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Microsoft issues emergency Windows 11 patch for USB audio failure

Microsoft released an out-of-band update this week for Windows 11 versions 26H2, 25H2, and 24H2 to fix an audio bug that broke sound on older USB devices using the legacy Audio Class 1.0 driver. The flaw, introduced by the September 8 security update, left affected headsets and speakers silent, with unresponsive volume controls or a Device Manager error. The new patch also resolves several other recent issues alongside a couple of security flaws.

Microsoft issues emergency fix for buggy Windows 11 25H2 update

Microsoft released an out-of-band patch to address problems introduced by its September 2026 Windows 11 update, which had shipped with new taskbar and Start menu customization features alongside nearly 1,000 security fixes. The rollout caused crashes on AMD Radeon GPUs, audio input/output failures, Remote Desktop instability, and Explorer black-screen issues after login. The emergency update addresses several of these regressions, though the AMD GPU crashes were not explicitly called out as fixed.

Microsoft rushes out-of-band patch KB5129195 to fix Windows 11 RDP, audio bugs from September update

Microsoft released an emergency cumulative update, KB5129195, to fix several problems caused by September's Patch Tuesday release, which had patched nearly 1,000 vulnerabilities but broke Remote Desktop Services, Linux VM support, and some USB audio devices. The fix restores RDP connections, repairs the Host Compute Service used by apps like Claude Cowork to run Linux virtual machines, and partially restores 8-channel and 3D audio modes. However, AMD Radeon GPU crashes and File Explorer failures reported after the same update remain unresolved.

Microsoft rushes out-of-band fix for bugs in record September Windows patch

Microsoft has released an emergency out-of-band update to correct problems introduced by its September Patch Tuesday release, which fixed nearly 1,000 vulnerabilities but broke folder sharing on Hyper-V Linux virtual machines, disrupted Remote Desktop Services sessions, and caused issues with some USB audio devices. The new fix covers Windows 11 versions 26H1, 25H2, and 24H2, along with Windows Server 2025, 2022, and 2012 R2, plus LTSC editions of Windows 10.

Microsoft's Media Creation Tool lets users build bootable Windows 11 USB drives

Microsoft offers a downloadable Media Creation Tool that lets users create a bootable Windows 11 installation USB drive. The process involves running the tool as administrator, selecting a USB drive, and letting it download and write Windows 11 files, after which the drive can boot and install Windows 11 on another PC.

Microsoft's KB5124008 patch silences older USB Audio Class 1.0 devices

Microsoft confirmed that its September 8 security update, KB5124008, is causing audio failures on legacy USB Audio Class 1.0 hardware such as older speakers, headsets, and microphones. Affected users may see no sound, unresponsive volume controls, or a 'Code 10' error in Device Manager. The company noted a temporary workaround: switching the audio mode to Stereo restores sound until an official fix arrives.

MSI interrupt mode explained: why it steadies GPU performance, not speed

MSI (Message Signaled Interrupts) lets a device like a GPU notify the CPU of an interrupt by writing to a memory address rather than fighting for space on a shared physical hardware line. Windows 10 and 11 default to MSI-X, an expanded version introduced with PCI 3.0 in 2010, whenever a device supports it. This approach labels each interrupt with its source, avoiding the collisions that can occur on crowded shared IRQ lines.

Dell relaunches XPS 13 as a budget rival to Apple's MacBook Neo

Dell has revived the XPS 13 line with a redesigned thin-and-light laptop starting at $699.99, positioning it as a lower-cost alternative to Apple's MacBook Neo. The tested units pair a six-core Intel Core 5 320 'Wildcat Lake' chip with 512GB storage, differing only in RAM—8GB in the base model and 16GB in the $999.99 version. Dell has since introduced a new $699.99 base configuration with just 256GB of storage while raising prices on the 512GB models by $100.

Microsoft confirms September patches break Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server

Microsoft has verified that its September 2026 security updates are causing Remote Desktop Services failures across Windows Server 2012 and later, plus Windows 10 and 11. Affected systems show RDP connections dropping after a few minutes, sign-in errors, servers stuck loading the Remote Desktop Configuration screen, and related tools like MMC and File Explorer becoming unresponsive.

Microsoft confirms September 2026 updates break some USB audio on Windows 11 24H2

Microsoft has acknowledged that the KB5124008 and KB5124012 security updates released on September 8, 2026 can cause USB Audio Class 1.0 devices to stop working on Windows 11 24H2 and later systems. Affected users report Code 10 errors in Device Manager, silent audio output, and frozen volume controls, with some speakers only failing when multichannel modes like 3D or 8-channel audio are used. No official fix exists yet, though switching to 2-channel mode has helped some users regain sound.

Community developer forks Red Hat's abandoned SPICE Windows agent

A volunteer has created a public GitHub mirror and continuation of the freedesktop.org SPICE Windows guest agent project after Red Hat stopped maintaining it. The fork keeps building and packaging the Windows service that enables clipboard sharing, resolution matching, and file transfer for VMs, with fixes like a multi-GPU mouse tracking patch for passthrough setups.

SSD speed vs HDD capacity: how to choose between 256GB and 1TB drives

Comparing a 256GB SSD to a 1TB hard drive isn't a simple capacity contest, since SSDs retrieve data electronically from flash memory while HDDs rely on spinning platters and moving read/write heads, making SSDs significantly faster for booting and running programs. Whether 256GB is enough depends heavily on usage: it suits light users who rely on cloud storage, while heavy local file storage, creative work or gaming may require 512GB, 1TB or more.