Fingerprint recognition issue on Matebook pro x after clean Win 11 install
Laptop: Huawei MateBook X Pro (2018 model MACH-WX9), after performing a clean installation of Windows 11 24H2. Background: I recently repartitioned my hard drive to merge the C:\ and D:\ partitions into a single C:\ drive. As part of this process, I performed a clean installation of Windows 11 (latest stable version, fully updated) using the official Microsoft USB installer. I installed Huawei PC Manager to restore missing drivers, and all device drivers (including fingerprint and chipset) are now correctly installed, according to Device Manager and Windows Update. The Issue: The fingerprint sensor is detected and shows the correct driver version (Goodix Fingerprint Driver v1.1.11.41, dated 2020). I had to manually install this version from the huawei site as the pc manager installed the .32 version (which also didn't work). However, when setting up Windows Hello Fingerprint, I am prompted to tap repeatedly but the process never completes, suggesting the sensor isn't fully functional. Pc manager also states the sensor as 'abnormal'. What I've Tried: Installed all optional and recommended Windows Updates (including drivers). Installed and updated all drivers via Huawei PC Manager. Confirmed that the fingerprint sensor was fully functional before the reinstallation. Verified that all other device drivers (including Intel MEI and Watchdog Timer) are installed and stable. My Conclusion: It appears that the existing Goodix fingerprint driver (v1.1.11.41) may not be compatible with newer Windows 11 security requirements — specifically Memory Integrity (HVCI). I’m reaching out to ask: Is there an updated fingerprint driver available or in development that is compatible with the latest Windows 11 build and security features? If not, is there a recommended workaround or plan for future support? I have seen blogs of users disabling Disabling Memory Integrity, but I am not prepared to do this to risk malicious malware entering my system. Thanks
Network connections delayed
Running Windows 11. Until a few days ago, my laptop would always boot up connected to the internet as soon as the desktop displayed. Suddenly it started booting up showing a globe icon in the systray Clicking on that icon pops up a solid black small window where things like wi-fi, bluetooth, airplane, etc would normally show. After 30 to 50 seconds, the globe turns into the wi-fi icon and it's connected to the internet. I've tried the few fixes I found on the web, but none work. How can I get the "instant" connection working again?
How to Recover an EarthLink Email Account
If you've lost access to your EarthLink email account, follow these official recovery steps. EarthLink accounts are often used with third-party email clients like Outlook, so regaining access is important. Step 1: Use EarthLink's Webmail Recovery Tool Go to EarthLink's official website and click Sign In. Select Forgot Password? or Need help signing in? Enter your full EarthLink email address and the CAPTCHA shown. Step 2: Verify Your Identity EarthLink will ask you to verify ownership using one of these methods (if previously set up): Recovery email address – A code will be sent to your alternate email. Recovery phone number – A code will be sent via SMS. Security questions – Answer exactly as you set them up. Step 3: Reset Your Password Once verified, create a strong new password (at least 12 characters, with uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols). Confirm the password and save it securely. Step 4: Regain Access in Microsoft Outlook (if needed) Open Outlook and go to File > Account Settings. Select your EarthLink account and click Change. Update the password to the new one. Ensure the incoming/outgoing server settings match EarthLink’s current IMAP/POP3 settings. If you still can’t recover the account: Contact EarthLink Customer Support directly. They have a dedicated account recovery team. Be prepared to verify your identity with personal info (e.g., last billing date, full name on account). Important Tips: Always log in directly via EarthLink’s website before updating settings in Outlook. Never share your recovery codes or password with anyone. Keep your recovery email and phone number up to date within EarthLink.Tech, Community, and a Movie: MVPs Help Bring Stir Trek to Life
What happens when you combine a full day of technical learning with a movie theater full of developers, designers, and tech leaders - and a shared commitment to giving back? You get Stir Trek: Tech & a Flick, a one-day community conference in Columbus, Ohio, that ends not with closing slides, but with popcorn and a blockbuster movie. Since its first event in 2009, Stir Trek has built a reputation for being practical, welcoming, and unmistakably different. The format is simple: 50+ sessions of technical content, conversations with regional and national speakers, breakfast, lunch, movie refreshments, and a shared movie screening experience. But the impact goes beyond the agenda. Stir Trek also organizes a MEGA FOOD DRIVE to support local food banks and supports the Stir Scholarship, which provides support for women in Computer Science programs. For Microsoft MVPs, that combination of technical learning, community connection, and service makes Stir Trek a natural place to show up, share knowledge, and help others take their next step. Why MVPs Show Up This year, MVP speakers including Steve Smith, Barret Blake, Robert Fornal, Brian Gorman, Brian McKeiver, Cory House, Ed Charbeneau, Jay Harris, Joseph Guadagno, Matthew-Hope Eland, Sam Basu, and Samuel Gomez brought their expertise to the Stir Trek stage. Their sessions reflected what the MVP community does best: translate real-world experience into practical guidance that helps others learn, build, and grow. For MVP Brian McKeiver, the chance to speak at Stir Trek was also a chance to meet technologists where they are right now. “What stood out to me at Stir Trek was the sheer curiosity that almost every person had this year about AI tooling like GitHub Copilot CLI and Microsoft Foundry because everyone is on the same learning curve,” he shared. “We are all trying to learn tips and tricks, best practices, and what not to do when building AI solutions.” “Everyone is on the same learning curve.” - MVP Brian McKeiver That focus on usefulness is part of what makes the event stand out. Stir Trek’s audience includes people across disciplines and experience levels, from software developers and engineers to designers, IT pros, tech leaders, and aspiring community contributors. For speakers, that means designing sessions that are approachable, relevant, and grounded in what practitioners can apply immediately. MVP Robert Fornal brought that practical focus into his TypeScript session. “The session I brought to Stir Trek focused on TypeScript, which can be used right now, because I want developers to walk away with tangible improvements to their systems and processes,” he shared. That curiosity reinforced the value of practical, community-led learning. It also showed why MVPs continue to invest their time in events where the audience is ready to engage deeply and learn together - even when showing up requires a significant personal commitment. For MVP Joseph Guadagno, traveling from Arizona to Ohio to speak at Stir Trek was worth it because of the chance to connect with technologists from a different part of the country. “I get to meet technology people from a different part of the country which generally means different viewpoints and problems that need to be solved,” he shared. “The community impact I hoped to make was to further grow people. I hoped to at least meet and connect to one new person, which I did.” A Conference That Feels Different The movie-theater setting gives Stir Trek a character all its own. Instead of moving through a traditional conference center, attendees spend the day learning in theaters, connecting in shared spaces, and ending the experience together with a film. It creates a rhythm that feels both focused and fun. Brian also pointed to the event’s unique rhythm. “The mix of technical sessions, hallway conversations, and a shared movie experience creates a community experience that really is unmatched,” he said. “Stir Trek is and always has been a pretty unique conference. The sense of overall community is very strong there.” “The blend of technical sessions, hallway conversations, and a movie screening creates a community experience that really is unmatched.” - MVP Brian McKeiver That difference matters. The event is memorable not only because of the sessions, but because the structure invites people to stay, talk, laugh, learn, and participate in something shared. It lowers barriers, makes room for connection, and reminds attendees that community can be both purposeful and playful. For Robert Fornal, the format helps keep the focus on learning. “Stir Trek feels different from other technical conferences because of its unique theater environment and focused selection of high-quality presentations,” he said. “The movie-theater format changes the energy of the day by focusing the time on the presentation.” “The movie theater snack that best captures the spirit of Stir Trek is trail mix, because it has a little bit of everything.” - MVP Kevin Griffin The Community Work Behind the Curtain Stir Trek is also a reminder that great community events do not happen by accident. MVP organizers and community leaders help create the conditions that make the day work - from program planning and speaker coordination to attendee experience and the details that make the event feel welcoming. For organizers like MVP Kevin Griffin and MVP Carey Payette, the work reflects the same community-first mindset that defines the MVP Program. As Carey shared, one lesson from organizing Stir Trek is that accessibility goes beyond ticket price or session variety. “It is about creating a relaxed, friendly environment where people feel comfortable learning, connecting, and participating at whatever stage of their career they are in,” she said. “Stir Trek aims to keep prices low (budget cuts are very real in the tech industry) and offers scholarship tickets for students and the unemployed.” The giving component is central to that mission. Through its annual MEGA FOOD DRIVE and the Stir Scholarship, Stir Trek connects technical learning with tangible community impact. In 2023, attendees donated more than 1,400 pounds of food, and the scholarship program has awarded more than $87,000 to support women in Computer Science programs. Stir Trek - including MVPs Matthew-Hope Eland (second from left, front row), Samuel Gomez (third from left, front row), Carey Payette (right side, front row), Kevin Griffin (second from right, back row), and Steve Smith (right side, back row) Carey also described the impact organizers hope to create beyond the day itself: “A moment from organizing Stir Trek that reminded me why this work matters was hearing that attendees went back to work excited about what they learned. It is even better when those stories include people making professional connections, finding jobs, volunteering year after year, or giving their first tech talk at Stir Trek. That kind of impact makes all the planning worthwhile and proves that you can, in fact, build community inside a movie theater.” “You can, in fact, build community inside a movie theater.” — MVP Carey Payette Advice for Future Speakers, Organizers, and Community Builders For anyone hoping to get more involved - whether as a future speaker, volunteer, organizer, or attendee - the MVPs emphasized starting with contribution. Attend with curiosity. Ask questions. Share what you are learning. Look for gaps you can help fill. Community impact often begins with one practical step. For organizers, the advice is similar: start with the people you want to serve. “If a community wanted to create its own tech or shared experience event, I would encourage them to invite the people they would like to see in that environment,” said Kevin Griffin. “A lot of the success of Stir Trek was from us personally reaching out to people that we knew would make Stir Trek an amazing experience.” What They Took Home Like the best community events, Stir Trek sends people home with more than notes from a session. It gives attendees new ideas, new connections, and a reminder that technical communities thrive when people keep showing up for one another. Brian McKeiver said one moment he will remember is the curiosity attendees brought to conversations about AI tooling like GitHub Copilot CLI and Microsoft Foundry. That shared sense of learning reinforced one of Stir Trek’s strengths: people were not just attending sessions; they were comparing experiences, asking practical questions, and learning alongside one another. That mix of practical learning, community care, and shared fun is what makes Stir Trek memorable - and what makes MVP participation so meaningful. Whether they are speaking, organizing, mentoring, or simply making room for someone new to join the conversation, MVPs help events like Stir Trek become more than a day on the calendar. They become a place where community grows. Want to learn more about the MVP Program? To find an MVP and learn more about the MVP Program visit the MVP Communities website and follow our updates on LinkedIn. Join us for a future live session through the Microsoft Reactor where we walk through what the MVP program is about, what we look for, and how nominations work. These sessions are designed to help you connect the dots between the work you’re already doing and the impact the MVP Program recognizes — with time for questions, examples, and real conversations.
Sorting dataentries but keeping separation between subheadings
Hello! I would like to sort datasets with three columns, but keep the sets separate with different subheadings, but sort them all within themselves. I find it difficult to explain further with words but will attach images. In the first images the datasets are shown as entered and by default are sorted by the leftmost column, as that's how they're entered. I would however like to be able to sort by the right most column, but keep all the datasets separate. I have made a mockup in the second picture to show what I mean. Is this possible? Thank you in advance!
Windows 11 unable to uninstall Avast
Hi I was using paid version of Avast One 64 bit, but after a year I cancelled membership. .I installed Avast clear that is supposed to work to completely uninstall but was still getting popups from Avast constantly. Then I tried another uninstaller. It seemed to fix the problem; that was a few months ago . Now the popups are back claiming I have a virus, and if I renew subscription, they will run antivirus. The popups are constant ; such that I can't use the computer to do anything. I am quite happy with Windows Defender. How do I get rid of Avast popups? I would certainly appreciate any help anyone could offer.Windows 11 File Explorer Search treating spaces as "or" instead of "and"...sort of.
I've recently been experiencing some baffling behavior when searching with Windows 11 File Explorer, and wanted to check whether there's an underlying setting or even a known bug causing it. Basically, searching for two partial terms returns results containing both terms as expected, but as soon as a term forms a complete word from the filename of any file in the folder (defined by separation with spaces or underscores), every result including that term is included. Like, say I'm searching for "pizza" along with an ingredient. If I want to search for pepperoni pizza, I need to search for "pepperon pizz", because completing either term will add either every file containing "pepperoni" or every file containing "pizza." This is particularly frustrating because those partial terms cause problems in and of themselves. For example, the above partial search will also return pizzas with pepperoncini because there's no way to exclude it without completing the term and throwing in every food containing pepperoni. Shorter partials cause varying unintended results: "peppe pizz" returns pizzas with pepper, pepperoncini, or pepperoni. "pepper pizz" explodes the results into EVERY file including pepper, pizza or not. "peppero pizz" then immediately contracts them back down to pepperoni or pepperoncini pizzas. Throwing in other search-y things - quotes, "AND", asterisks - doesn't help. Obviously, I would rather not have to puzzle out how to retrieve the least irritating set of results every time I want to perform a file search, and I'd also rather not reset Windows if I don't have to (especially if it won't make a difference). I've tried restarting Explorer, restarting the computer, and rebuilding the search index. There's a rogue "csc" location that shows up whenever I rebuild the index, but as I understand it this shouldn't matter either way because the indexed location I'm searching is on an external drive, rather than within my user profile. The problem started around the time I installed the 2026-05 Preview Update (KB5089573), but I didn't notice the issue soon enough to say anything very certain where that's concerned. A system restore (from after that Preview Update) didn't help and broke Notepad of all things, so I just reverted it. I'm at a loss, so any help would be appreciated.
