Microsoft’s Windows 11 24H2 update KB5063878 was meant to strengthen security, but it has stirred up something far worse: drive corruption. Reports suggest the patch not only caused install errors during rollout but is now linked to SSD and HDD failures under heavy workloads, leaving users worried about their data.
Windows 11 24H2 update linked to storage failures
The update dropped alongside August’s Patch Tuesday, fixing issues tied to the Lamma stealer malware. But after installation, users began reporting disappearing drives. Their systems no longer recognized storage devices, with SMART monitoring turning blank. The issue appears most common during sustained write activity around 50 GB or when controller usage hits 60 percent, making corruption far more likely.
Windows 11 24H2 update stresses on NVMe SSDs
NVMe drives seem especially fragile under the patch. Testing shows failures reappear within minutes once workloads ramp up, even if rebooting temporarily brings drives back. SSDs running on Phison NAND controllers, particularly DRAM-less models, are the most vulnerable. Enterprise HDDs also show similar collapse under intense writing sessions.
Here’s what’s being reported most often by affected users:
- NVMe SSDs vanish from Windows after long write sessions
- SMART health data turns unreadable in the OS
- Rebooting restores visibility but not stability
- Failures recur consistently under identical workloads
Suspected memory leak behind the failures
Some analysts point to a cache subsystem failure inside Windows. Evidence suggests a memory leak in the OS-buffered cache region, echoing the notorious WD SN770 host memory buffer bug. Disabling HMB does not fix the problem, fueling speculation that this is deeper in Windows itself rather than just firmware.
Windows 11 24H2 update repeats old storage flaws
This isn’t the first time storage reliability has been in the spotlight. Microsoft previously claimed to fix similar cache leaks in late 2024, but reports persisted into mid-2025 after WD and SanDisk botched firmware communication. Now, with the Windows 11 24H2 update, history appears to be repeating. Users may have patched one security hole only to find their data hanging by a thread. The irony: an update built to protect files is the very thing putting them at risk.
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