Found an odd hang that leaves no record on host when triggered.
I have a really old system, and I bought a TPM 2.0 module to use on it. I hadn't realized all the details of using it (like needing to reinstall fresh to change secure boot mode). I assumed I could just leave it installed until I wanted to go through the full effort of activating it. And hoped it might be useful even if full secure boot mode wasn't being used. Now I've realized my host will start to hang for no reason with that module installed. With some odd symptoms/details too. I'll outline those later. I'm guessing this is a "not supported" or "don't care" from Microsoft, but figured I should mention it in case I'm wrong. And they see their own part in the bug as bad enough to do something about. Since there isn't any obvious explanation of what happens in the OS (event log explanation, etc), beyond that the system didn't shutdown properly and/or a bugcheck I couldn't decode anything from (system just hangs, doesn't reboot as it should, no debug dmp, etc). ------------ I can physically install the module and not see a hang for a while (days/weeks?) which makes it hard to connect the result to the cause. Then after using my computer for 8-10 hours already (around midnight or 1am at least a couple times now), it'll decide to hang. Then every reboot after that will hang after 1-3 minutes from login to desktop (unless in safe mode then sits indefinitely, or it lasted slightly longer in normal boot mode after I disabled all non-Microsoft services). I can do nothing except log in (or try to use it to open a bunch of stuff, no difference) then it'll hang. No obvious pointer in event log to what sub-system or event or a reason the issue happened. System is from circa 2017. i7-4790k CPU, z97 motherboard that only had a TPM header back then. Bought a semi-recent TPM 2.0 module off Amazon a couple/three years ago that matched the Gigabyte module type I couldn't buy direct anymore (Gigabyte had 3 different things that looked very similar). OS installed a long time ago, using mostly default BIOS options from before I knew anything about what they meant ("Other OS" not Windows 8 mode, etc). If module is installed then the BIOS says secure boot enabled, even when I disabled the TPM setting I could manually adjust. OS says secure boot was not enabled (followed directions online to look for some particular mode, like SC6?). I spent a lot of time trying to fix various oddities, like how Intel's XTU overclocking/BIOS settings tool left behind a service after I'd uninstalled it (pretty sure is connected to a "watchdog" to reset BIOS and reboot). Turning off Samsung's Optune cache performance feature. And tweaking various BIOS settings to see if they impacted anything, like disabling power saving modes, or various boot options (UEFI only vs Legacy only vs ...). Sadly managed to truly break my hardware in that debug/tweaking process. But this hanging issue was happening BEFORE that damage was done. Basically I've rarely used the hardware jumpers to clear CMOS before (removing the battery instead usually, or clear from inside BIOS), and I tried to do both but had it plugged in to AC power still accidentally. Saw a spark and it turned itself on when I shorted the pins. After that it was too late to do anything. Now only the CPU attached PCIe lanes seem to work. Meaning the 2 x 16x slots that'll run at 8x or above (GPU in one, and NIC or wifi in the other). I had to disable the onboard NIC and XHCI in BIOS to let my keyboard and mouse work after booting (outside BIOS). They wouldn't even light up (Logitech things I've had for ages now). And now the boot options include 3 boxes with odd, mostly white, hash marks covering the whole width of the screen. And there was some weirdness with duplicate names there (two Microsoft boot loaders pointing at the same drive entry, one at top and another much further down... below those cross hatched options). But my 5 internal SATA drives all seem to work still (2 SSD, 3 HDD). I don't expect Microsoft to pay for anything, but they're the only ones who could improve this situation for future users. The whole TPM/secure boot feature feels ugly and hard to understand. And anything that hangs the computer should be obvious/explicit in the log entries beforehand (save them with a flush and pause a little). That was another area I wasted time on (adjusting page file sizes manually, changing dump types, etc). Yes, I have the free ESL additional updates enabled for this system (1 year more of security only patches), and installed.
Sudden crashes and BSOD in Win10
Hello! I have an Asus Vivobook 15, that came with Keep-OS and I installed Windows 11 using the official website and step by step. Last week it started crashing and having BSOD's, getting stuck on boot and sometimes not even recognizing the OS (win11). It started after a Win Update. Since I haven't found a solution and Asus does not care for the consumer, had no alternative and downgraded to Win 10. I'm still facing some crashes and BSOD. I checked the SDD, manually and with Crystal Disk Info (98% health), checked the fan... I really don't know what else to do. https://1drv.ms/u/c/7f13816d644baeb5/IQCrQrt8VfRkRZAOG5BT6By0ASV3wLkzdMiLZ-ctbrSsW84?e=PTUVlN Here is the System Events Log.
Windows Defender Cannot Be Activated After Uninstalling Comodo Anti Virus– Help Needed (Windows 10)
Hello Community, I’m experiencing a problem with my Windows 10 laptop and hope to get some guidance. Official support is no longer available for my system, so I’m turning to the community for help. Problem Comodo Anti Virus /Internet Security / Internet Security Essentials had been installed on my laptop for a long time. While Comodo was active, I could not load certain websites properly, and games like League of Legends would not run. For this reason, I recently uninstalled Comodo. After the uninstallation, the previously blocked websites and games work again. Current issue: My Windows Defender Antivirus cannot be activated. In Windows Security, it shows: “Virus & threat protection: Action required” “The threat service has stopped. Start it now” Clicking “Start now” only shows a loading indicator and then an “An unexpected error has occurred” message. I have administrator rights, but Defender still cannot be activated. Steps I’ve Tried 1. Registry checks Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender Checked entries like DisableAntiSpyware and DisableRealtimeMonitoring Modifications often failed → access denied 2. PowerShell commands Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring $false → errors: “Parameter not found” or “Access denied” Other commands like Set-ItemProperty or Set-Content → errors: “UnauthorizedAccessException” or “InvalidArgument” 3. CMD / SC commands sc config WinDefend start=auto Error: “SC Open Service Error 5 – Access denied” 4. Service check Get-Service WinDefend | Select-Object Status, StartType → Status: Running, StartType: Automatic Despite the service running, Defender cannot be enabled in Windows Security 5. System restore point created (For Comodo Revomal Tool) Drive C: protection enabled Backup created as a precaution Insights / Analysis (Speculations) After uninstalling Comodo, websites and games work again → this suggests that Comodo previously installed network filters or drivers that blocked them. It is possible that remnants of Comodo (drivers, services, registry entries) are preventing Windows Defender from starting. Firewall, App & Browser protection, and Exploit protection are active → partial protection, but Defender is not functional. I am not certain if there are other causes, but based on my experience, it seems strongly related to leftover Comodo components. Has anyone experienced similar issues where Defender remains blocked after uninstalling Comodo? Are there safe methods to fully reactivate Defender without risking system stability? Should I use the official Comodo Removal Tool to remove all remnants? Are there alternative steps to try before using a removal tool? I would greatly appreciate any guidance, tips, or steps I can try to get Windows Defender working again. Thank you in advance!Windows 10 ESU – Registrierungsbutton erscheint nicht trotz 22H2 (Rollout-Basis)
Hallo zusammen, ich möchte mein Windows 10 Pro-System für die Extended Security Updates (ESU) registrieren. Alle Voraussetzungen sind erfüllt (Version 22H2, Build 19045.6396, aktuelle Updates installiert, Microsoft-Konto aktiv). Trotzdem erscheint in Windows Update keine Schaltfläche „Jetzt registrieren“. Der Microsoft-Support hat mir heute bestätigt, dass der ESU-Rollout phasenweise fortgesetzt wird, auch nach dem 14. Oktober, nur Geräte unter 22H2 vom Supportende betroffen sind, und dass mein System automatisch berücksichtigt wird. Da ich mein Gerät gern rechtzeitig registrieren möchte, um Sicherheitsupdates nahtlos zu erhalten, meine Frage an das Entwicklerteam: Gibt es einen bekannten Zeitrahmen für den weiteren Rollout der ESU-Registrierung an 22H2-Geräte, oder spezifische Regionen- bzw. Kontoabhängigkeiten? Vielen Dank und viele Grüße Matthias
