Microsoft rushes out emergency fix for Windows 11 bug that stops PCs recovering from boot failures

• Microsoft has rushed out an emergency patch for a nasty bug
• It rendered the recovery environment unusable in Windows 11 25H2
• This is the feature that helps you recover from a boot failure

Microsoft has quickly deployed an emergency patch for Windows 11 outside of its usual schedule of updates to fix a major problem with the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).

XDA Developers spotted the 'out-of-band' update that has just been released by Microsoft, known as patch KB5070773 for Windows 11 25H2. It was the latest cumulative update (for October) and included the bug for version 25H2, which stopped USB keyboards and mice from working in WinRE.

WinRE is the feature that kicks in if your PC fails to boot, so it's vital when disaster strikes your Windows 11 system and you need to recover. Being unable to use the mouse or keyboard renders the environment effectively useless.

In other words, those on Windows 11 25H2 who grabbed the October update, and then subsequently ran into a showstopping issue with their PC, were completely out of luck when it came to resolving that problem using the traditional recovery methods.

Analysis: don't hang around - update

As you can imagine, you really don't want to be stuck up a boot failure creek without a recovery paddle. So, if you're running Windows 11 25H2 with the most recent October update applied, I'd strongly advise you to download this emergency patch today – now, in fact.

The patch will be installed by Windows Update, so what you need to do is head to that panel in the Settings app (simply type 'Windows Update' in the search box in the taskbar). Then click on 'Check for updates' to do just that, and you should see patch KB5070773. At this point, I'd imagine Microsoft has this available for all Windows 11 25H2 PCs (considering it was first deployed late yesterday, and given how important it is).

Should you not see the update, it's possible that your system has already installed it, though you would have seen some indication of that. It's possible to miss these things, mind you, and you can always double-check your update history (in the Windows Update panel) to see if KB5070773 is listed.

If you aren’t being offered this patch, and definitely don't already have it, you could manually install the update, providing you're confident enough about your Windows 11 PC to do so. In that case, as XDA points out, you can find the patch available for download here in Microsoft's Update Catalog.

Not so long ago, in August 2025, Microsoft broke the ability to reset a Windows 11 PC, which again required an emergency fix – so the software giant is on something of a roll when it comes to throwing spanners in the recovery works.

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