Microsoft breaks users' PCs again with latest Windows 11 update

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Facepalm: Occasionally, Microsoft sends users into a frenzy with unpolished or bugged OS updates, causing various stability and reliability issues. The most recent patches for Windows 11 seem to belong to this unfortunate category of failed updates. Break out the Band-Aids.

Microsoft dropped an update (KB5034765) for Windows 11 on February 13. The patch includes non-security improvements for Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2. However, the update is also causing some unexpected issues for an unspecified number of users, so much so that Microsoft officially acknowledged the problem.

Users were already lamenting the unreliable state of the patch after experiencing various issues, including the sudden disappearance of the Taskbar and unexpected File Explorer crashes. Some also complained of degraded performance after installing the update.

Yet other Windows 11 users reported failures during downloading or installation. The installation procedure would stop responding at 96 percent, spitting out a "0x800F0922" error with the note that "something didn't go as planned." Windows Update would then start undoing changes and reverting the system to its previous working state. Microsoft acknowledged this latest problem on the "known issues" Windows dashboard, explaining that developers are working on a proper solution to the bug.

While waiting for a patch to fix yet another failed update, Windows 11 users can try to prevent the error by deleting the hidden folder "C:\$WinREAgent" and starting the KB5034765 update again. The installation process should then succeed, Microsoft claims.

Bugs and reliability issues aside, highlights for the update include a new Copilot "experience," which replaces the "show desktop" feature at the rightmost corner of the Taskbar. On Windows 11 22H2, the update fixes some issues affecting Narrator announcements, Explorer.exe, and the downloading of device metadata.

On the bright side, the patch provided fixes for 73 security vulnerabilities, including five critical bugs related to remote code execution, denial of service, and access privilege escalation. It also plugged two actively exploited zero-day holes – one in the SmartScreen Security Feature (CVE-2024-21351) and the other in the Internet Shortcut Files Security Feature (CVE-2024-21412).

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/102050-microsoft-breaks-users-pcs-again-latest-windows-11.html

 

[winjer]

Some things never change...

 

[texasrattler]

No issue here. Windows 11 pro working fine.

Most of the time these issues seem to be more for a specific configuration or software but rarely do we actually hear what the cause was.

 

[trparky]

No issue here. Windows 11 pro working fine.

Same. No issues for me either.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

No issue here. Windows 11 pro working fine.

Most of the time these issues seem to be more for a specific configuration or software but rarely do we actually hear what the cause was.

Windows ME worked perfectly for me.

 

[Julio Franco]

No issue here. Windows 11 pro working fine.

Most of the time these issues seem to be more for a specific configuration or software but rarely do we actually hear what the cause was.

Agreed, and I have rarely been the subject of random Windows bugs that break systems (in modern times, not ME as the commenter above ) .... until this past year.

My PC works perfectly fine.

Except that it takes 10 minutes to boot (when it wants to). The booting part is actually done in ~10 seconds, but then it hangs in a blank screen for minutes, doing nothing, then boots up normally and works fine. If I don't reboot, I've had the PC work and play for weeks without a hitch, so it's not a stability issue.

I have tried everything in the toolbox, short of a clean install. As far as I can tell it's a Windows 11 bug, likely tied to my configuration, possibly something with TPM/BIOS/older Ryzen platform. Either way, I can feel the pain.

 

[Endymio]

My PC works perfectly fine.

Except that it takes 10 minutes to boot (when it wants to). The booting part is actually done in ~10 seconds, but then it hangs in a blank screen for minutes, doing nothing, then boots up normally and works fine.

I had that exact problem after attempting to use a cheap Chinese auto-KVM. Even after removing the switch between the monitor and system, the problem persisted. I ultimately decided the switch had damaged the HDMI and/or USB ports on the mobo. I swapped in a new board, immolated the switch on the backyard grill, and the problem vanished.

 

[Skjorn]

Win10 let out an update like 7 weeks ago that kept systems from updating due to WinRE not having enough space. I had to manually resize WinRE and I know for a fact there are tons are of Win10 machines this happened to.

Did that ever get fixed or are they just hoping people think their machine is broke and click the update to Win11 button?

 

[texasrattler]

Windows ME worked perfectly for me.

I didn't have any issues with ME or Vista back in the day.
Nothing major has ever happened in all my years with Windows. Probably cause I've mainly used a computer for gaming and not for work.
So, what I'm saying is nothing has stopped my machine from working as it should. It has always been ram, hard drive, mobo or psu that's been my issues over the last 20 years.

Every OS has its issues, nothing will work for everyone. Issues do and will arise. I've just been lucky I guess, Windows wise.

 

[Julio Franco]

I had that exact problem after attempting to use a cheap Chinese auto-KVM. Even after removing the switch between the monitor and system, the problem persisted. I ultimately decided the switch had damaged the HDMI and/or USB ports on the mobo. I swapped in a new board, immolated the switch on the backyard grill, and the problem vanished.

Interesting... I can't be sure if it's the origin, but my problems did start at some point after I installed this on my PC:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RC8F2L3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[whateversa]

I've rarely had any problems after Windows Updates on my gaming PC (windows 11) and work laptop (windows 10). Same for older PCs.

 

[wiyosaya]

Interesting... I can't be sure if it's the origin, but my problems did start at some point after I installed this on my PC:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RC8F2L3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has been a known issue with Windows for many years that Windows just does not play well with KVM switches for whatever reason primarily because the switch does not retain information about the monitor/keyboard/mouse at each computer outlet when any particular computer is selected. There are some companies manufacturing KVMs that retain monitor/mouse/keyboard information and "emulate" the monitor/mouse/keyboard to all computers even when that computer is not selected. I know IOGear makes KVMs that do this because I bought one several years ago and have had no problems since.

I cannot say for sure that this particular issue is related to the switch failing to emulate the monitor/mouse/keyboard while other computers are selected, however, it would not surprise me if it is.

 

[wiak]

"microsoft sends users routinely into a update frenzy"

 

[erickmendes]

You can't break what is already broken

 

[FaTaL]

This happened to me with windows 10 last year, had to do a reinstall of windows (not complete wipe, kept everything in tact)

 

[Bruno M. Villar]

Never had ANY issue with my setups the last 20 years. People complain but forget to setup a strong configuration with good parts.

 

[Gareeth]

You would think it would be impossible to be so consistent at being bad at ensuring things don't roll out with massive issues, "
"
I am for whatever reasons bad enough at getting a t-shirt on I can fail at a rate higher than if I just did so randomly but I cannot roll this out to the multitudes . I have tried hitting a failure rate that is more in line with chance by completely not trying but then I find out that this leads to my finding out which t-shirts I can somehow get on sideways

They are that to making a working OS only without the awareness they are in fact horrible at this . You'd think given the size of the workforce they use to produce a mess they might be open to going radical and selecting for actual ability to do the work not whatever they use now as it cannot be ability or they would get it right more often.

It should be impossible to be so consistent at being terrible .

 

[trparky]

My counterargument is Apple. They own the hardware and the software, yet even they can't get things to work 100% of the time. Yet, people expect Microsoft to be able to do it on everything from a high-end gaming rig to a potato of a PC. I sense a double-standard here.

 

[Endymio]

My counterargument is Apple. They own the hardware and the software, yet even they can't get things to work 100% of the time. Yet, people expect Microsoft to be able to do it on everything from a high-end gaming rig to a potato of a PC. I sense a double-standard here.

It's a very relevant point. Microsoft's open environment means there are more different hardware/software configurations than there are stars in the universe -- far too many to test every possible combination.

 

[trparky]

far too many to test every possible combination.

Exactly. People often talk about how their systems break after an update yet I've seen maybe one time where a patch broke something on my systems and even then, it wasn't a showstopping bug that inhibited the use of my systems.