Bugs Killed
Problems I have seen killed on Windows and Mac, with the steps that killed them.
Each page says where it comes from: a repair I made, a repair by someone from XL.net, or published sources you can open. The steps are one quick check away.
Windows
Laptop stuck in sleep or hibernate state and would not turn on
The laptop would not turn on because it was actually powered on but stuck in a sleep or hibernation state. Holding the power button down forced a reset, and it came back on and worked normally afterward.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-13.
Windows
Sharp printer shows 'Error: State' from one PC
The affected PC got 'Error: State' when printing to a Sharp printer even though other PCs could print to the same device. The printer was reinstalled on that PC and duplex printing was turned off for that printer; test pages then went out without errors.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-13.
Windows
Printer error when printing documents
The printer was encountering an error when a document was sent to print. The technician adjusted the scan settings and the printer then worked normally.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-10.
Windows
SentinelOne blocked a Windows 11 upgrade
A Windows 10 Dell tablet could not continue the Windows 11 upgrade because SentinelOne was blocking it. SentinelOne was temporarily disabled, then the upgrade was allowed to resume with an automatic re-enable after 6 hours.
- Windows 10
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-10.
Windows
Remote Windows machine would not wake display or respond after idle time
The machine would not bring the monitors back on and would not respond to button presses after being left idle. The technician forced a shutdown, disabled the inactivity limit, ran SFC and DISM, and confirmed the remote apps still worked.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-09.
Windows
Rename a Windows computer after a hostname conflict
The computer name was still set to an old value and it conflicted with another device name. The technician renamed it to a unique hostname and told the user to reboot so the change would take effect.
- Windows
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-08.
Windows
Domain error at sign-in on a Windows laptop
The laptop could not be signed in because it reported that the domain was not available. The technician removed the device from the domain, joined it to Entra, and copied the contents of the old profile into a new user profile.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-06.
Windows
Printer did not print the document content because the queue was stuck
The desktop printer was not printing the content of sent documents. The print spooler was reset, stuck jobs were cleared from the queue, and the printer was confirmed working afterward.
- Windows
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-06.
Windows
Photoshop would not open after a failed update
Photoshop had stopped opening because a prior update failed. Reinstalling the failed update restored normal launch.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-06.
Windows
FactSet would not open until the old install was removed and the latest version reinstalled
FactSet on a shared Windows computer was showing an error when it was opened. The old installation was uninstalled and the latest FactSet version was reinstalled, then confirmed to work.
- Windows
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-02.
Windows
External monitor stopped working; Windows and firmware updates resolved it
The external monitor stopped working. Windows and firmware updates were installed on the machine, and the issue was resolved; a restart was still pending afterward.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-02.
Windows
AVD would not open
The AVD app could not be opened. Opening the application from the taskbar restored access to AVD.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-02.
Windows
Mailbox rules were sending mail out of the inbox
Hidden mailbox rules were removed from the affected accounts, including the rule that had been moving mail to RSS Feeds. The technician confirmed all rules were gone and that mail should no longer move beyond the inbox automatically.
- Windows
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-01.
Windows
Windows Media Player could not play a file; VLC was installed and playback was confirmed with audio
Windows Media Player would not play a file and reported that it could not find a sound device. VLC was installed, then the same video was confirmed to play with audio.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-10-01.
Windows
Z: drive mapping would not stay connected when using the server name
The Z: shared drive could not be accessed reliably when it was mapped by server name. It was remapped using the IP address instead, and the mapping stayed after reboot.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-30.
Windows
SketchUp would not run because hardware acceleration was not being detected
SketchUp failed to start on a Windows device with a graphics-related error. The fix was to disable and then re-enable hardware acceleration, then force SketchUp to use the discrete GPU instead of the integrated graphics.
- Windows
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-30.
Windows
Windows sign-in could not find the domain; account was disabled and passwords were resynced
The user could not sign in because Windows said it could not find the domain. The technician used a local admin account, connected the VPN, re-enabled the disabled account after confirming the change was intentional, and reset the AD password to match the new Microsoft account password so sign-in worked again.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-29.
Windows
Laptop would not charge because debris blocked the power port
The laptop would not charge because the power connector was not seating properly in the charging port. The device was replaced through an advanced exchange and the replacement laptop was set up successfully.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-26.
Windows
PDF email attachments would not open because the file association was wrong
Email PDF attachments would not open. The technician reset the .PDF association to open in Edge and also set .doc files to open in Word.
- Windows
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-26.
Windows
Old driver left behind after a Windows 11 update causes a post-reboot error
After a Windows 11 update, an older driver was still present and conflicted with the newer driver, which caused an error to appear after each reboot. The technician removed the old driver and rebooted to confirm the conflict was gone.
- Windows 11
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-26.
Windows
PDF export used a variable Source Sans 3 font instead of the static font
Word documents were exporting to PDF with font rendering that did not match the original document. The issue was resolved by removing the Source Sans 3 variable font and installing the static Source Sans 3 version.
- Windows
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-25.
Windows
Windows update retry prompt after a failed scan on an older PC
The computer showed a prompt to run a scan and was behaving differently because Windows updates had failed on an older machine. The fix was to click Continue, let the scan finish, and let Windows retry the update.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-25.
Windows
Xerox DocuMate 632 scanner driver repair and test scan
The DocuMate 632 scanner would not work until the drivers were repaired/reinstalled so the TWAIN driver was available again. A test scan was then run successfully, and the OneTouch software was removed.
- Windows 11
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-24.
Windows
Shared mailbox message times were shown in the wrong time zone
Message timestamps in the shared mailbox were offset by several hours. The mailbox time zone was updated to Central Time, which corrected the received-time display.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-22.
Windows
Computer would not power on; user moved to a replacement PC
The original computer would not power on at all and was treated as a hardware failure. The issue was resolved by switching the user to a replacement PC and confirming it was working.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-22.
Windows
Microsoft Teams desktop login failed; browser login was used as a workaround
Microsoft Teams would not let the user sign in on the PC. The technician could not fix the underlying update problem, but confirmed a browser login workaround.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-19.
Windows
Tablet clock was four hours off
The tablet showed the wrong time by about four hours. The technician got logged in and synced the clock.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2025-09-19.