Hello experts.
TLDR: Personal device, hit with Windows Defender device isolation somehow, that has disabled internet access, even though laptop connects to network that has internet connectivity. Need device to be unisolated (or released from isolation) but unsure how, since this is not a domain-joined organization device but rather a personal one.
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I work from home on a personal device. This device was originally a Windows 10 Enterprise laptop but, for about the last couple years, has my Windows 10 Pro license activated on it. It had been working fine all this while.
It used to be an organization domain-joined laptop. But they let me keep it when I left, after they disconnected it from the domain. I activated my personal Win10Pro license but never did a reinstall.
Note that I login to this laptop using a local admin account now.
However, earlier in the morning today, I got this message in my notifications - "Network Disabled - your IT administrator has caused Windows Defender to disconnect your device. Contact IT help desk."
Ever since, this laptop has not connected to the internet. I should state that I connect this laptop via a wired connection. My network is fine, because other wired devices work just fine but this laptop no longer connects to internet over ethernet or Wi-Fi. Note that it does connect to my network, which has internet connectivity. Every browser (Chrome and Edge) says "your internet access is blocked".
I have always kept this laptop up to date with both Windows Updates and Windows Defender updates.
On doing some research, I found that this is being caused by some sort of device isolation that Windows Defender triggered. I have no idea why; it seems this is a feature of Microsoft Defender for Endpoints, but honestly I did not even think I had Defender for Endpoints installed on this laptop.
My Google searches seems to suggest that "an organization administrator" can un-isolate the device. But this is a personal device and is not joined to any organization domain. It used to be at some point but I changed that to a workgroup years earlier.
The windows version now is Win 10 Pro 21H2 Build 19044.1415.
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Windows Support told me to "reinstall Windows", which I suppose is my last resort.
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/3861afee-7c5e-4835-8b25-2da2ca6ec278/pc-isolation-...
The final post on this link, seems to suggest there is a utility that may be run on my laptop to get it out of isolation? I am wondering since the changes Windows Defender made to the laptop must be local to the laptop, is there any way to revert it?
Unfortunately I do not have a system restore point.
Can someone please help? Thank you.
