The usual suspect: KB5039302
In an update on its Windows Release Health Dashboard, Microsoft has begun tracking a new issue where the Taskbar will fail to load under certain conditions. Redmond’s investigation has revealed that this problem affects PCs utilizing Windows N edition or machines where the Media Features have been turned off. For those unaware, N editions of Windows are like the standard SKU, but they do not include any media-related technology like Windows Media Player and other pre-installed media apps.
Great, but what about the previous bug?
Notably, Microsoft has updated its dashboard to add more information regarding the bootloop issue affecting certain PCs too. Rather than pausing the rollout of the preview update for everyone, Redmond is just halting it for devices prone to being affected. As such, KB5039302 is not being offered anymore to Hyper-V virtual machines running on hosts with “certain” processor types – the company hasn’t released a list of affected processors yet though.
Microsoft is currently tracking three open issues on its Windows 11 version 23H2 health dashboard, with two of them being opened in the past few days. This further underscores the need for the company to review its internal testing processes prior to rolling out updates to the public.
