I'm trying to help my son with an issue on his Windows 11 PC. It boots up fine, shows the login screen, and after logging in, the desktop appears as it should with the wallpaper, icons, and taskbar. The mouse moves without any glitches, and the clock updates, so it doesn't seem frozen. However, no clicking works—nothing happens when I try to access the Start menu, desktop icons, or anything on the taskbar. Even keyboard shortcuts like `Ctrl + Alt + Del` or `Win + R` aren't responding. There are no error messages. I've tried rebooting several times, running Windows Startup Repair, and even used the Windows Recovery Environment to uninstall the latest update. Unfortunately, I can't access Safe Mode because none of the keyboard shortcuts or menu options are working. Any suggestions?
3 Answers
Check if he overclocked or changed any BIOS settings. If that's the case, it might lead to system problems. You can try resetting the BIOS to default settings, but if that fails, a Windows reinstall might be necessary. Also, try to boot directly into the BIOS by pressing Del or F2 right after switching on the PC. Can you use the keyboard there?
Have you tried holding the Shift key while clicking on the power options from the lock screen? That should lead you to the advanced menu, where you can select Safe Mode. It might help get you back into a working state!
There doesn't seem to be a 'reset' option in the power menu—just sleep, hibernate, restart, and shut down. Holding Shift doesn't appear to change anything either.
Did he happen to change his desktop background recently? Sometimes strange issues can pop up after customizations, but if it started yesterday, it might not be related.
He did change it about two months ago, but the problem just started yesterday.
He hasn't altered any BIOS settings at all, so that shouldn't be the issue.