Windows 11 continues its streak of breaking things, as Microsoft has confirmed that there is an issue with the latest September security update. According to the updated support document, Microsoft confirmed that the KB5124008 Windows security update can break audio output on some PCs. Specifically, this security update introduces issues with USB audio devices, where users of these audio output devices can't get any output from them. Messages include "This device cannot start (Code 10)" in the device manager, which fails to recognize some devices, while other symptoms can include unresponsive volume controls, no volume at all, no audio output, unresponsive sound settings, or the complete lack of detection in the device manager.

Microsoft confirmed that this only affects USB Audio Class 1.0 devices, but the current workaround is quite strange. Some USB audio devices can continue to function in standard stereo configuration. However, when switching to multichannel audio features such as 8-channel or 3D audio mode, the device can fail. The company is stating that the mileage will vary depending on the device type and use case, as some users were able to restore audio functions by switching to 2-channel audio mode in cases like these. However, do note that it doesn't mean that the problem is solved, but that only a few devices can find a workaround until a temporary fix is in place. Microsoft is reportedly working on a resolution.Interestingly, this is not the first case of strange bugs as Microsoft has already dealt with external devices that either break the OS or simply stop working after an OS update. Notably, a recent example is the Windows 11 August update, which reset custom cursors to an oversized default one. In some cases, the color and size settings don't stick, no matter how many times they are changed. This update has also caused gameplay issues, such as forced crashes, random freezing, errors, and unexpected device restarts due to RGB peripherals. We ran a poll of nearly 33,000 responses, with the majority of respondents stating that Windows 11 is degrading in quality of use, even after Microsoft's many promises. Hence, the streak of bad updates continues to this day.