It took a few days, but Microsoft has confirmed it is investigating complaints that the latest Windows 11 security update is causing SSD drives to disappear from some PCs.
“We’re aware of these reports and are investigating with our partners,” the company told PCMag.
The issue is tied to update KB5063878, part of the Windows 11 24H2 rollout last Tuesday. The patch was designed to address sign-in delays on new devices, but instead left some users with non-functional SSDs.
User Complaints Spread Online
On Reddit, one user reported: “Had my Samsung 980 PRO 2TB SSD disappear under normal operation today after this update.” Another described their drive as showing up only as unallocated space, making it impossible to use.
The problem was first flagged by a Japanese PC builder, who noted it tends to occur on SSDs with over 60% usage after about 50GB of continuous writing. That poses a serious issue during large installs, such as PC games or software packages.
Community Warnings and Vendor Involvement
The PC community has urged others to avoid the update for now. While some users haven’t encountered problems, others say their PCs froze or crashed entirely after installation. Windows 11 installs the update automatically, though it can be rolled back.
Taiwanese SSD controller maker Phison confirmed it is also investigating, noting the bug “may impact storage devices from multiple vendors, spanning both SSDs and HDDs.” Microsoft is working with partners to track the scope of the issue.
Japanese publication NichePCGamer has begun compiling reports of affected SSD models.
Author’s Opinion
Microsoft has a long history of updates that fix one issue while breaking something else, and this SSD fiasco adds to the list. The fact that users have to warn each other to avoid security patches shows how fragile trust has become in Windows updates. If Microsoft wants to restore confidence, it must improve pre-release testing — especially on storage, the backbone of any PC. Otherwise, every “fix” risks creating a new round of problems.
Featured image credit: Erick Cerritos via Unsplash
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