I've seen cases where Wi-Fi was working normally, then the connection started becoming unstable or disconnecting while gaming. After restarting the PC, the Wi-Fi icon and Wi-Fi option disappeared completely.

At that point it isn't just a case of being unable to connect to a network — Windows seems to stop showing Wi-Fi altogether.

What would be the best way to determine whether this is a Wi-Fi driver problem, Windows disabling the adapter, or the wireless adapter itself failing?

If you've had this happen, did the Wi-Fi adapter still appear in Device Manager?

In one example, the GPU was reaching the high 80s under full load and the CPU was around the high 70s. After removing the tempered-glass side panel, both temperatures dropped considerably, with the GPU falling into the mid-60s.

The case had very limited airflow, no mesh front and only a single rear fan.

Would a temperature difference that large with the side panel removed be a strong indication that the case itself is restricting airflow?

And in a situation like this, would moving the components into a basic mesh-front case with three front intake fans and one rear exhaust fan likely make a significant difference, or should other cooling problems be investigated first?

The mouse cursor still moves around the screen, but left and right click don't respond. The Start menu, taskbar, desktop icons and open windows can't be clicked.

I've seen people describing this even after trying another mouse, restarting Windows Explorer, using recovery options, or reinstalling Windows.

One particularly strange workaround I've come across is pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del and then returning to the desktop. For some people, clicking starts working again temporarily.

Has anyone figured out what's actually causing this? Could it be Windows Explorer, an input driver, another connected device, or something else?

If you've experienced it, what eventually fixed it permanently?

I've seen reports where the computer works normally for a while and then suddenly crashes with the DPC WATCHDOG VIOLATION stop code. In some cases it can happen several times in one day, even when the PC isn't doing anything particularly demanding.

Updating drivers seems to be one of the first suggestions, but I'm interested in what actually helped people narrow this down.

If you've dealt with this before, was it eventually caused by a particular driver, storage device, network adapter, graphics driver, BIOS/firmware issue, or something else?

Also, what would be the best things to check before assuming it's a hardware problem?

The computer starts normally and reaches the login screen, but after entering the password or PIN the desktop never appears. The mouse cursor may still move, and in some cases Task Manager can still be opened.

What is causing this Windows Explorer, a graphics driver, a recent Windows update, or another background process? Has anyone found a permanent fix?

Chrome may work normally at first, but CPU usage can suddenly increase even with only a few tabs open. The computer may become slower, fans start running loudly, and closing Chrome immediately brings CPU usage back down.

What usually causes this a problematic tab, browser extension, hardware acceleration, recent Chrome update, or background process? Has anyone found a reliable fix?

Windows shows the headphones as connected, but audio either continues playing through the computer speakers or nothing can be heard at all. Disconnecting and reconnecting the headphones may not fix it.

What usually causes this the wrong audio output being selected, Bluetooth drivers, the audio profile, a Windows update, or another setting? What fixed it for you?

The laptop works while plugged in and Windows shows that external power is connected, but the battery either stays at the same percentage or continues dropping.

What usually causes this a worn battery, faulty charger, charging port, battery driver, BIOS setting, or a battery protection feature? What fixed it for you?

The wireless connection works normally and then suddenly Wi-Fi is no longer available in the taskbar or network settings. Restarting the computer can bring it back, but the problem eventually happens again.

Could this be caused by the Wi-Fi driver, Windows power management, the wireless adapter itself, or a recent Windows update? What fixed it permanently for you?

The network icon is still there, but Wi-Fi is no longer available as an option until the computer is restarted. What usually causes this, and is there a permanent fix that doesn't require restarting every time?