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 help
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.
settings 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!Issue Printing in Color on Windows 11
I am having an issue enabling color printing on Windows 11 for my HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 printer. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the printer several times, installed the latest printer drivers for this model, and made sure that it was set up using a Standard TCP/IP Port instead of WSD. Here is what my computer is showing when I attempt to print: Ink cartridges installed have a sufficient amount of ink (I just installed two new ink cartridges). Any possible solutions would be much appreciated!
Bluetooth Headset Microphone Constantly Disconnects
Hello, I have noticed this issue not only with myself, but several colleagues of mine using any bluetooth headset and its built-in microphone. When initially connecting bluetooth headsets to our Windows devices (Apple, Shokz, etc.) they work as intended. However, the microphone seems to disconnect and no longer be recognized by Windows randomly throughout the day and/or right before answering calls (through MS Teams). Audio continues working as intended. The only solution I have found is restarting the device. You can imagine this becomes extremely annoying and causes us to lose time working. I have tried several other solutions. Uninstalling the drivers through device manager just creates an endless loading screen loop and never completely uninstalls any drivers while the headset is paired. Removing the device in Windows Bluetooth settings also ends up getting stuck and doesn't allow you to un-pair or re-connect to the headset. Restarting Bluetooth services does not fix the issue either. Does anyone have a similar issue or a fix for this? It has only started happening recently, maybe within the past couple weeks.Look for a safe place for Windows 11 24H2 ISO Download
My PC was upgraded to 25H2 one month ago and I am not satisfied with the new release. My monitor turns black from time to time and unable to fix the issue after days of researching. This has very negative impact for me as it is my working machine. There was no problem at all when running Windows 11 24H2 on this device. However, the Windows 11 download page only holds download for 25H2 ISO image. Does anyone know a safe place to download Windows 11 24H2 ISO image so I can downgrade from 25H2 to 24H2?
