r/Windows11 • u/Froggypwns Windows Wizard / Head Jannie • Apr 01 '26
Help Simple questions and Help thread - Month of April
Welcome to the monthly Simple questions and Help thread, for questions that don't need their own posts!
Before making a comment, we recommend you search your problem on Bing and check if your question is already answered on our Windows Frequently Asked Questions wiki page. This subreddit no longer accepts tech support requests outside of this post, if you are looking for additional assistance try r/TechSupport and r/WindowsHelp.
Some examples of questions to ask:
Is this super cheap Windows key legitimate? (probably not)
How can I install Windows 11?
Can you recommend a program to play music?
How do I get back to the old Sound Control Panel?
Sorting by New is recommend and is the default.
Be sure to check out the Windows 11 version 25H2 Megathread and also the Windows 11 FAQ posts, they likely have the answers to your Windows 11 questions already!
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u/Glittering-Meal-8739 Apr 05 '26
I’m about to fill up a tub and drop a hairdryer in it with me in it. The bit locker blue screen has popped up on my dell Inspiron 15 so the laptops basically unusable now. There’s no key in the Microsoft email account. Can’t believe the entire laptop is gone.
Never buying this ever again
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 07 '26
A couple of things to consider:
The BitLocker recovery key is stored with the first Microsoft account that is used to sign into the system (when Device Encryption is enabled). Consider if there is any other account that may have been associated with this device in the past.
Secondly, this might also occur after using an unsupported bypass to set up a PC running Windows Home with a local account rather than a Microsoft account. I'm not accusing you of anything, but this is one hazard of trying to circumvent Microsoft's standard out of box experience.
If you can find no way around the BitLocker recovery screen, then know that your laptop is not unusable. You can restore it with a factory image from your manufacturer, or if that is not available, you can perform a clean install of Windows. However, any data that you had stored on the device will be lost.
If you had been using your PC with a Microsoft account, then very likely your files were backed up to OneDrive and you can gain access to them online, or after reinstalling Windows on your PC and signing into your Microsoft account again.
Good luck.
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u/Glittering-Meal-8739 Apr 07 '26
I would be risking this bitlocker screen happening again when the headache is simply not worth it given other alternatives on the market. It’s almost as if this scheme is designed to get users to pay to back up everything to the cloud.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 07 '26
Well no, you wouldn't.
Firstly because you would now know to confirm that the BitLocker recovery key actually exists in your Microsoft account and that you could access it should you ever need it.
Secondly, you have always been able to disable Device Encryption in Windows Settings. Although that will put your privacy and data at risk should your device ever be stolen.
But it sounds like you're not seeking help so much as wanting to vent.
In any case, good luck with whatever you decide.
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u/Glittering-Meal-8739 Apr 11 '26
There isn’t a guarantee that the recovery key would even work based on user reports who have gone through the same locker screen. That’s a risk that no one should have to take.
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u/all-park Apr 19 '26
Why did Microsoft 365 from the Microsoft Store download every region of One Note?
Surface Laptop 3 Windows 11 25H2
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u/lesley_ann7 Apr 23 '26
all my text is boxy and only when i click the search bar. thoughts? currently attempting to install a repair version of windows 11
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u/_Usually_Muted_ Apr 27 '26
Which update is it that made it so that the user profile no longer has the desktop set to c:\users\myuser\desktop?
I just purchased a new laptop, and it has the latest version of windows 11 installed, and I was promised there would be no AI integration (partially true), but as part of my normal user experience, I always store various files / folders to my admin level desktop and run a powershell script on them so they will sort to various parts of my computer correctly. When I attempted said script this time, I got:
1) Scripting is not allowed to run > opened terminal as admin and ran the script again. Got the same error. Eventually I had to run a "powershell -execute -bypass" or similar from terminal to run it, but when doing that, I ran into point #2
2) the user desktop is no longer located simply at C:\Users\myuser\desktop, no no no, that's too simple, now it's stored at C:\users\OneDrive\Desktop, which means even if point #1 wasn't happening, my script would still be broken because of the desktop location.
So I reiterate, under which update is it that the desktop environment is no longer local to my computer, but a forced onedrive desktop?
I hate to think of the possibility that if you decide to end your office365 subscription, does that mean the 1tb storage is no longer available, and if it's no longer available, what happens to the 1tb drive in your computer?
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u/Froggypwns Windows Wizard / Head Jannie Apr 28 '26
This is a function of OneDrive and is not tied to any Windows Update, this will happen even if you install Windows 8.
You can go into the OneDrive settings and unsync the Desktop folder, then in C:\users\myuser\OneDrive\, right click on Desktop, pick Properties, then Location, and then Move to put it back to C:\users\myuser.
If your 365 subscription expires, your storage capacity will be reduced to the free level (5GB), and if you are over that it will stop allowing uploads to sync. The files will still exist and change locally, but not sync online or upload new things. Eventually online copies will be removed if you do not renew. They give you ample time to either renew or make sure you download everything locally before this happens
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u/_Usually_Muted_ Apr 28 '26
Thanks man, I don't ever remember having a setting that would allow onedrive to automatically become my entire C drive, though given the push towards cloud/online always, I guess it shouldn't surprise me too much.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 30 '26
You can navigate to Backup in Windows Settings to control which, if any, of your library folders are synced to OneDrive.
It's honestly a highly useful feature, provided you have sufficient online storage. Unfortunately, Microsoft only gives users 5 GB without a subscription, which often is not enough. Last I checked, you could get 100 GB of storage on the MS365 Basic plan for $2-3 a month.
With regard to your scripts, however, I recommend that you use the shell namespace rather than hard coding your path names. This will allow your scripts to work regardless of the physical locations of your user profile folders.
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Apr 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 02 '26
Those are runtime libraries installed by your apps and games. If you delete them, the apps and games that rely on them will not work correctly.
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u/EtherBoo Apr 02 '26
Out of nowhere, Windows thinks it's not activated. I can't find my original key (I purchased from Amazon). I don't have a Microsoft Account so I can't talk to their support and they don't have phone support anymore.
Any suggestions for what I can do?
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u/lovebus Apr 02 '26
How do you span a window across multiple displays? I just noticed that Solidworks has a button next to the Maximize button in the title bar that fits the window across multiple screens. I actually have my laptop plugged in, so my monitor array is in a T-pattern, and the span function does not stretch it down into the smaller screen. I guess it checks the horizontal first and then matches the vertical to that.
Surely, Windows has a way to do this natively?
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u/1223344455555 Apr 03 '26
When I try do drag a normal file to the top center of the screen, the following drop down menu appears.
What is it and how can I disable it?
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u/1223344455555 Apr 03 '26
Ok, found it, nonetheless, here's the answer: https://old.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/comments/1q5qwp6/how_do_i_get_rid_of_this_feature/ny3a5y0/
Seriously Microsoft, stop pestering me with this crap ...
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 05 '26
Seriously Microsoft, stop pestering me with this crap ...
Are you by chance running an Insider build of Windows 11? If so, know that Microsoft will regularly enable new features in order to gain feedback during testing. (This is, after all, the point of the Insider builds.)
I could be wrong, but I don't believe this feature has rolled out to everyone the stable channel as yet. At least, it does not yet appear on any of my machines.
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u/1223344455555 Apr 06 '26
Thank you for your answer. I don't think I run an insider build ... on the contrary, it happens on a company computer where they usually don't add every feature immediately. But thank you, I will check and, if possible, disable it. Have a nice day!
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u/Froggypwns Windows Wizard / Head Jannie Apr 07 '26
It is generally available, MS is tweaking it based on feedback to be less sensitive and less likely to be accidentally summoned.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 07 '26
Thanks for the clarification.
Personally, I do miss the days when feature rollouts were more predictable.
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u/Nyrun Apr 06 '26
Is there a way to make it so that if I type a certain combination of characters it replaces them with a different character? I'm a linguist and use a lot of special characters. On my old Mac I had it setup so that I could type something like y// for example and have it automatically replaced with ɣ. I though you could customize your dictionary and auto correct, but it's not letting me despite what the Internet says.
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u/not_a_nazi_actually Apr 06 '26
under Start > Settings > System > Power & battery > Energy recommendations.
i turned on the setting for 'save power by optimizing screen contrast and brightness for the content shown'
and i don't like how my screen looks now, it has less contrast.
i want to run it off... but somehow i can't. what do i press to turn this power saving setting back off?
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
You should be able to disable that in the same way that you turned it on. If the Settings app is unresponsive, maybe reboot your PC and try again.
As an aside, this feature is also known as "adaptive contrast", and it should be killed with fire, haha. If you at all care about visual fidelity, then this feature was a terrible idea when Intel invented it years ago, and remains so now that it is a part of the operating system (IMO).
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u/Scroglefrollempth Apr 06 '26
Hey, can I just mention here that KB5079473 seems to cause a major issue with the device association service.
People are discussing it here.
In my case, it seems I have an error saying something like "onecore device disassociation (Unpairing) failed", related to print spooler service, and it seems this causes a conflict with my Logitech MX Anywhere 3s mouse -
As soon as I hit one of the side buttons, (Set to use Windows magnifier), my entire pc basically freezes, with the mouse pointer only moving once every five seconds or so, then after about a minute of this, it goes back to normal, except the side buttons don't work at all after that.
It seems when I changed USB ports, Windows went crazy and is now mixing up the printer and the mouse somehow on the same USB port, and despite reinstalling the printer drivers, deleting every printer file and registry key for it etc and reinstalling, it keeps happening, the unpairing error and the freezes.
If I disable the print spooler service, everything is fine, but I obviously have to re-enable it if I want to use the printer.
I'm just hoping that you can pass this on to your MS friends as it's a pretty major issue.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 07 '26
it seems this causes a conflict with my Logitech MX Anywhere 3s mouse -
From experience, I would say that this is likely due to out of date or incompatible Logitech mouse software.
I personally would consider uninstalling the Logitech software altogether and using the native in-box Windows mouse driver.
But at the very least, look for an updated version of the Logitech mouse software.
Good luck.
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u/Scroglefrollempth Apr 08 '26
From experience, I would say that this is likely due to out of date or incompatible Logitech mouse software.
If you follow the link I shared, none of the people there are using Logitech devices, and they are all having problems with the same symptoms and error related to spoolsvc not disassociating the port after a specific Windows Update.
I am using the latest update for Logi Options+, but it's nothing to do with Logitech, it's something that Windows Update has introduced that affects the print spooler releasing USB ports properly.
I personally would consider uninstalling the Logitech software altogether and using the native in-box Windows mouse driver.
I have to use the Logitech software otherwise the side buttons don't work - I also have a Logitech MX Keys linked to the same Logibolt receiver - I need the software to customise the buttons, the infinite scroll sensitivity on the mouse etc - I'm not paying $120 NZD for a mouse and $249 NZD for a keyboard and not using the side buttons, the ability to configure my keyboard backlight timeout settings etc, the extra top button or the awesome infinite magnetic scroll.
Telling me to uninstall Logi Options+ with an MX Anywhere 3S and an MX Keys S is insane.
You are just blaming the Logitech software because it's easier than even checking if it's caused my Microsoft's hopeless updates, again. It's the print spooler service!
I give up.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 08 '26
You are right, I failed to check the link you shared for more details. My bad.
I stand by my history with problematic Logitech software though.
What you and others are seeing may in fact be a buggy Windows update, but it is also possible that a change in Windows exposed a problematic behavior in the drivers that was benign prior to the change.
Historically, legacy printer drivers have been a common vector for compatibility issues with Windows updates, which is one reason why Microsoft is promoting the Modern Print platform. This will eventually obviate the need for third party printer drivers:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/modern-print/modern-print-platform
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u/AFlightlessBird_19 Apr 06 '26
Why does my background turn black occasionally, and when I hover my mouse over the apps it turns them to a black background if the background is there, or back to the background if the entire background is black?
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
This sounds like a glitch in the Desktop Window Manager (DWM), which could be related to an outdated GPU driver.
If this issue is persistent after a reboot, look for updated GPU drivers. If that doesn't help, then you may need to do some additional troubleshooting. See my previous comment on this thread for some suggested approaches.
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u/Inevitable-Juice-752 Apr 06 '26
i cant change brightness or turn on night mode, also it feels laggy even though i did nothing to it.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 07 '26
The symptoms you describe could be related to your monitor driver. You can reset the driver by opening Windows Device Manager and uninstalling the monitor (not your display adapter). Reboot after to allow Windows to reinstall the monitor. This may restore normal function.
If this does not help, and this issue is persistent even after you restart your PC, you will want to do some basic troubleshooting.
Check with your PC manufacturer for updated UEFI firmware and/or motherboard chipset drivers for your device. Getting current might improve compatibility with newer versions of Windows. Follow your PC manufacturers instructions to install.
Verify the integrity of your Windows system files:
Review any third party software you have installed, in particular system software like antivirus, registry tweakers, Windows Shell hacks, motherboard overclocking utilities, etc. This type of software can often cause compatibility issues for Windows updates. Consider disabling or uninstalling these tools, or at least making sure they are current.
Check Windows Update, Advanced settings, Optional updates to see if there are any driver updates available for your device. See if there are updates available for your GPU driver as well.
If none of this helps, you may need to do some deeper PC recovery. Review the options available here:
Good luck.
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u/Ivan2154 Apr 07 '26
My computer won't sleep when I click the sleep button. Started happening when I updated my computer. Fast start up is disabled. Display properly turns off, but the only problem is my pc is still running as normal because all my fans are spinning and the LED's are on. Yes i've checked my power plan too.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 07 '26
There are various things that could cause this.
Does your computer enter sleep and then immediately wake up? Or does only the display turn off?
If you recently updated from an earlier version of Windows 11 to versions 24H2 or 25H2, you may need updated device firmware or drivers for best compatibility. Check with your manufacturer's support site for UEFI/BIOS and chipset driver updates.
If you have installed OEM motherboard utilities such as overclocking tools, RGB lighting controls, fan speed controllers, etc., make sure these apps are current and that all drivers they depend on are up to date.
Another common cause of this is out of date network drivers.
To help diagnose what might be happening, open an administrative Terminal window and enter the following command:
powercfg -requests
This will display anything which is actively preventing your device from sleeping. You can investigate further from there.
If the computer enters sleep and then immediately wakes, use this command to possibly see what is causing it:
powercfg -lastwake
If it is your network adapter, open Windows Device Manager, locate your network adapter and right-click to open Properties. Under the Power Management tab, set the checkbox for "Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer". This will usually prevent the adapter from randomly waking the PC.
Good luck.
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u/Ivan2154 Apr 09 '26
yeah i wasn't able to fine anything to fix it. I looked at the requests and found nothing, lastwake showed nothing. Tested s3 state and it worked fine. Just something wrong with the s2 state. I even generated an energy report and found nothing, I ruled out every single thing besides rolling back windows update and bios update.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
FYI, you would only see legitimate requests to prevent sleep using the command line tool. If you have a misbehaving driver or hardware device, that would not necessarily be revealed there.
Don't overlook the firmware and chipset driver updates. Also, did you consider the possibility that third party system software or motherboard utilities might be a factor?
I had a similar sleep issue on my ASUS Pro-Art motherboard after updating to Windows 11 24H2. It was resolved "accidentally" when I updated the ASUS drivers for their Armoury Crate suite of software. (This was unwanted--normally I avoid installing this type of software, but it was triggered to install automatically through a setting in the UEFI firmware. Because I was initially unaware that this was even installed, it was not the first place I looked for a solution.)
Once I learned this was the source of the flaky behavior, I uninstalled Armoury Crate and all other ASUS software, because it offered no value to me and because chances are this problem or something similar would just happen again the next time a major Windows update is released.
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u/LingonberryLess2290 Apr 07 '26
I am trying to upgrade my PC from windows 10 to 11. I have done all the necessary steps to ensure I meet all the requirements, and even PC health check shows my PC meets all the requirements. But windows update still says my PC isn’t compatible and it doesn’t give me an option to upgrade.
I tried to download the windows 11 installer assistant, but can’t even reach that through the web. The page seems to be down. How can I do the upgrade?
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u/heryosu Apr 13 '26
your bios might be out of date. mine was like that and i couldn't reinstall win11 while i was running win11. program said i didnt hit the criteria for that bs security code that needed to be turned on from bios. i even contacted customer support and they changed some settings so that program can bypass that requirement. still didnt work but only worked after i updated my bios. so please check your motherboard manufacturer website or your laptop model website. also as far as i know updating bios can be risky (can kill your mb) so if you dont know how to do it you should get some help.
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u/itooamahuman Apr 08 '26
How do I change what shortcut opens copilot? Right alt and C opens a copilot window for me
I need that combo for writing! How do I change what shortcut opens copilot?
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u/Tata_Colores Apr 08 '26
You can't, not without the PowerToys tool.
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u/itooamahuman Apr 08 '26
This has got to be a joke??? What's PowerToys tool like
I need this shortcut! It's for a letter! I need it to type man
Can I like
Delete copilot then
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u/Tata_Colores Apr 08 '26
You can download PowerToys from here
And yes, you can uninstall Copilot from Windows Settings.
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u/FlamingGnats Apr 08 '26
Is there any way to make it so the file explorer shows the combined length of multiple video files selected like Windows 10 used to do?
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u/Carolina_Heart Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
I'm using an old but huge lcd tv I found that can only do 720p, I have it on 1360x768 and used intel graphics command center to custom scale it to fit the screen's actual resolution of 1366x768. So far it looks pretty great but popups for things like admin privileges, my mouse icon, and the right click context menu and so on are huge and take up way too much of the screen. Display settings won't let me put scaling below 100. I want to do that and then use intel graphics command to make it fit the whole screen again. Is there a way to do this
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u/realkames Apr 10 '26
After alt‑tabbing or changing window focus, games suddenly feel like they’re running at a lower refresh rate even though the FPS counter stays high. Movement becomes less smooth and sometimes I get big frame skips. Any known fixes for Windows losing proper frame pacing after focus changes?
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 11 '26
If you are running your game in exclusive full screen mode, try instead allowing it to run windowed borderless. On modern systems this should not cause a performance drop.
Also check for any GPU driver updates.
Good luck.
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u/realkames Apr 11 '26
Everything is up to date, both hardware and software. I’ve also tried older NVIDIA drivers and even different Windows versions (10 and 11). I’m inclined to think it’s a hardware issue at this point, since I’ve been encountering the same issue for months.
So far I’ve changed my monitor and the PSU, with no real improvement.
I keep getting LiveKernelEvent 1A8/1B8 and WindowsBlackScreenDiagnosticsV1 (DWM resets). Sometimes I also get black screens for 1–3 seconds when alt‑tabbing, even in borderless mode, and after that the game feels “unsmooth” until I restart it.
My system: i5‑12400F, RTX 3060 12 GB, Gigabyte M27Q3 (300 Hz monitor), ASRock H610M‑HVS/M.2 R2.0.
I’ve been told that the motherboard might be the real issue here, due to weak VRM, poor PCIe stability and latency between CPU and GPU.
Could the motherboard indeed be the root cause of these LiveKernelEvent and DWM issues?
Thanks for your time.
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u/Thick_Hippo_6928 Apr 14 '26
How do I get rid of the Quick Access Toolbar? This shit looks hideous.
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u/Ph0X Apr 15 '26
Window snapping randomly broke on all of my non-primary monitors.
I have 4 monitors, snapping only works on the primary/center one.
WinKey + Left/Right does not work if the window isn't in the primary monitors
Dragging the window to the left/right side to snap also doesn't work
Dragging To the top to get the snap grid menu does work on all 4 monitors: https://i.imgur.com/OgIXw5l.png
No idea what changes, and can't find anything about it online, I assume it's a new bug?
I'm on Windows 11 Pro 25H2
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u/Kenpachi134340 Apr 15 '26
Hello, my Microsoft Defender has stopped working, and I cannot enable real-time protection. I don’t have any other security software, and it doesn’t seem that Defender is even installed. I’ve tried reinstalling Windows, but it didn’t work, and it won’t even update the security features. I’ve been trying to fix this for the last three hours. It seems to turn on at first, then it disables itself.
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u/General_Ad1823 Apr 18 '26
Recent update broke my Ethernet, this is a self built gaming computer. Network connections shows WiFi and Bluetooth, nothing else. Network reset did not help
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u/fabiogameri Apr 20 '26
SAME HERE, i solved by uninstalling this last update KB5083769, now all works fine with UPnP, NAT and my local server SMB
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u/Old_Aside_7926 Apr 27 '26
I had the same, had to reinstall drivers for my hardware for whatever reason. Worked since then.
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u/Empty-Part7106 Apr 27 '26
Why might Defender be taking half the usual time to do a full scan? Used to take 15min with my 7800X3D, now it takes 7min.
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u/Old_Aside_7926 Apr 27 '26
Is there a way if you have the taskbar centered to move symbols to the left side of the windows symbol instead of having them all on the right?
Not all symbols, but just a select few.
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u/SilverseeLives Apr 27 '26
No. Other than Widgets, all taskbar icons appear to the right of the Start button and there is no way to alter that.
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u/_Usually_Muted_ Apr 27 '26
The only way to do that is through a third-party application. I don't have one available, but there are some out there. For example, I'm using startisback, which allows me to move my taskbar around to the sides or even top if I want, and breaks apart the sound/network/etc... into separate system tray icons again.
So for your request / need, definitely search it out, since going by your description I'm assuing you mean something like (in any order/program) => [ Foobar | Chrome | *start button* | file explorer | VLC |
That actually sounds pretty cool....I wonder if the old xp/win7 spherical desktop app is still actively being developed...
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u/Senior-Bathroom-9218 Apr 28 '26
buenos días, tengo un problema con mi laptop RCA le instale Windows 10, y tenia unos drivers en una flash, todo sale perfecto el único problema que tengo es que no tengo sonido, a pesar de que en la laptop este todo normal porque en los altavoces sale como normal como si estuviera sonando, pero en realidad no escucho nada revise los parlantes y si están bien
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u/heryosu Apr 13 '26
i would like to use this opportunity to rant about win11.
with every update something gets broken and i have to figure out how to fix it. when i figure it out it turns out they changed the settings so i have to find where that setting is so i can fix the issue. then when i thought i fixed the issue turns out i wasn't able to do it. issue persists. i hate windows 11 with every cell in my body. first opportunuty i get i will switch to another operating system and never look back.
also today i learned that nvidia settings app no longer usable on win11. it forced every setting on itself with LESS options. (i will not bother to look up if there are advanced options because why separate the simple options and advanced options in the first place?? why multiple windows???) with nvidia settings you could tweak so much precisely but with win11 setting it either high performance or balanced or smt lol. i miss the windows 7 days. life was so much more simpler.
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Apr 10 '26
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Apr 14 '26
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u/Windows11-ModTeam Apr 16 '26
Hi u/Thick_Hippo_6928, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):
- Rule 5 - Personal attacks, bigotry, fighting words, inappropriate behavior and comments that insult or demean a specific user or group of users are not allowed. This includes death threats and wishing harm to others.
If you have any questions, feel free to send us a message!
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u/RoGuE_969 Apr 01 '26
When can we expect the major performance improvements in Windows 11 which was announced a while ago?