Recent Discussions
I can't see a NAS on my Network all of a sudden
This was working fine. But I replaced my router today. Everything seems to be working but now all of a sudden, I can't see a Windows 10 PC that I have set up as a NAS. It was not working for a long time, but then all of a sudden it showed up on my old Router. Now on this one I can't see it in Windows. If I connect to my Router, I can see it. I have put a box around the device that shows up when I connect to my router and you can see it in this screenshot I took: When I open File Explorer, I can't see it on my network. I tried connecting with Remote Desktop and that doesn't work either. Can someone help please? Thanks in advance Jim S.
Outlook trying to log in to azure servers before mail server
Outlook is connecting to azure servers before trying to log in to the mail server. My mail server blocks access from cloud computing sources. How can I make outlook connect directly to my mail server? I am able to get logged in to a different account with the same mail client.
ASUS ROG laptop with Windows 10 turning on to BIOS, cannot find HDD
My laptop (ASUS ROG Windows 10, about 10 years old now) started updating late on 10/17/25, the light was bothering my roommate so I picked it up and moved it into another room to let it finish updating. I came into the room yesterday morning and saw that it was on the lock screen, so I left for work and didn't touch it. Yesterday evening the screen was off so I turned it back on, but it just turned on to the BIOS. When looking under boot options there's no HDD to select, which seems to be one of the big fixes for this issue. Is it possible there's a way to fix this or is my HDD broken to the point of looking into data recovery? Or is data recovery even possible with the computer not even recognizing the HDD? Thank you
Microsoft Edge message "session expired".
HHi! I read and comment on Edge home page off and on all day. About 10 days ago, I tried to post something and got the msg that the session had expired, followed by "log in to comment". But I AM logged in and have been for quite a while. My avatar shows, my history is there, the people I follow are marked, etc. I can't figure out what the problem is and it's driving me nuts. Any ideas would be very much appreciated!Authenticator Setup
Just got a new PC on Monday and really struggling to 'speak Microsoft' Somewhere I am asked to verify but struggle to provide an acceptable means. Thought I'd try and install Microsoft Authenticator on Android Tablet and cell phone. I use OUTLOOK desktop and have access to my Outlook accout configured together with my regular email account. Authenticator requires confirmation but won't accept my outlook passwor,. won't send me a message to my outlook account (does suggest using my Authenticator app - which is what I am trying to set up - so not very helpful.) The email address is an old one which is no longer in use but sruggle to make changes without some sort of verification. Just going round in circles. Guess I am missing something simple but have spent ages trying to get round this hurdle Any help appreciated. Will try Youtube as well
Outlook Classic 2021 not responding disconected from exchange
Outlook Classic 2021 not responding disconected from exchange Windows 11 24H2, after run Outlook immediately not responding, in right down corner yellow triangle 'Outlook is not responding if you are using a Microsoft Exchange email account you can cancel the pending server task' making new profile not work, reparing ost file not work, disabled all addins not work, no updates in outlook - newest version, reparing office not work. someone can help? what can i do
Xbox authentication doesn't work on LAN
Starting from around yesterday Minecraft and Xbox authentication stopped working on all devices in my network connected via LAN. This problem doesn't seem to persist with any other applications OR with devices connected to WIFI. I would assume its an issue on my part, but from everything I've tested it seems to happen ONLY when trying to log into the Xbox app and Minecraft, everything else works just fine. Would love some help with this. Sorry if this isn't the correct section for thisWindows 11 Restarts After Desktop Shut Down
After two weeks of shutting down from the desktop icon, my Lenovo AOI is restarting after. To troubleshoot, I have: -Disabled fast startup -Turned off PCI Express>Link State Power Management -Set the Power Button to shut down option -Disabled the Hiberboot -Disabled the Start and Recovery Automatically restart option What I am not able to do: -When I go to Winlogon, the is no Power Down - Shut down option. I have not added one -When I enter powercfg -h off, a "power" command is not a valid is the return -When I open Network adapter to select it to not to power the system on. There is no power tab option. My system is Modern Standby, so Power tabs are not present. I can edit the registry to put the system to S3 and return the power options. What I've found out online is SO alone would not be the cause for a restart after shut down I have run both a DISM and sfc /scannow. No corrupt files were found. My computer was purchased this September, and as I mentioned was working fine. The only issue I could think of is a Windows update done about two weeks ago. I haven't uninstalled those yet and have had an update since. The issue was not rectified. I am able to shut down by the manual button. The computer runs fine in every other function. I suppose I could do a reinstall of Windows 11, but it doesn't seem worth the effort. Any input would be welcome. Thanks.SppExtComObj.exe ERROR
Good evening/day to all! I am coming here today because this type of error is very frustrating! It happens most of the time when I turn on my pc, it feels like my GPU fans increase and decrease the speed really random and after a while my pc either restarts or either is getting a freeze and nothing is responsive anymore! I did add this error to AI but not much help unfortunately, as I thought it is gonna give me some answers! If anyone here with a better brain than mine can help me with this one, I will be extreamly happy! I`d like to add the fact that all my drivers and everything is up to date! I have used in CMD as admin these: - winget upgrade --all ( everything is up to date ) - sfc /scannow ( no corrupted files ) Kind regards! Unable to start a DCOM Server: {3C296D07-90AE-4FAC-86F9-65EAA8B82D22}. The error: "2147942402" Happened while starting this command: C:\WINDOWS\system32\SppExtComObj.exe -Embedding
Forcing Outlook Fonts via Intune
A client has requested we force a specific font for Outlook on all their devices and I've been investigating a method of pushing this out via Intune. This post on https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/manage-font-intune-outlook-rapha%C3%ABl-zimmermann includes some PowerShell scripts to determine the correct fonts and then apply them, but I'm getting an error when I try to use them. The first script appears to run without incident and provides the font values. $Path = "registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\mailsettings" $Name1 = "ReplyFontComplex" $Name2 = "ComposeFontComplex" $Name3 = "ReplyFontSimple" $Name4 = "ComposeFontSimple" $Name5 = "TextFontComplex" $Name6 = "TextFontSimple" (Get-ItemProperty -Path $Path -Name $Name1 -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -ExpandProperty $Name1 | ForEach-Object { '{0:X2}' -f $_ }) -join ',' (Get-ItemProperty -Path $Path -Name $Name2 -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -ExpandProperty $Name2 | ForEach-Object { '{0:X2}' -f $_ }) -join ',' (Get-ItemProperty -Path $Path -Name $Name3 -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -ExpandProperty $Name3 | ForEach-Object { '{0:X2}' -f $_ }) -join ',' (Get-ItemProperty -Path $Path -Name $Name4 -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -ExpandProperty $Name4 | ForEach-Object { '{0:X2}' -f $_ }) -join ',' (Get-ItemProperty -Path $Path -Name $Name5 -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -ExpandProperty $Name5 | ForEach-Object { '{0:X2}' -f $_ }) -join ',' (Get-ItemProperty -Path $Path -Name $Name6 -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -ExpandProperty $Name6 | ForEach-Object { '{0:X2}' -f $_ }) -join ',' However when the results are run through the below remediation script I get this error: Cannot convert value "0x 73" to type "System.Byte". Error: "Could not find any recognizable digits." At line:57 char:1 + Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name1Complex -Value ([byt ... + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [], RuntimeException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidCastFromStringToInteger $ValueSimple = "3C,00,00,00,1F,00,00,F8,00,00,00,40,DC,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,22,43,61,6C,69,62,72,69,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00" $ValueComposeComplex = "3C,68,74,6D,6C,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,3C,68,65,61,64,3E,0D,0A,3C,73,74,79,6C,65,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,20,2F,2A,20,53,74,79,6C,65,20,44,65,66,69,6E,69,74,69,6F,6E,73,20,2A,2F,0D,0A,20,73,70,61,6E,2E,50,65,72,73,6F,6E,61,6C,43,6F,6D,70,6F,73,65,53,74,79,6C,65,0D,0A,09,7B,6D, 73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,6E,61,6D,65,3A,22,50,65,72,73,6F,6E,61,6C,20,43,6F,6D,70,6F,73,65,20,53,74,79,6C,65,22,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,74,79,70,65,3A,70,65,72,73,6F,6E,61,6C,2D,63,6F,6D,70,6F,73,65,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65, 2D,6E,6F,73,68,6F,77,3A,79,65,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,75,6E,68,69,64,65,3A,6E,6F,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,61,6E,73,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,73,69,7A,65,3A,31,31,2E,30,70,74,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,73,69,7A,65,3A, 31,31,2E,30,70,74,3B,0D,0A,09,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,22,41,70,74,6F,73,22,2C,73,61,6E,73,2D,73,65,72,69,66,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,61,73,63,69,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,41,70,74,6F,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,61,73,63,69,69,2D,74, 68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,6C,61,74,69,6E,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,66,61,72,65,61,73,74,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,41,70,74,6F,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,66,61,72,65,61,73,74,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72, 2D,6C,61,74,69,6E,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,68,61,6E,73,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,41,70,74,6F,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,68,61,6E,73,69,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,6C,61,74,69,6E,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D, 66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,22,54,69,6D,65,73,20,4E,65,77,20,52,6F,6D,61,6E,22,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,62,69,64,69,3B,0D,0A,09,63,6F,6C,6F,72,3A,77,69,6E,64,6F,77,74,65,78,74,3B,7D,0D, 0A,2D,2D,3E,0D,0A,3C,2F,73,74,79,6C,65,3E,0D,0A,3C,2F,68,65,61,64,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,3C,2F,68,74,6D,6C,3E,0D,0A" $ValueReplyComplex = "3C,68,74,6D,6C,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,3C,68,65,61,64,3E,0D,0A,3C,73,74,79,6C,65,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,20,2F,2A,20,53,74,79,6C,65,20,44,65,66,69,6E,69,74,69,6F,6E,73,20,2A,2F,0D,0A,20,73,70,61,6E,2E,50,65,72,73,6F,6E,61,6C,52,65,70,6C,79,53,74,79,6C,65,0D,0A,09,7B,6D,73,6F, 2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,6E,61,6D,65,3A,22,50,65,72,73,6F,6E,61,6C,20,52,65,70,6C,79,20,53,74,79,6C,65,22,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,74,79,70,65,3A,70,65,72,73,6F,6E,61,6C,2D,72,65,70,6C,79,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,6E,6F,73,68,6F, 77,3A,79,65,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,75,6E,68,69,64,65,3A,6E,6F,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,61,6E,73,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,73,69,7A,65,3A,31,31,2E,30,70,74,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,73,69,7A,65,3A,31,31,2E,30,70,74, 3B,0D,0A,09,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,22,41,70,74,6F,73,22,2C,73,61,6E,73,2D,73,65,72,69,66,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,61,73,63,69,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,41,70,74,6F,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,61,73,63,69,69,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66, 6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,6C,61,74,69,6E,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,66,61,72,65,61,73,74,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,41,70,74,6F,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,66,61,72,65,61,73,74,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,6C,61,74,69,6E, 3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,68,61,6E,73,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,41,70,74,6F,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,68,61,6E,73,69,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,6C,61,74,69,6E,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66, 61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,22,54,69,6D,65,73,20,4E,65,77,20,52,6F,6D,61,6E,22,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,62,69,64,69,3B,0D,0A,09,63,6F,6C,6F,72,3A,77,69,6E,64,6F,77,74,65,78,74,3B,7D,0D,0A,2D,2D,3E,0D,0A, 3C,2F,73,74,79,6C,65,3E,0D,0A,3C,2F,68,65,61,64,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,3C,2F,68,74,6D,6C,3E,0D,0A" $ValueTextComplex = "3C,68,74,6D,6C,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,3C,68,65,61,64,3E,0D,0A,3C,73,74,79,6C,65,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,20,2F,2A,20,53,74,79,6C,65,20,44,65,66,69,6E,69,74,69,6F,6E,73,20,2A,2F,0D,0A,20,70,2E,4D,73,6F,50,6C,61,69,6E,54,65,78,74,2C,20,6C,69,2E,4D,73,6F,50,6C,61,69,6E,54,65,78, 74,2C,20,64,69,76,2E,4D,73,6F,50,6C,61,69,6E,54,65,78,74,0D,0A,09,7B,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,6E,6F,73,68,6F,77,3A,79,65,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,70,72,69,6F,72,69,74,79,3A,39,39,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,73,74,79,6C,65,2D,6C,69,6E,6B, 3A,22,50,6C,61,69,6E,20,54,65,78,74,20,43,68,61,72,22,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,61,72,67,69,6E,3A,30,63,6D,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,70,61,67,69,6E,61,74,69,6F,6E,3A,77,69,64,6F,77,2D,6F,72,70,68,61,6E,3B,0D,0A,09,66,6F,6E,74,2D,73,69,7A,65,3A,31,31,2E,30,70,74,3B,0D,0A, 09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,73,69,7A,65,3A,31,30,2E,35,70,74,3B,0D,0A,09,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,22,43,61,6C,69,62,72,69,22,2C,73,61,6E,73,2D,73,65,72,69,66,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,66,61,72,65,61,73,74,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D, 69,6C,79,3A,41,70,74,6F,73,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,66,61,72,65,61,73,74,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,6C,61,74,69,6E,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D,66,6F,6E,74,2D,66,61,6D,69,6C,79,3A,22,54,69,6D,65,73,20,4E,65,77,20,52,6F,6D, 61,6E,22,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,62,69,64,69,2D,74,68,65,6D,65,2D,66,6F,6E,74,3A,6D,69,6E,6F,72,2D,62,69,64,69,3B,0D,0A,09,6D,73,6F,2D,66,61,72,65,61,73,74,2D,6C,61,6E,67,75,61,67,65,3A,45,4E,2D,55,53,3B,7D,0D,0A,2D,2D,3E,0D,0A,3C,2F,73,74,79,6C,65,3E,0D,0A, 3C,2F,68,65,61,64,3E,0D,0A,0D,0A,3C,2F,68,74,6D,6C,3E,0D,0A" $registryPath = 'HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\mailsettings' $Name1Simple = "ComposeFontSimple" $Name1Complex = "ComposeFontComplex" $Name2Simple = "ReplyFontSimple" $Name2Complex = "ReplyFontComplex" $Name3Simple = "TextFontSimple" $Name3Complex = "TextFontComplex" $hexSimple = $ValueSimple.Split(',') | % { "0x$_"} $hexComposeComplex = $ValueComposeComplex.Split(',') | % { "0x$_"} $hexReplyComplex = $ValueReplyComplex.Split(',') | % { "0x$_"} $hexTextComplex = $ValueTextComplex.Split(',') | % { "0x$_"} IF(!(Test-Path $registryPath)) { New-Item -Path $registryPath -Force | Out-Null New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -name NewTheme -PropertyType string New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name1Simple -Value ([byte[]]$hexSimple) -PropertyType Binary -Force New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name2Simple -Value ([byte[]]$hexSimple) -PropertyType Binary -Force New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name3Simple -Value ([byte[]]$hexSimple) -PropertyType Binary -Force New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name1Complex -Value ([byte[]]$hexComposeComplex) -PropertyType Binary -Force New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name2Complex -Value ([byte[]]$hexReplyComplex) -PropertyType Binary -Force New-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name3Complex -Value ([byte[]]$hexTextComplex) -PropertyType Binary -Force } ELSE { Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -name NewTheme -value $null Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -name ThemeFont -value 2 Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name1Simple -Value ([byte[]]$hexSimple) -Force Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name2Simple -Value ([byte[]]$hexSimple) -Force Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name3Simple -Value ([byte[]]$hexSimple) -Force Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name1Complex -Value ([byte[]]$hexComposeComplex) -Force Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name2Complex -Value ([byte[]]$hexReplyComplex) -Force Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $Name3Complex -Value ([byte[]]$hexTextComplex) -Force } I don't know PowerShell well enough to determine what's wrong, but I think the first script isn't providing the values in the right format. While troubleshooting I fed it into Copilot which I think mentioned that some of the output was a string instead of binary. Anyone know what I need to change to get this working?Bring back Cortana
✉️ Subject: Bring Back Cortana — A Legacy Worth Reviving Dear Microsoft Team, I’m writing as a passionate user who believes Cortana deserves a comeback—not just as a voice assistant, but as a character-driven companion that once defined Microsoft’s unique identity. Cortana wasn’t generic. She was personal, iconic, and deeply integrated into the Windows experience. Her Halo-inspired roots, conversational tone, and productivity features made her stand out in ways that Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant never could. With Copilot now leading the AI frontier, there’s a golden opportunity: revive Cortana as a persona option within Copilot or as a dedicated assistant mode. This would: Differentiate Microsoft with a recognizable, emotionally resonant AI character Honor legacy and nostalgia for longtime users who still miss her Enhance productivity with voice-driven, contextual support Delight users by giving us the choice to personalize our experience This isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s about giving users a distinctive, humanized AI companion that blends productivity with personality. Cortana’s return could be one of Microsoft’s most celebrated comebacks. Thank you for considering this request. I believe Cortana still has a place in the future of Microsoft AI. Sincerely, Coco P.S: You should make another Cortana speaker of your own to beat Google and Amazon. You can do this.Resolving Discount Conflicts: Applying a Voucher for the GitHub Exam
Hello everyone, I recently acquired a 100% voucher for the GitHub exam. However, when attempting to schedule it on the Pearson VUE portal and apply the coupon, a message indicates that it’s not possible to apply this coupon because an MCT discount is already applied. Could anyone help me or direct me to someone who can assist? I don’t want to lose my MCT discount, but I need to apply this 100% discount coupon. How can I resolve this? Thank you, Luiz AndradeWin 10 upgrade to Win 11 problem
Before I used Window Update to upgrade to Win 11 but it failed. The restore process also failed. I had to use a system backup a month before. After the restore, the Window verson was back to 22H2. It should be 24H2 when I started the upgrade. After that I could not update to 24H2 or upgrade to Win 11 through Window update. I need help to solve the problem. Before I upgrade this PC, my notebook and another PC were easily upgraded to Win 11. I think the problem is the Kaspersky. Other machine I used Bitdefender.
W11 update bricked my pointer
i can't use my #%#$%#$ trackball (or anything with a logitech antenna) ever since W11 forced and update. how do i fix it? how do i fix it? i'm tired of this **bleep**, how do i **bleep**ing fix it??? FIX IT NOW! YOU DID THIS TO MY COMPUTER WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! FIX IT!Changed My Resolution to my tv in game and now my colors are all messed up
Tried resetting my color settings and even made sure my drivers were good which they were because ive had them like a month + now and cant seem to get this solved. I checked hdr and night light etc none of thats on and im baffled at what to do now. I tried the system on my other tv and it was fine but i come back to this one and its the same very vibrant colors. I even reset my tv settings and nothing changed please help.High CPU Usage by Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows Server 2019 Azure VMs
Hello, I’m running into a recurring issue on Windows Server 2019 Datacenter VMs running in Azure where MsMpEng.exe (Antimalware Service Executable) consistently spikes CPU usage every day. Here’s what I’ve observed so far: Microsoft Defender pulls threat intelligence from the cloud continuously in real-time, in addition to multiple scheduled updates per day. Despite this continuous checking, I’ve noticed a consistent CPU spike only between 4:40 PM and 4:55 PM daily. During this time, Defender consumes 100% CPU. I’ve checked Task Scheduler and Defender scan settings — there are no scans or tasks scheduled during this period. Limiting CPU usage using Set-MpPreference -ScanAvgCPULoadFactor 30 has had no effect on these background maintenance routines. Automatic provisioning via Defender for Cloud is enabled on these Azure VMs, so the MDE agent installs and updates automatically. Logs from Microsoft-Windows-Windows Defender/Operational during the high CPU window: 10/2/2025 4:41:57 PM 2010 Microsoft Defender Antivirus used cloud protection to get additional security intelligence... 10/2/2025 4:41:57 PM 2010 Microsoft Defender Antivirus used cloud protection to get additional security intelligence... 10/2/2025 4:49:41 PM 1150 Endpoint Protection client is up and running in a healthy state... These logs confirm that Defender’s cloud intelligence updates and endpoint checks run exactly during the CPU spike window. Even though Defender continuously checks for cloud protection updates throughout the day, the CPU spike occurs only during this particular window. The pattern is consistent across multiple Azure VMs, suggesting this is part of Defender’s automated behavior. Questions for the community: Is this behavior expected for Azure VMs, or could it indicate a bug in Defender on Windows Server 2019? Is there a supported way to throttle, defer, or better manage CPU usage during these maintenance and cloud intelligence routines? Are there recommended best practices for always-on production environments in Azure to avoid performance degradation caused by Defender? Any guidance or advice would be really appreciated. Thanks, NikunjWindows 10 ESU not activated
Windows 10 support is ending after next year October. However, while I should be eligible for the ESU program it did not kick in on my PC. This despite having KB5063709 installed. Note: I have two computers with my account, one being on Windows 11 and the other being on Windows 10. The older system does not support Windows 11 due to the CPU restrictions. I would like to extent the support period but I`m out of solution space to get it working. Please advice.
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