Microsoft Technical Takeoff 2026: Windows + Intune
Mondays in March. Deep dives. AMAs. Windows, Intune, Windows 365, and Azure Virtual Desktop. Join us for Microsoft Technical Takeoff 2026 for Windows + Intune! This virtual technical skilling event takes you deep inside the latest features, capabilities, and scenarios for commercial organizations and the IT professionals that support them. Skill up and get answers to your questions from the engineering and product teams behind the features. How do I participate? Create your own agenda. Select “Add to Calendar” on a session page to save the date, then click the “Attend” button to save your spot, receive event reminders, and participate in the Q&A. If you can’t make the live session, don’t worry. You can post your questions in advance and catch up on the answers and insights later in the week. All sessions for Tech Takeoff will be recorded and available on demand immediately after airing. Don't see the "Attend" button or the ability to post Comments? Make sure to first sign in on the Tech Community! MONDAY MARCH 2 MONDAY MARCH 9 MONDAY MARCH 16 MONDAY MARCH 23 7:00 AM Let's talk Windows and Intune: 2026 edition 7:00 AM The latest in security for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop 7:00 AM Why smarter Windows management starts with Intune 7:00 AM AMA: The latest in Windows hardware security 7:30 AM The latest in Windows 11 security 7:30 AM Secure Boot certificate updates explained 7:30 AM Reporting at scale with Windows Autopatch update readiness 7:30 AM Zero Trust DNS: Securing Windows one connection at a time 8:00 AM Uplevel business continuity with Windows 365 Reserve 8:00 AM Feedback wanted: App management in the enterprise 8:00 AM User experience updates: Windows 365 Boot and more 8:00 AM AMA: Secure and manage AI and agentic capabilities in Windows 8:30 AM Hotpatch updates demystified: answers to real-world questions 8:30 AM Ready day one: how to get Windows users up and running fast 8:30 AM AI roundup: Intune agents for outcome-oriented innovation 8:30 AM Deploy and manage Windows 365 with Microsoft Intune 9:00 AM Zero Trust in action: securing endpoints with Intune 9:00 AM Making the most of your Intune data 9:00 AM AMA: Getting the most from Security Copilot in Intune 9:00 AM Unpacking Endpoint Management: Live from Tech Takeoff 2026 9:30 AM AMA: Windows Autopilot 9:30 AM Windows 365 reporting and monitoring updates 9:30 AM Manage Apple devices at scale: Intune security best practices 9:30 AM Azure Virtual Desktop for hybrid environments 10:00 AM The AI‑powered admin: emerging trends in endpoint management 10:00 AM Least privilege on Windows with Endpoint Privilege Management 10:00 AM Click less, manage more: simplify app deployment with Intune 10:00 AM Protect users, stop attacks: Passkeys on Windows 10:30 AM Eliminating NTLM in Windows 10:30 AM Windows 365 Frontline expands with Cloud Apps and more 10:30 AM App Control for Business: same roots, new playbook 10:30 AM AMA: AI and agentic features for Windows 365 11:00 AM One platform, many industries: smart Android management with Intune 11:00 AM From panic to productive: point-in-time restore in Windows 11:00 AM Intune timing demystified: what really happens behind the scenes 11:00 AM Transitioning to post-quantum cryptography 11:30 AM Resiliency with Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop 11:30 AM The Intune playbook for iOS management at scale 11:30 AM Migrating from VDI to Windows 365 11:30 AM Resilience for the modern era: Windows quick machine recovery This event will feature AI-generated captions during the live broadcast. Human-generated captions will be available by the end of the week.
Internal RDP vs Self-Hosted RustDesk
Hi everyone, I am looking for some guidance and real-world experiences around choosing the best approach for remote access in a Windows environment. Right now, we are considering two main options: - Continue using Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), but strictly for internal use only (no direct exposure to the public internet). - Deploy a self-hosted instance of RustDesk as an alternative or complement to RDP for remote access and remote support. Our main concern is security. RDP has historically been a common attack vector, especially when exposed externally or misconfigured, and we want to avoid introducing unnecessary risk to our endpoints. Even if we restrict RDP to internal networks or VPN-only access, we are still cautious about potential vulnerabilities, credential theft, lateral movement, and abuse of remote access. What we are trying to understand better is: 1. In environments where RDP is used only inside the LAN or over VPN (no open RDP from the internet), what are the recommended hardening practices and controls you would consider mandatory today? Examples might include: Network Level Authentication (NLA), strong account policies, just-in-time access, firewall restrictions, RDP Gateway, MFA, monitoring/logging, etc. 2. From a security and operational perspective, is it generally considered acceptable to keep RDP enabled only for internal administrative tasks, while avoiding using RDP for end-user remote support scenarios? 3. For those who have deployed self-hosted RustDesk (or similar remote support tools) in a Windows/Active Directory environment, how has it compared to RDP in terms of: - Security model (encryption, authentication, access control, exposure to the internet) - Ease of deployment and maintenance - User experience and performance - Logging, auditing, and integration with existing security monitoring 4. Are there any best practices or architectural patterns you would recommend when combining these approaches? For example: - Keeping RDP only on jump servers / bastion hosts inside the network - Using RustDesk (self-hosted) for remote support and helpdesk use cases - Enforcing least privilege, MFA, and strong authentication for all remote access paths - Segmentation and limiting which machines are even allowed to receive RDP connections 5. Have you encountered any specific security pitfalls, misconfigurations, or "gotchas" when relying on RDP internally or when rolling out RustDesk self-hosted that we should be aware of before committing to a design? Our goal is to design a remote access strategy that: - Minimizes attack surface and reduces the likelihood of compromise via remote access. - Separates administrative access from end-user remote support where it makes sense. - Remains manageable for a small IT/security team in terms of configuration, patching, and monitoring. If you have any references to Microsoft documentation, hardening guides, or community best practices for RDP (especially internal-only scenarios), as well as any detailed write-ups or lessons learned from using RustDesk self-hosted in production, those would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance for any guidance, recommendations, or examples you can share. Best regards, Juan
Windows 11 24H2/25H2 System Freeze After January 2026 Updates – Lenovo ThinkPad G2
Dear Microsoft Support Team, We would like to raise a high-priority technical support case regarding a stability issue observed after installing the January 2026 cumulative updates on our Windows 11 devices. Environment Details: Device Model: Lenovo ThinkPad G2 (multiple units) OS Versions: Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 Update Installed: January 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative update (KB number can be provided) Deployment Method: WSUS / Intune / Windows Update (specify accordingly) BIOS Version: (Installed Latest available from Lenovo) Issue Description: After installing the January 2026 cumulative updates, devices intermittently experience a complete system freeze. The system becomes fully unresponsive: Mouse and keyboard input stop responding No BSOD is displayed Task Manager cannot be opened System recovery is only possible via hard reboot (power button) Frequency: The issue occurs randomly, both during active use and idle state. Multiple users across our environment are impacted. Troubleshooting Performed: Reinstalled OEM-certified Lenovo display drivers Disabled Fast Startup Ran SFC and DISM health checks (no integrity violations) Updated BIOS to latest version Setting power idle mode, then work normally Request: - Please confirm whether this is a known global issue under investigation. - Advise if any hotfix, Known Issue Rollback (KIR), or registry-based mitigation is available. - Provide guidance on additional diagnostic logging required at kernel or driver level. - Confirm whether crash dump analysis is recommended for this scenario. We are prepared to provide additional diagnostic logs, memory dumps, or reproduction steps upon request. Kindly treat this as a priority case due to multi-user impact in a production environment. Thank you for your support. #Windows11, #Windows 11 24H2, Windows Update, Cumulative Update, System Freeze, Lenovo ThinkPad, Display Driver, Enterprise
M Service Failed to Start
Hi, I'm getting the following error which seems to be causing my PC to freeze and it can only be unfrozen by powering off/on: 'The M service failed to start due to the following error: The system cannot find the file specified.' Using the registry editor I found the following: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\M I noticed that the ImagePath data is set to C Can anyone shed any light on what the M service is and how to rectify this? Regards, Rich
Cross-device clipboard not working on Windows 11 25H2 (Phone Link connected, sync enabled)
Hi everyone, I’m experiencing an issue with cross-device clipboard sync between my Windows 11 laptop (Version 25H2, Build 26200.7840) and a Samsung S25 Ultra. What is already working: Phone Link shows the phone as connected, Bluetooth pairing is successful, Clipboard history is enabled in Windows, Sync across devices is turned on with automatic sync selected, the option to allow this PC to access mobile devices is enabled under Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mobile devices, the phone is signed in using the same Microsoft account, and cross-device copy and paste is enabled in Link to Windows on the phone. The problem: Even with all required settings enabled, the phone does not appear under Mobile devices, copy and paste between the phone and PC does not work, and no errors are shown in Phone Link or Windows settings. Additional observations: The system is running Windows 11 25H2 (Build 26200+). Some legacy sync services used in older builds are no longer present. This appears to be a device registration or cross-device platform issue rather than a configuration mistake. Troubleshooting already attempted: Re-linking Phone Link from scratch, signing out and back into the Microsoft account on both devices, clearing Link to Windows app data on Android, restarting related Windows services and rebooting both devices, verifying clipboard sync settings multiple times, and installing the latest Windows updates available for this build. None of these steps resolved the issue. Question: Is this a known issue with Windows 11 25H2 / Build 26200+ that affects cross-device clipboard registration? If anyone has a confirmed fix, registry or feature-flag workaround, or official confirmation from Microsoft, I would really appreciate the guidance. This could also help others using newer Windows builds. Thanks in advance.Save the date: Windows Office Hours - February 19, 2026
Join us for our upcoming Windows Office Hours on February 19, from 8:00–9:00 AM PT! A wide range of product experts, servicing specialists, and engineers from across Windows, Microsoft Intune, Configuration Manager, Windows 365, Windows Autopilot, security, public sector, FastTrack, and more will be online and ready to help. They’ll be in the chat to offer guidance, explore best practices, and answer any questions you bring. Want to learn more about how Windows Office Hours works? Visit the Windows IT Pro Blog for a full overview. If you’re unable to join live at 8:00 AM PT, you can still participate—just post your questions on the Windows Office Hours: February 19th event page up to two days beforehand.
USB drive not showing up in file explorer
Hi The laptop makes usual ding noise when the USB drive is added but there is no option to open the files from File Explorer. I've done some research and tried various things - restart, uninstalling drivers etc and have found myself on the Event Viewer page for the USB drive. The following is displayed: Device settings for USBSTOR\Disk&Ven_SanDisk&Prod_Cruzer_Blade&Rev_1.00\04016924101322110935&0 were not migrated from previous OS installation due to partial or ambiguous device match. I'm thinking this is the problem?? But how do I fix it? Many thanks in advance for any helpWindows needs granular control for specific notifications, not just category-wide toggles for USB-C.
I have been a Windows user for most of my life, and as the hardware industry aggressively shifts toward USB-C, the Windows notification system is severely falling behind. There is a major flaw in how Windows handles USB-C notifications: it forces users to either endure constant spam for things they are already aware of or disable an entire category of notifications just to stop one annoying pop-up. Here are the two major problems I am facing with USB-C on both Windows 10 and Windows 11: The "Slow Charger" Spam (Despite High Wattage). My laptop supports both traditional barrel jack and USB-C PD charging. When I use a high-quality USB-C charger and cable that matches or even exceeds the wattage of the original charger, Windows constantly floods me with a "Slow charger" warning (see attached screenshot). To be clear, the manufacturer of my high-performance laptop embedded a power profile that automatically switches the system to lower performance when it detects charging over USB-C. I am fully aware of this hardware-level behavior and am not doing heavy tasks. Because the system is already limiting its power draw by design, there is no actual lack of wattage coming from my charger. Yet, Windows continuously spams the warning anyway. The biggest bug: Windows actually has a specific setting to turn off the "slow charging over USB-C" notification. However, even when this is toggled off, Windows ignores the setting and keeps spamming the notification anyway. All my drivers are fully up to date. The False "DisplayPort Limitation" Warning. I use a monitor that supports DisplayPort over USB-C and has an integrated USB hub. I am only using the USB-C cable for the USB hub functionality (data). My actual video signal is routed through a traditional DisplayPort cable directly from my graphics card. Every time my monitor wakes up from sleep, Windows throws a warning about a "USB-C DisplayPort limitation." I am fully aware of how my hardware is routed. I know I am not using the USB-C for video, but Windows won't let me dismiss this specific warning permanently. The Unacceptable Support Experience I reached out to Microsoft Support via live chat. The agent did not seem to understand what these specific warnings meant or what their purpose was. Their official "solution" was to go into Windows settings and completely disable all notifications for the entire "Energy" or "USB" categories. They basically told me to hide it and called it a day. What is the point of having a notification system if the only way to fix a bugged alert is to blind the system entirely? If I disable the whole USB category, I might miss an actual critical warning later. Microsoft introduced these USB connection and charging alerts back in Windows 10, but the system is clearly incomplete and remains broken in Windows 11. Microsoft needs to fix the broken "disable" toggles for these alerts and give users granular control over specific notifications, rather than forcing us to use a sledgehammer to turn off the whole category.
Battery shows as 0%, but on battery report and in settings shows as 100% charged
On Lenovo Ideapad Slim 5 14AHP9, Windows 11 Have had this suddenly without any recent updates or applications installed. Battery shows as 0% in the bottom right corner, and will shut down immediately if not on AC power. However from battery report and in the power section of settings it shows as 100% charged, or having charge. There was also a period of one day where it fixed itself and went back to normal, before returning to this state. Have tried multiple things to fix this so far including - Full discharge and disconnecting/reconnecting the battery - BIOS update - Turning off power saving settings in battery - Deleting battery drivers Looking for any suggestions of how to proceed. Particularly confused as it worked as normal for a day, making me think perhaps it's not the battery having died? Not sure tho Battery Report from powercfg https://limewire.com/d/nPeaG#QLIFLOWqKH Battery screenshots https://ibb.co/RkqznTrt https://ibb.co/xSgpCd5Tsettings were not migrated from previous OS installation due to partial or ambiguous device match
I can't access the files on my external ssd drive. The Event record = settings were not migrated from previous OS installation due to partial or ambiguous device match Device Manager = present but Volumes tab shows "-"s Disk Management = not present I am not a newbie and it is very rare I cannot fix a computer/IT issue on my own but this one has me stuck. Windows is up to date, BIOS is up to date, drivers, etc. I've done ALL the things suggested online. I even wiped my computer and reinstalled everything, still not working. I need a fix for this, I need the files. HELP!
