The recent Windows 11 update damaged my laptop's operating system, leaving it in an automatic repair loop

Question

The recent Windows 11 update damaged my laptop's operating system, leaving it in an automatic repair loop

Rozz 10

Yesterday, July 15th, my laptop received a Windows update, and I chose to use the "update and shut down" option. The update proceeded normally without any issues or interruptions. This option usually doesn't shut down the laptop but rather restarts it—an old Windows bug. However, on this occasion, when the laptop restarted, it briefly opened and closed a window and then shut down completely. When I turned it back on, the loading screen was preparing a repair, and it immediately proceeded to the automatic repair. I tried every option the system offered, from uninstalling updates (which resulted in an error), restoring to a previous version (which, upon restarting, would again enter automatic repair mode), using system repair commands, and ultimately resetting the system (which also resulted in an error saying it couldn't be done). Even trying to boot into safe mode kept forcing automatic repair, leaving me with a bricked device. At this point, I was resigned to having to reinstall Windows and lose all my files since I had no way to back them up, and the story could have ended there. But I decided to take my laptop to a repair shop to have Windows reset without having to delete all my data and programs.

Thanks to that, I saw that the updates causing this problem were "2026-07 .NET Framework Security Update (KB5100998)" and "2026-07 Security Update (KB5101650) (26200.8875)." I've decided to pause updates for 5 weeks while waiting for Microsoft to release a patch to fix this critical error and hoping it won't happen again.

If you can follow up on my case, my laptop is an Acer Nitro 5 AN517-55, 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12500H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU, Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics, 16 GB RAM, Windows 11 Home. My question is, when will Microsoft release that patch to prevent this problem?

Bryan D 0 Reputation points

2026-07-20T17:16:08.0466667+00:00

This is also a problem on my Windows 11 (ROG Strix E870E-E, Crucial T710 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD, 2x Corsair DDR5-6400 16Gb, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT). Not the first time, but the recent .NET update (2026-07 .NET 8.0.29 Security Update for x64 Client (KB5104032) forced the boot up to hang and stall. After a restart, system repeatedly recycled into Automatic Repair Mode and would hang there also. After multiple restarts, eventually able to make it into the restore environment, where I chose a July 18 restore point, which failed (obviously). The July 8 restore point worked.

I'm not asking for a fix, but since you said there's no public/documented issues, I wanted to add my own.
Neil D 34,010 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-20T18:16:38.7433333+00:00

There is no way users here will know if Microsoft are going to issue a fix, if indeed there is a general problem. I have those updates on my Lenovo and no problems.

It may be better to give the details of the problem in the Feedback Hub for the development team. You can give the details and quote a link to this thread.

As per the answer from Clary-N be sure you have the latest drivers and bios from the system manufacturer.
Bdgr001 0 Reputation points

2026-07-22T21:49:18.7633333+00:00

Check with a bootable usb your ssd status.

The same windows update bricked my ssd (adata xpg S70 blade) and set it up only to read mode. Couldn't even format it... a Firmware update saved it, use the manufacturer's software in a portable windows usb to upgrade it.
Micro McSoftface @ Scuffed Cloud 0 Reputation points

2026-07-26T04:21:00.2966667+00:00

Thank you @Bdgr001 for this comment. It saved my machine today.

I had the same problem. My drive is an ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 1TB. After a recent Windows update my PC would not boot. It showed error 0xc0000185, saying the BCD was missing or corrupt.

The real problem was that the drive had gone read only. In diskpart it showed "Current Read-only State: Yes" but the Read-only flag itself was No. Nothing could write to it. bcdboot failed, chkdsk failed, Startup Repair failed. Even a simple echo test to C: gave "The media is write protected."

The drive health was fine. 100% remaining lifetime and only 12TB written. So it was not worn out.

I followed your advice. I made a Windows To Go drive with Rufus, booted from it, then used ADATA SSD Toolbox to update the firmware from 3.2.J.JE to 3.2.J.PJ. After a full power cycle the PC booted straight into Windows. I did not need any repair commands and I did not lose any data.

If anyone else finds this thread, the fix is a firmware update, not a Windows boot repair.

Thanks again.
Clary-N 15,070 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-28T00:10:04.26+00:00

Hi,

Thank you for sharing such helpful information.
DannyBoy417 0 Reputation points

2026-08-20T12:21:38.2833333+00:00

This exact issue has now completely bricked two gaming PCs for myself, back to back, during the day one updates. They were both HP Omen 35L’s. It was the very same .NET Framework Security Update (2026-08) that seems to have been the culprit. I’ve tried every available repair/recovery option with no success. In fact, none of my restore points were even available during this process. The PC is now caught in an unending boot loop and has been rendered a 25 pound desk weight. It’s beyond unacceptable. I can say with full confidence after being a Windows customer for thirty years, I will never purchase another Microsoft product again.
Clary-N 15,070 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-22T08:18:10.5933333+00:00
Hi DannyBoy417,

I'm sorry to hear you've experienced this on two systems. I understand how frustrating it must be to encounter repeated boot issues and be unable to recover the PCs through the available recovery options.

As moderators in this community do not have access to diagnostic data, devices or Microsoft's internal investigation tools, we're unable to determine the cause of the issue or perform further troubleshooting beyond the information shared here.

Since this may require more in-depth investigation, I recommend contacting Microsoft Support:

Go to Contact Microsoft Supportand sign in.

Type "Chat Support" and select Get help.

Choose Contact support.

Select Windows > Technical support.

Choose Chat with a support agent in your web browser.

You may also consider submitting a report through Feedback Hub (Windows key + F) so the issue can be reviewed by the Windows team.

I hope you're able to get further assistance through the support channels above.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards.

4 answers

Your answer

Bryan D 0 Reputation points

2026-07-20T17:16:08.0466667+00:00

This is also a problem on my Windows 11 (ROG Strix E870E-E, Crucial T710 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD, 2x Corsair DDR5-6400 16Gb, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT). Not the first time, but the recent .NET update (2026-07 .NET 8.0.29 Security Update for x64 Client (KB5104032) forced the boot up to hang and stall. After a restart, system repeatedly recycled into Automatic Repair Mode and would hang there also. After multiple restarts, eventually able to make it into the restore environment, where I chose a July 18 restore point, which failed (obviously). The July 8 restore point worked.

I'm not asking for a fix, but since you said there's no public/documented issues, I wanted to add my own.
Neil D 34,010 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-20T18:16:38.7433333+00:00

There is no way users here will know if Microsoft are going to issue a fix, if indeed there is a general problem. I have those updates on my Lenovo and no problems.

It may be better to give the details of the problem in the Feedback Hub for the development team. You can give the details and quote a link to this thread.

As per the answer from Clary-N be sure you have the latest drivers and bios from the system manufacturer.
Bdgr001 0 Reputation points

2026-07-22T21:49:18.7633333+00:00

Check with a bootable usb your ssd status.

The same windows update bricked my ssd (adata xpg S70 blade) and set it up only to read mode. Couldn't even format it... a Firmware update saved it, use the manufacturer's software in a portable windows usb to upgrade it.
Micro McSoftface @ Scuffed Cloud 0 Reputation points

2026-07-26T04:21:00.2966667+00:00

Thank you @Bdgr001 for this comment. It saved my machine today.

I had the same problem. My drive is an ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 1TB. After a recent Windows update my PC would not boot. It showed error 0xc0000185, saying the BCD was missing or corrupt.

The real problem was that the drive had gone read only. In diskpart it showed "Current Read-only State: Yes" but the Read-only flag itself was No. Nothing could write to it. bcdboot failed, chkdsk failed, Startup Repair failed. Even a simple echo test to C: gave "The media is write protected."

The drive health was fine. 100% remaining lifetime and only 12TB written. So it was not worn out.

I followed your advice. I made a Windows To Go drive with Rufus, booted from it, then used ADATA SSD Toolbox to update the firmware from 3.2.J.JE to 3.2.J.PJ. After a full power cycle the PC booted straight into Windows. I did not need any repair commands and I did not lose any data.

If anyone else finds this thread, the fix is a firmware update, not a Windows boot repair.

Thanks again.
Clary-N 15,070 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-28T00:10:04.26+00:00

Hi,

Thank you for sharing such helpful information.
DannyBoy417 0 Reputation points

2026-08-20T12:21:38.2833333+00:00

This exact issue has now completely bricked two gaming PCs for myself, back to back, during the day one updates. They were both HP Omen 35L’s. It was the very same .NET Framework Security Update (2026-08) that seems to have been the culprit. I’ve tried every available repair/recovery option with no success. In fact, none of my restore points were even available during this process. The PC is now caught in an unending boot loop and has been rendered a 25 pound desk weight. It’s beyond unacceptable. I can say with full confidence after being a Windows customer for thirty years, I will never purchase another Microsoft product again.
Clary-N 15,070 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-22T08:18:10.5933333+00:00

Hi DannyBoy417,

I'm sorry to hear you've experienced this on two systems. I understand how frustrating it must be to encounter repeated boot issues and be unable to recover the PCs through the available recovery options.

As moderators in this community do not have access to diagnostic data, devices or Microsoft's internal investigation tools, we're unable to determine the cause of the issue or perform further troubleshooting beyond the information shared here.

Since this may require more in-depth investigation, I recommend contacting Microsoft Support:

Go to Contact Microsoft Supportand sign in.

Type "Chat Support" and select Get help.

Choose Contact support.

Select Windows > Technical support.

Choose Chat with a support agent in your web browser.

You may also consider submitting a report through Feedback Hub (Windows key + F) so the issue can be reviewed by the Windows team.

I hope you're able to get further assistance through the support channels above.

Thank you for your understanding.

Best regards.

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Hi Rozz,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I am very sorry to hear that your laptop became stuck in an Automatic Repair loop after installing the July 2026 updates. I can understand how frustrating that must have been, especially when you were unable to access Windows, boot into Safe Mode, uninstall the updates, restore the system or even complete a reset.

However, I am glad to hear that the repair shop was able to recover Windows without requiring you to erase your personal files and applications. Losing access to a device unexpectedly after what appeared to be a routine update can be very stressful, and I appreciate you providing the update details and your system specifications.

Based on the information you shared, the issue occurred after installing KB5101650 and KB5100998. While Microsoft does investigate reports received through support channels and Feedback Hub, I am currently not aware of any publicly documented issue affecting Acer Nitro 5 devices that matches the exact behavior you described. Because of that, I would be cautious about concluding that the update itself was the sole cause, as boot failures can sometimes be influenced by existing driver, firmware, storage or system file issues that only become apparent during the update process.

Since your system is operational again, I recommend creating a full backup or system image as soon as possible if you have not already done so. This can help protect your data should you ever encounter a similar issue in the future. You may also want to check Acer's support page for your AN517-55 model and ensure that the latest BIOS and device drivers are installed.

I also encourage you to submit a report through Feedback Hub and include the update numbers, the Automatic Repair behavior and any information the repair shop may have been able to determine. This helps Microsoft's engineering teams investigate patterns and identify potential compatibility issues.

For updates on known issues and their resolutions, you can monitor the Windows Release Health pages: Windows Release Health

As for when a patch might be released, unfortunately Microsoft has not announced a fix or provided an estimated timeframe for this specific issue. If Microsoft confirms a broader issue related to these updates, details would typically be published on the Windows Release Health dashboard or addressed in a future cumulative update.

Thank you again for bringing this to our attention. If the repair shop identified any specific error, driver issue or hardware concern during the recovery process, please feel free to share those details, as they may help provide additional insight into what happened.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Clary-N 15,070 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-18T08:04:38.21+00:00

Hi Rozz,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer?

I am glad to help if you have any other questions.

Answer 3

CrazyKats 18,225 Volunteer Moderator

Hi,

There has been an update released over the weekend

that may address the issues you are seeing.

It takes you to build 26100/26200.8894.

Unpause updates and see if it helps.

Bdgr001 0 Reputation points

2026-07-22T21:50:55.69+00:00

The update caused the same problems to me, I had to reinstall the ssd's firmware with the manufacturer's software.

Answer 4

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