MS-DEFCON 4: 24H2 is a work in progress

By Susan Bradley

Every month, I look back at the issues and oddities I’ve been tracking to see whether they are merely corner cases or something more widespread.

One thing is certain: I am not recommending the installation of Windows 11 24H2 now, especially for consumers and small businesses. I am testing and evaluating the release, and I will continue to keep you informed about bugs and problems. For everything else, I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4.

You may have noticed in the Master Patch List that I recommend applying patches to Windows 11 24H2. But that’s only if you have already made the leap to Windows 11 and it’s already being used for productive purposes, such as being your “daily driver.”

My general recommendations:

Currently, Microsoft is blocking the update on systems with certain models of Western Digital or SanDisk solid-state drives (SSDs). First noted in the Western Digital forums, the installation of 24H2 triggers a blue screen of death. Western Digital and SanDisk documented the issue. The trigger is “an issue with the HMB (Host Memory Buffer) for certain models of Western Digital and SanDisk SSDs, where the drive may cause a BSOD on Windows 11 24H2.”

Look for the following units:

How can you determine whether you have these drives? Launch Device Manager and expand the Disk drives section. The make and model of SSDs will be displayed. Alternatively, you can open a command prompt and use the following command to get the details:

If you have one of the SSD models listed above, ensure you get the firmware update you need.

This is not the only issue. On  Microsoft’s Learn page Windows 11, version 24H2 known issues and notifications, you’ll find a list of ten (as of this writing) issues. But take a closer look at the problems. For example, Disk Cleanup might incorrectly report space available for cleanup suggests that Microsoft can’t handle first-grade arithmetic. How could such a simple calculation be wrong? Does Microsoft test or conduct code reviews? And if simple things can be wrong, should we expect problems in more complex areas of Windows 11?

Ask me why I do not yet recommend 24H2.

I have not recommended iOS 18 on my Master Patch List because of the many complaints about the changes to the photo app. Though many of us dislike change for change’s sake, the redesign for many is a step back. Specifically, recent (Camera Roll) photos as an album was removed. For an alternative, scroll to the bottom of the Library view, and you’ll see a section called “Recent Days.” It is the same as the recent album, but broken into day views. You can even reorder these items so that Recent Days is the first you reach, and when you quit the app it reopens at the same point. In addition, battery life may be reduced.

After installing the October updates on a Windows 10 PC on which News and Interests has been disabled, the service will still be running. As noted in the Microsoft forums, many are reporting this side effect. Be aware that if you disable News and Interests, it will remain a side effect until it’s fixed.

I’m not tracking any major issues for Windows 11 23H2 at this time. Installing updates for it is recommended.

I am tracking an issue with Classic Outlook and Gmail with POP or IMAP. This is the result of improper configuration. In its support note Unable to add a Gmail account to classic Outlook, Microsoft explains the problem and provides a workaround, which consists of removing the Gmail account and adding it again, paying particular attention to one specific check-box option.

If you are a fan of POP mail, I strongly recommend that you start investigating alternative email platforms, such as Thunderbird.

Just as with Consumers, I don’t yet recommend rolling out 24H2. In addition to the above-noted issues on the consumer platforms, I’m also tracking an issue that might cause problems if you use Intune or Defender for Endpoint (the business version of Microsoft Defender). Those who use Enterprise and Education versions of Windows 11 won’t need to worry about deploying Intune. But if you use the Professional edition or upgrade from Home edition to Professional edition, the code needed to deploy Intune may not be installed. Microsoft documents this as KB5043950: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint known issue. The post offers a DISM command to correct the problem:

If you are in the process of testing the deployment of 24H2 and see that used space is not freed up, be aware that this is a reporting bug and not a physical issue. Microsoft has acknowledged the problem. There is also a known issue where Direct Access is broken with 24H2. Microsoft recommends that Enterprise customers requiring Direct Access evaluate Always On VPN (AOVPN) until a fix becomes available.

Outlook (new) may flip to a different language if you have the editor set for more than one language. Microsoft is investigating the issue.

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