Windows
Windows 10 and 11 system problems.
Fixes
- Battlefield 6 and other anti-cheat games crash seconds after launch on Windows 11 KB5124010FixGames with anti-cheat crashing to desktop seconds after launch trace to KB5124010, an optional Windows 11 preview update from 22 September 2026. Removing it is reported to stop the crashes.Last verified September 2026
- AMD Adrenalin install fails at the AI Bundle stepFixAMD's AI Bundle is optional and downloads from HuggingFace and GitHub. If your Adrenalin install fails there, deselect it under Custom Install and the driver still installs.Last verified October 2026
- Windows 11 25H2 is not showing up in Windows Update before 24H2 support endsFixUsually nothing is broken: 25H2 ships as a staged rollout. With 24H2 Home and Pro losing updates on 13 October 2026 and 26H2 now rolling out too, here is how to tell waiting apart from a real block.Last verified September 2026
- Remote Desktop shows a black screen or drops after the September 2026 updatesFixA black Remote Desktop window is NVIDIA driver 616.56 — update to 616.92. Sessions that drop after a few minutes are Windows KB5124008 — install the 14 September out-of-band update.Last verified September 2026
- File History says "Reconnect your drive" after KB5124008FixMicrosoft fixed the File History "Reconnect your drive" bug on 22 September 2026 in KB5124010 — but it is an optional update that will not install on its own.Last verified September 2026
- Shared folders empty in Linux VMs after KB5124008 ("no Plan9 drive shares mounted")FixKB5124008 broke Plan9 host folder sharing in Hyper-V Linux VMs. Microsoft's 14 September out-of-band update — KB5129195, or KB5129194 on 26H1 — fixes it. Install it instead of removing the update.Last verified September 2026
- USB Audio No Sound or Code 10 After Windows Update KB5124008FixKB5124008 stops some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices: Code 10, no sound, or silence in 7.1. The 14 September out-of-band update fixes the multichannel half on 24H2 and 25H2. On 26H2 nothing is fixed yet.Last verified September 2026
- RGB Lighting and Fan Control Stopped Working After inpoutx64 Was BlockedFixinpoutx64 no longer loads, so lighting and sensor tools lose SMBus access to RAM and motherboard controllers. How to tell what disabled it, and why updating the utility beats re-enabling it.Last verified September 2026
- Smart Access Memory Turns Itself Off After an AMD Driver Update on Windows 10FixAMD lists Smart Access Memory switching itself off after a driver install on Windows 10 as an open known issue. Nothing warns you — here is how to check and switch it back on.Last verified September 2026
- Your desktop background turned black after Windows 11 KB5120998FixMicrosoft fixed the black desktop background from KB5120998 in the September 2026 security update, KB5124008. Install it and restart. Uninstalling the preview update is no longer needed.Last verified September 2026
- Teams and New Outlook Won't Open on Windows on Arm After KB5121003FixMicrosoft fixed the Teams and new Outlook launch failure on Arm PCs in the September 2026 updates — KB5124008 on 24H2 and 25H2, KB5124012 on 26H1. Install it instead of rolling back.Last verified September 2026
- Windows says Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off when it isn'tFixMicrosoft fixed the false "Defender is turned off" alert on 17 September 2026 in platform 4.18.26080.4. How to check your version and prove Defender is running.Last verified September 2026
- Your mouse cursor changed after Windows 11 KB5120998 and won't change backFixMicrosoft fixed the KB5120998 mouse cursor reset in the September 2026 security update, KB5124008. Install it and set your pointer scheme again — uninstalling the preview update is no longer needed.Last verified September 2026
- Smart App Control is blocking a game, launcher or modFixSmart App Control blocks unsigned code by default, which catches mods, older launchers and tools. Find out what it blocked before you switch it off — you may not get it back.Last verified September 2026
- USB controller, headset or mouse keeps disconnecting on Windows 11FixThe usual advice is to disable USB selective suspend. Microsoft strongly recommends not doing that. Work through power, ports and cables first, then target one device.Last verified September 2026
- Secure Boot certificate warning in Windows SecurityFixA yellow or red badge on Secure Boot in Windows Security means the 2011 certificates were not replaced. Your PC still boots — here is what it loses and how to fix it.Last verified September 2026
- Game stutter and Memory integrity on Windows 11FixWhether disabling Memory integrity helps your frame times depends on your CPU generation — Microsoft says so itself. How to check before you trade away a security feature.Last verified September 2026
- G-Sync or FreeSync not working in borderless windowed modeFixVRR engages in full screen but not in a borderless window. Four Windows and GPU settings decide this, and the one most guides skip is Optimizations for windowed games.Last verified September 2026
- Game runs on the integrated GPU instead of the NVIDIA oneFixSetting the preferred GPU in the NVIDIA Control Panel does nothing on modern Windows — the OS overrides it. Here is the setting that actually decides, and how to check it stuck.Last verified September 2026
- HDR looks washed out or grey in games on Windows 11FixGrey blacks, flat colour and a dull desktop after turning on HDR in Windows 11. Work out whether HDR is actually engaged, then fix the brightness slider, Night Light and calibration.Last verified September 2026
- Games crash with EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION after Windows 11 KB5121003FixMicrosoft resolved this on 26 August 2026 by blocking the inpoutx64 driver that RGB and fan-control utilities install. What to do if the block has not reached your PC.Last verified September 2026
- Game Audio and Voice Chat Come Out of the Same DeviceFixWindows already keeps a separate default for voice apps — most people never find it. Set the headset as the Default Communication Device and voice chat splits off on its own.Last verified September 2026
- Game Shows a Black Screen on Launch but the Audio PlaysFixWorking audio proves the game is running and rendering. The picture is going somewhere you cannot see — another display, an unsupported mode, or an HDR mismatch.Last verified September 2026
- Game Crashes When You Alt-Tab on Windows 11FixAlt-tab crashes are a lost graphics device, not a broken game. Exclusive fullscreen and laptop GPU switching cause most of them — and disabling Fullscreen Optimizations makes it worse.Last verified August 2026
- Controller Works in Steam but Not in the GameFixSteam Input delivers your controller by injecting a virtual Xbox pad through the Steam Overlay. If the overlay never hooks the game, Steam sees the pad and the game does not.Last verified September 2026
- Microphone Works in Discord but Not in Your GameFixWindows keeps two default microphones, not one. Discord asks for the communication device and most games ask for the default device — if they differ, only one hears you.Last verified September 2026
- Discord Screen Share Shows a Black ScreenFixA black Discord stream is a capture problem, not a Discord bug. Exclusive fullscreen and privilege mismatches are the usual causes — audio keeps working, which is the clue.Last verified August 2026
- Game Stuttering After an NVIDIA Driver UpdateFixStuttering right after a driver update is often shader caches rebuilding, not a bad driver. Give it a few sessions before rolling back, then check GPU scheduling.Last verified September 2026
- Xbox Controller Won't Connect to PCFixA controller that pairs to a console forgets the PC, and vice versa — it only remembers one wireless host. Check pairing mode first, then re-pair.Last verified August 2026
- Bluetooth Device Won't Connect on Windows 11FixA Bluetooth device that won't pair is usually not in pairing mode, out of battery, or already paired to something else. Work through these checks before touching drivers.Last verified September 2026
- Bluetooth Headphones Connected but No Sound on WindowsFixWindows shows the headphones as connected but plays nothing. Usually it picked the hands-free calling profile instead of the stereo one, or is still using the laptop speakers.Last verified September 2026
- Windows Update Stuck Downloading or Failing to InstallFixA Windows update stuck at a percentage is usually a corrupt update cache or too little free space. Run the troubleshooter first, then clear the cache.Last verified September 2026
- No Sound on Windows 11: How to Fix ItFixNo sound on Windows 11 is usually the wrong output device being selected, not a broken driver. Check that first, then work down to enhancements and drivers.Last verified September 2026
Compatibility
- Do PC games work on Snapdragon Windows on Arm laptops?PartiallyPartly. Most single-player games run under Prism emulation, but kernel-level anti-cheat blocks many online games — Windows cannot emulate drivers.Last verified September 2026
- Do PC games require Secure Boot on Windows 11?PartiallyMost games do not care about Secure Boot. A growing set with kernel anti-cheat — Battlefield 6, VALORANT — refuse to start without it. What is required, and what turning it on costs you.Last verified September 2026
- Does Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling Improve Performance?PartiallyMicrosoft's own position is that you should not notice a significant change. It is a latency feature, not the free frame rate boost it gets recommended as.Last verified September 2026
- Does the PS5 DualSense Controller Work on PC?PartiallyIt works as a gamepad, and through Steam you get gyro and the trackpad too. Adaptive triggers are the catch — they only work in games whose developers built them in.Last verified September 2026
- Does a Bluetooth Headset Microphone Work on a PC?PartiallyYes, but with a catch most people meet the hard way: on classic Bluetooth, turning the mic on drops your audio to mono. Only Windows 11 24H2 with LE Audio avoids it.Last verified September 2026
- Does an Xbox Controller Work With Windows 11?YesYes — over USB on every model, but Bluetooth only works on newer controllers, and headsets and chatpads stop working when you connect that way.Last verified August 2026
About Windows pages
What is collected here
Every published fix and compatibility answer tagged Windows, newest first. A page appears here whenever Windows is one of the things it affects, so pages that span several areas show up under each of them rather than only the first.
Fixes and compatibility answers are different things
A fix addresses something that is broken and walks through resolving it. A compatibility answer addresses whether two things work together at all, and opens with yes, no, or partly. They are listed separately because the question you arrived with determines which one helps.
Ordering and dates
Within a page, fixes run safest-first: the reversible steps come before the invasive ones. Across this list, pages carry either a verification date, meaning the claims were re-checked against their sources, or an updated date where no re-check has run yet.
The rules behind all of this are written down in the editorial standards, and the publishing system enforces them. Found a fix that is wrong, outdated, or unsafe? Tell us — corrections are handled before new pages.