Recently, we witnessed the CrowdStrike update causing a global system outage, which has affected many verticals, including banking and aviation. Now another similar BSoD error has surfaced, plaguing Windows 10 and 11 PCs.
The latest July 2024 Microsoft Windows Security Update (KB5040442), released on July 9th, is said to be behind the unexpected BSoD error on Windows PCs.
According to affected users, their Windows 10/11 systems automatically installed the July 2024 security update. After installing the security update (KB5040442), users faced a multitude of problems with their Windows PCs, including BSoDs and boot loop errors.
Error Overview
Right after installing the latest Windows update and rebooting their PCs, many users got stuck at the BitLocker recovery screen. According to Microsoft, this issue affected all Windows 10/11 devices with Device Encryption enabled. For users running their computers on Windows 11 24H2 and later, it is enabled by default.
Microsoft has identified the following client OS versions affected by the BitLocker issue.
- Windows 11 23H2
- Windows 11 22H2
- Windows 10 22H2
- Windows 10 21H2
In addition, some users have reported encountering a blue screen of death (BSoD) boot loop issue on their Windows 10/11 computers after installing the Microsoft Windows July 2024 (KB5040442) update.
The Workarounds
Addressing the BitLocker issue, Microsoft has released a notification related to the KB5040442 update. According to the notification, Microsoft is investigating the problem. However, they have suggested a simple workaround to this issue as a temporary relief.
For now, affected users can enter the BitLocker encryption key every time they see the screen after booting up their Windows PCs.
Microsoft is yet to confirm if the BSoD issue is really due to the KB5040442 update. So, for the time being, users will have to wait for a solution or they can roll back the update via WinRE.
What About My Data?
If your Windows 10/11 PC is stuck at the blue screen of death (BSoD) boot loop due to the KB5040442 update, you can easily recover data from unbootable or inaccessible computer using a professional Windows recovery tool, such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional.
Along with recovering files from an unbootable Windows PC, this software can recover files lost in various data loss scenarios. So whether you have accidentally deleted some files, emptied Recycle Bin, or formatted a storage drive, this software can help you recover lost files in few clicks.
You can also use the built-in Drive Monitor utility to keep track of your disk drive’s health and S.M.A.R.T. status.
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