Recent Windows 11 Updates Cause Blue Screen Crashes
In a familiar turn of events, Microsoft has alerted users to issues stemming from two recent updates for Windows 11 24H2, which are leading to unexpected blue screen crashes. The updates in question are the April cumulative update KB5055523 and the March preview update KB5053656. According to Microsoft, these patches are causing system freeze-ups following installation and reboot.
The documentation provided by Microsoft indicates that users may encounter a blue screen exception accompanied by the error code 0x18B, signaling a SECUREKERNELERROR. While the company has acknowledged the problem, it has not offered extensive details or responded to inquiries regarding the matter.
As of now, there is no permanent solution available. Microsoft is currently working on a workaround, utilizing a Known Issue Rollback (KIR)—a feature introduced in 2021 that allows the tech giant to discreetly reverse problematic non-security updates without requiring user action.
For those operating Windows 11 24H2 on personal or unmanaged devices, the rollback should be applied automatically through Windows Update, although users might need to wait up to 24 hours for it to take effect. A simple reboot could expedite the process, according to Microsoft’s guidance.
However, for IT departments managing affected systems, the repair process is a bit more complex. IT teams will need to download a Group Policy .msi file from Microsoft’s update support pages and adhere to the documented installation steps. Once implemented, the policy will be accessible under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates in the Group Policy Editor. The same KIR package applies to both problematic updates, and affected machines will require a restart to complete the rollback.
Microsoft has garnered a reputation for inadvertently introducing issues with its Windows updates. In recent months, the company has faced criticism for code that resulted in printers producing nonsensical output, disrupted USB audio devices, locked users out of their accounts, and generated misleading error messages despite successful installations.
While it’s important to acknowledge the challenges Microsoft faces—particularly with the widespread rollout of its Copilot feature—some bugs inevitably slip through the cracks. Notably, the company has yet to resolve a synchronization issue affecting OneDrive apps for both Windows and macOS, a problem that has persisted for over ten months.
