- Microsoft’s Windows Recovery Environment has a major bug after the latest update for Windows 11 25H2
- USB mice and keyboards do not work in Windows recovery mode
- This means that people facing serious problems that prevent their PC from booting cannot resolve them in recovery mode.
Windows 10 finally officially ended on October 14 last week, after a decade of existence, with users being pushed to upgrade to Windows 11 (or sign up for extended support). However, a bug in the most recent update to the latest Windows 11 build, 25H2, makes this upgrade path a bit risky.
As reported by Tom’s Hardware, update KB5066835 for Windows 11 25H2 has broken Windows Recovery Environment (WRE). The problem means that USB mice and keyboards will not work in the WRE, which is very bad news.
The Windows Recovery Environment is where you’ll end up if your PC won’t boot, and it’s designed to help you fix the problem that’s causing it to fail. However, if you cannot use your mouse or keyboard in the WRE, this obviously makes it impossible to recover the PC.
Microsoft commented on the issue and said it was working on a fix that would roll out in the coming days, but there is currently no ETA on the exact date.
This update for Windows 11 25H2 arrived on the same date as Windows 10’s end of life, which is bad timing for those who decided to upgrade and haven’t stuck with Windows 10 through its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program.
People who haven’t yet made the decision on whether or not to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 probably won’t feel more excited about this option given the revelation of this potentially game-breaking bug.
This adds to the litany of bugs that have affected Windows 11 systems, including the recent issue that appears to destroy SSDs. All of this could lead people to consider other alternatives to Windows 11, like the unofficial Tiny11, or maybe even switch to Linux.
Analysis: This is exactly why I always pause Windows 11 updates
Windows 11 has been a problematic operating system on my primary PC, with frequent bugs and unexplained freezes. This new problem is another reason why I constantly avoid installing new updates for as long as possible, even if they are forced upon me (eventually) during system reboots or shutdowns. (You can’t avoid an update for long in Windows 11 Home).
Effective Windows Recovery is incredibly frustrating because it’s there to back up your operating system when needed. It’s not just for system repairs, as it can also be used to uninstall Windows 11 updates, which I was forced to do when Nvidia’s GeForce driver caused a black screen on startup.
While it’s impossible for operating systems not to experience issues over time, issues occur all too frequently with Windows 11, including some major feature-stopping bugs.
If there weren’t games like Battlefield 6 and others using anti-cheat tools not working on Valve’s SteamOS, I would have made the switch a long time ago. Let’s just hope that Microsoft can resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
