote server, or running AB Suite in a virtual machine on my laptop until the IC (Interim Correction) supporting Windows 10 came out around the first of this year. My work with AB Suite 5.0 was tabled until that time.
 
The Problem  

In January I installed the IC (AB Suite IC 5.0.1018) that is qualified with Windows 10, and began to Build my small test application. AB Suite is a model driven development tool that will automatically generate the C# programs for your Windows environment, creates and installs the COM components, and even creates or reorganizes the SQL Server database for your runtime application. When I began to Build the application everything went very well, until right at the end of the process when it creates the database. The program REORGDB terminated with a strange error, saying “type mismatch”.
 
I assumed that since the program had worked before I upgraded the machine last summer that this must have something to do with the upgrade. Maybe it was a difference in SQL Server, or something with differences in the user account permissions granted in Windows 8.1 vs. Windows 10.
 
I did everything I could think of to try to resolve the problem, even to the point of uninstalling and reinstalling AB Suite, Visual Studio and SQL Server. It still was not working. So I contacted my colleagues in AB Suite engineering. They had never seen an error like this either. At their suggestion I checked the permissions on the two user accounts used by AB Suite – one is an application user that becomes the owner of the AB Suite runtime application, and the other is a special Administrator account that is used for various maintenance functions. I found one permission was missing from the AB Suite Administrator account, but fixing that did not correct this problem.
 
On the Trail  

We had a remote debugging session, with me in the US, three locations in Australia, and one location in India. (The AB Suite engineering team is quite diverse and in many locations.) During the session we zeroed in on the two application accounts, App User and App Admin User. We discovered that the App User was not listed as a Login in SQL Server. Also, one of the engineers noticed that I was running under a Windows Live account, rather than a local administrator account. And then finally, we checked the Windows Registry and discovered that neither application account was listed under user profiles. All of this strengthened our belief that there was something wrong with one or the other of the application accounts, but we still couldn’t see what could have caused the problem.
 
The application accounts had not been created after I had upgraded to Windows 10, so we thought that might be the source of the problem. We agreed on three experiments. First I would remove AB Suite and the application accounts and allow AB Suite to create the accounts as part of the installation process under Windows 10. Next, if that was not successful, I would remove and reinstall AB Suite, this time using a local administrator account. And finally, if all else fails, remove and reinstall not only AB Suite, but also SQL Server and Visual Studio, this time using the local administrator account.
 
After all of these attempts I was still getting the same error in REORDB. Not only that, the accounts were still not included in the Profiles in the Registry.
 
Someone suggested logging on with these accounts to force the system to create Profiles for them. But I found that I was unable to log on. The system was unable to find or create a profile for these users.
 
This proved to be the key to solving the problem.
 
I found a forum posting on a Microsoft website that seemed to describe the problem I was having with the user accounts. The users said when they upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 they were unable to log on their machine with child accounts. The error was the same one I was seeing, that the User Profile Service failed and profile could not be loaded.
Here is the link to that forum.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-security/windows-10-user-profile-service-failed-the-sign-in/3a39f75e-030c-4cd5-8b9f-c7bdaf77c41e?auth=1
 
The workaround that seems to work for most people is to either do a clean install of Windows 10 from the original release media, or to copy a user profile from another, working Windows 10 machine. Well I didn’t have the original release, and didn’t really want to go back to the beginning, even if I did. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure how I would go about getting a user profile from another, working Windows 10 machine.
 
Then I remembered that my home computer was also running Windows 10, but it had been upgraded from Windows 7 – not Windows 8 or 8.1. Following the advice in one of the answers in the online posting, I copied the default User profile from my previously Windows 7 machine to my laptop. Then I recreated the application accounts and was able to log on with them. The profiles were created, and they appeared, as expected in the Registry.
 
Then I reinstalled AB Suite, again, ran my application Build, and this time everything worked exactly as it should.
 
Just for good measure, I generated another AB Suite application, and this time it worked perfectly. Problem solved.
 
Summary and Conclusions  

This problem was a strange one because the symptoms all pointed to some sort of permissions issue with the application user account, but everything else seemed to be working. I had followed exactly the same procedure I have used hundreds of times when installing the software, and the only significant variable was the levels of the software. It is exactly the type of problem you expect when testing with new release levels. But apparently no one had seen this problem before with AB Suite. It was because of the way I migrated my system from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, which apparently introduces this problem with user accounts. Remember, I was following recommended Microsoft procedures, and did not see any other errors at the time.
 
How likely are you to have this problem?

• If you install Windows 10 as a clean installation from release media – you probably won’t have this problem.
• If you upgrade to Windows 10 from anything other than Windows 8 / 8.1 – you probably won’t have this problem.
• If you only ever use one user account; the one you used when you installed or upgraded to Windows 10 – you probably won’t see this problem.
• If you upgrade in place from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, and if you have more than one user account on your machine, even if you do not use AB Suite – you will almost certainly have this problem with one or more of your alternate user accounts.

 
 
For most people in a business environment this may not be a concern, because when you receive a new computer, or upgrade an existing one, it is probably set up by a help desk or tech support team, and they build your system from a standard system image that may have been tailored for your company. On the other hand, if you do your own upgrade, say because you received a notice about the free upgrade from Microsoft, or if you recently bought a computer that came with Windows 8.1 already installed, please be aware.
 
The problem was not hard to fix, but it was very difficult to diagnose in this case. Kudos and thanks to the Unisys AB Suite engineering team for their perseverance and support in tracking down this problem. Hopefully, since we have identified the problem and its resolution, you won’t have to go through the same frustration we did.
 
I don’t know if Microsoft has fixed this problem in later updates to Windows 10, but as recently as April 2016 some people still seem to be running into this problem.
 
As I said, the problem isn’t especially hard to work around, once you know what is happening, and what symptoms to look for, but getting to that point can be very frustrating and time consuming. So I am posting this history so others can benefit from this experience.

After I posted my comments about upgrading to Windows 10 last week one of the readers, quite legitimately, expressed concern that he had seen a lot of reviews and articles raising issues with security and privacy in the new Windows 10 OS. I try to present a balanced view; not go off like Chicken Little and say “the Sky is falling!” or to the other extreme and claim that just because it is the new thing all is wonderful.

For example, I read one article in a major news source that has apparently been shared more than 2 thousand times (when I read it), that I found particularly alarmist and uninformative. It basically gave the same amount of information as a traffic report telling you there is a rush hour pileup someplace in the city, without any details about where, when, or how to avoid it. This article claimed “Windows 10 may send Microsoft data even when you tell it not to”, with very little other information. This is an example of a Chicken Little attitude.

On the other hand, I am a little skeptical about the claims in the Microsoft commercials that because of Windows 10, life for young children growing up today will be completely different. I think there might just be a bit more to it than that.

The fact is, yes there are features in Windows 10 that give me concerns around privacy and security – just as there are similar concerns with features in iOS and Android. The difference is this is a new OS, people don’t have a lot of experience with it yet, it is the primary OS used for business and corporate desktops, and this is being rolled out semi-automatically to probably millions of users in a short period of time. So what should you do about it?

First, unless there are features in Windows 10 that you especially want or need, and if you have a good, working system in place today (say with Windows 7 Professional or Enterprise), you don’t need to be in a rush to install Windows 10, just because it is new. The point of my post was not to suggest anyone should drop everything and install Windows 10, but to relate my experiences in case you want or need to upgrade.

Second, my installation of Windows 10 does not use all of the new features that come with the OS. My intent was to see what it would take to install it and get a working system with the same or equivalent features as I had before, as quickly as possible. To that end, I have turned off some of the features that might give cause for concern.

When you begin the installation of Windows 10 it gives you an option to take the default installation, or use custom settings. It warns you that the default settings will collect more data than previous releases, but that you can change that later if you like. In order to streamline the upgrade installation I chose the default settings, but then the first thing I did once it was completed was to go into Settings to check what it had done, and adjust the settings to a level I was more comfortable with.

As an example, I have turned off the camera, the microphone and voice recognition, location information, and most of the feedback options.

While I am interested in some of the features in the new Edge browser, it is not supported by my antivirus software, and the vendor suggests using a different browser. So until that is resolved I will be using other web browsers, like Internet Explorer and Firefox, for most of my internet activity. I will only use Edge with sites I know well.

At this point I don’t need to have Cortana learning all about me and my habits. If and when I require these features I can turn them on.

Maybe I will get to the point that I am happy to have conversations with my laptop, and have it respond verbally, but probably not today.

I installed Windows 10 on my laptop the day I received notification it was available, a day or two after the July 29 official launch. This laptop is a 2-in-1, which can function as either a traditional laptop or as a tablet, so I was able to check out the features for both styles. Following are my impressions of the new OS after using it for about one week.

Overall Generally positive. Most features work as advertised. The roll out of the free upgrades seemed to work well for me, and with very few exceptions I have been able to adjust to the new features very quickly. But as with any big change there are a few teething pains and small gotchas. Read on to find out more.  

Details The upgrade installation took several hours, it must be done in one continuous session, and the PC will reboot several times during the process. But once it was started it was almost entirely hands off. So block out a large amount of time when you won’t need to use your computer, but can stay nearby, just in case. It actually comes in two major steps. First downloading the new software, and then the installation. Even with a fast internet connection and a fast computer it took quite a while – so be prepared.

Of course it goes without saying – but I’ll say it anyway – be sure to back up your old system and data before you start.

New features Windows 10 provides several new features, and a few changes to existing features from previous versions.

• The Start Menu is back (Hooray)
  
  
  • This is a new format, but it still provides a way to easily find all of your programs.
    
    
  • It combines the traditional Windows XP/7 Start Menu with the Windows 8 tiled menu.
    
    
  • I think having two metaphors is still potentially confusing, but at least now it is all in one place.
    
    
• Charms are gone. I had become used to charms on my Windows 8 tablet, but after a week with the new version I don’t miss them at all.
  
  
• Notification/Action Center is a good step. To some extent it replaces the charms menus, and is somewhat customizable. Many of the things you want to do quickly, like check your network connection, adjust settings, check for recent emails, etc… are all here. And it can switch between desktop and tablet mode with one click/tap very easily.
  
  
• Continuum is the feature that allows Windows to switch from a desktop mode to a tablet mode automatically when you connect or disconnect a keyboard. I think it is a good step, but doesn’t seem to work exactly as expected every time. Maybe it’s because I have a 2-in-1 and not a real tablet, but it seemed like there were times I thought I should be in desktop mode, but the computer was trying to pop up the Touch keyboard and expecting other touch gestures rather than mouse or keyboard. If I figure out whether there is a problem, or if it is just me getting confused, I’ll try to give an update on that later.
  
  
• Most features seem to work well with a mouse, so for mouse-and-keyboard users this upgrade will not be nearly as painful as going from XP or Windows 7 to Windows 8. This is important for power users, or for users without touch enabled monitors. The original version of Windows 8 was very awkward without a touch screen. That is not the case with Windows 10.
  
  
• The touch screen interfaces also seem to work well with most apps, even if they weren’t designed for it. However, for hard core data entry, editing or drawing, a keyboard and mouse is still more efficient.
  
  
• Edge browser – doesn’t work with my antivirus software, and the vendor recommends using Internet Explorer or another browser. Therefore I haven’t used Edge a lot, yet.
  
  
• Most apps/applications seem to work after the upgrade.
  
  
  • I have used most of the Office products, SQL Server, Visual Studio, and also Corel PaintShop Pro and Corel VideoStudio Pro without issues.
    
    
  • At least one game from Windows Store will install but does not start in Windows 10 – it worked in 8.1
    
    
• Cortana is the built in help, search engine and personal assistant with Windows 10. Microsoft says it is like Siri (from Apple) only more. I haven’t used the voice features of Cortana, but I have used it a bit to search for help, and it seems to be well integrated with the help features on the machine and with the internet. I’ll have to try it with the network off to see how that changes its ability to find answers. And no, I haven’t asked Cortana to book dinner reservations and get me tickets to the Seahawks game. J
  
  
• One major drawback for me, Windows 10 would not install on my 2 year old Dell tablet because it said the display is not supported by the vendor. I assume this is just a matter of getting the driver updates from Dell, but haven’t taken the time yet to follow up on that. In this case the installation failed and backed itself out gracefully, so apart from some lost time, no harm done. It does serve as a warning though, to be sure you have options in case your upgrade doesn’t go entirely as planned.
  
   
  
  

Overall impressions and recommendations My overall reactions is mostly positive. A few features aren’t quite there yet, or are not yet supported by all hardware and application vendors – which isn’t surprising.

Check carefully before upgrading to be sure your hardware and any unusual apps you run are supported. Some vendors may take a little time releasing versions that are compatible with Windows 10.

If you are buying a new PC, try to get it with Windows 10 preinstalled. It will save you time, and you will have the added confidence that the PC vendor has done at least some level of validation with the newer OS.

If you are upgrading from Windows 7, or even from Windows XP, definitely skip Windows 8, and go right to Window 10. It will be a big adjustment, but probably much less painful than going through Windows 8.

If you are an Enterprise user in a corporation you probably have an IT department looking after your desktop environments, and may not be given a choice as to when you can make the upgrade. Wait for them to verify that all of your corporate apps work with Windows 10, and then proceed with a reasonably high level of confidence, because generally speaking, I think this is an improvement over previous versions of Windows.