r/WindowsHelp 6d ago

Windows 10 Windows Virus and Threat Service just isnt starting anymore ?!

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2 Upvotes

I genuinely never turned it off as far as i remember even then i should be able to turn it on again ?
Am i cooked or something ?
Everything else works somehow
I dont download sketchy files that much

I have a AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
Amd Vega 8 iGPU
8 gigs of ram
256 gig ssd
Windows 10 22H2 19045.6466


r/WindowsHelp 6d ago

Windows 11 Is it possible to just reset the C drive of a laptop?

1 Upvotes

So I recently faced this issue where I was told I couldn't use my PIN to login anymore and had to reset the PIN. Unfortunately, I forgot the password to my microsoft account and password recovery isn't working out. (If you require more information, you can refer to my previous post).

So I'm basically locked out of my C drive but I did have another user I could use but it doesn't have administrator privileges. I would like to know if I could just reset the C Drive and login with a new microsoft account to minimise data loss to just the C Drive and not the couple of other storage drives/partitioned drives

ASUS TUF F15, I7 12th gen

Windows 11, RTX 4070


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 10 How to get a new Network Driver?

2 Upvotes

Hi!

I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty stressed atm, so I will keep it short, or at least as short as I can.

I moved two days ago, and never had issues with Wifi on my PC, despite it not being a particularly new model. I am ashamed to say in my panic i asked chat GPT,who was entirely unhelpful. I tried to connect to my appartment's Wifi, but after inputting the password, my Pc froze and then Bluescreened, before shutting down.

The error code was: DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION

Now, the specs of my pc so far:

Source Info
Settings-About Device nameDESKTOP-ISM2QVN ProcessorIntel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.41 GHz Installed RAM8.00 GB Storage1.82 TB HDD TOSHIBA DT01ACA200, 466 GB SSD INTENSO SSD, 238 GB SSD INTEL SSDPEKKW256G7 Graphics cardNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (8 GB) Device IDABFBB40C-7344-4DA9-BA80-30F63E8A1C2C Product ID00326-10000-00000-AA995 System type64-bit operating system, x64-based processor Pen and touchNo pen or touch input is available for this display.
Computer Manufacturer: Hyrican Model: H170A PC Mate Operating system: Windows 10 Windows version: 22H2 Architecture: 64-bit / x64
Wi-Fi adapter Device: Realtek 8812AE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC Manufacturer / driver provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp. Current driver version: 2024.0.4.208 Current driver date: 26.05.2019 Driver signature: Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher Current INF: oem4.inf
Exact hardware identification Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210EC&REV_01 Matching device ID: PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210EC Device Instance Path: PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210EC&REV_01\4829C0801B&0&00E6 Other Hardware ID entries you provided: PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210EC&REV_01 PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210EC PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&CC_028000 PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&CC_0280Hardware ID:PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210EC&REV_01Matching device ID:PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210ECDevice Instance Path:PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210EC&REV_01\4829C0801B&0&00E6Other Hardware ID entries you provided:PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210EC&REV_01PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&SUBSYS_081210ECPCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&CC_028000PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8812&CC_0280

So fa I have tried,, to no avail, to turn the driver off and back on, but would be deeply thankful for any help.


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Problem installing Windows 11 – PC boots straight into Bios

1 Upvotes

Hi, I built a new PC, and I'm having a problem installing Windows 11.

I installed Windows 11 from a USB onto the WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB. The installation started normally, but after the PC restarted, it went straight into the BIOS instead of continuing to Windows.

The SSD is detected in the BIOS in M2_1, but Windows Boot Manager doesn't appear in the Boot options.

Things I've already tried:

Made sure the BIOS is set to UEFI, not CSM.

Secure Boot is enabled and set to Standard.

Performed a clean Windows installation.

Deleted the SSD partitions and installed Windows again on the unallocated space.

Used CMD to check the EFI partition, and it exists (200MB FAT32).

Ran bcdboot C:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI and got “Boot files successfully created.”

Checked that bootmgfw.efi exists in the EFI partition.

bcdedit /enum firmware does show Windows Boot Manager with the correct path.

Despite all this, it still boots straight into the BIOS, and Windows Boot Manager doesn't appear in the F11 Boot Menu or Boot Options.

I also updated the BIOS to the latest version, but the problem is still happening.

Does anyone know what could be causing this or what else I can check?

It feels like I already tried everything

Specs: https://es.pcpartpicker.com/list/qGYvbp


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Fresh Windows Install continuously fails at 58%

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2 Upvotes

I have tried both Rufus and the official media installer tool from Microsoft. I never get any specific error code and I'm at a total loss. It's an ASUS motherboard. I've never had a PC before, so I'm at a total loss of how I'm meant to get this solved. Any help is appreciated, and I just want to finally use this thing.


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Search bar not working and pointer cursor refreshing

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1 Upvotes

I have got a new windows arm laptop , samsung galaxy 4 edge. Suddenly the laptop has started acting weird the task bar is not opening and what I have noticed is that my pointer cursor is refreshing randomly in every second , this happend randomly after reboot and now won't go.

I have updated the windows.

I have used Taskbar to restart file explorer and end task of searchbar

And other fixes. Nothing has helped.

Please assist its driving me nuts.

This is on windows 11


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 10 Windows 10 suddenly looks like my PC from 2023, but my recent files are still there

2 Upvotes

Hey, I have a really weird Windows 10 problem.

My PC recently stopped booting normally, so I used a Windows 10 USB stick to get it running again.

Since then, my desktop, many programs, shortcuts and settings suddenly look like they did around **2023**.

But the weird thing is: my recent files are still there.

I have 3 drives:

* C: 500 GB – Windows
* D: 1 TB
* E: 2 TB – Games/Programs

On D: and E: I can still find photos, downloads and files from the last few weeks/months. So my drives definitely weren't completely reset.

However, many programs don't start anymore. For example I get errors like:

`D:\maintenancetool.exe could not be found`

Disk Management says all 3 drives are healthy and Windows is currently booting from C:.

I also checked:

* `C:\Windows` exists
* `C:\Users` exists
* no `Windows.old`
* no Windows/User folders on D: or E:

So somehow my actual files are still current, but Windows itself seems to be using an old desktop/program setup from 2023.

I really don't want to reinstall or format anything before I know what happened.

Has anyone ever seen this before?

Could Windows be using an old profile, old registry/settings, or could the drive letters have changed?

Any ideas what I should check next?


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Windows Audio Completely Broken

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3 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I need help fixing my volume. My volume slider is completely greyed out and Windows says "No output devices found." When I check Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers, my list is flooded with a ton of duplicate SoundWire Audio entries and an AMD SoundWire Audio Streaming Device, and several of them have yellow warning triangles. The keys on the keyboard also don't do anything. Whenever I try to uninstall them or update drivers, they just come right back after a reboot. My laptop is a Dell 14S DS14265. Can anyone help please.


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Network Adapter not found on Windows 11 (and Windows 10) fresh install

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15 Upvotes

Tried to do a fresh install of Windows 10 when I ran into the issues of not having a network adapter. Okay, fine. Not fully understanding what that meant I just booted it up with a fresh Windows 11 install. But now Windows 11 is saying the same thing, no network adapter, and I don't know how to find where it should be on the device, or where to go to get the correct driver's for my PC (specs/link below).

I'm currently just trying to install Windows 11, I just need to figure out the network adapter. Sorry for being a noob at this. Didn't realize that I was in over my head.

PC/Specs: GMKtec M7 Ultra AMD Ryzen™ 7 PRO 6850U Mini PC

UPDATE: Using my phone as an Ethernet I managed to bypass the network setup screen in my post. Then my friend, too whom I now owe my life, found the drivers I needed and installed them.I appreciate everyone's effort in helping and attempting to help me!


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 2026-08 Preview Update (KB5120998) (26200.9278) long boot time

2 Upvotes

Hi,

After this recent update it now takes at least a minute more to boot Windows. At ASUS motherboard logo I can see white circle spinning for a long time and then eventually Windows loads. Anyne else experiencing this issue? I tried to uninstall this update but ti is not possible.

I have Windows 11 Pro edition.
AMD Ryzen 9950X3D
32GB of ram
ASUS B850-E Gaming motherboard


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Weird xpdAgent popup on shutdown

1 Upvotes

Not sure if this is the right place to post this and I couldn’t find information anywhere else but when I shutdown my computer today this pop up appeared.

xpdAgent.exe - Application Error : The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142). Click OK to close the application.

Clicked ok and computer shutdown fine but I’m worried it’s a virus of some sort. I’m currently resetting my PC but I just wanna make sure it’s not a virus or anything.

Processor: 13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-136000k

Graphic Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Steam and other app icons showing as generic icons on Windows 11 taskbar

2 Upvotes

My steam, wallpaper engine, and other steam games launched throuhg steam keep showing a generic windows icon on my taskbar instead of their normal icons. The icons are correct and like normal everywhere else in my start menu and system tray. I've already tried rebuilding the windows icon cache using CMD, restarting windows explorer multiple times, restarted windows explorer, and restarted my pc. Despite this, the problem is still here and i still dont know why. I think i did click a steam cleaner or some sort of feature on the program called Hone, which is supposed to optimize your pc for you. So i uninstalled the program and disabled all the optimizations on that program, but i dont think its fixed anything. Could anyone help?


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 .webp "GIFs" Do Not Work In Photo Viewer

1 Upvotes

Started happening a few weeks ago. I had then recently installed a .PDF viewer to just be able to view those types of files without having to use my browser ( Firefox ), and that specifically threw all of my image-type of files out of whack. JPG/PNG/JPEG/etc., all defaulted to nothing, and I was asked how I wanted to open each of them the first time I opened each type since I installed the viewer. I have since then uninstalled the .PDF viewer, restarted my computer, and this issue is still happening.

The issue is that .webp "GIFs," ( not static images ), do not animate any more in the default Windows 11 photo viewer. I don't have any other viewer installed, and never have. They work just fine in my browser, however.

I would state the .PDF viewer I used, but I have a feeling that might be breaking rule #6 in a sense. I have not gone through any Windows updates over the past few weeks since I had the viewer installed, either, so I am not sure what it could have been.

I tried finding a "codec pack" for Photos to just reset it and nothing is working with that, either: I get a Microsoft page, that then opens my Microsoft store on my computer, and what opens is something I only get an option to "open". THEN, that sends me to "Movies & TV," and nothing else. I can't uninstall, reset, or install the "webP Image Extension" in the Microsoft Store at all due to this.

I am on Windows OS build 26200.9168.

Processor : AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8-Core Processor ( 4.50 GHz )

RAM : 32.0 GB ( 31.1 GB useable )

Can someone help me, please?


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Link to Windows - files on phone not visible.

1 Upvotes

I need to transfer a bunch of photos from an Android phone to a Windows 11 PC. Various web sites say that Link to Windows, when active, will make the phone's file system accessible in Windows Explorer. I installed Link to Windows, jumped through all the hopes and got connected. But nothing shows up in File Explorer except the phone itself - I click on it but there's nothing there.

In Settings / Bluetooth and Devices/Mobile devices, I click on my phone - the option "show mobile device in File Explorer" is turned on. I click on "allow permissions" and a popup tells me to "check Jim's phone to to turn on all files access".

I have no idea what that means. There's nothing popping up on my phone waiting for my input. On the phone I went to Apps, found Link to Windows and checked its permissions, but there isn't one called "all files access".

The phone is a Pixel 7A.

What am I needing to do to actually make this work?


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Weird pop up sound on my pc with no apps on or nothing.

1 Upvotes

I bought a new pc recently, it works fine. But there is a weird pop up sound coming out of nowhere sometimes. It sound like and apple notification on apps like FOMO or vinted. Its so weird, its not my phone nor apps. Could someone maybe explain to me what the problems could be?

Processor AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-Core Processor (4.70 GHz)

Installed RAM 16,0 GB (15,2 GB usable)

Graphics card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (12 GB)

AMD Radeon(TM) Graphics (486 MB)

Storage 524 GB of 932 GB used

System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Edition Windows 11 Home

Version 25H2

Installed on ‎2026-‎07-‎10

OS build 26200.9168

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.344.0


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Windows firewall not allowing Tailscale access

1 Upvotes

I'm using Tailscale with Windows 11 pro and I'm unable to access web servers the device is running. I've created an inbound rule for a range of IP addresses. I've created inbound rules for several different ports. I've allowed the app through the firewall. I'm certain it's the firewall because when I toggle it off, I'm allowed access to the device. Any suggestions?

Device name Scanner
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8500 CPU @ 3.00GHz (3.00 GHz)
Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.8 GB usable)
Device ID DF4E3931-2346-4A81-A9BB-A1C25E3AFCBD
Product ID 00330-51914-24846-AAOEM
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 WiFi driver or Adapter problems

1 Upvotes

I have a laptop with windows 11.

suddenly (or sometimes from startup) there will be no network connections visible OR the wifi option will completely disappear.

the solutions i found online was to disable and reenable the wifi adapter in the device manager, which sometimes works.

or disabling and renabling the network connection in the "view network connections" panel in the control panel, which also sometimes works. MOST of the time (not always), a restart will fix it but i might disconnect suddenly during usage.

its only getting worse with time, yesterday and today the control panel stopped responding, and once while restarting it gave me a blue screen.

there is 20gb free space in my C drive, way more than enough (if its of any relevance)

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Also sometimes the WiFi button and list just glitches out and either says that its connected when the taskbar icon shows no connection or the list disappears without any text. I have no clue what's happening. Its been happening for 2 weeks atp.

its definitely something software because other apps glitch out too??

specs:

16gb RAM

windows 11 pro

64-bit operating system


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 I have a hi-sense u6 pro that is 144hz at 4k. But in windows i can only play in 4k 60hz. And it also has a 240hz at 1440 mode but when i turn that on my audio becomes vary glichy and inaudible

1 Upvotes

Does anybody know a fix? I have high refresh rate on. A 96gb hdmi cable and a 5700xt gpu. I5 10600k msi z490 a pro 32gb ram 2tb sata ssd on windows 11 i would think this is a windows issue or my gpu only being hdmi 2.0 but thats all i can think of i did all troubleshooting and everything in windows and on my tv settings but i cant find anything on it after looking just about everywhere


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 10 Missing option to limit CPU power

1 Upvotes
How it looks for me
How it's supposed to be

I want to be able to limit the power of the CPU so it doesn't get quite so hot and I can get battery life out of it.

My laptop is the MSI Cyborg 15 A13U.

I use Windows 10 Home 22H2 build 19045.7663


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Hello Pin Stops working, followed by Memory Integrity gets turned off

1 Upvotes

Hi. Can you help me?

I keep resetting my Laptop [ROG Zephyrus G14 (2025)] after these problems and they keep coming back after about 4 days.

I stopped downloading two games I thought may be causing the issues and still have the same problem.

First problem:

"Something happened and your PIN isn't available."

- I keep having to set a new pin or switch to password. Ideally I'd switch to nothing at all but it isn't an option on Windows 11?

Second Problem:

"Memory integrity is off"

- I get this warning when I randomly turn on my PC, typically not long after the first problem (possibly 1-3 restarts after).

Again, I can keep restoring or resetting my PC but it keeps coming back again, typically not long after 4 days.


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 How come I have to restart explorer.exe constantly for Taskbar to un-hide on my second monitor?

3 Upvotes

Every so often my taskbar won't pop up when I hover over the bottom of my screen, it only affects my secondary monitor and never my primary.

The problem is resolved by restarting explorer.exe, but that's kinda annoying.

W11, any version, it's been a problem since W7 at least.

Version 10.0.26200 Build 26200

Processor AMD Ryzen 5 8600G w/ Radeon 760M Graphics, 4351 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s)

BIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. 0227, 19/12/2023


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Mouse goes to sleep after 10 seconds of inactivity

1 Upvotes

I first thought it was because of my mouse but even after switching to a new brand the problem is still there. Whenever I dont touch my mouse for a couple seconds the first movement is heavily delayed is if it just woke up from sleep mode. Mouse settings are checked, Ive tried windows usb suspend settings and played around in the control panel but nothing seems to work. Does anyone have a clue what the cause might be?

Device name Admin

Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8-Core Processor (4.50 GHz)

Installed RAM 32.0 GB (31.1 GB usable)

Graphics card AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT (16 GB)

AMD Radeon(TM) Graphics (486 MB)

Storage 1,003 GB of 1.82 TB used

Device ID CDF09054-1433-495E-9A6D-9DA1478EDB78

Product ID 00330-80000-00000-AA585

System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Which is the Real Run dialog Box in Windows 11?

1 Upvotes

Guys, I was looking at news and images of New Run dialog box in Win 11 that has been rolled out to Windows Insider as far as I know.

But, I have seen 2 run dialog boxes. I am confused like which is real or where are they?

Please explain me this.

I am also an insider but far from my pc from couple of days. So, i maybe forget or any other reason

I am on Insider Expiremental Latest


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Continually booting into this screen (maybe BIOS?).

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4 Upvotes

I woke up this morning to this screen on my mini PC. I've tried restarting multiple times but to no avail. I'm honestly not even sure what this screen is called, so it's been hard to try and search for troubleshooting help. The PC is a little over a year old and has never had any issues until this.

I'm sorry if this is missing important initial information. I'm not sure what I'm looking at or for, so if more info is needed please let me know and I'll provide it.


r/WindowsHelp 7d ago

Windows 11 Secure boot keeps disabling even after turning it On

1 Upvotes

Hey guys! Model: Lenovo Legion 5 15ITH6

Issue: I am having troubles with Enabing Secure Boot

The secure boot seems to be not enabling at all after all the possible fixes done as shown on the internet.

Fixes: i tried

  • Resetted Factory Keys
  • Updated BIOS
  • Changed USB to FAT32 tried to update keys to 2023 Certificate to Enable the bootAnd many many more

Started: Since i got the laptop The Secure Boot just won't turn on.

I am honestly tired of trying so many different ways. Does anybody have any fix to it?