Microsoft has encountered a serious issue with the August Patch Tuesday updates it released for Windows 10 and Windows 11. These updates, KB5063709, KB5063877, KB5063871, and KB5063889, disabled reset and recovery options on computers. Microsoft confirmed the error and stated that it is aware of the issue.

A Windows update caused the problem

When users try to reset or recover a Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer that has these updates installed, they encounter various errors. Options like “Reset My PC” or “Fix problems using Windows Update” in the Settings menu don’t work. Even using the RemoteWipe CSP feature doesn’t work.

The affected Windows versions include: Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2, Windows 10 22H2 along with Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 and 2019, and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 and 2019.

Microsoft is working on an urgent fix to address this serious issue. The fix will be released as an out-of-band (OOB) update. This update is expected to restore the reset and recovery options.

With this update, Microsoft also attempted to address the issue caused by Windows 11 on some SSDs. However, this newly released security patch disrupted the reset and recovery system, creating a larger problem.

This presents a critical obstacle, especially for users experiencing serious issues with their computers and wanting to reinstall the operating system. The fact that Microsoft will release an urgent update, described as “out-of-band,” demonstrates the severity of the problem and the need for a swift solution.

It’s unclear when this fix will be released, but users are unable to reset their systems without a recovery tool. This further proves that security patches can sometimes create new problems rather than fix existing ones.