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🆘 Troubleshooting & Frequently Asked Questions

Common failure modes, diagnostics, and troubleshooting solutions for Cortex Workstation.

🛠️ Common Issues & Solutions

1. "Access Denied" or Operation Blocked ([WinError 5])

  • Cause: Modifying protected system areas (e.g., Windows Component Store, registry root hives, service controllers) requires administrator rights. Additionally, files with the Windows Read-Only attribute (FILE_ATTRIBUTE_READONLY) or files held open by Windows Search indexer or media thumbnailers can trigger access errors.
  • Fix:
  • Run Cortex Workstation as administrator (right-click the executable or shortcut and choose "Run as administrator").
  • Cortex Workstation automatically resets Windows file attributes (FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL) and applies an exponential backoff retry loop.
  • If a file is locked by a background process, use the Process Restart Manager File Unlocker (Files & Explorer section) to safely release handles without rebooting.

2. Winget Times Out on Software Updater Page

  • Cause: The official Microsoft Winget catalog update may be experiencing network latency or a background package lock.
  • Fix: Open PowerShell as administrator and run winget update. Once completed, click Refresh inside Cortex Workstation.

3. Missing Vector Icons or Rendering Glitches

  • Cause: Running on older Windows builds with missing DirectWrite fonts or outdated Qt dependencies.
  • Fix: Ensure PySide6 is updated (pip install --upgrade PySide6). Cortex Workstation ships standalone vector SVG icons that render independently of system fonts.

4. DirectStorage BypassIO Shows "Blocked by Filter"

  • Cause: A legacy third-party antivirus or filesystem filter driver is attached to the target volume.
  • Fix: Review the filter driver list displayed in the DirectStorage Optimizer diagnostic table. Update the respective driver or configure bypass exceptions.

5. Native CLI / FFI Warnings on Launch

  • Message: WARNING: CLI not found: nexus-cli.exe... using CLI / Python fallback
  • Explanation: This is standard and expected in pure Python environments. Cortex Workstation includes a high-speed Python fallback engine that performs all directory scanning, file transfers, BLAKE3 hashing, and undo/redo operations with full functionality.

6. Drag & Drop Shows Blocked Icon (🚫) in Nexus Explorer

  • Cause: Dragging into an uninitialized view or unrecognized third-party MIME format.
  • Fix: Drops are accepted in the file table, icon grid, empty folder view, and sidebar tree. Use Ctrl+C / Ctrl+X into the Staging Shelf and click Paste N items as an alternative to long-distance mouse dragging.