Windows update problems right now
Something broke right after a Windows update? Check here first. We track the bugs the updates bring, in plain words: what breaks, what helps right now and what Microsoft has already fixed. Solved problems stay on the page marked as fixed, so you can also check whether it is safe to install a pending update.
Last checked: · Sources: the official Microsoft known issues page and reader reports.
Open problems
Work and school Wi-Fi stops connecting after the October update - home Wi-Fi is fine
Who it hits: Windows 11 (24H2, 25H2 and 26H2) laptops that join an office, university or campus Wi-Fi with a work or school account - networks where you sign in with a username and password instead of one shared Wi-Fi key (WPA2-Enterprise, eduroam is a common example). Home Wi-Fi with a normal password is not affected.
After the October 13 update the laptop tries to join the network and hangs at connecting or says it cannot connect, while the same network works on phones and on PCs without the update. Wired office networks and VPNs that use the same kind of sign-in can fail too. The Wi-Fi adapter and its driver are not the cause: Microsoft changed a sign-in security setting inside Windows (an old protocol called NTLMv1 is now blocked by default), and the automatic sign-in with your Windows account no longer goes through on many networks. The change only kicks in on PCs where a protection called Credential Guard is off - that is most home-bought laptops and many smaller offices; company laptops with Credential Guard on are not affected.
What to do
- Do not reinstall or roll back the Wi-Fi driver - it did not change and it is not at fault.
- Try connecting by hand: forget the network, join it again and, when Windows asks, enter your username and password instead of choosing "Use my Windows user account". Many people get in this way. Windows may ask again after a restart.
- Tell the people who run the network (IT or the university help desk) that it started with KB5127648. The real fix is on their side: Microsoft's article KB5066470 describes a setting (BlockNtlmv1SSO, value 0 = the old audit mode) that IT can switch back on all laptops at once, and Microsoft asks them to move the network to certificate sign-in instead of MS-CHAPv2 in the long run. Do not change it yourself on a work laptop - it lowers protection and your IT department decides on that.
- If nobody can help and you need the network today, uninstalling KB5127648 brings Wi-Fi back: Settings > Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates. You lose October's security fixes until you install it again.
Status: Not fixed, and Microsoft does not call it a bug. On October 14 the company posted a separate notice in the Windows message center ("Take action: NTLMv1 hardening changes might affect network connections") and on October 15 added the same point to the KB5127648 release notes: the change is planned, it "might affect Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and VPN connections" that sign in the way work and school networks usually do (MS-CHAPv2), and it "is not a known issue" - so it will not appear on the known issues page and no fix is coming. Microsoft's advice is aimed at IT departments: switch the network to certificate sign-in, or temporarily set the old audit mode by the steps in KB5066470. More than 300 people marked the same problem on Microsoft's Q&A forum within two days of the update.
Microsoft message center notice of October 14 (NTLMv1 hardening) and KB5066470
USB speakers, headsets and sound cards go silent
Who it hits: USB audio devices that need no driver of their own (USB Audio Class 1.0) - many simple speakers, headsets, external sound cards. Windows 10 and 11.
After the September 8 security update some USB audio devices fail to start: no sound, volume controls stuck, Device Manager shows "This device cannot start (Code 10)". Others lose only surround modes (5.1, 7.1, 3D audio).
What to do
- Install the latest updates: the September 14 patch (KB5129195) brings back surround modes. The regular October 13 update (KB5127648 on Windows 11, KB5126657 on Windows 10) does not fix the Code 10 silence - Microsoft still lists the bug as open in that update's own notes.
- If the device is completely silent, switch it to plain 2-channel stereo - that revives many of them.
- Do not reinstall the driver in circles: the bug is inside Windows, not in the driver.
- Upgrading to Windows 11 26H2 does not help: Microsoft lists it among the affected versions. Stay on your current version and wait for the fix in Windows Update.
- Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro got their last update on October 13, 2026 - Microsoft ended their support that day, and the fix was not in it. When the fix comes, it will only reach 25H2 and newer. If you are on 24H2, move to 25H2 through Windows Update (free, one restart) - it is the same Windows with ongoing fixes, not a big upgrade like 26H2.
Status: Surround modes fixed on September 14. Full silence with Code 10 and dead microphones - still not fixed. The regular October 13 update (KB5127648 / KB5126657) does not close it: Microsoft's notes for that update still list the bug as open and say the company is working on the remaining symptoms. A few news sites wrote that October 13 fixed it - Microsoft's own pages do not say so, and people report Code 10 after installing it. The next regular update day is November 10.
Full walkthrough: USB sound after KB5124008Microsoft known issues page
AMD Radeon: black screens and freezes, even outside games
Who it hits: PCs with AMD Radeon graphics cards - RX 6600, RX 7700 XT, RX 7800 XT, RX 7900 GRE, RX 7900 XTX, RX 9070 XT are named in reports.
After the September update the screen goes black or the whole system freezes, sometimes right on the desktop. The graphics driver times out and the display disappears.
What to do
- Rolling the graphics driver back does not help here - reports say older driver versions crash the same way. Save yourself the reinstalls.
- Until a fix lands, avoid installing AMD driver updates and Windows updates in the same sitting - if one of the two misbehaves, you will know which.
- Watch Windows Update: neither the September 14 emergency patch (KB5129195) nor the regular October 13 update (KB5127648) mentions this one, so the fix is still ahead.
- If your black screens started at some other time - not right after the September update - this bug is not your story. Then it is a regular driver problem: go through our graphics driver guide and check the driver for your card.
Status: Not fixed and still not acknowledged. The September 14 emergency update, the optional September 22 update (KB5124010) and the regular October 13 update (KB5127648) all leave the AMD crashes unmentioned. The "black screen after sign-in" entry Microsoft added on September 25 is a different bug - it hit company virtual desktops, not PCs with Radeon cards, and Microsoft closed it on October 13 with KB5127648. The Radeon problem is still not on Microsoft's known issues page.
Guide: graphics driver problemsGraphics card drivers in our database
Printing from older programs fails with "Entry Point Not Found"
Who it hits: Mostly office setups: printing from older 32-bit programs and shared printers with classic (Type 3) drivers. Windows 10 and Windows Server.
The September update replaced shared printing files, and printing from older programs now stops with an "Entry Point Not Found" error while the rest of the system prints fine.
What to do
- Print the document from a modern program (a current browser or PDF viewer) as a stopgap.
- If the printer runs on an old shared driver, check whether a newer driver package exists for your model - search the printer model in our database or on the maker's support page. A newer driver sidesteps the broken files.
- On a shared office printer, pass that driver to whoever manages the print server.
Status: Not fixed and not acknowledged by Microsoft. The October 13 update repairs a different printing bug (RAW and Generic Text Only printer drivers broken since August), not this one. We are watching the reports - if this spreads to home setups, we will publish a full walkthrough.
Printer and scanner drivers in our databaseGuide: printer driver unavailable
Already fixed
Kept for the record: if one of these hit you, installing the latest updates is the whole cure.
Mouse stutters and the camera jumps in games - it was Windows, not the mouse
Who it hits: Windows 11 (24H2, 25H2 and 26H2) PCs used for gaming. Reports name Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy XIV and The Division 2, but any game where the mouse turns the camera can show it.
Confirmed by Microsoft on October 13 - the same day it was fixed. The stutter itself had been around for months with no update named as the cause: the in-game camera lags behind the mouse, jerks or spins on its own, even on fast PCs. People blamed the mouse, its polling rate or the driver and swapped mice for nothing - the bug was inside Windows.
What to do
- Install the October 13 update (KB5127648): Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, install it and restart. Microsoft's notes for that update say it fixes mouse input stutter in some games.
- Do not reinstall the mouse driver or buy a new mouse before the update is on your PC - the mouse was never the cause here.
- If the stutter is still there after KB5127648, it is a different problem: try a wired connection for a wireless mouse, lower an unusually high polling rate and check whether the game itself has a newer patch.
Status: Fixed by KB5127648 on October 13. Microsoft never put this one on the known issues page and did not say which update brought it in - the only official word is the line in the October release notes.
Older games and media players crash when playing Dolby Digital (AC-3) sound
Who it hits: Windows 11 (24H2, 25H2 and the new 26H2) after the optional update of September 22 or anything newer, including the 26H2 upgrade. Hits programs that rely on the Windows built-in decoder for AC-3 (Dolby Digital) audio - mostly older games, media players and some office programs.
The program closes without warning, refuses to start, or works fine until you play music or a video with Dolby Digital sound and then crashes. Most modern programs bring their own audio decoder and are not affected.
What to do
- Install the October 13 update (KB5127648): Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, install it and restart. Programs that crashed on Dolby Digital sound work again after that.
- Until the update is on your PC, switch the program's sound output to plain stereo or turn off Dolby Digital / AC-3 in its audio settings. A video that crashes one player usually plays fine in a modern player that brings its own codecs (VLC is one).
- Your sound card and its driver were never at fault: the crash lived inside a Windows component. No driver reinstall is needed.
- On Windows 11 24H2 Home and Pro the October 13 update is the last one Microsoft ships - support ended that day. Install it, then move to 25H2 through Windows Update (free, one restart) to keep getting fixes.
Status: Fixed by KB5127648 on October 13. Microsoft confirmed the bug on October 8 and closed it with the regular October update for Windows 11 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2.
File History stops seeing the external backup drive
Who it hits: Anyone who backs up with File History to a plugged-in external or USB drive. Windows 10 and Windows 11.
After the September 8 update File History asks you to "Reconnect your drive" while the same disk is visible in File Explorer. The date of the last backup stops moving, old copies show as "No previous version available", and nothing warns you that the backups have stopped.
What to do
- Install the October 13 update: KB5127648 on Windows 11 (24H2, 25H2, 26H2) or KB5126657 on Windows 10. Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, install it and restart. On Windows 11 the optional September 22 update (KB5124010) already carried the fix, the October update includes it.
- After the update open Control Panel > File History and check the date of the last backup. If it is still stuck, go to Select drive, pick the same drive again and save - that restarts the backups.
- Backups that were skipped while the bug was active were simply not made. Copy anything important from that period to the drive by hand once, then let File History take over again.
- The drive and its drivers were not at fault here, the bug was inside Windows. No USB driver reinstall needed.
Status: Fixed everywhere: on Windows 11 by the optional September 22 update (KB5124010) and the regular October 13 update (KB5127648), on Windows 10 by KB5126657 on October 13. Microsoft lists the fix in the October release notes.
Remote Desktop connections drop or hang
Who it hits: People who connect to work computers over Remote Desktop, and the servers they connect to.
Connections failed after a few minutes, sign-ins broke and servers hung at "Please wait for the Remote Desktop Configuration".
What to do
- Install the September 14 update (KB5129195) or anything newer - that closes the problem.
Status: Fixed by KB5129195 on September 14.
False warnings that "Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off"
Who it hits: Any Windows 10 or 11 PC with built-in Defender antivirus and fresh Defender updates.
Notifications kept claiming the antivirus was off while it was in fact running - pure false alarm, protection was never lost.
What to do
- Nothing to do: the fix arrives on its own with Defender update 4.18.26080.4. Make sure Windows Update is not paused.
Status: Fixed on September 17 by a Defender update that installs automatically.
Desktop wallpaper resets to solid black
Who it hits: Windows 11 PCs that installed the late-August preview update.
Wallpaper and some desktop settings failed to load and the background turned solid black; setting the picture again did not stick.
What to do
- Install the September 8 update (KB5124008) or newer - the wallpaper comes back by itself.
Status: Fixed by KB5124008 on September 8.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to install the latest Windows update?
For most PCs - yes, and the security fixes inside are worth it. The exceptions right now are listed under Open problems above: if you depend on a USB sound card or run one of the affected AMD Radeon cards, waiting a week or two for the fix is a reasonable call. Everyone else should install updates as usual.
Something broke right after an update. How do I find out which update it was?
Open Settings, go to Windows Update, then Update history. The list shows every installed update with its KB number and date - the one installed right before the trouble started is your suspect. Compare its KB number with the entries on this page.
Should I uninstall the update that broke something?
Only as a last resort. Uninstalling also removes the security fixes that came with it. Try the workaround from the entry above first - most of these bugs get a proper fix from Microsoft within days or weeks, and it arrives through Windows Update on its own.
Windows updated and now a device is missing or silent, but I don't see it on this page. What then?
Then it is most likely an ordinary driver problem rather than a mass bug: the update may have swapped your driver for an incompatible one. Start with the guide on devices that stopped working after a Windows update - rolling the driver back usually brings the device back. Here is that guide.
How this page works
A KB number is simply the name an update goes by in the installed updates list (Settings → Windows Update → Update history). When a bug is big enough, we write a separate step-by-step walkthrough and link it from the entry - the way we did for the September USB audio bug. Everything else lives here in short form, so the site does not drown in one-day news pages.