I'm dealing with a frustrating issue involving one user in our office who seems to cause problems for every computer she logs into. She's gone through four PCs in just two months because they keep malfunctioning. The latest issue is that external monitors start flashing every 10 seconds, but this only happens when her account is logged in. I've tested with other accounts, and everything works fine. We've even wiped her OneDrive to rule out any problematic files, but the issues persist. Has anyone else experienced something like this?
6 Answers
It sounds like you might want to observe her usage closely. Sometimes, users do quirky things without realizing it. Have you sat down with her to see if any unusual activities are happening while using her account? But working with a fresh PC for just 10 seconds before issues start is quite odd!
You might want to check if she has a roaming profile or any specific software requirements. I had a laptop that flashed when I overloaded it with heavy software like Excel and Teams. Have you considered resetting her profile as a troubleshooting step?
Roaming profile sounds promising! I’ll suggest taking a backup and trying a reset.
I've had similar issues with a user that seemed unrelated to the hardware. It turned out that their profile was corrupt. I created a new profile, and the problems completely vanished. Have you tried that yet?
I suspected that too. How did you go about deleting their old profile without causing headaches for the user?
Could there be something magnetic that she brings to work, like a phone case or keychain? Sometimes things like that can cause weird glitches. It's worth checking out!
You might want to examine her profile details closely. Check her internet history and startup programs. You could even set up screen recording to see if the problem can be captured during her usage. If you can’t replicate it in person, it might be something she's doing when you’re not around.
The problems happen even when no one is physically present—the moment she logs in, it starts. A screen capture might be a good idea.
Make sure she’s not plugging in any USB devices when she logs in. I know from experience that certain docks can cause chaos. Have you tried disconnecting everything and seeing if that helps?
We’ve disconnected everything and tried multiple docks, but the issues are still there.
I’ve done that already. There’s nothing strange going on. It’s literally after signing in that the problems begin.