Windows Insider Program topics

I just updated to the Insider Program, and the memory graph is blank.

Thatcherw — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:51:24 GMT

After updating to the latest Insider Preview build, the memory chart area in the Performance tab of Task Manager appears blank and does not display the historical trend line for memory usage. The CPU, disk, and network charts are all displayed normally. Attempts to change the chart update rate and restart the computer have been unsuccessful.

Is there a way to replace all system icons at once in the Insider program?

JaxonReed — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:48:35 GMT

Is it possible to replace all default icons in the preview build at once by modifying the system icons folder, or is there a tool that can do this with a single click?

A USB speaker in preview mode is suddenly recognized as a Steam Streaming device

VirgilAwesome — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 06:14:43 GMT

I'm not sure if this is related to the Windows Insider update, but the issue didn't appear until today, after last night's update. My USB speakers suddenly aren't being recognized properly and are showing up as Steam Streaming Speakers/Microphone in the sound settings.

I've tried the following solutions, but none of them worked:

Disable the speakers in Settings

Unplugged and replugged the speakers—the indicator lights and beeps work fine, but there’s no sound

Checked the BIOS to make sure the audio controller is enabled

Disabled/uninstalled the driver in Device Manager, then restarted

The problem still hasn’t been resolved. I suspect this might be a glitch caused by a Steam or Windows update. Has anyone else encountered the same issue?

How do I get the preview version to display the new silver Windows logo?

GeraldMartin — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 06:13:26 GMT

I've seen some screenshots where the preview version's logo is silver. How is this achieved? Does it require modifying the theme or system files, or is this a feature unique to a specific version?

The list of temporary files in the Insider system storage settings cannot be loaded

CrosbyBeckett — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 06:10:55 GMT

After updating to the latest Insider Preview build, when I open Settings → System → Storage and tap Temporary files, the list remains in the Calculating... state and fails to display the file types and sizes that can be cleared, making it impossible to free up disk space through system settings. It remains unresponsive even after waiting several minutes.

Bitte Geräte‑UUID aus dem Windows Insider Program entfernen

lantzelordt — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:55:37 GMT

Hallo, mein Gerät lädt nach jeder Neuinstallation automatisch Insider‑Builds, obwohl ich das Programm verlassen habe.

Bitte entfernen Sie meine Geräte‑UUID vollständig aus dem Windows Insider Program: ACF35976‑45A5‑0B48‑A913‑12C6F1A12083

Mein vorheriger Beitrag wurde nicht freigeschaltet, daher stelle ich die Anfrage erneut.

Vielen Dank!

Insider Update Settings page shows that your organization has disabled certain updates

LukeUnderwood — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:13:16 GMT

After upgrading to the latest Insider Preview build, when I open Settings → Windows Update, a yellow warning banner appears at the top of the page stating that my organization has disabled certain updates, even though I am not part of any corporate domain and have never seen this message before. After checking the Group Policy and Registry settings for updates, I found no unusual configurations.

CrossDeviceResume has reappeared after the Insider Preview update KB5089573

SebastianSantos — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:08:20 GMT

After using a tool to disable the resume feature for nearly a year, the KB5089573 preview update caused the CrossDeviceResume feature to reappear. The old method no longer works; even when the key is entered correctly, the resume prompt still pops up at every startup.

All related features have now been removed. Is there a new workaround to disable the resume feature again?

The Insider build is stuck at 29591, and the 29595 update cannot be detected.

RaymondRamirez — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:06:05 GMT

I went to Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates, hoping to detect and download version 29595, but it actually told me that I was already running the latest version and couldn't update to 29595.

In the Insider build, all the pinned folders in Quick Access suddenly disappeared

QuinnRoberts — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:04:37 GMT

After updating to the latest Insider Preview build, all frequently used folders that I had manually pinned to the Quick Access section in File Explorer disappeared and reverted to their default state.

When I tried repinning the folders and restarted File Explorer, the pinned items were lost again, and I was unable to maintain my custom Quick Access list.

How to Stop the Win 11 KB5094126 Installation Loop and Safely Upgrade From March Baseline Risk-Free

Nab2255 — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:04:37 GMT

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 .

1. 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.

2. 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?

3. How can I fix this loop, with absolutely zero risk to my custom graphics profiles, legacy driver stability, or screen brightness thresholds?

4. 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.

5. 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!

Urgent: Stuck KB5094126 (2026-06 Security Update) Loop on ASUS M413A

Nab2255 — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 22:57:18 GMT

Hello, I have a very urgent issue. I am running an ASUS M413A Model M413IA-EB211T laptop running in the Windows 11 Insider Preview program.

Right now, my machine is caught in a persistent and highly aggressive background update loop regarding the June 2026 Security Update KB5094126 for OS Build 26200.8655. The core background engines wuauserv and usosvc continually flip themselves back to Running and Manual/Automatic via background kernel self-healing routines. They are completely ignoring manual user flags to stay disabled via standard sc config commands.

Because my system utilizes 8 GB of total RAM with shared integrated graphics, this ongoing background processing loop completely bottlenecks my remaining usable memory. This is throwing my processor usage to 100 percent and causing extreme, loud cooling fan strain whenever the AC charger is plugged in. Furthermore, the loop is continually eating 5 to 12 GBs of data at every single automatic download attempt, creating massive network usage and consuming massive storage bandwidth.

My Exact System Specs:

Device Name: LAPTOP-S4R984K2

Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4700U with Radeon Graphics 2.00 GHz, 8 Cores

Installed RAM: 8.00 GB 7.42 GB usable due to integrated hardware reservation

Graphics Card: Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics 496 MB dedicated video cache

System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Storage Environment: 226 GB used out of 477 GB available total capacity

What Actionable Steps I Am Seeking from the Community:

Question 1. July Update Availability Check: Is there a way to safely skip this broken June patch and download the July updated version directly for my specific environment: Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.8655?

Question 2. Safe Standalone Roadmap: If I must install this, what is the exact method to download the correct standalone package for KB5094126 and initialize it manually without using the broken Windows Update pipeline?

Question 3. Enforcement Command: What exact script can I deploy inside an elevated Administrator Command Prompt cmd or anywhere else to forcefully inject a registry block or anything else that stays active for as long as I put it? It must survive the aggressive Insider kernel health loops and hold the block long-term without risking database corruption or triggering automatic system overrides?

Question 4. Cache and Datastore Maintenance Question: Is there any safe method to clear out the active transaction log database handles inside C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore\Logs? Could these lingering handles be the underlying reason why this build is failing to process the install, and how can they be purged without risking database corruption or a forced recovery loop?

CRITICAL CONSTRAINT — Strict Risks I Must Avoid:

I am completely refusing to do an In-Place Upgrade, a total system reset, or utilize the built-in Fix problems using Windows Update recovery utility. I need the forum experts to provide a path that completely guards against the following risks:

Risk 1. System Freeze and Repair Loops: Falling into a mid-way installation freeze or an endless Automatic Repair boot loop where the machine fails to load back to the desktop.

Risk 2. Display and Brightness Driver Corruption: Resetting, updating, or modifying my legacy display driver configuration. Any driver modification will immediately re-trigger unreadable thin system fonts, highly oversaturated display graphics, or high brightness spikes.

Risk 3. Loss of Custom Profiles: Overriding my fine-tuned power slider behaviors, custom screen brightness thresholds, or my explicitly disabled auto-brightness/adaptive content feature tags. I must avoid resetting any of these features, as simply changing the brightness level itself causes a severe brightness spike.

Complete Ledger of Troubleshooting Steps Taken So Far All Failed or Reversed:

Step 1. Cache Purges: Cleared out the SoftwareDistribution Download folder, but the text entry remains stuck on the Settings app screen.

Step 2. File-Level Permission Locks: Used icacls to deny the local SYSTEM account permission to execute wuaueng.dll. This successfully froze the loop for exactly 3 days until the automated 3-day Insider system health check forcefully restored factory permissions and restarted the services.

Step 3. Firewall Barriers: Set up outbound Windows Defender Firewall block rules targeting the specific update services, which were actively bypassed by alternative network pipelines inside svchost.exe.

Step 4. Service Configurations: Regularly deployed combination scripts to stop and disable wuauserv, usosvc, and bits via command line, which are immediately overwritten by the Insider kernel health loops.

Step 5. System Health Restore and Scan Results: Ran standard administrative system repairs sfc /scannow and DISM /RestoreHealth. The tools reported that they successfully repaired something in the background, but the scan logs were completely unclear as to what was fixed, and it did not resolve the update loop.

How can I safely acquire the standalone update package and force-install it without risking my current display profiles, causing a system freeze, or forcing an in-place operating system upgrade? Please let me know as soon as possible, I have been dealing with this for at least a month or longer.

26H2 → 26220 → 25H2 upgrade failures and Insider enrollment reverting

BladeOfWicca — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:02:30 GMT

Ok, so I moved from the Beta Channel to the Experimental Channel to pick up 26H2 early, following the guidance in the Insider email and the support article. After receiving 26H2, I switched back to Beta, which the same guidance said was fine. After that, Windows tried to install build 26220, and that upgrade failed twice.

I tried leaving the Insider Program to return to the base build, planning to re‑enter Beta afterward. The staging phase completed normally, but on reboot the system skipped the usual update screens and went straight to the desktop without applying anything. When I tried re‑entering Insider Beta, the system reverted the change on reboot and left me unenrolled again. I’ve paused the attempt to install 25H2 because it keeps trying to stage and uses a large amount of disk space.

The upgrade failures all behave the same way. The “Preparing updates” part at restart completes, the offline portion completes, but the online configuration phase never runs. The system just rolls back to the desktop with no visible error. The error code I’ve seen is 0x8007000D, and the failure happens during the SECOND_BOOT / MIGRATE_DATA phase.

I also tried getting help through support. One rep said she would remote in to troubleshoot, but that session never happened. The next rep did remote in, but only cleared temporary files and ran a basic step. During that conversation I was told the case was waiting for escalation, then that there was no escalation team, and then that it had been forwarded to the correct team. The case was closed before I had time to reply or ask anything.

There seems to be a servicing stack mismatch as well. DISM reports version 10.0.26100.8772, while the image version shows 10.0.26300.8772. The same mismatch appears across other command‑line tools I used while trying to clear space and repair the servicing environment.

I’ve been working on this for days now and I’m really hoping someone can help. Thank you in advance.

Sleep and wake issues on PC

Mathew — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:46:09 GMT

where the system either fails to wake up properly or remains unresponsive after sleep mode. Despite adjusting power settings and updating drivers, the problem persists, causing inconvenience and disrupting my workflow. I need guidance on troubleshooting these sleep and wake problems, including potential solutions to ensure my PC enters and resumes from sleep mode smoothly without crashes or freezes. Any advice or steps to resolve this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Logic board or hardware component failures

Cordova — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:43:26 GMT

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.

Security vulnerabilities or malware infections on Windows PC

Beverly — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:37:18 GMT

Hey everyone, I'm pretty sure my Windows PC got hit with something nasty—I'm seeing random pop-ups, weird background processes eating up my CPU, and my browser keeps redirecting to sketchy sites no matter what I do. I've already run Windows Defender and Malwarebytes, but they're not finding anything, so I'm wondering if there's a deeper rootkit or a manual removal method that actually works for this kind of infection without having to nuke my whole system. Any help would be huge, thanks!

Security vulnerabilities or malware infections on Windows PC

Faulk — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:35:55 GMT

Bitte Geräte‑UUID aus Windows Insider Program entfernen

lantzelordt — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:29:22 GMT

Hallo, mein Gerät lädt nach jeder Neuinstallation automatisch Windows Insider Builds, obwohl ich das Insider‑Programm verlassen habe.

Bitte entfernen Sie meine Geräte‑UUID vollständig aus dem Windows Insider Program: ACF35976‑45A5‑0B48‑A913‑12C6F1A12083

Vielen Dank!

Can we get Microsoft to make the CorePC modular OS into a windows 12 smooth experience?

MrSketchy — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 23:22:10 GMT

Guys I was thinking microsoft should change the software architecture for windows on ARM devices since they chose to use a unified memory architecture and ram consumption is nuts, I thought we could maybe convince them into making it so that the Os they seem to be planning to make for arm devices is rlly lightweight and modular, if compatibility was an issue they could maybe make a wine-like compatibility layer that doesnt run unless the program is categorized as x64 rather than arm, like a "better prism" which is the current compatibility layer, and maybe make better use of the npu so it actually helps the OS rather than just idling there, unmenacingly, MICROSOFT TEAM IF U SEE THIS PLEASE DO I NEED THIS, THESE ARM DEVICES HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL BUT RIGHT NOW THEY ARE KINDA BAD PLEASEEEEEE, GET EM BOYS

After a problematic BIOS update

cskab — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:37:40 GMT

Hello. My problem is that I updated my BIOS, and Windows thinks there is new hardware installed, so it disabled my activation. Why?

Version number: 28020.2380