Security Issue: Win 11/iPhones/Phone Link/User Accounts work&private
Something strange happened recently. I had a work laptop with a very generic password to open it to the "Admin" user ( the only user set up by my employer - literally "0000"). As I was using it I downloaded 2 apps for work: Whatsapp, which my employer uses for all communication between employees, and the Phone Link app, which I had linked to our work phone (iPhone 11). Additionally, sitting in my pocket, I had my iPhone (the iPhone SE), which had Phone Link on it already, but was connected to my laptop at home. Important: I never entered my username/email/password into my work computer. The Problem: At some point, the work computer started showing the image of a flower I have saved on my laptop at home on the open screen connected to my user profile. Sign in didn't change at all (no password change), but the image did. Then everything Microsoft on that work laptop was converted to all my information: Private banking, all my bookmarks for my Edge Browser, Microsoft Store, and Phone Link. I couldn't even remove the work Phone Link profile from my personal iPhone. I had to go online to Microsoft to manage users: https://account.microsoft.com/devices https://account.microsoft.com/devices/content https://account.microsoft.com/security And indeed my work computer was listed both in the Microsoft Store, My Devices, and in the Phone Link settings in the app (where I couldn't remove it). I removed all the work related devices and changed my password. I asked AI explaining what happened and this was the result: Via AI: "That's actually the most common scenario. You almost certainly didn't type a password — Phone Link silently inherited an already-active session. Here's how: The Microsoft Store is the usual culprit. If your personal Microsoft account was ever signed into the Microsoft Store on that work laptop (even once, to download any app), a valid session token stays cached. When you opened Phone Link and clicked through setup, it detected that existing Store session and used it without prompting you for a password at all. You'd see a "Continue" or "Sign in" button that just… works, with no credential entry. From a Microsoft Q&A thread confirming this exact behavior: "The unwanted email showing in Phone Link was signed in the store app." Another thread adds: "Phone Link saves your account info with your Windows user profile, and sometimes your Microsoft Store account too." So the sequence was likely: At some point (possibly during initial IT setup, or when you downloaded something), your personal account got signed into the Store on the work laptop. You opened Phone Link, clicked through the setup, and it silently used that cached Store session — no password prompt. Windows then associated your personal Microsoft account with a local user profile on the machine." My work laptop with Phone Link was actually showing then my personal phone and conversations and not the work iPhone I had linked originally. I need some input as to whether this has happened to other people. It seems like a massive security flaw - I didn't sign in and now my employer suddenly has all my personal info from banking to phone conversations on their laptop which is totally unacceptable. Additionally they are accusing me of browsing while at work, but all that information is from my home computer where I was doing my banking and other work on Edge. They just aren't tech savvy enough to figure that out and just see all the links. I was never given any info from my phone or any of the Windows apps or OS that it was migrating my data to that computer. It just did it. Is there a way to block this from happening? Have other people experienced it? To me it's terrifying and inexcusable that there would be such a flaw.
A clean install of Windows 11 can corrupt network drivers and result in a black screen.
A clean install corrupts the network driver and results in a black screen. I've tried this four times so far, but it's broken every time. If it keeps getting corrupted even after being recreated multiple times, I think there's probably a problem with the image itself. Unfortunately, I can only use it in Japanese, so it might only be available in Japan.A clean install of Windows 11 can corrupt network drivers and result in a black screen.
A clean install corrupts the network driver and results in a black screen. I've tried this four times so far, but it's broken every time. If it keeps getting corrupted even after being recreated multiple times, I think there's probably a problem with the image itself. Unfortunately, I can only use it in Japanese, so it might only be available in Japan.
November 2026 update caused boot loop and SrtTrail.txt error on Lenovo Yoga (Late 2019)
Hello, I am reporting a critical boot loop issue caused by the recent November 2026 Windows 11 update on a late 2019 Lenovo Yoga laptop. After the update installed, the system failed to boot, dropping into Automatic Repair with a black screen stating the device could not be repaired. The diagnostic log pointed to: C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\Srt\SrtTrail.txt. Advanced troubleshooting steps—including System Restore, sfc /scannow, and chkdsk /f /r—failed to bypass the loop. Safe Mode was accessible, but the Windows Update settings page was locked out with a red band error message ("Something went wrong"). Attempting to uninstall the latest quality or feature updates via the Advanced Options recovery menus also failed. The loop was only broken by executing a full "Reset this PC" while preserving personal files. I have currently paused updates for 5 weeks to prevent re-infection, but I am logging this here to alert the engineering teams to a potential compatibility block with this hardware profile. The human is writing this part. I couldn't have solved this without Google AI on my phone, which walked me though all the steps while my computer was severely disabled. I can't give enough credit to the AI that explained everything (Thank you AI LLM models, you are the heroes in this brave new era - AI doesn't have to become more powerful for me, it just needs to be able to hold my hand through things like this. This has been my biggest scare ever, dating back to my first Windows PC in 1986 when Word and Windows and a basic word processor cost $4,000 and came with huge hard cover text books in a heavy box, with all the software on a 3.5 inch floppy drive). Please look into this, it is a horrible experience. Just about every software program has to be sourced and reinstalled. Regards, TracyWindows 11 completely freezes
Windows 11 completely freezes after approximately 2 minutes of inactivity following the latest update. Hello, Since installing the latest Windows update, I have been experiencing serious problems with my PC. Whenever I stop moving my mouse for approximately two minutes, the entire system becomes unresponsive. The mouse cursor can still be moved, but clicking, typing, keyboard shortcuts and opening programs no longer work. Even Task Manager cannot be opened. The only way to regain control of my PC is to perform a forced shutdown using the power button. This happens consistently and did not occur before the latest Windows update. I checked Windows Event Viewer and found the following errors. Kernel-Power Event ID 41: BugcheckCode: 0 SleepInProgress: 0 WHEABootErrorCount: 0 I also found an ASUS application crash: Application: Aac3572MbHal_x86.exe Version: 1.6.1.9 Faulting module: combase.dll Exception code: 0xc0000005 Application path: C:\Program Files\ASUS\AacMB\Aac3572MbHal_x86.exe Module path: C:\WINDOWS\System32\combase.dll I suspect that there may be a compatibility issue involving the latest Windows update, ASUS software or a system driver. Has anyone experienced the same issue? Could this be related to Windows power management, a driver conflict or a recent Windows update? I would appreciate any help in identifying and fixing the root cause. I urgently need a solution because my PC is currently unusable without regularly performing forced restarts. Thank you for your help.How do I completely disable all the ads and "recommendations" in the Windows 11 Start menu?
I'm so tired of seeing ads and app recommendations in my Start menu. I've already gone into Settings and turned off "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more," but they still keep popping up—especially after a major update. I don't need my OS trying to sell me TikTok or push Edge every time I click the Windows key. I know there are some third-party debloat scripts, but I'd rather not mess with those if I can avoid it. Has anyone found a reliable registry tweak or group policy that actually kills these ads permanently? Or is this just something we have to put up with at this point?
Phone Link creates empty folders on Android and fails to display existing ones
I'm having a strange problem with Phone Link on Windows 11 and my Samsung Galaxy A55. When I open my phone's internal storage in File Explorer, only some of the existing folders are displayed. At the moment, I can see 11 out of 18 folders. After restarting my PC, they disappear completely and only "Saved Searches" remains. But that's not even the worst part. Cross Device actually creates empty folders on my phone. They appear directly in the root of internal storage, and their names match folders that already exist inside other directories, sometimes several levels deep. What's even stranger is that deleting these folders directly on the phone doesn't help. Cross Device immediately creates them again. I've already tried reinstalling Phone Link and Cross Device Experience Host, clearing their caches and data, removing and reconnecting the phone, and even reinstalling Windows and factory-resetting the phone. The problem disappeared for about two months after that, but eventually came back. My setup is a Samsung Galaxy A55 running One UI 8.5 with Link to Windows 3.6.01.2. My PC runs Windows 11 build 26300.9818. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I'd really like to know why Cross Device is creating actual folders on my phone and why it keeps recreating them after I delete them. This seems like a serious bug, not just a problem with how File Explorer displays folders. I've attached a screenshot from Samsung My Files showing the folders on the phone itself.Frequent Network Connection Error Messages After Windows 11 Goes to Sleep
A few minutes after my laptop goes to sleep, a network connection error message pops up. The device has a 1TB Kingston hard drive (drive letter D:) and a 500GB system drive (drive letter C:). When I search through the system logs, I can't find any error entries related to the network connection mentioned in the message. I'm not sure if this is a system settings issue or a hardware failure. I'd appreciate any troubleshooting suggestions, or advice on whether I should send it in for repair.
