Microsoft has pulled the preview of an update for Windows 11 ahead of next week's cumulative batch after it caused “blue screen of death” crashes for users.
Microsoft releases security updates on the second Tuesday of each month, known colloquially as Patch Tuesday; On top of that, Microsoft often releases non-security updates to save administrators on reboots.
The problematic update that was distributed was a non-security preview for next week's October cumulative update, meaning it hasn't affected as many people as if it came out as part of the broader Patch Tuesday package.
on this advanceMicrosoft released an update to the Windows 11 servicing stack (KB5043143), the component that installs Windows updates.
Microsoft said in a statement on its support pages: “Service Stack Updates (SSU) ensure that you have a robust and reliable services stack so your devices can receive and install updates from Microsoft.”
The company admitted there were known issues in the update, including computer crashes. “After installing this update, some customers reported that their device restarts multiple times or becomes unresponsive with blue or green screens,” the company said on its support pages.
“Some devices reportedly automatically open the automatic repair tool after repeated reboot attempts,” the company added, referring to a system that attempts to diagnose and repair problems. “In some cases, BitLocker recovery can also be enabled.”
Beyond trapping uses in a cycle blue screens and restarts, the problematic update is also wreaking havoc on hardware connected via USB or Bluetooth such as keyboards, mice, printers, etc. After the update, some no longer work and the USB host controller in Device Manager shows a yellow exclamation mark.
Microsoft is fixing the Windows updates problem
Microsoft is addressing the issue itself through a Revert known issues (KIR), which is a system introduced to restore computers to a previous state after a problematic update.
Managed devices, such as those in businesses, can resolve the issue immediately by installing and configuring a detailed policy on Microsoft's support pages.
“Please note that the resolution may take up to 24 hours to automatically propagate to consumer devices and unmanaged business devices and business devices that are not managed by IT departments,” the company added. “Restarting your Windows device could help the resolution be applied to your device faster.”
The faulty update has been removed, so it can no longer be downloaded or installed. Microsoft said it is continuing to investigate the issue, and as of this writing, it is unclear whether the services stack features will be part of next week's cumulative update.
Problems with Microsoft updates are not uncommon, and in this case the blue screen issue occurred in a preview, rather than an update rolled out to all Windows 11 users, highlighting the importance of these testing programs.
Earlier this year, a faulty update to Strike crowd caused widespread disruption, while reports this summer revealed A Patch Tuesday update caused disconnections for Windows Server users.