Microsoft's latest attempt to make Windows 11 more secure has turned into a real nightmare for high-tech and video game enthusiasts. This month, the tech giant released the KB5074109 update, which, although tasked with patching 114 vulnerabilities, brought an unexpected “gift” to owners of Nvidia GeForce graphics cards - a serious drop in performance.
The first reports of problems came from the gaming community, where users reported losing as much as 15-20 FPS (frames per second) immediately after installing the patch. For many, this is the difference between a smooth experience and an annoying “fracture“ of the picture. The problem is so noticeable that the only working solution at the moment is to return the operating system to a previous state via a restore point. Although the complaints are currently concentrated in the camp of “green” from Nvidia, it is not excluded that owners of cards from other manufacturers will also fall under the blows of the software defect.
But the problems do not stop there. KB5074109 is also proving to be a stumbling block for the corporate world. Azure Virtual Desktop users are facing critical authentication failures (error 0x8008005), which literally paralyzes work processes. Even something as trivial as formatting a USB drive in the FAT32 file system becomes an ordeal, ending with unexpected system failure messages.
The irony is that the update actually brings some good news - it optimizes battery life on laptops with new processors with a neural coprocessor (NPU). However, these benefits pale in comparison to the possibility that your computer will lose its power when it matters most.
At the moment, Redmond is keeping quiet about an official solution, which leaves users with a difficult choice: security against the risk of cyberattacks or productivity for work and entertainment. If you notice that your favorite game has suddenly become slower, KB5074109 is probably the culprit. Microsoft is expected to release a “hotfix“ as soon as possible, but until then, be careful with the “Update“ button.