Windows is turned off, the firewall isn't working, and several problems are occurring.
Windows is turned off, the firewall isn't working, and several problems are occurring.
At first, everything seemed normal until I locked my machine and grabbed a meal. When I returned, the display went dark and the system didn’t react. I restarted it but the connection remained broken. I wasn’t sure if updates caused the issue or if something had corrupted the files. I searched online for solutions and tried various fixes, eventually restoring the computer to an earlier state about two weeks prior to the problems. The problem was a stopped system process that needed reactivation. Once I turned it back on, everything worked again. A week later, Windows reported it wasn’t activated and flagged the key as invalid (Error 0xC004F012). Notably, the key seemed embedded electronically, but checking it wasn’t possible. I received alerts about the firewall being disabled despite no changes, and I couldn’t launch apps or download files because the system was gone. I suspected a virus, ran scans with Malwarebytes, but found nothing. Most fixes require command-line tools, which I couldn’t access. Error 5 popped up during troubleshooting: some processes like SSPVSC or Software Protection refused to restart due to access restrictions. It appears the halted processes are behind all the issues—including the firewall and internet connection. This seems either a straightforward fix or a complex setup. I’ll provide more details if helpful, and let me know if any advice proved useful. This forum is my final option before seeking external help; thank you for your time.
I’d check the System Event Viewer for any activity during your absence. The next step would be to perform a clean Windows installation if needed.