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Is the New Windows 11 Update Breaking SSDs or Is Something Else to Blame?
Microsoft has stated that its recent Windows 11 update is not causing solid-state drive (SSD) failures, despite some user reports of data corruption. The company announced that after conducting a thorough internal investigation, it found no evidence connecting the update to the hardware issues being discussed online.
This situation began after Microsoft released a security update for Windows 11 on August 12, 2025. The update, identified as KB5063878, was a mandatory patch for all users. Shortly after its release, a number of users, with initial reports coming from Japan, started claiming that the update had damaged their computer’s main storage drive, the SSD. These reports caused concern among Windows users, prompting Microsoft to look into the matter. After weeks of investigation, the company has shared its findings, which differ from the initial fears.
Microsoft’s Official Statement
On September 3, 2025, Microsoft issued a formal statement to address the growing concerns about the August update. The company was clear in its conclusion. After a deep and careful review, they found no link between the Windows update and the types of hard drive failures that people were reporting on social media platforms. Microsoft’s internal testing could not reproduce the issue where an SSD would become corrupted or stop working after the patch was installed.
The company affirmed its commitment to quality and user feedback. A spokesperson explained that Microsoft constantly monitors feedback after every update it releases and will investigate any future reports it receives. They encouraged anyone who believes they are experiencing a hardware problem after an update to reach out for help.
Microsoft provided specific instructions for users needing support.
- For customers in a business environment, the recommended channel is to contact Support for Business.
- For individual users, the best way to report a problem is through the Feedback Hub application. This tool is built into Windows 11 and allows users to send detailed logs and system information directly to Microsoft’s engineers, which can help them diagnose rare or complex issues.
Understanding the User Reports
The problem reported by users was serious. People described their computer’s SSD, which holds the operating system and all personal files, suddenly failing. This happened for some users right after their computers installed the August 12 security update. The most alarming reports described the SSD becoming completely inaccessible. In some cases, the drive would appear as “RAW” in disk management tools. A RAW drive is one that the operating system cannot read because its file system is missing or corrupted. For others, the SSD disappeared entirely, not even showing up in the computer’s basic input/output system (BIOS), which is the software that runs when you first turn on your machine.
The issue did not seem to be random. Users noticed a pattern related to specific activities that placed the SSD under a lot of stress.
- The problem often occurred during tasks involving very large amounts of data being written to the drive at once.
- Common examples included installing large updates for video games such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Honkai: Star Rail. These updates can be tens or even hundreds of gigabytes in size.
- Some users observed that the failure was more likely to happen if the SSD was already more than 60% full and was tasked with writing over 50 gigabytes of new data in a single operation.
- When the issue occurred, people noticed that File Explorer would freeze, the computer would report input/output (I/O) errors, and then the drive would vanish from the system.
The outcome varied. Some lucky users were able to get their drive working again by simply restarting their computer or using a partition repair tool. However, many others were not so fortunate. For them, the only way to make the SSD usable again was to perform a full wipe, which erases all data permanently. This meant they lost all their documents, photos, and applications.
Investigating the True Cause
While the problems started for these users after installing the Windows update, it does not automatically mean the update was the cause. In the world of technology, just because two events happen close together does not prove one caused the other. It is possible that the update was just a coincidence and another factor was the real culprit. Experts have considered other possibilities, such as a separate, faulty update from a hardware manufacturer that might have been released around the same time.
The problem seems to be what is known as a “rare race condition.” A race condition is an error that happens when a computer tries to perform two or more tasks in a sequence that was not intended, and they interfere with each other. Think of it like two people trying to walk through a doorway at the exact same time; they get stuck. These kinds of bugs are often very difficult to find and fix because they only occur under a very specific set of circumstances, making them hard to reproduce consistently.
This theory is supported by the fact that even technical experts who investigated the issue could not reliably trigger the SSD failure. They tried to copy large files and run stressful tasks on their own machines but were unable to replicate the drive corruption that was reported. This suggests that the problem does not affect all users and likely requires a unique combination of hardware, software, and activity to occur. For now, the exact cause remains unknown, and unless Microsoft finds more data from user reports, the full story may never be clear.
Steps to Take if You Are Worried
Given Microsoft’s statement and the rarity of the reports, there is no need to panic or worry that your SSD is in danger. The issue appears to affect an extremely small number of people. However, this situation is a good reminder of how important it is to be prepared for any potential computer problem.
The single most important step you can take is to back up your data. A backup is a separate copy of your important files, such as documents, photos, and videos. You can save your backup to an external hard drive, a USB flash drive, or a cloud storage service. Having a recent backup means that even if your computer’s main drive fails for any reason, you will not lose your precious files. You should get into the habit of backing up your data regularly.
If you do experience any issues with your SSD or computer performance after an update, first try a simple restart. If the problem continues, it is best to contact Microsoft directly through the Feedback Hub or their other support channels. Provide as much detail as you can about what you were doing when the problem occurred.
You might wonder if you should uninstall the August update. For most people, the answer is no. This update contains important security fixes that protect your computer from online threats. Removing it would leave your system vulnerable. Because the SSD issue is so rare, the security benefits of keeping the update installed likely outweigh the very small risk of experiencing the drive problem.
Other Known Update Issues
Even setting aside the unconfirmed SSD corruption bug, the KB5063878 update has had other documented problems. This suggests that the update may not have met the usual quality standards for a public release, which has caused frustration for some users.
- Some solutions based on the popular streaming software OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) stopped working correctly after the update was installed.
- A bug affected secondary .msi installers. This caused problems for organizations like universities trying to install or update complex applications, including AutoCAD.
- Another unusual bug made the update itself difficult to uninstall. Users discovered that they could not remove the August patch unless the Windows Sandbox feature was disabled first.
These confirmed issues show that the KB5063878 update has been problematic, even if it is not responsible for breaking SSDs. While the drive failure bug remains a mystery affecting a tiny fraction of users, it is clear that this particular update has caused several other headaches.