After a mandatory Windows 11 security update wreaked havoc on some systems, Microsoft has released a hotfix to repair the damage. The original update, released Oct. 14, disabled mice and keyboards in recovery mode, disabled network connections for locally hosted apps and caused issues with previewing files in Windows Explorer, according to several Windows- and tech-focused websites.
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The update, for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 as well as Windows Server 2025, was automatically installed on several systems and rendered some PCs unusable. The patch for the upgrade, KB5070773, was issued Monday.
The update issue came at a critical time for Microsoft: Last week, the company ended official support for Windows 10.
Microsoft warned that Secure Boot certificates used by most Windows devices will begin to expire in June 2026. «This might affect the ability of certain personal and business devices to boot securely if not updated in time,» the company said in its advisory.
Windows 11 was released in 2021 and now holds nearly 50% of the marketshare. Its predecessor, Windows 10, was first released to the public in 2015 and still holds 40% of the PC marketshare, despite Microsoft ending support for the operating system earlier this month.
Microsoft provided CNET links to an initial fix for Windows 11 updates page and a link for Windows 2025 server updates.
Temporary solutions
The website Windows Latest previously said it was communicating with Microsoft about the update bugs and that a hotfix could take several days. The original updates were issued on Oct. 14.
«Microsoft told me that affected users should check for updates and reboot their PC, even if they do not see any newer updates listed,» Mayank Parmar wrote in a Windows Latest post.
That process, Parmar wrote, allows Windows to roll back its code once that fix is available. The website also offered a modification to Windows Registry that could temporarily address the ability for local apps to use networking and other workarounds and fixes for the issues the update has caused.
