Be careful: There are reports of nasty bugs with the latest Windows 11 update

Windows 11 users have run into trouble with the latest patch for the OS going by some reports, and that includes nasty boot loops.

This is the cumulative update for November that Microsoft deployed last week, known as KB5032190, and Windows Latest has picked up on some problems with the patch.

As noted, the worst issue here is reports of people trying to install the update and getting stuck in a boot loop, meaning that their PC keeps failing during installation, rebooting, failing again, rebooting, and so on.

One Redditor reports: “I have tried installing this update twice now, only for it to get caught in an endless boot loop. It kept getting to 95% and restarting, then would try again. Now it just gives me the ‘Something didn’t go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes’ message before going back into the endless reboot. At least I can do a System Restore.”

Another Windows 11 user replies to that post observing that they hit a few boot loops before their system rolled back the update – and that it was the same case with this update in preview (released in late October), noting that eventually they “got to the point the laptop wouldn’t boot” with that test update.

Ouch indeed, though that was the preview version, so hopefully any danger of having to reinstall Windows – which is what this user ended up doing – will now have been removed with the final release.

Needless to say, the user in question is not continuing to try to install the update, which certainly seems like a sensible precaution.

There are four reports of this problem in that Reddit thread, and it seems that the boot loop isn’t an endless one, and the system pulls itself out of the loop after a few fails – at least for most folks anyway.

Another problem that is bugging (literally) some Windows 11 users is disappearing icons on the taskbar.

Either the icons are vanishing – though the functionality is still present if you click the blank space on the bar – or there are reports of them being displaced by one, meaning that the icon for, say, Word will open Microsoft’s Edge browser (the icon next to it). Confusing, to say the least.


Analysis: Curious case of the invisible icons

The missing icons problem was introduced with Moment 4 (which ushered in all the new features that have come to Windows 11 lately, including Copilot). So, it has been hanging around for a while, and really annoying those who have encountered it – seemingly a fair few people judging from reports.

The good news is that Microsoft has actually fixed this glitch in the Canary preview build of Windows 11, so hopefully, the solution should be coming through testing soon enough to reach the release version of Windows 11.

Microsoft hasn’t said anything about boot loops, but there are far fewer reports of this from what we can see. Still, it’s a nasty problem, though as noted in most cases, it seems the looping will only run a few times before the system corrects itself and comes back to the desktop. (Still leaving the user unable to install the update, mind, so that’s not great of course).

It’s worth remembering that Microsoft itself has flagged up some known issues with the patch, including a bug whereby those with multiple monitors might see desktop icons shift between one display to another unprompted (or other icon alignment weirdness) when using Copilot. The software giant has pulled the AI assistant from those PCs, so if you aren’t seeing Copilot any longer on a multi-screen setup, that’s why. A fix is being worked on as we type this.

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Microsoft delays one of Windows 11’s most promising new features due to bugs

Microsoft has pulled back on an upcoming upgrade to the video casting feature in Windows 11 due to reported bugs. The new feature was temporarily available to Windows Insiders, members of Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program who get to test upcoming additions, and has been dropped from the latest Windows 11 preview. 

Many users will be familiar with video casting features if you use something like Chromecast, or if you go back even further back in time, you might remember using HDMI cables to connect your computer to your TV. This allows you to choose and control media on your computer (or device) and see it on your TV screen, for example, to see it better or share it with others.

The removal of the feature was discovered in an update released on October 19, known as Windows 11 Preview Build 22635.2486, via the Windows Insider Program’s Beta Channel (one of four preview channels through which Microsoft releases previews). If users choose to upgrade to this preview build, they will find that it lacks the casting experience that Microsoft is in the process of testing. The casting feature was first added to Build 22631.2129 back in August of this year, and Windows Central writes that it’s been explicitly disabled by Microsoft while it carries out fixes on bugs and improves the feature.

Windows Central goes on to quote Microsoft apparently planning to switch the casting feature back on in a future Beta Channel release. 

Highlights of the new preview build

That’s the main development of note in this current update and it doesn’t introduce any major new features overall. Other notable changes include that the Xbox Game Bar now shows up just as ‘Game Bar’ in the Start menu, and system components showing up under a ‘System’ label in the Start menu. The latter should make system components easier to identify and find, and should show up as ‘System’ in the All apps display (once you open the Start menu). The Game Bar will also show up under Settings > System > Apps > Installed apps, and will apparently update via the Microsoft Store.

Some more minor fixes address crash-related issues with the Start menu being affected by language settings and taskbar glitches that were causing problems with the search function. 

Windows Central writes that dropping the upgraded video casting feature is for a “good reason,” even though it temporarily reduces Windows 11’s functionality. I can see why Microsoft is taking its time to get this one right. Chromecast is an extremely popular and beloved feature in Google Chrome and Google devices that’s existed for years, so if Microsoft wants to compete, the feature has to be slick and function reasonably well. If Microsoft wants users to adopt its cast feature in the same way, it has to prove its worth.

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Windows 11 gets a fix for one of Microsoft’s most embarrassing bugs ever

Windows 11 has finally got a fix for an annoying bug that has been hanging around since March, with Microsoft previously pushing out a resolution for the glitch that failed to work.

This time, though, we’re told the issue has definitely been resolved.

To briefly recap, this bug appeared with the March 2023 cumulative update for Windows 11 22H2, causing an error to pop up telling the user that Local Security Authority (LSA) protection was switched off (and that their device may be vulnerable as a result).

In actual fact, LSA isn’t turned off, the bug simply produces the error message (which, ironically, is the error in itself).

The problem being that this warning keeps on appearing, and it sounds like a nasty deficiency in the defenses of Windows 11, meaning folks were unnecessarily worried about it.

As mentioned, a fix was rolled out in May which didn’t work, and actually caused some weird driver-related problems (messing with some PC games). So Microsoft ended up pulling that patch (KB5007651) and went back to the drawing board to work on a new solution.

Well, that rejigged version of KB5007651 has now arrived, as Windows Latest spotted. You can grab it by checking for updates under Windows Update, as per usual.

Microsoft let us know on its release health dashboard that: “This issue was resolved in an update for Windows Security platform antimalware platform KB5007651 (Version 1.0.2306.10002).”


Analysis: An episode Microsoft will want to forget

Hopefully this fix will do the trick (considering that, as noted, the previous patch failed to do so). From what we can see, there are no early reports that something is amiss this time – and a few positive comments that the gremlin has been dealt with. Of course, you’d hope Microsoft would take extreme care over this second attempt at KB5007651.

All in all, this has been one of the more embarrassing episodes in the history of Windows 11 bugs (and there’s some competition on that front).

The bug presenting panic inducing messages about vulnerability, complete with yellow triangle warnings – and doing so repeatedly – was obviously a far from ideal situation. Less tech-savvy users in particular were likely concerned that their PC was broken in some truly worrying way.

Microsoft told us that the error messages could be safely ignored, but that’s easier said than done, and them popping up repeatedly was doubtless pretty annoying if nothing else. Not everyone will have seen Microsoft’s advice on this bug, either.

At least we finally have a resolution now, and a solid one that works properly, by the looks of it.

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