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Posts tagged "causing"

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Windows 11 update is reportedly causing some PCs to crash or run very sluggishly
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Windows 11’s cumulative update for this month is causing serious problems in some reported cases.

This is KB5035853 for Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2 which started rolling out earlier this week carrying some useful new features. That includes being able to use the Snipping Tool to edit photos from your Android smartphone directly on your PC, plus adding support for much faster (80Gbps) wired connectivity with USB4 v2.0.

However, some Windows 11 users have hit major snags when installing the March update, with Windows Latest highlighting these, and the site experiencing a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) itself after running the update process.

The tech site’s BSoD arrived with an error saying ‘Thread Stuck in Device Driver’ which isn’t very helpful, and others have been hit by this problem, such as a reader running a bunch of Lenovo devices (in a business setting).

Furthermore, there’s evidence of this nasty crash on the Reddit thread introducing KB5035853. One user tells us: “This update caused a Windows to crash on startup. Got blue screen error. Had to rollback. Just a warning. That happen to anyone else?”

Someone chimes in to say they were affected too (and got put in a boot loop, with repeated reboots, before ending up at that BSoD).

There are other reports on this thread noting that the update did install, but then caused ‘random’ BSoDs afterwards.

On top of this, there are also folks who are complaining about Windows 11 running sluggishly, with their PC stuttering after the update, or even freezing up periodically.

Analysis: Fixing with one hand, breaking with the other?

These are really unpleasant side-effects here, and the cure so far seems to be simply rolling back the installation (removing KB5035853, or using System Restore to rewind time back to before the update was triggered).

On Reddit, there is a mention of a YouTube video that offers potential solutions, and we’ve had a look – there are a couple of clips, in fact – but we’d take the advice imparted with a hefty pinch of salt. Some folks in the YouTube comments have reported seeing success, and others have said the fixes outlined have failed. But for now, rather than trying what seems like shots in the dark as attempted cures, if you’re affected, we’d probably just go for reverting the update and waiting for Microsoft to investigate these glitches.

(It’s worth noting that in the YouTube comments there are also further complaints of PCs seriously chugging with slowdown post-update).

At the moment, Microsoft’s support document for the March cumulative update indicates there are no known issues.

The irony here is that this March update addresses a problem with the February update for Windows 11 whereby it failed to install (and got stuck at 96% complete with an error code and a helpful message saying that ‘something did not go as planned’). So, the patch curing that problem with the previous patch failing to install, also fails to install in a different, and in fact worse, way.

Hopefully Microsoft is on the case with this one as we type this. It’s difficult to say how widespread the BSoD problem is, but there are certainly enough reports of post-installation performance blues to suggest that something has gone awry with KB5035853.

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Microsoft Launcher’s latest update is causing issues, especially for these users
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Microsoft Launcher’s latest June update has been giving users plenty of trouble, especially if they happen to be using a Surface Duo.

The update, released on June 27, 2023, has already amassed plenty of posts from Reddit and Twitter users about their devices not working properly with Microsoft Launcher. Though it’s a wide range of devices having issues, the Surface Duo seems to be the most common which, according to Windows Central, seems to be tied to a recent system update.

screenshot of microsoft launcher error

(Image credit: Reddit user /yugabe)

Right now, the only real solution has been to reset the launcher when prompted by the error message, though some users are apparently reporting that doesn’t work either. This could especially be a problem for Surface Duo as it’s that device’s only launcher, because if resetting doesn’t work then you might have to resort to customizing settings again. Other phone users can simply switch launchers when the error pops up, however, saving a bit of a headache.

TechRadar has reached out to Microsoft concerning this issue, and will update this story if and when we hear back from the company.

Surface Duo users getting the short stick

Microsoft Launcher was first released in 2015 as a beta under the name Arrow Launcher, and officially released in 2017 for both iOS and Android. It was an initiative made to make its devices as accessible as possible across platforms.

It’s generally a solid feature that allows users the option to integrate between Windows PCs and smartphones, especially for larger devices like the Surface Duo with more screen real estate that can better take advantage of the feature. 

However, for the Duo, this recent error proves that it should be able to switch launchers like other phones can, as Duo users who are experiencing this problem are stuck troubleshooting until Microsoft pushes out a fix. And it certainly can’t be fun having an otherwise functional device that you’re forced to constantly either reset or customize options on repeatedly. 

Hopefully, the tech giant will have answers for this soon, and even better, will ensure that Duo users will have other options going forward.

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Windows 10 update is reportedly causing havoc for some users
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Windows 10’s latest patch is causing some problems with slow installations, or even complete failures to install, among other more worrying sounding bugs.

This is patch KB5027215, which doesn’t do anything except fix some security issues (remember, Windows 10 is not getting any new features from now on, save for maybe minor tweaks here and there, it’ll all be security work).

As Neowin spotted, there are complaints on Reddit that KB5027215 installs very slowly. One Redditor reports: “Only unusual thing that I noticed which others might have experienced is the long ‘cleaning up’ process post-update/pre-login on the reboot. That happens if you reboot for the cumulative update and the NET update at the same time.”

There are some other reports in that thread regarding the cumulative update for June completely failing to install (with the usual garbage error messages that mean nothing). Those instances are backed up by other users on Microsoft’s Feedback Hub.

There are also a couple of reports (from Redditors) that KB5027215 is causing more serious trouble, and in one case, it bricked the PC, and in another, Windows Update got stuck in a loop checking for updates.

Analysis: Be careful drawing conclusions

We must be careful about how much we read into reports of bricking devices, of course, when they are scattered findings. To illustrate this, in the above linked Reddit thread, there’s a complaint of a Windows 10 laptop going wonky post-update, with its charger no longer recognized, but it turns out that the cumulative update wasn’t to blame in this case.

In actual fact, it was a Dell firmware update pushed alongside patch KB5027215 which messed up the notebook’s charging functionality. So, while the initial reaction was to rage at the update – unsurprisingly – after investigation, KB5027215 was innocent here.

That said, the blame for pushing the new firmware directly to the laptop can be laid at the feet of Windows Update, which really shouldn’t be running that kind of firmware update automatically, in the background, without the user knowing. (It was not an update piped directly from Dell). So, this is still an issue Microsoft (indirectly) caused.

At any rate, the hints of serious trouble around KB5027215 may lead the cautious to pause this update for the time being, and that could be a wise decision. Hopefully Microsoft will investigate the issues flagged here, and any necessary fixes can be applied in a timely manner. The downside being that you’ll be left without those security measures brought in by KB5027215, of course.

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Windows 11 reportedly installs optional update without asking – and it’s causing trouble
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Windows 11’s latest optional update – which is a preview of Moment 3 (KB5026446) – is causing trouble for some users, coming with some bugs, and worse still, in some reported cases the upgrade is installing itself automatically.

Windows Latest reports that it experienced the installation of KB5026446 going ahead automatically when updates were checked for on the PC. Note that as an optional update, one that might contain gremlins in the works (which it apparently does), the user should have to manually trigger the update.

In other words, you should have to choose to install this preview update, it should not be installing automatically.

Windows Latest observes that it has received reports from readers that this unexpected installation of KB5026446 has occurred, and indeed, elsewhere online we’ve seen other reports of this happening (even, in some cases, if people hadn’t checked for updates).

As for the problems the Moment 3 preview update is causing, there are various reports of diverse issues, as you might expect with a patch still in testing. One of those is that it breaks the Microsoft Store, or messes with the Game Pass on PC (making games unplayable, we’re told).

There are other reports of worrying system freezes, some apps failing to open, and the keyboards and mice of some users failing to work post-update.

There were installation failures too, with the usual meaningless error messages (strings of hexadecimal), but that’s pretty much par for the course these days it seems with Windows 11.

Analysis: The clue is in the name – ‘optional’

The good news, well, such as it is, is that in all these cases, simply uninstalling the update (via Windows Update, under Update History) cured the PCs of the various ailments mentioned. The galling bit here is for the folks who didn’t want to install the optional update in the first place, of course.

How widespread is this issue with the KB5026446 preview update installing itself? It’s difficult to say, but it is certainly happening for a number of folks. Windows Latest does observe that if you do check for updates, and notice it installing, if you hit ‘Pause Updates’ that’ll cancel the installation. So that’s worth bearing in mind.

One theory is that this sneaky installation may be tied in to those who have selected the new option in Windows 11 to ‘Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available’ (and using that is necessary to enable Moment 3’s new features in KB5026446, as Bleeping Computer previously made clear).

However, even if you have selected this choice, you should not be getting an optional update piped through with no warning at all (especially when you haven’t even checked for updates, as seems to be happening in some cases). Optional updates should always be exactly that – an option, not an automatic installation (and certainly not one occuring stealthily behind the scenes, as it were).

Hopefully we’ll hear from Microsoft soon enough to clarify what’s going on here.

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Windows 10 update is causing lots of problems – including nasty crashes
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Windows 10 users are suffering at the hands of some fresh bugs introduced by the latest update for the OS from Microsoft.

That would be KB5026361, the cumulative update for Windows 10 for May, which was released a couple of weeks back, and appears to be causing a bunch of glitches and more serious problems.

In the serious category we can file some Reddit users who are complaining on two counts of the patch ‘bricking’ their PC, and also reports of Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) crashes post-update.

Some of those BSoDs offer up an error that reads ‘Process1 Initialization Failed’ and as Neowin, which spotted this, explains, this seemingly occurs due to the Bootcat.cache file becoming corrupted (or its size having changed since the last time the PC booted).

Other Windows 10 users are encountering a problem that’ll sound familiar, no doubt – the failure to install the update, often accompanied with a meaningless error code (such as ‘0x800f0922’ which appears to be one of the more prevalent occurrences in this case).

On top of that, there are scattered complaints such as someone’s Windows 10 mouse settings being reset after the update (and some previous updates too, we’re told).

Others have lodged complaints about bugs with KB5026361 in Microsoft’s Feedback Hub, and another report from a Redditor states that their laptop’s Wi-Fi doesn’t work, and that the ‘windows bar is locked’ (presumably the taskbar is unresponsive) after the update.

Analysis: Another update and yet more problems

Given that there are only two reports of bricked PCs, we can’t jump to conclusions – there could possibly be other issues at play in those instances. Still, it’s worrying to see such reports, even if this clearly isn’t a widespread problem. BSoD crashes are a nasty thing to be happening here, too.

It’s not surprising to see installation failures with the cumulative update for May, as this bugbear is one Microsoft just can’t seem to shake, in Windows 11 as well as Windows 10.

As for the ‘Process1 Initialization Failed’ problem, Neowin does point out that Microsoft has a cure for that particular error – though the catch is that it’s for Windows 7 officially (via an old support document).

The method suggests booting with a Windows installation USB drive, then deleting the problematic Bootcat.cache file, before restarting the PC. We’re not sure that’s a good idea, though – and certainly not something for those less confident with PCs to try – but more tech-savvy types could always attempt it as a last resort if desperate.

Hopefully, Microsoft will be looking into these issues, and fixes will be implemented as needed. Although these days, we get the sense that Microsoft is focusing far more on Windows 11 than Windows 10, what with the latter getting no more features from now on (save for, perhaps, the odd very minor tweak).

Still, on the brighter side, no more features should mean fewer bugs being introduced – in theory, anyway.

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Windows 10’s latest troublesome update is now reportedly causing boot failures
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Microsoft has run into more trouble with Windows 10 updates, as a recent important security patch which had previously been problematic by failing to install for some folks, is now causing serious crashes – and even boot failures – in some reported cases.

Windows Latest spotted the fresh problems with update KB4528760 for Windows 10 May 2019 Update and the November 2019 Update, which has been failing to install for a number of users, providing only unhelpful error messages.

Worse still, it would now appear that these issues are not only widespread – with in excess of 100 complaints on Microsoft’s help forum – but for some folks, KB4528760 is causing grief like the dreaded blue screen of death and boot failure.

One user on the Windows 10 Feedback Hub observed: “The recent KB4528760 update for Windows 1909 [November 2019 Update] seems to be causing issues with some computers and stopping them from booting. Presenting the error code 0xc000000e. Increasing number of machines hitting this issue after installing this update.”

Connect flaw?

As to what might be going on with the KB4528760 update, one theory floated by a volunteer moderator on Microsoft’s Answer.com help forum is that the majority of the users who are encountering update failures (or worse) – even when attempting a manual install as a workaround – have “manually removed the Connect app from Windows”.

Connect is a default Windows 10 app which facilitates wireless display connections (allowing you to, for example, mirror your phone screen to the PC), but it’s not clear if this is what’s truly at fault – although this application has been blamed in previous Windows 10 update failures.

Indeed, another theory we’ve seen floated on Reddit is that those folks running AMD Ryzen processors might be more likely to be affected (in terms of this update failing, and previous patches for that matter). But take that with a hefty pinch of salt.

Whatever the case, it’s clear that Microsoft keeps messing up with these cumulative updates, and has been doing so since that infamous long run of patches last year which kept causing new problems while fixing the old ones.

In order to avoid a situation where Windows 10 users are going to start dreading installing cumulative updates for fear of what might go wrong, Microsoft needs to pull its patching socks up and do better than this.

The situation is worse than normal in this particular case, seeing as KB4528760 is an important fix for a glaring security hole.

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