Microsoft recently said that Windows 11 is “the most reliable Windows yet.” In fact, the company even shared numbers showing that the latest version of Windows 11 has fewer crashes and problems than older versions. But a new report suggests that one of the most recent updates may be causing serious issues, including potential data loss.

New Windows 11 update is causing serious issues

Earlier this month, Microsoft released several Windows updates as part of its regular Patch Tuesday. These updates were meant to improve security and fix bugs, especially for Windows 11 version 24H2. One of the updates, KB5063878, was supposed to make the system better and safer, but it has done the opposite for some users.

At first, users reported a strange error, as the update installation would fail with the code 0x80240069. Microsoft quickly fixed that problem. But soon after, new reports started to appear about much more serious problems.

Some users are now saying that after installing this update, their storage drives are disappearing from their computers. Not only that, but the drives can’t be read by the system anymore. This affects both solid-state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives (HDDs).

The issue seems to happen during heavy file transfers. If a drive is being used for long writes, like copying or saving 50 GB or more, and the storage controller is working hard, the drive might vanish. In these cases, there is also a chance of file corruption, meaning your data could be lost or damaged. Not great news considering Microsoft really wants people to upgrade to Windows 11 ahead of Windows 10’s end-of-life date this October.

This might be happening due to a problem in the way Windows handles the drive’s cache, which temporarily stores files while they’re being written. Rebooting the PC can sometimes bring the drive back, but this does not work for everyone. Drives with Phison NAND controllers, especially cheaper SSDs that don’t use DRAM, are more likely to have this problem. Some enterprise HDDs, built for servers, have also been affected during intense workloads.

In any case, if you recently installed the Windows 11 KB5063878 update and use an SSD or HDD for large file transfers, keep an eye out for any strange behavior. If your drive disappears or your system starts acting slow during writes, consider stopping heavy tasks and backing up your data right away.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.