- Windows 11 January Update has a new bug
- This would cause sleep mode to fail on some older PCs.
- The issue also locks up the system, requiring a hard reset – although there is a possible workaround you can try to fix it.
Windows 11 has encountered more issues with its latest update, and some users are now experiencing a bug affecting sleep mode.
Windows Latest reports that a number of Windows 11 users are finding that Sleep Mode no longer works after installing the January Update (KB5074109, released just over a week ago).
This is for what’s called S3 sleep state, which is the original sleep mode for Windows, and so it won’t affect newer PCs (because they don’t use it, and I’ll get to why shortly). In this sleep state, everything is off (screen, processor, even the system fans) except the RAM, which remains active (to maintain whatever you’re doing).
According to one user, the problem is: “After installing KB5074109, the sleep function does not work. When you switch to power and press Sleep, the screen goes blank, but the PC does not turn off. The only way to restart the PC is to do a hard reboot, that is, hold the power button until it turns off, then restart. This happens at every time I go into sleep mode.”
There are similar reports on Reddit and elsewhere, and unfortunately, as described, it’s not just a sleep mode failure, but also that the PC actually crashes and requires a hard reboot to recover.
Another Windows 11 user observes that the issue affected three of their PCs (one running Windows 11 Home and two using the Pro editions of the operating system). They further note that the problem disappears when the January update is removed and reappears when it is reinstalled, suggesting that this is definitely an issue with KB5074109.
Analysis: insomniac computers
S3 sleep state only affects older PCs, as newer devices running Windows 11 will use Modern Standby instead. So, as noted, if you have a PC bought this decade, you probably won’t have any problems sleeping, and certainly not with your laptop – all contemporary laptop models have moved to modern sleep (known as S0 “low power sleep”). Mind you, this may not be the case for all desktops from this decade – for example, my computer is five years old and still uses S3 standby.
But most importantly, if you have a newer machine, you will probably avoid this problem in the process. Those with an older PC and experiencing issues may simply need to avoid using sleep mode, which isn’t ideal, although there is a potential workaround you can try.
According to a Feedback Hub article spotted by Windows Latest, one possible solution is that if you have a USB webcam connected to your PC, you can try unplugging it. This might just do the trick – but otherwise there are no other suggestions on how to get around this bug.
This latest bug reported with the January update adds to problems with the classic Outlook application (with POP accounts) which blocks it, and to a bug which prevents some PCs from shutting down. This last point is unpleasant, but it only affects enterprise users with a certain feature enabled, so it’s not something your average person needs to worry about, fortunately.
A third bug that Microsoft has acknowledged is an issue with Remote Desktop Connections not working, although the good news is that emergency fixes have been deployed for the latter two issues – hopefully fixes will be incoming soon for the Outlook issue, as well as the sleep bug.
Finally, I also noticed user complaints about strange issues with their keyboard and mouse after installing the January update. Overall, it’s not a good start to the year for Microsoft.
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