Quick reference for resolving common Windows issues encountered in MSP environments.

Slow Performance

Symptoms

  • System sluggish or unresponsive
  • High CPU or disk usage
  • Applications taking long to open

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check Resource Usage

Lang: powershell 
1# Check CPU and memory usage
2Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending | Select-Object -First 10
3
4# Check disk usage
5Get-Process | Sort-Object WorkingSet -Descending | Select-Object -First 10

2. Check Disk Health

Lang: cmd 
1# Check disk errors
2chkdsk C: /f /r
3
4# Check disk space
5wmic logicaldisk get caption,freespace,size

3. Windows Update Issues

Lang: powershell 
 1# Reset Windows Update components
 2net stop wuauserv
 3net stop cryptSvc
 4net stop bits
 5net stop msiserver
 6ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
 7ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
 8net start wuauserv
 9net start cryptSvc
10net start bits
11net start msiserver

Network Connectivity Problems

Symptoms

  • Cannot access network resources
  • Internet not working
  • DNS resolution failures

Quick Fixes

1. Reset Network Stack

Lang: cmd 
1ipconfig /release
2ipconfig /flushdns
3ipconfig /renew
4netsh winsock reset
5netsh int ip reset

2. Check DNS Settings

Lang: powershell 
1# View current DNS servers
2Get-DnsClientServerAddress
3
4# Set DNS to Google DNS (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4)
5Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias "Ethernet" -ServerAddresses ("8.8.8.8","8.8.4.4")
6
7# Test DNS resolution
8nslookup google.com

3. Test Network Connectivity

Lang: cmd 
1# Test basic connectivity
2ping 8.8.8.8
3
4# Trace network path
5tracert google.com
6
7# Check routing table
8route print

Profile Corruption

Symptoms

  • User cannot log in
  • Desktop items missing
  • Settings not saving
  • “User Profile Service failed” error

Solutions

1. Create New Profile

Lang: powershell 
1# Check existing profiles
2Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_UserProfile | Select-Object LocalPath, SID
3
4# Remove corrupted profile (use correct SID)
5$profile = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_UserProfile | Where-Object {$_.LocalPath -like "*username*"}
6$profile.Delete()

2. Fix Profile via Registry (Use with caution)

  1. Boot into Safe Mode or use another admin account
  2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
  3. Look for duplicate SIDs (one ending in .bak)
  4. Rename the .bak profile to remove .bak
  5. Delete the profile without .bak
  6. Restart computer

Symptoms

  • Print jobs stuck in queue
  • Printer not responding
  • Print spooler service crashes

Resolution

1. Clear Print Queue

Lang: cmd 
1# Stop print spooler
2net stop spooler
3
4# Delete print jobs
5del /Q /F /S "%systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*"
6
7# Start print spooler
8net start spooler

2. Reset Print Spooler

Lang: powershell 
1# Restart print spooler service
2Restart-Service -Name Spooler -Force
3
4# Check spooler status
5Get-Service Spooler

Windows Activation Issues

Symptoms

  • “Windows is not activated” message
  • Product key not working
  • Activation errors (0xC004F074, 0x8007007B)

Solutions

1. Check Activation Status

Lang: cmd 
1slmgr /dlv
2slmgr /xpr

2. Reactivate Windows

Lang: cmd 
1# For volume license keys
2slmgr /ipk YOUR-PRODUCT-KEY
3slmgr /ato
4
5# Reset activation
6slmgr /rearm

3. KMS Activation (Enterprise environments)

Lang: cmd 
1# Set KMS server
2slmgr /skms kms-server.domain.com
3
4# Activate against KMS
5slmgr /ato

BitLocker Recovery

Symptoms

  • BitLocker recovery key requested on boot
  • Drive locked after hardware change
  • Cannot access encrypted drive

Recovery Steps

1. Find Recovery Key

  • Check Active Directory (if domain-joined)
  • Check Microsoft Account (personal devices)
  • Check Azure AD (Azure-joined devices)

2. Unlock Drive

Lang: cmd 
1# Unlock drive with recovery key
2manage-bde -unlock C: -RecoveryPassword RECOVERY-KEY
3
4# Suspend BitLocker temporarily
5manage-bde -protectors -disable C:

3. Check BitLocker Status

Lang: powershell 
1# View BitLocker status
2Get-BitLockerVolume
3
4# View recovery keys in AD (requires AD PowerShell module)
5Get-ADObject -Filter {objectClass -eq 'msFVE-RecoveryInformation'}

Common Error Codes

Error CodeMeaningQuick Fix
0x80070005Access DeniedCheck permissions, run as admin
0x80070002File Not FoundCheck file paths, repair system files
0x80004005Unspecified ErrorCheck Event Viewer, run SFC scan
0x800F081FSource Files Not FoundRun DISM with /Source parameter
0xC000000FBoot Configuration ErrorRun bootrec /rebuildbcd

System File Repair

SFC (System File Checker)

Lang: cmd 
1sfc /scannow

DISM (Deployment Image Servicing)

Lang: cmd 
1DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
2DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
3DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Event Viewer Quick Reference

Key event logs to check:

  • Application: Application errors and warnings
  • System: Driver and service issues
  • Security: Login attempts and security events
Lang: powershell 
1# View recent errors
2Get-EventLog -LogName System -EntryType Error -Newest 20
3
4# View application errors
5Get-EventLog -LogName Application -EntryType Error -Newest 20

Additional Resources