Recent Discussions
My computer keeps reminding me to update
My computer keeps showing constant notifications reminding me to update the system, but whenever I try to proceed with the update, it either fails to install or gets stuck at a certain point. I have tried restarting the computer, checking my internet connection, and freeing up disk space, but the reminder keeps appearing, and the updates do not complete successfully. I am concerned about whether this issue could affect my system’s security or performance if I ignore the notifications, and I want to find a reliable way to resolve this problem so my computer can stay up to date without constant interruptions. If anyone has experienced a similar issue or has suggestions on how to fix this update reminder problem, I would appreciate your guidance.Persistent File Explorer Crashes When Navigating Specific Network Locations on Windows PC
Whenever I try to navigate to certain network locations on my Windows PC, which interrupts my ability to access shared files smoothly. The crashes happen consistently when accessing specific network folders, causing the application to close unexpectedly and making it difficult to work efficiently with network resources.The Windows PC Failed Installations
Specifically with the latest Insider build 10.26200. The activation process shows error 0x8007000D, and the activation wizard does not open. Standard activation methods do not work, and I am unable to activate Windows properly. I need assistance to resolve the installation and activation issues on my system.Logic board or hardware component failures
To fix the Windows Search problem after an update, restart the Windows Search service, rebuild the search index through advanced indexing options, and run the search and indexing troubleshooter. Additionally, check for and install available Windows updates, then restart the computer to see if the issue is resolved. If problems persist, consider resetting Windows Search or running a system file check using the command prompt.
Fault of the power button on a Windows computer
The power button on my Windows computer is not functioning properly and fails to turn on or shut down the device consistently. I have tried cleaning the button, checking the connections, and updating the system, but the issue persists, and I am seeking advice on possible hardware or software causes and potential solutions to fix this power button fault.
How to Stop the Win 11 KB5094126 Installation Loop and Safely Upgrade From March Baseline Risk-Free
Hello, I need some advice regarding a persistent Windows Update installation loop affecting my machine. My system is currently on a March baseline and is out of date. My primary goal is to completely stop this endless installation loop so I can successfully upgrade Windows to the latest version in a risk-free manner that doesn’t mess around with system files . What is the most effective, safe and risk-free way to temporarily stop this automatic background update installation loop without it coming back in a few days or causing a lot of background strain, as I feel like when it’s in the background and disabled it is still hammering my hardware and causing high thermal strain, because it flucationing between abled/disabled a lot, this can’t go on, it’s already been a month. Is it 100% safe to use the Microsoft WUShowHide utility (wushowhide.diagcab) as a block to stop the hardware strain, and will it prevent future brightness fluctuations? Will be permanently disable or come back? How can I fix this loop, with absolutely zero risk to my custom graphics profiles, legacy driver stability, or screen brightness thresholds? Does the newly released July Cumulative Update (KB5101650) wrapper contain the renewed firmware validation keys necessary to clear out this March-to-June servicing stack blockage cleanly? Or could it cause system crash or corruption if installed. Are there known risks or side effects with attempting a repair upgrade or an in-place reinstall for this specific loop? I want to completely avoid anything that resets custom device properties, alters display configurations, or reverts stable graphics card driver profiles or potentially gets stuck, as both take up 20-30 on every attempt and harsh to the system. 6.Since my system is currently out of date on a March baseline, what is the safest path to install a newer, stable update without risking my custom display configurations? 7.Has anyone successfully applied a manual UEFI certificate renewal or a Secure Boot key variable override to bypass the expired Microsoft June 2026 validation timeline on general retail hardware? Any risks? My System Specs: -OS Edition: Windows 11 Home Single Language (Retail Channel) -Version / Build: 25H2 (OS Build 26200.8117 - March 2026 Baseline) -Hardware: ASUS Laptop (Model M413A) -Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4700U with Radeon Graphics (2.00 GHz, 8 Cores) -Memory: 8.00 GB RAM (7.42 GB usable) -Storage: Local C: Drive has 226 GB used out of 477 GB total capacity (251 GB free) Symptoms I Am Experiencing: The 2026-06 Security Update (KB5094126) and the June Preview Update (KB5095093) download completely to 100%. During initialization, the engine throws error 0x80074101 and restarts the download pipeline. This creates a heavy background loop that pins the CPU to high utilization, causing noticeable thermal strain. When my AC power charger is connected, the cooling fans run at a very high audible RPM. I also experience temporary screen brightness flaring strictly when the charger is active, likely due to voltage shifts on the shared motherboard power tracks between the integrated AMD graphics and the system RAM channels when the update engine collides with my stop scripts. Other non- quality updates and daily Windows Defender definitions continue to download and install flawlessly when updates are enable. The issue is strictly isolated to this specific update package and sometimes previews. Tried So Far: Over the past few days, I have tried several methods to safely pause or stop this loop to protect my hardware from constant heat stress: Cache Resets: Cleared the contents of C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution multiple times. The loop returns as soon as the folder is regenerated. System Scans: Executed SFC /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. Both reports show a completely clean component store with no local system file corruption. Service Management: Used temporary command-line scripts to stop 'wuauserv', 'usosvc', and 'bits', and adjusted service recovery actions to prevent them from instantly restarting in the background. These tend to come and go, but most are usually settled at stopped for 2-3 days, and then installation of this lopping security update will force a reattempt on the 2 or 3 day and I have reenter the commands. Built-in Safeguards: Used the "Pause updates for 5 weeks" toggle in Settings just yesterday, where it greyed out for weeks prior, not sure if it will force the reinstall at random again. However, the Windows 11 Home kernel continues to still run background queries every few hours, triggering the hardware strain and it produces loud sounds when charging or resisting disabled setting even if disabling quiets the fan a lot of the time. Cleaned the software distribution folder. Cross-Forum Context & Certificate Discovery: While researching this, I noticed some initial confusion regarding whether the 26200 build numbering indicated an Insider build, but it appears to be a general retail baseline constraint. Some common suggestions include performing a full clean reinstall or a repair upgrade via USB, but I am hesitant due to the risk of overwriting fine-tuned hardware configurations and custom driver properties. Through cross-referencing documentation uploaded by other users facing identical loops on Build 26200, we uncovered a likely root cause. Logs from 'Get-SecureBootUEFI' show that the motherboard's underlying security certificates (Microsoft KEK CA 2011 and Microsoft Corporation UEFI CA 2011) officially expired in late June 2026. Because the current date has passed the certificate validity timeline, the Secure Boot subsystem appears to reject the cryptographic handshake of the June update files, causing the 0x80074101 database error and the subsequent retry loop. As a temporary fix, I am looking into using the official Microsoft WUShowHide diagnostic utility ('wushowhide.diagcab') from my desktop to hide KB5094126 and stabilize my processor and fan noise while waiting for a working patch wrapper that lets me upgrade safely. I would deeply appreciate any verified engineering insight or workarounds the community has found to help me safely bring this system up to date without side effects. Thank you so much for your time!Microsoft store crash issue
When I use the Microsoft store if i navigate to any app who's listing doesn't have the blue get/install button in the top right (and/or having the grey "more info" tab) the store will open the page, load it and then crash after a few seconds. Similarly if I source the installer for these apps from their host website (for example whatsapp's installer hosted on their site) the installer will attempt to contact the ms store, inform you of a failure, simply stating "something went wrong" and then attempt to open the store (which will then crash) or direct you to the online version of the store page, which will provide an identical .exe installer with the same behavior. This issue first started after I did a windows restore (keeping files but not apps) a while back, I have attempted a windows re-install as suggested by ms support to no avail. I've already tried the basic troubleshooting recommended by ms support (ws reset, relogging, PowerShell remove/re-install). Any help that you can provide would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time. Example event viewer crash: Faulting application name: WinStore.App.exe, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x69cb090d Faulting module name: Windows.UI.Xaml.dll, version: 10.0.26100.8875, time stamp: 0xde7cc7c7 Exception code: 0xc000027b Fault offset: 0x00000000008f9773 Faulting process id: 0x1878 Faulting application start time: 0x1DD15515B534E13 Faulting application path: C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.WindowsStore_22602.1401.6.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\WinStore.App.exe Faulting module path: C:\Windows\System32\Windows.UI.Xaml.dll Report Id: db6f430f-de02-4e34-9dac-3c9102473588 Faulting package full name: Microsoft.WindowsStore_22602.1401.6.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe Faulting package-relative application ID: App Windows info: Edition Windows 11 Education Version 25H2 Installed on 13/04/2026 OS build 26200.8875 Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.33
Windows 11 - Can't Change The Order Of Taskbar Icons
The title pretty much explains it all. I recently updated to Windows 11, and as I expected, I regret it, for numerous reasons. My biggest issue currently though is with my taskbar. I do tons of stuff with my PC on various apps, and I like to have those apps organized in a very specific way on my taskbar so they're easy to find. Well, ever since I upgraded, I can't move my taskbar icons. I'm tech savvy, so yea, I did all the common sense things. I tried right-clicking an empty space on the taskbar to make sure it's unlocked. The only two items that pop up when I right click it are "Task Manager" and "Taskbar Settings". So after that, I went into taskbar settings, figuring the lock feature must've been moved into there. I went through every single item on my taskbar personalization settings at least eight times now. Opened all the drop-downs, even went to other places in settings to try and find it. There is no "unlock taskbar" option in my taskbar settings either. I scanned everything on the drive with both "DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth" and "sfc /scannow". Neither found any issues. Can someone take a screenshot of where the "lock taskbar" option is supposed to be found in "personalization > taskbar" now? I am curious as to where it's supposed to be, and if anything else is missing too. But most importantly, can someone give me a suggestion to fix it? I hate to do system restores, as any time I did it in the past, it messed up multiple files of mine. Oh, and before you ask, this was an upgrade, not a fresh install. I don't have enough hours in the day as it is for extremely important things, let alone spend hours and hours completely reinstalling my OS, all apps, configuring it the way I want, etc. It'd easily take me half a day, which I do not have anytime soon. So, any suggestions where I don't have to spend hours and hours or jack up my hard drive to fix this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for you time.Recommend me a best duplicate photo cleaner for PC Windows 10
Hello everyone, can anyone recommend a good duplicate photo cleaner for PC? My photo library is getting bigger and bigger, and there are many duplicate pictures in it. It's too much effort to delete them manually, and I'm overwhelmed... I use Windows system, and it's better to have a user-friendly interface and automatically identify similar pictures. I tried a few random ones found on the Internet before, but the results were either too many ads or scanning a lot of useless photos, and the experience was very average. Is there any friend who has used it himself and thinks it is reliable? Please recommend it, thank you!Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable rolling back or getting corrupted after every Windows Update.
Hello! So I'm having an issue where multiple users would create a ticket stating they can't access AutoCAD, InDesign, and even sometimes even File Explorer. Now this part is an easy fix, just uninstall/reinstall or repair the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and the issue is fixed. The problem I'm having is that a few days later, the same users would create another ticket with the same issue. I've been going back and forth uninstalling/reinstalling, when a user (that was having this issue before, and I had fixed) brought up that they were able to access AutoCAD fine, until they did a Windows Update and rebooted. Sure enough, I remoted into their PC and their Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable wasn't updated to the v14. I first contacted AutoCAD and they did some digging and stated the same thing, that the Visual C++ was being rollback. Then I contacted Microsoft and they had me go to Windows support which then they guided me here. So I'm presenting my question here now, anyone else had this issue, and is there a solution to this fix? Thanks!
DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x9F) on ASUS X870E-E & Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Hello, I am experiencing frequent BSODs with the stop code DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x9F). Hardware: ASUS ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming WiFi • AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D • Windows 11 • Latest AMD chipset drivers installed from the ASUS website • BIOS 2306 (the issue also occurred before updating to this BIOS) Symptoms: • Random BSODs during very light workloads (Outlook, Chrome, PDFCreator). • Today I experienced four BSODs within 20 minutes. • Sometimes the PC can run for about an hour before crashing. • The computer also wakes from sleep by itself every 10 to 15 minutes. Troubleshooting already performed: • BIOS updated. • AMD chipset drivers completely removed and reinstalled. • OCCT CPU and memory stress tests completed without errors. • No WHEA errors reported. • Normal CPU and motherboard temperatures. WinDbg analysis: Bugcheck: DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x9F) IMAGE_NAME: pci.sys Failure Bucket: 0x9F_3_ACPI_IMAGE_pci.sys Power IRP blocked in ACPI. Device identified: PCI\VEN_1022&DEV_14DB I also found another ASUS ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming WiFi user reporting the same DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE (0x9F). In that case, WinDbg identified Usb4HostRouter.sys instead of pci.sys. Could this indicate an AMD chipset, ACPI, USB4 controller or motherboard PCIe power management issue? I can provide the minidump files, the complete WinDbg analysis and the Windows Event Viewer logs if needed. Thank you.Will closing the laptop screen without putting it to sleep damage the computer?
Just switched from a MacBook to a Windows 11 laptop. I'm used to simply closing the laptop lid without manually selecting sleep mode, and I'm concerned whether this action might cause hardware damage or affect the system's lifespan. Need clarification on Windows' default lid-closing behavior and recommended safety settings.Battery draining quickly on laptops
My laptop's battery drains very quickly, even when I am not using resource-intensive applications or performing heavy tasks. The battery life seems significantly shorter than when I first bought the device, making it inconvenient to use without frequent recharging. I want to find out the possible causes of this rapid battery drain and how I can improve my battery life through settings, maintenance, or other troubleshooting steps. Any advice to extend my laptop's battery performance would be greatly appreciated.
When right-clicking a file in File Explorer, the context menu takes a long time to appear
When I right-click a file in File Explorer, the context menu takes about 2–3 seconds to appear, which is especially noticeable in folders with a large number of files. The context menu appears normally when I right-click on an empty area of the desktop. I’ve tried disabling third-party context menu extensions, but it didn’t make much of a difference.Rare Hardware Compatibility Conflicts with Specific Wi-Fi Modules
My Windows 10 PC occasionally experiences hardware compatibility conflicts, specifically with certain Wi-Fi modules, leading to intermittent connectivity issues and device errors. These conflicts happen rarely but cause significant frustration when they occur, affecting network stability and device performance. Despite updating drivers and checking hardware connections, the problem persists unpredictably, and I am seeking advice on how to identify and resolve these compatibility conflicts to ensure reliable Wi-Fi connectivity.
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Have a question about Windows 11, device management, security, updates, or modern endpoint operations? This hour is dedicated entirely to your questions. Bring what's top of mind—from Windows 11 adop...
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Have a question about Windows 11, device management, security, updates, or modern endpoint operations? This hour is dedicated entirely to your questions. Bring what's top of mind—from Windows 11 adop...
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