 Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me. |
Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : More lovely W11 chaos....
| Author | Message | ||||
Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9974 |
RANT WARNING! - I need to vent built up steam... CLIENT #1: Can't logon to his email, no matter what. Went through all the motions, even changed the password. W11 flatly refuses to let him into his email. You CAN get into his email JUST FINE, using my cellphone and his email details, or on his wife's iPad using his email details. W11 refuses EVERY time, with the unhelpful message: "Something went wrong." - gee......real helpful message MS.  Still trying to work out what is going on here, but the work-around for now, is he just has to use his wife's iPad for his email. But the problem is definitely to do with W11 not liking the email website, or vice-versa. The fact you CAN easily logon to his email with other tech, means it is specific to W11 - probably some obscure security patch applied by one of the plethora of automatic updates. CLIENT #2: W11 won't boot - says it cannot connect to the network. Manually point W11 to the WiFi network, enter in the WiFi password, connection established, fails to boot. Reboot. Fails to boot with exact same network connection error. Reboot, enter advanced options, select newest restore-point, set that in motion. Restore completes successfully(W11 message to that effect) Reboot. Fails to boot saying it can't connect to the network. I WANT to be rid of W11 problems, but I am sorta stuck - as are most computer techs - with the fact that you CAN'T not support people with W11 problems, as more and more W11 machines come on-line. But I do hate W11 so.....    #2 will probably get upgraded to Linux Mint, which I officially now support people with, as to fix this W11 problem, probably would require a full system re-install of W11, and if you have to go that far, I normally just sell the client on the idea of moving to Linux. For everyday general-purpose use, Linux is perfect, if all you do is emails and browsing the web etc. Edited 2026-05-21 15:37 by Grogster Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
Bryan1 Guru  Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2069 |
No win 11 here and with luck never to be visited  now Grog's my eldest Daughters boyfriend is a IT guru and lucky him scored a job with SA high school system I can point these problems to him and I'll be he says just get into the command prompt and this quick fix. So if you want me to ask him I just love giving him some thinking to do and it's a good excuse to get them around for a BBQ.  Regards Bryan |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9974 |
DO IT! Remind him that you can't even access the command-prompt at this point, you are locked into a continuios boot/reboot cycle, that none of the standard tools can fix. I already have this machine running happily on a Linux Mint USB. Am copying all the documents from the W11 install, and then I will have a certain about of satisfaction in WIPING this machine, and installing Linux where W11 used to be. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5902 |
Is bios setting for network boot enabled? Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9974 |
No. Standard boot sequence - USB drives followed by "OS BOOTLOADER" No network boot selected anywhere in the boot-order. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
| gob33 Newbie  Joined: 26/02/2018 Location: FrancePosts: 7 |
i would try EasyBCD |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9974 |
UPDATE: I have another one of the problems as per "CLIENT #2" at the start of this thread. EXACTLY the same issue, and NOTHING I try will get around this constant rebooting failure cycle. It's odd and statistically suspcious that I would have another totally seperate W11 machine, with EXACTLY this same failed boot/reboot cycle issue. To make sure I am covering as many bases as possible, can any of the members here tell me if THEY have come across this issue recently? I am wondering if this is the result of some kind of broken forced-update that W11 rams down every user's throat - weather then want it or not. IT IS FACTUAL, that SOME of those forced updates, have created all kinds of Mary-Hell with lots and lots of W11 machines, so wondering if this could be something like that.   Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5902 |
Grogster, Can't you restore to a much earlier restore point ? Something like 6 months ago ? In case the system then works, you know it is the update. Question #2: do the 2 units with that particular problem, have the same WIFI chip ? It seems there is a relation with rebooting when WIFI is enabled. Embedded in Windows is a binary blob for the WIFI/BT chip. If that got corrupt in a W11 update, all laptops with that particular WIFI chip will suffer. Maybe MS already fixed it, but since your laptops cannot connect to internet anymore, they can't get repaired (unless you connect via a wired ethernet). Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
||||
TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6534 |
I think Windows knows you hate it. Only 3 W11 systems here, 2 using WiFi. No problems with any. You could try a USB-Ethernet adapter to allow the system to find a network with out a password, not any of my W11 need a network of any sort to boot. Jim VK7JH MMedit |
||||
phil99 Guru Joined: 11/02/2018 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3268 |
Unless W11 does automatic restore points there probably won't be one. Most users know nothing about that. Even when you do have one it doesn't undo changes the update may have done to the UEFI / BIOS. Those can prevent loading the boot files of any other OS. The reason MS gives for that is it prevents malware taking over the machine. Might be true but... |
||||
| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4332 |
Can you even get into the BIOS settings? If so, change some - or did you already? John |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9974 |
@ Volhout: I will look for an older restore point, but the last laptop I had this issue with a couple of weeks ago, rolling back to an older restore point did NOT fix the problem. The restore completed fine(W11 message saying so), but upon rebooting, the same boot-fail/reboot problem was still there. Question #2 is more then I can tell you, as I never noted the details of the WiFi chip on the first problem laptop. I'd like to say at this point, that client #1 has been running happily on Linux Mint now for more then a week and they love it - no problems to report, and they are stunned that it just does what they ask of it. No ad pop-up's, no bloody co-pilot constantly offering help, etc. I feel another Mint install pending for this new laptop with the same problem.... ....but I digress.  @ TassyJim: Yes, I get the feeling that W11 is jealous of my new Linux girlfriend and how happy we are together as opposed to W11's constant nagging.   Good idea on the USB WiFi thing - I think I have a dongle around here somewhere. I also agree - it should not MATTER that W11 can't find the network, it should still boot to the desktop. Perhaps moan THEN about no internet/can't sync to the MS account blah, blah, blah, but you don't even get that far. During boot-up, it moans that it can't find the network, then fails to boot even to the desktop. Your only option is to press ENTER, and when you do that, W11 just reboots back into the same error. It's really rather frustrating. Remember: when it fails, you CAN get into the network connection, select the WiFi network W11 SHOULD be hopping on to any way, enter the password for that, W11 says it's connected, then when you tell it to proceed, it falls over anyway saying it can't find the network connection - even though you just manually pointed W11 to it and connected to it about 20 seconds before.  @ phil99: Yeah, I am wondering if it is some kind of balls-up BIOS change that an update tried to do. That WOULD cause this kind of problem..... @ JohnS: Yes, on the last machine, I could get into the BIOS, but the boot-order was set correctly for W11, and W11 IS TRYING to boot, so the boot process is under way when it falls over. Just another day in W11 paradise........ ....or should that be Hell? (rhetorical!) Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
| TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6534 |
No WiFi, plain old Ethernet so no password etc to hold things up. VK7JH MMedit |
||||
Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8877 |
Sometimes you can't beat dangley wires. I always keep a lead handy so it can be draped across the floor and over the furniture in a nonchalant and impressive manner in an emergency. She Who Must Be Obeyed sees such things of beauty as nasty and untidy though, I've no idea why. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
||||
| ville56 Guru Joined: 08/06/2022 Location: AustriaPosts: 508 |
Beauty lies only in the eye of the observer .... But a preconfigured, tested and working Access-point can reduce troubles and does similar as a copper-wire stringed to the router. Edited 2026-06-05 17:28 by ville56 73 de OE1HGA, Gerald |
||||
| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8877 |
It can if the wifi chip or its driver isn't the problem, yes. Hard-wired ethernet bypasses that. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
||||
| ville56 Guru Joined: 08/06/2022 Location: AustriaPosts: 508 |
No, my solution is meant differently: Router <--- wifi ---> Access-point <--- UTP cable ----> PC the UTP cable is just a short run to the PC, as the accesspoint sits right next to the PC. If the accesspoint is configured as wifi-to-cable bridge you can avoid stringing long cables. So "She" has almost nothing to complain about :-) I usually keep a configured spare range-extender/accesspoint/bridge with a RJ45 connector for exactly such cases in the drawer. Can be a cheap one and there is no need for mesh integration. If it works once it usually will work always. Helps sorting out hw/driver issues with OSes. 73 de OE1HGA, Gerald |
||||
| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8877 |
Ah, I see. :) My artistically draped cable isn't usually much more than a couple of metres from the main network switch. She doesn't usually moan, especially if I'm fixing her PC. :) An access point would be a bit of overkill. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
||||
 Print this page |
 |
The Back Shed's forum code is written, and hosted, in Australia. | © JAQ Software 2026 |
