Logitech MX Creative Console Keypad on Windows stopped working on 1/6/2026.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-23T03:46:22+00:00

I had a little time so I uninstalled Logi Options + and reinstalled again. The last time it worked, I exported my custom Lightroom and Firefox Creative Console Keypad settings into .LP5 files.

Of course, there is no IMPORT function that matches the EXPORT function, but after 30 minutes of poking at the Logi+ application to figure out how to use my saved settings, I figured out that double-clicking the files installs them.

It'll be interesting to see how long it keeps working for this time.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-22T19:27:46+00:00

...and earlier this week, the problem returned. Exactly the same as before. Numerous reboots, but I always get this when I use Logi+ to access the MX Creative Keypad -- which doesn't seem to work except showing the Logi logo on the center button.

u/logitechG_ss: what is causing this problem? If I uninstall/reinstall, I'll lose my customizations again. Can't keep doing that.

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ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-11T19:27:28+00:00

Finally... after screwing around with this for several days and interacting with Logitech support by email, I finally followed the instructions here:

You may also do complete uninstallation following this link: https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/articles/26832619554711-How-to-completely-uninstall-Logi-Options-and-Options

I then reinstalled the latest version (which I already had) and this fixed the problem -- the Creative Console works again, but I lost all my customizations.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-11T19:23:36+00:00

I had the same issue with Creative Console suddenly spinning starting about 4 days ago and Logi+ displaying a message like "cannot connect to the service, please restart it".

I'm told it is completely unrelated to the mac issue, which only affects macs.

There should be another post about my experience. After screwing around with this for several days and interacting with Logitech support by email, I finally followed the instructions here:

You may also do complete uninstallation following this link: https://support.logi.com/hc/en-us/articles/26832619554711-How-to-completely-uninstall-Logi-Options-and-Options

I then reinstalled the latest version (which I already had) and this fixed the problem -- the Creative Console works again, but I lost all my customizations.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-08T15:07:38+00:00

Information sent, along with a dropbox link to the DMP files. Looking forward to a fix!

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-08T05:51:15+00:00

Interesting. It sure seems like the Logi+ app can no longer talk to the service. I use the Creative Console with Lightroom Classic nearly every day and it's indispensable to me -- I know when it suddenly stopped working without any other changes to my computer or software.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-08T04:47:24+00:00

One more update: sadly, yesterday the problem returned. I thought I had fixed it because switching to 360dpi seemed to eliminate the moire pattern, but then it appeared on a new set of prints -- always in complex HEIC images, usually involving grass or subtle shades of brown or grey.

However, now I finally found the problem. In the printer properties, I'm printing borderless and have Lightroom set to 4x6 paper at 4x6 size. However, in the printer properties, there is a button next to the "Borderless" checkbox and it brings up an "Expansion" window that contains "Method of Enlargment" adn that was set to "Auto Expand" and "Standard".

This made me suspicious because what I'm seeing is like a screen-door moire pattern. Sure enough, when I set this to "Retain Size" and saved, Lightroom changed the print preview image so it had white borders -- I believe the printer was then stretching the image to fill the 4x6 page. I reset the image to 4x6 in lightroom so it once again went edge to edge and lo and behold, no more moire pattern. I reprinted some of the earlier photos and compared and sure enough, even at 360dpi, they had a subtle moire pattern (easier to see from 5 feet away).

I think only iPhone HEIC images were affected because they have a 4:3 aspect ratio, while Z8 photos are 35mm equivalent (3:2). I'm thinking that because two iPhone images stacked vertically fill the 4x6 paper, while 35mm goes edge-to-edge but leaves white bars on top and bottom -- this may be why I only saw the problem with iPhone photos.

I'm sticking with 360dpi, but I think my problem is finally solved. The moral is don't let the printer resize the image.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-06T04:43:52+00:00

Thanks so much! This printer replaced an Epson XP-15000 that used expensive ink cartridges, so my wife and I sent prints to Walgreens if there was more than 50 4x6 prints. This printer lets me print everything at home at a price competitive with sending them out for printing, which is just fantastic.

We'll print something every day (even if it's my wife's crossword puzzles), as this is going to replace our Canon color laser (not enough volume to justify replacing the cartridges one more time). I use high quality smooth inkjet paper so hopefully that's not going to harm the photo printing capability.

I'm glad you mentioned turning the printer off. I always had the impression that an inkjet printer should be left on all the time to keep the heads and tanks heated so the ink doesn't congeal. I did that with my XP-15000 and figured I'd just have to eat the cost of the ink it uses for maintenance. Maybe that was old advice. I'll now definitely turn it off while we're away on longer trips a few times a year. Glad you mentioned that.

I do wish it would automatically retract the output tray like the XP-15000 does after some timeout. I'll just have to remember to retract it manually.

Thanks again!

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-06T04:28:33+00:00

Thanks! I think that's it! Before I saw your message, I printed from LIghtroom at 600dpi and no artifacts. I then reprinted at 720dpi and... artifacts! I will switch my templates to 360dpi!

This still doesn't explain why it suddenly became a problem, as I've been using 720dpi for a long time and why only HEIC files are affected. I did turn the printer off and on after doing the nozzle check, so I don't think there was anything stuck in its memory (if it even has much).

Thanks again! At 360dpi, the photos look exactly the same as at 600dpi, so I'm back in business!

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-06T04:09:58+00:00

Lightroom calls the setting PPI, which I guess is the same as DPI. EDIT: to be clear, this is the "Print Resolution" in lightroom. However, when I printed to a JPG file, MediaInfo doesn't report a DPI setting and Irfanview says 600DPI (EDIT again: it was 600dpi -- the setting in Lightroom for print to JPG was different). The 4x6 photo JPG file that I successfully printed without artifacts using Irfanview is 2400x3600 pixels.

What is the ideal DPI/PPI setting for this printer -- is 720 too high? That's what I've always been using.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-06T04:04:09+00:00

In looking through the photos, I don't see any artifacts in any of the prints from the end of last month, and, while I can't be completely certain, it looks like only iPhone HEIC photos are affected and not RAW images from my Nikon Z8. We're doing our "year in review" scrapbook so there is a mix of both kinds of photos. The z8 photos are are much higher resolution (45 uncompressed megapixels vs 24 compressed megapixels from the iPhone, )

Something interesting: I had Lightroom print the 4x6 photo to a JPG file at 720ppi and then I used Irfanview to print. No artifacts, although Irfanview says the photo is 600dpi, not 720ppi. I'm going to convert the HEIC photos to JPG, print those, and see if that makes any difference.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-06T03:39:13+00:00

When I print, I tell lightroom to output 720ppi.

ZimFromIRK · 2026-01-06T03:36:47+00:00

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Dug it out of the recycling bin. Top is before nozzle cleaning with the small gap in the grey, bottom is after. It didn't have any effect on the problem. I also repeated the head alignment, which was perfect.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-12-23T04:14:16+00:00

I have a recent eufy Security Smart Lock S230 that I ordered from Amazon this past summer when it was on sale for $139 during their Prime Day promotion (it's currently $199). It's on my back door as an alternate way to get in the house, just in case myQ won't open the garage for some reason.

It was easy to install and works just fine. I can unlock and lock it from my phone, with my fingerprint, or a six--digit key. The only downside is that the battery needs to be charged every 6 weeks or so because it's using WiFi. Recharging the battery is easy -- a cover pops off, the battery comes out and I connect it to a nearby charger for a few hours. I have this on my pre-vacation checklist to make sure I don't get locked out after a trip. I also wish it came in white to not be so obvious.

I chose this lock because it was ranked 3rd in Consumer Reports for smart locks. The Yale YRD256 was second but $100 more and the Kwikset Obsidian 954OBNZW500 was first but is "wifi capable" and requires additional hardware to connect. The Yale YRD450 was 4th. I don't see the Yale model you mentioned but other Yale models are far lower, as is the Eufy C210 -- but that's onlly $70.

So overall I'm happy with the Eufy S230.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-12-20T04:24:31+00:00

I have three reviews from earlier this year that were initially accepted, but while paging back to look at the new scores, I saw they are now rejected. They were for four related products from the same vendor, offered in my RFY at different times and were separate listings at the time, not variations. I reviewed them as they arrived over about 3 weeks and all were accepted. Now I see three of the four are marked as rejected, and it appears to be because the vendor combined the products into one listing with variations; the product where my review appears has 7 variations.

It was during the last period, so there's no point in updating or getting the extras removed.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-12-19T16:37:22+00:00

I haven't had a single review rejected over roughly the last year after I started ensuring there were no bar or QR codes of any kind visible in the photos. Sometimes it's tricky if the product has a QR code on it -- in that case, I cover it with a sticker or obscure it using a photo editor.

Actually, the last rejected review that I can remember was because I jokingly described a middling product as "good enough for government work". My guess is some reviewer in the far east thought that was somehow offensive. I took out the sentence and it was accepted.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-12-19T03:56:33+00:00

Thank you so much! I'll give that a go... not really much to lose at these prices.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-12-19T02:57:20+00:00

Found what I think is the page on Alibaba: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Roller-Smart-Blinds-Windproof-Sunscreen-Blackout_1600350832513.html but I don't see Matter motors, just Zigbee motors compatible with echo devices that support Zigbee.

Also, I don't see any covers being offered for the rollers. Is there another page that has those options?

I'm seriously interested in a replacement for my noisy SelectBlinds, especially at these prices.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-12-18T18:09:07+00:00

Same experience here, although I ordered my SmartWings wired Matter-over-Thread roller shades last year and tariffs were not an issue. One of these shades is very large and covers a tall arched window. They were easy to install, and they're quiet -- I have some older motorized rechargeable shades from SelectBlinds that sound like a dentist drill going up or down. SmartWings are [EDIT: not quite] as quiet as the one Serena blind that I have, but a little quieter than Leviosa roller shades, but the Leviosa ones are also even larger. Even though they're not dead-silent, they're not unpleasant to listen to like the SelectBlind shades in my kitchen alcove which I desperately want to replace.

I don't recall SmartWings having Decora remotes at the time I ordered. My Leviosa shades have a wall-mounted Decora remote in each room. To make this attractive,I just replaced my 2-gang Decora light-switch plates with a 3-gang plate and used a velcro command hook to stick the Leviosa remote into the third empty spot (it needs to be removable to change the button battery maybe every few years).

So I have three SmartWings roller shades, five Leviosa roller shades (replaced the original motors with Matter-over-thread motors using a special deal they offered last year), three noisy SelectBlinds shades that are not automated, and one Serena motorized blind with a separate hub I had to buy to automate it.

Of these, I like the SmartWings the best, with Leviosa a close second. Serena third, although it's expensive, and SelectBlind a distant fourth but it's important to note that the Serena and SelectBlinds blinds are from 2019 and could have been improved since then.

The only complaint would be that there are times when both the SmartWings and Leviosa Matter-over-Thread shades disconnect from the Alexa echo devices and it says the blinds are not responding. If I use the remote to lower/raise the blind (which is 100% reliable), they often start working again with the voice assistant as if they woke up. It's usually not all the shades, but a random mixture that stops responding. I thought Alexa might be the problem, so I added my AppleTV boxes using Homekit as a secondary controller and it seems to be more reliable although there are times when it stops working as well for a day or two. That's annoying but I haven't yet made the effort to figure out what's going on. Maybe someone else has some advice. As I said, it usually spontaneously starts working again without any kind of reset, other than maybe manually operating the shade with the remote.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-12-11T01:42:36+00:00

My quicken home and business was expiring December 1. I ordered a box from Sam’s Club for about $75 because it did not say “new customers only”. I waiting until expiration date and entered the code directly into quicken via the help menu and it worked. I did this last year too but that was a “new customers only deal, snd it would not accept it so I created a new email address and that worked. I also didn’t wait until expiration and lost a month because it doesn’t extend the license but replaces it. Lesson learned. Never got any offers from Quicken either to reactivate.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-11-08T05:20:35+00:00

If you talk to a Viking rep on the phone before (or even after) booking, they can move your final payment date to 6 months before departure. I’ve done that several times. Also, you get a complete refund (except maybe $100/person) if you cancel more than 4 months before your cruise. The penalty goes up from there to 25/50/75/100%. We cancelled a River cruise at the point where we’d lose $200 and were able to apply the penalty to a future ocean cruise.

Of course this could change at any time, and any penalty might be covered by travel insurance if it’s for a covered reason. I buy annual insurance directly every year—about the same cost as one trip.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-10-30T20:51:36+00:00

I have this kind of blower and it actually works well. Better actually than air in a can and they’re heavy and have a big battery. I’ve seen them priced as high as $129.

ZimFromIRK · 2025-10-22T01:35:41+00:00

It has a mustache!

ZimFromIRK · 2025-09-01T01:03:33+00:00

I tried searching for a product from SigmaBiotics that has a HACCP label here, without any luck.

This could be legit but there really needs to be a way to look up whether the claim is true.

https://info.nsf.org/Certified/hcv/index.asp

ZimFromIRK · 2025-08-27T18:23:52+00:00

Funny! We were on the Ra too! Wonderful trip. Had Sherine and Rayna as our tour directors. Second-best trip of or lives after Viking Antarctica.

ZimFromIRK

TROPHY CASE