Windows 11 has had its fair share of issues over the years, but one that has more recently popped up is an issue that was preventing PCs from being able to boot up. This is obviously a big problem if you rely on your PC for work, but it can be frustrating even if it’s merely for casual or recreational use. So, naturally, users end up concerned or worried when things like this happen.
As reported by XDA, there was a reported bug that was causing Windows 11 PCs to have boot issues after installing the January update. This wouldn’t be the first time Microsoft has pushed out a bad update that caused problems. For example, there was one gamers were facing last Summer that was tied to Easy Anti-Cheat software . Microsoft eventually fixed it. This was one of several update problems in the past few years, though. This latest one seems to be a little more of a problem, at least for now.
Windows 11 boot issues can be prevented, but there’s no fix for those already affected
There is one major problem with this bug that users are facing. Microsoft has confirmed that it can prevent users from encountering a no-boot situation if they try to install the January update. However, it doesn’t have a fix for those who already tried to install the update and are now facing the no-boot issues with their PC.
It says it doesn’t have a fix for people who already installed the update, either. The downside for those with the no-boot issue is that they will likely lose any data that was on those PCs. If Microsoft doesn’t have a fix, then the only thing that can probably be done is a data wipe and a fresh install of Windows 11. Doing that with a BSOD state has its own challenges as well.
According to Microsoft , “Recent investigations have determined this issue can occur on devices that failed to install the December 2025 security update and were left in an improper state after rolling back the update. Attempting to install Windows updates while in this improper state could result in the device being unable to boot.”
