Clarifying the SSD Failure Reports Linked to Windows 11 Update
The ongoing discussion regarding the August 2025 update (KB5063878) for Windows 11 has recently taken a significant turn, shedding light on the SSD failure reports that have troubled users. Many individuals reported that their NVMe drives either vanished from the operating system or experienced data corruption during large file transfers following the installation of this update.
Initially, the spotlight was on Phison-made SSDs, which led the manufacturer to undertake an extensive investigation. After more than 4,500 hours of rigorous testing, Phison announced that it could not replicate the reported failures. Microsoft supported this conclusion, asserting that its own analysis found no direct link between the Windows 11 update and the drive failures being discussed. Despite these reassurances, a segment of users remained convinced that the update was indirectly responsible for the issues they encountered.
Recently, a group of Chinese PC DIY enthusiasts on Facebook has claimed to have pinpointed the actual cause of the problem. According to Rose Lee, the group’s administrator, the drives in question were operating on pre-release engineering firmware instead of the finalized production versions. This specific firmware, often utilized in early testing and evaluation phases, can exhibit erratic behavior, which may have been exacerbated by the update.
Lee further noted that Phison engineers have corroborated these findings in their laboratories, confirming that the official production firmware does not exhibit the same issues. This revelation suggests that consumer drives sold through retail channels, which are equipped with the final firmware, should remain unaffected by the reported problems. It also clarifies why both Microsoft and Phison were unable to identify the issue during their investigations, as their testing concentrated on retail-ready products.
For users still experiencing SSD-related difficulties, the recommended course of action is to update the firmware on the affected drives. As a precaution, it is always advisable to back up important data prior to performing any updates to mitigate potential complications.
