Windows 11 October Update Cripples USB Device Functionality in Recovery Environment
Seattle, WA – November 16, 2023 – A series of escalating issues wiht the Windows 11 October update, specifically patch KB5066835 deployed during Patch Tuesday, is leaving system administrators scrambling and users vulnerable to unrecoverable system failures.Following a recent IIS-related malfunction, Microsoft has confirmed a new bug rendering USB keyboards and mice unusable within the Windows Recovery Environment (winre).
While USB devices continue to function normally within the operating system itself,accessing WinRE – the critical troubleshooting environment used when a system fails to boot – becomes impractical with standard peripherals. Users are unable to navigate menus, initiate automatic repair, open command Prompt, or reset the system, effectively freezing the computer.
Microsoft acknowledged the issue in a statement, noting the limitation of the problem to winre. This poses a significant challenge as contemporary users overwhelmingly rely on USB devices, with older PS/2 ports becoming increasingly rare and Bluetooth devices often incompatible within the recovery environment.
“The recovery environment is precisely the last line of defense when a system refuses to boot correctly,” the article states.
The situation is further complicated by the inoperability of new features like the “Hey Copilot” voice command system outside of a fully loaded operating system. Microsoft is reportedly working on a fix but has not provided a timeline for its release. For now, users are advised to avoid system crashes until a patch is available.
