how to fix laptop getting stuck and entering bitlocker shortly after turning on mobile hotspot and leaving it idle

Question

how to fix laptop getting stuck and entering bitlocker shortly after turning on mobile hotspot and leaving it idle

yoonie 20

Hello,

I'm a high school student who uses my tablet more than my Windows 11 laptop. While I'm studying at home, the room I'm sitting in seems to be a dead zone for my internet. As a result, I turn on the Windows Mobile Hotspot feature and place it near the room so I can use the internet on my tablet. As a result, my laptop stays idle while doing that. But recently, I've noticed that shortly after I turn this feature on and do my thing for, let's say, around an hour or so, the entire computer gets stuck. Except for this hotspot feature, no apps would be running, so it's only the desktop screen. The mouse pointer doesn't move, the clock would be stuck at an hour ago, the audio would also freeze, and there'd be no response. So I'd force shut it down using the power button, and then I'd turn it on again, and it would go into BitLocker. The first few times it happened, I was scared because I used this laptop at school occasionally, so what if it goes into BitLocker at school? So, thinking about that possibility, I decrypted the laptop. But this problem wasn't solved. To this day, it still gets stuck. I tried to get the WiFi driver updates via Device Manager, but every time I get a message saying it's updated to the latest drivers. I can't really figure out what's going on.

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Answer 1

Lychee-Ng 28,810 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi yoonie,

I can understand why this would be alarming, especially for a student who needs to rely on their laptop and has already been surprised by a BitLocker recovery prompt. Since the issue still occurs after decryption, I don't think BitLocker is the root cause here.

From your description, it sounds more like the laptop is experiencing a system crash / hang, and the BitLocker prompt was a consequence of the unexpected shutdown rather than the original problem. It’d be helpful if you can check a few things below:

1 - Manually update your system

Visit your laptop manufacturer's official website
Find your model > download and install the latest:
- Wi‑Fi driver
- Bluetooth driver
- Chipset driver
- BIOS/UEFI update
Most of the brands now have an application for this.

2 - Confirm whether the hotspot feature is triggering the problem

Press Win + X > choose Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System
Look for Critical or Error events around the time of the freeze, e.g.
- Kernel-Power
- WLAN-AutoConfig
- Netwtw* (Intel Wi‑Fi)
- Realtek Wi‑Fi events
Let me know what you found (screenshots are appreciated)

3 - Turn off Sleep mode to test

Open Settings > System > Power & battery
Expand Screen, sleep, & hibernate timeouts
Make my device sleep after > choose Never
- Plugged in
- On battery
Turn on Mobile Hotspot and leave it idle again.

Just wondering, did you keep the laptop plugged in during the hotspot broadcast? Also, it’d be helpful if you can tell me your laptop model and Wi‑Fi adapter, as well as more info on your system! Press Win + R > enter msinfo32 and share the screenshot of that window (hide ALL usernames and IDs before posting).

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yoonie 20 Reputation points

2026-06-22T13:04:29.3166667+00:00

Hi,

I updated some of the drivers just now, so I don't know if there's been a change. Also, it's usually not plugged in, except when the power's low in the system. About the errors, I've gotten errors in the Event Viewer from Kernel-Power and Netwtw-10. The Kernel-Power errors say "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly."

My laptop model's a Dell XPS 13 9305, and my network adapter is Killer(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX1650w 160MHz Wireless Network Adapter (200D2W).
(I have more pictures, but unfortunately this post only lets me upload one.)
Lychee-Ng 28,810 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-22T13:29:57.63+00:00

Hi, I still can't see the picture you uploaded yet. And you can totally send multiple of them, just remember to click Insert image!

After checking, I also found that your laptop is now considered an older model, so I hope it’s safe to assume the device has aged quite a few years. Plus, since you previously didn’t charge the laptop while using the hotspot, try keeping it plugged in this time to see if that helps. Sometimes older hardware shows signs of wear, and battery/connection issue, that can contribute to what you’re experiencing.
yoonie 20 Reputation points

2026-06-22T13:41:58.9+00:00

Hi, yes, now I see the multiple upload option! My bad 😂

Anyways, it's been only about a year and a half since I've been actively using this device. I purchased this laptop around 2023-2024 from my school, and I hadn't taken it out of its packaging until the start of 2025 (except for charging purposes) to start using it for school. I'm not really sure how old I should consider it.

These are some critical errors that keep popping up every crash in the Event Viewer.
Lychee-Ng 28,810 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-22T14:10:01.42+00:00
No problems! I was confused the first time adding screenshots to my answer on Learn too!

Looking at the error Netwtw10 Event ID 5010, and given that the freezes seem to happen while the laptop is acting as a Mobile Hotspot, it still points to a Wi‑Fi driver/adapter issue. A few things I'd try next:

Open Device Manager > Network adapters > Killer(R) Wi‑Fi 6 AX1650w

Right-click it > Properties > check the tabs for Power Management option

If found, uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power > OK.

Open Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot > make sure Power saving is OFF.

Next, open Control Panel > Power Options > Find your power plan > Change plan settings

Choose Change advanced power settings > Wireless Adapter Settings > Power Saving Mode

Set On battery and Plugged in to Maximum Performance > save changes and test again.

If the problem continues, the situation would be a little bit complicated. When a driver is not working properly, we can try reinstalling the current one. But since the auto-reinstall depends on Internet connection, if we delete your current Wi-Fi adapter, it'd be stuck. So we need to do it manually:

Visit Dell's website for the XPS 13 9305 > download the latest driver package.

Open Device Manager and right-click Wi-Fi adapter > Uninstall device

Check the option to delete drivers if prompted > restart your PC

If the system doesn't find and reinstall the drivers:

Open Device Manager > Scan for hardware changes

Or install the driver package you previously downloaded.