claudetools/clients/rednour/session-logs/2026-06/2026-06-29-howard-legalasst-zip-hang-wp5-win11.md

# Rednour Law — LEGALASST explorer hang on .zip + WordPerfect 5 save error + Win11 plan

## User
- **User:** Howard Enos (howard)
- **Machine:** Howard-Home
- **Role:** tech

## Session Summary

Diagnosed an explorer.exe stability problem on **LEGALASST**, the legal assistant's
workstation at Rednour Law (Carla Skinner's box; active local account `emma`, profile
`C:\Users\Ale`, OneDrive `carla@rednourlaw.com`). Reported via Carrie Rednour: explorer
repeatedly hung/crashed when "opening files or messing with files." Work was driven over
GuruRMM (agent `18825ea7-df58-47bb-b492-822cb16fb5ec`); the office subnet was initially
unreachable from HOWARD-HOME because Tailscale was stuck in `NoState`, which cleared on its
own shortly after.

Established via the Application event log that explorer was **hanging (AppHang Event 1002),
not crashing** — there were no Event 1000 / faulting-module records. Hangs were firing
several times per hour on 2026-06-29 and continued after a 10:52 reboot. The `.NET Runtime`
Event 1022 "profiling API attach" errors (201 of them) were ruled out as benign noise — no
`COR_PROFILER` env var is set, so nothing is being injected into explorer via that path.

Narrowed the cause by elimination. Blocked the Adobe shell extensions (Acrobat context-menu
+ CoreSync overlays) via the Microsoft "Blocked" CLSID list and restarted explorer — no
change, so Adobe was ruled out and reverted. Mapped drives X/Y/Z (→ `\\rednourcarrievirt`,
the cloned Carrie host) were healthy (`Status OK`, no SMBClient errors). The only
non-Microsoft DLLs actually loaded in explorer were the AMD Vega driver
(`amdihk64/atidxx64/aticfx64/atiuxp64`), but there were **zero display-driver TDR events**,
so the GPU driver was not crash-recovering. OneDrive sync was healthy and its overlay was not
even loaded. Howard then supplied the decisive clue: the hang happens **only when opening
`.zip` files**, Word/PDF open fine, and the failing zip is on the **local desktop** (not
OneDrive, not a network share). That isolated the fault to the **built-in Windows Compressed
Folders handler** (explorer's zip-as-folder namespace). `zipfldr.dll` is intact and validly
signed, so the hang is environmental, not a corrupt handler DLL.

Howard installed **7-Zip 26.02** as a workaround — it opens the same zips fine because it is
a standalone app that never invokes explorer's zip namespace. He will set 7-Zip as the
default for `.zip` (and `.7z`/`.rar`, currently unassociated) via the 7-Zip GUI. A second,
separate issue on the same machine was reported: saving from **WordPerfect 5** returns "not
enough free space" regardless of save location, despite Howard verifying ample free space.
The plan is to **upgrade LEGALASST to Windows 11**, which is expected to resolve the
zip-handler hang by rebuilding the shell/system files (and applies the pending SFC repair);
the team will test a local zip with the built-in handler after the upgrade. All diagnostic
changes were reverted and the box was left clean.

## Key Decisions

- Diagnosed live over GuruRMM rather than waiting for on-site access; used `user_session`
  context for HKCU/OneDrive/shell-folder reads and SYSTEM context for HKLM/event-log reads.
- Used the Microsoft **Shell Extensions\Blocked** CLSID list (reversible) to test-disable
  Adobe/7-Zip shell extensions instead of deleting registrations — clean revert path.
- Treated the `.NET 1022` errors as noise after confirming no `COR_PROFILER` was set, instead
  of chasing the profiler-injection theory.
- Did **not** hand-write a per-user UserChoice association hash for `.zip` (hash-protected;
  a wrong hash leaves a broken "how do you want to open this?" prompt). Howard opted to set
  the default in the 7-Zip GUI; no DefaultAssociations policy was pushed.
- Concluded the Win11 in-place upgrade is the right fix for the zip-handler hang (rebuilds
  shell/system files) rather than further low-level surgery on a Win10 22H2 EOL box.

## Problems Encountered

- **Office subnet unreachable from HOWARD-HOME** — Tailscale daemon RUNNING but backend stuck
  in `NoState`; a service restart did not clear it, but it came up on its own shortly after.
- **Orphaned RMM diagnostic process** — the first diagnostic command timed out server-side at
  120s (a `HKLM\...\Classes\*\shellex` wildcard scan), but the agent's child `powershell.exe`
  (PID 1048) kept running on the endpoint for 10+ minutes, churning CPU. This was the
  "PowerShell that's been running" Howard noticed. Killed it (SYSTEM context). Logged as
  friction.
- **`$pid` reserved-variable collision** — used `$pid` as a variable in a remote script; `$PID`
  is the automatic current-process-id variable, so the `.zip` ProgID read returned garbage
  (16044). Re-ran with a non-reserved name. Logged as friction.
- **Mis-assumption corrected** — initially assumed LEGALASST was the cloned machine; Carrie's
  machine was the one cloned (to host `rednourcarrievirt`), LEGALASST is the legal assistant's
  (unchanged) box. Logged as a correction.

## Configuration Changes

Net change to the endpoint: **none** (all diagnostic changes reverted; box left clean). During
the session, on LEGALASST:
- Added then removed Adobe (4 CLSIDs) and 7-Zip shell-extension CLSIDs in
  `HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked` (Blocked list now
  empty).
- Restarted explorer.exe several times (user_session).
- Killed orphaned diagnostic process PID 1048.
- Howard installed 7-Zip 26.02 (standalone; he will set `.zip`/`.7z`/`.rar` defaults).
- Howard ran `sfc /scannow` — found and repaired corruption (0 unrepairable); repair pending
  a reboot to load.

Repo: this session log; Rednour wiki record update pending (`/wiki-compile client:rednour`).

## Credentials & Secrets

None discovered, created, or rotated this session.

## Infrastructure & Servers

- **LEGALASST** — legal assistant workstation, Rednour Law "Main Office" site. Win 10 Pro 22H2
  (build 19045, **EOL**), AMD Ryzen 3 3200G (Vega 8 iGPU), **5.9 GB RAM**, LAN 192.168.10.213.
  GuruRMM agent `18825ea7-df58-47bb-b492-822cb16fb5ec`. Active local account `emma`, profile
  `C:\Users\Ale`. OneDrive account `carla@rednourlaw.com`; Documents redirected to
  `C:\Users\Ale\OneDrive - Rednour Law\Documents`. Leftover **SyncroLive.Agent.Runner** still
  running.
- AMD GPU driver: 31.0.12027.9001 (2023-03-29). 7zFM.exe 26.02 at `C:\Program Files\7-Zip\`.
- `zipfldr.dll` = 10.0.19041.1, signature Valid (handler is intact).
- Mapped drives (user `emma`): X: `\\rednourcarrievirt\Time Matters Shared Files`, Y:
  `\\rednourcarrievirt\Timeslips`, Z: `\\rednourcarrievirt\Documents` — all `Status OK`.
- GuruRMM server `http://172.16.3.30:3001`; coord `http://172.16.3.30:8001`.

## Commands & Outputs

- Diagnostic dispatch pattern: `POST /api/agents/<id>/command` (powershell, `context`
  system or user_session), poll `GET /api/commands/<id>`.
- Key reads: `Get-WinEvent` Application 1000/1002 + ProviderName 'Application Hang'/'.NET
  Runtime'; explorer loaded modules filtered to non-Microsoft `CompanyName`;
  `Get-SmbMapping`; `Get-MpComputerStatus`/`Get-MpPreference`; CBS.log `[SR]` parse.
- AppHang count = 10 in last 3h on 2026-06-29; latest 11:31:02 (post 10:52 reboot).
- `.zip` association: `HKCR\.zip` (default) = `CompressedFolder`, **no UserChoice**. 7-Zip
  registered only a `7-Zip.iso` ProgId (no `7-Zip.zip`). `.7z`/`.rar` currently unassociated.
- SFC (CBS.log): "Verify and Repair Transaction completed... successfully repaired"; 0
  "cannot repair" entries.
- Defender: RTP on, no active scan, signatures fresh, `DisableArchiveScanning=False`,
  `MAPSReporting=2`, `SubmitSamplesConsent=1` (archive + cloud scanning on).

## Pending / Incomplete Tasks

1. **Howard:** set 7-Zip as default app for `.zip` (and `.7z`/`.rar`) via 7-Zip GUI
   (Tools → Options → System).
2. **Upgrade LEGALASST to Windows 11** (expected to resolve the zip-handler hang; applies
   the pending SFC repair). Pre-reqs: enable fTPM + Secure Boot in BIOS (Ryzen 3 3200G is
   Win11-supported), bump RAM from 5.9 GB, remove the leftover Syncro agent. **Test a local
   `.zip` with the built-in handler post-upgrade.**
3. **WordPerfect 5 "not enough free space" on save** — investigate. Leading hypothesis:
   legacy/DOS-era WordPerfect free-space miscalculation on large-capacity volumes (free-space
   value overflows → false "disk full"). This is app-level and will **not** be fixed by the
   OS upgrade; mitigate via DOSBox or directing saves to a SUBST'd small-capacity location.
   Confirm exact WP version/edition (DOS 5.1 vs Windows).
4. **If the zip hang persists after the Win11 upgrade:** next lead is Defender archive-scan +
   cloud (MAPS) lookup stalling the shell when the built-in handler streams zip entries.
5. Standing P1s (pre-existing): reboot to apply SFC repair; remove prior MSP agents.

## Reference Information

- GuruRMM agent id: `18825ea7-df58-47bb-b492-822cb16fb5ec` (LEGALASST).
- Rednour tenant: `rednourlaw.com` (`4a4ca18a-f516-478b-99da-2e0722c5dc18`); Syncro customer
  `1224246`.
- Wiki: `wiki/clients/rednour.md`. Refresh: `/wiki-compile client:rednour --full`.
- Reversible shell-ext disable mechanism: `HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked` (add CLSID value to block; delete to restore).