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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- A brand new bug stops USB gadgets within the Home windows Restoration Setting.
- You’ll be able to’t navigate the WinRE screens utilizing a mouse or keyboard.
- Microsoft is engaged on a repair, however there’s one workaround.
What would a month-to-month Home windows replace be with out at the very least one bug? That is the case with the October Patch Tuesday update rolled out by Microsoft nearly every week in the past. This one fastened greater than 170 safety flaws, nevertheless it additionally launched a glitch that impacts some Home windows 11 customers who flip to the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to troubleshoot boot-up points.
Additionally:Â Windows 11 AI agents will act on your behalf – how much can you trust them?
“After putting in the Home windows safety replace launched on Oct.14, 2025 (KB5066835), USB gadgets, resembling keyboards and mice, don’t operate within the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE),” Microsoft revealed on its known issues page for Windows 11. “This concern prevents navigation of any of the restoration choices inside WinRE. Observe that the USB keyboard and mouse proceed to work usually throughout the Home windows working system.”
Additionally:Â Don’t want to upgrade to Windows 11? You don’t have to, but here’s what you should know
The difficulty impacts Home windows 11 25H2 and 24H2, in addition to Home windows Server 2025. Microsoft mentioned it is aiming to roll out a decision within the coming days.
Workarounds
WinRE is a restoration instrument that may step in if Home windows is unable in addition up correctly. In some situations, the instrument could mechanically begin and try and restore the difficulty; in others, you’ll be able to manually choose sure choices, resembling a recovery drive or Protected Mode, to attempt to restore or at the very least slender down the issue. However with out assist for a USB mouse or keyboard, there is no solution to navigate the surroundings. Nonetheless, there’s one workaround.
Additionally:Â Microsoft’s ultra compact Windows 11 25H2 update is here – get it in a single restart
In case you have an old-style PS/2 keyboard or mouse and a suitable port in your PC, you must be capable of work with the WinRE screens, because the glitch impacts solely USB gadgets. In any other case, you will have to attend for Microsoft’s repair, which ought to arrive earlier than too lengthy.
An alternative choice is to easily take away the October replace, however that presumes you are still in a position to boot into Home windows with none points. If that’s the case, head to Home windows Replace, choose Replace Historical past, scroll to the underside of the display, and click on the choice to uninstall updates. Search for the KB5066835 replace and click on the Uninstall hyperlink to take away it.
Different bugs
Past the WinRE glitch, just a few different bugs have popped up within the newest October replace. One affects IIS websites, however solely these saved by yourself PC. Should you’re utilizing your pc as an IIS server to host web sites, these websites could fail to load. This one impacts Home windows 11 25H2 and 24H2, in addition to Home windows Server 2025. Right here, Microsoft mentioned it is engaged on a repair slated for a future Home windows replace.
Additionally:Â Did you know that Windows 11 has an emergency shutdown feature? Here’s where to find it
With one other concern, as documented by Windows Latest, the File Explorer preview window could cease working accurately. When making an attempt to show a file downloaded from the cloud and even an inner community, the preview could set off an error telling you that the file may hurt your pc. Although Microsoft hasn’t publicly acknowledged this one, hopefully a repair is on the way in which.
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