Microsoft has fixed the nasty update bug causing Windows 11 boot loops

Microsoft says a known issue causing reboot loops and problems with the taskbar after a Windows 11 update has been resolved. The situation forced Microsoft to halt the Windows 11 23H2 update rollout on June 27 and affected Windows 11 22H2. Microsoft issued an update squishing the bug on July 9.

The reboot loop problem only affected those using virtual machine tools and virtualization features, such as CloudPC, DevBox, and Azure Virtual Desktop. Some users also reported seeing problems with VMware virtual machines. Those running Windows Home edition were much less likely to experience the bug since virtualization is less common in those environments.

What was frustrating for many was that they might have installed the boot loop-causing update without wanting to. Microsoft began a forced rollout of its Windows 11 2023 Update in February, meaning the only way to avoid it would have been to turn off the Windows Update service or disconnect the PC from the internet. Neither of those would have been a viable option for many users.

Since the bug was somewhat limited in scope, Microsoft had already resumed the update’s rollout. However, it blocked the update for Windows users running virtualization software. With the fix for the issue released, we should expect the forced rollout to resume for all Windows 11 computers.

The July 9 update also fixes a known issue with the Taskbar. Affecting those running Windows N Edition or who had disabled Media Features, many users had problems where the Taskbar would not load after installing the 23H2 update. After installing the July 9 updates, those affected users should be able to see the Taskbar on boot up again.

One known issue from Microsoft’s June updates remains a problem. In this bug, the Photos app might fail to start when BlockNonAdminUserInstall is enabled. It applies to devices updating the Microsoft Photos app from the Windows store on or after June 4, 2024. Once again, Windows Home users are unlikely to experience this bug — those in home environments aren’t usually applying the policies believed to be troublesome.