Kulshedra

Yeah, don't know what's going on, but the forums isn't letting me post my next instructions. I'll try again tomorrow, I guess?

Uhh, let me make sure on this: Version 1151 or version 1511? Big difference. Either way, this issue MAY be caused by problems with app registration.

I don't have an easy way to prove it, but it does sound like a failing GPU to me, then. That high performance option is supposed to force it to use the laptop GPU, if I'm not mistaken. I'd bring it up to the manufacturer's technical support.

Well, that means it's definitely not the issue I had seen before. This also means I don't have a quick fix for you. You can either try an OS Reset for a quick resolution, or go through tedious attempts at repair. OS Reset: In the run prompt, enter the command: shutdown /r /o /t 0 Click troubleshooting. Click Reset. There are a few options to pick between here. You can try the Keep My Files option first if you want it to go faster or don't want it to delete your data. If that fails, then you can try the Remove My Files option. Some possible repair options: Go to safe mode (select the option that allows networking) and try two of the built-in auto-repair tools in Windows, DISM and SFC. DISM ought to go first. Press Windows key + X, and a menu should pop up. Click on Command Prompt (Admin). In the command prompt, type this: "dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth". This can run for several hours. If any errors occur, they may be a clue. It will get stuck on 20% and seem to not go anywhere for a while. It's fine. When DISM finishes, assuming no errors, you can try SFC. In the same command prompt, type this: "sfc /scannow". When both finish up, reboot and see what happens. If the issue persists, you will likely want to get us a copy of the DISM log and the CBS log located in C:\Windows\Logs\DISM and C:\Windows\Logs\CBS respectively. Keep in mind, this repair process will likely take a while to troubleshoot. The OS Reset will be faster, but you will lose either all programs or all data depending on what option you pick. EDIT: so you know, I do see that you ran SFC already. Running DISM and then SFC may have different results.

It's unlikely that a full OS Reset is necessary, but it will almost definitely be faster than a proper repair. If you haven't run the reset yet, I may have something for you. First, I need to know what build you're running. Do the following: Press Windows key + R, type in "winver" without quotes, press enter. Type in the forums exactly what version and build number of Windows the pop up Window says you're running. Depending on that, I may have a fix.

Does the issue ALWAYS happen (i.e., you can never run those programs whatsoever) or is it intermittent (i.e., sometimes you can open them, sometimes you can't)? Does the issue occur in Safe Mode? (To get to safe mode in Windows 10, Windows key + R, type in the command "shutdown /r /o /t 0" without quotes, and press enter. This will reboot to advanced options. Hit "Troubleshooting," "Advanced options," "Startup settings," and click restart. Press the number that corresponds to safe mode when the list of boot options comes up, which is usually 4 for Windows 10. Test around to see if the same issues comes up in Safe Mode, then reboot the computer to get back into normal mode when done testing.) Edit: Also, there aren't any error codes or warning windows that pop up, right? This sounds similar to an issue I've seen before, but the computer gave an error code whenever opening a program, rather than doing nothing.

If you right click on the desktop, do you see an option like "Configure Switchable Graphics" or similar...?

Absolutely! Just from the reset, I assume?

The MSI splash screen? Or the circling dots? Something different? Can you get a photo?

There will be function keys for your BIOS to get to a boot option list. I will not know how to get there without knowing your motherboard. However, in Windows 8.1, there is a way to boot to a different device as a one-time thing. Inside Windows, press the Windows key + R, and in the run prompt, type this, then press enter: shutdown /r /o /t 0 It will reboot your computer to some advanced boot options. Click "Troubleshoot," "Advanced Options," and look for something similar to "Use a device." Click it, and look for whatever you put memtest on (I would assume a flash drive?). If you can't even log in to Windows, the instructions will be a bit different. Let me know.

Yes, reinstalling Windows will format your hard drive and you will lose anything there. If that's ok, then a reinstall of the OS may fix this. I would agree with earlier statements that you ought to run some hardware checks. Memtest is free and easy. Windows memory diagnostic is good, too. Even if those pass, though, keep in mind this may indicate a motherboard failure. (Memory controller or RAM connectors, for example.) I would strongly recommend seeing if the failure occurs in Safe Mode as well as normal mode. Once you can confirm the RAM is good, you can attempt to repair the OS or just run an OS reset. If you have questions on anything I've said, let me know.

As for Issues 1 and 2... I would want my hands on it to mess around. For issue 1, I would look around the BIOS to see if it even recognizes the AMD GPU. There might be something in there that switches off the iGPU in favor of the discrete one. Not too familiar with Lenovo BIOS's, though, so I don't know for sure. Issue 2... Well, there's the tedious work of disabling things in Task Manager's startup tab and inside msconfig to see what helps. Binary exclusion is your friend. Disable half, see if that helps. Cut down half, then quarter, etc., until you narrow down the issues. I would probably not recommend disabling Windows services, as this may cause other issues, but hey, it's your computer.

Which loading screen?

Most companies will be hesitant, to say the least, to hand out new Windows keys. Unless the built-in reset option fails, you likely do not need to bother installing a fresh copy via USB, and thus, no need to extract the license key. If you do want or need to fresh install from a USB, though, you will want to extract the license key, and there are free tools to get that online. I don't know which is best for Windows 10 off the top of my head, though.

Since the file explorer acts normally in Safe Mode, that means that something is CAUSING it to act badly in normal mode. Usually, this is a program or a driver that isn't working correctly. If you utilize msconfig and the startup tab in Task Manager, you can disable half of everything listed, and reboot. If all works fine, then that means the problem is in the half that's disabled. Flip them, test again. If it does not work, then you know what's causing the issue is in the half that is enabled. Set it so only a quarter of the items are enabled to boot up, then test again. Slowly narrow down what's enabled until you find what's causing the problem. To hide the hidden admin account, create a different admin account that you will use. Log into that new admin account, named whatever you'd like, and run in the command prompt: net user administrator /active:no Of course, yes, you can certainly just try to restore to factory defaults and see if that resolves the issue. In Windows 10, run that same shutdown command as earlier (shutdown /r /o /t 0), "Troubleshooting," and then "Reset." The two options, Keep my Files vs. Remove my Files, does exactly what it sounds like. Keep My Files will attempt to not remove any of your data. Remove my Files will reset the entire hard drive, wiping out everything, and starting from scratch.