Windows 10 calculator bug? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: splin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2018, 11:19:26 pm
content: My Win 10 caclulator has just started misbehaving - not sure if it has been updated or something odd is happening to my PC.In scientific mode, if I click 10^x on the result of some other operations it gives 'Invalid input'.Eg: Enter 100, click log gives 2 as expected. Now clicking 10^x gives 'Invaild input'. Same if it follows a sqrt(), sin(), ln(), e^x etc but ok after 1/x and entering a number.Is this just my computer?

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2018, 11:31:51 pm
content: I get the same result.

author: splin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2018, 11:39:16 pm
content: Quote from: ataradov on August 01, 2018, 11:31:51 pmAh ha!Oh Microsifty, Sifty, Sifty... (said using your best Rimmer impersonation)

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2018, 11:43:35 pm
content: Your example works on my Windows 7 calculator.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2018, 11:52:22 pm
content: Casio FX-991EX FTW. Remains working after windows updates

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2018, 11:55:57 pm
content: The calculator that comes with Win10 is a bad joke. The Win7 calculator is ok, but the one from XP or Vista is better. I have the Vista calculator on my Win7 machines.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2018, 11:58:08 pm
content: Looking at what the "calculator" displays as its supposed calculation for the sequence, 10^(log(100)), it should give the correct answer, since it even puts in the parentheses to operate on the log first.Microsoft "calculator." Does not compute.It's form over function. Yet, the form isn't that great. So...

author: splin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 12:04:53 am
content: But I'm pretty sure this was working a day or two ago at the most as it is something I do quite often, but the latest windows update was (apparently) on the 10th - three weeks ago.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 12:37:31 am
content: Playing around with this a bit shows some interesting behavioral characteristics. The problem is preserved through storage in memory and simple arithmetic operations (Take the log and multiply by 2. Works. Then antilog shows same failure). And doing a few switches in mode and then recalling the answer shows a clue to the source of the problem. The answer has is correct for 24 digits and then shows some rounding error.Just more evidence for two things we already knew about. First, in spite of huge sums spent on QA, MS has fairly frequent fails. And second, the scientific market doesn't get the attention that the larger parts of their customer base receives.This kind of behavior matters to me even though the MS calculator is not my first, second or third choice for such calculations. I fairly frequently end up someplace where my preferred options are not available, and MS calculator is almost always to be found.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 12:47:19 am
content: I recommend Microsoft Calculator Plus:http://web.archive.org/web/20120427223659/http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/4/5/045ae76d-2edb-4e6b-84af-aba399e2f2e8/CalcPlus.msi(Archive link because the b*stards decided to remove this very useful and far more functional piece of software from their download site.)

author: splin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 01:08:19 am
content: Bugs happen in software - I'm sure it will be fixed soon enough. But what puzzles me is that is that I felt certain that I didn't have this problem even yesterday as I have been doing a number of dB to ratio type calculations lately and I'm sure I would have run into this bug lots of times.All the calc.exe apps under C:Windows are dated 12th April 2018 so perhaps the bug has been around much longer than I expected. Unless... <Paranoia Alert!>... Microsoft has sneaked in some undeclared update...

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 01:35:13 am
content: Time to get some fresh batteries for my HP calculator.

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 01:58:28 am
content: Quote from: splin on August 02, 2018, 12:04:53 amI just checked mine. It has the same error.File version: 10.1805.1804.30001Date Modified: 5/25/2018 5:26 PMEd

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 02:46:39 am
content: Still broken in Calculator 10.1806.1821.0

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 03:24:26 am
content: Quote from: CatalinaWOW on August 02, 2018, 12:37:31 amThey don't spend huge sums on QA anymore, they fired all the QA staff years ago. Nadella was quoted as saying "Who better to test the code than the developers who wrote it." Today they rely heavily on automation and customers reporting bugs. The "Insiders" are in effect unpaid QA testers.Well, here we see the result.

author: GigaJoe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 03:30:48 am
content: calc Version 10.1712.10601.0OS Ver : 1803.17134.165can not reproduce any errors ...

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 04:23:27 am
content: Quote from: james_s on August 02, 2018, 03:24:26 am

author: maukka
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 05:23:51 am
content: Never got used to the new calculator. Here's a perfect replacement:https://winaero.com/blog/get-calculator-from-windows-8-and-windows-7-in-windows-10/

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 06:02:30 am
content: works for me, but i'm stuck with 1703. did they even break the calculator with updates?(Version 10.1706.1862.0)

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 06:04:36 am
content: Yes, they did. Welcome to Windows 10, where you never know what you're gonna get.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 06:08:01 am
content: If you want to do calculator-type stuff, as opposed to playing with a simulated calculator, I can thoroughly recommendOpalCalc.

author: Gixy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 06:18:08 am
content: I personnaly recommend HP15C emulator. RPN nostalgy…(same problem here with calc on W10)

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 06:20:10 am
content: RPN FTW!

author: Deridex
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2018, 09:27:45 pm
content: I tend to use Microsoft Mathematics for any serios calculations if i don't have a calculator at the hand.I think it's free since a few years.

author: malagas_on_fire
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2018, 09:43:31 pm
content: Im still faithfull to a real calculator as possible but software calculators should not be presented has a problem. Report to microsoft and install galculator its open source and uset to run on nokia n800 mini tablet

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2018, 09:45:44 pm
content: I don't report bugs to the company unless they want to hire me to test their software. It is their responsibility to hire professional testers to do that work, I refuse to let them shift that task onto me the customer. If it's free open source software then sure, I'll file bugs, but not something I'm paying for.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2018, 09:52:08 pm
content: Yeah I never get a resolution. Not much pointThere is one I won’t let go though. Microsoft are still phoning me once every 3 months because I won’t close a case we have open with enterprise support because they haven’t fixed it.This has been open for ten years and is a bug in IE5 all the way to and including Edge.Wankers.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2018, 09:53:37 pm
content: Ten years isn't too bad. Some Windows and Office bugs have been around for more than two decades.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2018, 10:31:58 pm
content: True and if they fix them half the financial services industry will fall on it's arse instantly

author: malagas_on_fire
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2018, 01:11:44 pm
content: I could be wrong but software even pay doesn't always come with an waranty as a electronic product. So they rely on feedback support... Bugs last very long and it is the business of long term support software. What differs is the tech support and documentation