With new hardware being released, a new Windows update patch usually isn’t far behind. So, we went ahead and updated our test rig to the latest Windows 11 version 24H2 build to get ourselves prepared for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB. Everything seemed fine… until it wasn’t. What started off as a routine cumulative update quickly turned into a full-blown crash loop that left us scratching our heads for hours.
The April 8 Windows Update That Broke Things
For context, Microsoft pushed out several cumulative updates on April 8, namely KB5055523, KB5053656, and KB5053598. If you were running the 24H2 Insider Preview or certain Release Preview builds (especially on AMD-based systems), you might have noticed an increase in system instability after applying these updates.
The most serious symptom? Frequent and completely unexpected Blue Screens of Death (BSODs). In our case, it’s the one tagged with the error code: CRITICAL PROCESS DIED
What makes this particular BSOD even worse is that there is no way for us to boot into the operating system. That means even safe mode or rolling back drivers might not be an option, depending on how badly it hits your system.
Our Experience: Fresh Install Was Our Only Option
When we first hit the BSOD, we thought it was a one-off issue – maybe a driver conflict or some buggy app misbehaving. But after a few reboots and hitting the same CRITICAL PROCESS DIED screen over and over, it was clear something deeper was broken.
As we have not seen any reports regarding this during the time, we assumed the system was corrupted. After trying startup repair, system restore, and even recovery via a USB boot disk – none of which worked. With no other choice left at the time, we ended up doing a full clean installation of Windows 11 and disabled Windows update for the time being.
Microsoft’s Fix – Better Late Than Never
According to Windows Latest, Microsoft confirmed the issue affected a subset of devices, mostly running preview builds, and released a server-side fix via Windows Update. Users who haven’t installed the update yet should now be safe, and those stuck in boot loops may be able to recover by booting into recovery mode and uninstalling the problematic updates.
You can also check the Windows Health Dashboard for official guidance: Windows 11 24H2 Release Health Status
Even official updates can go sideways, and in this case, many users were left with unusable machines and no clear solution at the time of the crash.
What You Can Do Now
- If you’re still on Windows 11 24H2 and haven’t updated in a while, install the latest patches from Microsoft now.
- If you’re affected and can’t boot, try recovery mode to uninstall the last update or roll back to a previous restore point.
- If all else fails, be ready with a USB installer. Just remember to back up your stuff first before proceeding.
Source: Windows Latest
