Windows Security shows warning icon on startup – but everything's green when I open it
For the past two weeks, I've been seeing something odd with Windows Security. Right after I start my PC, the icon in the taskbar shows a yellow warning symbol, like there's something that needs my attention. But when I open it, everything is green—no actions required. If I just leave it alone, the warning disappears on its own after about a minute and turns back into the normal green checkmark. I'm only using Windows Defender, no third-party antivirus. Anyone else experiencing this? Win 11 Pro, 25H2 – Build 26200.9168.
Windows 11 displays a blue screen every time I log in
I can log in to my account normally, but after about a minute, the screen turns blue and the computer freezes. This happens every time. I have absolutely no idea what’s causing it. The operating system is Windows 11, but I’m not sure of the version number. I’m not very tech-savvy, so I don’t know if there’s a way to test the hard drive without physically removing it. If someone could walk me through the process step by step, I’d be happy to follow detailed instructions. My computer is an MSI Nightblade 2.New B650 AORUS ELITE AX Motherboard for Windows 11 Does Not Support Wi-Fi
I just finished building my first computer. I installed Windows 11 and used a USB drive to install all the drivers needed for the B650 AORUS ELITE AX motherboard. I thought everything was set. But there are still absolutely no wireless network options. Neither the Wi-Fi adapter nor any other related options are showing up. This problem has been plaguing me for a week, and I’m at a loss. Does anyone know what I might have overlooked?
Windows 11 Spotlight stopped working on one user profile – works on another profile
I am experiencing a Windows Spotlight issue on my Windows 11 laptop and would like assistance identifying the cause. System information: Windows 11 Home Version 25H2 OS Build 26200.8973 HP Envy 17 Windows Spotlight stopped displaying new images on my original Windows user profile. The Spotlight image area remains blank and no new Spotlight assets are downloaded. I have carried out extensive troubleshooting, including: Confirmed BITS, Delivery Optimization and Windows Update services are running. Confirmed connectivity to Microsoft's Spotlight-related endpoints over HTTPS. Re-registered the Windows ContentDeliveryManager package. Reset the ContentDeliveryManager package. Confirmed the relevant Windows Spotlight registry settings are enabled. Checked the ContentDeliveryManager and targeted-content cache. Checked Windows event logs and BITS activity. Confirmed that Windows is receiving Spotlight content metadata from Microsoft's content service. One particularly important finding is that I created a completely new local Windows user profile on the same PC and same Windows installation. Windows Spotlight works correctly in that new profile and downloads the Spotlight assets normally. This indicates that the Windows Spotlight infrastructure, network connectivity, Windows installation and ContentDeliveryManager system component are functioning correctly. The problem appears to be isolated specifically to the original Windows user profile. The original profile receives Spotlight metadata, but the content returned includes an EmptyCreative entry rather than an actual image asset. I would therefore like Microsoft to advise: What user-profile component or database controls the Windows Spotlight subscription/creative state? Is there a supported way to repair or rebuild the Spotlight state for the affected user profile without creating a new Windows profile? Is there a Microsoft-supported diagnostic or repair procedure for this profile-specific Spotlight failure? If this is a known Windows 11 25H2 issue, is there a corresponding fix or workaround? I would prefer to repair the existing user profile rather than migrate to a new profile, as the existing profile contains my applications, configurations and personal files. I can provide additional diagnostic information, event logs, registry information or screenshots if required. Thank you.
Can I upgrade my Windows 11 license from home to pro without reinstalling?
I have an ASUS tower PC about 2 years old. I have been happily running Windows 10 Pro from a license I owned previously. Now that Windows 10 is no longer supported, Microsoft has "upgraded" me to Windows 11 Pro, overwriting Win 10, but is unlicensed and so limits my Win 11 functionality. For example- I can't change many of the Windows settings. I am blind and need to change a number of settings just to use my computer. My desktop is constantly prompting me to provide a Win 11 Pro license key. I tried using the Win 10 Pro license key but that didn't work. I tried installing Win 10 and 11 dual boot, but my PC doesn't allow dual boot. The ASUS PC includes a license of Windows 11 Home, but I can't use it with the installed Windows 11 Pro. I could install Win 11 Home, but that would start from scratch and lose some of my local data and put my settings back to default, which in my case would be ausability nightmare. The easy way out is to just get a new license for Win 11 Pro. Then Windows and the settings would just stay the way they are, and enable all of my apps,data and settings. To keep this from getting too expensive, can I buy an upgrade license from Win 11 Home to Pro? If so, can I use it without reinstalling Windows 11? If that doesn't work, can I downgrade my installation of Win 11 Pro to Win 11 Home without reinstalling? If neither of the above is possible, I’ll have to just buy a new license of Windows 11 Pro. Where do I get that? Are there any options to keep the cost down to that of an upgrade rather than a net new license?Help! Almost new computer keeps freezing randomly.
Hi! I would like to have some assistance please. I have an almost new computer that keeps freezing randomly whenever I use the browser, when I'm listening to music, or when the computer is idle for some time. Something important to say is that whenever I'm playing a game, the computer never freezes. The same happens while watching a movie. I can keep playing videogames or using the movie player and the computer does not freeze. But if I'm playing music only while I do other stuff without the computer or if I'm watching a video on the browser (chrome or brave) or just surfing on the web, with or without music in the background, the computer can freeze minutes or an hour after I started doing these activities. Another important thing to say is that, when the computer freezes, I'm unable to do anything but the audio is still running. For example, if I'm playing an online video, the video stops, but the audio is still playing. The same happens with the music. Music continues playing until the song ends, everything else is frozen in the meantime, and when the song ends, no more audio is played.
Second-hand laptop stuck in previous owner's Windows Autopilot tenant – how to reach human support?
Hi, I'm trying to find the correct human Microsoft support team for Windows Autopilot deregistration. I own a second-hand Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 which I purchased on eBay on August 6, 2023. I used Linux on it for the last few years, so I only discovered the problem now after installing Windows 11 Pro. During OOBE, the laptop downloads an Autopilot profile belonging to a previous organization and forces organizational enrollment. Autopilot diagnostics confirm: CloudAssignedForcedEnrollment = 1 IsForcedEnrollmentEnabled = 1 DeploymentProfileName = CSE Autopilot Pilot I have no relationship with the previous organization and no access to its tenant. The eBay seller is no longer active. I contacted regular Microsoft Windows Support. I provided: eBay purchase/order confirmation signed bank transaction device serial number screenshots Autopilot.cab diagnostics Support acknowledged that I own the device and that I cannot remove the registration myself. However, instead of escalating the case, they repeatedly directed me to Autopilot deployment documentation, Feedback Hub and Tech Community. Microsoft's documentation says that a device permanently leaving an organization should be deregistered from Windows Autopilot. I have also found Microsoft Q&A cases suggesting that Commercial/Intune Support can review inaccessible-tenant deregistration cases after proof of ownership has been verified. My question is simply: how can a private end user actually reach a human Microsoft Intune/Autopilot support engineer who can review and escalate this? I do not have an Intune tenant or access to the previous organization's tenant, so I cannot open a support request from their Intune Admin Center. I am not asking for a way to bypass Autopilot. I am asking for the legitimate device ownership to be reviewed and the stale Autopilot registration to be removed from Microsoft's service. If anyone from Microsoft can provide the correct support route or escalate this internally, I would greatly appreciate it.Why Does Windows 11 Keep Hiding My System Tray Icons? (Taskbar Icons Missing)
Has anyone figured out why Windows 11 keeps hiding system tray icons? My taskbar icons go missing constantly, and I can’t get certain apps to stay visible. Sometimes they show up under the taskbar overflow menu, sometimes they completely disappear from the notification area, and sometimes they only show up after a restart. I’ve searched everywhere for answers like: “Windows 11 taskbar icons missing” “system tray icons keep disappearing” “hidden notification area icons” “apps not showing in system tray Windows 11” “Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/Volume icon missing” “Windows 11 keeps auto-hiding tray icons” It seems like this issue happens after Windows updates or changes in the settings menu. I’ve already checked Select which icons appear on the taskbar, but Windows still hides them. Restarting Explorer sometimes fixes it, but the icons eventually vanish again. I’ve also seen mentions of registry keys like IconStreams and PastIconsStream, but I’m not sure if editing those is safe. Is there a reliable fix to stop Windows 11 from auto-hiding system tray icons? Why do my notification area icons randomly disappear, refuse to stay pinned, or only show when clicked? Any solutions or troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated.App Access to Multi-channel USB Audio Device
Hi, I use a Window App called MobileSheets which displays/manages sheetmusic in PDF form. It allows me to attach a stereo audio file per PDF to play on click or automattically. The App itself does not have a dedicated Audio management system so it simply plays through the assigned Windows audio assignment. I use a USB multichannel audio interface for live performances - MOTU MicroLite mk2 Hybrid. Windows gives me access to all 16 outputs of the device. Assigning the output isn't difficult for my PC audio. Problem: I use both Stereo audio tracks and Split audio tracks which allow me to send Mono music to the Right channel and a Click track to the Left utilized for in-ear monitoring (IEMs). Is there an app (e.g. like a mixer) I can use to go between the two to send to two different stereo pairs? If it falls solely on Zubersoft, maker of MobileSheets, is that a complicated code for them to allow access to the Windows interface device options (16 USB outputs??
