As if we needed another excuse not to install the most recent updates until they’ve been thoroughly tested by a large number of users, Microsoft’s most recent Windows Update has the regrettable side effect of causing blue screens for certain users. Immediately after booting, a blue screen appears with the stop code “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” error. What we know and, more importantly, how to prevent this from affecting your PC are provided below.
As soon as the most recent Windows 11 update, KB5029351, which brought the operating system to version 22621.2215, was installed, the problem first appeared. The build fixes a few things and makes a few little enhancements, like giving the search box’s shine a new hover behavior and making the search more reliable.
Users may experience a blue screen directly at bootup after installing the update and restarting their computer, making it very hard to fix the problem. Fortunately, after a few unsuccessful efforts to start the computer, the update uninstalls itself.
Microsoft said it is aware of the issue and is developing a solution. If you’re experiencing this issue right now, Microsoft suggests pressing the Windows key + F to open the Feedback Hub. Next, select Explain in more detail > Summarise your feedback. You will be required to describe the issue and attempt to reproduce it, even though this is not really possible.
It’s important to note that only users using Windows 11 releases 22H2 and 21H2, as well as Windows 10 build 22H2, can access this optional update. It doesn’t automatically install, which is a blessing, however, some customers might still acquire it even if they weren’t aware of what they agreed to. You would need to locate this fix in the Windows Update settings and decide to download it there in order to use it.
The origin of these blue screens is yet unknown, but as PCWorld points out, this Reddit post is flooded with users reporting the problem. They all appear to be using an MSI motherboard and one of Intel’s top Raptor Lake CPUs, which is something they all share in common. Given that motherboard manufacturers are getting ready for the impending Raptor Lake refresh and the first BIOS updates are beginning to arrive, there may be some sort of conflict between the update and this specific hardware setup.
This is not the first instance of a recent Windows Update causing issues. A recent upgrade caused many customers to notice a significant drop in SSD speeds. The takeaway from this is that, in order to avoid headaches and effort wasted troubleshooting, it’s usually a good idea to wait a few days before downloading optional, non-critical updates.