Microsoft Confirms Emergency Updates for Most Windows PCs

Microsoft has released emergency updates for Windows 11 after January’s routine security patches caused serious problems for users worldwide. The issues included shutdown failures and remote desktop sign-in errors, prompting the company to issue out-of-band fixes. According to Microsoft, at least two major bugs have now been resolved. One affected older PCs running Windows 11 version 23H2, where systems failed to shut down or enter hibernation and instead restarted. The other was a more widespread issue impacting Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, where users experienced sign-in failures during Remote Desktop connections due to authentication problems.

Microsoft acknowledged that, after installing the January 2026 security updates, some users were unable to connect via Remote Desktop applications, including the Windows App. This issue has now been patched through an emergency update. However, not all problems are resolved. Several issues remain unpatched, including brief black screens appearing before the cursor loads, desktop backgrounds resetting to black, and File Explorer’s desktop.ini file failing to work as expected. These issues have not yet been formally acknowledged by Microsoft.

In addition, Microsoft has confirmed a separate problem affecting Outlook Classic, particularly configurations using older POP email accounts. This bug can cause Outlook to freeze while running in the background, preventing a normal system restart. Users are advised to force-restart the application only if they are certain Outlook is the cause, as doing so incorrectly could risk email data. A dedicated fix for Outlook is expected in a future update.

For now, Microsoft has released two emergency updates for Windows 11 users:

• KB5077744: An out-of-band update for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, addressing Remote Desktop connection failures.
• KB5077797: An update for Windows 11 version 23H2, fixing the shutdown and hibernation restart issue.

Both updates are available through the Microsoft Update Catalog. Users are advised to install the relevant fixes promptly to avoid further disruptions.