Microsoft has acknowledged a significant issue affecting the Reset and Recovery operations on several versions of Windows, specifically Windows 11 23H2/22H2 and Windows 10. The tech giant has promised an out-of-band update to address this problem, which could be released as early as today.
Warnings for Users
According to Windows Latest, Microsoft has advised millions of users to refrain from utilizing the built-in Reset and Recovery feature following the mandatory August security updates. The company has identified that after the installation of update KB5063875, attempts to reset or recover devices may fail. This failure occurs when users try to reset their PCs, fix issues using Windows Update, or utilize the RemoteWipe CSP feature.
While Windows 11 24H2 remains unaffected by this issue, the situation poses a challenge for the tens of millions of Windows 10 users who recently celebrated Microsoft’s decision to extend security support beyond October. These users now find themselves awaiting the emergency out-of-band update to rectify the problem.
Critical Concerns and Potential Solutions
Windows Latest has characterized this as a critical issue, suggesting that Microsoft should have retracted the problematic updates KB5063875 and KB5063709. Reports indicate that an emergency patch may be released as soon as the afternoon of August 19. For those on version 23H2, Microsoft is currently testing update KB5066189, although it has not yet been made available on the Update Catalog or through Windows Update.
Compounding the situation, there are ongoing reports of another August update causing corruption in PC SSDs during the writing of large files. This sequence of events has created a troubling environment for users, especially in light of Microsoft’s recent apologies regarding previous update failures.
Importantly, Windows Latest notes that while the Reset and Recovery feature is currently non-functional, Windows does not provide any warnings to users about the potential for failure during the recovery process. Unless users are aware of this issue through external sources or Microsoft’s documentation, they may unknowingly proceed with a reset, which is strongly discouraged at this time.
