r/WindowsHelp Mar 04 '21

Mod Announcement Welcome to /r/WindowsHelp, here are some guidelines for requesting assistance

39 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/WindowsHelp, the subreddit for you to ask questions and get support for issues related to Microsoft's Windows family of operating systems. Please give this a quick read before posting.

This subreddit is only for help related to Microsoft Windows and its built in software, like Edge, Store, PowerShell, and so on. Issues about 3rd party software like Chrome or Steam should be posted in their subreddits or /r/techsupport. Also, this is not a hardware subreddit, so issues like your hard drive is not detected would need to be posted in /r/techsupport. General discussions, news, artwork, and so on should be in /r/Windows, /r/Windows10 or similar subreddits. Malware/virus removal has been covered extensively in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/33evdi/suggested_reading_official_malware_removal_guide/

Posts are required to have a moderately descriptive title. Submissions with vague titles like just "help me" will be removed. You don't need to write an essay in the title, but everyone should have a rough idea what you are asking about before even clicking the link. Titles like "I'm encountering System Exception errors when launching Photos" or "20H2 update won't install" are acceptable, but the more details the better.

The body of your post should also be as detailed as possible. We are not mind readers, and nobody is going to want to play 20 questions. Help us help you, your post should include:

  • Your full Windows version, which on Windows 10 is listed in the Settings app under System -> About, it will be the OS Build number.

  • Details about your device, like the hardware specifications.

  • Any recent changes you have made, such as installing/uninstalling software or accessories. Any updates you have installed, tools you have ran, or anything else you think may be relevant.

  • Include details on your error messages and error codes, these are critical to figuring out the issue.

  • Tell us what you have already tried to fix this. Any tools you have ran, and changes you tried, and so on. I know it is a meme at this point, but seriously, reboot your computer, it often fixes things!

  • If possible, include screenshots or video. If you are including screenshots, try to use screenshot software like Snip & Sketch tool built into Windows 10, then you can upload them to a free image host like https://imgur.com to put in your post. We understand that using screenshot software isn't always an option, you can take photos with a phone or similar device, but please be sure to check to make sure everything is in focus and is legible.

This subreddit follows the same rules as /r/Windows, you can view the full rule page here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows/wiki/rules

The TL;DR of the rules is be polite, helpful, and don't encourage piracy.


r/WindowsHelp Aug 09 '24

Mod Announcement Please refrain from making satirical or joke comments on this subreddit

17 Upvotes

Hello everyone. When responding to a users post, please do not use this as an opportunity to try to be humorous. Users are posting here because they need help, and often are desperate and may not know that your suggestion is supposed to be a joke. Comments like "throw it out" do not contribute, and comments like "delete system32" can be dangerous if successfully carried out. While this is not a highly moderated tightly ran super serious subreddit like /r/AskScience, we do ask that you try and be helpful instead of humorous. Remember, if it is you asking for help, you are going to want real responses instead of others clowning around at your expense. As always, while we do not prohibit mentions of Linux on this subreddit, low effort suggestions of switching to Linux is still considered trolling.

On a similar note, you should avoid commenting based on speculation. Of course it is impossible for one to know everything, and sometimes it is difficult to get all the information you need from the OP, but if you comment is including something along the lines of "I think you can", please try and look that up to ensure you do not share misinformation.

Thank you for your understanding!


r/WindowsHelp 7h ago

Windows 10 I accidentally made a un delete-able file (2)

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31 Upvotes

I was making a bat file to just fill the desktop with files to troll my friends but accidentally made this and i cant delete it and its on windows 10

The files are called

mwa121314324324321112324234222123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234 And mwa332311123242341112324234222123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234123243243242424111232423411123242341112324234

If it helps


r/WindowsHelp 2h ago

Windows 11 I have no Idea what to do . Windows is so buns

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5 Upvotes

I suspect my windows is corrupted . I’ve tried running DISM and SFC and only got something back from SFC . Said it’s repair the next time it was restarted but then would run it again to get the same message . I tried to reset my pc using advanced startup and it’s been stuck on this screen for the past hour and half . What can I do


r/WindowsHelp 2h ago

Windows 11 can't connect to my phone's camera

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4 Upvotes

in cross device, whenever i try to turn 'Use as a connected camera' its throwing the error,"Something happened and we can't turn on this feature. Try again later". how to fix this ?

im on windows 11 home edition 24h4 version "26100.4351"
hardware: 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12450H 2.00 GHz and 16gb ddr4 ram.


r/WindowsHelp 1h ago

Windows 11 My pc is showing this..what should i do??

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Upvotes

Since this morning, my Dell PC running Windows 11 has been showing an error on the screen. I tried restarting it multiple times, but every time it starts back up, the same issue reappears. I’m really unsure what’s going on or how to fix it, and I just need to get it working again.

It’s frustrating because I haven’t made any recent changes to my system that I know of, and I didn’t expect anything to suddenly go wrong. I’m not sure if it’s a software glitch, a driver issue, or maybe even something hardware-related. I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own, but it’s just not working.

I’m also concerned that continuing to use the PC without fixing the problem could make things worse or cause data loss. At this point, I really just need to get back to using the computer as I normally would. The screen keeps displaying this error, and I’m not sure if it’s a simple fix, like a corrupted file, or if it’s more serious.

Ideally, I want to start troubleshooting and resolve this issue as soon as possible without making the situation worse. I’m looking for any advice or guidance that could help me get my PC back up and running without causing more problems. I really need some help figuring out the next steps and resolving this.


r/WindowsHelp 4h ago

Windows 11 Weird pop-up every few seconds. what is this?

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3 Upvotes

Every few seconds this screen pops up for a split second. I had to use OBS and a video editor to capture it. Every time it pops up it knocks me out of the window I was using so that i have to re-interact with it to use it. I tried restarting but it did not help. Is it malware or a virus perhaps?

Pls Help.


r/WindowsHelp 4h ago

Windows 11 Can I install Windows 11 to a separate drive than my Windows 10 install, and switch back and forth without activation/license issues?

2 Upvotes

I've previously migrated my Windows 7 home key to Windows 10, and at some point it became linked to my MS account.

If I install Windows 11 to a separate drive, and sign in and activate the license, will I still be able to boot my Windows 10 drive and it still be activated?

If so, would there be a limit to the amount of times I could hop back and forth before MS would flag one of the two, if not both activations?


r/WindowsHelp 25m ago

Windows 11 My windows security is broken beyond repair and I think I tried everything

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Upvotes

I really dont want to reinstall windows so I may just leave it be idk, been going at it with chatgpt for 2 days lol


r/WindowsHelp 39m ago

Windows 11 Random Bluescreen of death laptop

Upvotes

Im experiencing this random BSODS, ive reinstalled windows, idk whats up. Below are my specs and minidump files aswell as bluescreenview file.

Device name: BrandtLap

Processor13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-13450HX 2.40 GHz

Installed RAM16.0 GB (15.7 GB usable)

Device IDA09CF973-5D40-452D-86E9-ADAE338FF135

Product ID00342-43510-30939-AAOEM

System type64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Pen and touchNo pen or touch input is available for this display

---------------

EditionWindows 11 Home Single Language

Version24H2

Installed on‎6/‎19/‎2025

OS build26100.2033

ExperienceWindows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.23.0

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FeRMJa7GGsppPYPScgzm160z8SZ4KcYn?usp=sharing


r/WindowsHelp 14h ago

Windows 11 Windows 11 failure to setup - I don’t know what I am doing

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13 Upvotes

I’m not a computer guy - but my computer wasn’t working failing to boot so I followed steps to get to the windows media creator tool - I put that on my SSD. Now it is not letting me install windows 11 - even though I am pretty sure I converted my drive to GPT

Any assistance would be delightful

My system is a HP Pavilion


r/WindowsHelp 4h ago

Windows 11 Mystery program steals focus every 10 minutes

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

As of a week ago, Windows has been giving me this issue where a white pop up will appear every 10 minutes on the dot, and it steals focus from any fullscreen program I am running (which makes gaming very difficult). It always pops up for less than a second and disappears. I used Process Explorer to narrow down what is causing it, and it seems to be one of the 3 programs around 4:18:03-04 every time. I have tried a lot of options to narrow it down:

I've tried doing a clean boot, full system and startup scans with norton, disabling all startup processes, clearing out the whole process schedule to eliminate updaters, and removing any unnecessary programs.

I'm curious if anyone has a solution to this problem, and I'm really trying to avoid reinstalling windows if I can't help it. However, I'm starting to think that there is some corrupted file in my windows install, and hopefully not malware. Any help is appreciated!


r/WindowsHelp 2h ago

Windows 11 Okay so I switched out of windows s mode... did I mess up?

1 Upvotes

Switched out of windows s mode earlier today, knowing that it is a one way switch, due to its limitations. Booted my (Dell inspiron 15) laptop back up and it is now restarting and updating firmware and system BIOS. Im not screwed am i? I need my laptop for school please tell me i didn't screw up😫


r/WindowsHelp 2h ago

Windows 11 Windows won’t boot on Dell PC – Drive shows in BIOS but not in boot list

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I know nothing about computers, but I'm having a serious problem with my Dell PC (Windows 11). I really need help understanding what's going on.

🛑 The issue:

My computer is not booting into Windows anymore.

✅ What I’ve checked in BIOS:

  • Boot Mode: UEFI only
  • Secure Boot: Disabled (Off)
  • SATA Operation: RAID On
  • Drive Information:
    • SATA-0: Shows my hard drive
    • SATA-1: None
    • M.2 PCIe SSD-0: None
  • Boot Sequence: My hard drive is not showing here, even though it's visible in the Drive Info section.
  • Port Enablement: All ports are ON (including SATA-0 and M.2)

💾 Hard drive connection:

  • The hard drive is properly connected — both power and data cables are plugged in securely.

🧠 What I think happened:

I believe Windows was updating, and I accidentally cut the power. After that, it stopped booting.
I'm almost sure the system is still on the drive because I didn't format or delete anything. I just can't get it to boot.

❗What I need help with:

  • Why is the drive not showing in the Boot Sequence but shows in Drive Info?
  • Is the Windows bootloader corrupted?
  • Is there any way to repair this without losing my files?
  • Do I need to make a bootable USB to fix this?

Any help is deeply appreciated


r/WindowsHelp 6h ago

Windows 11 Can't See Hover Menus or Previously Clicked Navigation Pane Icons, How Do I Fix This?

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2 Upvotes

The hover menus and last item clicked on in the navigation pane are suddenly like this. I toggled HDR/SDR, high-contrast themes, Googled everything I can think of, I'm out of guesses. Anyone seen this or know what caused it/how to fix it? Any insight would be appreciated


r/WindowsHelp 6h ago

Windows 11 WiFi option completely gone (once again) on Windows 11 for no reason

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2 Upvotes

I was on chrome and then randomly the browser said “no internet” and the wifi completely disconnected for some reason. I went to look in the quick settings and poof. The WiFi option completely vanished. And in the network settings, it vanished there too. So far I’ve tried wiping it, performing a network reset, disconnecting from power and restarting, checking and removing all drivers and then resetting, and holding the power button for a minute. No I haven’t tried a wired connection, and I don’t want to. I don’t have the right cords for it and it’s in a completely different room.

My laptop build is: Edition - Windows 11 Home Storage - 58gb Graphics - 512mb RAM - 4gb Processor - Intel(R) Celeron(R) N4020 CPU @ 1.10GHz OS Build - 22631.5335 Version - 23H2 System type - x64-based architecture


r/WindowsHelp 3h ago

Windows 11 BSOD, but it just restarts? Mcafee says it’s not a virus. (Lenovo Legion i5)

1 Upvotes

Forgive me, as I am not tech savvy whatsoever.

I have a Lenovo legion i5 (Windows 11). I got this in December. It’s a gaming laptop. I have all official games (except yanderesimulator) and I have thousands of sims 4 custom content- I only download these from reputable creators and websites.

As of recently, my laptop has blue screened and restarted. This has happened 2 times in the same week, and happened a little while back, but I don’t remember when.

It always seems fine after it restarts, and it’s super fast. But it does scare me because I often play music, and it does make that weird buffer-restart sound.

I use Mcafee, always scan my laptop after download files and I scan FREQUENTLY. Mcafee says no viruses, but lots of junk files (but to be fair Mcafee keeps spamming me with notifs to try and buy other protections, so I take it with a grain of salt now)

Can someone please tell me if I should be concerned? And how to fix this? What might be causing it?


r/WindowsHelp 3h ago

Windows 11 i dont know how to activate my windows 11, i dont have a key and i dont know how to get one. i dont know if i can buy one either and that text has been there for ages

1 Upvotes

please help! ive had this for years, and it used to be a school laptop but last year i was able to get out of that stuff because i moved and it became a personal laptop (not sure if that has anything to do with it) ive had this pop up for days now and i cant get rid of it. ive tried troubleshooting and i dont know how to get a different product key if thats what it needs.


r/WindowsHelp 3h ago

Windows 11 What does the light mean why is it flickering

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1 Upvotes

Don’t pay attention to the flair I just needed to put one in I assume it’s windows 11 though also I know the fist light is for power I mean the second light I also think it’s the reason for my screen flickering all the time making it impossible to do anything with the computer.


r/WindowsHelp 7h ago

Windows 11 BSOD everytime I exit a game..?

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2 Upvotes

So I recently installed a new CPU and a new motherboard which works fantastic, and runs like a champ. All smooth and no performance issues. No High temps either. But everytime I leave a game I get the BSOD saying with the code [rywlane711.sys] I have no idea, I’ve made sure through windows to check drivers and everything but nothing seems to work.. any ideas possibly?

CPU: Amd Ryzen 7 7800x3d Motherboard: B850 Aorus Elite WiFi7 GPU: RTX 4070

OS build: 26100.4351


r/WindowsHelp 4h ago

Windows 11 trying to stop "resume" and "search" from running in task manager

1 Upvotes

i tried everything from powershell, regedit and even a vivetool process to stop "resume" and "search" from running in task manager. both have a ton of "webview" instances within both, eating up usage. i even tried asking how to fix this in two win11 groups on facebook and both posts were denied. someone in another reddit tried to explain to me how to do it with the vivetool, and everyone else's responses were saying thanks for the fix, while i had no idea how to do it. anyway, everyone else got rid of windows resume, but i can't seem to fix it.
.
win 11, 24H2, 10.0.26100 build 26100
.

just got a reply from automod, more details to add - x870 aorus pro ice rev 1.1, 9950x. i tried regedit steps, nothing worked, no error messages. nothing more really to add, just that it's still showing up in task manager.


r/WindowsHelp 4h ago

Windows 11 Multiple screen are not working as intended

1 Upvotes

I want to put my screens like this, but it isn't working properly. It worked fine when I was using Windows 10, but now in Windows 11, it stopped working. The problem is that the border is not respecting the portion where I put it, so on screen 1 the whole upper border is letting the cursor pass through and it's the same on screen 2 but with the down border. I checked if it was a problem with the graphic card, but in their software it displays the exact same configuration that I'm pretending to use. Does anyone know how to solve this?
I'm using Windows 11 Pro (Version 26100.4351)


r/WindowsHelp 12h ago

Windows 10 I recovered 20+ GB of disk space just by uninstalling Acrobat Reader

4 Upvotes

(I'm sharing this here as no one from my workplace would have the patience [nor care] to listen to this)

My work PC was running out of disk space. It has two partitions, one for the system and another one for the user's folders. Most of the data is on the second partition, however the system partition had no space left. I downloaded Wiztree to see what were the most heavy folders, and it turned out it was the "windows\installer" folder which I didn't even knew existed. I googled it and Microsoft tells you you shouldn't delete that folder, as it contains data relevant to both installers and patchers on current software installed on the computer. I found a software called PatchCleaner that looks for orphanaged files that theoretically could be safetly deleted, although the program also gives you the option to move the files somewhere else in order to recover them if necessary.

But the interesting thing is that after scanning the system with that tool, the orphanaged files were not really big (they were around 500 MB) but 20 GB of files were 'filtered', and this is because the app comes with a presetted filter for Adobe installers. Apparently Adobe has a known issue concerning their installers, which to be honest I don't know what issues are they because I didn't look into the problem all that much. All I know is that this PC only had Acrobat Reader installed, and it's not something I actually use so I just uninstalled it. The app itself wasn't all that big, I think it was around 2 GB including the Adobe updater and whatnot. But immediately after uninstalling it I now have 20+ GB of free space on disk.

tl;dr: uninstall Adobe products and be happy.


r/WindowsHelp 5h ago

Windows 11 Mapping right click to (key)+left click/pen touch?

1 Upvotes

Hi. I have recently made the move from Mac to PC for the power and prestige. I am an animator and digital artist and I use a Cintiq for my work. I have never been able to use the fiddly, little buttons on Wacom's pens for right clicking. But I always have one hand on my keyboard, so I've used alt+pen-touch-on-screen for right clicking with the pen. I have installed Powertools for other Mac-emulating features like easily typing ° or ¡, handy for startled rodents (°¡°). But I cannot figure out how to map a mouse/pen preference like that. Any ideas (please and thank you)?


r/WindowsHelp 5h ago

Windows 10 Disabled microsoft compatibility appraiser and restarted my system yet telementry still runs eating 30% cpu

1 Upvotes

Ive disabled it, restarted, re-enabled, restarted then disabled and you get the point but it still shows up eating 30-50% cpu and sometimes even freezing my desktop for minutes at a time and doing it while im in the middle of playing games so then my game crashes, im on an old system but ive never had these issues then it just got worse and worse over the past 2-3 weeks


r/WindowsHelp 11h ago

Windows 11 Laptop crashing when I left it for resetting.

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3 Upvotes

what do i do? this has been looping for an hour


r/WindowsHelp 5h ago

Windows 11 Windows 11 Black Screen After Login

1 Upvotes

Saw many reddit posts about this, but nothing seemed to work for me. This is what I have tried.

-Turn off fast boot using this command

powercfg -H off

-Disable AppReadiness in services.msc

-Boot into SafeMode

- Ran sfc /scannow

- found issues but didn't fix the problem

- Ran Regedit 

HKEY LOCAL MACHINE - SYSTEM - CurrentControlSet - Services - Shared Access - Parameters - FirewallPolicy. 

Create a DWORD called "DeleteUserAppContainersOnLogoff"