Windows 11 users, be careful with the latest update – Microsoft admits it can cause havoc with crashes, endless restarts, and BitLocker woes

Last week, Microsoft released an optional update for Windows 11, and unfortunately it has been causing some serious trouble in some cases.

This is an optional update (KB5043145) for Windows 11 23H2 which was supposed to bring some minor quality-of-life improvements, but turned out to pack some unexpected bugs.

In the support document for the update, Microsoft has acknowledged some known issues, with nasty problems including some users being prompted to restart their devices, sometimes multiple times, while others are witnessing their PC locking up with either blue or green screen errors.

Furthermore, some devices open the Windows Automatic Repair tool after multiple restarts, and even BitLocker recovery can pop up in some cases. BitLocker is a Windows security tool that can protect your device’s data by encrypting it, but it’s only available to users of Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. So, if you’re not using those – and most folks reading this will be on Windows 11 Home – you won’t be affected by that particular bug.

We saw BitLocker-related update problems and repeated unprompted restarts earlier in the year, and so these issues seem to be continuing, sadly.

Using Zipped files and folders in Windows 11

(Image credit: Future)

Investigation is underway – standby for further info

In the support document, Microsoft says that it’s currently investigating these issues and that more information will be provided when available. So for now, we can sit tight and wait for feedback from the software giant.

Remember, though, that this is an optional update – you don’t have to install it and can just steer well clear. I would recommend doing just that with this preview update, especially as we currently aren’t aware of any workarounds for these bugs.

However, if you have already taken the plunge with KB5043145 and have encountered any of these gremlins, you can send Microsoft a message via the Feedback Hub app and describe your experience. This information could help Microsoft understand the problem and find a solution more quickly.

Alternatively, Neowin, which spotted this development, suggests that you can visit the Feedback Hub and search for ‘KB5043145.’ This should return the most relevant posts on the forum regarding the patch, and if you see any complaints that echo your issues and concerns, you can upvote those to increase their visibility.

Overall, in terms of bugs cropping up over and over, it’s not a pretty picture that’s being painted of Windows 11 these days. It feels like there are more issues with the newest OS than with its predecessor, Windows 10, which still enjoys widespread popularity – and maybe that’s one of the reasons why.